So I have been exploring for about a year, and I have been shooting with the Nikon d5300 for about 4 months, and I have a few questions so I can get the best photos possible. I want to get better at taking photos fast since all these amazing abandoned places are fleeting things.

What's so great about using a tripod?

What's the best way to get photos in the very dark places?

Should the majority of photos be left unedited or is it really just a matter of opinion?

What is better for editing, photoshop or lightroom? (I have both)

Also any tips for editing would be great.


and I realize now I probably should have posted this in the rookie forum... there's always next time

What's so great about using a tripod?

The primary use of tripods in UE photography is to allow you to keep the camera still during long exposures.

What's the best way to get photos in the very dark places?

The best way to take photos in low light conditions is to use a tripod. If it is very dark, you should even use the bulb mode and/or use a flashlight to illuminate the room or area. I'd advise caution using your flashlight if you don't want other people to know you are in the building.

Should the majority of photos be left unedited or is it really just a matter of opinion?

Everything is a matter of opinion, but thats not to say we can't debate and reason one way or another. Many contemporary photographers (*not photojournalists) consider post processing a useful part in creating a photograph. Many pioneers in photographer also held this philosophy (see: Ansel Adams). The fact is that there is no way to take a photo objectively. Just in the decision of pointing the camera at a subject you begin to take a subjective view, skewing the objectivity of reality to show the audience what you think is important, and in a way that they may not see it. This continues with framing and lighting of the subject, and with the in-camera processing of the image that you don't have any control over.

What is better for editing, photoshop or lightroom? (I have both)

Photoshop is used for heavy editing, like removing things from the image, or completely inventing a part of the scene. Many people like Lightroom as a more streamlined workflow for quick editing that doesn't require making new adjustment layers and masks.

Also any tips for editing would be great.

Find an aesthetic you like, and see if there are any tutorials on the web that demonstrate how to achieve it.

The first two questions answer themselves. The best thing about a tripod is being able to take longer exposures at a low ISO, which generally produces a better quality photo. It also helps to keep your photos level. If needed, you can use your flashlight to fill in the shadows while the shutter is open. Of all the advice folks have given me over the years, getting a tripod was the best.


As far as editing I have no place to comment on that since I edit on a free app on my phone. There are a lot of folks here who are much better photographers who can advise you on that.

Posted by red utricle What's so great about using a tripod? The primary use of tripods in UE photography is to allow you to keep the camera still during long exposures. What's the best way to get photos in the very dark places? The best way to take photos in low light conditions is to use a tripod. If it is very dark, you should even use the bulb mode and/or use a flashlight to illuminate the room or area. I'd advise caution using your flashlight if you don't want other people to know you are in the building. Should the majority of photos be left unedited or is it really just a matter of opinion? Everything is a matter of opinion, but thats not to say we can't debate and reason one way or another. Many contemporary photographers (*not photojournalists) consider post processing a useful part in creating a photograph. Many pioneers in photographer also held this philosophy (see: Ansel Adams). The fact is that there is no way to take a photo objectively. Just in the decision of pointing the camera at a subject you begin to take a subjective view, skewing the objectivity of reality to show the audience what you think is important, and in a way that they may not see it. This continues with framing and lighting of the subject, and with the in-camera processing of the image that you don't have any control over. What is better for editing, photoshop or lightroom? (I have both) Photoshop is used for heavy editing, like removing things from the image, or completely inventing a part of the scene. Many people like Lightroom as a more streamlined workflow for quick editing that doesn't require making new adjustment layers and masks. Also any tips for editing would be great. Find an aesthetic you like, and see if there are any tutorials on the web that demonstrate how to achieve it.

Thank you, this information is great, it has really helped me.

Posted by EsseXploreR The first two questions answer themselves. The best thing about a tripod is being able to take longer exposures at a low ISO, which generally produces a better quality photo. It also helps to keep your photos level. If needed, you can use your flashlight to fill in the shadows while the shutter is open. Of all the advice folks have given me over the years, getting a tripod was the best. As far as editing I have no place to comment on that since I edit on a free app on my phone. There are a lot of folks here who are much better photographers who can advise you on that.

Thanks I have a tripod, but I have mostly shot handheld since it was just easier, but I definitely need to learn how to take good photos using longer exposures, and I didn't know about that flashlight idea, I like that

By using a tripod you can control all manner of manual camera settings, you can control the shutter speed, keep the ISO low and raise the aperture ('f' number) to increase the amount of shot in focus in lower light conditions, you can light paint pitch black spaces instead of relying on flash which bleaches everything.

