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Festival Photography => Faire Photos => Topic started by: renfairephotog on July 06, 2008, 05:44:59 PM

Title: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on July 06, 2008, 05:44:59 PM
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.

Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on July 06, 2008, 06:07:00 PM
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.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: DeadBishop on July 06, 2008, 06:51:55 PM
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!
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: 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?
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: DeadBishop on July 06, 2008, 08:04:05 PM
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.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: AbleArcher on July 06, 2008, 09:03:58 PM
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.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: AbleArcher on July 06, 2008, 09:14:15 PM
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.

(http://www.iflphoto.com/photos/214825763_nroXU-L.jpg)
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: 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 (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.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: AbleArcher on July 06, 2008, 10:14:39 PM
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.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: 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.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: AbleArcher on July 09, 2008, 12:26:39 PM
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.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: DeadBishop on July 09, 2008, 01:05:57 PM
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.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: AbleArcher on July 09, 2008, 11:33:14 PM
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
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Mythrin on July 10, 2008, 12:52:45 PM
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
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Capt Gabriela Fullpepper on July 10, 2008, 02:17:06 PM
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 (http://www.newegg.com) but google it, google reviews on it, and look around and shop.

Best of luck in a camera hunt.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: AbleArcher on July 10, 2008, 03:15:03 PM
Quote from: majikboxman on July 10, 2008, 07:07:00 AM
Macros are great lenses, but I have to think that having a fixed length Macro might not be a good investment for the avg. hobbyist that's looking to take family fun type pics.  For someone that may be wanting to take a broad range of pics, a Macro might not really be the right choice for them.

Most kit DSLR's come with a lens already, usually in the APS size 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 range.  In my experience, most folks want to add something to that mix, and not necessarily duplicate what they already have. For instance, a 70mm or 105mm 2.8 gives an individual the option of a decent macro and the ability to shoot nice portraits will nicely blurred backgrounds. I often recommend this way to go, simply to diversify what they already have, and in most cases, a macro can be had fairly inexpensively.

Anyway, it's just another option out there, and it's really dependent on what the person wants to accomplish in the first place.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: DeadBishop on July 10, 2008, 06:20:19 PM
Quote from: Mythrin on July 10, 2008, 12:52:45 PM
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

Get the Lumix.  The Kodak is only a 10x optical zoom, not 50x.  The Lumix has a larger 18x optical zoom, which is fairly significant.  Out of all the cameras we get in for repairs, Kodak is the number one we see the most.  I wouldn't take a Kodak digital camera even if it was free. 

The Lumix is a great camera, and uses Leica lenses on all their current models.  It has an 18x optical zoom, image stabilization, and a myriad of other features that put it on par with many digital SLRs.  You can't beat the price for what you're getting either.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Capt Gabriela Fullpepper on July 10, 2008, 06:52:53 PM
So I just did a search on the DMC-FZ18k and what all it did. I was quite impressed with it and if I were looking for another camera that was not a high expence camera, I'd most likely go with the Panasonic DMC-FZ18.

This camera not only has the 18X optical zoom, but also offers a 4X digital zoom. You can combine the two to get some nice long distance shots. They can turn out a bit grainy, but they still produce a very nice high quility picture.

A good example of a long distance shot I took was of an owl in the top of a tree. I could hardly see it, and making out any detail was near impossible,

(http://www.delaneyalysa.com/photos/owl.jpg)
(http://www.delaneyalysa.com/photos/owl.jpg)

Last year at Cheyenne Frontier days I was all the way across the arena shooting these (About 100 yards)

(http://www.delaneyalysa.com/photos/bullriding.jpg)
(http://www.delaneyalysa.com/photos/saddlebronc.jpg)

So you get the idea. The DMC-FZ18 should take pictures at close to this distance, as the camera I was using was the Panasonic DMC-FZ30 which I picked up in 2005. It's a rocking camera and I love it. I agree with DB go with the Panasonic.

If your interested in other shots taken with my panasonic go to http://www.delaneyalysa.com/Transdimensional/Index.htm (http://www.delaneyalysa.com/Transdimensional/Index.htm)

I'm no pro, but I love what my Panasonic does
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: AbleArcher on July 10, 2008, 08:05:10 PM
FZ-18 review http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz18/page16.asp (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz18/page16.asp)

Here is a listing of some Highly Recommended cameras (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/default.asp?view=rating)

I didn't see the Kodak listed for review.

Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Mythrin on July 13, 2008, 03:37:01 PM
Thank you all, your comments were just what I was hoping to get - info about use, quality and durability.  I will be following your advise.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: AbleArcher on July 14, 2008, 06:30:31 PM
TIP #9
Before you start shooting, be sure to check your WIFE.


Always check your settings before beginning a new shooting session. 

White balance     If you shoot JPEGS, this can ruin your day.  Very tough to recover from tungsten WB in full Sun.
ISO    Shooting a band last night at ISO 1600?  Makes for a great way to ruin afternoon Rennie pics.
Focus (continuous, single servo)      Nothing is going to fix a mis-focusd shot.
Exposure compensation (+,- EV)      Blown whites? Too dark?  Remember to re-set your EV!
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Naween on August 09, 2008, 10:45:33 PM
No real tips to provide, but I must say I love my Kodak Z650. I wanted a camera with 6 Megapixels, a large (10x optical, 5x digital) zoom, the ability to play with different apeture and shutter speeds, and change lenses, but I'm poor and much an amateur wannabee photographer, so I couldn't afford the $1,000+up cameras. The kodak allows me all of that, plus lets me point and shoot when I'm too lazy to do anything else! Still, I've found my kodak has withstood 2 years of camping, rain, and all sorts of weather, AND runs on AA batteries. For me that was the kicker, as running out of juice with a propriety battery halfway through the day is NOT an option for me!

So just wanted to pipe in my two sense, that yes, some kodak cams can be worthwhile, if your new and don't want a full SLR. The only thing I'm missing is manual focus. Somedays I wish I had it, but my kodak was $150 on sale a few years ago, and does everything my friends Sony cam does. I WOULD buy a big digiSLR if I had the funds tho.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Xanthenes The Unbalanced on August 23, 2008, 02:41:32 PM
Quote from: AbleArcher on July 09, 2008, 11:33:14 PM
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

Fredmiranda.com user lens reviews are usually terrific.  You're absolutely spot on about third party lenses.  While I have a number of expensive Canon lenses which I love dearly, I also have a Tamron wide angle which is a heck of a lens at half the price of a Canon.  One my favorite lenses is my Sigma 2.8 70-200, which I feel is every bit as good as Canon's 2.8 70-200 at half the price (though the Sigma does lack IS).  While you do have to be a little choosier with some of the third party stuff, Canon and Nikon also sport a few lenses that are of less-than-perfect quality.  Investigate the lens you want, investigate alternatives to that lens, and whenever you get the chance, shoot a few frames on other people's lenses (if they'll let you and if, of course, they're compatible). 
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: susannah on September 03, 2008, 10:08:54 AM
I hope this is the correct thread to ask this question. If not, I apologize.
We have some fantastic photographers on this forum and I've seen subtle copywrite credits on pictures posted by forumites. Can this feature be added to photos in photoshop? And can I get instructions on how to add this to my photos? Also, I assume once this is added it won't print when pictures are printed?
Thanks in advance!!
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: susannah on September 03, 2008, 10:43:08 AM
http://www.dphotojournal.com/watermarking-adding-copyright-with-photoshop/

I found this link for instructions on my question above, but I'd love to hear other thoughts or suggestions on this.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on September 03, 2008, 12:17:28 PM
Quote from: susannah on September 03, 2008, 10:08:54 AM
I Also, I assume once this is added it won't print when pictures are printed?
Thanks in advance!!


That depends on how the watermark is added. If you put a watermark on a photo and save it a a jpg, the water mark will print. But you don't want to but print quality images online where everyone has access to them. A print quality pic takes loner to load than a web pic. If you just want to post pic online us the SAVE FOR WEB option.
When I've finished adjusting I want to post I place a watermark on it, go File>save for Web and then save the file is another folder titled WEB.

Dot Photo, Smug Mug and other photo sharing place can put a water mark or Proof on the image people see but not on the printed copy they order. You upload a high resolution pic and they put a water mark on a low res version of the pic.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: susannah on September 03, 2008, 12:40:59 PM
Thanks! I appreciate the tips.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Jon Foster on September 05, 2008, 10:30:32 PM
A couple of the tips already posted can be lifesavers. Fill flash on a sunny day can make or break a shot. Shutter speed is another one. Keeping your speed at least equal to the lens will cut down on the blurry shots a lot. For example, if I'm shooting with a 300mm lens I'll keep my shutter speed above 300. If I shoot at 50mm I'll keep the shutter speed no less than 50 etc. I've also found Image Stabilization a life saver for those times when I don't follow my own rules and shoot at speeds well below what I know is safe. Like at night or in poorly lit areas.

Jon.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Paul79UF on September 16, 2008, 10:31:46 PM
Quote from: Mythrin on July 10, 2008, 12:52:45 PM
But am open to other suggestions in the $300-350 range.

I'd recommend checking out the Canon S5 IS. I love mine. It's like a jack of all trades but master of none type camera. The image quality isn't like a DSLR but it's still great.

I used to have a DSLR but it mostly gathered dust while I took out my smaller cameras that have good quality video modes.

The S5 has a 12x optical zoom, 8 megapixels, and a stereo sound video mode. Plus you can add an external flash if you plan on using the flash a lot.

~$330 (about to be discontinued so you could probably get it for less soon)
(http://www.paulstravelpictures.com/Canon-Powershot-S5-IS.jpg)

& the 430EX external flash ~$225
(http://www.paulstravelpictures.com/Canon-Speedlite-430EX-Flash.jpg)

Here's one of my favorite pictures that I've taken with the S5 recently.

(http://www.paulstravelpictures.com/Bonnet-House-Museum-Gardens-Ft-Lauderdale-FL/Bonnet-House-Fort-Lauderdale-FL-114.JPG)
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on September 20, 2008, 05:49:06 PM
Anyone shooting in Camera RAW? what software do you use?
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: DT_Masters on September 21, 2008, 03:52:49 PM
Here we are talking about taking pictures of the past and no one is talking about the past!

Ie, that curious subject known as 'film'.

These days, I use a mix, both Rebels, 35mm and DSLR. Common lenses between them. I find the great thing about DSLR is that those pics are out on the net in days, but it takes weeks if not more with 35 mm. But with 35 mm, I have the pic in hand, it is physical when I get it. Further, with my rapid shooting style and sort them out back at base, 35 mm can get me the shot the second I am locked on but not necessarily so with DSLR. Granted, I only started using DSLR at Scarborough.

