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 358081 times)

Offline moish

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1000 on: August 30, 2015, 02:50:44 PM »
lens always on camera. gotta be ready to go in a moments notice

Offline Something Fishy

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1001 on: August 30, 2015, 02:58:02 PM »
Depends on how your carry case is set up and if it accommodates while the lens is a attached or detached. :(

If your case can't hold your camera with the lens mounted then methinks it's time for a new case...
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Offline shlonx

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1002 on: September 01, 2015, 09:24:50 PM »
Can anyone help me with this?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/p19zl9mr2dhdpp3/taxi.wmv?dl=0

I took this video with a Canon G16 (nothing major, I know), and the sky colour really irks me. I especially raised the lens to get the blue hue, but then just lost it on the way back down. I'm bichlal not a maven, so the issue could be a basic one, but I really want to know what the cause is and how to avoid it in the future...

Thanks in advance...
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Offline Zalc

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1003 on: September 01, 2015, 09:43:55 PM »


I'm bichlal not a maven, so the issue could be a basic one, but I really want to know what the cause is and how to avoid it in the future...

It seems to me to be a basic issue, that your camera does not have enough dynamic range to keep the sky and buildings exposed at the same time.

Look at 0:04, you can see that the sky is exposed relatively well, as are the sunlit buildings. But the shadows (look in the lower right corner) are far too dark.

As you bring the camera down, these shadowed buildings take up more of the frame, so the camera tries to a raise the overall brightness to expose them correctly.

By the time you get to 0:06, the buildings are exposed correctly, but the sky is so much brighter, so it gets washed out.

Hope this helps!

Offline Something Fishy

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1004 on: September 01, 2015, 10:29:53 PM »

It seems to me to be a basic issue, that your camera does not have enough dynamic range to keep the sky and buildings exposed at the same time.

Look at 0:04, you can see that the sky is exposed relatively well, as are the sunlit buildings. But the shadows (look in the lower right corner) are far too dark.

As you bring the camera down, these shadowed buildings take up more of the frame, so the camera tries to a raise the overall brightness to expose them correctly.

By the time you get to 0:06, the buildings are exposed correctly, but the sky is so much brighter, so it gets washed out.

Hope this helps!

Right on the money.
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Offline shlonx

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1005 on: September 01, 2015, 11:17:18 PM »
I see, thanks!

I'm reading a bit about it, and it seems that most of the basic solutions (flash etc.) are only for images. I guess videos are a whole different ballgame. Oh, well...
« Last Edit: September 01, 2015, 11:25:27 PM by shlonx »
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Offline Zalc

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1006 on: September 01, 2015, 11:59:21 PM »
I see, thanks!

So is it a setting I have to change, or can the camera just not handle the pressure?
For video, it is very hard to do with low end camera. For a scene like this you would need to be able to control the exposure manually while recording video, and try (I think) to set it to retain just a little blue of the sky, and the shadows will be a bit too dark but not totally black.

Then in your editing application you can try to recover those highlights and shadows to look good.

But IDK if your camera records at a high enough quality to recover it without the image quality falling apart...

If someone here with more video experience can chip in, I'd appreciate it.

As for photography, I think SF may have covered this already.

Offline noturbizniss

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1007 on: September 03, 2015, 08:30:47 AM »
My wife took these on her g4. Looking for some feedback.

For the older girl I'm thinking maybe moving the camera down a but more would result in a better picture.






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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1008 on: September 08, 2015, 08:43:46 PM »
Just some pics of food we made.

Would love some feedback.

All taken on a phone (g4), unedited besides for straightening.

TIA!







Link to full res: https://drive.google.com/folder/d/0B0DyOtkhB9nBaEJoRVlFY0VleHM
« Last Edit: September 08, 2015, 08:49:50 PM by Zalc »

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1009 on: September 11, 2015, 11:30:21 AM »
Rainbow across NYC and stemming from world trade center yesterday
Source: https://twitter.com/leverageagency/status/641954157247758336

READ THE DARN WIKI!!!!

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1010 on: September 11, 2015, 12:24:03 PM »
Rainbow across NYC and stemming from world trade center yesterday
Source: https://twitter.com/leverageagency/status/641954157247758336


That's a great angle!

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1011 on: September 11, 2015, 01:56:15 PM »
http://groupon.com/bwf/b297aae4-b092-405c-ab2e-ed5517d49961?utm_campaign=OfferReferral&utm_source=bwf_link&utm_medium=bwf

Photography for Beginners Masterclass - SkillSuccess for $5.

seems like a great deal. Just bought it.
« Last Edit: September 11, 2015, 02:01:15 PM by ushdadude »

Offline Yehoshua

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1012 on: September 11, 2015, 02:29:12 PM »
http://groupon.com/bwf/b297aae4-b092-405c-ab2e-ed5517d49961?utm_campaign=OfferReferral&utm_source=bwf_link&utm_medium=bwf

Photography for Beginners Masterclass - SkillSuccess for $5.

seems like a great deal. Just bought it.
For $5, even if it's not it's not much to lose.

Offline ushdadude

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1013 on: September 12, 2015, 09:43:15 PM »

Offline Fan of Dan

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1014 on: September 16, 2015, 04:31:37 PM »
I have a batch of photos in Lightroom and I am not sure which location on my computer or hard drive is hosting the originals. They are not currently missing as I am able to see and edit them properly in LR I just can't figure out where they are being held. How can I determine that?

Offline whYME

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1015 on: September 16, 2015, 04:36:03 PM »
I have a batch of photos in Lightroom and I am not sure which location on my computer or hard drive is hosting the originals. They are not currently missing as I am able to see and edit them properly in LR I just can't figure out where they are being held. How can I determine that?
For one thing you can hover your mouse over the folder in the folder pane in library view

Offline Something Fishy

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1016 on: September 16, 2015, 04:46:53 PM »
For one thing you can hover your mouse over the folder in the folder pane in library view

Also right click > show in Explorer and it'll open the folder for you.
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Offline Fan of Dan

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1017 on: September 16, 2015, 05:20:33 PM »
For one thing you can hover your mouse over the folder in the folder pane in library view
Also right click > show in Explorer and it'll open the folder for you.
Thank you! Both excellent tips. The first tip is a great way to keep organized when viewing a lot of photos and matching them up with folders. The explore method is just perfect for quickly finding the location of my photos. Problem solved and the folder was located so thank you very much.

Offline bsimchatomid

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1018 on: September 16, 2015, 05:24:22 PM »
Who does the best photo developing? I have a Sony Next and the pictures look way better on screen than in print.

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