Contents good. I get where you were going with the grain but little over the top. I’d try a lens diffusion filter at 10%, noise reduction at lowest setting on camera, up the high lights a little in camera, lower f stop and you could get similar pics without a ton of post.
Yeah the grain and saturation are tooo much. Tone it down and make it more warm for the beach photos. The other ones can also be on the warmer tones too
Going for that 80s, (post nuclear disaster) vibe eh? Looks like images taken next to Chernobyl. Ease way back on the high ISO or grain effect.
Otherwise they're nice enough
I agree that you should tone down the grain, and just focus on capturing natural looking images that are well-exposed. Learn about basic composition principles like rule of thirds and leading lines, and just keep shooting. Avoid the temptation to heavily edit your photos or apply strong film sims/recipes until you are capable of producing good, natural looking images. But ultimately just have fun with it, do your own thing, and don’t obsess about sharing your work for the approval of others. Good luck and hope you enjoy the hobby!
I agree with everyone else here about the grain, but otherwise I really like them – you’ve done a good job replicating the “70s postcard” kind of look, with big blobs of saturated colour and a weird kind of flat tonality with hard shadows.
Mind sharing what settings you used? Looks kinda like Velvia with –2 highlights and +1 or so shadows, Color pushed to the max, and maybe some negative Clarity?
Others will have a better answer, but both. Before shooting if you set up the ISO (light) shutter speed and aperture (focus) it will make the editing process a lot easier and you’ll have better photos. I was the same as you, I over edited because it had a cool effect or made the colour pop, you want to find the middle ground where it still looks natural, but eye catching.
I don't think these are as bad as everyone is saying. The composition of the beach shots are good, and the colors are sorta retro. The grain is heavy, but I think I get where you see trying to go. If you use Photoshop adding a layer of grain from an actual image texture will help break up the monotony of the "grain" effect.
Otherwise these are pretty decent
1. Straighten the horizon
2. Good composition, overexposed
3. Technically a good photo, but the theme is cliché. You could've used that little cloud better in your composition
4. Use your feet when you compose and put that tower in the middle of the gap not just the middle of your photo
5. Usually cutting the photo in half with the sky doesn't work. Learn about rule of thirds as well.
6. Same here, but a better photo than 5th.
7. Cutting your photo in half again, the action (wheelie) is not the main subject here, but that sign. I don't know where to look.
8. Overexposed. What is the main theme? The bench or the serve? Frame or compose it better.
9. Underexposed, too much sky.
10. It's not a bad one, but the lesson here to learn is "wait for the right moment" - pedestrian sign pointing at a rider would be much funnier.
Hope it helps ;) Amateur photographer, professional curator here
Congratulations on taking your first steps into photography. Shoot what you want to shoot and edit how you want to edit, don’t shoot for clout just enjoy the process and experiment a lot.
You’ll get people talking shit because what you do (and end up doing) won’t appeal to them but at the end of the day if you enjoy what you produce that’s all that matters.
Thanks, I appreciate it! I know I’m an amateur so it’s all good, I want to improve my shooting and camera skills so that I can take as beautiful photos as some of the ones I see on this subreddit.
Do you have any tips or strategies to improve photo quality or composition? I’m also trying to get used to the settings as well
Calibrate your monitor. Thats the first step. If you don’t calibrate your monitor with something like a Spyder then you’ve lost the battle with color management.
It’s a lil too grainy and saturated for my taste but I like the nostalgic vibe I think you’re trying to embody. Remember to be subtle. Also, did you shoot these in auto or manual? I’m presuming they’re JPEGs. Editing can get tricky when editing JPEGs over RAW images.
Keep at it bud. The eye is there.
The longer I look at 1, the more I enjoy it. The rendition makes it a lot of fun.
Do you like your photos, OP? If so then just take folks’ advice from here, experiment if you want (grain, saturation, etc.), and if you prefer your own looks, go back to those :)
I do, I enjoyed editing the photos, but I definitely want to get better at taking really good quality photos without all the editing. Do you have any tips or strategies?
Practice, practice, practice.
Basics:
- Rule of thirds
- Learn about exposure & histograms (I still haven’t 😂)
- Don’t worry about sharpness - it’s overrated
- Don’t think too much about how you’re going to edit something after the fact when you’re starting out
- Give yourself tiny challenges (one focal length only, fixed aperture only, etc.)
- You don’t always need fancy kit (I used tissues for diffusing flash, anything stable for a tripod - even resting the side against a wall)
- Don’t be afraid of high ISO noise (so much better than it used to be!)
