How do i get my camera to create photos like these?

Question

I'm fairly new to photography, and I just got a canon rebel xt. I've been taking photo's .. but they never seem to have the vibrance or color that i want .. like this :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sunshinecity/2305437747/in/photostream/

so i was wondering .. are these photos edited to give them this richness ?or am i just doing something wrong ..

how do i get my photo's to turn out like this ??

and i was wondering how to get this color too ?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/_girlwithcamera/2275562240/in/set-72157603313319999/

THANKS SO MUCH FOR EVERYONE WHO ANSWERS !

Answer 1

im no expert but the first pic looks like it was the lighting that produced the colors. the second pic looks edited though but i couldnt tell you how to do it.

best of luck!

Answer 2

I use Nikon, and really can't tell you too much about your camera's default settings.    Unlike a point & shoot camera,  dSLR images are usually destined for some post processing, and the camera comes to you expecting that you will do some sharpening and minor adjustments.   So often images will look flat straight out of camera.   There is probably a menu in your camera operations where you can set the saturation and sharpening to your taste.  The problem with that approach is the camera is in charge.  I prefer to have control over things like that myself, so I do any adjusting in Adobe Photoshop.  If you don't have Photoshop, GIMP is free and does a good job.  Or Photoshop Elements is a good program to use.

Of course, you have to start with a good exposure in the first place.  So study your camera manual.  Learn how to access the settings and what they do.  Get a book on beginning photography and learn some technical stuff.  Then practice and learn.  You probably won't be an amazing photographer overnight, but if you apply yourself you will  get it.   Have fun with your new camera.

Answer 3

Two things:

-Use the right lighting

-Meter correctly

For your current photos, you could boost up the contrast a little in Photoshop.

Good luck!

Answer 4

The second was definitely edited. If you have good software you'd be able to make any picture look great no matter how bad it is.

Answer 5

Cameras do not create photos people do.

by using tools like lights, cameras, computers et cetera one

can produce good images, photoshop is not the fixer of all - c**p in = c**p out........

so learn about photography and how to use the tools, exposure, composition et cetera.

a light - http://www.flickr.com/photos/hellas2008/...

cameras - http://www.flickr.com/photos/hellas2008/...

both are tools they dont make anything or create anything

a

Answer 6

With the first picture, it is because it was taken with professional lighting that makes it look the way it does. You can see how bright the background is in parts because a light was aimed there. Also you can tell by where the highlights hit and the shadows fall that the lighting was done "off camera"--in other words not with a flash on or built into the camera.

Lighting, and knowing how to use it creatively, is what sets professional photographers apart. After all, the term "photography" means "drawing with light" when translated from Latin.

On the second picture, it looks to me like the pictures are old and the color has shifted over time. Sadly, even the best film or photographic prints or digital images output via printer will degrade over long periods of time (usually we are talking about a hundred years.)

But certain conditions can speed up the degradation process, such as humidity, temperature, or exposure to bright light. Have you ever seen a poster or picture hanging on the wall someplace that looks too bluish or pinkish? That is often because where it is hanging sunlight hits it for long periods of the day from a window and bleaches the colors, creating a color shift.

You can recreate that look by simply working with the image digitally in a program like Adobe Photoshop and adjusting the separate colors. It appears like the image has had some of the "green" channel taken out of it, giving it an overall appearance of being stronger in the red channel.

Answer 7

Cameras do not create photos people do.

You need to study the basics of composition, lighting, exposure etc. to begin your path to creating great photos.

Answer 8

The fist one, which is good photo, the lighting gave the effect and probably took some time to set up.  The second was photo shopped and I don't think is all that great of a shot.  

Answer 9

It depends on the camera you are using. If you have a simple point and shoot, take your photos in good light (for outdoor photography, that is usually early morning and just around sunset) then use a photo editor to saturate the colors as needed.  You'll have to experiment to get the effect you want.  If you have a nicer camera (dSLR) you may have a built in feature that allows colors to be more saturated.  Read your manual to find out.  Also, you can change the light source setting to make pictures look richer.  Try setting to to cloudy instead of sunny and see what happens.  Have fun experimenting.