Photography

[jaymar]

After many years of taking mediocre snaps with the occasional photo mixed in I have bought a bridge camera. I now need to learn how to use it effectively. I know there are many keen photographers on the forum and I would like to tap into their wisdom to find out the best way of learning. Time is not a problem (I hope, being elderly one never knows) but energy is sparse. Any help will be welcomed gratefully
Alan

 

[bugbear]

Learning about focal lengths, f-stops, focus, shutter speeds, depth of field, exposure compensation all sound technical, but can (TBH)
be done in a week or two.

Leaning to find and create interesting images or compositions is MUCH harder (it may take actual talent!) and is where I would
concentrate my time and effort.

It's very easy to be distracted by the technicalities of capturing difficult images (and it's rather fun) but
don't confuse difficult with desirable.

BugBear

 

[DiscoStu]

The great thing about digital photography is that it costs nothing to try things.

Try taking photos of different types with different settings.

I'd start by choosing to use either aperture or shutter priority mode so you just change one setting and the camera will do the rest. Try taking a picture of something close up with something else in the background (a flower in a wood for example) and try different apertures.
Smaller number = larger hole so less depth of field (less stuff in focus)

The try a few shots working up to a larger number and smaller hole.

Then try the same with say cars driving down a road but with different shutter speeds.

Be warned though if you get below about 1/30th second you'll find shots are blurry due to camera shake.

Have a go a panning the camera so the camera follows the movement, you want to get sharp cars but blurry backgrounds.

Moving water (ideally waterfalls) is good for seeing the effects of shutter speeds. Although you may need a tripod to hold the camera steady.

Overall have fun and have a play.

You might find a good photography book worth while as it will show you all you need to know.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Personally, I love Ansel Adams' "Basic Photography" series.

Like Desert Island Discs, if I have to pick one of them - and the new editions are good but not cheap - go for 'The Negative'.

It's all about visualization - seeing in the mind's eye the image you want to achieve, and learning to set the camera controls to achieve it. Digital kit makes this easier, but doesn't do it for you.

I have the 1948 A.A. series (well, most of them). They can be picked up for pennies. You can also usually get them from the library (later editions), although you might have to request them specifically.

As one of the Amazon reviewers said, "There has been only one book on photography ever writen": The Negative is that book. Adams explains the Zone system, which is a way of thinking about exposure creatively, so that what you record, be it film or digital, is what you intended.

Adams is the photographic equivalent of Krenov, Maloof and Gibbons, all rolled into one. The infuriating man was also a polymath - pretty good jazz musician too.

. . .

This is a good later edition (largely pre-digital). I must emphasize that the digital/chemical thing doesn't matter: lenses and shutters work in exactly the same way, and that does matter. If you get the hang of them, digital photography is easier in many ways, although digital cameras are horribly over complicated.

This looks good. In the Amazon preview he goes over the problems:

The biggest difference between chemical negative-to-print and digital file-to-print is that the problem part of the image swaps over: in chemical negatives you're always worried about shadow detail. That's recorded as thinness on the negative you make: the darkest parts of the original scene record as transparent on the negative, and you can't have more transparent than transparent! So, below a certain brightness value, your negative will hold no detail to be squeezed out of it later in the printing. You have to expose a negative so that all the shadow detail you need is there.

In digital work, it's mainly the other way round: you can't store something brighter than 100%. If you over-expose your image, you can't rescue the highlights later, as there's no detail recorded to recover.

You thus have to make sure your image has enough detail in the highlights. This is a particular nuisance in photographing Caucasian skin tones - greasy foreheads (like mine :-( ) catch a shine from the lighting, and over-expose readily. The human eye picks this up more readily than underexposed shadows.

In a nutshell, Adams' Zone System gets you thinking about these problems, automatically (it goes into the subconscious), so you decide what's important in the image, and expose correctly. That makes all processing afterwards much easier!

Crucially, these ideas are unchanging. The technology will come and go, but the thinking won't. If you get your head round exposure, everything else follows on. If y6ou can run to more books in the series, The Camera and The Print are the other timeless ones. Yes, he talks about chemistry and techniques you may never use, but it's always that way. Optics don't change though, and the 'workflow' process - going from seeing something to making a final, good print, still has to be thought about.