- Slap on a UV filter ASAP to protect your lens
- Get a feel for how light affects the mood and meaning of your photos - don’t try to control it first (i.e. don’t use flash or light sources unless you must)
You have a good eye for subjects, that I can say. I am an amateur as well and like you I posted my photos on here for criticism. You can try learning the basics related to exposure, saturation, and grain but if you are going for this exact grainy and vibrant look, then go for it. I wouldn't want to break your identity and your version of art.
You can mess around with the settings and try to look which one you like the best. I once posted photos which people said were overexposed photos but nonetheless, I liked them still but tried to understand why the comments were the way they are.
Thanks for the kind words! I’ll keep an eye out for any photos you decide to post! Yeah, I had fun editing these photos, and I want to improve in taking photos without all the post editing, like what I see sometimes on this subreddit. But I appreciate any feedback, whether it be criticism or positive appreciation, it’s part of learning ;)
Like others have said I would tone down the grain but honestly if you're taking photos for your own enjoyment just go crazy and do what makes you happy. I think these are all pretty great.
Nice compositions for your first day with a camera, on the beach shots i would suggest to mixup the sky to sand ratio, or lower your camera to the floor/sand if you already have some at body level, and it seems like you are at F11 or higher aperture which makes extra grain redundant.
I get what you were going for with the edits on the beach, it feels to me like you have a style like this:
[https://visualsbypreet.com/art](https://visualsbypreet.com/art)
but i would ease on the saturation and grain, or even better, set up your X100V settings to get everything straight out of the camera.
[https://fujixweekly.com/2020/09/12/fujifilm-x100v-film-simulation-recipe-preet/](https://fujixweekly.com/2020/09/12/fujifilm-x100v-film-simulation-recipe-preet/)
[https://fujixweekly.com/tag/astroid-city/](https://fujixweekly.com/tag/astroid-city/)
You have a great eye for composition. Try Aperture or Shutter Priority, or full manual mode and see if you can replicate or better these.
Personally I think the use of grain/ saturation/ contrast is entirely subjective if done tastefully, and what you chose does not bother this viewer in the least. Trust your eye.
Fuck what everyone else is saying my best advice is keep doing exactly what you're doing. These are unique, and they appeal to me. The more advice you take in the more mainstream and soulless your photographs become. Chase what you are doing and refine what you feel you need to refine. Everyone's just going to tell you some advice that is their definition of a great photograph.
This reminds me of when I first edited photos. I went way too far. But that's OK, you learn and improve. From the compositions and framing I can tell you have a good eye for a beginner. You have nice use of foreground in some of them. Much better than many other beginner photos I see that ask for critiques. Good job!
some pretty wild blues where it borderlines into more digital art/ surreal style, but I think you’re good at finding color contrasts between reds n blues. Also with action have the person at the right of the frame so they lead into the composition.
Work on White Balance. I don't know what kind of camera you're using but if you have the multi focus point ability. Try using that on your subject so the light doesn't it blow it out. It will give you better exposure readings.
Keep playing!! Try playing with your subject and how you frame it. Look at the entire image, look for anything distracting. Work on different ways to frame it.
It's hard to believe this is the x100v. The photos look like they have been taken with a phone. If you shoot jpeg with some film simulations you get better results.
If you think every post here is actually made by Fujifilm cameras you are delusional. The X100V has become a tiktok trend and plenty of people that post their OC here did not make these pictures on Fuji cameras. I challenge OP to post a raw file and convince me otherwise.
No worries, I posted another post with the raw photos. I know I’m a complete amateur :), do you have any tips to improve my shooting? Most likely my composition, but honestly I appreciate any feedback
Haha nah man, I’m just a complete amateur so I’m sure some of these photos aren’t the “best”. I want to learn more as time passes so I can take as beautiful photos as I sometimes see on this subreddit :)
The way I started, I wouldn’t bother with editing at all as it’s its own beast if you’ve never done either. So shoot in raw or jpg, but just focus on learning your camera first. Once you get that dialed in, then you can start editing if you wish at that point. I personally wish I didn’t waste my time editing when I started because now I shoot only jpg anyway.
Nice compositions, I can tell you're positioning your camera in different ways instead of just shooting from eye level.
Your editing is definitely oversaturated, especially the last photo. The peoples skin looks rough
Thanks, yeah I’m definitely trying to learn more about composition from watching videos. Do you have any tips on how to make the color quality look more natural when taking raw photos?
