squareonion In reply to ThoseFleetingMoments [2010-11-07 19:01:22 +0000 UTC]

Thank you I'm glad you enjoyed my photos And I'll do my best!

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squareonion In reply to silverspire29 [2010-03-24 22:19:35 +0000 UTC]

Cheers. You commented on a few of my early photos a year ago or so. Your gallery has improved so much, I really like the stuff you're posting at the moment

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silverspire29 In reply to squareonion [2010-03-26 01:18:17 +0000 UTC]

I did?
Wow, that's a good memory you've got there haha
And thanks!!

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squareonion In reply to silverspire29 [2010-03-26 01:52:05 +0000 UTC]

Lol, well your page has had a lot more attention that mine So I guess I've got an easier job remembering

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silverspire29 In reply to squareonion [2010-04-04 19:33:21 +0000 UTC]

You still have amazing artwork tho

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squareonion In reply to silverspire29 [2010-05-03 21:48:51 +0000 UTC]

Awww thank you Your gallery is wicked and unique, it's come on a lot since I firt saw it Sorry about late response, a month is quite a long time.

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silverspire29 In reply to squareonion [2010-05-15 04:40:51 +0000 UTC]

no problem
and thanks! !!!
And it's all good, I sometimes take forever to reply too haha

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squareonion In reply to Vrolok87 [2010-01-25 20:12:29 +0000 UTC]

Wow! Thank you so much! Really made my day did that. Thank you for the many many faves! I was shocked to see my messages double in no time at all.

The least I can do it return the watch.

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Vrolok87 In reply to squareonion [2010-01-25 20:56:26 +0000 UTC]

You don't have to, but it was nice you did.

You're welcome. And thank you too for your faves and watch.

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squareonion In reply to Czwartek [2010-01-24 18:42:42 +0000 UTC]

Thank you very much so glad you took the time to have a look, and glad you enjoyed some of them too!

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squareonion In reply to EllaGoozy [2009-09-15 11:31:20 +0000 UTC]

Hi Ella No worries, just write when you can, I look forward to hearing from you. Hope all's well

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squareonion In reply to SweetCoconutMilk [2009-09-06 13:58:51 +0000 UTC]

You deserved it, what a fantastic drawing. Keep them coming!

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SweetCoconutMilk In reply to squareonion [2009-09-07 08:03:25 +0000 UTC]

Wow thank you! I'll upload new things soon when I have some free time!

Thank you so so much! ^^

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squareonion In reply to Fairytalehell [2009-08-02 00:59:36 +0000 UTC]

I've been neglecting my DA duties I'm afraid. I've not been uploading much recently which is why I've been a bit distant. I've also been spending every spare minute on my new motorbike whcih I've had for about a month Anyway it's good to see such quality appearing on your page. I'll be keeping my eyes open for more Keep them comming!

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Fairytalehell In reply to squareonion [2009-08-02 09:31:56 +0000 UTC]

A new motorbike?! God, I love those beautiful constructions. You should upload some really cool pictures of it ^^ I dont know, if you know, but I've bought a new camera. It's a Nikon D60 and it's so much better, than my digital camera >.< The only problem is, that the manual is on french (Failure), so atm. I'm just waiting on my oncle, who's capable to get me a new one on danish

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squareonion In reply to Fairytalehell [2009-08-02 12:28:09 +0000 UTC]

I've got one picture of it on here [link] I should get round to putting some more up but when I'm riding I don't want to stop and get pictures, I just want to carry on riding It's not all good though, a lot of the roads in Britain are very poor quality, the latest thing seems to be filling in potholes with cheap tarmac that has gravel around it, very hazzardous for bikers!

I noticed that your recent photos were taken with a D60, I trust you're enjoying using it! It will be better when you've got the correct manual and then you can really get to know the camera well and use the functions without thinking.

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Fairytalehell In reply to squareonion [2009-08-03 16:27:03 +0000 UTC]

Arghh, the link is broken, but I've seen the photo of it here on DA and DUDE that's one dirty, bike you've got there!
I'll have to take some photo of my dads car soon :S It's a red Corvette Stingray from the 60's, but I just need the right background and light for it :>

I love using it, beacause almost everything is pretty through that lince

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squareonion In reply to EllaGoozy [2009-07-28 00:56:02 +0000 UTC]

Hi, sorry about the delay.

My first question would be "what do you think is wrong with your photos?" I thought all of them were very good, in particular Across the Universe and Hello Friend.

As far as general tips are concerned that's quite a tricky one. Lighting is the key thing to pay attention too, sometimes you might find your camera doesn't give you the results you want and that's most likely because the lighting isn't favourable. Take Conspicuous for example. I think that could be improved by taking it again at another time of day. As it stands the sun is too bright and the camera setting mean the highlights are blown. The shutter speed is quite slow so the image is also blurred (not an issue with any of your others). Although the leaves are nicely backlit by the sun the image is too bright overall. Going back at a different time could solve all this and if you're going out with the sole intention of taking photos then think about what time of day you're "using". Morning and evening are best (in general) with long shadows and high contrast without having to mess about editing. The sun is usually less harsh around these times which is easier for the camera to deal with and you're more likely to get good images. Your macro shots, however, are great, especially Across the Universe which has those wonderful backlit leaves but isn't washed out like Conspicuous.

