What’s Your Preference?

simple simon · #1 (**permalink**) 12-04-2007, 02:29 AM

Thanks for the great tips over in the "General Chit Chat" Section. I haven't had a lot of free time to photograph, yet, but I did take some pictures yesterday for a few hours. I posted one picture representative of the quality I'm getting on my flickr, and was hoping I could get some advice? The pictures look ~ok~, but maybe now you'll see what I'm saying when I feel like they are missing something. Below is one such example. Thank you!

peeperita · #2 (**permalink**) 12-04-2007, 02:44 AM

i found vegas at night quite difficult to photograph without a tripod.....and i did notice on your exif that you shot at 800 iso.....that leads me to believe that you shot hand held.....and for a hand held you did a very nice job.....

if it's the grain and lack of crispness that bothers you, trudge along with a tripod in tow and lower your iso..

if it's the colors.....experiment with your camera's white settings...

i do want to say that your image is one to be proud of....but, if it makes you unhappy and you're in a situation to reshoot.....then by all means do.....

experiment, you'll be surprized by what you find.....

peeper

clockdoc · #3 (**permalink**) 12-04-2007, 03:37 AM

Can you share what it is about your photo that is bothering you? I think you have done well in capturing a wide tonal range with your shot.

simple simon · #4 (**permalink**) 12-04-2007, 04:48 PM

Thank you peeper and clockdoc! I really value your opinions! Peeper was right on... I was shooting handheld (leaning on the railing) and the part that I'm not 100% satisfied with is the crispness. Perhaps tonight I will venture out with my tripod? Any other suggestions to gain more crispness? Is using AP or SP the best way to go? Or should I be going totally Manual?
I'm fairly new to photography (and certainly to a DSLR with virtually limitless settings). I just know that the camera is capable, and I want to use it to it's ability. Thanks again!

Murtasma · #5 (**permalink**) 12-04-2007, 05:07 PM

I see you shot this at a pretty wide apature it was also hand held. If you have the opertunity bring a tripod next time. I think your composition is good and the exposer looked good as well. Stop your lens down a few stops to get more depth of field in the image. Right now you shot that at F4 something I believe try F8 or F11. You could even try something like F16 at Iso 100 to get a few second exposer where the waterfall will look very dream like.

In a nutshell using a tripod will help a shot like this a lot be sure to drop down to Iso 100 when you use the tripod. Pick a night where there is little wind so the palm trees don't move.

clockdoc · #6 (**permalink**) 12-04-2007, 05:07 PM

Whether you use shutter priority (SP) or aperture priority (AP), depends on your evaluation of the scene. For example, is there motion involved that you want to accentuate with a slower shutter speed or sports action you want to 'freeze' with a higher shutter speed. If so them SP may be best. If depth of field is key either desiring shallow depth of field for a portrait of maximum depth of field for a landscape, then AP is best. As you become more comfortable with your camera you can transition to manual mode.
Since you say you are new to photography, I have to ask if you understand the relationship between shutter speed and aperture. For example, if a shot required proper exposure of f/11 at 1/100 of a second, would you intuitively know what shutter speed to use if you wanted to shoot at f/5.6? So many of us rely on our camera meter but it helps to understand these exposure relationships. Also, do you understand the concept of depth-of-field and how where you focus determines how that field is effected?
Don't fear higher ISO's with the potential for more 'noise.' Rather, experiment with them so you can learn how they affect different lighting situations. I'm happy to help in any way I can. Your first 5,000 exposures are the hardest. 8-) Keep shooting!

simple simon · #7 (**permalink**) 12-04-2007, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clockdoc

Whether you use shutter priority (SP) or aperture priority (AP), depends on your evaluation of the scene. For example, is there motion involved that you want to accentuate with a slower shutter speed or sports action you want to 'freeze' with a higher shutter speed. If so them SP may be best. If depth of field is key either desiring shallow depth of field for a portrait of maximum depth of field for a landscape, then AP is best. As you become more comfortable with your camera you can transition to manual mode.
Since you say you are new to photography, I have to ask if you understand the relationship between shutter speed and aperture. For example, if a shot required proper exposure of f/11 at 1/100 of a second, would you intuitively know what shutter speed to use if you wanted to shoot at f/5.6? So many of us rely on our camera meter but it helps to understand these exposure relationships. Also, do you understand the concept of depth-of-field and how where you focus determines how that field is effected?
Don't fear higher ISO's with the potential for more 'noise.' Rather, experiment with them so you can learn how they affect different lighting situations. I'm happy to help in any way I can. Your first 5,000 exposures are the hardest. 8-) Keep shooting!

well, f/5.6 is 2 stops from f/11 (f/11 -> f/8 - > f/5.6 right?) then i'm guessing that i would need to increase the shutter speed by that factor to get the same exposure? so would that come up to f/5.6 with a shutter speed of 1/400? did i do the math right? thanks!

simple simon · #8 (**permalink**) 12-04-2007, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murtasma

I see you shot this at a pretty wide apature it was also hand held. If you have the opertunity bring a tripod next time. I think your composition is good and the exposer looked good as well. Stop your lens down a few stops to get more depth of field in the image. Right now you shot that at F4 something I believe try F8 or F11. You could even try something like F16 at Iso 100 to get a few second exposer where the waterfall will look very dream like.

In a nutshell using a tripod will help a shot like this a lot be sure to drop down to Iso 100 when you use the tripod. Pick a night where there is little wind so the palm trees don't move.

thank you - i'll give that a "shot" tonight. although i noticed when i got up this morning the water wasn't flowing there... interesting!

clockdoc · #9 (**permalink**) 12-04-2007, 05:44 PM

You get an A+ and are probably well ahead of many of your fellow photographers who don't fully understand this exposure balance relationship. One thing I forgot to mention is the time of day when you shoot your "night" shots. Try to shoot some about 20 minutes after the sun sets when there is still some light in the sky to give building separation. Waiting until it is "dark" sometimes leads to lack of depth in your shot. If you are skilled with Photoshop or similar software, shoot multiple exposures using a tripod and combine the dusk exposure with the later ones when the city/building lights are on.