New Dawn images "Swindon 2011"

A few images from our display
Yamadori Hawthorn



Yamadori Larch



Yamadori Hawthorn


Alex e

Hi Alex... PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE.. get a better camera you can buy a good camera for less than a good night out.

Your trees are great the photos are pants

tony wrote:Hi Alex... PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE..PLEASE.. get a better camera you can buy a good camera for less than a good night out.

Your trees are great the photos are pants

Hi Tony this is my new camera shots ,a bit disappointed myself but will get it right eventually!
but only because you said please I think

hope your well Alex

Helps a little bit perhaps. Nice trees, crappy camera! I´m with Tony here, get a new one.

When I was in the United States Marine Corps we did a lot of shooting at targets. The setting of the sights was called the "dope." The saying was. that you missed, "not because of the dope on the rifle, but because of the dope behind the rifle."

I think part of the photo problem is too much flash. Get a tripod and take longer exposures without flash, also step back and use the lens to get closer.

Just a suggestion or two.

Also make sure you set a custom white balance to get the right color temperature. This is a critical step for a digital camera.

Alex

It's a shame about the sodium lights in the hall, but all the tree looked great to the eye. Rob is rigt if you have one of those expensive digital cameras or a strange flash unit like Mark Cooper. You need a good bit of white card to set the balance while in the hall.

Paul

Thanks everyone for the tips

Alex e

Sorry, but I have to say that there is a lot of camera shake in the first one.
And all of them appear to be poorly focused. It's a matter of practising to get things right.
Whilst its nice to have expensive equipment do not be too quick to blame the camera. You don't need top of the range gear to get good results.

As regards Mark Cooper's flash diffuser I have one made from the bottom of a Shell windscreen washer container the results of which he has seen and are comparable in quality to Marks.

Dave Martin wrote:Sorry, but I have to say that there is a lot of camera shake in the first one.
And all of them appear to be poorly focused. It's a matter of practising to get things right.
Whilst its nice to have expensive equipment do not be too quick to blame the camera. You don't need top of the range gear to get good results.

As regards Mark Cooper's flash diffuser I have one made from the bottom of a Shell windscreen washer container the results of which he has seen and are comparable in quality to Marks.

I have found that a tripod, aperture priority with a large F-stop and ambient light with the correct white balance will give the best shot. A reflector or small light to get some light under the foliage also can help. I don't like using a flash, especially the camera mounted flash.

I'm doing a seminar at the BCI/ABS convention in Louisville, KY in June about how to simply take decent digital photos of a bonsai tree. A bit far for the UK group, but you are all welcome to attend.

Couldn't agree more regarding the use of a tripod or at least a monopod, but a tripod is better, although it gets in the way of other visitors to a show.

But my pet hates are
1. Not looking through the view finder or at the LCD screen to see what the background is (as in portraits of people with trees growing out of their heads).
2. "Titanic syndrome shots", where the subject isn't level, but appears to be sliding off the table!