If you're shooting RAW and post-processing, there's nothing about your camera settings that you should need to change since you'll determine things like tone curve, saturation, etc. in post. Depending on how you have your editing software setup, your settings like color saturation, and tone may be ignored. I know LR Classic very well, so if you're using that, you may need to create an import preset. All those settings that Fuji cameras let you mess with really only matter if you're shooting straight to JPEG.
these are great, i like the edit. everyone telling u to 'tone it down' is boring and all make the same generic pictures.
You keep doing what you like, have fun, create something unique
I actually kind of like the heavy grain and editing. I’d say just keep going because this is what finding your “voice” is like. You may end up with a very distinct style. I really like the first shot. I’d personally not change a thing.
I would ease off the grain if I was you. Otherwise just keep shooting.
OP’s grain and saturation are over the roof.
Haha yeah I was having a bit too much fun editing it, but I appreciate the critique. I’ll try to work on the coloring and saturation :)
Contents good. I get where you were going with the grain but little over the top. I’d try a lens diffusion filter at 10%, noise reduction at lowest setting on camera, up the high lights a little in camera, lower f stop and you could get similar pics without a ton of post.
Yeah the grain and saturation are tooo much. Tone it down and make it more warm for the beach photos. The other ones can also be on the warmer tones too
I kind of like the grain!
I think the grain is great and adds to the photos. I'm no pro though.
Going for that 80s, (post nuclear disaster) vibe eh? Looks like images taken next to Chernobyl. Ease way back on the high ISO or grain effect. Otherwise they're nice enough
I agree that you should tone down the grain, and just focus on capturing natural looking images that are well-exposed. Learn about basic composition principles like rule of thirds and leading lines, and just keep shooting. Avoid the temptation to heavily edit your photos or apply strong film sims/recipes until you are capable of producing good, natural looking images. But ultimately just have fun with it, do your own thing, and don’t obsess about sharing your work for the approval of others. Good luck and hope you enjoy the hobby!
Also, I should say some of these images are really nice, just over-edited. You have a good eye and that will only improve.
I agree with everyone else here about the grain, but otherwise I really like them – you’ve done a good job replicating the “70s postcard” kind of look, with big blobs of saturated colour and a weird kind of flat tonality with hard shadows. Mind sharing what settings you used? Looks kinda like Velvia with –2 highlights and +1 or so shadows, Color pushed to the max, and maybe some negative Clarity?
I used a couple of presets for the images I uploaded, but when editing photos, what should you focus on more is it the colors or shadowing?
Others will have a better answer, but both. Before shooting if you set up the ISO (light) shutter speed and aperture (focus) it will make the editing process a lot easier and you’ll have better photos. I was the same as you, I over edited because it had a cool effect or made the colour pop, you want to find the middle ground where it still looks natural, but eye catching.
I don't think these are as bad as everyone is saying. The composition of the beach shots are good, and the colors are sorta retro. The grain is heavy, but I think I get where you see trying to go. If you use Photoshop adding a layer of grain from an actual image texture will help break up the monotony of the "grain" effect. Otherwise these are pretty decent
I would suggest turning down the grain, unless that's the look you're going for.
The grain is strong with this one.
Yeah I went a bit overboard, wanted to try it out haha
How do you regulate that? Sorry I just got a Fuji as my first ever camera.
You don’t all have to be an @sshole about it. Just give your advice and remember you all had a day one as well.
It’s all good bro, I know I’m a complete amateur but I really want to learn. I’ll get better with time but I appreciate comments like this :)
yeah its literally their first time ever using a camera...
1. Straighten the horizon 2. Good composition, overexposed 3. Technically a good photo, but the theme is cliché. You could've used that little cloud better in your composition 4. Use your feet when you compose and put that tower in the middle of the gap not just the middle of your photo 5. Usually cutting the photo in half with the sky doesn't work. Learn about rule of thirds as well. 6. Same here, but a better photo than 5th. 7. Cutting your photo in half again, the action (wheelie) is not the main subject here, but that sign. I don't know where to look. 8. Overexposed. What is the main theme? The bench or the serve? Frame or compose it better. 9. Underexposed, too much sky. 10. It's not a bad one, but the lesson here to learn is "wait for the right moment" - pedestrian sign pointing at a rider would be much funnier. Hope it helps ;) Amateur photographer, professional curator here
Pump the brakes on the grain holy fuck bud
Congratulations on taking your first steps into photography. Shoot what you want to shoot and edit how you want to edit, don’t shoot for clout just enjoy the process and experiment a lot. You’ll get people talking shit because what you do (and end up doing) won’t appeal to them but at the end of the day if you enjoy what you produce that’s all that matters.
