Archive for the ‘Learning’ Category

Life goes on…

Posted by bumblebeezack on January 1, 2010

Focal Length: 17 mm
Aperture: f/8.0
Shutter: 20s
ISO: 220
Fireworks created by overlaying multiple exposures

I wanted to catch the new year fireworks display, but I wanted something different. I’ve seen all the wonderful fireworks bomb burst and showers of light, and although they are beautifully captured, I wanted to contrast that against the stark reality. That days and years and dates change, man-made stuff may rise and fall, but against time, it’s all just a minuscule part of life. That our life on earth here is fleeting, and civilization will one day fall. That the wheels of time hardly feel the touch of man. That basically life goes on. So I think it’s apt we look into long exposure today.

Focal Length: 17 mm
Aperture: f/8.0
Shutter: 20s
ISO: 220
Panorama created by merging 3 shots

So how does one take a long exposure shot? First you need a camera that can be put into manual mode so that you have full control of the camera. This is so that you can override your cameras choice on how to expose certain scenes. Next you need a stable base. A tripod is perfect, but a park bench, a bin, or anything of that sort including the ground will also do. I hardly carry a tripod, so I use a gorillapod to hold up the camera. Whatever it is, a stable base is a must!

Focal Length: 50 mm
Aperture: f/10.0
Shutter: 20s
ISO: 220

When you’ve begged, borrowed and stolen a camera that can go full manual, and set up your super stable park bench, now it’s time to work with the camera. Put camera into manual mode. Choose an aperture that will give good sharpness on your lens for that hyperfocal distance thingy. Set the exposure to about 10s for starters. Put ISO into manual. Choose between lowest ISO value for your camera to 200 or so, and you should be fine. Higher sensitivity means less exposure time which will prevent shake from wind or ground vibrations from creeping into your photos and degrading sharpness. However, shorter exposures will prevent you from achieving that smooth water effect or cloud effect that you may want.

If your camera has live view, then use that. It’ll help with the composition alot. For the more advanced cameras, phase detect autofocus is fine, otherwise use the contrast detect autofocus (like a point-and-shoot) and endure the grindingly slow AF. Otherwise focus manually, yes, back to the old school! After you’ve gotten your focus. It’s time to take a photo.

Focal Length: 50 mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 10s
ISO: 200

Releasing the shutter is crucial. This is where usually the start of the shakes begin. the not-so-elegant way is to use the self timer. Hopefully the shake introduced to the camera by touching the shutter button has gone away by the time the shutter opens. The more elegant way is to use a remote. Both the wired and wireless version will work well. When the photos is done, check exposure by looking at the LCD. Add or minus exposure by adjusting the aperture or shutter. Bearing in mind that longer shutter speeds tends to smooth movement more and smaller apertures tend to have a more pronounced “stars” around bright light source. It’s alright to be slightly overexposed when taking photos with long exposure, if you wish to highlight certain colors or exaggerate movements. If you need longer exposures, some cameras can go into “bulb” mode, where the shutter won’t close until you release the shutter button.

And that’s it. There are of course minor variations to do a long exposure from person to person. But the basic idea is the same. Go out, experiment and have fun!

Focal Length: 50 mm
Aperture: f/9.0
Shutter: 15s
ISO: 200

Focal Length: 17 mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 30s
ISO: 200

Focal Length: 50 mm
Aperture: f/7.1
Shutter: 5s
ISO: 200

Focal Length: 50 mm
Aperture: f/9.0
Shutter: 15s
ISO: 200

Focal Length: 17 mm
Aperture: f/8.0
Shutter: 20s
ISO: 200

Focal Length: 17 mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 15s
ISO: 250

Focal Length: 17 mm
Aperture: f/8.0
Shutter: 30s
ISO: 200

Posted in Learning | Tagged: fireworks, long exposure | 2 Comments »

Catching Sunsets

Posted by bumblebeezack on December 24, 2009

Focal length: 38mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 1/1250s
ISO: 200