. . .

A bridge camera should be 'manual' enough to let you learn what's going on by experiment. In the winter, I'd start off probably with indoor still lifes - set up some fruit, or anything really, on a table top, with some good light, and experiment - try altering the lens aperture, focus, and exposure, by hand, and see what happens. Don't use flash.

Unless you're dead keen on sports photography, the aperture is more important than the shutter speed. It controls how much front-to-back detail (focus) you can see in the picture. I use my camera on 'aperture priority' most of the time - I choose the aperture manually, and the camera sorts out the shutter speed to match (pretty much). Sometimes you want a lot of detail, sometimes, mainly portraits, you don't.

Final thought, there are camera clubs everywhere. We have one locally here, and there are nice people in it. Yes there are very keen competitive experts, but there are also people with time to explain and help.

Sorry - wittering on, but Adams was a better teacher than I'll ever be...

E.

PS: Just read Stu's post - waterfalls are _really_ good to help your understanding of shutter speed. To avoid camera shake, consider a lightweight tripod, or a soft camera bag you can rest the camera on - my hands shake these days and I find a tripod invaluable. Secondhand shops are a great place to find them cheaply. A remote trigger of some sort is handy, but not essential - just use the self-timer instead.

PPS: Keep notes - as a child, my dad encouraged me to keep a log book, recording aperture, shutter speed, etc, for each frame - really handy to understand what I did well, and badly. Some cameras now record some of this stuff, but in my experience often not enough detail.

 

[Claymore]

.......

 

[Harry 48]

Hi Mike Browne on you tube has some great videos well worth a watch

 

[finneyb]

I find Lumix Academy v good https://www.lumixgexperience.panasonic. ... istration/ get one tutorial a week, which doesn't overload while keeping the interest going. It's free.

So far as I can see the tutorials would be relevant for other cameras other than Lumix/Panasonic, their intended market.

Brian

 

[brianhabby]

Lots of good advice above. Try not to skimp too much on the tripod - it needs to hold your camera steady but not be so heavy that you are reluctant to take it out with you.

Join a local camera club and if they have competitions (most do) then enter them. You will often be given a theme for each competition and it really focuses the mind. And when it comes to the judging, don't be disheartened by any negative comments about your own photos, but rather learn from what others say. At the end of the day, the judge's comments are only the opinions of a single person.

I once had a photo slated by a judge one week and then it took first place the next time it was judged.

Just keep practicing, you will get there.

regards

Brian

 

[bugbear]

PPS: Keep notes - as a child, my dad encouraged me to keep a log book, recording aperture, shutter speed, etc, for each frame - really handy to understand what I did well, and badly. Some cameras now record some of this stuff, but in my experience often not enough detail.

How much detail do you want!? Here's a full dump of what my (old, launched in Sep 2006) Canon A630 records:

ExifTool Version Number : 9.13
File Name : IMG_2353.JPG
Directory : .
File Size : 3.6 MB
File Modification Date/Time : 2013:11:17 14:07:45+00:00
File Access Date/Time : 2014:12:21 09:02:31+00:00
File Inode Change Date/Time : 2013:11:21 14:36:02+00:00
File Permissions : rw-------
File Type : JPEG
MIME Type : image/jpeg
Exif Byte Order : Little-endian (Intel, II)
Make : Canon
Camera Model Name : Canon PowerShot A630
Orientation : Horizontal (normal)
X Resolution : 180
Y Resolution : 180
Resolution Unit : inches
Modify Date : 2008:03:16 15:00:37
Y Cb Cr Positioning : Centered
Exposure Time : 1/8
F Number : 3.5
Exif Version : 0220
Date/Time Original : 2008:03:16 15:00:37
Create Date : 2008:03:16 15:00:37
Components Configuration : Y, Cb, Cr, -
Compressed Bits Per Pixel : 5
Shutter Speed Value : 1/8
Aperture Value : 3.5
Max Aperture Value : 3.5
Flash : Off, Did not fire
Focal Length : 17.3 mm
Macro Mode : Normal
Self Timer : Off
Quality : Superfine
Canon Flash Mode : Off
Continuous Drive : Single
Focus Mode : Single
Record Mode : JPEG
Canon Image Size : Large
Easy Mode : Manual
Digital Zoom : None
Contrast : Normal
Saturation : Normal
Sharpness : 0
Camera ISO : 200
Metering Mode : Evaluative
Focus Range : Auto
AF Point : Auto AF point selection
Canon Exposure Mode : Program AE
Lens Type : Unknown (-1)
Max Focal Length : 29.2 mm
Min Focal Length : 7.3 mm
Focal Units : 1000/mm
Max Aperture : 3.6
Min Aperture : 8
Flash Bits : (none)
Focus Continuous : Single
AE Setting : Normal AE
Zoom Source Width : 3264
Zoom Target Width : 3264
Spot Metering Mode : Center
Manual Flash Output : n/a
Focal Type : Zoom
Focal Plane X Size : 7.44 mm
Focal Plane Y Size : 5.59 mm
Auto ISO : 100
Base ISO : 200
Measured EV : 5.94
Target Aperture : 3.6
Target Exposure Time : 1/8
Exposure Compensation : -1/3
White Balance : Auto
Slow Shutter : Off
Shot Number In Continuous Burst : 0
Optical Zoom Code : 6
Flash Guide Number : 0
Flash Exposure Compensation : 0
Auto Exposure Bracketing : Off
AEB Bracket Value : 0
Control Mode : Camera Local Control
Focus Distance Upper : 2.51 m
Focus Distance Lower : 0 m
Bulb Duration : 0
Camera Type : Compact
Auto Rotate : None
ND Filter : Off
Self Timer 2 : 0
Flash Output : 0
Canon Image Type : IMGowerShot A630 JPEG
Canon Firmware Version : Firmware Version 1.00
File Number : 100-2353
Owner Name :
ISO : 200
Rotation : 0
Camera Temperature : 20 C
Canon Model ID : PowerShot A630
AF Area Mode : Multi-point AF or AI AF
Num AF Points : 9
Valid AF Points : 9
Canon Image Width : 3264
Canon Image Height : 2448
AF Image Width : 1088
AF Image Height : 409
AF Area Widths : 196 196 196 196 196 196 196 196 196
AF Area Heights : 74 74 74 74 74 74 74 74 74
AF Area X Positions : -196 0 196 -196 0 196 -196 0 196
AF Area Y Positions : -75 -75 -75 0 0 0 75 75 75
AF Points In Focus : 4,6,7
Primary AF Point : 4
Thumbnail Image Valid Area : 0 0 0 0
Date Stamp Mode : Off
My Color Mode : Off
Firmware Revision : 1.00 rev 3.00
Categories : (none)
Image Unique ID : 32b5b875f0cdc48bf17cc5a35bea5d12
User Comment :
Flashpix Version : 0100
Color Space : sRGB
Exif Image Width : 3264
Exif Image Height : 2448
Interoperability Index : R98 - DCF basic file (sRGB)
Interoperability Version : 0100
Related Image Width : 3264
Related Image Height : 2448
Focal Plane X Resolution : 11412.58741
Focal Plane Y Resolution : 11439.25234
Focal Plane Resolution Unit : inches
Sensing Method : One-chip color area
File Source : Digital Camera
Custom Rendered : Normal
Exposure Mode : Manual
Digital Zoom Ratio : 1
Scene Capture Type : Standard
Compression : JPEG (old-style)
Thumbnail Offset : 5120
Thumbnail Length : 5344
Image Width : 3264
Image Height : 2448
Encoding Process : Baseline DCT, Huffman coding
Bits Per Sample : 8
Color Components : 3
Y Cb Cr Sub Sampling : YCbCr4:2:2 (2 1)
Aperture : 3.5
Drive Mode : Single-frame Shooting
Image Size : 3264x2448
Lens : 7.3 - 29.2 mm
Lens ID : Unknown 7-29mm
Scale Factor To 35 mm Equivalent: 4.6
Shooting Mode : Program AE
Shutter Speed : 1/8
Thumbnail Image : (Binary data 5344 bytes, use -b option to extract)
Circle Of Confusion : 0.006 mm
Field Of View : 25.2 deg
Focal Length : 17.3 mm (35 mm equivalent: 80.6 mm)
Hyperfocal Distance : 13.30 m
Lens : 7.3 - 29.2 mm (35 mm equivalent: 33.9 - 135.8 mm)
Light Value : 5.6

BugBear

 

[lurker]

Whatever you do do not get the idea that kit is a substitute for skill. Much like woodwork!

