Oops! Sorry about that...thought I saw "Bill" down at the bottom of the response...so I'll retract that and say, "Thanks, oh wise and experienced one"! 😉

ROFL...yeah, I suppose I could use the voice recorder on my smart phone...but, Lord, there might be some...uh...colorful language to be played back at that party! I'm a former "puddle pirate" (Coast Guard) so I CAN swear like a sailor...🤣

Thanks all for the replies...appreciate your insight!

I

I see you're from Chicago...figures...definitely "windy" either way...

I'm sure regulars here are used to your incessant yammering...however, for noobs like me, looking to learn and seeking sage advice...your purile postings are enough to insure others will seek advice and counsel elsewhere...much to the detriment of the UHH community...

Thank you, Bill, for providing a succinct and comprehensive answer to the question I came in here looking for some answers to...eight pages in and having to wade through a certain inmate's general ramblings about why mirrorless is so great, with no real information as to why...appreciate an intelligent answer to the question!

Nikon D7500...just starting to play around with exposure bracketing and have a couple of questions...

First, I have the mechanics of it figured out (setting how many frames, what degree of exposure variation {+1, -1, etc.), In the shooting menu, I have it set for "MTR/-1/+1", etc...is that the best way to go or better to go "-1-MTR-+1"?

Second, it looks like after the bracketing is set and the photo is composed, some people advocate using the self-timer to take the shots. (Obviously, shooting from a tripod, this is to ensure no camera shake). I've also seen people recommend C/Low or C/High...if you choose that second option, will the camera take all the shots in the bracketed series or does there need to be a separate shutter activation for each of the shots?

Third, if you use either an IR or wired remote, same question...once you hit the shutter release, does it take all the shots since "BKT" has been set, or a shutter click for each shot?

Lastly, what is a good way to "mark" those photos, in camera, for a bracketed series? Seems it could get kind of confusing in PP about which is the starting shot of the series, how many there are and which is the last one. I've seen some people mention putting a hand or finger in front of the lens after the shot has been composed, take a shot, THEN do the bracketed series, and then do the hand/finger thing again to indicate the end of the series. What do y'all recommend? (I'm not about to haul 3x5 index cards marked "Start" and "End" out in to the field!)

LOL...and yes, I already learned the hard way about turning bracketing OFF so your next shot doesn't default to the bracketing you did on the prior shot...

Lol...she's put up with me for nigh onto 40 years...must have the patience of a saint!

So when you get home and download to either LR or PS (to do the actual stacking), is it fairly easy to find the various images you want to put in the stack, because they all look so similar? Or (heaven forbid!), do you keep a photo log?

If I see something that really lights my fire, I usually try a snap a quick full auto just to get the shot, then reshoot in ApPri (or whatever is appropriate) to try and get an improved version. A little overkill, I know, so I'm gonna have to learn to be a "gunslinger" and shoot from the hip, as it were.

We did a 7-night Alaska Railroad tour back in June...Anchorage down to Seward, few days there, back to Anchorage and then up to Denali for three days. Got some GREAT shots of that big ol' peak as well as some really nice grizz/cubs, moose, caribou and red fox shots. The Dall sheep were tough as they were wayyyy out there!

Leaving Sunday for a two week motorcycle trip up into British Columbia. Figured out how to safely pack some gear including a decent travel tripod, so hoping for some sunrise/sunsets, critters and, of course, some outrageous landscape opportunities.

Cheers,

Neil

Thanks, Cany...appreciate the insight!

Yes, I've been doing my research but putting it into practical application is another matter. I am a kinesthetic learner...learn by actually doing. I can read or watch but I need to go through the mechanics of something to get the best grasp of things.

I'd rather do some practicing from a correct baseline than commit something to memory or action and then have to "break the habit".

My wife calls me anal retentive...I prefer "highly organized"!

Cheers.

Please pardon the noob question...I'm a relative novice to photography, but am practicing a lot and I can see improvement in my photos as time has gone by. Currently shooting a Nikon D3300 with the 18-55mm and 55-200 kit lens, also have a Nikkor 35mm f/1.8 as well.

That said, I know there are some limitations due to the camera and the lenses, but I figure if I learn my lessons well on this basic equipment, when I move up to something else, I'll have some of the "primary bases" already covered.

I switched to back button focusing recently, and after a bit of a learning curve, I like it much better than half press / full press on the shutter release. I'm also using LiveView a lot more than the viewfinder, where I'd normally be using the paltry 11 focus points on the D3300.

Photo stacking...I get the overall concept and the process of how to combine those images in Photoshop. The questions I have are in the set-up for actually TAKING the multiple photographs. Lots of vids on Youtube, etc. but none of them really address the "nuts and bolts" of what I'm about the ask.

So we'll say I'm on a tripod, VR is off and using a wired remote release to try and cut down on any camera movement. I'm shooting Aperture Priority, have framed the picture I want to take and I'm in LiveView.

*So is it just a (simple) matter of moving the "focus square" displayed in LiveView around the screen (red box, which turns green when in focus)?

*I'm assuming (dangerous, I know) that I would want to move focus from the back of the camera (closet focal point) and then on various points left/right/forward out to the far edge of the framed image?

*Any suggestion on how many shots should be taken? I know it will vary on many factors including the overall scene itself (open field with a mountain range in the background vs. a waterfall through the trees, etc.) but just looking for some general guidelines.

If that's the overall process, I think I get it...but my attempt at an explanation seems pretty simple, so seeking wisdom from the more experienced among ye...

Cheers!

Thanks for the kind words, JB...

So as far as cropping...maybe a bit more like this?
(*edit*...oops...after rereading your reply, I see I should have cropped out some of the brown foreground...but, that said...to my unpracticed eye, that long foreground lends itself to maybe giving some scale of size to the mountains? SOOOOO much to learn!)

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Thanks, Mac! Appreciate the input...

Pushing 60 here today in Central Oregon...then it drops back into the 30s and 40s tomorrow for awhile :-(

So I've been studying and practicing diligently and these will be my first pics posted to UHH. Treat me gently, please...but do critique so that I can learn from my mistakes!

Since I'm still in the process of learning Lightroom, these is basically no PP in these photos.

Thanks for viewing and appreciate any and all feedback!

South, Middle and North Sister (aka, Faith, Hope and Charity)

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Mt. Washington

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Three Fingered Jack

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Metolius River (my FIRST foray into doing "smoothed" water)

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2nd attempt...think this one turned out a bit better!

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Wizard Falls fish hatchery...polarizer and faster shutter speed to freeze motion?

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Greetings...

Wife, oldest daughter and I will be spending some time visiting the Mighty 5 in Utah the first part of May. I'm a...seasoned...individual who is still learning my Nikon D3300 and the fine art of composition.

A forum search here yields some WONDERFUL images!

Any general tips and suggestions, photography-wise (after all, this IS a photography forum, not a travel one!) for this upcoming trip? I have the two kit lenses (18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 and 55-200 1.4-5.6) plus a 35mm 1:1.8 prime...but if there is a better "one lens" suggestion, I could see about renting one.

Thanks in advance!

Lol! That little bit of head tilt says it all..."Who, me?" indeed! GREAT shot!