The hardest thing about not being a "real" photographer...

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Moab Man

Senior Member
Flugelbinder said:
How do we know how the internet comunity is seeing our images???
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I suggest you find a local photography store that will print your photo unedited, NO auto correction (which is why said a photo store). Then adjust your monitor, whichever monitor you plan to work from, to match the print. DO NOT worry about how the internet world is seeing your photo's as every monitor will be different and you can't control it. Then print various photos and compare to your monitor. For my photos, if the print is well lit and colorful it will pretty well match my monitor. However, if I am printing off a black and white I know I have to find what looks right on my monitor and then bump it up a bit so that the print matches.

I suggest doing this experimentation before you have a print you really want to print as the frustration level can go through the roof when you really need the photograph to be right and you don't have the time to play around.
 
D

Deezey

Senior Member
Flugelbinder said:
Thank you. That probably means I need a calibrated monitor? What about the back of the camera? They looked very good on the D90...
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The back screen on the camera only gives you an idea of what the image may look like after editing. (If shooting RAW as the image from the camera is JPG and is processed in camera) Also that screen is tiny which further hides flaws.
Take what the camera shows you with a grain of salt when it comes to image quality.
 
Marcel

Marcel

Happily retired
Staff member
Super Mod
In the case of this picture, the simple thing would have been to use a large white sheet as a reflector to give the portrait a nice soft fill-in light. But sometimes this is not a quick and easy solution. Or you could retouch and at least erase the shades and the window frame to have a neutral white background. That wouldn't be too hard to do in Photoshop.
 
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Flugelbinder

Senior Member
Moab Man said:
I suggest you find a local photography store that will print your photo unedited, NO auto correction (which is why said a photo store). Then adjust your monitor, whichever monitor you plan to work from, to match the print. DO NOT worry about how the internet world is seeing your photo's as every monitor will be different and you can't control it. Then print various photos and compare to your monitor. For my photos, if the print is well lit and colorful it will pretty well match my monitor. However, if I am printing off a black and white I know I have to find what looks right on my monitor and then bump it up a bit so that the print matches.

I suggest doing this experimentation before you have a print you really want to print as the frustration level can go through the roof when you really need the photograph to be right and you don't have the time to play around.
Click to expand...

I did print a 5x7 (no pp whatsoever, straight from the RAW), which looks much better than the JPEG posted here. I do (and I don´t) care about the internet for a few reasons... First, it´s where I´m planing on having a (strong) criticism about my images (that´s my purpose on Nikonites), since I don´t know many people who can give me a more technical perpective (from common "mortals" I do get some "wow´s")... Second reason is that eventually, the internet might become a big help, when I do get serious about this and want to expand the possible customers, so, you see why the internet actually matters... The print matches the TV screens I´ve seen the images on (with slight variations in color and overall brightness), but not my wife´s laptop like I´ve mentioned before (although, if seen in a slight angle - upwards or downwards - it almost looks like the other screens). BTW, not all the screens were set up by me. The 60 inch LCD was that family´s screen... Thank you for the patience... :)
 
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Flugelbinder

Senior Member
Deezey said:
The back screen on the camera only gives you an idea of what the image may look like after editing. (If shooting RAW as the image from the camera is JPG and is processed in camera) Also that screen is tiny which further hides flaws.
Take what the camera shows you with a grain of salt when it comes to image quality.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I guess so... Today I´ll make some more testing with the brightness on the D90´s screen at -2, or even -3...
 
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Flugelbinder

Senior Member
ShootRaw said:
Matrix is the way to go..If you wanted to blow out the window..Then you expose for the window light first..(in camera light meter) Then add in off camera flash to light your subjects...
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Thanks. I expose for the skin tone and don´t worry about the blownout highlights (in this case), but I was working with a 50mm and that´s where my complaints about the Matrix come from. It´s unpredictability may have to do with me not being that experienced, of course. I do however have that issue (already did with the 3100) mostly when shooting with primes - I move around more - and not as much when using the 24-85. Maybe has to do with how the light hits the lens. I did a meter reading (close-up) on her face, kept the settings - didn´t lock it though - stepped back and it did come out slightly different. In another shot (of my wife and baby girl, roughly in the same position) I was shooting from their right and it looked great. When I moved to their left - same settings - the shot came out much darker (this last shot the window light was hitting their faces even more... So, very inconsistent... I do use off camera flash (I really want an Ice Light!!! Is it really as good as it seems? My guess is, even better... :D), but didn´t have it with me that day - yes my fault - and I am quite pleased by the (faint) window light coming from camera right...
 