However, can't knock the clarity of DSLR. I consider this as my best DSLR shot from that day:
(http://a531.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/28/l_14c500b70f7ff347602b96b4a078c422.jpg)

I don't shoot and then check what I've shot; I shoot and shoot and shoot. A good thing about DSLR is that one can shoot for a long while before they have to stop. A bad thing of this is that film changes of 35 mm means that one slows down for a while in the heat, seeks shade, to change out film. Without it, one might unconsciously force themselves into an exhaustion situation.

My calculation for how much film I should be carrying is if I was shooting a picture a minute. Calculate that by the number of minutes to the hours open and carry in that much film and more. Never, never buy film at a faire ....... unless you have lots of $$$ and don't care about money. Of course, I don't shoot a picture a minute; often there is a significant lag time and then there are times when I'm shooting several shots a minute ...... but I have come home having shot 20 rolls of film.

My style is generally on the move, using my background of marksmanship, relative motion, and knowledge of dancing to devise where the optimium shooting position will be and then getting there. It may involve shooting on the move, targeting the subject while they move, while I move, and not running into anyone. If need be, I'll go down to kneeling to get a shot. Usually, my biggest consistent problem in shooting is when I bring the camera up to sight, the brim of my hat gets in the way. I tend to use the zoom telephoto and nothing else.

But I am by no means perfect and I am still learning. As I said earlier, I just started on the DSLR; I will eventually figure out how to work better with it.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Melkar on September 21, 2008, 04:03:35 PM
Quote from: renfairephotog on September 20, 2008, 05:49:06 PM
Anyone shooting in Camera RAW? what software do you use?

Yep, I've been shooting in RAW for a couple of years. 

Currently I'm still doing post in Lightroom 1.4 for my production shots.  I've upgraded to Lightroom 2, but am waiting for the first patch-set before converting my production database from Lightroom 1-> Lightroom 2.  [I hope Adobe releases that patch before TRF opens!]
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: AbleArcher on September 21, 2008, 04:36:01 PM
LightRoom 2 is one of the best applications for sorting, tagging, processing and output for RAW or JPEG.  I really like LR2's RAW converter and it offers quite a bit of leeway even with hi-res JPEGS.  Download a trial at Adobe.

One of my favorite new tools is the local application brush which allows local changes on your image.  So, if you want to lighten the face, you an do that in LR2 instead of going into PS to dodge and burn.  It's great, and it supports dual LCD's.

Give it a try.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: SrEstebanLegaspi on September 22, 2008, 05:47:55 AM
I've been shooting RAW (Canon) since '04 and have run the gamut through the RAW processor software milieu. Some notable tools that I still use today are Chris Breeze's Breeze browser when I want to make HDR images from several RAW images. The one primary application though is Lightroom 2. I moved to LR2 after running exclusively with DxO Pro for over a year but the last revision (5.x) of the product is horrible. Heavily based on the .NET framework it could bring my Dual Core 64 bit system with dual SLI video card system to a crawl. It was a dramatic let down from prior versions and while there were some nice changes in work flow there are still HUGE gaps that LR2 addresses with less impact on the system.

Now that I've switched to Lightroom I am also now, converting over to DNG for my long term storage of images moving forward. I've archived working copies of Virtual Machines with earlier RAW tools installed so that I have some relatively future proofed method of getting at older images but hopefully I'll be afforded the opportunity to go back over time and convert them to DNG as well.

A few of Lightroom's abilities that hooked me are:

Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Clarendon on September 29, 2008, 10:07:09 PM
Quote from: renfairephotog on September 20, 2008, 05:49:06 PM
Anyone shooting in Camera RAW? what software do you use?

I've been shooting RAW for the past year and use Photoshop CS2. Planning on upgrading to CS3 in a couple of months.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on September 29, 2008, 11:08:09 PM
CS4 is due out soon. They had an web seminar last week.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: SrEstebanLegaspi on September 30, 2008, 08:13:23 AM
Quote from: renfairephotog on September 29, 2008, 11:08:09 PM
CS4 is due out soon. They had an web seminar last week.

Makes me glad I held off my plans to upgrade until next year.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on September 30, 2008, 08:35:24 AM
http://tv.adobe.com/?trackingid=DWZRA
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: ADraeger on October 24, 2008, 04:55:52 PM
Hallo Ladies and Gents! My husband and I are trying to line up Christmas presents, and he is considering purchasing me a DSLR.  I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions as to a reasonably priced camera for a beginner.  ( I have a degree in film and know my way around prosumer videocams, but I have no clue as to what brand/price range/etc to go with for a still.)  Thanks!  :)  - Amber
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: DeadBishop on October 24, 2008, 09:05:42 PM
Quote from: ADraeger on October 24, 2008, 04:55:52 PM
Hallo Ladies and Gents! My husband and I are trying to line up Christmas presents, and he is considering purchasing me a DSLR.  I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions as to a reasonably priced camera for a beginner.  ( I have a degree in film and know my way around prosumer videocams, but I have no clue as to what brand/price range/etc to go with for a still.)  Thanks!  :)  - Amber

I'd suggest a Canon or Nikon, as they have the widest range of accessories.  You can get either from anywhere from $500 to about $1500 for their entry lever DSLRs to their mid range models.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: SrEstebanLegaspi on October 24, 2008, 09:50:20 PM
* Nods  to DB Suggestion *

In the Canon line the Rebel xTI line would suit. Just don't try to shoot in the rain with it unless you get a rain sleeve. Also the EF lenses that are available for it are pretty decent to start with.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: ADraeger on October 27, 2008, 09:54:07 AM
Quote from: SrEstebanLegaspi on October 24, 2008, 09:50:20 PM
* Nods  to DB Suggestion *

In the Canon line the Rebel xTI line would suit. Just don't try to shoot in the rain with it unless you get a rain sleeve. Also the EF lenses that are available for it are pretty decent to start with.

I just had someone suggest that to me yesterday in person.... I shall certainly research them. :)  Thanks DB & Sr for your assistance. :)  - Amber
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: DeadBishop on October 27, 2008, 11:02:05 AM
I'd actually suggest the Xsi over the Xti.  Newer model for about the same price with better features.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on December 16, 2008, 06:11:59 PM
Understanding zoom ratings (http://www.komando.com/buyguide/index.aspx?id=1455) Kim Komando
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Jon Foster on December 21, 2008, 03:32:39 PM
I still use my kit lens for a few things and get some fair shots with it considering what it is. Actually, I shot a series of advertising pictures for a school last month with it. It was the widest lens I have so it worked out perfect to get classroom and gym shots.

Jon.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on January 02, 2009, 06:55:08 PM
BluHour
http://bluhour.com/

This site was a Kim Kommado site of the day. It calculates the best time of day to do night photography. Just enter your city and it'll tell when to shoot.

The blue hour comes from a French expression (l'heure bleue), which refers to twilight, the period each morning and evening where there is neither full daylight nor complete darkness.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_hour
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Codi Lyn on January 12, 2009, 10:18:45 PM
I know that you're supposed to "reformat" your memory card after every upload? How exactly does one reformat a card, my prior camera was fairly inexpensive and I was just gifted with a Film of the isle of Fuji S2000 FinePix camera and I want to do things right. And I think because I may not have been doing this, my card isn't holding as many pictures as it could. :( Thanks in advance for your help.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: DeadBishop on January 12, 2009, 10:34:36 PM
The majority of digital cameras will have the "format" function in the setup menu.  This wipes the card clean vs. just deleting one picture at a time.  Some cameras do not call it formatting, but if you have to the option to "delete all", that is what you want to do.  Even if you do not format the card regularly, it should not decrease the storage capacity of the card itself.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Codi Lyn on January 16, 2009, 09:36:32 PM
Right, thank you for the clarification! I was really in the dark about it. :P
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on January 19, 2009, 11:37:15 PM
Tiip: Get out there and shoot.   Start a photo a day blog.  You'll get practice  shooting and practice  looking for subjects.

DB's 365 blog http://db-a-day.livejournal.com/

RFP's 365 blog http://blog.ollure.com/
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on January 24, 2009, 10:13:37 AM
another online photography toy http://tiltshiftmaker.com

You can mimic a tilt-shift lens.A tilt-shift lens removes perspective from a photography.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: SleepyArcher on June 22, 2009, 11:32:51 PM
Ok, so I have an Imac and I bought the parellels program so we could run windows on the mac for a program for my wife. Well I bought PS Elements 6 for the Mac and cant figure it out and cant find any place that offers a class. Now that I have windows I am wondering if I should buy Elements 7 since I know a place that does have a class. Or does anyone know if Elements 6&7 are close enough that I ciuld take a class on 7? I know of a place that offers it for 7.
I have been using a free demo version of Aperature and am thinking of just buying that. I am taking a class for that next week.
Sorry for the long winded talk. Please let me k ow me know what you use or what you like. What would you do? I guess my main question is; is Elements easy to use and I'm just nit gegting it or shiukd I drop it and go with Aperature?
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on June 22, 2009, 11:58:47 PM
http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com/learningcenter/

This is a magazine/ web site training center for elements. They the same people that write  Photoshop User magazine. They have forums and video tutorials.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: bellevivre on June 24, 2009, 03:36:13 PM
hope this is OK here.

I currently have a Canon SX10 IS which i love, but the one feature I wish it had is a remote shutter- I'm learning to love the continuous shoot feature, but realize i wiggle too much- a tripod or monopod would help this, but what I'd really like is a sub-DSLR that has a remote option (I can understand it not coming WITH it, but I just want to be able to buy one as an accessory)

I'm currently working my way up through this class of 'almost as good as DSLR but not quite' cameras, and I'm already on the lookout for reccomendations for the next one...
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on July 04, 2009, 12:57:03 AM
How to Photograph Fireworks

NYI  New York Institute of Photography (http://www.nyip.com/ezine/holidays/firewksintro.html?utm_source=nyip&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NYI_July09_EZine_Blast)
Photo JoJo (http://photojojo.com/content/guides/11-tips-for-sparkling-fireworks-photos/)
Kim Komando (http://www.komando.com/toolbox.aspx?mode=print&id=758)


Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on July 04, 2009, 10:18:48 AM
Have you tried http://dpreview.com/ ?

Quote from: bellevivre on June 24, 2009, 03:36:13 PM
hope this is OK here.

I currently have a Canon SX10 IS which i love, but the one feature I wish it had is a remote shutter- I'm learning to love the continuous shoot feature, but realize i wiggle too much- a tripod or monopod would help this, but what I'd really like is a sub-DSLR that has a remote option (I can understand it not coming WITH it, but I just want to be able to buy one as an accessory)

I'm currently working my way up through this class of 'almost as good as DSLR but not quite' cameras, and I'm already on the lookout for reccomendations for the next one...
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: KNIGHTNLADY69 on July 27, 2009, 09:01:50 AM
Good Morning,

Does anyone have any tips/advice on how to best photograph jewelry?  I have an Olympus Stylus 9000 Digital Camera, which I just got this past Saturday.

Thanks!
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: dbaldock on July 27, 2009, 09:21:58 AM
Well, you'll need to use the close-up (Macro) setting to get clearly focused shots of smaller items.

To reduce or eliminate the glare or bright reflections from the flash, you'll need some sort of diffuser or close-up Ring Flash.

ThinkGeek.com has a small Portable Photo Studio (http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/cameras-photography/a205/) listed for USD$49.99, but it's currently back-ordered.

Take Care,
David Baldock
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: KNIGHTNLADY69 on July 27, 2009, 09:35:57 AM
Thanks David! :)

I haven't tried the Macro setting yet, but I will.  So far I've tried with flash and without flash, indoors with natural light, outdoors with natural light, light colored background and dark colored background, and none of those have worked to get the close-up details.

Off to try again,
Julie

Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: bellevivre on July 27, 2009, 09:53:57 AM
You might also try a home made light box- essentially, white fabric lit from the side/behind, with the item in the center...
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: dbaldock on July 27, 2009, 12:36:49 PM
The Olympus Stylus 9000 looks like it's a very good camera, with a Macro mode able to focus down to 0.4". 

Of course, if your camera lens is only 0.4" from the object you're shooting, the camera will be blocking most of the ambient light - and the flash at that distance will cause a bright over-exposure on one side of the the object. 

So, buying or building a light-box that gives controllable diffused light from all around will allow you to turn off the flash and get close-up shots of the small objects.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: KNIGHTNLADY69 on July 27, 2009, 12:56:09 PM
I LOVE the Macro setting!  It has helped considerably, although I can see that I am going to need a light-box.

I do love this camera. :)  It has a lot of features for a camera that is so small in size.  It's still trial and error until I get used to it. 

Thanks for all the help!
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: dbaldock on July 27, 2009, 01:23:52 PM
Quote from: KNIGHTNLADY69 on July 27, 2009, 12:56:09 PM
I LOVE the Macro setting!  It has helped considerably, although I can see that I am going to need a light-box.

I do love this camera. :)  It has a lot of features for a camera that is so small in size.  It's still trial and error until I get used to it. 

Thanks for all the help!


You're Welcome!

I know what you mean about the learning curve with digital cameras --- even though I've had a Samsung L55W Digital Point-N-Shoot for several years, I just got a Nikon D90 DSLR last month.  The D90 has a really large number of tweakable parameters ... most of which I haven't even fooled with yet.   ;)

Take Care,
David Baldock
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on July 30, 2009, 04:34:40 PM
Try the Macro settings with a tripod.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on July 30, 2009, 04:39:13 PM
Try DIY photography and search for light tent.

http://www.diyphotography.net/homestudio/super-simple-light-tent
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: DeadBishop on July 30, 2009, 05:39:29 PM
Quote from: renfairephotog on July 30, 2009, 04:39:13 PM
Try DIY photography and search for light tent.

http://www.diyphotography.net/homestudio/super-simple-light-tent

Great site for info!
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on September 15, 2009, 10:25:23 AM
A list of FREE Photo recovery programs (http://www.komando.com/downloads/category.aspx?id=2938) on Kim Kommado's site.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on October 01, 2009, 02:08:47 PM
I had a dog tag made for my camera in case it ever gets lost. The back has contact info. make sure you differentiate from home and cell phone for when you travel.

(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b275/renfairepic/A%20day/oct_1.jpg)
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: dbaldock on November 06, 2009, 11:24:01 PM
OK, Here's a couple of questions about Diffusers / Softboxes:

The equipment I've got:  a Nikon D90 DSLR, a Nikon SB-600 Flash, a Stroboframe Pro-Digital Folding Flip Bracket, and a couple of Nikon Lenses - 10mm-24mm and 18mm-200mm.


If you're shooting the 10mm-24mm Lens at 10mm on the D90 camera (15mm equivalent - 109 Degree Field of View) to get a crowd shot, what sort of Diffuser / Softbox would you use on the Nikon SB-600 Flash?  (You may, or may not, have a low ceiling to bounce the flash.)

And, if you're shooting in its Medium-Telephoto range with the 18mm-200mm Lens for portraits, what sort of Diffuser / Softbox would you use on the Nikon SB-600 Flash?  (You may, or may not, have a low ceiling to bounce the flash.)

NOTE: I'm NOT planning to be shooting Weddings.  The Portrait shooting deal is a co-worker has asked me to take pictures of their child's High School Graduation next Spring.


Take Care,
David Baldock
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: DeadBishop on November 07, 2009, 01:46:46 AM
David, one of the best flash diffusers I've found for universal shooting is the Gary Fong Lightsphere (http://store.garyfonginc.com/lsu-cloud.html).  Even light dispersal is difficult at really wide angles unless you have supplemental lighting to help, but this diffuser works really well at lighting up wide shots.  It works equally well with or without a low ceiling for bounce flash.  Check out the website to get an idea of what it's capable of.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: SleepyArcher on November 07, 2009, 03:26:50 PM
DB: Do you happen to have any of Mr Fong's video's?
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: DeadBishop on November 08, 2009, 06:53:09 PM
Quote from: SleepyArcher on November 07, 2009, 03:26:50 PM
DB: Do you happen to have any of Mr Fong's video's?

Check out Youtube!
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: SleepyArcher on November 09, 2009, 03:31:54 AM
thanks  ;D
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: dbaldock on November 10, 2009, 11:09:21 PM
Quote from: Deadbishop on November 07, 2009, 01:46:46 AM
David, one of the best flash diffusers I've found for universal shooting is the Gary Fong Lightsphere (http://store.garyfonginc.com/lsu-cloud.html).  Even light dispersal is difficult at really wide angles unless you have supplemental lighting to help, but this diffuser works really well at lighting up wide shots.  It works equally well with or without a low ceiling for bounce flash.  Check out the website to get an idea of what it's capable of.

Thanks for the suggestion.  Do you have, and use, any of the Gary Fong diffusers?  How much faster do your batteries run down when shooting with one?

I'm having a hard time pulling the trigger on ordering one because of --- 1) Size - 5" diameter x 5" tall is BIG for my camera bag ; --- 2) Cost - they're at least $40, and there are several other brands at around $20 ; --- 3) I'm wondering if I should get one of the smaller 180° diffusers to use when bouncing off the ceiling, and something like a LumiQuest Softbox for shooting "direct", without bouncing?

Take Care,
David Baldock
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: SleepyArcher on November 11, 2009, 04:34:00 AM
Hey DB:
Which light kit do you recommend from Ritz. I found 4 of them there today.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: DeadBishop on November 12, 2009, 01:54:21 PM
Quote from: dbaldock on November 10, 2009, 11:09:21 PM
Quote from: Deadbishop on November 07, 2009, 01:46:46 AM
David, one of the best flash diffusers I've found for universal shooting is the Gary Fong Lightsphere (http://store.garyfonginc.com/lsu-cloud.html).  Even light dispersal is difficult at really wide angles unless you have supplemental lighting to help, but this diffuser works really well at lighting up wide shots.  It works equally well with or without a low ceiling for bounce flash.  Check out the website to get an idea of what it's capable of.

Thanks for the suggestion.  Do you have, and use, any of the Gary Fong diffusers?  How much faster do your batteries run down when shooting with one?

I'm having a hard time pulling the trigger on ordering one because of --- 1) Size - 5" diameter x 5" tall is BIG for my camera bag ; --- 2) Cost - they're at least $40, and there are several other brands at around $20 ; --- 3) I'm wondering if I should get one of the smaller 180° diffusers to use when bouncing off the ceiling, and something like a LumiQuest Softbox for shooting "direct", without bouncing?

Take Care,
David Baldock

That's one of the main drawbacks of the Gary Fong diffusers...they're BIG.  But, from the recent use that I had with them, they give great results.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: DeadBishop on November 12, 2009, 01:55:16 PM
Quote from: SleepyArcher on November 11, 2009, 04:34:00 AM
Hey DB:
Which light kit do you recommend from Ritz. I found 4 of them there today.

Hmm, going to have to be more specific.  I know of at least 12 different light kits that Ritz sells.  Do you have a link for any of them?
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: SleepyArcher on November 12, 2009, 02:06:45 PM
No they were the ones sitting on the shelves. I will go in this weekend and get the details. dont all Ritz sell the same ones so shouldnt you have the same four at the store you work at??
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: SleepyArcher on November 25, 2009, 03:32:05 AM
Canon Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM Autofocus Lens

Anyone heard of this one or have one they can give me details. I have a Tamron 28-300 3.5-5.6 that I am not happy with. I have heard really good reviews of it but it is really really expensive.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: DeadBishop on November 25, 2009, 10:59:05 AM
Quote from: SleepyArcher on November 25, 2009, 03:32:05 AM
Canon Zoom Wide Angle-Telephoto EF 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM Autofocus Lens

Anyone heard of this one or have one they can give me details. I have a Tamron 28-300 3.5-5.6 that I am not happy with. I have heard really good reviews of it but it is really really expensive.

What specifically don't you like about the Tamron?

The Canon lens will give you about the same results as the Tamron, except with possibly slightly faster autofocus (and the IS, of course).  Most super zooms like these give good results on the 28mm end and the 300mm end, but the results from any of the focal length in between are mediocre.  Definitely not horrible, but you won't see a professional using one.  The trade off for packing all that glass into one lens is the image quality and focus speed.  These type of lenses are designed to be an all-in-one lens for people that don't want to invest in multiple lenses or as a travel lens so you can pack less gear with you. 
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: SleepyArcher on November 26, 2009, 06:42:42 AM
out of focus or blurry images even with a tripod. I think the warenty through ritz may still be in affect and I may take it in if I can find the paperwork. I just think using canon lenses are better then off brand ones.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: DeadBishop on November 26, 2009, 11:54:25 AM
Quote from: SleepyArcher on November 26, 2009, 06:42:42 AM
out of focus or blurry images even with a tripod. I think the warenty through ritz may still be in affect and I may take it in if I can find the paperwork. I just think using canon lenses are better then off brand ones.

Do you have any example images that show the blurriness?  I might be able to clue in as to the exact issue if I can see a few pics.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Tygrkat on December 06, 2009, 01:23:58 AM
Hopefully this is the appropriate place for this question, if not, feel free to move it to a more appropriate thread ~ Does anyone know if  there a way to retreive photos lost when moving from Source to Albums in iPhoto? We just lost years of important pictures ( and photos from Faire As well!) . Any advice will Be greatly appreciated!! Grammercy!  
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: bmgjarvis on December 06, 2009, 12:49:03 PM
Quote from: Tygrkat on December 06, 2009, 01:23:58 AM
Hopefully this is the appropriate place for this question, if not, feel free to move it to a more appropriate thread ~ Does anyone know if  there a way to retreive photos lost when moving from Source to Albums in iPhoto? We just lost years of important pictures ( and photos from Faire As well!) . Any advice will Be greatly appreciated!! Grammercy! 

It's possible that you broke the link to the pictures in iphoto, but not actually lost the picts. Go to yourusername/pictures/iphoto and see if any of your photos are there. Look for the jpg extension. You may have to mine through several layers of folders as iPhoto tends to organize by nesting folders within folders within folders.

Good Luck!
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Tygrkat on December 06, 2009, 02:32:41 PM
Quote from: bmgjarvis on December 06, 2009, 12:49:03 PM
Quote from: Tygrkat on December 06, 2009, 01:23:58 AM
Hopefully this is the appropriate place for this question, if not, feel free to move it to a more appropriate thread ~ Does anyone know if  there a way to retreive photos lost when moving from Source to Albums in iPhoto? We just lost years of important pictures ( and photos from Faire As well!) . Any advice will Be greatly appreciated!! Grammercy!  

It's possible that you broke the link to the pictures in iphoto, but not actually lost the picts. Go to yourusername/pictures/iphoto and see if any of your photos are there. Look for the jpg extension. You may have to mine through several layers of folders as iPhoto tends to organize by nesting folders within folders within folders.

Good Luck!

Thank You, Bmgjarvis! I'll pass that on to my husband (he's the main photo-wrangler in our household) and hopefully he'll be able to retrieve them. We had some photos saved on Photobucket, but the bulk of them have disappeared.

Moral of the story...back up your work  :P

*Keeping my fingers crossed that this works*
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Tygrkat on December 06, 2009, 09:30:09 PM
IT WORKED ~ THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on December 06, 2009, 10:31:16 PM
You're quite welcome.

bmgjarvis aka Mrs. renfairephotog
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Francisco Paula on December 20, 2009, 09:37:07 AM
I just had a friend take her camera in and they said it needed cleaned out. Since this camera and lenses was originaly mine and i know only like 2 years old i was wondering how often should you have your equipment cleaned out, and if it can be done by ones self or a way to make sure your equipment get gunged up?

thank you very much.

Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: SleepyArcher on December 24, 2009, 12:13:45 AM
I downloaded some photos to Iphoto and then imported them into Aperture and PS Elements and worked on them and them put them back in Iphoto but now when I go look at the picture I get a big grey and black eclamation point. I try to export the photos and it say the folder is empty. I can see all the pics in thumbnail but nothing else. I have gone through all the thumbnails and clicked on the revert to put them back to the original pic butit doeant do anything. Is there anyway I can get them back or get them to the original file so my computer can read them?
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on January 08, 2010, 01:35:46 AM
Don't be this guy.
Candid Camera, Candid Answer
Camera Store | England, UK

Me: "Hello there, can I help you?"

Customer: "I'd like some batteries for my camera."

Me: "Okay, what does it take?"

Customer: "Pictures."


http://notalwaysright.com/
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on January 11, 2010, 04:26:26 PM
Thanks to Photo JoJo for another great tip.
How to summon a lost camera.  (http://photojojo.com/content/diy/recover-lost-cameras/)

Andrew McDonald's blog (http://www.andrewmcdonald.net.au/a-pictorial-guide-to-avoiding-camera-loss/)
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Aelynn of Georgina on January 18, 2010, 11:01:02 AM
Quote from: renfairephotog on January 08, 2010, 01:35:46 AM

Don't be this guy.
Candid Camera, Candid Answer
Camera Store | England, UK
Me: "Hello there, can I help you?"
Customer: "I'd like some batteries for my camera."
Me: "Okay, what does it take?"
Customer: "Pictures."


That is pretty hilarious! Thanks for the chuckle!

Being an aspiring photographer, faire would be a great place to practice my skills.  I am new to attending faires though and I am wondering how to incorporate my DSLR with my garb?  Or should I just leave the garb at home when I am there to take photos? How does everyone else carry their camera around at faire? It would be simple if I were using a little point-and-shoot that I could put in my purse or slip inside a pocket, but I just can't imagine walking around wearing my gown and carrying my camera equipment.  Should I try to be inconspicuous with my photo taking or do I just openly set up my tripod and start shooting?  Perhaps I should think about some new grab?  Something that makes me look more like a traveller, so I can carry a travel pack and walking stick (tripod)?

I look forward to everyone's response.
Aelynn
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: DeadBishop on January 18, 2010, 12:57:37 PM
As far as trying to incorporate your DSLR into your garb, that has been a topic of discussion many times here.  Unless your garb is 100% HA and you want to keep it that way, don't worry about it.  A select few have come up with clever disguises for their equipment, but I'd say 99% of photographers who wear garb just carry the camera without trying to "incorporate" it.  Being inconspicuous is the next best thing while carrying a camera while in garb.  That's what I do.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: SleepyArcher on January 18, 2010, 02:40:20 PM
Quote from: Deadbishop on January 18, 2010, 12:57:37 PM
As far as trying to incorporate your DSLR into your garb, that has been a topic of discussion many times here.  Unless your garb is 100% HA and you want to keep it that way, don't worry about it.  A select few have come up with clever disguises for their equipment, but I'd say 99% of photographers who wear garb just carry the camera without trying to "incorporate" it.  Being inconspicuous is the next best thing while carrying a camera while in garb.  That's what I do.


...and he is GOOD at it...
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: DeadBishop on January 18, 2010, 09:23:01 PM
Quote from: SleepyArcher on January 18, 2010, 02:40:20 PM

...and he is GOOD at it...

;D
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: photomike on January 19, 2010, 11:10:41 PM
Greetings,
             I don't try to hide the camera.
(http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l293/wildroverphotos/pix%20of%20me/6496_248072835601_847980601_8345871.jpg)
I will tell those that ask about it that a wizard made me a "pixie prison" filled with pixies that paint very fast when I ring a bell (shutter button)  of whatever they see out the window (lens).
(http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l293/wildroverphotos/pix%20of%20me/l_0e3b2d32d6bb4b96a947037e99f54448.jpg)

(http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l293/wildroverphotos/pix%20of%20me/5892_100809543264629_10000006751190.jpg)
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on January 22, 2010, 10:35:31 PM
I use a large leather pouch but the camera outside it more than it is in it. I also have a walking stick monopod.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Manwariel on January 23, 2010, 08:48:39 AM
Any tips on getting good shots of the joust?
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: SleepyArcher on January 23, 2010, 10:35:28 PM
fast shutter speed
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Malcolm on January 24, 2010, 12:37:55 AM
Quote from: Manwariel on January 23, 2010, 08:48:39 AM
Any tips on getting good shots of the joust?
Pre-plan your shots. Pick a place to stand before it starts. Wait for the action to come in frame. Click when you hear a loud noise. ;)

Works for most kinds of action shots.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: dbaldock on January 24, 2010, 05:55:33 PM
This is a Nikon-specific question:

Do you know if there's any software (Linux or M$ WinXP) that can write unmodified Nikon D90 images back to the SD Memory card so that they can be viewed on the camera's display screen?


Take Care,
David Baldock
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: BamaWoodsman on January 27, 2010, 09:07:48 AM
Dbaldock,

Are you shooting in NEF or JPG?  If NEF, the camera actually displays a jpg that is imbedded in the NEF file when the picture is initially writtent to the card. As long as you don't modify the NEF structure the jpg preview will still exist. 

The key to putting images back on the SD card is identifying the folder structure where your camera is looking for the image files. Once you ID that folder its as simple as saving to that location or copy/paste into that location. 


Adam
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Finnian on January 27, 2010, 10:58:12 AM
I had thought of making a bag to go with my garb and carry my camera, but then I remembered that with my garb on I have no fingers, and therefore probably won't be carrying a camera much anyways. XD
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Anna Iram on January 27, 2010, 11:17:40 AM
Aelynn, on the rare occassion that I bring out my SLR instead of my small pocket digital, I carry it in a basket:

(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l142/Marianna00/004.jpg)

Plenty of room for the big lense and film...*sigh* yes I'm still stuck in filmland when it comes to my Rebel...and pretty easy to get to. I keep it wrapped in a cloth to keep out the dust and I carry a plastic bag to wrap the whole thing in in case of rain.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Finnian on January 27, 2010, 11:27:49 AM
Quote from: Anna Iram on January 27, 2010, 11:17:40 AM
Aelynn, on the rare occassion that I bring out my SLR instead of my small pocket digital, I carry it in a basket:

Plenty of room for the big lense and film...*sigh* yes I'm still stuck in filmland when it comes to my Rebel...and pretty easy to get to. I keep it wrapped in a cloth to keep out the dust and I carry a plastic bag to wrap the whole thing in in case of rain.

I had thought of a basket recently...that is actually a really good idea....I was trying to think of something kinda large-ish (aka bigger then a belt pouch) that I could carry various things in, since working things without fingers is a pain in the butt. XD A basket would be much sturdier then me making a bag....hmmm now to go find a green basket I can add faerie stuff to!
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Anna Iram on January 27, 2010, 11:40:04 AM
Don't overlook the local thrift shops for a good bargain. There always seems to be an abundance of wicker in those places and cheap! I bought mine for about two bucks!
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: dbaldock on January 27, 2010, 11:59:27 AM
Quote from: BamaWoodsman on January 27, 2010, 09:07:48 AM
Dbaldock,

Are you shooting in NEF or JPG?  If NEF, the camera actually displays a jpg that is imbedded in the NEF file when the picture is initially writtent to the card. As long as you don't modify the NEF structure the jpg preview will still exist. 

The key to putting images back on the SD card is identifying the folder structure where your camera is looking for the image files. Once you ID that folder its as simple as saving to that location or copy/paste into that location. 


Adam

Thanks for the reply.

Here's why I asked, and what I've tried:

Took a vacation to California last October, and shot ~800 pictures (JPG), using two SDHC memory cards.  I did rename the images so that they're sequential from DSC_0001.JPG to DSC_0800.JPG, and then copied them to an empty, formatted (by the camera) SDHC card.  But when the camera is turned on and the Review button is pressed, there are no images to see.  I'm wondering if there's some sort of Index file or something like that to update so that the camera knows the images are there to display?


Take Care,
David Baldock
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: BamaWoodsman on January 27, 2010, 02:20:28 PM
OK gotcha, If you place the SD card from the camera into a card reader and open the card reader in Windows explorer (or equivalent) you will see the directory structure for the files. I'm at work now and can't look at the nikon folder structure but I believe it is 2 levels in too where the images are stored. I'll check for sure when I get home this evening.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Francisco Paula on January 27, 2010, 03:05:23 PM
nikon d90 uses a folder in a folder. If i am correct the first is DCIM with the next being 100NCD90 if you make them like so you should have no problem i would assume.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Francisco Paula on January 27, 2010, 03:14:30 PM
I feel so lost without my camera. This weekend i was up at estes park staying in the stanley hotel for a little ghost hunting and heading to rocky mountain national park for some more photo taking. Well after we had dinner and driving through estes we came upon some deer just walking down the street so since two photogs in the car we started to stalk the deer. So when we were done taking thier pics i went to push the flash down on my camera and it wouldn't latch grrrrr. So monday i took it to the local camera shop and am now waiting for them to tell me what i did and how much it would cost.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: DT_Masters on March 09, 2010, 03:08:05 PM
Well, I hate to say it, but film is dead. They pulled my developer out of the store and replaced it with an arcade machine size kiosk. Digital photos made on the spot, out of store, drop it in the envelope, and pay more than what I did before to get it back in a few days.

Of course, I knew it was coming; knew I had to move into digital and I did two years ago or so. Just as I knew that when I got into digital, really got into it, my 35mm use would drop practically to zero...........and it did. TRF 09, I couldn't find the 35mm housing and went without it, shot the entire thing on the DSLR. And Sherwood? Well, while the 35mm was the final backup in the car, it stayed in the car.

Hard to say why the sad feeling of such. I mean, when I switched from the Pentax to the Canon, I "left" hundreds of dollars worth of lenses behind; this time, it was only several boxes of unused film.

Still, be it photos or slides, it is something of an end of an era I've known for over 40 years.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Xanthenes The Unbalanced on March 11, 2010, 09:57:51 AM
Quote from: DT_Masters on March 09, 2010, 03:08:05 PM
Well, I hate to say it, but film is dead. They pulled my developer out of the store and replaced it with an arcade machine size kiosk. Digital photos made on the spot, out of store, drop it in the envelope, and pay more than what I did before to get it back in a few days.

Of course, I knew it was coming; knew I had to move into digital and I did two years ago or so. Just as I knew that when I got into digital, really got into it, my 35mm use would drop practically to zero...........and it did. TRF 09, I couldn't find the 35mm housing and went without it, shot the entire thing on the DSLR. And Sherwood? Well, while the 35mm was the final backup in the car, it stayed in the car.

Hard to say why the sad feeling of such. I mean, when I switched from the Pentax to the Canon, I "left" hundreds of dollars worth of lenses behind; this time, it was only several boxes of unused film.

Still, be it photos or slides, it is something of an end of an era I've known for over 40 years.

I used to develop my own, so there's still a part of me which misses sloshing photo paper around in tubs of chemicals.  Then again, maybe not.  I think what I actually miss is the feeling of anticipation as the photo was coming to life.  I certainly don't miss mucking up the timer on a roll of film, having a roll of film I've already shot crack open, or smelling like chemicals for a whole day. 

What I really don't miss about photographic or motion picture is the slight tension between leaving a job and having it developed (or developed and transferred in the case of motion picture film).  You know what you shot, you're sure you shot it right, but until that baby came back, you didn't really know what you had.  I also don't miss having to stock my refrigerator with canisters of 16mm or 35mm film.

Okay, I miss the anticipation that came with developing photographic film.  That's it.  Viva le digital.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Ken on March 11, 2010, 12:12:37 PM
Quote from: DT_Masters on March 09, 2010, 03:08:05 PM
Well, I hate to say it, but film is dead.

Film is most certainly not dead.

However, it has become relegated to the status of "niche" photography.  My wife and I own a photography business.  We currently use digital for all of our paid work in that regard for the simple reason that the clients expect it.  When I shoot things for myself, I almost always use film.  My cameras of choice right now are a 1950's era Voigtlander rangefinder and a 1970's era Hasselblad 500 C/M, though I have a collection of others in the closet that I use from time to time.  In fact, I carry the Voigtlander with me to faires and keep it on my person almost all the time in order that I may make pictures when I see them happening.  Processing has become harder to come by, but not impossible.  The pro lab we used to use has gone completely digital, but there is another that we will be approaching soon to take up our film work.  Freestyle Photographic catalogue still sells a wide variety of film, both color and black and white, as well as black and white darkroom equipment and supplies.  There is an analog photography users group online.  Ken Rockwell, while shooting digitally for some of his work, still espouses the use of "Real RAW", which is what he calls film.

By the way...if you've got some leftover film....   ;D

~Ken
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Xanthenes The Unbalanced on March 11, 2010, 02:18:32 PM
Quote from: Ken on March 11, 2010, 12:12:37 PM
Quote from: DT_Masters on March 09, 2010, 03:08:05 PM
Well, I hate to say it, but film is dead.

Film is most certainly not dead.

However, it has become relegated to the status of "niche" photography.  My wife and I own a photography business.  We currently use digital for all of our paid work in that regard for the simple reason that the clients expect it.  When I shoot things for myself, I almost always use film.  My cameras of choice right now are a 1950's era Voigtlander rangefinder and a 1970's era Hasselblad 500 C/M, though I have a collection of others in the closet that I use from time to time.  In fact, I carry the Voigtlander with me to faires and keep it on my person almost all the time in order that I may make pictures when I see them happening.  Processing has become harder to come by, but not impossible.  The pro lab we used to use has gone completely digital, but there is another that we will be approaching soon to take up our film work.  Freestyle Photographic catalogue still sells a wide variety of film, both color and black and white, as well as black and white darkroom equipment and supplies.  There is an analog photography users group online.  Ken Rockwell, while shooting digitally for some of his work, still espouses the use of "Real RAW", which is what he calls film.

By the way...if you've got some leftover film....   ;D

~Ken

Please note, this is not about you, it's about Rockwell.   :)

My opinion of Rockwell may be colored a bit by the fact that he's, for some reason, a bit too "anti-Canon/pro-Nikon", but I've never really been all that impressed with his work (it certainly isn't bad, it's just not something that makes me exclaim "I wish I'd shot that").  While I appreciate my time learning photography in the analog world of film rolls and chemical baths, there are just a number of things I simply don't miss.  I don't miss the over abundance of noise in high speed film.  I like going in the field with 80GB of memory cards (I shoot a lot of HD with my DSLR's, so I tend to carry a lot of memory) and knowing that any opportunity which presents itself I can capture.  I won't run out of film or hit the end of a roll when something presents itself.

As for being "the real RAW", I find I get more picture information at lower noise out of my 21 megapixel 5D Mk II than I ever got out of my old Elan with a good roll of 35 (at least that's been my experience shooting billboard material).  Even with a top-notch scanner, I just get a cleaner look out of my 5D (yes, I could shoot MF, but I've always found them terrific for still life and mediocre at anything requiring speed).  For correcting accidents such as the odd white balance mishap, I'll take the forgiveness of digital RAW.

I'm with ya on a good rangefinder though.  Been years since I picked one up.  Kinda miss it.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Ken on March 12, 2010, 09:00:17 AM
Quote from: Xanthenes The Unbalanced on March 11, 2010, 02:18:32 PM
My opinion of Rockwell may be colored a bit by the fact that he's, for some reason, a bit too "anti-Canon/pro-Nikon", but I've never really been all that impressed with his work (it certainly isn't bad, it's just not something that makes me exclaim "I wish I'd shot that").  While I appreciate my time learning photography in the analog world of film rolls and chemical baths, there are just a number of things I simply don't miss.  I don't miss the over abundance of noise in high speed film.  I like going in the field with 80GB of memory cards (I shoot a lot of HD with my DSLR's, so I tend to carry a lot of memory) and knowing that any opportunity which presents itself I can capture.  I won't run out of film or hit the end of a roll when something presents itself.

As for being "the real RAW", I find I get more picture information at lower noise out of my 21 megapixel 5D Mk II than I ever got out of my old Elan with a good roll of 35 (at least that's been my experience shooting billboard material).  Even with a top-notch scanner, I just get a cleaner look out of my 5D (yes, I could shoot MF, but I've always found them terrific for still life and mediocre at anything requiring speed).  For correcting accidents such as the odd white balance mishap, I'll take the forgiveness of digital RAW.

I'm with ya on a good rangefinder though.  Been years since I picked one up.  Kinda miss it.

I agree with you about the work that Ken Rockwell produces.  I like what I see, for the most part; it's good, often very good, but I haven't seen much of his that just knocks my socks off.  Of course, I could say that about most photographers.  But he's got some good ideas and I generally like reading his articles.  I have noticed something of a Nikon-Over-Canon slant, but I personally don't let it bother me.  I've sold both brands working in a couple of different camera stores in years past, and I've owned equipment from both systems.  They both produce fine results, so if he prefers Nikon that's fine with me.

And I agree that a 21 megapixel 5D MkII is going to give you excellent results, even when comparing it to film.  The thing is, though, that the 5D MkII body alone is $2,500 which puts it out of the price range of most consumers and even a lot of prosumers.  But even with cost aside, the thing I love about film is knowing that in 100 years I can take one of the black and white negatives I made today and still print it, somehow.  There is little short of snipping it up or dropping it into acid or setting it on fire that would make it completely unusable.  If that digital picture file gets corrupted, or the disk it's stored on goes bad, then it's probably done for.

Then there's the (very subjective) "look" that film has over digital.  My wife and I sat down a few months ago and started looking at the photos that she shot on film 10 or 15 years ago and compared them with the digital photos that she's made recently, even with a 5D, and we agreed that, overall, we liked the "look" of film over digital.

Understand that I'm not slamming digital, nor am I in any way saying "film is best (or even necessarily better)".  Digital is very convenient.  It has unquestionably changed the way photographers - particularly photojournalists and newspapers - go about their business.  As I mentioned, we use it ourselves.  But when I'm shooting for my own pleasure, shooting the things I want to shoot and not what a client has requested, then I like to shoot film.  I want the photos of my friends and family - the things I remember in the way I remember them - to be passed on to my grandchildren and great grandchildren, and the best way I feel I can ensure that is to shoot the way I do.  And, for me, digital seems almost too easy.  Take a picture, chimp, shoot again if it's not right.  Again, it's convenient, but when I'm shooting for myself that takes some of the enjoyment out of it.  That's why I shoot fully manual, mechanical, meterless cameras.  For me, it's just more fun that way.   ;D

I look forward to developing and posting some of the faire photos I make with my ancient equipment!  :D

~Ken
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Xanthenes The Unbalanced on March 12, 2010, 02:09:32 PM
Quote from: Ken on March 12, 2010, 09:00:17 AM
Quote from: Xanthenes The Unbalanced on March 11, 2010, 02:18:32 PM
My opinion of Rockwell may be colored a bit by the fact that he's, for some reason, a bit too "anti-Canon/pro-Nikon", but I've never really been all that impressed with his work (it certainly isn't bad, it's just not something that makes me exclaim "I wish I'd shot that").  While I appreciate my time learning photography in the analog world of film rolls and chemical baths, there are just a number of things I simply don't miss.  I don't miss the over abundance of noise in high speed film.  I like going in the field with 80GB of memory cards (I shoot a lot of HD with my DSLR's, so I tend to carry a lot of memory) and knowing that any opportunity which presents itself I can capture.  I won't run out of film or hit the end of a roll when something presents itself.

