Why can't I get more detail

[Lori11]

I am limited on editing, but is this ok? I have a hard time shooting things that are not moving *sigh

[Ron Kruger]

There is pretty good detail in this shot, but it does look a little flat. A lot of things could cause that, including the quality of the lens and MP of the camera, but I would suspect the biggest culprit here is poor light. Looks like a flat, gray day, so you got a flat, gray shot. When shooting anything outdoors, available light is everything. If you want the most detail, plus some dramatic contrast, shoot this shot during the last hour or so or light, or during the first couple of hours of morning light, whichever shines most directly upon the building.
It could also be that you were shooting at infinity. Most variable lenses don't give good detail at infinity.

[Abiciriderback]

Lori
Are you shooting n RAW mode if so you can run a RAW image thru photomatix it will give you all the same adjustments as if you were making a HDR photo but instead of using multiple images you are only using 1 Raw shot
The link for photomatix is below

Ray Still

http://hdrsoft.com/

[Lori11]

If was shooting at infinity, I wouldnt know lol Flat, gray, overcast, rainy, all of the above. Thanks for the comments

[Lori11]

Why didnt I shoot Raw :mad2: ....Thanks for the link!

[Abiciriderback]

Here is a suggestion take your current picture in PP make a copy of the picture 6 times 3 times about 1 1/2 stops lighter each time. Then do the same but darken the image by 1 1/2 stops for 3 times. Then try the free 30 day trial of Photomatix. merge all 7 mages to produce a HDR and have fun playing around you would be surprised what you can get out of our shot.

Ray Still

[Greg McCary]

It looks ok to me. Pictures will be flat on cloudy days. I like it.

[Lori11]

Thanks! Its my brothers fave place to eat, will be hanging on his wall soon :lol:

[Jimmy B]

Lori was the shot taken in manual mode? I cant decipher the EXIF info? I do like the shot.
Jimmy B

[AgingEyes]

It looks ok, but could be better (though may not reflect reality).

Just wanted to add that by default, black and white photos do not reflect the truth anyway and so make any adjustments to it that please you and/or your viewers (if needed).

[Frog]

Don't know if it would work but I'd play aroaund with levels if I were you, which of course I'm not which is a very lucky thing for you.

[jetrim]

Lori, try dropping the contrast by about 10% and it will start to reveal a lot more detail in the bushes and around the windows.

[Ron Kruger]

If this is going to be displayed, I would reshoot it in better light, even if it is a freebee, instead of tinkering with this one. You never know what business might come your way from it.
Besides, you're obviously not happy with it, and if you settle for less, you will be reminded of it every time you visit his place.

[Lori11]

Ok, I will try it again and I will try it in RAW.
Frog, you lost me lol (ugh, ok, I got it, Im slow this morning)
Jimmy, my eyes dont allow for Manual LOL
Jet I will try your suggestion also!

[Frog]

Lori, I don't think he meant manual focus but manual mode....you select aperture and shutter speed.

[Lori11]

I'm not always the sharpest knife in the drawer

[GB1]

In general the image looks pretty sharp to me. There is some loss of detail around the lettering, but otherwise it is OK.

Some points to consider:

- Did you use a tripod? Images taken with tripods always look sharper than hand holding your camera, unless you have a vibration reducing lens that doesn't like being on a tripod

- High MP camera and setting?

- Lens quality and aperture you shot it at. Most lenses' quality drops off a bit at very small apertures (f16 and f22) and may also be less at wide open. Ideal is often 3 stops smaller than wide open.

- Lock the mirror up.

- Watch for operator error. This includes 'pushing' the shutter button instead of gently pressing it. Think of the hints rifle shooters provide.

- Resizing affects sharpness/distortion. Don't sharpen your original shot, resize and make another copy, then sharpen last.

- Camera quality. Higher quality cameras produce better color saturation, less noise, etc than cheapie ones. (I once bought a cheap 3MP point and shoot and it was junk.. absolutely terrible image quality, a total waste of high MPs).

Hope this helps

G

[freygr]

GB1 is correct. To get sharp hand held photo you have to have fast shutter speeds, and a good lens. The longer the lens the faster you shutter speeds need to be for sharp photos.

Good natural lighting is a must. A cloudy day when the sun moves behind a cloud gives really good lighting. You can improve the image by adjusting the Gama or messing with the curves in Photoshop.

My feeling is for a good quality 8 by 10 inch photo is a 3.3 mega pixel image (150 dpi) but for posters you can get buy with 72 dpi. But this is home printing on a Epson Printers C-8X series or the R-2400. The printer and printer driver does make a huge difference with the DPI you can get by with for a good quality print. The photo must have good contrast and be tack driver sharp for these DPI guide lines to work. The old saying Garbage in Garbage out is so true.

[Lori11]

Thanks for all the help! Im not printing it at home, and I cant edit to much, I dont have photoshop *sigh, I didnt think to use the tripod, and I forgot the monopod, I have a
Canon 30D so I think that should be ok. I need to read up on the DPI apprently, I though I understood it :lol: