Digital Photography Tips and Tricks DSLR Autofocus Modes Explained Most modern digital SLR cameras are equipped with advanced autofocus systems that are often hard to understand. Whether you are shooting with an entry-level or professional DSLR, knowing how to use autofocus system effectively is essential to get sharp images. A badly-focused, blurry image can ruin a photograph and you cannot repair it in post-processing. NIKON D700 @ 420mm, ISO 500, 1/2000, f/5.6 In this article, I will teach you everything I know about focus modes on modern DSLRs. 1) How DSLR Autofocus Works The nice thing about digital cameras today, is that you do not have to manually focus like people used to before, back in the early film days. 1.1) Active vs Passive Autofocus There are two types of AF (Autofocus) systems – Active and Passive. By the way, if your DSLR has an “AF Assist” lamp in front of the camera, it is not an “Active AF” beam – all it does is fire direct light at your subject like a flashlight would, so it still relies on your camera’s “Passive AF” system.
How to Photograph Yosemite’s Dazzling ‘Firefall’ For a couple of weeks each February, a waterfall in California’s Yosemite National Park appears to be set ablaze by the setting sun, a fleeting evening spectacle known as the “firefall.” “I travel around the world to capture these amazing sunrises and sunsets, but there is nothing remotely close to watching this phenomenon, which seems straight out of an Indiana Jones movie,” says Sangeeta Dey, a pediatric neuropsychologist and National Geographic Your Shot photographer who has photographed the firefall twice in the last two years. She’s in good company. Though renowned photographer Ansel Adams captured the gleaming waterfall in 1940, the “firefall” didn’t become widely known until National Geographic photographer Galen Rowell documented it in 1973. The next time you’re in Yosemite and want to try your hand at capturing the “firefall,” photographing it well requires excellent conditions, patience—and a willingness to experience the magic of the moment. Get there early. Take in the moment.
Quick Top 10 Photography Tips For those people who don't like to read a lot, here are my 'Top Ten Photography Tips'. Most of these tips appear elsewhere, in the tutorials. But here they are, all in one place. 1) Select Only Your Best Photos Select only the best of your pictures to show to others and leave the rest in the drawer. 2) Turn the Camera on it's Side At first it feels awkward holding the camera on it's side, but it is worth making the effort to get used to it. 3) Get the Framing right in the Camera One of the easiest ways to improve your photography is with careful attention to framing. 4) Direction of Lighting Photography is all about light, the direction of the light falling on your subject is most important, you must look at your subject carefully and see how the shadows fall. If you are able to choose the time of day to shoot your pictures, try to pick a time when the sun is low in the sky, either shoot in the early morning or late afternoon. 5) Direction of Lighting (2) 6) In Camera Flash 7) Camera Exposure
Nikon D300 custom settings The Nikon D300 (which superseded the highly-regarded D200), offers great image quality and offering many of the same features of the Nikon D3, but at a more affordable price – all of which will make the D300 a camera that many professional photographers will chose as their main camera. Many of the custom settings of the D300 are the same as for the D200, but there are a few differences. (eg, Auto ISO is now set in the Shooting Menu.) Here are my preferences for the Custom Settings .. and why. If you find these articles interesting and of value, then you can help by using these affiliate links to order equipment & other goodies. Thank you! The Custom Functions are grouped into 6 categories: a – Autofocus b – Metering / Exposure c – Timers / AE & AF Lock d – Shooting / Display e – Bracketing / Flash f – Controls a1 .. AF-C is the Continuous Focusing mode, where the shutter can be tripped whether the subject is in focus or not, ie, Release Priority. a2 .. a3 .. a4 .. a5 .. a6 .. a7 .. a8 ..