I am usually welded to my tripod unless I am shooting outside or know there will be a good deal of natural light inside.

Posted by mookster By using a tripod you can control all manner of manual camera settings, you can control the shutter speed, keep the ISO low and raise the aperture ('f' number) to increase the amount of shot in focus in lower light conditions, you can light paint pitch black spaces instead of relying on flash which bleaches everything. I am usually welded to my tripod unless I am shooting outside or know there will be a good deal of natural light inside.

Cool thanks, ill try using that light painting idea in pitch black spaces instead of relying on flash. Thanks for the info

Posted by Leo Neblung Cool thanks, ill try using that light painting idea in pitch black spaces instead of relying on flash. Thanks for the info

It is one of the most valuable skills to learn if you want to take photos in places which lack enough natural light for a regular long exposure.

Off camera flash can also look great, but it's usually a pain to lug a flash system around, and you probably wouldn't want to invest in one unless you take a lot of model pictures. (It costs about $100 for a basic setup with umbrella, stand, and cord, not counting the flash.) The main reason on camera flash looks bad, even if it's a speedlight mounted on the top of the camera, is that the shadows fall straight away from the camera, making the subject look very flat. This can be avoided by bouncing the flash off the ceiling instead of pointing it forward, but this is not always an option, such as if the ceiling is too high or the wrong color.

Posted by OkapisRule Off camera flash can also look great, but it's usually a pain to lug a flash system around, and you probably wouldn't want to invest in one unless you take a lot of model pictures. (It costs about $100 for a basic setup with umbrella, stand, and cord, not counting the flash.) The main reason on camera flash looks bad, even if it's a speedlight mounted on the top of the camera, is that the shadows fall straight away from the camera, making the subject look very flat. This can be avoided by bouncing the flash off the ceiling instead of pointing it forward, but this is not always an option, such as if the ceiling is too high or the wrong color.

Yea an off camera flash wouldn't make much sense to use for my purposes, but I'm glad I'm getting this information about the on camera flash. I will likely just try using my flashlight to light up the photos in the darkest places, and attempt to use my tripod in places with some light.

Start shooting RAW images. Post processing is always needed but you gain +/- at least 3 f/stops worth of leeway for exposure and WB correction as well as the ability to change picture style after the shoot.

You don't have to shoot in very dark areas many times at sites and sometimes your time is better spent skirting these areas when headhunting for keepers.

Posted by blackhawk Start shooting RAW images. Post processing is always needed but you gain +/- at least 3 f/stops worth of leeway for exposure and WB correction as well as the ability to change picture style after the shoot. You don't have to shoot in very dark areas many times at sites and sometimes your time is better spent skirting these areas when headhunting for keepers.

I don't have much experience or knowledge with the different settings and functions on my camera, but maybe you can help me here...

How do I shoot in RAW images?

And what do you mean by "picture style"?

If you go into the quality settings in your camera menu, you can select to shoot in RAW or RAW & .jpg

I beleive blackhawk meant picture style by the in-camera processing settings, such as 'neutral','landscape','portrait'. These are permanently applied to .jpg, as the RAW image is only adjusted by an .xmp (metadata) file.

It may sound kind of confusing, but essentially a RAW image file is all of the data that comes directly from the camera sensor (lossless compression). Unfortunately these files are really large, so usually we use .jpgs or other file types to store (lossy) compressed images. The lossy compression reduces data in the file that isn't essential, like the details in the darkest shadows or the brightest highlights. However, if you shoot RAW, you can go back and recover these details in Lightroom or photoshop. If you mess up a shot and over/under expose, you can often recover it in post processing. Furthermore, noise reduction is vastly superior using RAW images, so if you take a super long exposure, you can get an even better image with processing.

As a rule of thumb, I would always shoot raw if you are shooting long exposures.

Posted by Leo Neblung I don't have much experience or knowledge with the different settings and functions on my camera, but maybe you can help me here... How do I shoot in RAW images? And what do you mean by "picture style"?

I shot with Canons. Read the cam's owner manual from front to back. I did, several times. Learn as much as you can about how it works. From there start researching and learning using websites. There are many good ones, some with forums dedicated to Nikons.

