As close to sparklers we can get with our crew.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Happy 4th of July!!
I think I take my best pictures on the 4th of July. I'm sure you do too! Here is my favorite from last year
I also love to take pictures of fireworks. They're not the fancy-in-the-air kind but I still like them :)
Nathan is a pro at "painting with light". Try it out with some sparklers! It's really easy!
Here is how you do it:
When you're taking pictures with a long exposure the most important thing to remember is that the camera has to be as still as possible.
Set your camera on a tripod if you have it. If not, just set it on something firm. Set it to start by timer.
Set your camera to manual mode or shutter priority mode (Tv for canons). Set the shutter speed as high as possible for painting with light. Mine will go to a maximum of 30 seconds (30") before it goes to the "bulb" setting. This means that you will have 30 seconds to paint your photo. Wherever you wave the light (sparkler, glowstick, flashlight, etc) will be exposed in the picture. Remember that whatever you write or do will be the mirror image in the photo so if you're writing a name, do it backwards or you'll have to flip it in a photo editing program.
If after 30 seconds you look at the picture and it is all white, you need to adjust your aperture (to a higher number like F11 or F16) the higher the aperture the less light gets in. That's OK when you're opening the shutter for 30 seconds.
If you're taking pictures of fireworks you should still use a tripod and a timer delay or remote control. You won't need 30 seconds, probably more like 5 seconds. This is a great way to figure out what those settings will do.
Lucky point and shoot users get to use the fireworks setting! You still should use a tripod and a timer. Your manual settings may also let you set a long exposure. You'll have to read the manual.
Here are some examples to inspire you. Not all 4th of July but still amazing!
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/25-spectacular-light-painting-images
http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/light-painting-on-former
Try it out! Share your favorite 4th of July pictures here. I can't wait to see them :)
I also love to take pictures of fireworks. They're not the fancy-in-the-air kind but I still like them :)
Nathan is a pro at "painting with light". Try it out with some sparklers! It's really easy!
Here is how you do it:
When you're taking pictures with a long exposure the most important thing to remember is that the camera has to be as still as possible.
Set your camera on a tripod if you have it. If not, just set it on something firm. Set it to start by timer.
Set your camera to manual mode or shutter priority mode (Tv for canons). Set the shutter speed as high as possible for painting with light. Mine will go to a maximum of 30 seconds (30") before it goes to the "bulb" setting. This means that you will have 30 seconds to paint your photo. Wherever you wave the light (sparkler, glowstick, flashlight, etc) will be exposed in the picture. Remember that whatever you write or do will be the mirror image in the photo so if you're writing a name, do it backwards or you'll have to flip it in a photo editing program.
If after 30 seconds you look at the picture and it is all white, you need to adjust your aperture (to a higher number like F11 or F16) the higher the aperture the less light gets in. That's OK when you're opening the shutter for 30 seconds.
If you're taking pictures of fireworks you should still use a tripod and a timer delay or remote control. You won't need 30 seconds, probably more like 5 seconds. This is a great way to figure out what those settings will do.
Lucky point and shoot users get to use the fireworks setting! You still should use a tripod and a timer. Your manual settings may also let you set a long exposure. You'll have to read the manual.
Here are some examples to inspire you. Not all 4th of July but still amazing!
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/25-spectacular-light-painting-images
http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/light-painting-on-former
Try it out! Share your favorite 4th of July pictures here. I can't wait to see them :)
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Aperture assignment with 50mm lens
Since some of you were interested in the 50mm lens. I redid the aperture assignment with my 50mm.
