Clicks By M

Confused - ISO, Shutter speed, Aperture What do they all mean?

noreply@blogger.com (Michael M) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 11:00:00 +0000

ISO (ASA if film) - how sensitive to light is the camera sensor or film. It can range from 50 - 6400 or more depending on your camera/film. The larger number the more sensitive it is but with this comes noise (kinda like static/snow on tv) so you need to strike a balance.

Shutter speed - How long the shutter is open to take the picture 1/60s, 1/125s, 1/250s, 1/500s. For a static object you can use a lower speed 1/60s but faster moving objects you need to use a faster shutter speed so you don't get motion blur (unless that is what you want, creativity).

Aperture - Controlling how much light comes through the lens. This is done in a scale of F stops. Think of it like the pupil of your eye, in bright sunlight your pupil gets smaller to block out some light (higher numbers F16,F22), in lower light it gets bigger to let more light in (F2.8, F3.5)

That's it, so how does it work altogether well that is another blog entry.

Soften Camera Flash

noreply@blogger.com (Michael M) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 02:29:00 +0000

With direct camera flash you get the harsh black shadow next to someone when you take a shot.

To reduce the hard flash you need to soften it. This can be accomplished by using a diffuser over the flash.

Tip:
For compact cameras you can create a simple diffuser by placing a piece of tracing paper over the on camera flash. Experiment with multiple layers. (note: this may reduce the exposure a little but it can easily be correcting in editing software if necessary. )

If you have a larger flash there are alot of accesories you can buy or you could make you own.
Take a piece of white foam paper ( you need to use pure white so you do not add color to the flash) and shape it like a rectangle and connect it to the flash. Turn the flash head vertical to bounce off the foam paper.

Backup

noreply@blogger.com (Michael M) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:30:00 +0000

How many of us do backups of our photo collections regulary if at all?

You would hate to lose those precious memories you have collected over the years.

Types of backups: CD, DVD, usb stick, usb hard drive.

With the cost of USB external hard drives being very cheap today everyone should be backing up their photos to these drives. It's fast, initial cost only, rewritable, and transportable.

There are many utilities you can use to synchronize your folders to a device. The one I use is SyncToy (Free) Windows based. This utility has many options but is not compilcated to use.

You setup a folder pair (one from your computer and the other the device you wish to sync to)
It keeps a record of the files located on both folders and only syncs the differences so you are not creating a whole new copy again. This includes new files, changes and deletes. The initial sync takes a little longer since it is creating the duplicate but after that it goes quite quick. This utility will back up other file types also not just photos.

You can do the backup manually or you can create a job in Windows to do it.

You never want to experience a loss of those precious memories.

Organization

noreply@blogger.com (Michael M) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:16:00 +0000

When Aunt Sally asks "Can you print me a copy of the photo you took last year at my 50th birthday party" you gasp.

Looking for the photo you took can be difficult to find unless you are well organized.

The organization scheme I use has a few simple steps.

Step One: Create a folder structure. I create one main folder called images and sub folders organized by Year, Events, People etc. This helps by having a structure that is not dependant on the program you use. This also helps when you go to backup your files as they will be under one main folder with a many subfolders.

Step Two: Use a program to import and catalog your photos. There are many different programs you can use to do this. Most have a small preview so you can see the photo. Most also let you drag and drop the photos once imported to help organize them.

Step Three: Use keywording on your photos. Keywording is using word(s) to describe the photo i.e. Mary, John, Sally, birthday. This helps you to be able to search through all those photos to find the photos you are looking for. My photo collection is over 12,000. Usually keywording can be done at import or after the import. Develop a workflow (steps) you do when you import your photos.

It is important to think this through before you create a folder structure in order to find a scheme that works for you because it is really a pain to go back and do this after your collection grows.

What flash outside in the sunlight?

noreply@blogger.com (Michael M) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 02:16:00 +0000

Yes, flash can be used inside and outside.

You know those pictures from that beautiful day at the park last year where all the people's faces are dark? (we all have them)

Well there is a way you can help fill in some of that darkness it's called Fill Flash.

Turn your camera's flash ON (not automatic) and take the shot. (The camera will try to balance the difference in light hence brightening the faces and creating a more evenly lit picture)

Now something to realize is that the camera's flash is very small compared to the power of the sun but it will help you brighten up those dark faces. Note: most on board camera flash only reach approx. 10ft.

Ever heard of the tip of having the sun behind your back when taking the shot, well it DOESN'T WORK. It just makes everyone squint and gives them dark eyes so you end up with a picture of raccoon people.

Tip: when taking pictures outside it is always better to look for open shade so you are not directly in the bright sun this will give a more evenly lit picture.

Ideas for shots

noreply@blogger.com (Michael M) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 02:03:00 +0000

Ever think about trying to more interesting shots?

Try holding the camera up high (arms length) and shoot downwards on the subject while they look up.

Trying laying on the ground and shoot with the widest shot on an angle upwards toward the subject.

If you can slow down the shutter speed to about 1\15 sec spin or shake the camera. Instant abstract art. You will need to do this with a background of different colors to see the affect.

If you have an SLR, shoot at about 1/15 sec and zoom while taking the shot. Zooming in has one affect while zooming out has different affect. Really cool at night time with lights.

Best thing of all if you are using digital it doesn't cost anything to try. You might be amazed at what you get.

Shutter Lag

noreply@blogger.com (Michael M) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:53:00 +0000

Shutter Lag: the brief moment when you push the shutter button and wonder if you got the shot.

One of the big differences between DSLR and Point and Shoot cameras is the shutter lag time. On a DSLR basically there is none where as on the Point and Shoot takes a longer time to focus and hence the shots with foot in the frame not the person.

Tip: try to frame the shot and pre-focus by pushing the shutter button half way and then wait for the shot. Sometimes this is difficult to do with especially with children that have a endless fountain of energy.

Composition

noreply@blogger.com (Michael M) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 21:09:00 +0000

The placement of important elements in a picture

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds

But when being creative you bend the rules to see how far you can go.

The Hot Shoe Diaries

noreply@blogger.com (Michael M) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 02:00:00 +0000

Joe McNally is an award winning photographer who does amazing things with Nikon flashes.
This book is all about the different shots he has created with the Nikon CLS system. He explains the setup and configuration of the shots.

Joe has an interesting sense of humor that he carries throughout the book with his explantions.

Great book for anyone wanting to understand flash and different ways to light up a shot with small flash units.

For more lighting tips you can visit Strobist

Watching the Light

noreply@blogger.com (Michael M) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:55:00 +0000

I work in a highrise business building on the 17 th flr.
Luckly I have window seat where I can watch the sunrise every morning and see the light changing as it hits different parts of the city.

Throughout the day it is amazing how everything changes.

From the windows on a buildings changing from wide open golden eyes to dark shaded almost mysterious looking. The light falls and they go dark about to fall asleep, only to pierce the night with their amber glow struggling to stay awake until the light finally turns off for the night.