As for being "the real RAW", I find I get more picture information at lower noise out of my 21 megapixel 5D Mk II than I ever got out of my old Elan with a good roll of 35 (at least that's been my experience shooting billboard material).  Even with a top-notch scanner, I just get a cleaner look out of my 5D (yes, I could shoot MF, but I've always found them terrific for still life and mediocre at anything requiring speed).  For correcting accidents such as the odd white balance mishap, I'll take the forgiveness of digital RAW.

I'm with ya on a good rangefinder though.  Been years since I picked one up.  Kinda miss it.

I agree with you about the work that Ken Rockwell produces.  I like what I see, for the most part; it's good, often very good, but I haven't seen much of his that just knocks my socks off.  Of course, I could say that about most photographers.  But he's got some good ideas and I generally like reading his articles.  I have noticed something of a Nikon-Over-Canon slant, but I personally don't let it bother me.  I've sold both brands working in a couple of different camera stores in years past, and I've owned equipment from both systems.  They both produce fine results, so if he prefers Nikon that's fine with me.

And I agree that a 21 megapixel 5D MkII is going to give you excellent results, even when comparing it to film.  The thing is, though, that the 5D MkII body alone is $2,500 which puts it out of the price range of most consumers and even a lot of prosumers.  But even with cost aside, the thing I love about film is knowing that in 100 years I can take one of the black and white negatives I made today and still print it, somehow.  There is little short of snipping it up or dropping it into acid or setting it on fire that would make it completely unusable.  If that digital picture file gets corrupted, or the disk it's stored on goes bad, then it's probably done for.

Then there's the (very subjective) "look" that film has over digital.  My wife and I sat down a few months ago and started looking at the photos that she shot on film 10 or 15 years ago and compared them with the digital photos that she's made recently, even with a 5D, and we agreed that, overall, we liked the "look" of film over digital.

Understand that I'm not slamming digital, nor am I in any way saying "film is best (or even necessarily better)".  Digital is very convenient.  It has unquestionably changed the way photographers - particularly photojournalists and newspapers - go about their business.  As I mentioned, we use it ourselves.  But when I'm shooting for my own pleasure, shooting the things I want to shoot and not what a client has requested, then I like to shoot film.  I want the photos of my friends and family - the things I remember in the way I remember them - to be passed on to my grandchildren and great grandchildren, and the best way I feel I can ensure that is to shoot the way I do.  And, for me, digital seems almost too easy.  Take a picture, chimp, shoot again if it's not right.  Again, it's convenient, but when I'm shooting for myself that takes some of the enjoyment out of it.  That's why I shoot fully manual, mechanical, meterless cameras.  For me, it's just more fun that way.   ;D

I look forward to developing and posting some of the faire photos I make with my ancient equipment!  :D

~Ken

Agreed.  In the end, it's all about preference and acceptable tradeoffs.

I agree that digital can make us all lazy on occasion.  The big tradeoff for me is never, ever running out of film.  88 Gigs of CF cards in my bag means I can take off for five days of shooting and never miss a shot.  I will admit that my signal-to-noise ratio, good shots to bad, was higher with film. 

I may have to go play with a film camera again (it's been a good three years).  Perhaps I should hit eBay and see what an old rangefinder is going for. 

But while there are some things that I do miss film and film cameras, if I ever use one on a paying gig again, it'll be to soon.  :)
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: DT_Masters on March 14, 2010, 04:24:16 AM
Quote from: Ken on March 12, 2010, 09:00:17 AM
,,,,,,,But even with cost aside, the thing I love about film is knowing that in 100 years I can take one of the black and white negatives I made today and still print it, somehow.  There is little short of snipping it up or dropping it into acid or setting it on fire that would make it completely unusable.  If that digital picture file gets corrupted, or the disk it's stored on goes bad, then it's probably done for.

Or film can be destroyed if its storage area gets mildewed. That's what happened to a lot of my early works, both in print and negative.....especially the negative. Now, looking back at it, its lost is debatable. My work wasn't better back then, quite the opposite, so it is something of a loss of memories. But back then, I was more of the dane photographer than a player, so even those memories are not painfully lost.

On the other hand, I'm under the belief that stuff that is digital can be theoretically corrected by a computer. It may not be economically worth it for it may take a lot of fuzzy logic approaches (to me, that's like tracking a stealth aircraft with a low frequency radar.......you can do it, but you'll need a decent computer for it)........but it's possible.

Further, with digital, how hard is it to make several backups? As http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbpKawqA6VQ&feature=related points out, in the personal security area (think before you post), not too hard at all.

One thing about digital is that it enabled me to reach a "goal" I had for years: take pictures during the day to have on the conference table at night so to decide the next day's plan.

These days, my DSLR, serves about four functions. It's the recon camera that gets carried with me day after day and I don't have to worry about how old the film is in it. A classmate is feeding the ducks? I want to take pictures of the ducklings? Pull it out and snap away. It's my photocopier. Sending off government papers? Take a picture of it. It's there, there infrastructure has been paid for, snap it. Of course, it's my Renfest camera. And it's the camera for those shots that I'm not taking to put in a photo album.

On that last piece, that was something that always irked me. Take recon type pictures, need to have them to show the superiors, rush them thru the developer....and the cheapest price for the speed got me two sets and a CD .......................... as if I really needed a second set.

Quote from: Ken on March 12, 2010, 09:00:17 AM
Understand that I'm not slamming digital, nor am I in any way saying "film is best (or even necessarily better)".  Digital is very convenient.  It has unquestionably changed the way photographers - particularly photojournalists and newspapers - go about their business.  As I mentioned, we use it ourselves.  But when I'm shooting for my own pleasure, shooting the things I want to shoot and not what a client has requested, then I like to shoot film.  I want the photos of my friends and family - the things I remember in the way I remember them - to be passed on to my grandchildren and great grandchildren, and the best way I feel I can ensure that is to shoot the way I do.  And, for me, digital seems almost too easy.  Take a picture, chimp, shoot again if it's not right.  Again, it's convenient, but when I'm shooting for myself that takes some of the enjoyment out of it.  That's why I shoot fully manual, mechanical, meterless cameras.  For me, it's just more fun that way.   ;D

Actually, for me, the opposite, film, causes a massive hurdle. That is, I take HUNDREDS of pictures at ren fests, the film calculation for how much to carry was a shot a minute, and after the 2 months to get all the rolls back (ripple fire them to the developer), one still has to scan them into the computer to show all of one's friends on the net. 24 picture roll? One hour, almost, scan time. That's why at http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewAlbums&friendID=118158178 the renfest coverage over the years usually varies between double and triple digits. Usually, those albums with double digits were film shots......and there are tons still waiting to go into the computer. Most of those in triple digits were digital.

The down side to digital? For those shots that should go in albums, there isn't a byproduct normally. I have lots of hungry albums.......of course, I've got three boxes of prints I had made from digital last year or so, waiting to go in some of those albums.

That's a constant problem as our world moves faster and faster............there will be a bottleneck somewhere.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: SleepyArcher on March 15, 2010, 11:02:12 PM
If you have a Canon 40D and want to see how many times the shutter has been pressed when it is on you can download this nifty program to do it. I downloaded but haven't tried but but noticed on Ebay a lot of people who sell their cameras use something like to  post how many times the shutter has been used. Im guessing ther are program al over that do this. This one is free.




http://astrojargon.net/EOSInfo.aspx
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on March 29, 2010, 05:06:48 PM
BBC Photography Materclass Lessons.
http://www.bbcwildlifemagazine.com/masterclasses.asp
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Mandrake Von Sets on June 17, 2010, 11:34:31 AM
Just came across a free HDR-rendering program for Mac users in Apple's download page.

HDRtist (http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/imaging_3d/hdrtist.html)
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: dbaldock on June 21, 2010, 09:39:53 PM
This is a question for anyone here who has built a light-box for doing close-up photography.


Is there a particular fabric that works better to diffuse the light from external lamps and provide even illumination?


I've got a group of Nikon & Tokina Manual Focus Lenses that I'd like to photograph, so I can put them up for sale (or trade in at a Camera Store).


Take Care,
David Baldock
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Skip on June 23, 2010, 03:35:56 PM
Sounds like you want something that is inexpensive so if you have a white sheet hang it in front of your lights and that should work fine.  Actually anything that is white and semi transparent will work - the bigger the better.

Skip
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: DeadBishop on June 23, 2010, 07:20:52 PM
White ripstop nylon works well as a diffusion material.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on June 24, 2010, 10:35:13 AM
http://www.fortysixtyphoto.com/shop/crossbones/ No advice just a cool shirt aperture crossbones.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: dbaldock on June 29, 2010, 01:00:24 PM
Stuck Pixels?

It looks like I've got several apparently Stuck ON Red and Green Pixels on my Nikon D90.  So, does that mean the Sensor will need to be replaced, or is there some sort of calibration procedure that can be done?  Is that something that an Extended Warranty will usually cover?


Take Care,
David Baldock
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: DeadBishop on June 29, 2010, 11:55:53 PM
Sounds like you have "hot" pixels.  Generally there is no fix for this, only replacement.  There are work arounds, where either the camera or post production software can map out the bad pixels, but that's not really fixing the problem.  An extended warranty should cover this kind of repair.
Title: Re: Picture of the Day!
Post by: Rani Zemirah on July 20, 2010, 01:59:24 PM
I've been driving myself crazy the last few days trying to figure out how to simulate HDR using the available settings in CS4's Photoshop...  The color depth and intensities are fairly easy (just variations in the levels settings for the A and B channels in Lab color), but the tonal variations and luminance are making me want to tear my hair out!  I know I could just get the program and let it do a great deal of the work for me, but I want to know HOW it does what it does!!!  Gaaaaaahhhhh!!!

Gorgeous, work, btw...

Sorry if this should have been posted in a different thread, but I was here, the thread was here, and my frustration was here all at the same time.  DISharmonic convergence, perhaps...  :-\

(above was originally posted in Picture of the Day, which is why it's contextually... odd)
Title: Re: Picture of the Day!
Post by: dbaldock on July 20, 2010, 04:44:17 PM
Quote from: Rani Zemirah on July 20, 2010, 01:59:24 PM
I've been driving myself crazy the last few days trying to figure out how to simulate HDR using the available settings in CS4's Photoshop... 

Using Google Search, I found this:  http://www.tutorius.net/search/hdr+simulation+in+cs4/ (http://www.tutorius.net/search/hdr+simulation+in+cs4/)

Don't know if it's free, or a pay-type of tutorial.


(I run OpenSuSE Linux on my PC, so I don't use CS4 here.)

