I have a nikon D90, but how do I make my pictures look "professional"?? Do I need photoshop?

Question

I have a nikon D90 SLR with a 50 mm f/1.8 and an 18-200 vr lens and a nikon sb600 flash. I bought these so I can take "professional" looking pictures. I have learned about basics of photography such as aperture and how it effects depth of field, shutter speed and freezing motion, bounce flash etc.

But despite all these my pictures are indistinguishable from a point and shoot camera. Why is this? Is it because all professional pictures are edited using photoshop?? I mean I go on flickr and look at pictures taken with the same lenses, and they look AMAZING, just the color and detail and sharpness is incredible. I'm not a total amateur, I know how to use the camera very well and I have read the manual inside and out but still no luck with professional pictures. Just look at the sample pictures on flickr, nikonusa's website with the d90, and other places, those are the kind of pictures I want and that's why I spent so much freakin money. Not just to get the same results at my canon SD750 point and shoot.

Answer 1

Learning how to use your camera is a good start. You have some fine tools, and it is possible to make some awesome images. Don't just look, snap, and expect a great image. Look more carefully. Don't just look, but see. What about the scene looks good? How can you best show it? Learn about light and how it affects what you see. Different qualities of light can convey different moods. Direction of light can show form, texture, detail, or it can totally flatten an image and make it a boring snapshot. Learn composition. Don't automatically put everything dead center in your photos. For people shots, go farther back and use a telephoto lens. Don't put a mile of space above their head, then cut them off at the knees. Watch your backgrounds. Keep them simple. Nobody needs a tree or pole growing out of their head.



Read some books and magazines about photography. Take a class. Be open to try new things. When you see an image you like, try to imitate it. Keep asking, and be open to learn. Don't just listen to people who say "Oh that's nice", but the ones who tell you how you can improve it.



It's not all photoshop. In the best images, it's very little photoshop.

Answer 2

Here's the obvious "duh" question... Is it still on automatic mode? If so, that's why they look like snapshots. To achieve "professional" looking pictures takes time and practice to hone your skills; that's how you'll get the "amazing" results you desire. Photoshop may be an incredible product, but it's not a panacea for bad photographic technique. To learn more, I recommend a two-pronged approach: reading books, and taking a photography course or two. There are many books on the market you may read, but one I've used in my college darkroom course is "Photography," coauthored by John Upton, Barbara London, and Jim Stone. The ninth edition will set you back more than a C-note, but you may wish to look for earlier editions, such as the sixth, seventh or eighth, and pay less. I still have my fourth edition copy I used in college, and I enjoy it immensely simply because it's so useful. I first took up photography roughly thirty years ago, well before digital was a gleam in anyone's eye. I'm largely self-taught, and while I felt I was reasonably proficient by the time I entered college, I learned much more when I took a darkroom course working in black & white. The lessons I learned there continue to benefit me nearly two decades later. That's why I recommend taking a course or two; if it's a FILM course, so much the better. Speaking of film, I personally feel it is the best medium in which to learn photography. Because film has a finite number of images for a given length, you have to think about the photographs you make. Those that are bad cannot simply be deleted; they become teaching tools so you don't make the same mistakes next time.

Answer 3

This has nothing to do with computer software, and everything to do with the 3 pounds or so of software immediately behind the viewfinder. If you don't have a talent for, and knowledge of, photography you will take indifferent pictures with a P&S, an SLR or a Hasselblad. A camera is a tool; nothing more. You will no more be able to take good 'professional' photographs merely by using an SLR than you will be able to play like Ashkenazy by owning a Bechstein Grand.

Answer 4

You definitely have the type of hardware that will not hinder you in the quest for "pro" looking images.



With that said, keep in mind that hardware is not the key to "pro" images. Light, composition and subject are what you need to be aware of. I have sold pictures from my $10 Agfa 1951 Billy Folder because I am aware of what makes a great picture.





Don't despair. You have some of the best equipment available on this planet. Study and practice. You will get there. Good photography is more like a long day of painting than a quick visit to the shooting gallery.

Answer 5

It never HAS been the equipment but the person behind the equipment.



As you found out, buying good 'stuff' does not automatically give you good pictures...



How often do you take the camera off - P..? Do you follow your light meter faithfully..?? If you do either of these, your wrong..! Both the P setting and your light meter lie to you like a rug on the floor. Both try to turn your entire scene into 18% gray and average everything out....



Think about it..



Hope your happy with your expensive point n shoot there pard..!



Bob - Tucson

Answer 6

Understanding photography isn't about memorizing the manual and knowing about all the bells and whistles you may or may not have. It doesn't matter what camera you have, because it's the photographer who composes, captures, and manipulates the shot. You fell victim to advertising.

Answer 7

It is not all photoshop.

It is the skill and experience of the photographer.

Your camera is perfectly capable of producing quality shots in the hands of a good photographer.



it is all about knowledge and experience and the only way to get that is to learn and practise.



You will get there if you want to.

Answer 8

> It can't be photoshop,



You are probably very correct about that.

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> and they look AMAZING,



It helps if you find some images you find AMAZING and post it here.



It is difficult to figure out WHAT is different about your picture just from words.





Good luck.......