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 357910 times)

Offline hvaces42

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1620 on: May 08, 2019, 02:26:17 PM »

he charges now ;D
The person asking is willing to pay.
Fair warning - Any PMs sent in response to forum posts are fair game for ridicule in public.

Offline joey89

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1621 on: May 08, 2019, 06:59:11 PM »
The person asking is willing to pay.
Wrong forum ::)

Offline pointer

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1622 on: May 14, 2019, 08:22:13 PM »
Looking for photography classes for woman, in Lakewood, nothing intense just for hobby
Does such a thing exist? tnx!

Offline saw50st8

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1623 on: May 19, 2019, 05:21:16 PM »
Looking for photography classes for woman, in Lakewood, nothing intense just for hobby
Does such a thing exist? tnx!

www.joleephotography.com does classes. She's an awesome teacher and taught me a ton.

Offline mileagejunkie

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1624 on: June 02, 2019, 12:17:40 AM »
I am looking to start shooting with off camera lighting and would appreciate any feedback on the setup as well as if you can offer answers to the questions in bold.
I shoot as a hobby only, mainly landscapes, but I have been shooting some portraits/small groups lately.

In the coming months I expect to shoot outdoor portraits & large groups with diffused lighting, as well as an indoor daytime event. I would also like my setup to work for indoor portraits, and it'd be great if I could use it to light some night scenes as well.
I currently use a Sony A7RII, and I plan on using my 24-70 f/2.8 GM & 85 f/1.4 GM in these scenarios.
I was thinking of replacing my Sony on camera flash for a Godox system, one V1 and two AD200PRO and use them as following. I know that I should be aiming for more power, but considering that I am not making money off photography, I'd like the setup to not go too much over 1k.

1) Outdoor portraits: AD200 with the AD-B2 twin head (bare bulbs) to get 400w of power in a deep Softbox. What kind of Softbox should I get?
2) Outdoor large groups: V1 on camera with one AD200 on each side to light the whole group. Which head/attachments should I use for the V1 and AD200?
3) Indoor event: V1 on camera with diffuser, two AD200 backlighting from each corner. Would the fresnel head with a grid and barn door on the AD200 be a good solution?
4) Indoor portraits: How could I make it work with these lights?

Which light stands would you recommend? Keep in mind that they would need to be extendable to 10-12 feet for scenario #3.

Thanks!

Offline chinagel

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1625 on: June 21, 2019, 03:29:50 PM »
Any reviews on the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H300?

Offline noram

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1626 on: September 09, 2019, 06:09:11 PM »
I am looking to start shooting with off camera lighting and would appreciate any feedback on the setup as well as if you can offer answers to the questions in bold.
I shoot as a hobby only, mainly landscapes, but I have been shooting some portraits/small groups lately.

In the coming months I expect to shoot outdoor portraits & large groups with diffused lighting, as well as an indoor daytime event. I would also like my setup to work for indoor portraits, and it'd be great if I could use it to light some night scenes as well.
I currently use a Sony A7RII, and I plan on using my 24-70 f/2.8 GM & 85 f/1.4 GM in these scenarios.
I was thinking of replacing my Sony on camera flash for a Godox system, one V1 and two AD200PRO and use them as following. I know that I should be aiming for more power, but considering that I am not making money off photography, I'd like the setup to not go too much over 1k.

1) Outdoor portraits: AD200 with the AD-B2 twin head (bare bulbs) to get 400w of power in a deep Softbox. What kind of Softbox should I get?
2) Outdoor large groups: V1 on camera with one AD200 on each side to light the whole group. Which head/attachments should I use for the V1 and AD200?
3) Indoor event: V1 on camera with diffuser, two AD200 backlighting from each corner. Would the fresnel head with a grid and barn door on the AD200 be a good solution?
4) Indoor portraits: How could I make it work with these lights?

Which light stands would you recommend? Keep in mind that they would need to be extendable to 10-12 feet for scenario #3.

Thanks!

Hello,

You've got a lot of questions here, and a simple call to anyone at B&H's excellent customer service will answer almost all your questions.

Just to address a few points:

What is your level of experience with flash, on or off camera? Do you use manual flash, or only TTL?
Flash, in certain ways, can be even more complex than learning how to use your camera in manual mode, so I would humbly suggest to take it easy - learn how to master TTL flash on camera, then learn manual flash on camera, then take it to additional speedlights off camera.

A few points to consider:
Why are you using the ad200pro's? They cost more than the regular ad200, and their single advantage is more consistent color in the light output, something that for the type of work you are talking about would make zero difference.

