Topic Wiki

Quick tips on random subjects that come up in between classes (will add as we go along):

Food photography tips
Newborn photography tips

Table of Contents (I'll change each line to a link as we go along.)

Introduction

1) Choosing a camera: Point and Shoot vs. Mirrorless vs. DSLR
2) Camera specs: What do they mean, and which ones matter to me?
3) Exposure Basics Part 1 - the shutter speed/aperture/ISO triangle
4) Exposure Basics Part 2 - getting to know your mode dial, and other exposure controls
5) All about memory cards
6) Using ultra-wide lenses





Lenses 101 - technology, terminology, and specs, zooms vs. primes, basic/advanced/unique lenses

Lighting 101 - focusing specifically on easy to afford and easy to use setups
Small flash - on camera, off camera, modifiers and accessories
Studio strobes
Continuous lighting - fluorescent, LED, and halogen
Basic light modifiers - umbrellas, softboxes, gels, reflectors
Basic supports - lightstands, umbrella brackets, backgrounds, etc.

All about accessories - memory cards, tripods, bags, filters, remotes, adapters, grips, geotaggers, and more)


So I bought all my stuff - now what?

What makes a compelling photograph?
Depth of field
Composition basics - rule of thirds, perspective, framing
Advanced composition - negative space, inclusion and exclusion, compression
Light - natural, golden hour, basic flash usage.

Let's start shooting...

Kids:
In the park
Playing sports
At home

Landscapes and wildlife:
"Grand" landscapes
"Intimate" landscapes
Seascapes
Waterfalls
Cityscapes
Wildlife
Birds in flight
Shooting in bad weather

Portraits:
Babies and newborns
Single person - indoors
Single person - outdoors
Families/siblings/groups
Natural light
Artificial light - simple
Artificial light - complex
Mixed light

Others:
Close up and macro
Product photography

How do I...? (Some specific scenarios/techniques - Basic)
Shoot out of a plane window?
Shoot underwater?
Shoot compelling black-and-white?

How do I...? (Some specific scenarios/techniques - Advanced)
HDR
Long exposures
Light painting
Twilight landscapes
Milky Way
Star trails

Basic editing concepts:
Exposure
Contrast
Clarity/sharpening
Color
Layers and masking

Poll

What type of camera do shoot with?

Point & Shoot - basic (Canon Elph style) or Smartphone
122 (36.9%)
Point & Shoot - advanced (Canon S100 or G Style)
52 (15.7%)
Mirrorless
26 (7.9%)
DSLR - consumer (Up to a Nikon D5200 or Canon Rebel)
74 (22.4%)
DSLR - prosumer or pro (Nikon D7000 or Canon 60D and up)
29 (8.8%)
P&S, but I plan on getting an SLR or Mirrorless in the near future
28 (8.5%)

Total Members Voted: 275

Author Topic: Learn Photography Master Thread  (Read 358050 times)

Online Something Fishy

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #740 on: January 06, 2015, 10:19:15 PM »
Somehow I didn't realize this until now, but apparently the Canon 50mm f/1.8 is a full frame lens, not APS-c.
So if I understand how it works correctly, for me it's effectively a 80mm lens? (50*1.6=80)

Correct.

All lenses - including these that are for APS-C only - are marked with full-frame equivalents .
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Offline whYME

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #741 on: January 06, 2015, 10:41:38 PM »
All lenses - including these that are for APS-C only - are marked with full-frame equivalents .
ok, I think I get it now.

so my 17-50mm is effectively ~27-80mm, and if I put a 24-70mm lens on an APS-C camera it would effectively be 38-112

ETA: "effectively" was probably not the best choice of word, it's probably more like "equivalent to __________ in full frame"
« Last Edit: January 06, 2015, 10:46:10 PM by whYME »

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #742 on: January 06, 2015, 10:52:15 PM »
ok, I think I get it now.

so my 17-50mm is effectively ~27-80mm, and if I put a 24-70mm lens on an APS-C camera it would effectively be 38-112

ETA: "effectively" was probably not the best choice of word, it's probably more like "equivalent to __________ in full frame"

Exactly.
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Offline jaywhy

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #743 on: January 07, 2015, 10:01:59 PM »
@SF
My lens and camera were inundated with fine grained Thai sand, need advice how best to clean it. The sand has gotten under the barrels of the lens and they feel really gritty when turning.
I have Olympus 12-40 2.8 Pro which is supposedly dustproof and splashproof, and a Panasonic GX7.
TIA!