Posted by blackhawk I shot with Canons. Read the cam's owner manual from front to back. I did, several times. Learn as much as you can about how it works. From there start researching and learning using websites. There are many good ones, some with forums dedicated to Nikons.

That's a good idea to read my cameras manual more. Ill try to learn as much as I can

Posted by red utricle If you go into the quality settings in your camera menu, you can select to shoot in RAW or RAW & .jpg I beleive blackhawk meant picture style by the in-camera processing settings, such as 'neutral','landscape','portrait'. These are permanently applied to .jpg, as the RAW image is only adjusted by an .xmp (metadata) file. It may sound kind of confusing, but essentially a RAW image file is all of the data that comes directly from the camera sensor (lossless compression). Unfortunately these files are really large, so usually we use .jpgs or other file types to store compressed images. The compression reduces data in the file that isn't essential, like the details in the darkest shadows or the brightest highlights. However, if you shoot RAW, you can go back and recover these details in Lightroom or photoshop. If you mess up a shot and over/under expose, you can often recover it in post processing. Furthermore, noise reduction is vastly superior using RAW images, so if you take a super long exposure, you can get an even better image with processing. As a rule of thumb, I would always shoot raw if you are shooting long exposures.

Thank you, I'll try putting this information to use, and ill message you if I have any questions relating to what you've told me

Posted by red utricle If you go into the quality settings in your camera menu, you can select to shoot in RAW or RAW & .jpg I beleive blackhawk meant picture style by the in-camera processing settings, such as 'neutral','landscape','portrait'. These are permanently applied to .jpg, as the RAW image is only adjusted by an .xmp (metadata) file. It may sound kind of confusing, but essentially a RAW image file is all of the data that comes directly from the camera sensor (lossless compression). Unfortunately these files are really large, so usually we use .jpgs or other file types to store (lossy) compressed images. The lossy compression reduces data in the file that isn't essential, like the details in the darkest shadows or the brightest highlights. However, if you shoot RAW, you can go back and recover these details in Lightroom or photoshop. If you mess up a shot and over/under expose, you can often recover it in post processing. Furthermore, noise reduction is vastly superior using RAW images, so if you take a super long exposure, you can get an even better image with processing. As a rule of thumb, I would always shoot raw if you are shooting long exposures.

Exactly. An -excellent- explanation
Downside to RAWs are you need to edited them and you need more storage space for the RAW files than jpegs.



Canon's DPP app is a fast, powerful tool perfect for fast editing RAWs if you shoot with a Canon. It isn't a ram or CPU hog and doesn't lose images; it always permits you to revert to the original image. It allows for custom color/contrast curves, batch processing, and more.

Posted by red utricle Should the majority of photos be left unedited or is it really just a matter of opinion? Everything is a matter of opinion, but thats not to say we can't debate and reason one way or another. Many contemporary photographers (*not photojournalists) consider post processing a useful part in creating a photograph. Many pioneers in photographer also held this philosophy (see: Ansel Adams). The fact is that there is no way to take a photo objectively. Just in the decision of pointing the camera at a subject you begin to take a subjective view, skewing the objectivity of reality to show the audience what you think is important, and in a way that they may not see it. This continues with framing and lighting of the subject, and with the in-camera processing of the image that you don't have any control over.

Spot on.
Photography is an art. As an artist you manipulate the image to get the desired result. The camera doesn't perceive images as the human eye/mind does so your cam is never capturing exactly what you saw anyway.

There are a few photographers here that are extremely capable at post editing as well as excellent shooters. Their work is stunning.

Long exposures and tripods are your friends. I always have my tripod with me and I take my time with it setting up my shots, etc. Not to mention if you're not careful using flash you may as well have left a sign on the door saying that you're inside.


I edit every shot I take because I know what I like and the look I'm after. Practice, practice, practice!!! If nothing else take shots in the auto setting, look at the info then switch to manual and play with the settings. You'll always getting better results when shooting in manual...

Posted by Benched_it Long exposures and tripods are your friends. I always have my tripod with me and I take my time with it setting up my shots, etc. Not to mention if you're not careful using flash you may as well have left a sign on the door saying that you're inside. I edit every shot I take because I know what I like and the look I'm after. Practice, practice, practice!!! If nothing else take shots in the auto setting, look at the info then switch to manual and play with the settings. You'll always getting better results when shooting in manual...

Thanks, Yea I need to practice shooting in manual, long exposures too