Bad Habits...

[Deleted Member 5045]

What bad habits do you regret holding onto in photography which you feel held you back at some point?

Me, in the first year of doing it I always thought that over saturating and over sharpening would make my images look great. It wasn't until I laid it back on these two things that I really felt truly pleased with what I was producing. I came to the conclusion that less is more most of the time.

It would be great to hear what everyone has experienced in this regard.

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Rushing. Sometimes that can't be helped with wildlife, as it doesn't stick around, but I do find I rush and don't pay attention to the background/foreground all of the time, which I should. Also, back in the day, shooting too slow a shutter speed.

 

[Landshark99]

shooting for work was usually under a lot of time pressure, so I am still learning to slow down and not rush, no matter what I am shooting these days.

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

Rushing. Sometimes that can't be helped with wildlife, as it doesn't stick around, but I do find I rush and don't pay attention to the background/foreground all of the time, which I should. Also, back in the day, shooting too slow a shutter speed.

What was the logic behind low shutter speeds Kev? Were you stressing about high ISO?

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

shooting for work was usually under a lot of time pressure, so I am still learning to slow down and not rush, no matter what I am shooting these days.

Probably similar to when I was racing. It's stressful, the real enjoyment was going to a jump trail or a motocross track for fun and having the freedom to do whatever I felt like on the day.

Did you ever have times where you were mentally exhausted and just needed a break from behind the camera Bob?

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

What was the logic behind low shutter speeds Kev? Were you stressing about high ISO?

Yeah mostly and a bit of inexperience with digital. Remember, coming from film ISO was whatever the film was and noise wasn't an issue, it was totally different, so yeah, once I started seeing noise creeping in on high ISO I tried limiting shutter speed or aperture to limit noise.

 

[Landshark99]

Probably similar to when I was racing. It's stressful, the real enjoyment was going to a jump trail or a motocross track for fun and having the freedom to do whatever I felt like on the day.

Did you ever have times where you were mentally exhausted and just needed a break from behind the camera Bob?

Yes, many times, during the shoot one is on a kind of high, but at the end it could be exahusting, people forget that when you shoot 8,000 frames in a day you are making 8,000 decisions, obviously not all of them great. Even though a lot of the shoots were exhilirating it still came with a lot of stress, to shoot quickly, make the talent and client relaxed, to be accurate on exposure and focus, to keep the crew engaged watching for issues with lighting. On top of that were the demands on travel, flying with 20 cases of equipment, customs, work permits, rentals and locations. I do not miss the stress, miss a little of the travel but mainly miss some of the people and hanging with my crew.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Bad habit: Using center auto focus mode instead of using zone, wide, or manual focus. Works well for most floral photography, but doesn't foster good composition practice.

 

[Uncle Kevriano]

Bad habit: Using center auto focus mode instead of using zone, wide, or manual focus. Works well for most floral photography, but doesn't foster good composition practice.

Interesting. I always use centre, regardles of subject, unless it's birds in flight.

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

Yes, many times, during the shoot one is on a kind of high, but at the end it could be exahusting, people forget that when you shoot 8,000 frames in a day you are making 8,000 decisions, obviously not all of them great. Even though a lot of the shoots were exhilirating it still came with a lot of stress, to shoot quickly, make the talent and client relaxed, to be accurate on exposure and focus, to keep the crew engaged watching for issues with lighting. On top of that were the demands on travel, flying with 20 cases of equipment, customs, work permits, rentals and locations. I do not miss the stress, miss a little of the travel but mainly miss some of the people and hanging with my crew.

Crazy stuff! I guess people take it for granted just how much goes into a job like that when you are at that level!

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

Yeah mostly and a bit of inexperience with digital. Remember, coming from film ISO was whatever the film was and noise wasn't an issue, it was totally different, so yeah, once I started seeing noise creeping in on high ISO I tried limiting shutter speed or aperture to limit noise.

I always think how lucky I am to come into this at this time. Photography must be sitting really pretty today from a long term photographer's view!

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

Bad habit: Using center auto focus mode instead of using zone, wide, or manual focus. Works well for most floral photography, but doesn't foster good composition practice.

What do you use now Chrisso?

I use flexible spot M for general shooting with human tracking on/off set to joystick click in. And I use tracking wide for wildlife.

 

[spudhead]

Rushing. Sometimes that can't be helped with wildlife, as it doesn't stick around, but I do find I rush and don't pay attention to the background/foreground all of the time, which I should. Also, back in the day, shooting too slow a shutter speed.

That Kev is a common problem but many dont learn from it so no worries, it not an issue for you mate

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

I have far too may bad habits to break down, but most can be lumped into a single master heading: Laziness.

Definitely! The amount of times I've wasted a shot by not simply spending one minute to take the tripod off my backpack and set it up is ridiculous!

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

That's not lazy. Lazy is sitting in the recliner instead of going!

Oh, too funny!

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

I dropped 2 lbs over the weekend from waking around at the track for 2 days and living on sandwiches. Not even enough time to hit the concessions and order something.

Proof that there is hope for you yet..!

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

What do you use now Chrisso?

I use flexible spot M for general shooting with human tracking on/off set to joystick click in. And I use tracking wide for wildlife.

