Help with backyard photography
I am new to photography and am trying to learn how to use my camera. I took these shots today and I am looking for suggestions on how to improve them.
1.
2.
3. The chipmunk ones are heavily cropped. Not sure if that is why they came out blurry or if there is some other reason.
I included a screen shot of the photo info with all the settings I used. I'd love to hear suggestions for better camera settings. I am very new. Just got the d90 yesterday.
http://picasaweb.google.com/yohenrys/Backyard#
1.
2.
3. The chipmunk ones are heavily cropped. Not sure if that is why they came out blurry or if there is some other reason.
I included a screen shot of the photo info with all the settings I used. I'd love to hear suggestions for better camera settings. I am very new. Just got the d90 yesterday.
http://picasaweb.google.com/yohenrys/Backyard#
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Comments
#1 and #2 are really nice - crispy and clear. The 3rd one seems more like it's out of focus than blurry from any other reason.
http://www.imagesbyceci.com
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Picadilly, NB, Canada
Yeah! Great shots..and I think you're right about the crop and the Chipmonk~
Now, if only many others would follow your fine example and read~
PS: CONGRATS on the New cam~ Thats going to be fun!
Looking at the EXIF data in your flikr photos, ...lens might be back focusing, but before worrying yourself over such as that, just stop it down a bit...instead of 2.8, try it at f/8 or f/9~ Front finger-wheel...oh, and by the way, are you shooting manual mode yet?
I am reading a lot but truthfully some of it is going over my head.
In A priority (Aperture), you're basically telling the camera what you need as far as aperture and getting it to make other decisions for you based on that number.
Most folks use A priority to control depth of field. For instance in a Landscape, where you'd like lots of the information (in the photo) in focus, you'd squeeze the information thru a smaller orifice, a smaller Aperture. Or conversely, if you're taking that portrait of the Squirrel and you'd like just the squirrel and not much more to be in focus, you'd open up the Aperture (making a bigger hole), allowing more light in and less information gets squeezed, so only the info you want in focus (hopefully) is.
I prefer manual, and have shot in manual for the last two years or so. I only have to worry over three things in Manual, and I get to control all three.
1. Shutter Speed; driven by ISO
2. Aperture: driven by how much stuff (usually linearly) I want in focus
3. Proper exposure; Best to learn how to use the histogram.
I like choosing Shutter speed for the situation at hand. If shooting a Waterfall I'd like to appear soft, dreamy and the like, I can mount the camera on a tripod, Put an ND ( Neutral Density) Filter on the lens ( Makes the camera think it is very dark outside), Slow down my Shutter to allow more light in and (Shutter is driven by ISO), so lower my ISO essentially telling the camera , "no, there's too much light", and set my aperture to about f/9 for a landscape, adjust the Shutter Thumb-wheel, perhaps adding another ND filter if needed, until I get the meter in the viewfinder to agree with me, that it is slow enough to get a photo like I want, about 8 to 10 seconds long.
If on the other hand I want to shoot a child playing soccer, then I will probably hand hold the camera, need a Shutter speed high enough to catch the speed of the players, and stop the action.
And my adjustments would go something like this:
Check camera for ISO first: oh, still in waterfall mode, and here it is early evening with some-cloud cover and no direct Sun, So up the ISO from the 100 it was to maybe 800 or 1000, to see via my viewfinder if I can get the Shutter speeds I want ( in the vicinity of say 500th to 1000th of a second). I want higher Shutter speeds for two good reasons: 1. I do not have image stablizing lens or camera, and I am handholding; Shutter speed will help me get a cleaner shot and decrease the likelyhood of camera shake. 2. also now because of the soccer I am using a longer lens, say a 200mm prime, so I want to have a shutter speed 1 1/2 to 2 times the length, 200 x 2 = 400th second..which would be seen as a minumum for an action sport unless you are doing some creative shooting. And aperture, I might well leave at f/9 just for a bit of depth, or might even lower it to do some player portraits if they are at idle on the field. Of course, each time I raise or lower the Aperture, I have to raise and lower my Shutter Thumb-wheel, to maintain proper exposure. As the Sun begins to fade in the Western Sky, I will have to raise my ISO here and there, perhaps every few minutes to keep my Shutter Speeds up where I want them. I may have started the game at ISO 1000, but I may finish at ISO 6400, with my Aperture wide open allowing as much light in so I can get a shot at my desired Speed.
There are good books, and reads out there. I'd suggest buying and reading or reading Online and shooting to prove or disprove whatever you read.
Hope this little morning ramble helps~
Your description of aperture really helped. I have been just leaving it on 2.8 all the time. I will play around with it.
Thanks so much for your help!!!
Here are the rest: http://picasaweb.google.com/yohenrys/Backyard_2#
Any other suggestions?
http://www.imagesbyceci.com
http://www.facebook.com/ImagesByCeci
Picadilly, NB, Canada
Really, you're gettin there.....many, MANY lenses do not strut their stuff, till f/8 or so~
I was uncertain if the way I see aperture makes any sense to anyone but me~ It makes sense to me, but I hope to refine it further to make it easier to understand...twelve year old!~~:D
Meanwhile, those squirrel shots are dyn0mite~