Thinking too much
Apr 21, 2015 12:00:50 #
So I'm trying to get better at this photography thing and I think I'm overthinking it :0 Last weekend I was taking informal pictures at a friends childs baptism and my pictures are worse than ever. Shooting with a rented lens at 2.8 inside the church I was missing things or not focusing on the right things( using center focus) At the post event reception my DOF was all wrong.
Worse than ever even when I was shooting in auto mode a while back I was getting better shots.
I think I'm trying too many things at once - shooting wide open, using center focus etc
I think I just need to shoot more and not do so much analysis paralysis...
JUst venting
Worse than ever even when I was shooting in auto mode a while back I was getting better shots.
I think I'm trying too many things at once - shooting wide open, using center focus etc
I think I just need to shoot more and not do so much analysis paralysis...
JUst venting
Apr 21, 2015 12:03:38 #
Apr 21, 2015 12:06:53 #
tradio wrote:
You would benefit from spending an afternoon with a mentor.
And where would be a good place to find a mentor? My local camera store offers classes including field trips- maybe I should start there?
Thanks RT
Apr 21, 2015 12:21:32 #
rthompson10 wrote:
So I'm trying to get better at this photography th... (show quote)
I recently purchased an older (2007) book by Michael Meadhra and Charlotte K. Lowrie called "Exposure and Lighting" - it is an excellent book! It is easy to understand and the principles are still relevent although a little older. It might help you in trying to get things right in camera.
Here is a link
http://www.amazon.com/Exposure-Lighting-Digital-Photographers-Only/dp/0470038691/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429633227&sr=8-1&keywords=exposure+and+lighting
Apr 21, 2015 12:30:15 #
Everybody recommends Peterson's Understanding Exposure, Scott Kelby's book and I did well starting with Tony Northrup's Stunning Digital Photography, the Kindle edition is inexpensive and includes links to private youtube video tutorials where he shows you what he's been talking about in each chapter. I highly recommend it. Good luck.
Apr 21, 2015 12:48:34 #
I think I feel some of rthompson10's pain. I've read many of the "right" books and many other things,but when shooting I found that I lost my objectivity and just didn't put into practice the knowledge I thought that I had gained. Understanding and performing are two different things!
What works best for me is to make some notes on what and how I want and hope to accomplish today. A lesson plan,if you will. I than select a spot where I won't be interrupted and follow my plan. When I get home,or back in the house,I download my shots and review settings and focus points,etc,and what I could have done. Make notes for my next "class." This helps me.
I do have a good grasp of the exposure "triangle" and need to put the capabilities of me and my camera together. Practice,practice,but have a viable game plan.
What works best for me is to make some notes on what and how I want and hope to accomplish today. A lesson plan,if you will. I than select a spot where I won't be interrupted and follow my plan. When I get home,or back in the house,I download my shots and review settings and focus points,etc,and what I could have done. Make notes for my next "class." This helps me.
I do have a good grasp of the exposure "triangle" and need to put the capabilities of me and my camera together. Practice,practice,but have a viable game plan.
Apr 21, 2015 13:00:04 #
rthompson10 wrote:
So I'm trying to get better at this photography th... (show quote)
F2.8 with a good lens is ok at a distance but relatively close its DOF is very shallow. F8 would be more appropriate in that situation with a flash or high ISO if the noise of the sensor is not too objectionable.
You can always clean a noisy image.
Apr 21, 2015 13:02:56 #
Books, classes, mentors, and so on, are all good ideas but one of the simplest and cheapest ways to learn in the meantime is to just experiment. Use your aperture priority mode and take the same shot at various apertures and pay close attention to the DOF. Use shutter priority to see the effect on moving subjects. Change ISO under various conditions to see the effect on shutter speed and noise. I'm sure you get the picture. (So to speak!) There are plenty of ways to learn. Just keep it simple and take it one step at a time. Remember, digital film is really cheap! :-D
Apr 21, 2015 13:20:59 #
steve_stoneblossom
Loc: Rhode Island, USA
rthompson10 wrote:
So I'm trying to get better at this photography th... (show quote)
Cameras (and lenses) are such complex devices, all it takes is for one setting to be incorrect and you either struggle all day or end up with nothing but crap. Some suggestions (in no particular order):
- When renting, leave yourself enough time to play with the lens for a day.