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Flugelbinder

Senior Member
Marcel said:
In the case of this picture, the simple thing would have been to use a large white sheet as a reflector to give the portrait a nice soft fill-in light..
Click to expand...

I keep forgetting this... Thank you!!! Going to get one of those today, if I get a chance. Thank you Marcel!!!:D
 
M

Moab Man

Senior Member
Flugelbinder said:
I did print a 5x7 (no pp whatsoever, straight from the RAW), which looks much better than the JPEG posted here. I do (and I don´t) care about the internet for a few reasons... First, it´s where I´m planing on having a (strong) criticism about my images (that´s my purpose on Nikonites), since I don´t know many people who can give me a more technical perpective (from common "mortals" I do get some "wow´s")... Second reason is that eventually, the internet might become a big help, when I do get serious about this and want to expand the possible customers, so, you see why the internet actually matters...
Click to expand...

I may have been a little harsh in how I said, "DO NOT worry about how the internet world see your photo's." If you have an image that prints correctly, and matches the monitor you're working from, that's about as much as you can control.

The only monitor I judge or worry about is the one I edit on. Through the day I primarily use five monitors and each one displays everything differently. Kind of like Goldilocks and the Three Bears; this one is too yellow, this one it too bright, but this one is about as close to being all around just right.
 
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Flugelbinder

Senior Member
Moab Man said:
I may have been a little harsh in how I said, "DO NOT worry about how the internet world see your photo's." If you have an image that prints correctly, and matches the monitor you're working from, that's about as much as you can control.

The only monitor I judge or worry about is the one I edit on. Through the day I primarily use five monitors and each one displays everything differently. Kind of like Goldilocks and the Three Bears; this one is too yellow, this one it too bright, but this one is about as close to being all around just right.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I guess is all about personal "taste", right? Some people like lots of color and contrast, others may like a softer "look"...
 
hark

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
Flugelbinder said:
How do we know how the internet community is seeing our images???
Click to expand...

We really don't know how others are seeing our work. What you *should* consider doing is to calibrate your monitor so you can accurately tell whether an image is properly exposed. A correctly exposed image may not look good on someone else's non-calibrated monitor, but we don't have control over that.

After reading a number of reviews, I purchased the Spyder4Pro Display Calibration System. I re-calibrate every 2 weeks. When I print my own photos or have them printed elsewhere, they look the same as they do on my monitor. Of course, it also helps to use a reputable lab if you have prints made. I *think* @BackdoorHippie said there are printer settings you can enable when printing out your own photos (to somehow calibrate your printer so it prints well with a calibrated monitor), but it isn't something I've needed to do.
 
S

ShootRaw

Senior Member
BackdoorArts

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
I am far from an expert on printer profiling, but it's possible to calibrate your printer and your monitor so that they match provided the image management system you use allows for the controlling of prints. Just as you can calibrate monitors you can build printer profiles so that the image coming from your printer matches what you see on your monitor. But it's not just the printer you need a profile for but also each type of paper you use in the printer. Epson Matte will be different from HP Matte, and last year's version of a paper may differ from this year's. Thankfully my brother is an expert and once my monitor is calibrated all I need to do is send him a pair of prints of a profiling color grid on a new type of paper and he'll send me the calibration file in 1 to 100 days. LOL
 
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Flugelbinder

Senior Member
hark said:
We really don't know how others are seeing our work. What you *should* consider doing is to calibrate your monitor so you can accurately tell whether an image is properly exposed. A correctly exposed image may not look good on someone else's non-calibrated monitor, but we don't have control over that.

After reading a number of reviews, I purchased the Spyder4Pro Display Calibration System. I re-calibrate every 2 weeks. When I print my own photos or have them printed elsewhere, they look the same as they do on my monitor. Of course, it also helps to use a reputable lab if you have prints made. I *think* @BackdoorHippie said there are printer settings you can enable when printing out your own photos (to somehow calibrate your printer so it prints well with a calibrated monitor), but it isn't something I've needed to do.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I´ll definitely look into it.
 
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