Me and my new Canon eos 350d

[razer121]

Some may have seen my other thread....took awhile to finaly pick the camera i wanted! anyway im now in the process of learning the art, so far ive managed to sort of work out how ISO works (higher the iso the more light that gets in, a iso of 100 - 200 ive noticed seems just abotu right for sunny weather) i also had a mess around with this AF mode...not sure what it is but ive noticed one setting made the camera start auto focusing everything

and here is a shot i took the other day



so input? advice? what can i do to learn even more about my camera? im trying to use the manual mode more and more to learn everything i can about this....also is there a way i can change the file type to raw?

[kalniel]

Nice picture!

I thoroughly recommend reading the camera manual! That'll tell you how to operate the thing and select RAW etc.

There are numerous guides on the web about understanding exposure, and a book of the same name. Once you understand the basics of light gathering (combination of ISO, aperture size and shutter speed) you can start to understand what things are doing. My general starting rule is to fix the ISO at sensors highest quality setting (think this is ISO 100 for yours), then operate the camera in aperture priority mode as this gives me control over the depth of field (amount in focus) or operating the lens in it's sharpest range, and let the camera decide the shutter speed needed to expose correctly. If that shutter speed is going to be too long for the subject/my holding ability then I'll bump up ISO until it's viable. You'll probably find that indoors you need to start at at least ISO 400 for example. In churches I use 800-1200.

[pipTheGeek]

...then I'll bump up ISO until it's ...

Try doing that on a film camera!

[kalniel]

Try doing that on a film camera!

Even harder with a pinhole and magnesium powder, speaking of historical oddities

[brammers]

That shot's alright, good focus and exposure

I think one of the best ways to learn is to find a shot that you wish you'd taken, post it up here and ask how it was made.

For example, here's a portrait that I absolutely adore:



If you want to make a portrait like this then you seat your subject against a white background and use a light with a very large umbrella/softbox from directly above. You then most likely will need a reflector aiming up at her face to put a bit of light back in - that'll take some experimentation.

Do that for a shot that you really want to take and you'll get better very quickly.

[HSK]

^ I really like that brammers. And I might try that out.

[brammers]

Not my shot - but you get the idea

[razer121]

thats a very good picture! shes very pretty to, perfect i will experiment with my girlfriend, i cannot replicate it completely but i can give it a good try thanks for the input guys! its helping me out alot!

[razer121]

erm....WOW



i cannot belive i took that! at about half 10 at night aswell, me and my gf went to the park to have a little play with the camera, heres her best shot



i think for her first try its very good

we are intent on going to the brook to have a blast at taking some amazing shots

[brammers]

i will experiment with my girlfriend, i cannot replicate it completely but i can give it a good try

Nonsense - of course you can replicate it completely - I've just told you how to. If you need some more answers (which you probably will do) just ask again - you'll get there very quickly. Harsh, but learning the technical side of photography really isn't that tough - you just need some application. What you do then is down to your artistry and dedication.

[razer121]

ok, well i use photoshop 6, its the bets i can get, and im not about to buy anything newer yet! (really cannot afford it) the next thing im going to buy is a tripod, we only have a small one so steady hand is all we have atm! i just happen to have a cream wall perfect for this kind of shot!

do i need to use photoshop then to create this kind of shot?

[Bobster]

do i need to use photoshop then to create this kind of shot?

Off Camera Flash.. another expense in the world of photography

[Bobster]

In churches I use 800-1200.

wow you have some really nicely lit churches! most churches i've shot in are ISO3200 1/30-1/50 @ 2.8

[kalniel]

ok, well i use photoshop 6, its the bets i can get, and im not about to buy anything newer yet! (really cannot afford it) the next thing im going to buy is a tripod, we only have a small one so steady hand is all we have atm! i just happen to have a cream wall perfect for this kind of shot!

I use the GIMP, which is free

do i need to use photoshop then to create this kind of shot?

Not at all - photography is nearly all about lighting. Photoshop (or post process - PP) can help tweak things but the quality of that shot is all down to the clever use of flash. I think you're quite brave if you're going to jump in there - I'm still working on my non-flash shots before considering that technique!

wow you have some really nicely lit churches! most churches i've shot in are ISO3200 1/30-1/50 @ 2.8

I'm usually shooting image stabilised at 9mm, so can hand hold quite long exposures. But this was a very dark and gloomy church for example:


And only needed ISO 800-1/10s-f/4 (and the shadows still haven't clipped)
edit - er.. and that's roughly the same thing as you're saying 1/10s buys me a lot of exposure

[brammers]

Off Camera Flash.. another expense in the world of photography

That's one way of doing it. Another is a soft Ikea diffused lamp, or even a halogen lamp behind a frame of tracing paper. One of my favourite purchases recently was a pair of 500W halogen work lamps that I rigged up to plugs - loads of lovely white continuous light for about a tenner. Hot as hell though When you're playing with light like that, so much of the effect of the final shot comes from the effort you put into the setup.

[peterb]

Bobster, I seev from you gear line up ypu have a preference for Sigma lenses rather than Canon. Is that for quality reasons? (Sgma better than the equivalent Canon?)