As far as I know, cameras only have one focal point. How does this picture have two? Are they using a special lens? Or is it a composite?

These were shot on my iPhone 15 Pro and edited in Lightroom app, based on my vibe, What camera setup do you think would you recommend under $1000 usd

The photo is cool, but it is strange

On Instagram, I'll occasionally run into photos that have this very surreal look, almost like they are paintings instead of photos.

I've added a few photos as examples. The first one has a very smooth look. The next few photos have more of this dreamy surreal look, and number 9 just flat out looks like it was painted.

Photos 10 to 13 were added for comparison. They look edited but they don't have that same look. They aren't as smooth and i would say look more "realistic."

What effect or effects were added to photos 1 to 9? I learned about the orton effect and I feel like this may be what is used for some of them. But I feel like more is done to them, especially 1 and 7 which look dreamy but also very high in definition.

Is it also the lighting? The quality of the camera used? Effects that are available on Instagram? Or just very detailed editing?

I got a new phone (Nothing Phone 3a Pro) and I already took 1400 pics in 2 months. But something ive always wanted to do whenever taking pictures is to just include the object or view and not a person/people. I like taking pics of empty streets, cities where you cant see people up close, structures that don't include anyone, nature that doesn't have people.

I'm 15 I really try to take some good pics, of those 1400 pics I think 30 of them are really nice. But I am starting to feel like maybe not including people makes my photos especially in urban areas empty? People say that plus they say it's odd.I wanna know your opinions on this. Seeing people is way too random for me and it feels weird.

Hi, this is just an amateur attempt at editing a photo but I am curious how 'kosher' is perspective correction considered in a more professional setting? Also, do you think the image would look better if I did the similar composition but without perspective correction or? I didn't put the raw file here because I can't upload it, but as you can deduce one image is an exported jpeg without any edits, as shot from camera and the other is my edit. So I welcome any constructive criticism you can throw my way :D Just FYI, there was no vantage point that I could find here nearby to shoot the building straight on the way I did in my edit (that said I could have done a better job of taking a more straight image to begin with :D) I also welcome any other ideas for composition in this particular case...

So I was scrolling through Pinterest to get an idea of what type of photography I really like and I keep coming back to these types of images. I like the cinematic type of feel that they have, but what is it that makes them feel so cinematic? My guess is that it’s mostly the lighting and the editing, but idk, maybe I’m missing something. What elements of these pictures make them feel cinematic and how can I achieve that in my own pictures?

How do I get this effect in Lightroom?

This is obviously not a professional photo, but I have shown up to events and when I start lining people up all the girls get into this horrible pose. Where did this come from? It’s not flattering.

Edit: looks like nobody reads the body of these posts. 👀

So I got a new lens, the seller said it was in mint condition, is this what it should look like inside? It smells minty too

This is an image of US Highway 50 I got from the internet. I wonder how the photographer could create the effect like the road is going up to the sky. Was it camera angle or lens focal length or post processing photoshop?

Hello everyone! After some years spent in a totally different business I would like to start again doing photography (events, portraits etc). I'm almost finished with my art accademy (I'm studing oil painting) and now I can start using my gear properly as my secondary job.

I worked mostly as a portrait (and street, but this is another story) photographer (outside the studio) and for a couple of years in collaboration with a circus I've done theater photography (as you can see in the last 3 shots).
The problems is: I live in northen Italy in a small city and I have to start almost from zero again and I do not want to shot marriages!
I know that being picky is not a great idea, I've done 7-8 marriages in the past but they are really esaustive...I asked a company how much I would get payed as a secondary photographer and they told me 150 euro for 2k images (o_O).

And, from what you can see how much should I charge ? Here the market prices are really really low and some people asked me to work 6-8 hours (from evening till midnight!!) for 50 euro.
Usually I ask 150/200 euro for a set that can be around 2-3 hours (or less, if I'm happy with the results). Do you think is ok or I should start to charge more and move around ?

Should I just quit and do it as a hobby or you see potential in my works ?

