Photography help

[slleipnir]

I thought we could start a photography help thread...people who have questions about their camera or some functions can post here and get help. I know there are a lot of skilled photographers here.

I have a couple questions.

How do you know what level of ISO to use? Like, would you use a high ISO setting in a bright setting? Or a darker one?

What's the best way to capture details/colors? I've seen some photos and it's like, wow, so many colors and stuff. I KNOW my cameras are capable of taking awesome photos, I just can't figure them out.

[Catlady711]

How do you know what level of ISO to use? Like, would you use a high ISO setting in a bright setting? Or a darker one?

What's the best way to capture details/colors? I've seen some photos and it's like, wow, so many colors and stuff. I KNOW my cameras are capable of taking awesome photos, I just can't figure them out.


ISO settings depend on what you want to do. Low numbers like 50, or 80 make a very sharp picture, great detail, but require alot of light to avoid blurring. Higher number ISO settings are for lower light situations however do make a picture grainier, although some people use this for a deliberate effect with black & white photography. I personally usually have mine set no higher than 100 if I can help it.

Details and colors not only depend on ISO settings, but also your resolution settings (on a digital), how still the camera was held (tripods are wonderful), and lighting on the subject itself. Light from the side or from behind you as you take the picture usually show up with the most colors/details. Light from in front of you can have neat sillohette (sp?) effects, but will tend to drown out your detail.

Here's a GREAT SITE (http://www.cameraontheroad.com/index.php?cat=8) for learning TONS of tips on photography, whether you use a digital or film camera.

And as any professional will tell you.....you can NEVER take too many pictures of the same subject. Keep trying different angles, lighting, and settings, and you'll be surprised by how different you can make the same subject look.

Have fun.

[Anita Cholaine]

Here's a GREAT SITE (http://www.cameraontheroad.com/index.php?cat=8) for learning TONS of tips on photography, whether you use a digital or film camera.

Thanks for sharing this site! I've gotten a film SRL camera recently so I find this kind of sites really useful.

I usually try to avoid using an ISO level higher than 100. I use a higher one only on really dark situations, but it ruins my photos most of the time. I think it depends a lot on the camera though, and mine is pretty bad, lol. Audrey, which camera are you using?

[king2005]

Since my belongings have been packed for 3 months & by strangers more then once, I have no idea where my manual currently is.

I want to know if my Canon A620 can do Macro, or something like Macro (really close up).

[slleipnir]

Thanks for sharing this site! I've gotten a film SRL camera recently so I find this kind of sites really useful.

I usually try to avoid using an ISO level higher than 100. I use a higher one only on really dark situations, but it ruins my photos most of the time. I think it depends a lot on the camera though, and mine is pretty bad, lol. Audrey, which camera are you using?

I use a Canon Rebel and a powershot S3IS or whatever it's called lol. I know they both have great potential. I see people taking photos of sunsets/sunrises where there isn't much light...but they still capture details and colors really well....I've tried (with a tripod) and they never look as nice.

[Catlady711]

If you are trying to find GREAT and thorough reviews on cameras you are considering buying, or as posted above, lost the manual, then try this site.

Steve's Digicams (http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html)

This site was so accurate it told me of a feature on one of my cameras that didn't even show up in my manual!!



BTW, for deeper colors when doing sunsets, rainbows, etc, you can adjust your exposure setting. If your camera has a setting for deliberately under/over exposing (sometimes represented with -/+), set it to UNDERexpose about 1/3 stop. This will bring out the colors better. You may have to experiment with your own camera to find the setting that seems to work best for the lighting you have.

[Catlady711]

Yesterday while waiting in a parking lot for hubby to pick up some stuff, I saw this cool sunset. I happened to have my older camera (Canon A40) with me so I snapped two pix through my windshield just for this thread.


I was focusing on the tree line area near the lower colorful clouds, ISO at 50. The camera was set on automatic and this is how it wanted to take the pix. It certainly didn't show off the actual colors very well because it was trying to find a balance between the bright and dark areas of the pix.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l17/Catlady711/sunset1.jpg





This pix I still left the camera on automatic setting, however I did change only TWO things. The exposure compensation (+/- exp) to -1 and focused on the middle of the sky on the brightest possible area. This was the result and it showed off the colors much better, and made sillohettes(sp?) of the trees.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l17/Catlady711/sunset2.jpg



Just goes to show you it doesn't always take a fancy, expensive camera, or doing anything fancy to get good sunset pix. Sometimes it just takes a very small amount of 'tweaking'.