Are you starting out in digital photography? If you are, then here are a list of pointers pertaining to digital photography basics. These pointers will give your digital images a massive kick start in terms of quality and it doesn’t matter what camera you have. You can take good photographs with any digital SLR camera. So here’s my advice: 1. Don’t be concerned with the number of megapixels of your camera. The number of pixels determines how big you’ll be able to print your photographs. Yes it’s true that the more pixels you have, the more refined detail your images will have but at this stage you want to start shooting as many photographs as you possibly can. You’ll learn so much through every photograph. 2. Set your camera’s ISO speed to the lowest possible setting. This will give a smooth transition to your photographs and make them less grainy than at higher ISO settings. 3. When you are shooting portraits, use large apertures that are wide open. This means that the f-number should be as small as possible. The smaller the f-number, the larger the aperture. Why is it a good idea to use large apertures when photographing human subjects? Large apertures blur out the background and bring the subject into sharp focus bringing the viewer’s attention right where you want it. 4. Pay attention to the background – try to eliminate clutter that doesn’t need to be there. In digital photography, a lot can be done to remove unwanted clutter using software like Adobe Photoshop but there is no harm in doing a little preparation. Perhaps you’ll want your subject to stand in front of a bright plain wall, or colourful patterned curtains. Make your background work with your subject. 5. If you are hand-holding your camera, try not to use a shutter speed slower than 1/60. For example, don’t hand-hold the camera at 1/30. Nice photographs are sharp and in-focus. If you need to use a shutter speed slower than 1/60, use a tripod to ensure sharpness. 6. Use slow shutter speeds to imply motion. Take your…
Tag: Lenses
My Cameras and Kit (Updated Jan 29th 2012)
My Present Cameras and Kit A lot of people ask me what cameras and lenses I have so I thought I would add as section to my blog showing you what kit I own and my views on them! Christmas 2011 and I received this little Fuji X10 Retro Digital Camera which I have been using for the last month or so and I am very impressed with the results! Here are a few of the fantastic features that this little X10 has to offer; Key Features: 4x manual optical zoom featuring Fujifilm’s new Intelligent Digital Zoom technology that doubles telephoto capabilities and provides up to 8x zoom. Fast power start-up; the X10 is fully ready to shoot in approximately 0.8 seconds using the on/off power switch built into the lens ring (must be in Quick Start mode). High-contrast and wide viewing-angle 2.8” 460K dot high contrast LCD screen that provides excellent viewing even outdoors and in bright sunlight. Diverse manual shooting modes that can be selected according to scene type (Program / Aperture Priority / Shutter Speed Priority / Manual). Four diverse auto bracketing functions for exposure, ISO sensitivity, dynamic range and film simulation RAW shooting and in-camera RAW processing (SilkyPix RAW conversion software supplied in-box). Best-in-class3 1080p Full HD movie recording capabilities. Film Simulation Modes (eight setting are available, including Velvia / PROVIA / ASTIA). Manual pop-up flash with a range of 7 meters (approximately 23 feet). Electronic horizon leveling gauge to ensure that the camera is being held level, and histogram display to check image gradation and a Motion Panorama 360° for seamless 360-degree panoramic shooting My Nikon D80 DSLR My main Camera is a Nikon D80 DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera with a D80 double battery grip that allows shutter use in landscape and portrait mode, the battery grip excepts 2 x Nikon batteries which when fully charhed will last for days of constant use, the DSLR provides me with a lot of highly functional features and it is a lovely camera to use. The lens which spends most time on the camera is an Nikon 18-135mm…