Well, the idea was to take some of the old blog entries and photos and post them here. But as I'm going through them, I'm realizing that they're a year old or more and not all the information may be relevant. So, how about I do a bit of weeding out and combining and get the best of all of them together. I've also got a new topic I'll be posting about in the next day or so, as it's one that's been on my mind for a while.
Let's begin.
We'll be implementing a skill level rating system for our tips and hints, when we have them. Since there are so many different levels of skill in photography, it was pointed out to me that the first tip above may be confusing to some people. So with the tips, I'll try to remember to put up our skill level rating.
Point and Shoot (P&S), Beginner (D)SLR, Advanced Amateur, Pro.
I want to try not to lean to heavily on the digital with the ratings, which is why the "D" is in parentheses. While what I talk about may actually be for digital, it can apply to film as well. I'll be sure to note, as I did, that it's for digital. And as with any skill level rating, if it is marked for one level, it's valid for the levels to the left. For example, the tips above are marked Beginner (D)SLR. Advanced Amateurs and Pros would understand, but someone with little more than point and shoot experience wouldn't necessarily be able to follow.
Skill Level Rating: Beginner (D)SLR
Here's a tip for you, one that I've had to keep in mind as I've been shooting in all sorts of different lighting scenarios recently. I shoot digital, Nikon D80 actually, which makes it easy to change settings for f-stops, ISOs, and shutter speeds. When moving around with wildly differing lighting, or even as the sun goes down, or especially indoors, the first reaction is to bump up the ISO to compensate for the low light. While you may have success with this for small increments, when you're having to bump it up to above 800 it may make far too much noise, or fuzz. You have other solutions to this issue, but you have to be able to handle your camera and keep it steady. Drop your ISO back down to 400 or so, and slow your shutter speed down to somewhere between 1/100 s and 1/40 s. Slower shutter speeds allow for more light, but also allow for more visible camera shake which may blur your image. Keep an eye on your preview images to make sure it's coming out as you want and adjust accordingly.
Skill Level: P&S
There have been several people lately that have decided to move to digital from film who've asked me what's the best way to go. While there is no one right way, I have to be honest with them about what they're wanting. One person has had several years with film SLR and was really looking to buy a DSLR of the same brand, so the lenses would match. While this may seem like a good idea, they've not had any time with a digital camera in their hand. I'm sure they've had friends and family with point and shoot digitals who've asked them to take pictures on occasion, but no lengthy test or trial and error learning process.
To this person, and any others who're wanting to make the jump in the same manner, I recommend that they go buy a moderately priced digital p&s and some imaging software. It's not to say that they couldn't just jump from film to digital, as much of the camera controls are the same, but without practice on something similar beforehand, it could be tricky. And to be honest, this is exactly what I did. We've had a little point and shoot digicam for a few years, and as I was deciding between film and digital SLRs, I had the digicam to practice. The shutter lag kept me patient, which is a skill and a mindset that I carry over to my DSLR. Even though now, it's almost excruciating using the little thing after having the luxury of the speed and multiple shots per second capability.
As for imaging software, there are several on the market now that are relatively cheap and offer different and similar options when it comes to working with digital images. Maybe I'll get to this topic in the future. But it helps to have more than MS Paint or the software that comes with the camera. I know Macs come pre-loaded with software, but I'm unfamiliar as it's been a while since I've touched a Mac. I'm a PC guy, but again, that's a topic for another day.
Another related topic, I had a friend tell me that they couldn't get their pictures right, even with their digicam. After a bit of questioning I find out that they're doing two of the cardinal sins of cheap digicams.
1st is not using the live-view on the screen to line up the shots. Yes, digicams normally have (I've seen one or two that don't) viewfinders. These are not like the viewfinders on the mid range digital (ed. note: Mid range by my standards are digicams that have most of the features of a DSLR, but don't change lenses. These cameras have more features than low end digicams, and usually run 4-8 mega pixels.) or DSLRs. They are not directly above the sensor, so what you see is not what you get. This means that your picture will be offset. The cure is to use the view screen, as it's directly behind the lens and sensor, so your image will be framed properly.
2nd is that they weren't using the flash. This may work in daylight, outside, no clouds, and no wind, but indoors, in poor light, or just about anywhere else even in daylight, the flash for some reason makes the camera work better. Pictures don't turn out blurry, or look as if you're shooting during an earthquake. I don't have any technical reason why (or at least I haven't looked it up somewhere), but I have practical experience. Every time I tried with my digicam to not use the flash, even in daylight outdoors, it liked to turn out horribly. So I'd turn the flash back on, and it'd come out great.
They said they'd take this advice and see what happened, but I haven't heard how it's worked for them. Hopefully, dear reader, you'll consider these bits of wisdom and they'll help you in your quest to be a better photographer.
That's a lot of info for one post. I'll leave it at that.
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