If its people, I use wide and keep human eye af on.
When its not a moving subject, I use wide and touch the screen to focus, which is almost like your use of the joystick (as you remember the APSC and A7C lineup don't have a joystick).

However, I also assigned manual focus to custom button C1 (the one by the shutter button) so I can quickly "do it myself" when I find that the AF isn't getting me what I want.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Center focus on subject, half press, recompose, complete press. That's how everyone did it before tracking, wide, etc. It's also how we did it before AF. Focus on your subject, recompose, shoot. I don't trust the camera to choose what I want in focus.

I am going to try that, it seems like it would be faster than what I'm doing most of the time.

 

[spudhead]

Well I have plenty of bad habits, one I have recently developed is, I have left iso on the a9 only for some reason on the centre wheel and have have started to catch it with my right hand somehow, easy fix just move it but I have not done it yet

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

Well I have plenty of bad habits, one I have recently developed is, I have left iso on the a9 only for some reason on the centre wheel and have have started to catch it with my right hand somehow, easy fix just move it but I have not done it yet

Another mark on laziness hey mate...

 

[spudhead]

Another mark on laziness hey mate...

Well I suppose but having had the camera 4years or so it only just started to be an issue in the last few months which is possibly old age and the carpal tunnel issue getting worse . Anyway how is that lens hood phobia

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

Anyway how is that lens hood phobia

If one day I have an image suffer because of it, maybe then I'll see the point of using one. I won't be holding my breathe though...

 

[spudhead]

If one day I have an image suffer because of it, maybe then I'll see the point of using one. I won't be holding my breathe though...

Oh Clint not feeling funny today? I guess you pretty much use the dinky little lenses anyway so those hoods are so small they will not be doing much anyway

 

[AlphaWorld]

I am going to try that, it seems like it would be faster than what I'm doing most of the time.

Just don’t do it if you are shooting wide open in an f/1.2 or wider - recompose can mean you shift your subject out of the depth of field. Move the focus point to where you want to compose your subject (or use centre focus + tracking, THEN recompose and verify your focus point is still on the subject).

Am I speaking from bitter experience? Um, would believe me if I said no?

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

Am I speaking from bitter experience? Um, would believe me if I said no?

Lol...

 

[spudhead]

This is incorrect. The camera focuses on ONE plane across the entire lens. If you focus on your subject and they don't move, they will be in focus regardless of where you place them in the frame, unless your lens has severe problems away from the center.

sometimes people just need to learn the camera and the system

 

[AlphaWorld]

This is incorrect. The camera focuses on ONE plane across the entire lens. If you focus on your subject and they don't move, they will be in focus regardless of where you place them in the frame, unless your lens has severe problems away from the center.

How do you recompose? Do you scamper sideways until they line up in the right spot (holding the camera in the exact same plane)? Or do you change the angle of the camera? I do the latter. With a wide aperture (eg: f/1.2 lens wide open) the depth of field can be very shallow, and that change of angle can be enough to move the eyes from in focus to out of focus.

Generally, when I recompose I'm moving my desired focus point some distance away from the centre, so I'm tilting the camera, and hence the plane of focus, by a noticeable amount, and the further my focus point is from the centre, the more the plane of focus will move.

Sure, shooting in the studio at f/8, no worries - I have plenty of depth of field to play with. But I said quite specifically, "if you are shooting wide open in an f/1.2 or wider".

I'm surprised you think think is incorrect.

 

[Ralph]

Mine is rushing as well and as well as this thinking it was a competition when it wasn't.
I have got totally over the competition part of it now but I still notice here and there I will rush a little.
I know when I am doing it and those shot do show some blur to them.
But not I would say it is editing. I edit to what I like not what others like but sometimes I just go too far or too little.
This does bug me, so I try to keep a hold one what I am doing.
I do think this is a good question as well.
One other thing in which I think is important is that not having the money to get the A7r 4 or now 5.
But at the time the a7r3 was out and I should of got this one. But I am happy enough with what I have got.
I say work to what you have and not work to what you have not got. So this means make the most of what you have and be happy with that.

I just remembered another one and I think this could be the point to me and it is starting out on this adventure (hobby) a little late in life.
I really wished I started in my early 50's and not early 60's.

 

[Deleted Member 5045]

Glad I created this post because I have a great example now! So yesterday after trying a new program and not being impressed, I decided to finally move from the kid's version of LR and start using LR Classic instead. I haven't really done a great deal with the sharpening stuff in the time I've been doing this, I used to just rip the texture up when I wanted it to be more detailed. So anyway, I spent a bit of time understanding the sharpening side of it last night on LR Classic and this was the first image I edited on there.

Sort of soul searching today. Do I just re-edit all my nicer images from the past few months or so, I don't know, feel like an idiot really!

Anyway, this top one was my edit from last week on my kid's LR, and the second image was my one from last night on LR Classic...

View attachment 47782View attachment 47784

At least I will be better for it moving forward...

 

[spudhead]

I think you answered your own question Clint, this is the problem with free or cut down editing software, they hide the good tools from you but you dont know until you try something else or a full version, editing like it or not is part of digital shooting