40
votes
Accepted
Why do people keep telling me that I am a bad photographer?
they always ask me to do it. However, all of them commonly say that I cannot take nice photos
It's weird that they don't like your work but continue to ask you to do it. Maybe there's some teasing/...
- 31.7k
40
votes
What lighting setup is needed for this kind of professional headshot?
There are probably four lights.
The key light is to camera right. It is in front of the subject. The reflection is visible as catch lights in the subject’s eyes.
There is a fill light to camera left ...
- 4,893
34
votes
Accepted
How to convey a sense of depth & distance in a landscape?
If we start by just numbering them 1 - 6 for easy reference...
Personally, I'd discount 5 altogether as it has none of the aspects we're looking for.
2 is a bit naïve & perhaps achieves a lot of ...
- 23.1k
34
votes
What technique is used on old technical brochure pictures, which look like a "polished" or "smoothed" rendering?
Commercial photography was and is a subset of photographic specialties practiced by professional photographers. The product is illumined by several lamps. These can be continuous or electronic flash....
- 38.7k
26
votes
Accepted
How can I take better pictures of myself at home with a mobile phone?
The truth is that a lot of work goes into making those seemingly "effortless" self portraits (selfies) that you see on the internet. This is not something you can achieve with a simple instagram ...
- 993
24
votes
Why do people keep telling me that I am a bad photographer?
I have come across this previously and unfortunately, due to the world we now live in, I learnt that people in general have a somewhat distorted view of how they look and what their best look is on a ...
- 4,877
21
votes
Accepted
How to avoid changing lenses all the time when shooting with primes?
I'm by no means an expert. But one thing that I've tried is having 2 bodies. It sounds expensive, but it doesn't necessarily have to be. I have an old Canon Rebel, and more recently bought a Canon 7D. ...
- 2,893
21
votes
How to make a not so good looking person more appealing?
There are not "ugly" people. There is bad lighting.
Well, there are several things to consider. I am just making a list, but you need to take a dive into each of them.
1. Location
You can ...
- 23.8k
20
votes
Accepted
How viable is copy pasting a professional's settings so that a noob can produce high quality photos?
How viable are "photography templates" where a professional gives the
exact settings to use in a specific set up...to allow noobs to produce
high quality photos?
That sounds a lot like the "scene"...
- 31.7k
17
votes
Accepted
Cutting film in half - what does it do?
He is using ISO 320 film and exposing it as if it were ISO 160. This is over-exposing the film by 1 stop. He's then under-developing the film by 20% off the normal development times recommended for ...
- 20.5k
16
votes
How to achieve sharp foreground with a motion blurred background?
Can you dissect how the blurred background have been done while keeping foreground in focus?
TL;DR: in a word, photoshop. (in the sense of xerox, band-aid, or kleenex. Digital jiggery-pokery, ...
- 32.3k
15
votes
Accepted
How to choose the most appropriate composition?
You know when to stop when you are satisfied with the result. There's nothing more to it. It is your image, your feelings, your point of view, your way of expressing yourself.
I don't think there's ...
- 1,041
15
votes
What lighting setup is needed for this kind of professional headshot?
My interpretation:
One really big light source, in a classical Rembrandt position, 45° on the right and 45° downwards. (see also: What is Rembrandt lighting, and when do I use it?)
A lightbox behind ...
- 23.8k
12
votes
Accepted
What focal length is used in photos where the model is zoomed in but the background appears open and wide?
Using some reasonable assumptions, geometry, and a bit of math, we can put actual constraints on the composition.
Measure the height of the trailer door as a percentage of the total height of the ...
- 32.3k
11
votes
Photographing glass - light 'quality'?
It's hard to say which is the best approach because, as usual, it depends on what you're trying to convey. However, I think the book Light—Science & Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting ...
- 136
11
votes
Accepted
How can I improve my photographs of bedsheets for use in an online store?
I can see several things you could do, based on the previous answer & comments, as well as the original question. [Some are repeats.]
You need more light.
Longer exposure if you have a tripod or ...
- 23.1k
11
votes
Why do people keep telling me that I am a bad photographer?
Consider moving closer to the subject and following the 'Rule of Thirds'.
The problem with most of the advice you've been given is that there's too much of it. How are you going to remember it all ...
- 26.9k
10
votes
What focal length is used in photos where the model is zoomed in but the background appears open and wide?
What focal length do I need for a photo like this?
It's not so much the focal length as the relative distances to the models and the background. I'd guess you could take a similar shot with a 35mm ...
- 31.7k
10
votes
Accepted
How do I shoot a self-portrait with a clear white background at home?
Well, you need lighting gear, so this is a LOT easier to do if you can buy lighting gear like flashes, stands, and radio triggers.
The way a white background is achieved in studio photography is by ...
- 51.4k
10
votes
Accepted
How to take over-under (split) water photographs without special gear?
Here are two images.
One with a narrow field of view and no separation between the camera and the water.
The second one has, as you mentioned a wide field of view. But the important thing to have a ...
- 23.8k
9
votes
How to achieve sharp foreground with a motion blurred background?
One can only guess how that picture must have been taken. It does appear that the image is heavily processed. But if I can guess, here would be what I will do:
Step 1. Go to the scene at night or use ...
- 212
8
votes
Accepted
What's the name for the technique where a portrait-oriented image is filled-out to a landscape one with a scaled-up blurred version of the same image?
Banding the sides of an image is called pillarboxing (as opposed to banding the top and bottom, i.e., letterboxing). Wikipedia's page refers to the technique you describe as "stylized pillarboxing" or ...
- 32.3k
7
votes
Accepted
How to improve my product photo shoot to look like Apple's Mac Pro product site?
How to improve my product photo shoot to look like Apple's Mac Pro product site?
I think there are two important things to keep in mind:
The main idea with low-key photography is that you want to ...
- 31.7k
7
votes
Why are some portraits so sharp and others not
Camera quality?
To a certain degree, yes. A camera with better UI allows you to explicitly control things like the ISO setting, focus point, aperture, and shutter speed for what you want.
...
- 51.4k
7
votes
How can I take better pictures of myself at home with a mobile phone?
Making pictures of the human face and body is an acquired skill. Sometimes good pictures are just a matter of luck, but a skilled photographer understands how this is accomplished and uses those ...
- 38.7k
7
votes
How to convey a sense of depth & distance in a landscape?
Without more detail, I would suggest that the biggest difference is one of framing - your preferred samples appear to have carefully considered the inclusion of elements in all of the foreground, ...
- 5,128
7
votes
How can I improve my photographs of bedsheets for use in an online store?
I think this is a fine start for most online sales. However, there are two easy improvements you could make.
First, the exposure is rather low. Assuming you are using a tripod, increase the shutter ...
- 143k
7
votes
Accepted
How do I achieve soft, dreamy, old-like photos? (May be thru film)
There were several old tricks to get this kind of shot with film:
Stretch a section of nylon stockings/hose over the front of the lens.
Spread a thin layer of vaseline or other type of petroleum ...
- 175k
7
votes
How to make a not so good looking person more appealing?
While taking head shots, is it possible to make a not so good looking person look more appealing in pictures?
"Appealing" in what way? What is the purpose of the headshots? – Appeal depends on ...
- 26.9k
6
votes
Accepted
How do I stop taking the same kind of photo?
Whenever I take a photo I seem to so it exactly the same: small depth of field, very close up, from an angle.
As Jeff Daniels' says in The Newsroom, the first step in solving a problem is recognizing ...
- 31.7k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible