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Photography Advice and Tips Thread.

Started by renfairephotog, July 06, 2008, 05:44:59 PM

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renfairephotog

I figured we needed a thread for Photography advice, hints and tips. So post anything that may help others. Anything you wish you knew now that you didn't when you were starting. Or If you have a question post it here and someone may be able to help.



Tip #1 Back up, Back Up, Back up The first thing you should after downloading images off your camera, is to back them up. Before you rename them or look at them back then up off of your main computer, Put them on a CD, extrenal hard drive. flash drive. Just somewhere so you have an copy of your digital Negatives.

Twenty seasons of covering renaissance  festivals. Photos/calendar/blog.
Fairy photographer

renfairephotog

Tip #2 Multiple Cards The big memory cards are nice but if everything is one card and you lose it, you lose everything. Spread you images around on multiple cards That way you don't lose a whole days work WHEN something happens to a card.  I switch cards during the day either between shows or when I'm changing batteries.

It's quicker to find certain images. If there's a show that you know will be the first photo you want to see. Put in on it's own card. It'll download quicker an After you back it up you can view the pic.

Card break, malfunction or get lost so use multiples.
Twenty seasons of covering renaissance  festivals. Photos/calendar/blog.
Fairy photographer

DeadBishop

Tip #3  Memory Card Formatting

Continuing with the memory card tips, to keep your memory card free from issues and to get the most life out of it, you should always format your card when done shooting.  Regardless if you fill it up or not, once you are done with a round of shooting, and after downloading the images to your computer....format!  Don't go back into the "view" function of your camera and delete a few pictures here and there to make room for a few more shots.  Use the format function.  Otherwise just using the "delete" option can fragment your card, which will slow down your read/write speeds, not to mention you have the possibility of corrupting the card.  Once that happens, you can't fix the card; it's trash.  Never reuse a memory card that has had a corrupt file.  All you'll do is risk losing future pictures you take on it.

Format regularly, and keep that memory card healthy!


R/F.com member since 2003

Tim T

So, are the faster memory cards worth the additional cash?  Prices for all memory has gotten pretty cheap now, but I'm still using my older SD cards(2 gb), and haven't sprung for the new faster cards yet.  Is it really worthwhile?
Tim
aka Dark'n M'Crack of Clan M'Crack/Clan White

DeadBishop

Quote from: Tim T on July 06, 2008, 07:05:44 PM
So, are the faster memory cards worth the additional cash?  Prices for all memory has gotten pretty cheap now, but I'm still using my older SD cards(2 gb), and haven't sprung for the new faster cards yet.  Is it really worthwhile?

It depends.  If you have a fairly new camera, they are going to take advantage of the higher speed cards, allowing you to take pictures faster by getting the images written to the card before filling up your camera's internal cache.  Using a new "fast" card in an older camera won't make much, if any, difference in performance, but using an older card in a new camera can actually cripple it's performance.

One other thing to consider, if you see off brand memory cards for ridiculously cheap, often times you get what you pay for.  I have customers coming into my store constantly replacing their 'bargain" cards because they just outright fail after a few uses. Stick with known brands like Sandisk, Lexar, etc.


R/F.com member since 2003

AbleArcher

Quote from: Tim T on July 06, 2008, 07:05:44 PM
So, are the faster memory cards worth the additional cash?  Prices for all memory has gotten pretty cheap now, but I'm still using my older SD cards(2 gb), and haven't sprung for the new faster cards yet.  Is it really worthwhile?

Don't waste your money on super fast memory cards.  The camera writes to an internal buffer first.  Then it offloads into the memory card.  Ask yourself how often you fill your buffer?  I shoot sports and weddings and it almost never happens.  The faster cards wil download to your computer faster provided you have the necessary equipment to facilitate  it.  I don't worry about it though, when it comes time to download at the end of a shooting day, I pop the card in, and go make a sandwich.  Its done by the time I come back.

Just buy a normal card, and you'll be fine.

AbleArcher

Tip #4

Fill Flash for outdoor portraits.

Either use an external flash, or use your built in flash to throw some light on your subject. Some advanced Point and Shoot cameras as well as most Digital SLR's have the ability to lower the exposure value based on the meter reading.  I suggest you lower the meter reading, and let the flash illuminate and properly expose your subject against a background that is slightly underexposed. This will result in making your subject really stand out.


Friar Rohn the Chronicler

Invest in a external flash. I have yet to find a digital with a good flash built in (currently upgraded recently to a Canon 40D). Next, put your least needed relative into the Pawn Shop and upgrade to a "fast glass" lens made for low light situations. I hate carrying around a buncha' rechargeable batteries for the external flash. Find a decent f/2.8 lens and adjust your ISO.

For medium or high end cameras......buy a instructional DVD because the Wonk manuals were translated from Elvish holy books.

Most of all.......get Photoshop Lightroom. Gawd On His Throne.....I can't stress that enough.

AbleArcher

#8
Quote from: Friar Rohn the Chronicler on July 06, 2008, 09:25:53 PM
Invest in a external flash. I have yet to find a digital with a good flash built in

I was trying to keep as general as possible. But,  yes, for Digital SLR owners, a shoe mount flash is highly recommended.  For the average Point and Shoot user, its not an option, in most cases.  On the other hand, you can get more out of your internal flash by boosting the ISO enough to make the flash more effective.

Sir Martin

#9
Tip #5  Identify your equipment

Enter your name, address and phone number (along with any other personal info you deem necessary) into the word processor program on your computer and take a picture of it.  Save this to your desktop as ContactInfo.jpg (or something similar).  Copy this picture over to your memory card(s) so that, in the unlikely event that your camera is ever lost, you can be found.  Hopefully a good samaritan will review the card and help you regain your equipment.  As DB mentioned, formatting your cards is better than deleting individual files, so copy over the contact info file each time after you format.

AbleArcher

Adding to this... you can also make some cheatsheets for certain camera operations and leave them on your card for later viewing on your LCD.

Depth of Field Charts, Flash notes, Autofocus notes, etc....

Very helpful, thanks for the reminder, Sir Martin.

Quote from: Sir Martin on July 07, 2008, 01:26:17 AM
Tip #5  Identify your equipment

Enter your name, address and phone number (along with any other personal info you deem necessary) into the word processor program on your computer and take a picture of it.  Save this to your desktop as ContactInfo.jpg (or something similar).  Copy this picture over to your memory card(s) so that, in the unlikely event that your camera is ever lost, you can be found.  Hopefully a good samaritan will review the card and help you regain your equipment.  As DB mentioned, formatting your cards is better than deleting individual files, so copy over the contact info file each time after you format.

DeadBishop

Good tip, MBM.  I clean my sensor once a week during fest season.  Something you can get to help prevent exposure while changing lenses is a small zippered bag designed specifically for this purpose.


R/F.com member since 2003

AbleArcher

I agree for the most part about using only manufacturer specific lenses, but there are a few sleepers that can be had from third parties.  In my own experience, as a Nikon shooter, I have had great success with some of Sigma's offerings. 

Of the big three third parties, Tamron, Tokina and Sigma, I have the most experience with Sigma.  They each have their own duds, but in some cases, they offer something that Canon and Nikon do not.  I can not say enough good things about Sigma's 150mm 2.8 macro.  It makes a great medium telephoto, and offers HSM for quick focus and tracking.  It is as sharp as some of my more expensive Nikkors.  The Sigma can be had for about $500, and it is worth every penny.  I have also used three of Sigma's other fixed focal length lenses, the 105mm 2.8 Macro, 30mm 1.4 and 70mm 2.8 macro. In a lot of cases, a fixed focal length prime lens offers better optical quality, at the expense of not having a zoom capability.

You sort of have to be a little more choosy, when looking at Sigma's zoom lenses.  Sometimes you can save a great deal of money, but you should really be up on the latest reviews before you purchase.  I have liked using the Sigma 24-60mm 2.8 and the 70-200mm 2.8.  Both are significantly less expensive than Nikon counterparts, and only suffer marginally when it comes to the optics.

For lens reviews, try the following websites:

http://www.photozone.de/

www.fredmiranda.com

ww.dpreview.com

Mythrin

Does anyone have any experience with one of these cameras or an opinion.  I am looking for a nice point and shoot type with enough capacity to be able to do some creative shots and enough pixel size to photoshop the images and am looking at these two. But am open to other suggestions in the $300-350 range.

KODAK ZD710 50xZOOM DIGITAL CAMERA 7.1MP
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18K Digital Camera

Thanks for any help
Chris
Founding member of the Living History Company

"go Secret Squirrels"

Capt Gabriela Fullpepper

For a time, you could get the Panasonic DMC-FZ50 for about $350. They seem to have gone up in price. They are like a DSLR, but do not allow changable lens. They do however do a nice zoom. I use a DMC-FZ30 which was the one before the FZ50. I love it and as I call it my paperazzi camera as it will shoot up to 48X (not sure what power that would be with chanageble lens, Plus it does low, light, darkness, sepia, B/A, and many things most other DSLR's do. it's heavy though.

I once saw a pro-photographer using the FZ30 and an FZ7. He took marvoulous pictures withthem and didn't have to change out len's. I'm sure he had something like the Canon Rebel or better in his arsonal though.

IMHO The Panasonics are nice cameras. You maybe able to find it cheap on www.newegg.com but google it, google reviews on it, and look around and shop.

Best of luck in a camera hunt.
"The Metal Maiden"
To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody e