More from my beach adventure.

[Oldbones]

Here is more from my Aberdeen beach adventure that I had with my Nikon FG-20.
There is just something about film that is very attractive to me.
Although its a wee bit on the expensive side !
If I can get a handful of decent shots out of a roll of film, I feel like its worth it.
I think because of the limitations of analogue it actually pushes me to apply myself more to what photography is all about.
When I use the DSLR, the amount of shots range from 100 to 200, then its whittled down and whittled down again, simply because we have that luxury.
Tech is fantastic, sometimes I feel like its actually encouraging a shallowness within modern day society.
These were taken on my first day out with the Nikon FG-20, I am unable to do do much more that straighten and adjust brightness etc with the editing soft ware that I have.

 

[Oldbones]

I obviously still have lots to learn about all of this, but for now I will concentrate on the 30 odd photographs that I have.
All of these photographs were taken with a 50mm prime, and I think I should have been closer to the subjects.
As soon as I crop in and try to edit, the grain is very high.
I do have a zoom lens a push/pull 48/86 mm, which I have read is the worst lens that was ever sold by Nikon !
Still I will keep trying and hope to get some good work don this summer.

Aberdeen Beach Ball Room.

 

[Toby Webster]

The last one is fine, the other two seem very ill-defined for some reason. Are they crops?

Ansel Adams reckoned that you'd pulled it off if you get 12 decent photographs a year, but that you learn from the vastly greater number of failures.

 

[Oldbones]

Yes they are crops, very bright sunny day with harsh light and my first time shooting film.
I feel like I have learned quite a bit since then, that was a few months ago when I was out with that camera.
Using the camera in fully manual mode which is a bit of a curve compared to a DSLR.
I am considering going into town early doors tomorrow.
There is a stock of film I need to use up before its out of date.

 

[Glenn]

... These were taken on my first day out with the Nikon FG-20, I am unable to do do much more that straighten and adjust brightness etc with the editing soft ware that I have. ...

@Oldbones

In NX studio: on the toolbar at the top of your screen, click <WINDOW>. It will display a drop down menu. Click <Show adjustments/Info palette>. You will then find an adjustments panel appears which gives you many more adjustment options.

Hope this helps.

 

[Glenn]

As soon as I crop in and try to edit, the grain is very high.

Yes, that is to be expected.

I do have a zoom lens a push/pull 48/86 mm, which I have read is the worst lens that was ever sold by Nikon !

Don't worry about it, it should be perfectly serviceable. It is more important to get out and practice with it than to worry about its quality. Whatever its limitations it will perform better than your phone lens and the ones the old time photographers used to make iconic images. Some of us like vintage lenses simply because of their limitations.

 

[Oldbones]

Thank you for all that information it is very welcome.
I have the feeling that I am not close enough to my subjects, hence I crop far too much and of course that changes everything.
Now I will attach the zoom lens and try it and send the film away to be processed.
So I now believe that 50mm primes for shots such as I take need to be taken with a great deal more boldness and thought.

 

[Glenn]

It is worth practicing composition separately. Ansel Adams used to give his students a cardboard frame with an 8x10" cutout to look through but you can do the same with the camera on your phone. Practice filling the frame with your subject all the time imagining that you cannot crop the frame in post. Try from different viewing angles, or taking a step to the left or to the right and seeing how the image changes. Try to arrange objects in the frame so that they do not overlap (a technique called separation). It's like flower arranging really, arranging the elements to give the most pleasing result.

You might find this short video on Andreas Ferninger's "rules" of composition a helpful place to start.

 

[Oldbones]

Thank you, I have watched this video and then gone to his channel, interesting and quite a few videos to watch although none have been posted for quite some time.
So here we have another from the beach on the same roll of film, the only thing I have done is straighten and resized for posting.
I am starting to get this, no cropping, but I wish I had had a better sky and had moved in closer and or stepped to the right.
Of course when presented with the challenges of the day, its hard to get all that you would like to get.
To me I now feel I have picked up some bad habits with digital and post processing and of course I do lack experience.
I certainly lack confidence with photographing strangers. And perhaps I should have used the zoom lens that came with the camera. This was taken with a 50mm prime lens.
Nonetheless here is a pretty much original from the same day.
So I have on another post I cropped this image to contain the main subject, reduced the foreground and the sky as well as made it a lot narrower that it is here, basically ruined it as it became so grainy.
My own advise to my self, slow down and think !

 

[John King]

Firstly, it is nice to see someone new onto the forum, so enjoy and keep contributing

You very last line of your 1st post suggests that it is a 'wee' bit expensive. But going back to when I started photography in the 1960's a 36 exp roll of FP3 (FP4 was way into the future) I remember cost around 5 shillings and 6 pence in old money (the real 'old money') When my weekly pay was about £4.50, and today a vastly improved FP4+ costs around £8.50 depending where you buy it from. Take into consideration the inflation that has taken place since, then film is actually a little but cheaper. It is largely down to the cost of silver which has risen way above what the rate of inflation is and currently stands around £60 per ounce, but fluctuates daily. I think we are still getting a very good deal - so long as you have facilities and the ability to process your own which I have, almost from when I started .

The first and last picture are really simple, and I 'do' simple, they are often the best.