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #744 on: January 07, 2015, 10:09:28 PM »
@SF
My lens and camera were inundated with fine grained Thai sand, need advice how best to clean it. The sand has gotten under the barrels of the lens and they feel really gritty when turning.
I have Olympus 12-40 2.8 Pro which is supposedly dustproof and splashproof, and a Panasonic GX7.
TIA!

Oy oy.

Sand is the worst thing to get in a lens. It generally requires a complete disassembly and should only be done by a pro.

Now if it's only the grittiness that's bothering you, maybe you could live with it. But the danger is the grains traveling further and possibly scratching the lens elements.
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Offline jaywhy

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #745 on: January 10, 2015, 10:26:16 PM »
Oy oy.

Sand is the worst thing to get in a lens. It generally requires a complete disassembly and should only be done by a pro.

Now if it's only the grittiness that's bothering you, maybe you could live with it. But the danger is the grains traveling further and possibly scratching the lens elements.
Supposedly the lens is dustproof, should I still be worried? I could live with the grittiness assuming that a full disassembly will probably cost me half the price of the lens.

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #746 on: January 10, 2015, 10:54:49 PM »
Supposedly the lens is dustproof, should I still be worried? I could live with the grittiness assuming that a full disassembly will probably cost me half the price of the lens.

Sand is not dust... they behave very differently. I'd say that if you could live with the grittiness then do so. You'd need a very serious amount of damage before it starts showing up in your pictures, just keep an eye out for any abnormalities.

I went to Alaska with a chip in my front element at least an 1/8 of an inch deep and half an inch long. It was completely invisible. Granted that was a long lens and yours is a wide one (so smaller issues could show up earlier), but still - some sand is not the end of the world most of the time.
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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #747 on: January 11, 2015, 10:21:40 PM »
Sand is not dust... they behave very differently. I'd say that if you could live with the grittiness then do so. You'd need a very serious amount of damage before it starts showing up in your pictures, just keep an eye out for any abnormalities.

I went to Alaska with a chip in my front element at least an 1/8 of an inch deep and half an inch long. It was completely invisible. Granted that was a long lens and yours is a wide one (so smaller issues could show up earlier), but still - some sand is not the end of the world most of the time.
Thanks!

When I get home, I'll try to vacuum out some of the sand but it seems to be resolving itself slowly.
That lens was smooth as butter before :'(

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #750 on: January 12, 2015, 10:22:32 PM »
When buying a memory card for the Sony A600, how fast of a write speed should I be looking for?

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #751 on: January 12, 2015, 10:53:25 PM »
From snapshots to great shots as a fantastic series.
Thanks. I'll probably start with the portrait one as that's kind of my main interest.

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #752 on: January 13, 2015, 05:48:19 PM »
any videos or youtube series to help me understand the features on my canon g15? a simple youtube search didnt bring up anything.  TIA
#TYH

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #753 on: January 15, 2015, 05:49:58 PM »
Been mad busy the last couple weeks, so only did the first couple lessons. So far some good general tips -framing your subjext, rule of thirds, get down to eye level.
I think the first 7 lessons may be free online. Not sure.
They so far seemed geared toward photography of kids/people.  Has a mix of blog like lessons and videos. I like it so far.

they're having discounted enrollment again. would you recommend this?

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #754 on: January 15, 2015, 06:16:10 PM »
they're having discounted enrollment again. would you recommend this?
Been so busy that I've barely done the first 2 lessons so I can't make a fair recommendation. I like the style and it's an easy read but I can't tell much more than that
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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #755 on: January 15, 2015, 06:56:14 PM »
Been so busy that I've barely done the first 2 lessons so I can't make a fair recommendation. I like the style and it's an easy read but I can't tell much more than that
thanks. I checked out the free lessons and been getting the emails so considering it. I have another few hours to decide

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #756 on: January 26, 2015, 08:12:49 PM »
Tips for shooting in the blizzard? Good setting for capturing the snow plows in action etc...

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #757 on: February 01, 2015, 08:43:01 AM »

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #758 on: February 02, 2015, 04:34:14 AM »
Hey SF, just wanted to say thanks for these lessons, I recently purchased a Canon S110 and everything makes a lot more sense, with your help!

Don't mean to nudge but any idea when we should expect future lessons? eagerly waiting!

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