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Anonymous
Okay, /p/. Photography newb here. I seriously know shit about photography.

I took a good thirty or so pictures of an abandoned... erm area, it has oil tanks and other weird shit. My dad owns the property, so in b4 trespassing.

Anyway, I want helpful critique. I want to learn to take pictures and do it correctly.

My camera is a Casio Exilim with 7.2 megapixels. It's kind of shitty, but I don't have lots of money, so I want to use it to it's fullest, maybe when I learn to photograph I can get a real camera.

What's strange is that, out of the thirty or whatever pictures, I only took one black and white. And I like it way more than any of the colours I took. The lighting on the day I took these was shitty, I wish it was foggy so there was more ambient light. Policies on b&w vs colour? I've heard people say you should only take black and white photographs if your camera doesn't have a colour option. Opinions?

Thank you, /p/.
EXIF data available. Clickhereto show/hide.
Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeCASIO COMPUTER CO.,LTD.Camera ModelEX-Z77Camera Software1.01Maximum Lens Aperturef/3.1Focal Length (35mm Equiv)38 mmImage-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution72 dpiVertical Resolution72 dpiImage Created2007:12:30 13:35:29Exposure Time1/100 secF-Numberf/3.1Exposure ProgramNormal ProgramISO Speed Rating100Exposure Bias0 EVMetering ModePatternLight SourceUnknownFlashNo Flash, AutoFocal Length6.30 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width3072Image Height2304RenderingCustomExposure ModeAutoWhite BalanceAutoScene Capture TypeStandardGain ControlLow Gain UpContrastHardSaturationNormalSharpnessNormal
>> Anonymous
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Also, many of my pictures came out blurred, because of my shaky hands. Do I need a tripod? How can I make them not blurry?

In return, frankenstein machine.

Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeCASIO COMPUTER CO.,LTD.Camera ModelEX-Z77Camera SoftwareMicrosoft Windows Photo Gallery 6.0.6000.16386Maximum Lens Aperturef/3.1Focal Length (35mm Equiv)38 mmImage-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution72 dpiVertical Resolution72 dpiImage Created2007:12:30 19:04:06Exposure Time1/30 secF-Numberf/3.1Exposure ProgramNormal ProgramISO Speed Rating200Exposure Bias0 EVMetering ModePatternLight SourceUnknownFlashNo Flash, CompulsoryFocal Length6.30 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width2304Image Height3072RenderingNormalExposure ModeAutoWhite BalanceAutoScene Capture TypeLandscapeGain ControlHigh Gain UpContrastHardSaturationHighSharpnessHard
>> Anonymous
Also, two more noob questions.

What is ISO and what is it's relevance?

Would my shitty camera count as a "35mm camera", which is required to take a photography class?

When should I mess with exposure time? Also, I can't find a way to change it on my phone.

Thank you /p/ for answering my shitload of questions (assuming somebody ever reads this thread).
>> Anonymous
>>107418
ISO is the sensitivity of the sensor to light. The higher the sensitivity the more light it will gather but it will also show more noise which is bad.

Your camera is not a 35mm camera. You need an SLR camera that takes rolls of 35mm film. If you don't understand what that means you're probably better off just quitting now.

As for your last question, look up exposure on wikipedia. It's not just shutter speed but also aperture and when you should mess with it is always but we can't tell you how for each situation. Don't even start with the camera phone bullshit.
>> Anonymous
>>107419
Thank you.
>> Anonymous
>>107419
Oops, lol...

I meant on my CAMERA, trest me when I tell you I'm not trying to change the exposure of my phone...
>> Anonymous
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>>107408

Typical view of possibly interesting subject is... typical.

Color vs. B&W just depends on what you're going for in the picture, really.

Like>>107419said, ISO is the sensor's sensitivity to light. However, the higher then ISO the more noise you get. Noise is not always bad, though. In fact, I've added it a few photos of mine that didn't have it.

Your camera should have some sort of manual mode that includes aperture and shutter priority (control each one respectively and allow the camera to decide the setting on the other), and full manual. Read the instruction manual.

Read some books (image), websites (such as http://www.uscoles.com/fstop.htm), and join a photo community site (like Flickr) and talk with other users.

Good luck and have fun.
>> Anonymous
IMO digital noise is very rarely attractive. B&W conversion can make the noise feel more natural, as we've used to the grainy look of old film photos.
>> Anonymous
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Camera-Specific Properties:Camera SoftwareAdobe Photoshop CS MacintoshImage-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution72 dpiVertical Resolution72 dpiImage Created2007:01:27 15:38:30Color Space InformationUncalibratedImage Width651Image Height326
>> ac !!VPzQAxYPAMA
>>107408
If you're shooting digital, always, *always* shoot in color. Pretend your camera's B&W mode doesn't exist. All it does is throw away a bunch of image data that you could use later to make a better B&W scene by decomposing the shot into color channels and combining them into one B&W frame manually.