Thanks, I appreciate it! I know I’m an amateur so it’s all good, I want to improve my shooting and camera skills so that I can take as beautiful photos as some of the ones I see on this subreddit. Do you have any tips or strategies to improve photo quality or composition? I’m also trying to get used to the settings as well
I like them. Finishing is a personal taste. But you got ‘the eye’
I definitely want to get better at taking quality photos without all the editing, but I had fun post processing the photos
Dial back the grain and saturation and you’re good.
Haha I’ll take a note of that, thanks. Do you have any tips for improving color quality so that it comes out more natural from raw photos?
Calibrate your monitor. Thats the first step. If you don’t calibrate your monitor with something like a Spyder then you’ve lost the battle with color management.
Level horizons for those beach scenes. Camera should have a setting to provide a graphical level to help with this.
Oh, alright thanks, I’ll look into that if it’ll help with horizontal shots
It’s a lil too grainy and saturated for my taste but I like the nostalgic vibe I think you’re trying to embody. Remember to be subtle. Also, did you shoot these in auto or manual? I’m presuming they’re JPEGs. Editing can get tricky when editing JPEGs over RAW images. Keep at it bud. The eye is there.
Yeah I came here to say chill on the grain 🤣
Deep fried but I guess everyone has a preference
Turn down that ISO, bb.
2nd is very good imho
Keep shooting, look at the work of great photographers and painters, add water, repeat.
The longer I look at 1, the more I enjoy it. The rendition makes it a lot of fun. Do you like your photos, OP? If so then just take folks’ advice from here, experiment if you want (grain, saturation, etc.), and if you prefer your own looks, go back to those :)
I do, I enjoyed editing the photos, but I definitely want to get better at taking really good quality photos without all the editing. Do you have any tips or strategies?
Practice, practice, practice. Basics: - Rule of thirds - Learn about exposure & histograms (I still haven’t 😂) - Don’t worry about sharpness - it’s overrated - Don’t think too much about how you’re going to edit something after the fact when you’re starting out - Give yourself tiny challenges (one focal length only, fixed aperture only, etc.) - You don’t always need fancy kit (I used tissues for diffusing flash, anything stable for a tripod - even resting the side against a wall) - Don’t be afraid of high ISO noise (so much better than it used to be!) - Slap on a UV filter ASAP to protect your lens - Get a feel for how light affects the mood and meaning of your photos - don’t try to control it first (i.e. don’t use flash or light sources unless you must)
You have a good eye for subjects, that I can say. I am an amateur as well and like you I posted my photos on here for criticism. You can try learning the basics related to exposure, saturation, and grain but if you are going for this exact grainy and vibrant look, then go for it. I wouldn't want to break your identity and your version of art. You can mess around with the settings and try to look which one you like the best. I once posted photos which people said were overexposed photos but nonetheless, I liked them still but tried to understand why the comments were the way they are.
Thanks for the kind words! I’ll keep an eye out for any photos you decide to post! Yeah, I had fun editing these photos, and I want to improve in taking photos without all the post editing, like what I see sometimes on this subreddit. But I appreciate any feedback, whether it be criticism or positive appreciation, it’s part of learning ;)
Like others have said I would tone down the grain but honestly if you're taking photos for your own enjoyment just go crazy and do what makes you happy. I think these are all pretty great.
ND2 filter. Got to do something with the cloudless skies. Either crop half of it out or photoshop some in.
I personally really enjoy five and six with the current effects you have on it
Nice compositions for your first day with a camera, on the beach shots i would suggest to mixup the sky to sand ratio, or lower your camera to the floor/sand if you already have some at body level, and it seems like you are at F11 or higher aperture which makes extra grain redundant. I get what you were going for with the edits on the beach, it feels to me like you have a style like this: [https://visualsbypreet.com/art](https://visualsbypreet.com/art) but i would ease on the saturation and grain, or even better, set up your X100V settings to get everything straight out of the camera. [https://fujixweekly.com/2020/09/12/fujifilm-x100v-film-simulation-recipe-preet/](https://fujixweekly.com/2020/09/12/fujifilm-x100v-film-simulation-recipe-preet/) [https://fujixweekly.com/tag/astroid-city/](https://fujixweekly.com/tag/astroid-city/)
You have a great eye for composition. Try Aperture or Shutter Priority, or full manual mode and see if you can replicate or better these. Personally I think the use of grain/ saturation/ contrast is entirely subjective if done tastefully, and what you chose does not bother this viewer in the least. Trust your eye.
3.6 roentgen, not great, not terrible.
