New to DSLR (Page 5): I 'dunno' Mr Burk. If that's a white shirt you're wearing in your avatar, your picture is a bit high on the kelvin scale sir. :sm17:...

Abo

burkphoto wrote:

AWB is terrible when you're aiming for consistency from image to image with JPEGs. If you plan to make a large number of images that must match in color, brightness, etc., then you should be using 100% manual exposure and a custom (Nikon calls it "preset") white balance.

AWB may be okay in raw mode if you use a target for click balance, or a ColorChecker Passport, and batch adjust images. It is also useful in rapidly changing lighting conditions (changing light sources).

I 'dunno' Mr Burk.

If that's a white shirt you're wearing in your avatar,
your picture is a bit high on the kelvin scale sir.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

Abo wrote:

I 'dunno' Mr Burk.

If that's a white shirt you're wearing in your avatar,
your picture is a bit high on the kelvin scale sir.

It's a pale blue shirt. Recorded in manual mode, with custom white balance, using a One Shot Digital Calibration Target for exposure and custom white balance. Adjusted on a freshly calibrated high end NEC monitor (exposure raised 1/3 stop).

You made me look jaundiced!

That's pretty much the way we made millions of school portraits from 2004 to 2011 at Herff Jones Photography Division.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

burkphoto wrote:

It's a pale blue shirt. Recorded in manual mode, with custom white balance, using a One Shot Digital Calibration Target for exposure and custom white balance. Adjusted on a freshly calibrated high end NEC monitor (exposure raised 1/3 stop).

You made me look jaundiced!

That's pretty much the way we made millions of school portraits from 2004 to 2011 at Herff Jones Photography Division.

Maybe Abo is just trying to making you sick and knock you off before your time. 😁

wizbird Loc: Burnt Store Marina, Punta Gorda, Fl

From day one, do not use the Green (fully auto) mode. Start with the P mode and you can not go wrong.

Abo

burkphoto wrote:

It's a pale blue shirt.
You made me look jaundiced!

lol Sorry mate, I thought you had a liver problem
from too many of these.

Alan.

Franswahili

rocket111 wrote:

I'm new to ditgtal phography. Last year I bought a... (show quote)

What is UH?

Franswahili

As a beginner and not wanting to become a professional, what is good speed light that is not expensive for D3400? I basically take family pictures for myself. Basically a hobby.

axiesdad Loc: Monticello, Indiana

Many will tell you to set the camera in manual mode and practice practice practice. That is excellent advice. And now for some bad advice. My camera is a Nikon D3100 and I leave it set in "sport" mode unless I am trying to do something like night sky shots or posed portraits, etc. I do so because this means the camera is ready to get that fleeting shot in most instances; I never miss shots because I am fumbling with three different controls just to get the exposure set. By all means experiment, and practice, with all your new camera's capabilities; learning what it, and you are capable of is at least half the fun.

rdubreuil Loc: Dummer, NH USA

morvib wrote:

For what it's worth, if you are new to DSLR photography I would first concentrate on getting exposure right with the triangle of ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed. Switch on the cameras highlights function on playback mode, it will help.

D3400 is entry level, it doesn't support that function.

rdubreuil Loc: Dummer, NH USA

Silverman wrote:

I myself purchased a used Nikon D3300 kit on Ebay ... (show quote)

Keep your D3300 it's better than the D3400, the only upgrade was the addition of crap bridge, and the down grade was the removal of the sensor cleaning function.

rdubreuil Loc: Dummer, NH USA

Smiling Elk wrote:

Something that is one I never considered until recently is WHITE BALANCE. Specifically when shooting RAW photos. Learn as much as you can.

White balance is pretty much irrelevant when shooting RAW, no so for Jpg though.

Bipod

wsilman wrote:

Hello...I just purchased a Nikon 3400 kit from Amazon.Waiting on the brown truck to deliver next week...Any thoughts or pointers from anyone...I am the photographer st my local Church and have been using 26M.P. cell phone...Thanks for any advice...

No need to get too technical at first. Put your camera in Program Mode, set the zoom to 50 mm and go take pictures.
Concentrate on one topic at a time, starting with the most basic:
Week 1. Choosing a subject
Week 2. Finding the angle with the best lighitng and best perspective
Week 3. Composition
Week 4. Exposure compensation.
Week 5. AP, SP and Manual mode
Week 6. Using different focal lengths
Week 7. Changing lenses
Week 8. Processing image files
Week 9. Artificial light

Don't try to salvage bad shots (unless you have to for some reason).
Analyze your images with regard to whatever topic you are learning.
Don't worry about issues you havne't gotten to yet.

If you never get past Week 4, you can still do very good work.

Above all: look at photographs in galleries and museums every chance
you get and try to develop your taste and sense of composition. Listen to
the advice of the great photographers.

A great photographer is some who's prints are in the permanent collections
of major museums, who's original prints sell at action for thousands of dollars
or more, or a successful photojournalist, or someone's whose portraits are
considered classics.

That lets out nearly all authors of photography books except Ansel Adams
Bruce Banbaum. Another group worth reading are qualified experts with
advanced degrees, such as Michael J. Langford.

These days, most photography books are like self-help books. There is always
some new South Beach Photo Diet, Seven Habits of Highly Successful
Photographers. Ignore that crap, and find out what Ansel Adams,
Bruce Barnbaum, Don McCullin, have to say.

A good photograph is one that rewards repeated viewing.
But all too often, the goal of modern color digital photography is
just to attract attention: "Look at me! Look at me!"

Perhaps that's why a B&W nude by Edward Weston just sold at auction
at Sotheby's for $1.6 million. The total sale was over $8.9 million.

But you can buy an original color print by Bryan Peterson--signed by the
photographer-- for $50 bucks. But I wouldn't buy it.