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09/11/2006 05:23:05 PM · #26 |
Rule of thirds and composition in general
you want sharp shots - so a tripod and use good DOF - not everything needs to be or should be shallow DOF.
if shooting people, learn posing - //jzportraits.home.att.net/ is a good start.
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09/11/2006 05:25:50 PM · #27 |
Originally posted by Caitlyn:
When I set the f to say f9 and then zoom to where I want to be and press the shutter, it automtically resets the f to it's own idea of where it should be. |
Zoom first and *then* set the aperture (f) to what you want. That way it will stay where you want it.
Zooming affects the aperture.
Message edited by author 2006-09-11 17:26:01. |
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09/11/2006 05:36:40 PM · #28 |
Originally posted by Caitlyn:
I'm going to risk a lot of boo's and hiss's here. Keep in mind that I'm still learning and be gentle please.
Read the manual, made my head hurt so recently bought a "for Dummies" and now waiting for time to read it.
This is where I'm risking ridicule...
What good is the f stop? I'm starting out with the P setting on the camera. When I set the f to say f9 and then zoom to where I want to be and press the shutter, it automtically resets the f to it's own idea of where it should be. When I feel I'm comfortable with the P setting I'll work on the rest, does this change from P - S - A - M? Just curious if it's worth spending a lot of time on if I really don't have a lot of say in the matter?
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Depends - if you have a variable aperture lens (say a 3.5-5.6) and are zomed wide and at f3.5 - as you zoom in the lens only has the smaller apertures to work with, so the Fstop will change. Set the ap to f7 and try zooming, it should stay the same in Av and M modes. IN Tv mode the camera chooses the aperture (you choose shutter speed) so it will change when it sees fit.
P mode...it'a a full auto mode in disguise. In full auto yo uhave no choices. In P mode you can rotate a dial and the total exposure will stay the same, but the Fstop and shutter both change ( F8 and 1/250 is the same as F5.6 and 1/500 and F4 and 1/1000.) On my canons it never stays put even from exposure to exposure so it may be the same on your nikon. I avoid P mode anymore.
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09/11/2006 05:47:21 PM · #29 |
Get close and fill the frame.
Become one with your camera.
Don't shoot everything while standing up, it's the way everybody sees things, so it can be mundane. Kneel, lie down, climb up on something. Basically experiment with different viewpoints. |
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09/11/2006 05:51:16 PM · #30 |
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09/11/2006 05:55:40 PM · #31 |
Originally posted by alanfreed:
Remove... lens... cap. |
 Reader found this hilarious.....and so true! |
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09/11/2006 06:02:13 PM · #32 |
Originally posted by KaDi:
Originally posted by alanfreed:
Remove... lens... cap. |
Reader found this hilarious.....and so true! |
and when you remove it.... remember where you put it.... |
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09/11/2006 06:11:28 PM · #33 |
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09/11/2006 06:12:54 PM · #34 |
| Each time you're about to release the shutter, ask yourself what will be that photo's excuse for existence. Ask why do you want to take this photo, what is it supposed to communicate to anyone viewing it. If you can't come up with meaningful answers, don't press the button, go look for another shot. |
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09/11/2006 09:24:24 PM · #35 |
| Get to know your client. Their likes and dislikes before a session. It makes them more comfortable from the beginning. |
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09/11/2006 09:34:20 PM · #36 |
- Pretend you don't know what photoshop is :-) I know, I know - wrong place :-) - I mean don't start saying, oh - I can crop this and fix that.
- Somebody famous said something like, if your photos are boring you are not close enough (mind you I believe this guy was a war photg, so that may not be a great starting point :-).
- Ask yourself what does this picture mean.
I try to do these and fail but it's the thought that counts right :-)
P.S. - After you take off the lens cap, make sure there is a &*%$ card in the camera :-/
Message edited by author 2006-09-11 21:35:09. |
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09/11/2006 09:34:48 PM · #37 |
Originally posted by ralph:
use a tripod |
Yup, good one.....if your subject isn't moving your camera shouldn't be either |
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09/11/2006 09:49:42 PM · #38 |
What everyone else said here is true...
...but also remember every time you point your camera at something (unless it is personal) that some one before you has already taken the shot. Take em from an Angle. Flat is so boring.
For me angle is important Low/high/sideways what ever, I hate shooting with my legs three feet apart and the camera brought up to eye level...
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09/11/2006 09:51:32 PM · #39 |
Shoot what you like. Say something with your photography.
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09/11/2006 10:17:13 PM · #40 |
| a trained eye - at least that's what one of my respected favourite photographer said. |
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09/11/2006 10:31:47 PM · #41 |
Feedback! Look at your photos afterwards and give yourself feedback - what was good, what wasn't, and why. Seek feedback from other photographers (try to pick people who can give good feedback, not just tell you everything is wonderful).
I did an eight week photography course where half of each meeting was going through the photos we'd taken the previous week, seeing how other people had tackled the same subject/location, and sharing feedback. I learned a lot from that.
Learn some of the composition "rules" (e.g. filling the frame, leading lines, rule of thirds, etc.), but remember that the rules are only guidelines, not actual rules - sometimes they MUST be broken.
When you take a shot, don't just take a shot. Take several variations - framing differently, focusing differently, using different aperture/shutter speed, changing the focal length, or changing your position. Compare the variations afterwards and see what works better.
Remember that the purpose of a zoom lens is NOT to frame your subject appropriately, because things look different at different focal lengths. Take photos of the same subject using your camera zoom AND your leg zoom (i.e. getting closer/further away) and take careful note of the difference - e.g. being at the right distance to fill the frame at 20mm vs. being at the right distance to fill the frame with the same subject at 80mm.
Don't delete anything you've taken until you have learned all the lessons you can from it.
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09/11/2006 10:43:03 PM · #42 |
#1 priority: Start noticing light, how it affects objects from different angles, densities, colors and intensities.
Light is your brush, everything else is just a technicality.
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09/11/2006 10:46:51 PM · #43 |
| Put this thread on your watch list. |
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09/11/2006 10:54:49 PM · #44 |
Originally posted by robs:
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- Somebody famous said something like, if your photos are boring you are not close enough (mind you I believe this guy was a war photg, so that may not be a great starting point :-).
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It was Robert Capa.
He was right.
He was also killed covering the First Indochina War in 1954. He stepped on a landmine and died clutching his camera.
Some quotes:
* "If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough."
* "It's not enough to have talent, you also have to be Hungarian."
* "The truth is the best picture, the best propaganda."
* "This war is like an actress who is getting old. It is less and less photogenic and more and more dangerous."
Message edited by author 2006-09-11 22:56:56. |
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09/11/2006 11:07:18 PM · #45 |
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09/11/2006 11:13:23 PM · #46 |
Don't catch yourself in your zipper.
Then again I think I read where that's also #1 for book binders, too.
Hmm, okay I'm gonna go with experiment. The same settings that can make one shot look like crap can turn another into a subjective view of something that'll make granny wet herself. Shoot in almost any mode other than Automatic and start to learn what they all do so that as you learn you'll start to understand how experimenting with one thing leads to certain results. You may find that what works well in certain settings with certain lighting doesn't work well in others but the point is that you're the one learning.
#1 experiment
#2 the zipper thing
#3 shoot
#4 shoot the same thing from a different angle with different settings
#5 shoot something else
#6 go shoot something that looks like one of the first two things only not and try to shoot it the same (or perhaps try to shoot it differently this time)
#7 if you're still conscious and reading (and that a largemungous IF) then, dammit, GO SHOOT
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09/11/2006 11:31:22 PM · #47 |
Look at what I do - Then do the OPPOSITE!
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09/12/2006 12:02:05 AM · #48 |
Originally posted by fotomann_forever:
#1 priority: Start noticing light, how it affects objects from different angles, densities, colors and intensities.
Light is your brush, everything else is just a technicality. |
Thats what i was going to say but after the first 5 or so replys i started to rethink why i started the thread.
Like playing guitar, i have been playing for 15 some years and it wasnt till just this year that i realized the #1 most important thing is knowing how to correctly tune a guitar. Once i figured that out everything else i had learned till now sounds so much better.
I just got into portable slave flash units and i just realized that lighting is what i was missing. Playing around with diffusers and bounce flash toatly improved my pictures and i then thought man ive been wasting soooo much time. I should of been spending my money on lights insted of all this other crap.
Originally posted by kudzu:
it's all in the lighting... |
I must of missed your reply or i would of replied alot sooner. I figured i would get this a little more often but i didnt then i got confused.
Message edited by author 2006-09-12 00:05:25. |
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09/12/2006 12:30:17 AM · #49 |
Originally posted by BradP:
Look at what I do - Then do the OPPOSITE!
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So in other words you want them to suck. That's real nice MasterP... Real nice. :P |
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09/12/2006 10:57:49 PM · #50 |
Originally posted by Raziel:
Originally posted by MattO:
Originally posted by ralph:
use a tripod |
Why do you feel that this is so important? I rarely use a tripod for anything other then self portraits or very long exposures. I would think that learning to use the camera would be most important. Just curious why you say tripod.
MattO |
Tripods force you to slow down and think about what you are taking a picture of. You can't just lift the camera and rip a few shots off. The extra thought into exposure, composition and so forth will result in a better picture. |
I don't think I consider myself experienced enough to truly comment in this thread, but I might have changed this to say, "own a tripod and use it where appropriate".
It just may not work well for some things, such as when you have to move rapidly! |
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Reader found this hilarious.....and so true!
