I'm a newbie at this... Would welcome all constructive criticism from sifus around...

I'm currently using an Olympus SP-700.. Bought in February, and hardly ever fiddled with it's extra functions until yesterday..

Anyway, here it goes....

Grasshopper Humping



- A pair of grasshopper mating on top of my gf's Myvi, right on it's antenna..

This post has been edited by zephyr: Jan 16 2007, 09:26 PM

Ants on Petals...



Not satisfied with this macro-mode attempt.. Those ants were too fast for me..

Full Bloom of the Buds...

Another macro attempt..

i think the pics r blur

1 more...

I think so too.. Could it be the effect of resizing in ImageShack? It looks better when I view them through ACDC though... Any advise? Or could it be my photography technique is wrong?

Maybe you need abit of sharpening in PP??

Anyway, your intro pix really a killer.

Very nice ^^

i wonder why all newbie started with macro

Thanx.. BTW What's PP? Photoshop?

Thx...

Perhaps the effect is breathtaking, regardless whether the technique is correct or wrong.. Hehe... You've got nice collections in your thread bro!

Anyway, here's a few more:

At Melaka Zoo...

perhaps is the closest they can get at that time of period

Some flower shots again...

Still not satisfied with my macro results.... Any advise? Normally my photos would turn out not sharp enough for my liking...

1 more at the Zoo..

i wish that i can answer your question rite now, but i cant. wait till i get my 105mm macro lens first

Eh i thought u were aiming for SB800? Kena poison for macro lense so fast lol

my only advise..get urself a dslr & macro lens.
sharp&"bokeh" is very important in macro/close up shooting.
your SP-700 cant give u enough of tis 2.But you
can try play2 with your SP-700 to get a nicer result.
and one more important thing, try to shoot from different angle.
just my 2 cents.

agreed.

and me adding another thing, if you want those super steady shots. Get yourself a mini tripod and a remote or cable that helps you trigger the shutter without moving or shaking the cam. If you dont want to invest in a DSLR, there's another option, there's a compact cam that i heard last time that enables you to do those 1cm super close up macro. I forgot the model but its good for me imo

Thanks for all the advise.. Looks like I'm stranded with a camera with rather limited abilities ey? Or could it be that my camera is stranded with a master with limited capabilities?

Will update some newer post later.. Weekdays sucks! I work long hours.. No time to do anything...

Some shots done today...

Green & White Series..

Fresh lime..

African Daisy..

Updated object shots.. Would appreciate some comments....

Love Is In The Air... (Butterfly Park, Melaka)



Kinda hard to focus through the small holes of the steel cage... Hence, the whitish effect on the right hand side of the photo..

Love Is In The Air #2



A couple of lonely tortoises (Not sure what breed is this) seen in the Butterfly Park too..

This post has been edited by zephyr: Aug 4 2006, 11:59 PM

My only best shot of a butterfly at the park... It was a miserable trip... So few butterflies around for a 'Butterfly Park'..

Haunting Glare....

Blend of Nature..

Don't worry about it man. Camera actually does little in producing nice, well composed photographs. What matters is the primary factor - the shooter.

There's nothing much you can do with equipments alone, just go out there and shoot shoot shoot. People will call you crazy, but that's exactly what we all are. Crazy! Go out and go nuts! Haha

Nice pics, but I think there's a lot of improvement you can do. I am a newbie myself. Keep it up

Thanks for the words of encouragement bro! Really appreciate that, and would like to learn more from everyone here....

African Daisy.. not bad ma quite nice

Haunting Glare.... Red eyes?!

Blend of Nature.. over-expos liao

Your butterfly shot ok ma, it's not easy to shoot butterfly leh.

For me, overall is the colour n contrast not so enuf, if u compare your "Blend of Nature.." to "africa daisy" n see, can u see the diff
the africa daisy look very "solid"
Keep it up.

agree!! it's not easy to shoot butterfly

I'm really humbled when I see WildPiew gives comment here.... Thanks a lot bro! I've been admiring your shots, and always dreamed to be able to take good shots as yours... Will take note of your pointers, and hope to produce more 'solid' photos.. Thanks again bro!!

