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Contest: Post your worst images with your best gear

kallisti

kallisti

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Apr 22, 2003
1,751
6,670
Wanted to try a variant on a gear thread. While people sometimes post gear threads with the intent of trying to improve their images, thought it might be fun to reverse things and show how good gear can result in craptastic images.

The rules are simple: use some of the best gear you have to produce some of the worst images you can imagine. Exposure should be "close" to correct (not fair to post a completely blown out image or a horribly under-exposed image, like pure black), but it is fair to make common "newb" mistakes regarding exposure. Also not fair to just point the camera at the ground, a wall, or the sky. There should be elements in the image that approximate what a novice might shoot.

14386088424_285f42474c_b.jpg

Garage. Shot with a Nikon D800 and 14-24 lens and SB-900 flash on-camera. Not that interesting of a subject and not a great composition of that subject. The flash helped it (unfortunately for this example--damn Nikon). Have to try harder next time :)

14387085005_0800ffb348_z.jpg

Less obviously bad. Shot at the same time without the flash.
 
steveash

steveash

macrumors 6502a
Aug 7, 2008
527
245
UK
Don't get me started! I have a large collection of images taken with the popular style:

see stunning picture -> get out camera -> find you don't have the right lens -> take picture anyway... :D
 
kenoh

kenoh

macrumors demi-god
Jul 18, 2008
6,506
10,850
Glasgow, UK
no contest

I too have a library of contenders for this. I fit firmly into the "all the gear, no idea" category!!!
 
R

Razeus

macrumors 603
Jul 11, 2008
5,348
2,030
99% of my photos fit this category. Only 1% of any given person's photos are worth a damn.
 
kenoh

kenoh

macrumors demi-god
Jul 18, 2008
6,506
10,850
Glasgow, UK
needfx said:
Kitsch of epic proportions

not even pp could help this photo. there is an actual person in there

[url=https://flic.kr/p/iLWdfi][url=https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7388/11666568125_6a165bd8d0_c.jpg]Image[/url]IMG_2645B by needfx, on Flickr[/URL]


Canon EOS 6D
TS-E17mm f/4L
ƒ/22.0 | 17.0 mm | 1/180 | iso 2500

3x 600 ex rt with gels
Click to expand...


This thread is awesome! I can now say, that this picture is real nasty... and I am not being the troll bad guy!

Nice effort to hurt my eyes!
 
kenoh

kenoh

macrumors demi-god
Jul 18, 2008
6,506
10,850
Glasgow, UK
needfx

needfx

Suspended
Aug 10, 2010
3,931
4,247
macrumors apparently
kenoh said:
Seriously though, ahem... tin foil in a red room?

1. Whats the score here then?
2. Which mug did you get to wear the Bacofoil Shell Suit?
and 3. How did you get them to agree to it - assuming it isnt just your private antics with your other half, in which case, lets leave it there lads... :)
Click to expand...

0. it is not a red room, I've stuck some cardboard on the wall, and the flash gel gives the red tint
1. score?
2&3. a co-worker with a sense of humour

tomorrow I'll post an after the shoot photo.

she almost suffocated in there
 
kenoh

kenoh

macrumors demi-god
Jul 18, 2008
6,506
10,850
Glasgow, UK
Horrendous lack of seperation

This is a snap I took of the christmas tree at Gleneagles hotel. Depth of Field faux pas here resulted in the tree almost being indistinguishable from the background. Taken on Sony A7 with the Zeiss 55mm FE...

Walter Scott monument taken with RX100, accidentally had spot meter on and so metered THROUGH the arch and washed it out.

Wooden blocks. Thought I would try to be abstract .... FAIL!
 

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Meister

Meister

Suspended
Oct 10, 2013
5,456
4,310
needfx said:
Kitsch of epic proportions

not even pp could help this photo. there is an actual person in there

[url=https://flic.kr/p/iLWdfi][url=https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7388/11666568125_6a165bd8d0_c.jpg]Image[/url]IMG_2645B by needfx, on Flickr[/URL]


Canon EOS 6D
TS-E17mm f/4L
ƒ/22.0 | 17.0 mm | 1/180 | iso 2500

3x 600 ex rt with gels
Click to expand...
Congratz. Thats really bad :D

----------
kenoh said:
This is a snap I took of the christmas tree at Gleneagles hotel. Depth of Field faux pas here resulted in the tree almost being indistinguishable from the background. Taken on Sony A7 with the Zeiss 55mm FE...

Walter Scott monument taken with RX100, accidentally had spot meter on and so metered THROUGH the arch and washed it out.

Wooden blocks. Thought I would try to be abstract .... FAIL!
Click to expand...

First one is pretty bad.
The second doesnt count, because its too overexposed.
I dont think the 3rd one is that bad :)

Try harder ! :D
 
bankshot

bankshot

macrumors 65816
Jan 23, 2003
1,367
416
Southern California
Depth of field fail: nose/mouth is relatively sharp, but the eyes are out of focus. And this is a short pug nose! :rolleyes: Also, dark background blends in with the subject a little too much.

This was just a test shot with my new 70D and 50mm 1.8 lens, aperture wide open. I wanted to see how narrow I could get the depth of field, and yeah, a little too narrow. Despite its flaws, I still like the shot (maybe just because I'm quite fond of the subject!).

Side note: same dog as in my avatar, almost 10 years later. Older, greyer, and wiser. :cool:
 

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Meister

Meister

Suspended
Oct 10, 2013
5,456
4,310
bankshot said:
Depth of field fail: nose/mouth is relatively sharp, but the eyes are out of focus. And this is a short pug nose! :rolleyes: Also, dark background blends in with the subject a little too much.
This was just a test shot with my new 70D and 50mm 1.8 lens, aperture wide open. I wanted to see how narrow I could get the depth of field, and yeah, a little too narrow. Despite its flaws, I still like the shot (maybe just because I'm quite fond of the subject!).
Side note: same dog as in my avatar, almost 10 years later. Older, greyer, and wiser. :cool:
Click to expand...
Sorry. Not nearly bad enough ;)
 
Meister

Meister

Suspended
Oct 10, 2013
5,456
4,310
bad_zpsbf275c2d.jpg

D610, 14mm, f/8, iso800, obviously no flash and hideous manual focus.
1/640s to compensate for my nervous camera shake and lack of tripod. :D
This was somehow supposed to look sharp and impressive in my warpped head:D
 
Last edited:
kallisti

kallisti

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Apr 22, 2003
1,751
6,670
Wow, wasn't expecting this much of a response. Seems I hit a nerve :)

More examples!!

Here is one I took on a trip to Italy last fall. At the Vatican while on a tour. The tour guide said "take pictures from this great vantage point before we move on." It wasn't a great vantage point in any sense. But snapped something anyway. The subject isn't interesting and the composition is horrible. To make things worse, I exposed for the building in the distance which made the foreground horribly underexposed. Granted that could be "fixed" in post, but the composition is just so bad that nothing can really salvage it.

14414386853_6da8b8100a_c.jpg
Leica M (240). 35mm Summilux lens @ f/5.6, 1/360 sec, ISO 200.
 
monokakata

monokakata

macrumors 68020
May 8, 2008
2,036
583
Ithaca, NY
Wow, my little orange 'ohi'a busted out a blossom today. And I really love those superwide shots with a flower or whatever right up in your face. So grab the D800 and 14-24 and get out there before it starts raining again. I love this lens. I know everything there is to know about using it. I rule this lens.

What a shot! Orange blossom, yeah! Look at those leaves, too bad they're chewed up. And that Bougainvillea in the background, up at the top.

And down at the bottom?

Oh.
 

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