February 19, 10 by admin.

Hey Gang:

Todays session, at the Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships, is a prime example of why we have to manipulate the camera settings and ignore the built in meter.

The lighting at the Purdue Aquatic Center is great for swimming and diving, but lacks the quality and quantity required for photography. Which is why the NCAA allows strobes to be set up at areas of the competition pool. But getting permission to access those strobes requires an act of congress. So available light is the only available option.

To get a proper exposure, using a medium length telephoto lens,  I need a fast shutter speed to stop the action and a minimal depth of field. In order to get the fast shutter speed, I had to go with ISO3200.

Hope this helps you create award winning sports images.

Keep Shootin!!

John

Posted in Lessons | No Comments »

February 2, 10 by admin.

There are several types of focus systems out there. In the world of Nikon, the camera’s are marked with the letters, “C, S, and M.” The letters stand for Continuous Servo, Servo, and Manual.

Each one performs a special function that adds to your creativity.Continuous servo allows you to track the subject, which is great for sports photography.

Servo, the more basic type, is great for focusing on a subject and, while keeping your finger on the shutter release button, lets you move the camera slightly to change the composition.

Manual is simply you turning the focus ring on the lens. If you do landscape photography, you’ll find it useful to focus on the subject while in servo mode and then change the focusing mode to manual. Doing this allows you to create wonderful images without worrying about vibration or accidental focus changes.

I hope you find this information useful. Let me know if you have any questions. 

John 

Posted in Lessons | No Comments »

February 2, 10 by admin.

Creating an image with the correct exposure is more important today than in the days of film. Back then a lab could pull something out of an area that seemed very dark. Digital does not permit that flexibility.

Metering is done via the matrix mode, center weighted mode, or spot mode. Each one allows different levels of creativity.Matrix mode reads multiple areas and calculates the light levels. Center weighted reads a small area near the center of the view finder. Using this mode is great for shooting outdoor sports.Spot metering reads the light at one specific spot. This is great for subjects that are backliteThe one important fact to remember is that every meter reads light at 18%. In the black and white world, it would be 18% gray.Digital imaging allows us to preview our shots and see the difference each metering mode brings to the image. It doesn’t matter if you shoot a white or black piece of paper. The camera will give you the same final tone: 18% gray.In our next lesson, we will discuss exposure. It will then become a little clearer.Let me know if you have any questions.Keep Shooting !!John 

Posted in Lessons | 1 Comment »

February 2, 10 by admin.

Determining the correct exposure for an image is essential to creating images that are award winning and images that convey the emotion and feeling you desire.The correct exposure is a combination of the shutter speed, f/stop (aperture), and ISO.

Exposure = Shutter speed + f/stop + ISO 

 1/8 second + f/5.6 + ISO 640

1/8 second + f/8 + ISO 1000

1/8 second + f/11 + ISO 1600

All of these settings produce the same exposure 

The correct exposure is determined by the lighting situation

and what the subject is doing.

Photographing a basketball game with available light.

Fast shutter speed + low f/stop + higher ISO 

Outdoor portrait on a sunny or over cast day. 

Slower shutter speed + low f/stop + low ISO

When any one of the variables: shutter speed, f/stop, or ISO change, then one other variable must also change.

If you are shooting in a dark environment, but need a fast shutter speed, you must increase your ISO and open the lens aperture to allow more light to hit the sensor.

Beware of changing the ISO. Every camera has its own lowest ISO point. It is this point that will produce the most noise free images. Last year a client came to me with her camera. Frustrated with the way her images were appearing. Upon looking at her images, I noticed that any image she shot outside was beautiful. Yet every indoor or low light situation was very poor. Her camera’s lowest ISO was 50. An ISO that is designed for bright sunlight. Once she increased the ISO, she introduced large amounts of noise.

To sum this all up: let your subject and creativity decide the correct combination. Your camera has a shutter priority mode, aperture priority, and program mode. Play with them until you get comfortable manipulating the variables.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Keep shooting!!

John 

Posted in Lessons | No Comments »

February 2, 10 by admin.

Being able to stop a speeding tennis ball or a horse chasing down a calf, requires a fast shutter speed. Each of these was shot at 1/500th second and f/2 at ISO 200.In each of these situations, the shutter speed coupled with a large aperture, provided the impact I wanted.The large aperture allows me to concentrate the attention on the tennis ball and player. The line umpire is important to the image, but is secondary.Therefore, using a shallow depth of field allows me to throw him out of focus and yet use him to make the image memorable.       

Posted in Lessons | No Comments »

February 2, 10 by admin.

Depth of Field is controlled by using shallow apertures. Using an  f/stop like f/2, allows me to concentrate the viewers attention where I want.In this case, I wanted the viewer to see the miniature shapes that make up the center of the flower. Allowing the flowers shadows to fade out of focus reinforces the flowers shapes without distracting from the message. The correct exposure allows the shadow area on the left to remain a major part of the image. Making the pedals on the left go closer to black would have distracted from the image.  

Posted in Lessons | No Comments »