I have become weak

[olivermoss]

I walked between 8-10 miles today and I am beat. Man, I don't know what happened. I shouldn't be bushed like this. A little extra worn, but I am pooped. I feel like I lost a few stamina points a few months ago and can't get them back.

I've started editing pictures, but I am not going to be done tonight.

I've been trying to also do a bit more learning about photography. Every skillshare class is... it's always useful to do a project but the actual classes are so basic I can't focus. I watched a video from a pro photog who specializes in night shooting and he was all 'it's impossible to hand hold a camera for more than a tenth of a second.' And here I am literally in the middle of processing 1-1.3 second hand held exposures. If I drop pack and crouch I can do 3s. That is thirty time what he claims the upper limit is. 30 times. Also, he kept exposing the pictures so much they looked like daytime shots?

I really need to find a way to be learning more about photography, but when I watch anyone except Robin Wong I am just sort of stare in confusion. Maybe I should just re-read my composition textbook again.

Comments

[mistressofmuses]

8-10 miles sounds exhaustingly miserable for me, heh. My endurance is one of my lowest stats, to be sure.

That sounds frustrating regarding the class type things, especially when the "pro" you're hoping to learn from is already giving info that you know is wrong. (Though maybe most people *can't* hold the exposure for that long? I know my hands are WAY too shaky to do so, but I'm also not trying, ha.) Though also, long-exposure dark shots are, imo, best when they still look... dark? If you're trying to make it look like a daytime shot, then why not just take the picture during the day?

[olivermoss]

Learning from various pros and videos is just so scattershot. I could watch an hour of stuff and get maybe on piece of info out of it.

I probably couldn't hold a full sized dSLR for very long, but he was also shooting mirrorless so I am so confused. Judging by my last shoot, I typically shoot at 1/3 or 1/2 of a second at night. So many things are specific to camera systems or stylistic choices that it's a mess. As an Olympus shooter I often laugh when they talk about wrapping lenses in plastic and stuff. I recently rinsed mine off in the sink. Buuuut that is only a good idea with specific Olympus gear.

Also, yeah, if I am night shooting I usually want it to look like night. You can take advantage of low-light situations to do some long exposure effects, but outside of that I want night to look like night.

I have a lot more darkness in my shots than most people. I worry it's too much, but I tend to like it and think the image is clear. There is a very longstanding idea in photography that lightened shots are better, more clear, more eye catching, etc. Making photos super lightened just seems the default a lot of the time. One of my many in-progress galleries (I will update my website someday) is a gallery of night shots, like the moon and rose.

[mistressofmuses]

I imagine that knowing your specific equipment and how it behaves can change a LOT about what you can and cannot do, which has to make it hard for any real advice or how-to education to be applicable across the board.

True, there are various things you can do with long-exposure opportunities, but for the most part? I like night shots to look like night shots! Photos that are lightened too much often look more washed-out to me. Too dark to tell what it's a picture of certainly isn't great either, but so much of what you're shooting utilizes the darkness as part of the whole mood of the picture.

[olivermoss]

Yeah, it's weird how many pros don't seem to get the variations in gear or take their approach as default. A few of my Lone Fir pictures only worked because of a specific lens I have.

I guess a video on 'Night photography' is going to get more views than 'take highly exposed pictures at night with a Sony camera'. But more specific titles like that would help me use my time more effectively!

[mistressofmuses]

Right? I mean, maybe some of these pros just get so attuned to their own setup that they don't really think about it. But it definitely means that some of the advice and techniques aren't really applicable across the board.

Lol, true point. The more niche stuff wouldn't get nearly as much interest, but would be SO much more useful to the people who want to find it!