- When practicing, don't vary several things at once. You'll never figure out the cause of the dilemma.
- Keep notes for reference.
- S...L...O...W... D...O...W...N... and think. Take a deep breath.
- If something is amiss, stop. Review your checklist- release setting, focus setting, ISO setting, exposure compensation, etc. etc. It only takes one mistake...
Apr 21, 2015 13:22:19 #
rthompson10 wrote:
So I'm trying to get better at this photography th... (show quote)
Been there done that and still doing it but to a lesser degree my keepers are starting to out weigh my junk. What I did was to reset my camera to default settings. My K-3 was giving me photo after photo of soft fuzzy pics after a reset I turned off all of my noise reduction and voila I had pretty good photos again. I was getting way overboard with analysis paralysis and my settings had gotten way off try the reset and work on one thing at a time. And, as you stated shoot a lot more.
Apr 21, 2015 13:25:10 #
greg vescuso
Loc: Ozark,Mo.
I had the same problem when I started using faster lenses . This link might help.
http://iphone.dofmaster.com
But what I find works really good is any new lens I get to only use this lens on my camera for six months to a year at different focal lengths and varying the aperture only using the new lens so after a year when I take it out if my bag and use it my mind knows exactly what depth of field I will get at different focal length at a particular distance from my subject with a set aperture. When your practicing using the dof master will help you get started.
http://iphone.dofmaster.com
But what I find works really good is any new lens I get to only use this lens on my camera for six months to a year at different focal lengths and varying the aperture only using the new lens so after a year when I take it out if my bag and use it my mind knows exactly what depth of field I will get at different focal length at a particular distance from my subject with a set aperture. When your practicing using the dof master will help you get started.
Apr 21, 2015 14:39:16 #
Apr 21, 2015 15:03:10 #
I shoot a D-800 set on manual with auto ISO. I usually use a 24-70 Nikkor 2.8. But rarely at 2.8 because the DOF is to shallow. Also rarely do I use a flash and I get quite a large number of keepers.
Apr 21, 2015 15:21:14 #
rthompson10 wrote:
So I'm trying to get better at this photography th... (show quote)
Don't wait until you have an event or a place to photograph. Set aside time for learning, time when you go off alone with your camera and the user's manual. Try out all of the settings for aperture, while in A mode, on a static subject to learn the basics of depth of field. Try out various shutter speeds, while in S mode to learn the basics of motion blur. Try out different ISO settings to learn the effect of noise on image quality. The clue is to take it easy, don't rush this. You need to really learn the three corners of the exposure triangle and how an adjustment in one thing affects the other two. I hesitate to recommend shooting every day because I don't do it. But I did for a long time when I first started many years ago. Now when I get a new camera or lens I will shoot for an hour or two every day until I 'own' the new piece of gear and can use to confidently when the crunch is on. You will enjoy this hobby much more when you feel confident that you can make the gear do what you want and produce the results you want. Happy shooting.
Apr 21, 2015 15:39:46 #
The summer is not far off....set acroide a couple of hours per week for photography...buy and use a tripod cause using it slows you down. Slow down and enjoy the moment. Photograph plants and flowers cause there is no pressure. shooting in public can be stressful for various reasons so find a park or even your garden and relax with your camera.
It is all about enjoyment....if you like fiddling do macro on the dining room table in front of a window. If you like learning new things ...read a technique and practice 'just that' till you understand it and the applications that you have followed.
Find the 'kind' of photography that suits you and sod the rest for a while.
good luck
It is all about enjoyment....if you like fiddling do macro on the dining room table in front of a window. If you like learning new things ...read a technique and practice 'just that' till you understand it and the applications that you have followed.
Find the 'kind' of photography that suits you and sod the rest for a while.
good luck
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