Yup.. My SP-700 does not have a powerful zoom, so had to outstretch my hand closely to the butterfly... That was the nicest shot among all...

This post has been edited by zephyr: Aug 9 2006, 10:19 PM

dun say like that la, i'm still need to learn from u all leh.

Sunset at Playground...



African Daisy 2



Will experiment some night shots soon.. I've not seen what this SP-700 could produce at night...

Comments sifu?

My 400D Test Shots

1. Typical house-spider that leaves cobwebs almost every corner of the house..400D, Kit Lens & +4



2. St. John's Hill. 400D, Kit Lens

http://img418.imageshack.us/img418/2189/img0507zb9.jpg

3. Broken jetty - Portuguese Settlement. 400D, EF100-300USM



4. Seaside view - Crystal Bay. 400D, Kit Lens



5. Construction site - 400D, Kit Lens



6. Colours of the night - Jonker Walk. 400D, Kit Lens



Gonna practice harder, and gonna shoot better!

Comments & criticism appreciated..

Much better now. I like the Portuguese Settlement jetty shot & the construction site shot.

To me, I think the greatest challenge in photography is composition, on how to present what you want to tell your viewer in a single shot. Anyway, noob here.

Huh...you like nature...

Fishing village in Parit Jawa, Muar:

#1


#2


Both shots were adjusted in PS to brighten it's level.. Original shots were a bit too dark.. Rainy day..

This post has been edited by zephyr: Dec 26 2006, 08:32 PM

Call of nature:

#1 - Can you see what's lurking beneath the waters?



#2 - Lost in the labyrinth of thoughts...



#3 - Clinging on to momma's love....



$4 - Guava fest..



#5 - Trick or treat?? They could afford to pick and choose...



To be continued...

This post has been edited by zephyr: Dec 26 2006, 09:03 PM

#6 - Going nuts over peanuts...



#7 -The ultimate source of life...



#8 - Chomping on thirst-quenching papayas..



#9 - Getting overly warm and friendly..

you need: EF 100-400mm F4/5.6 IS USM L lens.
to get this result:

Photo credit to www.penangart.com

Ooouchhhh!! Such poison!!!

perhaps the sigma 600mm APO
a good one

Lao ehhhhhhhh ... direct poison!!

picture #9- Aren't u afraid that he'll pounce on u, give u a kiss and proceeds run away with u'r 400D.

Whoah!! Don't lah add oil to fire... Actually thinking of getting a Tamro SP90... I love doing macros.. Can't afford any high-end lenses for now..

Was more afraid that she might pounce on me, grab hold and twist my b@ll$ which would lead me into dropping my 400D on the ground.... Hahahaha!!

Looking back at my photos I noticed that they're lack in depth of colours.. No post-processing done in all photos except for adding my nick on the photos.... Any reccomendation what should be done?

I also noticed that the photos are rather soft.. Most of them shot using my 100-300mm.. I don;t think there's any shot using my kit lens...

This post has been edited by zephyr: Dec 27 2006, 09:09 AM

i tot they're giving 90-300mm?

g3k just have to put in the L in red

This post has been edited by nairud: Dec 27 2006, 09:14 AM

GIVING?? No lah bro, purchased seperately when I bought the set..

Are those monyet shots cropped to 100% cause they do look pretty soft. I had the same problem as u when i got my 400D and well..in my case, i blame it all on the kit lens. I now use the EFS 17-85mm IS and the picture it takes are generally sharper.

U can try to bump up the sharpness in "Standard" mode by a notch or too and see if it helps.

welwitchia, all photos are posted as they are. only resized in imageshack... Will try to sharpen using PS... What other lenses do you have? ANy sample shots?

Erm, i have the usual 50mm F1.8. The 400D and the IS lens set me back more than RM 5K..stupid me, I should have gone with a D80 with kit lens..sigh, what's done is done.