Trying to catch a sunset is always a hit and miss affair in Singapore. The skies are smoggy and thus most of the time, you will not get a sunset where the setting sun goes below the horizon. What you get instead is a sunset that has the sun going behind a huge bank of cloud and smog about 10 miles high. (Seriously I have no idea exactly how high, but you get the drift.) So we make do with half a sunset or a quarter of a sunset or whatever. I do find that some light rain in the early afternoon might actually clear the smog a little and add clarity to the skies but that goes into the list of wishful thinking. But, good sunsets still do occasionally make an appearance and if you “happened” to be there then good for you! All is not lost as well if you have huge clouds because the clouds will add texture to an other wise bland sky. It can also be more interesting if your sunset photos has other elements in it, like an object or even a person, although the latter falls under portrait, but hey, who cares! Don’t waste that elusive sunset!

I have been asked before what camera settings do I use to “catch” a sunset and I’m going to share that with you now. My sunset settings are also usually my “landscape” settings. I shoot in aperture priority mode, choosing an aperture that will give me a sharp foreground and background from the hyperfocal distance. I may then decide to underexpose the scene a little by entering a -0.3 or -0.7 exposure compensation. This will saturate the colors a little more, because less brightness will give higher saturation. It will also introduce more texture into the clouds. This way, sunset seems to come “earlier”. I may also tweak the white balance a little by pushing the white balance towards a more “amber” value. I usually leave the metering to matrix and shoot a few frames. Check the LCD display, and see if you like the results and take it from there. But generally that’s the camera settings I use for sunsets. I may do some or lots of post processing on the photos to get the mood I want from the photos. I feel that the digital darkroom is equally important and it pays to have good post-processing skills. However, it’s very important to take technically accurate photos to begin with. This is so that you can spend more time molding the photos into a work of art instead of trying to save a botched photo instead. With that I leave you with some sunset or sunset related photos taken both in and out of the country.

Focal length: 32mm
Aperture: f/10
Shutter: 1/400s
ISO: 200

Focal length: 18mm
Aperture: f/14
Shutter: 1/800s
ISO: 200

Focal length: 26mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 1/15s
ISO: 900

Focal length: 17mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 1/100s
ISO: 100

Focal length: 18mm
Aperture: f/8
Shutter: 1/1000s
ISO: 200

Focal length: 200mm
Aperture: f/8
Shutter: 1/500s
ISO: 200

Focal length: 18mm
Aperture: f/11
Shutter: 1/250s
ISO: 200

Lost the exif data on this one because of the HDR process

Focal length: 200mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 1/2500s
ISO: 200

Focal length: 35mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 1/60s
ISO: 200

Posted in Learning | Tagged: sunsets | Leave a Comment »

Does equipment matter?

Posted by bumblebeezack on December 20, 2009

Focal length: 1/170mm
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter: 1/160s
ISO: 2800
Flash zoomed to 85mm fired at 1/2 power

Does it? Well, I think it depends on what you want to do with the photos. For many, we take photos because it’s a hobby. For some it’s art. For many more, it is for keepsakes, to lock that special moment in time so that we could always go back to it. There are a few handful that actually sell the photos. Whatever the reason is, one thing is for sure, we all want as much quality as we can squeeze from our camera equipment. This is where all the problem begins. Sooner or later, you will think you need more stuff. Pros don’t ask this question. They know exactly what they want and they know they have to get it, but how about the amateurs? By the way, when I means pros, I mean anyone who dares to ask someone for money for their photographic services and have the ability and confidence to pull off whatever that the clients want. But I digress. So does equipment matter?

In short for most people, no. Honestly, that’s my opinion. I know many who takes photos and subsequently blame their equipment for sub par results. How sad. They’ll have their reasons of course, like for example, “There’s just too much noise!” or “The lens can’t take sharp photos” and my all time favorite ”Nikon camera just takes blue-r skies!” Ha! I’m glad I’m using Nikon then, because it always takes blue-r skies. Hmm, what happens when I want to take dark, gloomy skies? If anyone out there have been guilty before of saying such things, please stop thinking that way. You need to have a better understanding of your equipment. You need to have better knowledge of photography. If you are using digital, then you need to find out what is unique about digital as opposed to film. They all have their pros and cons. By polishing our knowledge we can achieve far greater results with whatever equipment we have then you think possible. The knowledge is out there in books, and the internet, so try to find out why your results don’t pass muster.

Many will then deem their equipment unworthy. They sell their Canon 50D for a 5D Mk II. They knock on their D90 and buy a D300. They may look down on third party lenses. They go for the most badass flash they can find, something that can light up to a mile away and set small animals on fire. Really, I know someone who looks down on my small-ish SB-600 speedlight and said that I should get an SB-800 instead because it has more power. He then takes portraits indoors, with his flash set to ±0 all the time. He then asks me why all his subjects are overexposed. I told him he should dial in some negative flash compensation. He did it, but it was still overexposed. So I told him dial down more, something like -3 and he expressed discomfort because he felt that he shouldn’t dial down the power on his flash by that much. What? Isn’t the flash able to do that so we can control the amount of light hitting the subject? What more it’s great to shoot at lesser power for flash because they will recycle faster!

Personally I like achieving really difficult photos with whatever equipment I have on hand. Sometime back I visited a Verner Panton exhibition and was walking deeper into town when I happened to see a long queue snaking around a huge looking ramp. Asking around I found out that it’s actually Red Bull’s X-fighters Exhibition Tour, so I decided to stick around. The show started at 830pm, and there isn’t enough lights to light up the makeshift arena. The few photos you see here of the amazing riders are taken with a D90 with an 18-200mm VR with an SB-600. What’s the problem with that combo? Many said that the D90 is slow compared to say a D300, having (only!) 4.5 fps, a slightly slower AF, and less memory buffer. The lens is a slow lens, having a variable aperture of f/3.5 – 5.6. At the longer end, you are stuck with the widest aperture of f/5.6. Which means you won’t have enough light entering the camera, which means higher ISO and therefore more noise. The problem with SB-600? Not enough power of course!

Given all that I could still pull off the above photos with some post-processing to remove noise and some sharpening. I’m really not saying I’m so smart. Please understand where I’m coming from. All I’m saying is that it can be amazing if you know how to maximize the full potential of your equipment. When you have eked out all that you can from your stuff, then you can start thinking of upgrades, because then, you will already have the knowledge to produce great photos! Till then don’t let your equipment and your mind limit you! “Ok I get it already! So how do I do that?”, I hear you ask. Well, I’ll talk about it in the the next blog, meanwhile here’s a tip, experiment hard with your equipment. Try different kinds of photography and see what limits you. When you hit a problem find out how you can solve it by coming back here and leaving a comment, or search the internet for answers. Most importantly, don’t forget to have fun!

This photo was not taken with a macro lens. I used the close focus properties of the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8, D300 and further cropping.

This shot was taken with the nifty fifty 50mm f/1.8 a cheap but sharp prime at f/5.6. On the D300 this lens has a reach of 75mm. Photo was cropped in.

Photo taken with the Tamron 17-5omm at 50mm, f/3.5.

Again with the Tamron lens at f/3.5.

At f/4.0 with the Tamron

Yet the Tamron again! f/3.5.

Posted in Learning | Tagged: equipment, sports photography, tamron | 1 Comment »

DSLR Crash Course

Posted by bumblebeezack on December 16, 2009

I’m suppose to start doing this like ages ago but been kinda busy and been kinda lazy! But here I am banging out my first blog about my photography and what better way than to kickstart it with how I spent my Wednesday!

Saliha and Husaini have recently treated themselves to a spanking new Nikon D5000. They bought the kit which comes with an 18-55mm VR lens and they added the 55-200mm VR to that. With this two lenses, they have a reach from 18mm all the way to 200mm! This small, entry-level DSLR is light, packed with lots of goodies and relatively affordable to boot! What more can you ask for? It’s perfect for them as previously they have been using many different point-and-shoots and has been unhappy with the so-so performance they got from the those cameras. Nothing wrong with point-and-shoots in general, but if one wants better quality, it’s hard not to go the DSLR route. However, if people think having a DSLR automatically means that they will be taking better photos then they’ve definitely got something else coming! Not knowing what you’re doing on a DSLR is a surefire way to feel disappointed with the quality of the photos that you produce and the purchase you have just made. Don’t be surprise that the results may look worse than the point-and-shoot gathering dust in the corner! This story may sound Nikon-centric (being a Nikon user myself) but the basics of photography applies to all cameras regardless of brand.

