Settings: f/22, 2 sec and 38 mm focal length. I followed the tutorial for the setup and positioning of the light and tripod and am quite happy with the results
Friday, December 30, 2011
Sparklers and champagne
Saw this great tutorial and simply had to try it. Great idea, except that it is very hard to find sparklers in New Zealand this time of the year - luckily my son had some.
Settings: f/22, 2 sec and 38 mm focal length. I followed the tutorial for the setup and positioning of the light and tripod and am quite happy with the results
Settings: f/22, 2 sec and 38 mm focal length. I followed the tutorial for the setup and positioning of the light and tripod and am quite happy with the results
Monday, December 26, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Lens fungus
Haven't done the Xmas lights shots yet as I had an unplanned trip to Auckland and Taupo. Also attended a 2-day Photoshop workshop, which was excellent and I cannot wait to play with the software. Between all of that I bought an ultra-wide angle lens 2nd hand, and wondered about lens fungus. Was worried that if this lens had any lens fungus, whether it would spread to my other lenses in my camera bag.
The short answer: yes, it is possible!!!!! :(
Found this article about lens-fungus and used the rest of the day to check all my lenses
The short answer: yes, it is possible!!!!! :(
Found this article about lens-fungus and used the rest of the day to check all my lenses
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Xmas lights
This week a group of us are going on a Xmas Light photowalk. Still busy reading up, but found this really good tutorial - good tips in here!!!!
Basically, this is what it says: (copied from the site mentioned above, http://strobist.blogspot.com/ - thank you for the great advice)
Basically, this is what it says: (copied from the site mentioned above, http://strobist.blogspot.com/ - thank you for the great advice)
How to Do It:
1. Arrive early. The best time to shoot is before it gets totally dark. More specifically, get there before what looks like mix light to your eyes, too. Arriving around sunset will give you time to plan your shot before the good light happens. You may have to ask your subject to turn the lights on early - most people don't flip them on until the good light is already gone.
2. Compose your photo in such a way as to include as much sky as possible in the background. Shooting from a low position can help. Even better: If you have your choice of shooting direction, shoot into the afterglow of the evening sky.
3. Once you get your picture framed, set your camera's white balance for "tungsten," as if you were shooting indoors without flash. All of those little lights are tungsten balanced. As a bonus, the tungsten setting will turn your afterglow sky royal blue once your light balances out. The sky will look great - even if it is a cloudy evening. And your lights will gleam crystal white -- or whatever color they are supposed to be.
4. A light (or reflective) foreground, like snow, or a puddle (or the roof of a car) can give nice foreground interest. See what you can find.
5. Use a tripod or a beanbag to steady your camera. You'll be shooting in the range of a quarter second to a full second at twilight. If shooting with a phone or PDA, use both hands to brace the phone against something solid.
6. Now, wait for the light to happen.
Shoot a test shot every minute or so. At first, you'll be exposing for the sky and the lights will appear unimpressive. Check the back of your camera after each shot to watch the Christmas lights appear to "come up" as the ambient light level goes down. Your eye is constantly adjusting to compensate for the dropping light levels, but the changes will be happening nonetheless. Your camera will record them differently from the way that you eye sees them (you can see a much greater contrast range) so shoot and chimp.
1. Arrive early. The best time to shoot is before it gets totally dark. More specifically, get there before what looks like mix light to your eyes, too. Arriving around sunset will give you time to plan your shot before the good light happens. You may have to ask your subject to turn the lights on early - most people don't flip them on until the good light is already gone.
2. Compose your photo in such a way as to include as much sky as possible in the background. Shooting from a low position can help. Even better: If you have your choice of shooting direction, shoot into the afterglow of the evening sky.
3. Once you get your picture framed, set your camera's white balance for "tungsten," as if you were shooting indoors without flash. All of those little lights are tungsten balanced. As a bonus, the tungsten setting will turn your afterglow sky royal blue once your light balances out. The sky will look great - even if it is a cloudy evening. And your lights will gleam crystal white -- or whatever color they are supposed to be.
4. A light (or reflective) foreground, like snow, or a puddle (or the roof of a car) can give nice foreground interest. See what you can find.
5. Use a tripod or a beanbag to steady your camera. You'll be shooting in the range of a quarter second to a full second at twilight. If shooting with a phone or PDA, use both hands to brace the phone against something solid.
6. Now, wait for the light to happen.
Shoot a test shot every minute or so. At first, you'll be exposing for the sky and the lights will appear unimpressive. Check the back of your camera after each shot to watch the Christmas lights appear to "come up" as the ambient light level goes down. Your eye is constantly adjusting to compensate for the dropping light levels, but the changes will be happening nonetheless. Your camera will record them differently from the way that you eye sees them (you can see a much greater contrast range) so shoot and chimp.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Photoshop Collage
Had to try a collage with PhotoShop after watching a tutorial by a fellow Photography Institute student. Thanks Paul - you are brilliant!!!!!
Horse Photography
Would love to take photos of horses, as I do enjoy taking photos of animals and birds. And an invitation of a horse-mad friend to meet up with her and meet her horse might just be the perfect opportunity!
So Google to the rescue again for some research. As always, the same message from all the equine photographers:
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So Google to the rescue again for some research. As always, the same message from all the equine photographers:
- Stay 15-20 feet away from the horse to prevent distortion. Keep your distance, enlarge the prints later if necessary
- Use a telephoto lens
- Best time - 10am or 2pm, these times will give you the best shadow effect
- Have the camera level or slightly lower than the horse
- Make sure the shadow of the horse is on the far side of the horse, in other words the light behind the photographer
- Front or rear shots should be taken on an angle of 45 degrees
- Position yourself so that all 4 legs are evenly spread as you look at the horse. Legs should appear well-balanced, without a huge space between the front and hind legs
- Can get good photos of just a part of the horse - an eye, the hoof, the rider's hands or helmet
- EARS forward!!!!!
- A good setting: f/8, 1/500, telephoto lens
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Had a lovely time and enjoyed the horses!!!!
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