It's difficult to give general sort of tips. The best advice I can probably give you is to experiment with lighting, the subjects of your photos and your camera settings and see what gives you the best results. Have a go at HDR (you'll need a tripod) and see how much more dynamic range you get in your images.

Keep experimenting and posting. Thanks for asking

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EllaGoozy In reply to squareonion [2009-07-28 03:01:54 +0000 UTC]

Thank you so so much for your wonderful tips! I will experiment with lighting and time of day. What is HDR?

I am really thankful for your help, since I can't really afford classes xD I hope I am not annoying you.

I'll keep asking you questions, if you don't mind . Thank you again.

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squareonion In reply to EllaGoozy [2009-08-01 01:53:47 +0000 UTC]

Sorry for the delay again. You ask as many questions as you want and I'll do my best to give you a useful answer. Firstly then HDR: This stands for High Dynamic Range and, in general, film cameras have a greater dynamic range than digital cameras, even the best ones. An HDR image using a digital camera is a way of increasing the the range of light available in an image. You must've noticed how often you'll take a picture in the general direction of the sun and you'll either get an ugly white sky but you can see the buildings, trees or whatever, or you'll get the sun sky and clouds and totally black silouettes of buildings and never the twain shall meet in the one image. HDR gets around this problem so your photo looks how it really looked when you were there. Your eyes are so good that you can see the bright sun, sky and everything beneath it at the same time but cameras aren't quite that advanced yet. Anyway, to the point. To create an HDR image you need at least three images for good results. One image will be exposed correctly for the sky, so the sky looks how it looked to you, one image will be exposed correctly for the landscape and the third will be a happy medium between the two. Now you have your three images and they all need to be looking at the same thing, if the camera has moved more than a tiny bit and the images aren't going to line up and everything will look awful or worse! This is why you need a tripod. Now I feel a bit guilty now because you will have to buy software to put the three (or however many) images together properly, I should have mentioned this first really. It is possible to put them together manually but it's very hard, time consuming and you're unlikely to get good results. Anyway, continuing... upload the images into the software and it puts them together for you and lines them up as best it can and then you just need to make a few tweaks and you have a finished HDR and you will notice how much better it looks compared with any of the original three images.
Link to one of the three original images: [link] Link to the finished HDR [link]

Those links should give you an idea of the difference HDR can make, you might not like it. I've got a whole folder in my gallery dedicated to images I've constructed with this method, have a look Some are more natural looking than others, I tend to prefer that myself. Your camera will certainly be able to do this, in fact almost any digital camera can be used to make HDR although the more expesnive ones make it easier. Have a look (if you can bare it) in your camera handbook for auto exposure bracketing. When that's enabled your camera will take three pictures (either automatically or you press the shutter button yourself) at different exposure values, basically you get a dark one a normal one and a bright one. It sounds like a whole lot of fuss but once you're used to it it's very easy and the results can be very rewarding. There is no reason, however, why you can't take good pictures without any of this messing around as you've already demonstrated with the ones you've posted already.

I guess I'll hear from you in about a week when you've finished reading all that rubbish

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EllaGoozy In reply to squareonion [2009-08-02 22:00:07 +0000 UTC]

That was actually extremely helpful ^^ I see the difference between those two photos... the finished HDR looks a little more mystical if you ask me; it's very beautiful! It sounds like a great device to experiment with.

I will probably go with your suggestion of reading a bit from the handbook (I will discipline myself in order to attain some patience).

Thank you so very very much!!

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squareonion In reply to EllaGoozy [2009-08-03 00:29:33 +0000 UTC]

Glad I could help! Some people figure that HDR is for geeks who care more about facts, figures and megapixels than real photographers. It's great when you get fantastic results straight from the camera when there's just no need for any editing, this should be how it always is but there is that temptation with a digital camera to just take pictures of any old crap when you're bored and then you have to work your way through all the crap later. Still, I enjoy HDR and the results that you can get from it. Ultimately your subject remains the most important thing but HDR can add so much depth to an image.

Just one more thing before I shut up. Be aware of everything that you can see on your camera screen, how much of what's on that screen do you actually want in your image? Often you'll have to move or zoom to get rid of unwanted bits and pieces cluttering up the view. Often fences or litter, weeds, ugly things that you probably don't want in your image. I'm sure you notice these things anyway without me saying anything, none of your pictures so far suffer from anything like that, especailly the macro animal shots. It's obviously better to notice these things when you're shooting than later on sat at the computer. The high resolution images that a lot of modern digital cameras produce make cropping more effective than it used to be, but the more you cut out the more quality you lose and time wasted too.

Also if you can get close to your subject then do so rather than staying further away and zooming in. Zoom is so useful but it is a lazy option. Photos taken from up close usually have more character and depth to them!

U bored yet?

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EllaGoozy In reply to squareonion [2009-08-03 10:45:37 +0000 UTC]

I am absolutely not bored yet! xD

That is very true... Sometimes there isn't a particularly exciting or exotic picture to capture, but HDR positively does add depth and interest in a photo.

Please, you don't have to shut up; you're helping me so much!

That's actually great advice, I took several pictures that have flies in the background and bird droppings and all sorts of things that I did not pay attention to when I took the photo.

I have completely noticed that, especially with intect shots! The ones that are primarily zoomed in are for some reason less successful then those that I actually got close to (plus, having to actually get close to them and having the risk of making them run away away is much more exciting! )

Hope YOU aren't bored

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