On Wed, Jun 4, 2008 at 11:23 AM, P. J. Alling <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > First you need is a quick course on exposure values and how they effect > the way your camera captures images. There used to be two parameters > that could be readily controlled, aperture and shutter speed, which were > adjusted to give the proper exposure. In addition higher shutter speed > can "freeze" action, aperture controls the depth of apparent focus (the > smaller the aperture, though confusingly enough the larger the aperture > number, the more DOF is available), the combination of the two controls > the amount of light hitting the sensor which will effect the quality of > your results. In addition today you also have control over the > effective ISO of your sensor, higher ISOs will allow faster shutter > speeds to stop more action and more Depth of Field, but above a certain > ISO image quality begins to be degraded by digital noise. Everything is > a compromise, good choices of the three exposure parameters will give > good results but remember you'll have to choose what's most important. > Then there's Flash. Flash can supplement the available light or replace > it, but the same parameters used in natural light still control the look > and quality of the photograph. > > You need to realize that auto focus can be your enemy, I find that in > automatic modes it always picks a part of a scene to focus on other than > the one I wanted, it's especially problematic when you need it most, > (usually in marginal lighting situations). Learn when you can trust > your auto focus and when you need to take a hand. You have chosen a > particularly difficult subject, living creatures with minds of their > own, i.e. puppies, you know their habits and behaviors, your camera > doesn't you have to pick the point of focus to anticipate what you > expect them to be doing next, the camera can't, it generally doesn't > know what you're interested in. You have to be aware of how much DOF > the lens is delivering as well as where the actual point of focus is. > Sometimes you can't get everything in acceptable focus that you want, so > you have to choose, once again a compromise. > > The best way to improve is learn the basics, exposure, and the effects > aperture and shutter speed will have on apparent sharpness and > movement. Practice focusing manually anticipating the movement of your > subject, not an easy thing, I know but there's no way around it. Shoot > lots of pictures and show them to people who know a bit about > photography tell them what you were trying to accomplish and what your > camera settings were. PESOs here can be good for that. You'll get lots > of stupid comments, (not the least of all from me), but you'll also get > some good advice. The almost got what I wanted photos are often the > best to show. >
Well, that clarifies things... ;-) Well, seriously, everything Peter said is true. You have to know exposure, and light, and how those things interact. What shutter speed and aperture (and now ISO - with film, ISO was the "film speed" and couldn't be changed except by changing the roll of film) do to the incoming light affect the image in major ways: What's light and dark on the image of course, but also what's sharp or blurry. Then there's focus... But here's the thing. Reading about it is really difficult (at least for me). It's so much easier to learn by doing. You have one huge advantage with your digital camera, which is that you can shoot (virtually) for free. So shoot away, have fun, don't worry about the results. But if things don't turn out as you expect, find out why. Check in your EXIF data to see what your shutter speed, aperture and ISO ratings were, see if you can figure out how those things affected your result. From there, you may want to control one or more of these things to try to change future results. Was the dog blurry because he moved? Maybe you need to use a faster shutter speed. Was only part of the dog in focus, but not all of it? Maybe you need a narrower aperture. Not enough room to change either of these values? Maybe you need an higher ISO. As Peter said, ask questions. Post photos and ask. Most of us don't bite. One thing that Peter didn't get on to that I think affects things more than the camera and its settings is ~composition~. You can have all the settings on your camera perfect, the autofocus (or you manual focus) can be spot-on, but if what's in the photo is banal and boring, you might as well have bought a disposable camera. OTOH, there are folks that get amazing images from the most rudimentary of plastic cameras such as Holgas and the like, because of their composition. Look at good photographs (including many you'll see posted on this list). Look at photography books. Go to websites such as this: http://www.magnumphotos.com/Archive/C.aspx?VP=XSpecific_MAG.AgencyHome_VPage&pid=2K7O3R1VX08V Look at the photos, see what works and maybe even why they work. I'm not talking technically, but notice where things are in the frame and see what you like and what you don't. Note how some photos are not sharp, not well-exposed, but still work! Get inspired. Then shoot some more. Most of all have fun! You're not a pro. Most of us on this list aren't pros. If you're not having fun, why else would you be taking pictures? ;-) cheers, frank -- "Sharpness is a bourgeois concept." -Henri Cartier-Bresson -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