The latest expensive whizz bang ought to be avoided
My favourite kit would have cost around £3k only 8 years ago. I bought it for a tad over £300 and guess what it's capable of far better photography than I'll ever be.

London camera exchange are pretty good for second hand kit and will not rip you off.

 

[Fatboy]

While most of the posts above provide good technical and starter advice for using the camera, one of the most important skills, if not THE most important skill, is in composition. Having £10k worth of equipment is useless if you don't know where to point the camera. The rule of thirds is a good starting point - see here http://digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds/

Spending time on getting your composition right will save you time and money - you won't spend so much time taking 100's of shots and you won't need a top of the range camera to get good results. Practise, practise, practise.

 

[jaymar]

Thanks everyone for the tips and advise. I will do my best to follow them but I can see a long job ahead.
Thanks Alan

 

[Harry 48]

Why not do it the professional way take 500 pictures of the same thing at different angles then pic the best one LOL
Only joking but try not to get bogged down with the technical side enjoy your self

 

[Eric The Viking]

Just a quick follow-up to BB:

I only have one Canon lens. The others are Sigma and Pentax (totally manual), and the Sigma ones apparently don't talk properly to the camera body (ageing 30D). In particular, things like the lens' zoom setting aren't properly recorded, and some of the camera-specific fields historically haven't been retreived by my workflow software. The zoom/lens angle is critical for panorama rendering so this can be a right PITA.

Am migrating to GIMP for post processing (need to find something for Linux workflow too). Used Corel After Shot on Windows so may stick with it (there's a Linux flavour).

 

[DiscoStu]

I too am an Ansel Adams fan. I have prints all over my house and great to view for a lesson on landscape composition. If you want to study portraiture then buy a copy of vogue. You'll also find some of the best photography in National Geographic.

Amateur photographer is a magazine that is well worth a read.

As for information recorded nearly all cameras will record IPTC information and save it as part of the file. A lot of photo editing programmes can display this info. I'd suggest choosing and using a photo library tool for organising all of your images and importantly a backup process.

One of my mates has what I now believe to be a good system. He downloads all the photos onto his PC and then puts the SD card into a box and never uses it again. He just buys a new one. It sounds frivolous but actually he gets 2000 photos on a card that costs £8 so compared to old film it's a bargain.

An online backup is ideal where you store your backups in "the cloud" so even if the house burns down you have your photos safe.

 

[Eric The Viking]

That's a bunch of really good advice, Stu.

It was Geographic that sparked my creative interest in photography decades ago.

The card thing also seems to be sound advice. It certainly gets round the storage problem.

 

[finneyb]

DiscoStu,

I'm new to photography but why not use an external ITB hard drive at £50 ? eg http://www.dabs.com/products/seagate-1t ... d%20Drives allegedly can store upto 320,000 photos that's got to be cheaper than SD cards.

As I said above, I'm a novice - I'm collecting a lot of photos, what do you do with them? Currently, I'm thinking of a digital photoframe and having themes on separate SD cards.

Brian

 

[DiscoStu]

The card idea is a mates and I think he likes it because he downloads once and that's it. Nothing wrong with an external drive as a backup - except it is onsite (as are the SD cards)

 

[Racers]

Just remember you are capturing the light reflected off the subject, so pay attention to light and lighting.

Read the manual and get to know your camera, there are a lot of information on line some of it very good.

Pete

 

[Alexam]

As Brian said - JOIN A CLUB. However, you will need to look around and be selective. Some clubs spend all their time looking at photographs and being critical. I joined one of these years ago, then found a club that gets everyone involved so that members learn from each other. Contact local clubs and explain that you want tuition and see if they can help. When I retired at 70 and took up photography seriously, with quality equipment, it took a couple of years to get to a level when I could work professionally. However, I have now switched to woodworking and enjoying the learning all over again.