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 358087 times)

Offline Something Fishy

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #860 on: April 29, 2015, 12:13:48 AM »
I think I may have figured it out... Here the first two pictures, first the original and then what is (hopefully) the corrected version. Thoughts?







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Offline whYME

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #861 on: April 29, 2015, 12:15:18 AM »
I think I may have figured it out... Here the first two pictures, first the original and then what is (hopefully) the corrected version. Thoughts?
Looks good

Offline Centro

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #862 on: April 29, 2015, 12:15:23 AM »
I think I may have figured it out... Here the first two pictures, first the original and then what is (hopefully) the corrected version. Thoughts?








On my phone now and the 2nd one looks the same as the 1st one on my computer.

Offline Something Fishy

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #863 on: April 29, 2015, 12:24:21 AM »
Looks good

On my phone now and the 2nd one looks the same as the 1st one on my computer.

Awesome! Looks like it's fixed, then.

Turns out the pictures were in the Adobe RGB color space, which doesn't play nice with mobile. Converted them to the sRGB space and that seemed to do the trick.
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Offline Something Fishy

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #864 on: April 29, 2015, 12:33:58 AM »
While we're on the subject of this picture, it appears that I have to eat my words (in red) ;D:

Here are some of mine

I love love love the Road To Hana picture. The muted colors is not a treatment you see too often in this shot, and I think it works really well. It's a great way to differentiate your picture from the many others taken from this spot. The composition is spot on - from the bushes in the foreground (love that splash of red!) to the tree framing the left. The horizon is a drop crooked, but not to horribly. Also, if you would have raised the camera a couple of inches higher, you would have separated the top of the foreground bush from the far beach to create a smooth, continuous flow, mirroring the road above.

The one big issue this picture has is halos. This is completely due to post-processing, and could (and should ;)) absolutely be avoided. It's mostly apparent where the center of the mountain meets the clouds, and where the mountain intersects with the horizon. There should be a smooth transition, not a glow. You could also see a bit of it in the one blue spot in the sky.




Sometimes you just can't get high enough; I wan't able to, either:

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Offline Fan of Dan

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #865 on: April 29, 2015, 01:40:12 AM »
That's funny SF because i had recalled you original post correcting the picture on the Road to Hanna and was wondering if you would reference that when you posted you own  :)

Great pics! - How did you decide to use the shutter speed you used on the waves crashing on the rocks pic?

Offline RJ898

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #866 on: April 29, 2015, 09:48:43 AM »
Wow, forgot about this!! The reason there's so much halo-ing is because I didn't know how to use the grad filter yet, so to bring out the sky detail, I brought a 2nd version of the image into ACR and got the sky detail (it was a cloudy day), opened it in PS and erased the bottom of it. Leads to a lot of halo-ing. How was Kauai?
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Offline Toasted

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #867 on: May 04, 2015, 12:50:54 AM »
I was using a t3i with a nifty fifty for family shots outdoors today. Was shooting wide open, but since some kids were closer than others (had them in 2 rows), either the front row or back row was blurry. :'( Obviously f/1.8 is not the right aperture for this situation.

What would be the right aperture to get everyone in focus while keeping the bokeh effect? Also, if im shooting at f3.5 or above(below, whatever the mavens call it), is the nifty fifty still sharper than my kit lens? If not, i'd definitely use the kit for the IS and the zoom range.

Thanks rebbey.

Offline tageed-lee

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #868 on: May 04, 2015, 09:32:22 AM »
The 50mm is definitly sharper than your kit lens if used correctly. Its very tempting for everyone to shoot f1.8 just because they "can" but the scenario you said will most likely occur (unless you are spot on). Because of the narrow depth of field at f1.8, you cannot focus on more than one object at different distances from the lens. Generally, if you step the lens up to f2.8 you will have more depth of field and still have the creamy bokeh you want (though, with a family you'd probably still need to step up higher for a greater depth of field). The "sweet spot" on this lens is probably more like f4.0 or f5.0.
« Last Edit: May 04, 2015, 09:42:24 AM by tageed-lee »

Offline Toasted

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #869 on: May 04, 2015, 09:42:49 AM »
The 50mm is definitly sharper than your kit lens if used correctly. Its very tempting for everyone to shoot f1.8 just because they "can" but the scenario you said will most likely occur (unless you are spot on). Because of the narrow depth of field at f1.8, you cannot focus on more than one object at different distances from the lens. So, if you step the lens up to f2.8 you will have more depth of field and still have the creamy bokeh you want (though, with a family you'd probably still need to step up higher for a greater depth of field). The "sweet spot" on this lens is probably more like f4.0 or f5.0.
Thanks a lot. I guess I'll try the 4.0 range. Definitely worth sacrificing some bokeh for getting everyone tack sharp.

Offline Dywert

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #870 on: May 04, 2015, 05:22:42 PM »
Can anyone tell me how to get my sony a500 to shot at an aperture above 5.6? It seems to stop there and not let me go any lower. Thanks.

Offline Zalc

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #871 on: May 04, 2015, 11:27:50 PM »
Can anyone tell me how to get my sony a500 to shot at an aperture above 5.6? It seems to stop there and not let me go any lower. Thanks.

