start learning how aperture affects the DOF and do some reading on composition and lighting. i wish i had more lighting knowledge. here are some from tonight!
Yeah, I just read about the T2i after getting the T1i 2 weeks ago. I decided to return the T1i and now am just waiting to see when the T2i will be in stores.
T2i sounds like a pretty awesome DSLR, good choice! I think they hit the stores in March, I'd suggest checking out Panasonic Lumix GF1 while you're waiting. Quality of a DSLR plus interchangeable Leica lenses, but because it has no mirror (like SLR's) it's 2 times smaller than bulky DSLR's, which will make you shoot more pics Went to Minnehaha Falls on saturday, i can't believe i've never gone there during winter, the place is amazing. Still sorting through over 200 snaps i got But here's one
wow thats awesome.... i too cant figure out why i been there in the winter.... im lazy and hate cold i guess. haha. plus i think everyone has shot the falls before.
im using a black sheet. all you have to do it keep any flash from hitting it and then bump contrast a tad to really get it dark. i dont have photoshop. all i did was adjust the tone a little and BAM it turned purple. smoke shots are EEEEEEAAAsy!!! the hard part is waiting for the smoke to do something cool. you get lucky.
here is a good video to watch how simple it can be if you have the right flash. i dont do it exactly this way because my flash doesnt work with my camera body. this is a pretty general way to do it.
What kind of flash do you guys recommend? In that video when does the guy trip the remote flash, right when he presses the shutter or is it automatic?
that one is auto. i dont have a nice flash that works with my digital slr. i have a retro vivitar film flash. i have my camera set to a closed aperture to keep as much in focus as i can, i set the shutter for something big like 2 sec but i have everything pre setup because i turn every light out in the room so the only light i get is from the split second of flash. kinda like how people take lightning photos. they open the shutter for long enough until the lightning flashes and lights everything up. might not make sense but it works. took this tonight.
^ wow that is so crazy , today i picked up a tripod and a new flash for my camera......oh and i am half way through dig. photography for dummies , and have read the manual twice....let the fun begin....now if i could just get the wife to sit still:lockd:
lol i havent had that problem with my girl haha. not posting those!!!! id get in touble! this sits still pretty well though. got it tonight
holster, your moon pictures made me want to get my own. I finally got some tonight. Not as good as yours, but it was fun. Do you think a tripod would help?
what are your shot settings? i cannot view the data on my computer. shoot manual i always stay around F11 (they call it moon11 for a reason), close to 1/200sec usually, zoomed in all the way on my center AF point. a tripod helps but focusing is the hard part. AF works sometimes but i always switch to and from MF and AF to make sure i get the right shot. take a lot of photos so you have a better chance to get a good one. you only need one. also if your camera has a mirror lock up function try it out. it takes away a TINY litle bit of camera shake. at long focal lengths the less shake the better. here is my latest one. RAW Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160) Aperture: f/11.0 Focal Length: 200 mm ISO Speed: 100 Exposure Bias: 0 EV
All of my attempts were at F6.3 (max). I tried several different settings, but my best (the one above) was 1/2,000 and ISO 200. I then messed with the levels in photoshop, which I think helped a lot. I was thinking tripod so I could go with a slower shutter speed and turn off the lens stabilization. I found my camera does have a setting to delay the shutter after mirror lock up. I'll try some MF shots. It's really hard to tell on the camera if it's focused perfectly, but I guess that's the point of several shots.
you shouldnt need anything above iso 100. stop down your aperture even more. get around F11 a little above or below. you dont want to have a long exposure because it will blow out the light. remember the moon is already well lit by the sun even though its dark out. you dont really need a tripod if your shooting close to 1/200 it can help. the last one i posted was hand held with a non-is lens
THANKs!!!! im trying really hard to make it nice. i dont get many views on my page. usually like 30-40. so thanks for looking
Picked up a T2i a few weeks back, slowly been learning this whole SLR thing. Thanks for all the tips in this thread, especially the moon stuff. Here's a decent one from last night in manual mode.
NICE shot! i havent taken any moon shots lately. i should now that its warmer out. ive got to do my smoke shots for the contest this month too!!!! what lens did you use on that?
I have just started doing some research into landscape photography. I am curious as to how other photographers can capture so much detail (clarity and vibrant colors) in their landscape photos w/o over exposing. Does anyone have any input on this?
One thing that make s huge difference (not counting post-processing of course ) is using a polarizing filter. It really brings out the blues and green, and makes them very sharp and punchy. Other than that, just like with cars its all about your budget for good parts -glass in this case!
I have used a polarizing filter before with mixed results. Although I have now discovered that the polarizing effect of the filter is amplified at increased altitude. The times I was getting too much out of it I was over 7000ft above sea level, it was just over powering. I was thinking along the lines of a neutral density filter of some sort to allow longer exposure times w/o over exposing. I do agree though that some of the limitation is caused by the 18-55mm kit lens I am using for this type of photography.
Yeah, that makes total sense as the less atmosphere you have the more UV radiation you get. Do you use Canon? I too have the kit lens Try renting some L-glass when you go somewhere to shoot, hard to turn back! I do that when I go on vacation... until I can buy some better lenses...
Yep, I am shooting a Canon XSi. I mainly use the 18-55mm IS kit lens for landscape stuff. I have thought about renting some L-glass but never looked into it. I think I would get hooked and end up spending more money then I would like too ;-) Anyone have any experience with the ND filters or have any recommendations on a good low cost one?
Have not gotten into ND filters yet, but form what I am told the ones to get are not the circular ones you screw onto the lens, but the ones that go into the holders you put in front of the lens... :???:
Did some investigating. At national camera you can get a 0.9 graduated ND filter (the big square one) with holder and 58mm lens adapter ring for ~$35. The cheapest I have found them online is for ~$80. It seems like the graduated ND filter is the way to go for shooting landscapes as you can adjust the filter so that you are changing the stops on only the sky/above the horizon where the image is normally overexposed. A normal solid ND filter would be good for shooting long exposures during daytime (not involving much sky) ie waterfalls and motion blurs. I found a Liffen(SP) kit with 0.6,0.9,1.2 ND filters for ~$45 with carry case which could be fun to experimrnt with.
Yeah that's kinda what I've found out too... the graduated ones are more versatile, as the ones with a single (or two) sharp changes in graduation are ok-great for flat horizons (sunsets, etc) say at dawn or dusk to allow you to block out glare from sky and bring out whatever is in your foreground... I think you may be meaning Tiffen? If so, they make good quality stuff -probably not pro- but good none the less. I have tried several brands of UV and polarizers and Tiffen has been my favorite so far. Let me know if you get one and how you like it!
what you should look for are Graduated neutral density filters and an adapter to fit the end of your lens. the problem with shooting landscapes is metering both the ground and sky so you get a good exposure and both look good. without a good filter setup youll either get a great sky and super dark ground, or a good ground and a blown out sky. dont buy a screw on graduated ND filter. because those are totally pointless and suuuuper generic. get one where you can adjust for the horizon in your shot. your setup will be something like this http://www.alexwisephotography.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/digi1.jpg this topic would work best in the equpiment thread though
ones where your looking up and or level dont work well with tilt shift miniature photography. looking down helps a ton. i like yours
Holster is right you have to take downward photos, preferably, from a high place. If you have Photoshop do the effects in there, you have way more creative control. you can find a tutorial on Google. If you don't have Photoshop you can go to tiltshiftmaker.com. Took this from on top of my garage