Regarding the outdoor shots: Based on what seems to be your current level of experience with off camera flash, may I recommend that you skip it altogether and use natural light. It takes time and experience to learn how flash works. First get a grip on it indoors, and once you are comfortable with that, take it outdoors. However, the general idea is to place a speedlight on either side of the shot, 45° angle from the crowd, with a simple shoot through white umbrella. Something like 32" would be just fine for this. You really don't need anything more complex than that.

Group photography is channeling enough just getting everyone into the right positions, having to worry about flash power, diffusers, and more will just over complicate things. Until you are confident with it, I would not suggest adding it to the equation.

Regarding the indoor flash use, your ad200's do not need any modifiers on them at all. Just place each one in opposite corners, pointed up at the ceiling anywhere between 45° and 80° approximately.

Regarding heads and attachments: I would almost always use the fresnel head on the ad200. The bare bulb is a lot more powerful, and takes quiet some knowledge to master. It also throws light everywhere, usually in more places than you want.
Regarding the V1, I have found that the only really useful attachment is the dome diffuser, or the white bounce card, they both allow more light to be bounced forward than when leaving the head bare. The other attachments in the kit are more for creative work, and wouldn't be as immediately helpful to you at this point in time.

For light stands, any impact stand from b and h will do the job, get one that can go at least 1.5 times the height you want it to, that way it so be able to hold up the weight of the gear that you are putting on it without bending/sagging. Also look into some sandbags to hold everything down, as there are too many stories of lightstands toppling over and speedlights being smashed to smithereens.

Hope this is all slightly helpful to you, and good luck.

Offline mileagejunkie

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1627 on: November 06, 2019, 12:06:23 PM »
Hello,

You've got a lot of questions here, and a simple call to anyone at B&H's excellent customer service will answer almost all your questions.

Just to address a few points:

What is your level of experience with flash, on or off camera? Do you use manual flash, or only TTL?
Flash, in certain ways, can be even more complex than learning how to use your camera in manual mode, so I would humbly suggest to take it easy - learn how to master TTL flash on camera, then learn manual flash on camera, then take it to additional speedlights off camera.

A few points to consider:
Why are you using the ad200pro's? They cost more than the regular ad200, and their single advantage is more consistent color in the light output, something that for the type of work you are talking about would make zero difference.

Regarding the outdoor shots: Based on what seems to be your current level of experience with off camera flash, may I recommend that you skip it altogether and use natural light. It takes time and experience to learn how flash works. First get a grip on it indoors, and once you are comfortable with that, take it outdoors. However, the general idea is to place a speedlight on either side of the shot, 45° angle from the crowd, with a simple shoot through white umbrella. Something like 32" would be just fine for this. You really don't need anything more complex than that.

Group photography is channeling enough just getting everyone into the right positions, having to worry about flash power, diffusers, and more will just over complicate things. Until you are confident with it, I would not suggest adding it to the equation.

Regarding the indoor flash use, your ad200's do not need any modifiers on them at all. Just place each one in opposite corners, pointed up at the ceiling anywhere between 45° and 80° approximately.

Regarding heads and attachments: I would almost always use the fresnel head on the ad200. The bare bulb is a lot more powerful, and takes quiet some knowledge to master. It also throws light everywhere, usually in more places than you want.
Regarding the V1, I have found that the only really useful attachment is the dome diffuser, or the white bounce card, they both allow more light to be bounced forward than when leaving the head bare. The other attachments in the kit are more for creative work, and wouldn't be as immediately helpful to you at this point in time.

For light stands, any impact stand from b and h will do the job, get one that can go at least 1.5 times the height you want it to, that way it so be able to hold up the weight of the gear that you are putting on it without bending/sagging. Also look into some sandbags to hold everything down, as there are too many stories of lightstands toppling over and speedlights being smashed to smithereens.

Hope this is all slightly helpful to you, and good luck.
Just saw this, thank you! I did end up doing like most recommendations regardless. I went with the pros because of a sale on Amazon, but did get a 48" soft box + ad-b2. For stands I went with the impacts + sandbags from B&H.
I did shoot TTL before that but I think that the results are only acceptable if shooting on the go and it's that or nothing. I'm really getting the hang of going fully manual and the difference means that my pictures went from looking good to looking professional. Now I just wish I had more time to photograph people!

Offline springles

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1628 on: January 14, 2020, 09:09:15 PM »
When I first got into photography several years ago I got the Sony a6000. I have enjoyed it very much and added a few lenses to my bag that fit it. This week I won a Canon rebel t7 and now have to decide what to do with it. I think I'm best off sticking with the Sony as the t7 doesn't really gain anything for me. I'm not going to invest in lenses for 2 intro camera bodies. I can trade the t7 for a Sony lens on one of the used camera sites but don't know if that is cost effective. Or I can just keep the Canon with the kit lens on and use that at times instead of switching the Sony lenses around so much. But am I really going to carry 2 camera bodies with me?