As for sample pics, u can go to http://welwitchia.multiply.com. Our international link is down so its not accessible now. Most of the pics there are crap, not like those u see here in this forum. Oh and I don't take model pics..don't see the point, IMO.

Thanks for the link... I'll check it out when the link is up again...

Some not-so-old shots with my Oly SP-700.. Just before I got my 400D... My SP-700 works like a charm in good lighting condition...

#1 - Only adjusted B&W background in PS... No image sharpening done.. My favourite shot so far.. Credit goes to my GF who actually shot this..



#2 - Kek Lok Si Temple from Penang trip earlier this month.. This was when my 400D was sent back to Canon service centre for dust cleaning....



#3 - Inside Kek Lok Si Temple's compound..



#4 - Many images of Lord Buddha...



C&C welcomed..

This post has been edited by zephyr: Dec 28 2006, 11:39 AM

d80 kits lens without VR woh

EF 100-400mm F4/5.6 IS USM 'L'ansi lens are damn expensive ler ...
hahaha just joke , but really can take very nice and sharp pic , i wish i have
1 too .....

ermm..i think the lens comes second...photoshop can do most of the trick...somehow i realise that most of your images are lack of contrast and saturation...i was using a cheapo tamron lens beofre i have my Ls, i think with a bit of photoshop's magic..your images will look really nice...

earthkid thanks for the comment.. Will try to learn more abt PS to enhance my photos..

your kek lok si photos a bit washed out. the color no vibrant enough.

This and also photo softness are the main problems for me which I noticed so far.. Do you always post-process your photos?

Off topic: I see you've got yourself a BG-E3 too... Wonderful! My next aim: Tamron's SP90 and a Sigma 18-200....

time to get some "L" lens

wah wah... lightsphere II somemore , coupled with BG-E3...

i want stofen, batt grip and 18-200 OS

woah manyak greedy woh

Poison also no point coz my shallow pocket is the one does the talking.... But my dirty mind keeps thinking of my lusts...

Knight's system is almost reaching perfection already.... Just watch out for his sig for some Ls to suddenly appear...

what manyak greedy? lol
you have your stofen and batt grip already... so no need to say i'm greedy la..
you're more greedy since you said you want the 70-300mm liao

me waiting you la
u get i get

Sigh..everyone saving to buy lens.. I think I'll stop buying photographic gear for the time being. Wanna get me a PS3 first.

Had been fiddling around with Photoshop.. Still learning the basics.. C&C highly apreciated...

#1


#2

why all forumer like to snap picture of grasshopper

We've got grashopper fetish....

Played with light painting trick with:

1. My car's central locking remote control
2. 400D (30 seconds exposure) with kit lens


Tried 5 attempts before getting something readible and decent... Getting me all excited!

#1 - Nickname Signature Shot

Get a macro lens instead brother...

For the price of a PS3 you can get a ... errr ... leave the poisoning to the rest

Still on crash course of saving my dough...

Me too mate.. hehehe...

I finished work early today... Was bored at home, and had the sudden itch to shoot... So St. Paul's Hill was the destination.. I was rather bored shooting alone, after all, it was already 6-something in the evening.. Only did 20-something shots..

Statue of St. Francis Xavier


Forbidden Steps


My Funny Friend & Me...

Update from yesterday's shots:

Solitary Visitor - St. Paul's Church


Present Through the Past


Cmments and feedback are highly appreciated

This post has been edited by zephyr: Jan 16 2007, 09:26 PM

nice gallery

Thanks!

Will shoot more this weekend..

Nice composition and colours on the St Paul's series. Keep it up!

I don't see the colour softness that you complained of.

Wow... I love this picture and also love the lense.

It is one of my dream lense and I always hesitate if should get 70-200 or 100-400.

Post processed through Photoshop already.. Or else it would look a bit washed out..

Thanks for the compliments!

This post has been edited by zephyr: Jan 17 2007, 08:18 PM