Also: Don't just use "Convert to grayscale" or "Desaturate" to convert to black and white. Learn the right way to do it. A quick google search should give you more info on better ways to do it. I've often found that one channel of my shot has a shit-ton more noise than the other two, which means I can shoot at very high ISO (e.g., ISO400 on my crappy point and shoot) and still get a clear black and white shot.
>> else !L6xabslN96
although partially desaturating a colour photo can make some look quite cool.
>> Anonymous
>>107492
die in a fire.
>> Anonymous
>>107419


i dont understand the 35mm roll part
>> ac !!VPzQAxYPAMA
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>>107587
Seriously?

These are rolls of 35mm film. If you're not cramming one of these into the back of your camera, you're not shooting 35mm film.

Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeCanonCamera ModelCanon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XTiFirmware VersionFirmware 1.0.5Owner NameunknownSerial Number0420104373Image-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution72 dpiVertical Resolution72 dpiImage Created2007:09:13 19:08:21Exposure Time1/13 secF-Numberf/1.8Exposure ProgramAperture PriorityISO Speed Rating400Lens Aperturef/1.8Exposure Bias0 EVFlashNo Flash, CompulsoryFocal Length50.00 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width3888Image Height2592RenderingNormalExposure ModeAutoScene Capture TypeStandardExposure ModeAv-PriorityFocus TypeAutoMetering ModeEvaluativeSharpnessUnknownSaturationUnknownContrastUnknownShooting ModeManualImage SizeLargeFocus ModeOne-ShotDrive ModeSingleFlash ModeOffCompression SettingFineMacro ModeNormalWhite BalanceAutoExposure Compensation3Sensor ISO Speed224Camera Actuations-300154688Color Matrix35
>> else !L6xabslN96
>>107595
so um...are there any other sizes of film? cuz iv never seen any.

why doesnt everyone just do away with the "35mm" part and just call it "film".
>> Anonymous
>>107601

wow plz be trolling T.t
>> Anonymous
>>107601
I suggest you follow the advice already given to you.

>>107586die in a fire.
>> ac !!VPzQAxYPAMA
>>107601
...

Seriously?

In no particular order, off the top of my head:
110
120
126
220
4x5
8x10
APS
Polaroid 600
Polaroid pack film

Of those, 120 and 220 (aka Medium Format) are still pretty popular, as is 4x5 and 8x10 for the large-format crowd. The other smaller formats are pretty much dead (126 might still be produced by one company in Italy. Kodak still makes some 110, but not a lot, and good luck finding a place that'll develop it. APS was stillborn thanks to the explosion of digital, but you can still buy it new for some reason)

I'd say that specifically saying 35mm is *more* important now, since most of the people who shot 35mm in the past have moved to digital, so the filmfags who really work at shooting film are using medium and large format.
>> else !L6xabslN96
>>107610
thanks for that enlightening answer. well now i know.

>>107602
>>107604
how about posting something useful instead of wasting bandwith? srsly u guys...
>> Anonymous
>>107613

I can't believe that anyone could be so ignorant and yet so full of themselves.
>> Anonymous
>>107613
Usually that level of ignorance is reserved for trolls. Sorry.
>> else !L6xabslN96
>>107624
okay im sorry im not a troll. i'll be sure to never ask any questions here ever again based on my preconceptions for fear of angering anon.
>> Anonymous
OP here, more questions.

what does changing "metering" do? It has Multi, center weighted, and spot as options.

Whad does changing dynamic range do? It has off, expand +1, and expand +2.

Thank you. And my camera came with a SUPER shitty manual that only tells you how to connect it to your computer in 12 different languages, nothing about the things on the camera that people would actually care about.

And I can't find a way to change the aperture :(
>> Anonymous
its not trespassing unless there is a sign stating so or the property owner tells you to gtfo
>> ac !!VPzQAxYPAMA
>>107718
>what does changing "metering" do? It has Multi, center weighted, and spot as options.
Those say how the light meter should decide how to meter the scene. Multi looks at the whole scene. Center weighted looks at the whole scene but gives precedence to "correctly" exposing the center of the frame. Spot just exposes for the bit right in the middle.

>And I can't find a way to change the aperture :(
There is a very good chance that you can't. Cameras targeted at non-photographers generally don't. Your camera has an eBay mode and a YouTube mode--it's unlikely it'll have a assume-the-photographer-knows-what-he's-doing mode. Sucks to be you.
>> Anonymous
>>107718

OP, what is the exact make and model of your camera?
>> Anonymous
>>107730
EXIF data is available...
>> Anonymous
>>107730

Worse than OP.