Husaini

Saliha

Above two photos are taken with a Nikon D300 with a 105mm Micro Nikkor VR

This is basically where I come in. I have been shooting with my dad on film SLRs, as a backup wedding photographer, and now that I am shooting weddings and other commercial assignments with the D300, they’ve decided to ask me to give a crash course on how to use and better understand their camera as well as photography in greater detail. They could only meet me at about 5 in the evening, being the busy adults they are, and we had to make do with the failing light.

This is what they learnt that day:

What all the letters and engravings on the lens means
How to better hold a DSLR, for that really stable grip
The trinity that is aperture, shutter speed and ISO
How to quickly move away from the Auto mode
Shooting in Aperture Priority and Manual mode
Other nuances of their camera which is of course special to Nikon

I shall now as briefly as I can recap what they’ve learnt in the short time we had before chomping our dinner. Saliha and Husaini, please feel free to use this blog to refresh what you’ve learnt. Altogether now say “thank you teacher!” Ha ha! Kidding guys…

What all those letters and engraving mean!

AF-S: Auto Focus – Silent wave motor. Autofocus is self explanatory. Silent wave motor is the motor that drives the lens. It’s built around the lens within, which tend to make such lenses fatter. These motors are ultrasonic motors, which makes them somewhat quieter and faster then conventional micro motors.

AF-D: Auto Focus – Distance. These are slightly older lens. There are plenty good ones and are legends in their own right. The “distance” means that the lens can report back the distance where the lens are focused. All AF-S lenses do this. AF-D are screw-drive lenses and will NOT autofocus on the d5000 and other cameras that does not have a built in screw drive motor. But they work if you focus manually and the “green dot” will still tell you that whatever you decide to focus on is now in focus.

G: Gelded. This means the lens does not have an aperture ring. Aperture is changed via the controls on the camera body. To me this isn’t a feature. It’s actually a handicap. Because you can’t use the lens on old bodies, but this don’t matter to new users with new camera bodies of course!

1:3.5 – 5.6: Basically I read this as this lens has a variable aperture that changes from f/3.5 to f/5.6 as the focal length increases.

How to better hold a DSLR, for that really stable grip?

Easy enough. Grip the camera with your right hand, and cradle the camera’s bottom with your left. Your left thumb and index finger is used to either zoom or focus manually the lens. Keep your arms close to your body for stability. Stand in a stable position if you stand. Squat or sit for a low stance. Always lean your body or elbow against something solid for an even more stable platform when you can. Having VR (Vibration Reduction) is merely a bonus, good photo-taking posture is a must.

The trinity that is aperture, shutter speed and ISO

They are all inter-related. Experiment with different combinations in manual mode and see how changing one affects the other. Rejoice in the fact that digital allows the changing of ISO with a turn of a dial instead of having to bring different speed films for different conditions! Enjoy your “ISO sensitivity settings” feature that has a better logic programming then mere Auto ISO that other cameras have.

How to quickly move away from the Auto mode

Be brave and stay away from “Auto” mode or “Green camera or whatever” mode. Do that and your photos will improve. Stick to full “Auto” and you dumb down your DSLR to a mere point-and-shoot. Why lug around a DSLR then? So how do you move away? By using more Aperture priority or Manual mode.

Shoot in Aperture Priority and Manual mode

Aperture priority mode allows you to change depth-of-field quickly which makes a huge difference as you go about the creative process of photographing what you see. Decide whether you want the subject to be isolated or you want pin sharp focus from foreground to background, and spin that dial! Choose Manual when you need to override the shutter speed that the camera chooses in Aperture priority mode (with Auto ISO on). This allows you to freeze or blur a subject at your whim and fancy!

If you have anymore questions regarding the camera or photography, feel free to leave them in the comment. I’ll answer them if I can or I’ll find someone who can. With that I leave you with some photos of that day!