Also, here are some links for the lens and the light scoop:
Canon / Nikon and the light scoop. (I like adorama because their prices are decent with no tax or shipping)
If you're having trouble doing this assignment and you dont have a DSLR, read your handbook! I have two other cameras and was pretty surprised at what I could do with them.
aperture 22
aperture 1.4 (the link to the 50mm lens above only goes to a 1.8, but the blur effect is still fabulous!) you can see why they call it the portrait lens :)
Also, here are some links for the lens and the light scoop:
Canon / Nikon and the light scoop. (I like adorama because their prices are decent with no tax or shipping)
If you're having trouble doing this assignment and you dont have a DSLR, read your handbook! I have two other cameras and was pretty surprised at what I could do with them.
aperture 22
aperture 1.4 (the link to the 50mm lens above only goes to a 1.8, but the blur effect is still fabulous!) you can see why they call it the portrait lens :)
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Aperture Assignment
The purpose of this assignment is to help you understand how changing aperture will change the look of your photos.
Aperture is measured in f-stops. It is the number with an F in front of it on your camera. The lower the number, the more light is let in when you take a picture. As the number gets larger, the size of the opening to let in light to the camera gets smaller.
Small F number = more light, fewer things in focus, blurry background.
Large F number = less light, more things in focus including background.
My backyard looks way better blurry!
Tip: With a low aperture your photos may be overexposed or washed out if there is a lot of light. With a high aperture, photos may turn out darker or underexposed. Compensate by setting your exposure (+/- button) a little higher or lower as needed.
Small aperture is preferable in portrait photography. The blurry background brings the attention to the subject of your picture.
Large aperture is preferable for landscape photography or if you're taking a group photo where people are at different distances from the camera (some sitting with others standing behind). If you want all the faces to be in focus, you have to use a larger aperture.
Use your aperture priority setting (A or Av) and let the camera automatically select the shutter speed for practice.
Here are some websites with good information:
The Pioneer Woman
Digital Photography School
If you have a point and shoot camera:
Check your manual settings and see if you can control the aperture.
I have a very old point and shoot and have no way to control those settings. I tried out a few things and here is what I got:
I took this picture on portrait setting. The background is not very blurry but it is also not crisp. Having your subject stand far from the background and you stand close to them helps.
(they dressed themselves today and yes, they are both wearing christmas shirts. Funny kids)
This was taken with the macro setting. You can do people with macro but you have to be totally in their face to make it work. It makes a nice blurry background though.
If you have a good zoom on your point and shoot, try standing far back and zooming in to the maximum. That may blur the background nicely. It didn't really work with my point and shoot but I only have a 3x zoom.
Aperture is measured in f-stops. It is the number with an F in front of it on your camera. The lower the number, the more light is let in when you take a picture. As the number gets larger, the size of the opening to let in light to the camera gets smaller.
Small F number = more light, fewer things in focus, blurry background.
Large F number = less light, more things in focus including background.
My backyard looks way better blurry!
Tip: With a low aperture your photos may be overexposed or washed out if there is a lot of light. With a high aperture, photos may turn out darker or underexposed. Compensate by setting your exposure (+/- button) a little higher or lower as needed.
Small aperture is preferable in portrait photography. The blurry background brings the attention to the subject of your picture.
Large aperture is preferable for landscape photography or if you're taking a group photo where people are at different distances from the camera (some sitting with others standing behind). If you want all the faces to be in focus, you have to use a larger aperture.
Use your aperture priority setting (A or Av) and let the camera automatically select the shutter speed for practice.
Here are some websites with good information:
The Pioneer Woman
Digital Photography School
If you have a point and shoot camera:
Check your manual settings and see if you can control the aperture.
I have a very old point and shoot and have no way to control those settings. I tried out a few things and here is what I got:
I took this picture on portrait setting. The background is not very blurry but it is also not crisp. Having your subject stand far from the background and you stand close to them helps.
(they dressed themselves today and yes, they are both wearing christmas shirts. Funny kids)
This was taken with the macro setting. You can do people with macro but you have to be totally in their face to make it work. It makes a nice blurry background though.
If you have a good zoom on your point and shoot, try standing far back and zooming in to the maximum. That may blur the background nicely. It didn't really work with my point and shoot but I only have a 3x zoom.
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