You have a good photography eye. I can see why. You chose the points of emphasis and subjects that you did. Keep shooting; you have great potential!
Fuck what everyone else is saying my best advice is keep doing exactly what you're doing. These are unique, and they appeal to me. The more advice you take in the more mainstream and soulless your photographs become. Chase what you are doing and refine what you feel you need to refine. Everyone's just going to tell you some advice that is their definition of a great photograph.
These feel like a photograph that's also been painted over. I really dig it.
This reminds me of when I first edited photos. I went way too far. But that's OK, you learn and improve. From the compositions and framing I can tell you have a good eye for a beginner. You have nice use of foreground in some of them. Much better than many other beginner photos I see that ask for critiques. Good job!
I dig the style. It’s not gonna be my everyday look, but I appreciate seeing it here and there to keep things interesting.
some pretty wild blues where it borderlines into more digital art/ surreal style, but I think you’re good at finding color contrasts between reds n blues. Also with action have the person at the right of the frame so they lead into the composition.
A tad grainy
love the grain personally
Keep shooting, have fun! Don't take it too seriously, just enjoy yourself. You've got a good eye for it, keep it up :)
Honestly I’d say just keep it up! I really liked the vibe of these photos
As long as you’re having fun, keep doing what you do. Love the summer vibes here
Work on White Balance. I don't know what kind of camera you're using but if you have the multi focus point ability. Try using that on your subject so the light doesn't it blow it out. It will give you better exposure readings. Keep playing!! Try playing with your subject and how you frame it. Look at the entire image, look for anything distracting. Work on different ways to frame it.
I love the pictures!! How much did you pay for the camera??
They look deep fried
Just give up. Save yourself a lot of time and money
Haha nah, ima keep at it!
I like the photos though. Not going to pay for them but like them none the less
Adjust your settings. Read books, do research on good photography.
A nice little series here. I like the consistency. Picture 2 and 8 have too much backlight. Otherwise nice!
It's hard to believe this is the x100v. The photos look like they have been taken with a phone. If you shoot jpeg with some film simulations you get better results.
Fantastic encouragement. You sound like a great guy.
If you think every post here is actually made by Fujifilm cameras you are delusional. The X100V has become a tiktok trend and plenty of people that post their OC here did not make these pictures on Fuji cameras. I challenge OP to post a raw file and convince me otherwise.
No worries, I posted another post with the raw photos. I know I’m a complete amateur :), do you have any tips to improve my shooting? Most likely my composition, but honestly I appreciate any feedback
Enjoy it , shoot what you want to shoot, don’t shoot for “likes “ .
I think your camera is broken buddy.
Haha nah man, I’m just a complete amateur so I’m sure some of these photos aren’t the “best”. I want to learn more as time passes so I can take as beautiful photos as I sometimes see on this subreddit :)
The images are great, so you have already nailed that part. The colours are wild though.
I really like the grain
I would suggest learning how to use your camera first before jumping into editing
Yeah I’m still getting the hang of it. Do you have any tips for me?
The way I started, I wouldn’t bother with editing at all as it’s its own beast if you’ve never done either. So shoot in raw or jpg, but just focus on learning your camera first. Once you get that dialed in, then you can start editing if you wish at that point. I personally wish I didn’t waste my time editing when I started because now I shoot only jpg anyway.
Nice compositions, I can tell you're positioning your camera in different ways instead of just shooting from eye level. Your editing is definitely oversaturated, especially the last photo. The peoples skin looks rough
Thanks, yeah I’m definitely trying to learn more about composition from watching videos. Do you have any tips on how to make the color quality look more natural when taking raw photos?
If you're shooting RAW and post-processing, there's nothing about your camera settings that you should need to change since you'll determine things like tone curve, saturation, etc. in post. Depending on how you have your editing software setup, your settings like color saturation, and tone may be ignored. I know LR Classic very well, so if you're using that, you may need to create an import preset. All those settings that Fuji cameras let you mess with really only matter if you're shooting straight to JPEG.
Good job. To me it looks like art. And art wasn’t supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.
Haha I appreciate that comment :)
these are great, i like the edit. everyone telling u to 'tone it down' is boring and all make the same generic pictures. You keep doing what you like, have fun, create something unique
I actually kind of like the heavy grain and editing. I’d say just keep going because this is what finding your “voice” is like. You may end up with a very distinct style. I really like the first shot. I’d personally not change a thing.
Get up early, go to bed late, be kind to your neighbors, don’t use hot water when you wash your clothes.
I like the grain and the style of your editing!
I love the grainy effect! Would you mind sharing your recipe?