DSLR first shots - fire-eating

Just thought I'd post these for some C&C as theyre my first shots with my Canon 40D. Didnt expect this guy to be here (I was there for the bridge) but couldnt help myself when I saw him. Certainly dont mind negative comments as I need to learn.

very very much too cool for school!

Second to last pic works for me!

Very good, presumably you metered for the background? - the exposure for the background is good, and the photos look good.

In instances such as this, it's worth bracketing, then you can layer in Photoshop/Gimp/whatever and paint back in some of the detail where you have blown highlights for the fire.

That said, if you were primarily composing the frame, you must be very happy with the results from your new kit? What bits did you get in the end?

To be critical - the first shot could do with the horizon straightening, and, I'm guessing here, but was there something to the right of the frame that prevented you from including more? As the position of the bridge in the frame leaves the top image a bit unbalanced, although I do like the height/scale.

In terms of saleability, the last has plenty of space for text, so would make a good image for a stock library, as this type of image would appeal to publications.

IMHO, it's not worth putting a watermark on the image itself, just make sure you embed all necessary info in the metadata, including contact info if posible, setup an email address specifically for the purpose and check it once or twice a week. If anyone then uses your image unauthorised for commercial purposes, you can pretty much name your price (within reason).

Guys thanks for the feedback.

Boot, I shot in raw, (didnt know how to bracket on this cam as I wasnt sure where the setting was) so figured I could just alter exposure PP if required. To be honest, I started shooting the guy at another angle but then realised that the bridge added interest and some element of framing. To the left of the image is a row of bright lights and a university building. To the right of the image there was a lot of dead space and some of his kit lying about. I shot in high ISO to avoid shake as much as possible whilst hand held. I was shooting in manual mode as I found in shutter, it kept blowing out everything with the bright flame. Maybe that was down to centreweighting the metering.

Looking at 1, yeah it does lose something to the right of the image and maybe I should crop it in slightly, losing height and that dead space to the right. I'm pretty pleased with the 3 & 4th image as getting the shutter slow enough to get almost a full revolution whilst keeping the guy relatively still was a feat in itself.

I'll also take on board the comment regarding the watermark. Will have to edit the metadata in Lightroom

I'm just using the 40d with the kit lens (17-85mm F4-5.6 IS USM). Its actually not that bad and has a fair amount of range for a walkabout. I still have designs on more lenses but its as and when I can afford it for the moment. I think a new tripod needs to be pretty much top of my list with a polarising filter

Did you get a card/email address for him? If you did, drop him a copy and just politely mention that the image is copyright, but you'd be happy to produce a print for him at a discounted rate. You never know, as family see it, you may get requests for more copies, at which point you can provide your price list. If you're thinking of going semi-pro or pro, it's one of many ways to start.

I'd say 3 is a picture-frame and/or shot, 4 is a magazine full-page shot.

Understand what you mean about lenses, it's a difficult decision to make and justify, I certainly couldn't afford them.

If you cropped 1, I personally wouldn't lose much of the height, it looks good as a tall photo.

You can still bracket in raw, and for this situation with such contrasts of dark and light, I would punt for exposing for the background and bracket as far as the camera allows (probably 1 stop each way). There might not be much in the shots at either end, but it's the detail in specific areas you're looking to retain with such high contrasts.

I did get his email address and sent him those images as above. I did mention to him to get back to me with his thoughts.

I'm still a long way to go to semi-pro and charging for shots. I dont really know what to charge for something like this.

I just wish I'd had a 50mm 1.8 prime lens which I could have used to capture these shots. I would have probably had more keepers due to the faster lens, but I shot these at 17mm so would have had to stand further back to get anything like it.

[DarrenSV650S]

Are you looking to make a career out of it?

[Quiff Wichard]

Rob - I charge about £300 for a good picture.. naked costs £500 .

when do you want me to come model for ya ??


hee hee I Joke..

they are awesome shots mate- me like ..

I just point and press so I dont realy know about exposure and stuff BUT I do know what looks good.. and they look good !

Originally Posted by DarrenSV650S

Are you looking to make a career out of it?

No, I've got a career but I wouldnt mind making a small income in time. I am also of the belief that if a company was to approach you for an image, then they should expect to pay a fee. They wouldnt offer their time for nothing.

First and foremost, I love capturing a moment in time, and I was thrilled when I found this guy there when I expected just to capture the bridge. It was like getting a bonus lesson in shutter speed when I was mainly working on exposure for the bridge.

I shoot a lot of night pics. Your pics are metered well for the background. Can i suggest you dial in some minus compensation as it will retain some detail in those burnt out areas. You can then bring back the shadows a bit in a program especially if you shoot in RAW again.