Nikon SLR Cameras

How to edit photos like this?

Ash
10.09.2015
Ash

How do they edit or take such amazing photos? I have a Nikon d40… Would I able to take similar photos with the right lens/editing software? Photoshop? Is it difficult to learn to take such photos?
https://instagram.com/...rfoxshots/
https://instagram.com/...ya.sydney/
https://instagram.com/...tographie/

word
13.09.2015
word

With the right lens, you can get nice background blur. I'd start with the thrifty fifty because it's in between the 35mm and 80mm, so it offers more leg room than the 80mm, but also gives better background blur and less camera distortion than the 35mm. However the 80mm will offer even better background blur. My guess is they're using the thrifty fifty though. Sasse looks to be using the 80mm, or even a 70-200mm.

The thing about the 50mm is that it opens wide to 1.8 or even 1.4. This wide aperture allows more light to hit the sensor, allowing for faster shutter speeds (time light enters) for still bright enough images, and it creates the nice background blur.

Until then, though, don't be afraid to increase your ISO to keep your shutter speed fast. Dogs are tricky to photograph! They never want to sit still, lol, at least not mine. Even if they sit they want to look everywhere. So a fast shutter speed is necessary. You may want a more narrow aperture, like around F3.4 too, because F1.8, since it makes the background blurrier, also gives little room for the in-focus area.

Go out with your dogs often and take A LOT of pictures. The more you take, the more familiar you get with photography, and the better your images come out.

And when working in Photoshop or Lightroom, be careful not to "overcook" your images. Sometimes, you may have to go far with the settings, but in general, make your edits subtle. It looks like Mr. Fox adds a touch of sun flare to some of his images. It's possible they add a subtle filter for, at least some of, their images too. I'm still trying to figure out that subtle filter effect. Mine always looks over done, or not done at all, or the colors suck…

JOE
13.09.2015
JOE

Most of them are not edited, just normal snapshots, nothing special. Learn how to use your camera, and you should be able to do most of them with the correct lens.

Best wishes

deep blue2
13.09.2015
deep blue2

Most of them are not edited.

Yes you can get shots like that with a D40 and the right lens, BUT more importantly than the lens is the knowledge of how to properly use your camera.

Learn the basics of photography - exposure, lighting and composition and you will then understand the technicalities behind shots like that and therefore how to emulate them.

keerok
13.09.2015
keerok

Take note that Instagram normally allows posts only from cameras and mobile devices, not from dSLRs and other digital and film cameras.

The D40 is a dSLR. If you know how to use it properly, you will get decent results most of the time. Study photography and learn how to get it right in-camera.

Raziel
13.09.2015
Raziel

I work with photos everyday and I'll tell you that it is better to take photos without need of editing in Photoshop. The least amount of editing you can do on a photo the better the results. So photos require artistic effects to make it look nice and appealing but don't work if the photo is bad and horrible composition. You have to learn about composition and know how to set your camera to take the best photo in each situation.

I'm working on a 60th birthday party with scene inside and outside. This guy has a good camera because the outside scene are good quality with a little overexposure which is fixed with Photoshop. However the inside scenes are horrible as the dark areas and dark color have major noise and can be fixed in Photoshop but there's a lot of loss of detail. So learn to know your camera and how to set it for different scenes. Most of his composition is not great but workable but some photos the subject is facing the wrong way and cropping can't be done, so the composition is bad. So all in all work on those and in no time you'll be taking wonderful photos like your examples.

John P
13.09.2015
John P

Nearly all of the photos of the dogs by MrFox are not much edited, though some have been taken with longish lenses, so you might want to invest in a tele zoom, maybe 70mm to 300mm or 55mm to 200mm.

You should always try to get things right, or very nearly right, in the camera, and only tweak slightly in editing. It is a bad idea to set out to shoot a photo that needs lots of editing.

Joy
13.09.2015
Joy

Use 50mm lens