Take Care,
David Baldock
Title: Re: Picture of the Day!
Post by: renfairephotog on July 20, 2010, 05:36:21 PM
I skipped CS4 so I'm not sure what all is there. CS5 has a new Adjustment call HDR Toning. Which is what I'm using now. It lets you do toning with one image. plus it has HDR PRO. which I haven't had time to test out yet.
Title: Re: Picture of the Day!
Post by: Rani Zemirah on July 20, 2010, 10:36:57 PM
But... see... I wanna know HOW it's done... what settings they use with the Shadows/Highlights function, and how they tweak them, and what, exactly, they do to get the variations in local tonal ranges to produce the luminance that makes the photos look almost like they're... back-lit.  It has to do with tonal contrast, and I think there might be a Gausian blur filter applied at some point, as well, but there's something I'm missing...  

I've never NOT been able to figure out how to reproduce an effect in Photoshop, and I'm just not ready to give up yet!  I've got a few things I've been playing with, and the before and after shots are a lot different, but it's still not even close to what I see here.  None of the photo's I've used are my own work, though, so I've been hesitant to show them here, but they're just stock images that I've been using to experiment with, so I'll post a few, just to give an idea of what I've been able to figure out so far...  Hope no one minds!

Before:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v469/sanjati/Photoshop%20HDR%20Experiments/wooden-gate-and-fence-old-weathe-1.jpg)
After:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v469/sanjati/Photoshop%20HDR%20Experiments/wooden-gate-and-fence-old-weathe-2.jpg)
Before:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v469/sanjati/Photoshop%20HDR%20Experiments/old-farm-house-3.jpg)
After:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v469/sanjati/Photoshop%20HDR%20Experiments/old-farm-house-35.jpg)
Before:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v469/sanjati/Photoshop%20HDR%20Experiments/dyrholaey-landscape.jpg)
After:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v469/sanjati/Photoshop%20HDR%20Experiments/dyrholaey-landscape2.jpg)
Before:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v469/sanjati/Photoshop%20HDR%20Experiments/BigSkyCloudscape.jpg)
After:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v469/sanjati/Photoshop%20HDR%20Experiments/BigSkyCloudscape3.jpg)

Sorry... I've got my photobucket set to automatically resize all the photos when I load them, so none of these are the actual size I've been working with.  Obviously, the luminescent quality is eluding me, but then, I've been working with single images, although I'm starting to look at using blending modes with multiple layers to see if I can achieve the effect that way...  Frustration abounds!  :-\

Oh... terribly envious of the CS5, btw, and I've only had 4 for about 6 months!!!  ::) 
Title: Re: Picture of the Day!
Post by: renfairephotog on July 20, 2010, 11:06:14 PM
here's  a screen cap of the tone map(single image hdr) It might give you a hint. Most of the presets have contrast or saturation in the title.

(http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b275/renfairepic/hdrpanel.gif)
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Rani Zemirah on July 21, 2010, 12:07:39 AM
Edge Glow?!?  WHAT?!?  LOL  Oh, great... not an adjustment setting in CS4, although there IS a filter that will produce glowing edges...

OMG!!!  That's IT!!!  It's a simple freakin' filter effect under the Stylize settings!!!  It's not as sensitive as it could be, and it doesn't include the range or strength settings, but I can change the edge Width, Brightness and Smoothness, so we'll see what I come up with tonight... although I did wonder if Curves might be a part of the equation.  

I don't have anything like the Tone and Detail settings, though, but I can play with Tonal range in the Shadows/Highlights, Vibrance and Color Balance Adjustments, and it's possible I might just be able to puzzle it out before it drives me absolutely NUTS!!!  ::)  (yeah, I know... you don't have to say it...  :P )

You are... AWESOME, RFP!!!  Aaaaand I can tell I'm gonna be up all night again...  LOL  WewT!!!

Ok... just a few minutes of playing with Glowing edges...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v469/sanjati/Photoshop%20HDR%20Experiments/BigSkyCloudscape35.jpg)

The auto sizing is really bothering me, though, because a huge amount of detail is being lost here... have to do something about that tomorrow.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Skip on July 27, 2010, 12:41:08 PM
Curious if what your trying to do is HDR or more enhancing the color or color boosting?  If you are wanting to really make the colors be more vibrant than that is pretty easy to do in LAB.  I can help with that if that is what your looking for.

Skip
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Rani Zemirah on July 27, 2010, 01:54:51 PM
Oh thank you, Skip, I appreciate the offer!  I'm good with Levels in LAB, though. That's where I started... (see quote)  :-\

Quote from: Rani Zemirah on July 20, 2010, 01:59:24 PM
I've been driving myself crazy the last few days trying to figure out how to simulate HDR using the available settings in CS4's Photoshop...  The color depth and intensities are fairly easy (just variations in the levels settings for the A and B channels in Lab color), but the tonal variations and luminance are making me want to tear my hair out!  I know I could just get the program and let it do a great deal of the work for me, but I want to know HOW it does what it does!!!  Gaaaaaahhhhh!!!


I'm really just wanting to figure out what has been done to create the HDR effect, and how to reproduce it without using the various programs out there.  I like to know HOW things are done, and before there were programs created that did it FOR you, someone had to figure it out using the programs that were already available...  Vibrance, Saturation, Channels, Shadows/Highlights, Tonal Range and even Blending Modes all seem to be involved, and I'm very curious to know how, and more importantly WHY, each is set as it is, the correct sequence of adjustments, and what, exactly, each adjustment does for the end result.  Since there don't seem to be any manual tutorials out there, it's been trial and error on my part... mostly error, unfortunately.  ::)  LOL  

I actually began with LAB adjustment experiments, since that seemed the most obvious starting point, but that may be a later step (if it's a step at all), since the color enhancement actually seems to cause a huge amount of image darkening when using the Glowing Edges filter.  I'm now finding more success with using multiple copies of an image, but I still haven't been able to completely reproduce that... other-worldly effect of the HDR... so far.  I have some things that are getting closer, though, so I'm going to keep experimenting in my free time... because my curiosity gives me no peace!  I will happily apply any advice I receive, however!!!  :D  

(edit)
I guess I should start recording my Actions, also, huh?  It would help if I had a list after the fact that I could look at and say "this produced this, and that produced that...".  ::)
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Skip on July 29, 2010, 06:33:35 AM
Hey Rani, I found a tut on HDR that you might like - http://www.backingwinds.blogspot.com/2006/10/how-to-create-professional-hdr-images.html - also here is a reference page for a bunch of tut's on HDR - http://tutorialblog.org/hdr-tutorials-roundup/.

I hope this helps, don't know it they explain why the steps lead to the end result but they seem to have the steps involved in the process.

Skip
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Rani Zemirah on July 29, 2010, 12:35:24 PM
Awesome!!!  Thank you so much, Skip!  I appreciate that...  :)  I'll have to spend some time going through all that, and the one DBaldock found, as well!!!  I discovered that CS4 actually has a "Merge to HDR" automation (yeah, I haven't had a chance yet to go through all the new features), but it pretty much fails completely to achieve anything near the results of the programs that are written specifically for that, so I'm staying up late every night experimenting still...  Hopefully in a day or two I'll have some free time to check these out!!!  As long as the steps are there I should be able to puzzle out what each adds to the end result, so I can play around with the settings until I get what I'm looking for...

Thanks for all the help, everyone!  I appreciate that you're all so willing to help someone who admittedly isn't even a photographer, just a graphic designer with a curiosity that won't let go until it's satisfied...  You're all pretty amazing!  :)
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: dbaldock on October 11, 2010, 03:23:46 PM
Quote from: DeadBishop on June 29, 2010, 11:55:53 PM
Sounds like you have "hot" pixels.  Generally there is no fix for this, only replacement.  There are work arounds, where either the camera or post production software can map out the bad pixels, but that's not really fixing the problem.  An extended warranty should cover this kind of repair.

I recently called the Mack Extended Warranty folks and talked to one of the Techs.  He said that the symptom I'm seeing is the sensor, and I should send the camera in for repair.  Need to get some good, durable packing materials together and ship it to them - somewhere in New Jersey, I believe.  Hope it's back before too long.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: KiltedPrivateer on November 22, 2010, 01:06:23 PM
Question: Fisheye Lens - Did a search on the forum but didn't turn up anything so thought I'd pose the question here.

I have a Canon G10 and there is a Fisheye lens attachement available.  What type of photo do you get with a fisheye?  Does anyone have a good examples?  Thanks (o:
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: dbaldock on November 22, 2010, 04:24:50 PM
Quote from: KiltedPrivateer on November 22, 2010, 01:06:23 PM
Question: Fisheye Lens - Did a search on the forum but didn't turn up anything so thought I'd pose the question here.

I have a Canon G10 and there is a Fisheye lens attachement available.  What type of photo do you get with a fisheye?  Does anyone have a good examples?  Thanks (o:

Did a bit of Google Image searching, and found a number of site trying to sell Fisheye lenses for the G10.

One site - FishEye Studio - Canon G10 (http://fisheyestudio.net/tag/canon-g10), has some shots that were apparently take with a G10 and Fisheye lens.  Some Fisheyes are Circular, and give a 180° view in the middle of the rectangular frame.  Others are Rectilinear, and give a 180° view across the diagonals of the rectangular frame.


Take Care,
David Baldock
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: KiltedPrivateer on November 22, 2010, 10:01:25 PM
Thanks for the info David - I'll do some searches of my own and see what I can come up with.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on May 12, 2011, 10:55:34 AM
http://camerasim.com/camera-simulator.html

Online SLR Camera Simulator

This SLR camera simulator shows you visually how ISO speed, aperture, shutter speed, and distance affect the outcome of your digital photos. Here's how to use it:

   1. Fiddle with the settings; observe the green readings in the viewfinder
   2. Click the "Snap photo!" button
   3. Review your "photo" :)
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Merlin the Elder on May 12, 2011, 06:39:30 PM
That's a pretty cool sim. I'm going to spend some time with that...
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: maeven on May 13, 2011, 08:41:08 AM
Yeah, I know! That's pretty cool!
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Avidd on May 13, 2011, 11:46:23 AM
Very cool/ helpful.

Thanks
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on August 25, 2011, 01:38:27 AM
http://geeks.thedailywh.at/2011/08/24/camera-tracker-success-story-of-the-day/

Camera Tracker Success Story of the Day: A tool that searches for stolen cameras using serial numbers in online photos has just helped recover $9000 in stolen Nikon equipment.

Photographer John Heller had his gear — including a Nikon D3 and lenses — stolen while shooting in Hollywood. He looked up his serial number on GadgetTrak Serial Search and found recent photos taken with his camera on Flickr.

Heller got the police involved, and they contacted the camera's new owner via his Facebook profile. It turns out he had bought the camera from the thief and still had a receipt, which the police are now using in the investigation.

