Thursday, June 26, 2008

Rules #48 and #49 For Enhancing Photographs

Rule #48 - Do not use a laptop and do not assume that they look as good on your computer as they do on someone else's.

Rule #49 - Do not try to process pictures as well as someone who has a Dslr, when you only have a little 4 mp digital P&S.

I went over to my parents house today. Ever since Ella was born I have taken many pictures and always emailed them to my Dad so he could print them out and share them with my mom. They have books of pictures of their only grandchild at their house. The last week or so, I mentioned in my blog that I was playing around with Christina's standard processing. Since working from home over the last year, I use my laptop for most everything. Surfing the web, playing with pictures....and oh ya, working. When I looked at the pictures I had sent him the last week of Ella, I couldnt believe how different they looked on his monitor. My Dad games online, so he has a wonderful 21" flat widescreen monitor.

My Dad did photography as a hobby when I was little. I imagine that is what sparked my interest as I grew up. I was kinda embarrassed at how they looked on his monitor after playing around in photoshop with the pictures of my precious Ella. Not at all how they looked like on my laptop!

In saying that, instead of following a certain way step by step, I have gone back to my way of processing photos, with some slight alterations from some wonderful things I learned from Christina's photographs. Isnt that what it's all about anyways? Taking what you have learned and adding them with your style....

So tell me, with the best criticism you've got....How do they look on your end?

Which brings me to what I want. CAN YOU GUESS? You got it. A Dslr. I am looking at the Nikon D80 or the Canon EOS XSi (450D)






Ella was trying to take a picture of me....


View more "Theme Thursday's" at Stacy's The Land of K.A.

9 comments:

Anonymous June 26, 2008 at 9:02 PM  

Your photos are so awesome already--you are going to LOVE a DSLR - no matter which one you get!! I just got the D80 and I LOVE it - from my research, I think it may have some benefits over that particular Canon, but I didn't really look at that one very closely, so I'm not 100% sure. Either way, just get a good lens to go with your camera and you will have so much fun with it!!

And yes, different monitors have different resolutions and make everything look completely different! I learned WAY too much about this when I started doing a little graphic design work for our business!!! But, it may not necessarily be your laptop. You may be able to change the color management settings on your laptop to make it brighter and make a huge difference in how things look!

Anyway, I have a very hi-resolution desktop monitor and your stuff looks great on my end!

Anonymous June 26, 2008 at 9:18 PM  

I have looked at your photos on my laptop at home and my desktop at work and your photos always look great.

Anonymous June 26, 2008 at 10:33 PM  

Oh yes, laptops can really affect the pictures! Just a tilt of the screen affects how colors and light/dark it looks. I have my laptop hooked up to monitor on my desk.

I love how you edited these, too. Great colors and she is just adorable, too. :) You will do well when you get your DSLR.

Anonymous June 26, 2008 at 11:36 PM  

Thanks for checking on me. :) I am feeling a little better today, but definitely not close to normal. Ick.

I'm glad Ella had a nice birthday. I LOVE the fairy princess photos!!

I'm afraid I'm clueless when it comes to photography, so I don't think my feedback would be very valuable. I think all your photos are gorgeous, though. I always enjoy seeing your perspective. Oh, and your subject happens to be a total cutie pie! :)

Anonymous June 27, 2008 at 1:13 AM  

I love the high saturation of the photos! They are awesome and I would have never known that you were using a point and shoot.

You may have noticed on my blog [Just Add Color] today that the picture I posted was a XSi. I did a lot of research on that and the Nikon D80. Ultimately, it came down to a lot of improvements to the Rebel entry level series with the XSi. Including some features brought down from the semi-pro Canon D40 [which is larger and heavier and I didn't want that], an improved "kit lens" and a price point that I can afford right now. {I can't spend 1K + on a camera.

It really was a hard decision based on EVERYTHING I learned. But for some reason I leaned toward Canon and then came the XSi.

I don't have it in hand yet, but from everything I read, I think you'll be happy with the XSi. [Or the Nikon D80] I know I made the right choice with the Canon.

Anonymous June 27, 2008 at 1:25 PM  

Good for you Joanna! That's what it's all about, figuring out what works for YOU! Everyone's pictures and preferred style is a little different, and that's what keeps things interesting. That's great you're making it your own.

I only ever look at my pictures on this computer, so I sometimes worry about how they look for others....but nothing I can do about that!

Your pictures look fantastic, with great colors and clarity. And most importatnly, their YOURS! Love the second one especially.

I had a hard time deciding which camera to get, too, but in the end decided on the D80. So that's my vote. ;o) but they are both great cameras and I'm sure you'll be thrilled with either one. Will you be getting one soon??

Anonymous June 27, 2008 at 3:05 PM  

She is too cute!

And getting a DSLR -- so fun! I can't believe that I ever had a day without one...but it is totally addicting!

I do edit all my photos on a laptop, and so far have had pretty good luck with the colors, etc showing up the same for me as for other people. But I got a laptop that was geared for images, so maybe that helped?

Anonymous June 27, 2008 at 7:21 PM  

Your pictures look fabulous. However, I am looking at them on my laptop :)

I only dream of a dslr. I hope you get one!

Anonymous June 28, 2008 at 3:24 AM  

OOo.. new camera! Yay! I must say though, your P&S pictures are fabulous already. I can only imagine what kind of amazing work you will do when you get your DSLR! You'll love it!

Our friend came over last night with his brand spankin' D80 and I was so impressed with the features. 11 AF points, backlit top LCD, intuitive menu, solid build, great grip... etc. Very nice! I'm sure the XSi is fantastic as well. I haven't seen one in person yet but Canon specs are always good.

BTW, your photos look vibrant and beautiful on my monitor! :)

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Photography Equipment

Nikon D80
Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 Prime lens
Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit lens
Nikkor 55-200mm VR f/4-5.6 lens
Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di 1:1 Macro
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