Online Something Fishy

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1629 on: January 14, 2020, 09:16:19 PM »

a6000 > T7, buy a mile. Sell it and get a lens.

But am I really going to carry 2 camera bodies with me?

No :-X

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1630 on: January 14, 2020, 09:36:47 PM »
a6000 > T7, buy a mile. Sell it and get a lens.

No :-X
thanks! How much could I get for the t7?

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1631 on: January 14, 2020, 10:08:40 PM »
thanks! How much could I get for the t7?

Depends on a million factors. Check ebay and KEH.
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Offline saw50st8

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1632 on: February 19, 2020, 01:06:43 PM »
For those of you who learned to really excel in photography, what took you to the next level?

I've spent the last 1.5 years learning technique and I have mastered the basic. I have pretty good equipment and I'm slowly going through my list of what I perceive to be my biggest weaknesses, but I feel like even mastering all of those, there is a level I cannot pass. 

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1633 on: February 20, 2020, 03:05:43 AM »
For those of you who learned to really excel in photography, what took you to the next level?

I've spent the last 1.5 years learning technique and I have mastered the basic. I have pretty good equipment and I'm slowly going through my list of what I perceive to be my biggest weaknesses, but I feel like even mastering all of those, there is a level I cannot pass.

Firstly, pick up your camera and shoot. Don't waste your time with watching videos of what other people shoot.
I'm not sure if you are trying to make money off your photos, but if you are, find out what the going price in your area is (it varies a lot) and start doing events.
Never work for free. It harms your chance and the chance of others of making money.
If you are trying to improve your skill set, get out and travel a bit. Either across the world, or down the street. Either way, you'll be in a new place where you can get your skills out that you haven't used before.
Most of all. Have fun!

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1634 on: April 02, 2020, 11:00:27 AM »
Not sure if this is the right thread.
I’m looking for a wrap for a Sony RX1R II. Debating between Domke, Tenba, and Ruggard. Is any of these better or are they all the same? How big does it need to be?

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1635 on: April 02, 2020, 12:11:42 PM »
Not sure if this is the right thread.
I’m looking for a wrap for a Sony RX1R II. Debating between Domke, Tenba, and Ruggard. Is any of these better or are they all the same? How big does it need to be?

Are you talking about that square thingy with Velcro? All brands are pretty much the same exact thing, go with the cheapest.
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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1636 on: May 04, 2020, 09:14:29 PM »
Firstly, pick up your camera and shoot. Don't waste your time with watching videos of what other people shoot.
I'm not sure if you are trying to make money off your photos, but if you are, find out what the going price in your area is (it varies a lot) and start doing events.
Never work for free. It harms your chance and the chance of others of making money.
If you are trying to improve your skill set, get out and travel a bit. Either across the world, or down the street. Either way, you'll be in a new place where you can get your skills out that you haven't used before.
Most of all. Have fun!

I'm a hobbyist who only shoots for free :-) I don't want to make money off my photography, just become a better photographer.

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1637 on: May 04, 2020, 10:34:24 PM »
I'm a hobbyist who only shoots for free :-) I don't want to make money off my photography, just become a better photographer.
Doesn't make sense to me, if people would gladly pay money, why refuse it (and ruin it for someone else)?
I'm afraid its more of a self confidence issue.....

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1638 on: May 05, 2020, 06:25:48 AM »
Doesn't make sense to me, if people would gladly pay money, why refuse it (and ruin it for someone else)?
I'm afraid its more of a self confidence issue.....

I have a full time job, a serious illness and 4 of my own kids to shoot pictures of.  Plus all the landscapes and natural beauty around me. I'll gladly snap a few shots for my friends because we all have different ways to contribute (like my friend who checks my kids for lice before school starts).  I don't need to make money off my family and friends and they aren't running to get professional photographs instead, they would just have cell phone pictures.

There are plenty of professional photographers in my area who get a lot of work. I don't think I'm taking away their business . I always tell my friends that they get what they pay for and that free means you get free quality. I am NOT a professional.  I use the time to practice my skills and learn from the experience.

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Re: Learn Photography Master Thread
« Reply #1639 on: May 05, 2020, 10:32:07 AM »
I have a full time job, a serious illness and 4 of my own kids to shoot pictures of.  Plus all the landscapes and natural beauty around me. I'll gladly snap a few shots for my friends because we all have different ways to contribute (like my friend who checks my kids for lice before school starts).  I don't need to make money off my family and friends and they aren't running to get professional photographs instead, they would just have cell phone pictures.

There are plenty of professional photographers in my area who get a lot of work. I don't think I'm taking away their business . I always tell my friends that they get what they pay for and that free means you get free quality. I am NOT a professional.  I use the time to practice my skills and learn from the experience.
Sorry for judging you.