Are you shooting with the included 16-50mm lens at 50mm (full zoom)?
If yes, then that is the max aperture at 50mm, you can only get bigger by zooming out.
(the max aperture on that lens is not for the entire range of the lens, rather it gradually changes from 3.5 at 16mm, till at 50mm your max is limited to 5.6)

Offline Zalc

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #872 on: May 04, 2015, 11:33:34 PM »
I'm not sure if this is right place for this, please let me know if it isn't.

What, in your opinion, is the best camera with great video under $600?

That means that video features (mic input, long record time w/o overheating and good constant AF) are a must.

I need a camera to shoot Camp video this summer, but I don't want to get a camcorder. for some reason (maybe sensor size?), all the sample videos from mirrorless cameras look way better (to me) that the video from good camcorders http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-video-camera/. Also, you get locked in to a single lens and it is probably worthless for still shots (which I'm probably going to get into thanks the the awesome lessons here! Thanks SF!).

I'm thinking the Panasonic Lumix G6 is the best one for this, as it fulfills those 3 requirements, while taking good pictures and letting you get creative with lenses (M4/3). (also, it has a good viewfinder)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CFCTDD6
http://www.eoshd.com/2013/07/panasonic-g6-review-the-gh2-redux/

My only issues with it (I think) is that it still uses a %100 contrast based AF, which may be an issue for video AF tracking.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #873 on: May 05, 2015, 11:00:46 AM »
Thanks for the explanation Zalc!

Offline whYME

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #874 on: May 05, 2015, 02:04:54 PM »
I'm not sure if this is right place for this, please let me know if it isn't.
Here you go: http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=28454.0

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #875 on: May 11, 2015, 12:41:56 PM »
@Zalc don't get a DSLR/mirrorless camera for a camp.
Get a camcorder. Not worth it for a job like that.
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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #876 on: May 11, 2015, 12:51:37 PM »
@Zalc don't get a DSLR/mirrorless camera for a camp.
Get a camcorder. Not worth it for a job like that.

-1000

The only advantage a camcorders have is a larger zoom. Other than that, the Panasonic will be better in every way.
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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #877 on: May 11, 2015, 12:53:09 PM »
I've done two 2 month camp videos. Image stabilization, larger DOF, better sound just to name a few.
If you're running and gunning for 2 months, you want a camcorder.
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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #878 on: May 11, 2015, 01:12:01 PM »
I've done two 2 month camp videos. Image stabilization, larger DOF, better sound just to name a few.
If you're running and gunning for 2 months, you want a camcorder.

Thank you.
I already got the camera, so it's a moot point now.
I have a shotgun mic and the pana lens has good IS.

Offline Mordy

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #879 on: May 13, 2015, 06:56:17 PM »
@Zalc don't get a DSLR/mirrorless camera for a camp.
Get a camcorder. Not worth it for a job like that.
-1000

The only advantage a camcorders have is a larger zoom. Other than that, the Panasonic will be better in every way.
I've done two 2 month camp videos. Image stabilization, larger DOF, better sound just to name a few.
If you're running and gunning for 2 months, you want a camcorder.

Something Fishy, I happen to know RJ989, we both work in professional video. And he's not wrong. There are way more advantages to shooting with a camcorder, including the constant f-stop zoom and deeper DOF, not to mention more aggressive stabilization and ergonomics for video recording. Heck there's a good reason reality TV, News and documentary shooters still use camcorders. There are just designed to be better at those things.

I answered his question in the other thread regarding the G6 because he asked specifically which mirrorless camera, not whether or not a mirrorless camera was the right choice. I would have given a much more complicated answer had he asked that- but it sounded like he had already decided on an ILC, so I helped steer him towards the best option to fit his criteria.

The truth is, any of these DSLR/ILC/Still-cameras-turned-video-cameras are going to be somewhat of a compromise. They are designed to be stills cameras first, and the video features are there second. Their auto features sometimes get wonky in video- focusing will visibly hunt when DOF is too shallow, without proper stabilization gear you can't hold it as steady as a camcorder (IS is good, but still no replacement for handycam ergonomics), video-related functions and menus are buried in context and settings. Heck, you'll see the difference off the bat when zooming with the kit lens, the aperture snaps digitally into place while adjusting, which shows up on your footage as visible "clicks" getting darker or lighter. A camcorder will not only have a constant f-stop zoom built in, but will also have a servo motor to take the jitters out of the zoom, not to mention reduced rolling shutter due to the smaller sensor and often built in RS reduction.

The bottom line, and this is what I always tell people when they ask me what kind of camera to get for video:
A large sensor DSLR or ILC is capable of better looking video, but you're going to have to work a lot harder to get it. If you are looking for a point-and-shoot sort of video experience, you are not going to find that on ANY large chip ILC. You need a camcorder for that. Heck, there's a good reason camcorders are still popular. I just set up a studio with a Canon Vixia G30 for a client of mine. Its an excellent $1,200 camcorder that does things I sometimes wish my cameras did. In fact, I'm debating picking one up for run and gun situations.

That being said, Zalc sounds like someone who did his homework and is willing to work at it. The G6 is probably the closest thing to a camcorder without being one.
Thank you.
I already got the camera, so it's a moot point now.
I have a shotgun mic and the pana lens has good IS.

Nice. Practice, practice, practice! I might recommend a cheap shoulder mount or monopod to take out the jitters. Camcorders are just better at avoiding that.
« Last Edit: May 13, 2015, 07:00:25 PM by Mordy »
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