The camera was returned to its rightful owner, and LAPD detectives plan to use services like GadgetTrak and Stolen Camera Finder in other cases.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Rocky Raccoon on September 22, 2011, 01:56:31 AM
Thank you for posting that link to that camera simulator program.....that is the coolest thing I have seen in a long time and very helpful to a photographer that is starting to explore settings outside the area of "auto" modes on his camera.....
BTW I am thinking of upgrading my camera or at least finding some excellent lenses for it. does anyone have any advice I am currently shooting with a Sony a350 (I have the 18 to 70 lens and an old Minolta 70 - 210 lens that works but...........?????????) I've been looking at the Canon models??????
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on October 25, 2011, 12:45:07 PM
http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html
Use DOFMaster to calculate the depth of field in your photographs.  You'll be able to select the lens and f/stop combination that provides the zone of sharpness you need.  Use it to calculate the hyperfocal distance for landscape photography.

There's an app for it.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Elennare on November 21, 2011, 11:57:36 AM
Hello wonderful photography people!  I have a question that I am hoping you can help me with.

My husband has a DSLR camera, some sort of Cannon Rebel.  He would like to get a zoom lens for it, that goes to 120mm.  I am planning to get him one for Christmas, but since I know pretty much nothing about camera hardware, I have no idea what I should be looking for.  Can any of you folks point me in the right direction to find him a good lens?  I can get more details about camera model if that's needed.

Thanks!  :)
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Merlin the Elder on November 21, 2011, 01:14:14 PM
First thing is, if you are planning on buying a non-Canon lens, be sure it uses the Canon EF mount system. In the Canon lineup, there are a number of lenses that will pass through the 120mm point. It depends on whether or not he is looking for wide angle through zoom, or if he's more interested in shooting longer distance. I personally have a 75-300mm zoom on my Rebel, but it would simplify my life when shooting at faire to have something that ranges from below 50mm to about 300mm or so. As it is now, I have to swap lenses too frequently, and it's a pain.

There is much that will affect cost of the lens. If he will be shooting low light, you are looking for a lens with a small f-stop. Generally the smaller the f-stop, the higher the price.

It might help to know what kind of shooting he actually intends on using it for. The more information, the closer the recommendations are going to be from all the camera geniuses out here.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Mandrake Von Sets on November 21, 2011, 07:44:55 PM
Quote from: Elennare on November 21, 2011, 11:57:36 AM
Hello wonderful photography people!  I have a question that I am hoping you can help me with.

My husband has a DSLR camera, some sort of Cannon Rebel.  He would like to get a zoom lens for it, that goes to 120mm.  I am planning to get him one for Christmas, but since I know pretty much nothing about camera hardware, I have no idea what I should be looking for.  Can any of you folks point me in the right direction to find him a good lens?  I can get more details about camera model if that's needed.

Thanks!  :)

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/ef_lens_lineup (http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/ef_lens_lineup)
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Waite on November 24, 2011, 01:21:10 PM
Quote from: Elennare on November 21, 2011, 11:57:36 AM
Hello wonderful photography people!  I have a question that I am hoping you can help me with.

My husband has a DSLR camera, some sort of Cannon Rebel.  He would like to get a zoom lens for it, that goes to 120mm.  I am planning to get him one for Christmas, but since I know pretty much nothing about camera hardware, I have no idea what I should be looking for.  Can any of you folks point me in the right direction to find him a good lens?  I can get more details about camera model if that's needed.

Thanks!  :)

Canon has a fairly good EF-S 18-135mm lens.  It comes out about ½ to 4x zoom. It's fairly good for a walking around lens. It has image stabilization which will help with hand hold camera shake, but not for subjects that are moving. There also is the EF-S 18-200mm, little more reach. There also is the do all EF 28-300 lot more reach and versatility and a lot of money to do it.

The faster lenses like 2.8 will allow you to shoot with a shallower depth of field. It will allow you to blur out the background a little bit better, nice if you are shooting people in a crowd and want to isolate your subject.  Also useful in low light but adds to the cost.

There are some good camera lens reviews at http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/

If you look under the EF-S reviews tab, you will find reviews of the 18-135 and the 18-200.

It would be helpful to know what lenses he has already. If he has a good zoom already then the 18-135 might be better. If he has the kit 17-55 than any of the above would be good, or just better.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Elennare on November 28, 2011, 10:53:26 AM
Sorry I disappeared.  Was out of town for Thanksgiving, and didn't have a chance to check back here like I thought I would.

He wants the lens primarily for taking wildlife pictures (especially birds), though I am guessing he may also want to use it to take pictures of our son at some point.

The only lens he currently has is the one that came with the camera.

Thanks for the link to the Canon lenses.  Unfortunately, I know nothing about camera lenses, so I have no idea what the various lenses there are useful for. :(
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Merlin the Elder on November 28, 2011, 11:12:34 AM
That being the case, Elennare, I can safely attest to the 75-300mm Canon lens, which I personally own. Without getting into the real expensive lenses, it will do a nice job.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Francisco Paula on November 28, 2011, 11:28:30 AM
Hello Elennare,

Now i am a nikon shooter but the lenses should be similar in sizes just make sure you get canon mounts and any good camera store should know there mounts.

The 75 to 300 is an awsome lense works great. Now i just switched to an 18 to 250 and it took place of two lenses for me. It covers you when the subject is close and also when they are far away. Also some of the off brand names like Tamron and Sigma are good lenses just not as expensive as the Canon brand lenses.

For an example i shot these shots this weekend at a wolf sanctuary with my 18 to 250 Sigma lense. https://picasaweb.google.com/Hikadaf/TurkeyToss2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjvpfaYxbHoKQ#

Oh the cost was between $500 and $600 for that lense. The one Merlin the elder is talking in the Tamron should be several hundred cheaper.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: dbaldock on November 28, 2011, 12:45:31 PM
Quote from: Merlin the Elder on November 28, 2011, 11:12:34 AM
That being the case, Elennare, I can safely attest to the 75-300mm Canon lens, which I personally own. Without getting into the real expensive lenses, it will do a nice job.

I agree with Merlin.

The kit lens is probably a wide-to-medium-telephoto zoom.  So, in order to take photos of birds (unless they're all Emus or Ostriches), he will want a lens that can cover the range from above the kit lens, to 300 - 400mm.

The 70 - 300 is a good choice, and the 100 - 400 has more reach but costs more than twice as much.
$ 650 MSRP Canon 70 - 300 IS USM (http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/professional/products/lenses/ef_lens_lineup/lens_telezoom_pro/ef_70_300mm_f_4_5_6_is_usm)
$1700 MSRP Canon 100 - 400 L IS USM (http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/professional/products/lenses/ef_lens_lineup/lens_telezoom_pro/ef_100_400mm_f_4_5_5_6l_is_usm)
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Merlin the Elder on November 28, 2011, 02:31:35 PM
David, the Canon lens I have is considerably cheaper at $235 MSRP: Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM (http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/professional/products/lenses/ef_lens_lineup/lens_telezoom_pro/ef_75_300mm_f_4_5_6_iii_usm). Mine does not have the image stabilizer. I've never had any difficulty.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Elennare on December 08, 2011, 09:28:45 AM
Thank you all for the wonderful advice.  I am going to venture to the camera store in the next couple of days.  I'll be sure to let you know what he thinks of the lens after the holidays (still not quite sure which one I'm going to get, but I think probably the one Merlin suggested). :)
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Elennare on January 04, 2012, 10:40:14 AM
Thank you once again to everyone who helped me pick a lens.  I ended up going with the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM.  I got the last one the store had. :)  My husband was very pleased with it, and VERY surprised.  So, thank you for helping me get him the perfect Christmas gift!

I was hoping to have a picture to share with you, but he hasn't had time to take anything other than the few crappy "lets see what the new lens can do" pictures right after he opened it (crappy, because of poor lighting and the house being a mess, not because of issues with the lens :)).  If I waited until I have a nice picture taken with the lens, I'll probably be thanking you all in December.  ;D  But, when he does get some nice wildlife shots with it, I'll be sure to post one.

Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Merlin the Elder on January 04, 2012, 11:47:12 AM
He should really enjoy that lens. I've shot some wildlife with mine. Had some deer that liked to graze in our back yard and I got some fair pix of them.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Brother Gregory on February 03, 2012, 09:57:32 AM
Have a question what is a good program to use for editing pictures? I have a digital camera that is a Nikon 12 meg pictures.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Merlin the Elder on February 03, 2012, 02:58:40 PM
I've used Adobe PhotoShop for years. Some cameras come with a lite version of PhotoShop, though I couldn't tell you the exact differences.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Brother Gregory on February 03, 2012, 03:10:37 PM
Thanks Merlin. I brought an copy of Photoshop Elements 9 last year and this looks like it will work just, curious what others were using.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Merlin the Elder on February 03, 2012, 03:44:45 PM
I think PS Elements will do all but the most critical work. The full version may support additional filters and things.  If you aren't a pro-photographer, you should be fine, and if you are, you would already have the full version or something similar.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Waite on February 03, 2012, 08:06:37 PM
Quote from: Brother Gregory on February 03, 2012, 09:57:32 AM
Have a question what is a good program to use for editing pictures? I have a digital camera that is a Nikon 12 meg pictures.

    I would seriously look into getting Adobe Lightroom. It will do just about everything you want. It's set up into four parts. Library, to sort, rate, crop, and add metadata to photos. Also links up to popular photo sharing sites, Facebook, Flickr, Smugmug. Develop, has your photo adjustment tools. It does a great job of reducing the noise in high ISO photos. Slideshow, makes slideshows you can add music to and save as PDF or a video file. Also has a print and web building options. Really the best part is that it's all non destructive. The program creates a catalog file that holds all the file changes.  The original file is never manipulated. There are some really great plugins also, Nik makes a great black and white plugin.
     You can also try before you buy, they have a 15 day trial on it. I like it a lot.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Mandrake Von Sets on February 04, 2012, 11:14:21 AM
You could also try Photoshop.com (http://www.photoshop.com).  It has the basic tools and you'll be able to share pictures through the same site.
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: renfairephotog on February 15, 2012, 12:43:01 PM
Lightroom 3 is on sale today at BH for $70.  sae is only good FEB 15.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/720705-REG/Adobe_65081059_Photoshop_Lightroom_3_Software.html
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: Capt Gabriela Fullpepper on October 23, 2013, 10:36:58 AM
Hi all. Been wanting a new camera for a long time but did not have the funds. I'm getting ready to get a new one and would like advise. I have had for 8 years my Panasonic DMC-FZ30. It's been a great camera for those 8 years and has rocked giving me some great photos. But as I said, it is limited and dated and it is time to move on using it as a backup.

I am looking at the Nikon D5200. What do you all think or do you have other suggestions. Aso what are the best type of lens to use for portraits, nature, action, adventure, performance, etc...?

Thanks
Title: Re: Photography Advice and Tips Thread.
Post by: moonshine jeff on December 06, 2013, 10:15:33 PM
for portraits i like the nifty 50. its the nikon 50mm 1.8   its a great lens and has the advantage of being about the cheapest lens there is.

for action you need a relativley fast lens. something like a 70-200mm f2.8 but that lens is expensive.

if your on facebook contact me at moonshine images and i can give you more advice