How do I take better pictures? - calling photographer expert - Post pics!

[MayFlower]

I'm using a Canon T2i with a 28-135mm lense.

I set it to AV mode, F5.0, ISO 400, white balance at Daylight.

My background is not pure white How do I get it white?

I changed it to Tungsten Light and White Fluorescent Light, but those colors were way off.

Any step-by-step recommendation?

As you can see, I use a small white enclosure with lights on the right and left side.

 

[Jason Bourne]

^^^ Thanks guys, hadn't seen those comments until now.

 

[megabee]

As for OP question the main issue to be avoided is mixing different kinds of light.
The only semi-safe mix is sunlight+flash. Every other combination (tungsten+sunlight, flash + daylight lamps, etc.) is more than likely to produce terrible color mix, unless you know what you are doing. Even different types of generally similar lamps produce bad colors.

From my experience, shooting either people or product with anything except sunlight and/or flash gives you the wonderful possibility to struggle colors in post. It's very difficult to balance colors even with identical halogen sources, skin tones come out really weird, had to put lots of work into corrections to make something approximately natural.
But it is daylight fluorescent light that is really hateable. These lamps are really evil. Bad for eyes, bad for photos, bad for environment.



As for photography in general, I made a small device to make below types of pictures. Borrowed the schematics from the internet, but changed it somewhat.

It is pure luck to manage such kinds of pics without using special devices. You can spend half a day trying to get one good water drop picture. Such device gives +99% to luck.
The shutter speed for that I don't even know (managed by device, around 0.3s), but the main light sources are strobes. On small power they give impulse duration like 1/10000, or 1/20000 despite shutter speed value, and that perfectly freezes water drops.

 

[BigRick]

Great tips here. I am getting into photography and always like to learn some tips.

 

[thesource7]

oh my! i didn't know this thread exists. hahhaa.. glad i found it.
i do more video than photo but the principles of lighting is somewhat the same.

 

[InAFalsetto]

With photos I find lighting is everything ... I have experimented with many cameras and in the end, the photos that looked the best had the best lighting.

 

[Poitvd]

Taken yesterday. got lots of northern light. first time i have seen this=)

 

[jacobsever]

Funny thing, I work as a photographer, but I don't even own my own camera.

 

[EdNorton]

Taken yesterday. got lots of northern light. first time i have seen this=)

Wow Poitvd....they are amazing....the Northern Lights is something I would like to see but that second pic of yours with the light shining through the woods is something else....I could easily have that on a massive canvas in my house....congrats on the pics.

 

[EdNorton]

Taken with my iPhone today.

 

[EdNorton]

 

[EdNorton]

That's a few more with my iPhone today while at Rathlin Island....I'm going to have to invest in a good camera as I do enjoy taking photos but the better ones scare me a bit with the complexity of settings and I don't want to spend good money on a camera to have it set on 'easy.

 

[EdNorton]

My daughter table dancing on a nice warm evening in the back garden with the moon making an appearance.