I know that in the smartphone era and AI my question will sound dumb...but thanks to anyone that will spare some time for my post!

Yesterday's thread was really valuable, thank you. The comment from u/notsostealthyninja in particular landed hard, especially the idea that training your eye is really about making unconscious choices conscious. That's exactly where I feel I am right now.

So I've been thinking about how to actually act on that. I found some YouTube videos who discuss composition exercises and I want to build a personal list of around ten small challenges to take out with me. Not rules to follow forever, but constraints to force intentionality until these things become natural.

The logic behind it is this. Right now I can get a sharp, well exposed, reasonably balanced shot. I tend to follow the rule of thirds and I avoid overlapping objects behind my subject. That's my baseline. What I want next is to actually own the graphic structure of my images, and I don't think I can get to storytelling before that layer feels natural. Not because technique makes a great photo, but because mastering it frees up mental bandwidth to think about emotion. You can't focus on what the image means when you're still thinking about what's in the corners.

Here are four examples of the kind of challenges I have in mind, to give you an idea of what I'm looking for.

Challenge 1, three clear planes. Every image must have a deliberate foreground, middle ground and background, each one contributing something to the frame, not just existing.

Challenge 2, leading lines. Find and use lines that guide the eye toward the subject, intentionally, not just when a staircase happen to be there.

Challenge 3, light and shadow as subject. The light is not just the lighting, it is the subject. The image must work because of the light, not despite of it.

Challenge 4, pattern and disruption. Find a repeating pattern and use it as the structure of the image. The break in the pattern becomes the subject naturally.

I'm looking for some more of this kind, practical and concrete, things you actually went out and practiced rather than theory. What worked for you at this stage ?

Photo used as illustration : "Approaching Shadow" by Fan Ho (1954), sharing it because it shows what I'm trying to practice, leading lines, light as subject, pattern and disruption.

Edit : link to previous thread

Hello! Just getting into photography and I LOVE the high contrast, sharp style of these photos! BUT! I have no clue if that's the actual terminology or if I'm misusing other ways to denote photography. If someone could let me know what to call this type of photography I'd be grateful, even more grateful if someone knew what type of gear to use to achieve it and also advice for editing! THANKS! Refrence photos credit @ican1ii on Instagram!!!

What apps do people usually use to get this kind of effect? I know I could use photoshop, but I am looking for an easier and quicker method where the edit clearly looks like it was done poorly in an app on the fly. I am looking for this cheese look.

Edit:

I want it just for laughs and use between friends. Besides Facebook is already full of AI slop.

I am a pretty proficient photoshop user and I know how to achieve this look in PS. I just reckon since the visual astethics are usually so low with these kind of photos, it must be done with some free app on a phone. And I also would like to create these on a fly with my phone.

Been in the filmmaking game, but have only shot 3 weddings lifetime. Mostly feel like this is due to not putting myself out there, just taking an opportunity that comes to me instead of making it happen. Recently started doing photos along with some video as well (these two were just engagement style and then elopement style, both I staged to gain portfolio material). My filmmaking side brings lots of motion to my photos, but I’m unsure of if this is a good thing, or if I’m lacking somewhere. Just from the sample here, am I ready to market myself? Run ads? Or should I post to Facebook groups and continue to do free work. I will note these were all shot on manual glass and on a 35mm, and I feel like lots of photographers shoot with an 85mm for weddings/engagements just from what I’ve seen, or likely they have a zoom lens with auto focus (which I currently just use cinema prime lenses).

I also don’t know how I feel about Lightroom. I’m not interested in really changing any colors, I just want to reflect the light in the best way possible and if anything just add a little bit of grain and filmic colors.

I searched Google and Yandex Image Search, but I can only find a title that says “Somewhere in Czechoslovakia, Colour slide, 1970s” but can’t identify the photographer.

Hello guys, kind of new to the photography scene. And was going through some people work on insta and came across this picture. I was wondering if anyone knew how did picture was taken mainly the motion blur effect on the right? Was this done in post? Just curious and maybe want to try recreating this to see if I can try something similar. Thanks.