Tips for Finding Potential in the Obsolete - Photographing Trash Most people like photographing the new and the fresh – a bright flower, a laughing child, a dawning day, the beginning of an era. Yet beginnings are but a small and rare part of the human experience. The persistent passage of time leaves us with ever growing piles of both literal and figurative garbage; maybe that’s why we seek out the new, for a glimpse of something different. Sometimes we have no choice but to dwell in the past. The Left Behind You may have heard of Urbex, or urban exploration photography, where the photographer visits and captures abandoned urban places. I found this old, rusty pair of scissors hanging on an old shelf at a friend’s cottage. It doesn’t have to be something eerie. Old fuse insulators found in storage at my grandparents’ place. Found Treasure Trash and treasure might not be synonyms in your vocabulary, but for a photographer, they can be! I found an abandoned LCD TV in the recycling room and decided to borrow it for a project. Contrasts The Story Conclusion
Photography Tips, Tricks and Techniques Nikon D200 File Format Settings Nikon D200 Image Quality Settings © 2006 KenRockwell.com enlarge I bought mine from Ritz here. I bought another D200 from Adorama here. Also try Amazon here. Adorama usually has D200/18-70 kits in stock here. What's the best image quality (QUAL) setting? JPG or raw, or raw + JPG? If JPG, should you use FINE, NORMAL or BASIC? If raw, should you use compressed or uncompressed? In a fantasy world you'd use uncompressed NEF or FINE JPG, but after you shoot for a while you'll get logjammed with all the data you have to store, forward, process and archive. Let's make some tests and compare resolution, artifacts and sharpness. The good news is the comparison images on this page are sent with extremely high quality so nothing, not even the artifacts, are altered. I used my D200's raw + JPG mode to make pairs of identical images for comparison. I've put the same 100% crops from different quality settings on top of each other so you can switch between them simply by moving your mouse over the image!
How to Photograph a Tree Trees are willing subjects—you don't have to worry about catching them in action or getting them in the right mood. They won't get uncomfortable if you spend hours studying them from every angle at all different times of the day. Does that make them easy to photograph? "In my dreams!" laughs photographer Len Jenshel. Jenshel and his partner Diane Cook have been photographing landscapes together for over 25 years, combining a fine art aesthetic with documentary storytelling. Here are their tips on how to get the most out of the trees in your life. Research, research, research. When Cook and Jenshel started work on their "Wise Trees" project, the question foremost in their minds was how to make a beautiful photo, but also how best to convey the importance of each tree. For the photograph of Isaac Newton's apple tree, they emailed back and forth with experts to determine when the apples would be at their reddest before falling off. Followed by patience, patience, patience. Be open-minded.
50 essential photography tips - CNET Whether photography is a hobby or a profession, you'll get a whole lot more out of it if you understand how it works. With a firm grasp of aperture, shutter speed, sensitivity and focal length, the ratio of truly great to merely mediocre shots you download at the end of an expedition is all but guaranteed to climb. Here we present CNET UK's 50 essential shooters' tips. Don't uncap your lens without them. Aperture 1. The size of the opening, which is regulated by a series of fins encroaching from the edge of the lens barrel, is measured in so-called f-stops, written f/2.8, f/5.9 and so on, with smaller numbers denoting wider apertures. A narrow opening is regulated by a large amount of each fin encroaching into the barrel, and so has a high f-stop number, such as f/16, f/18 and so on. 2. Rather than being opposite ends of a single scale these describe the maximum aperture at the wide angle and telephoto (maximum zoom) lens positions respectively. 3. 4. 5. 6. Filters and lenses 7. 8. 9. 10.
Todo lo que Necesitas Saber Para Encuadrar Tus Fotografías Las fotos primero se sacan con los ojos para luego, mediante la cámara, inmortalizarlas en papel (o en un archivo digital). La diferencia radica en que la visión no tiene límites establecidos (o se ignoran) mientras las cámaras fotográficas sí y dichos límites, conocidos como bordes, serán el marco de todas tus fotografías. La forma en que utilices dicho limite a la hora de encuadrar (componer) tus fotografías puede que cambie radicalmente las sensaciones que tus fotos trasmiten, por lo que conocer los secretos del encuadre se convierte en casi una obligación. En el artículo te contaré no solo que es el encuadre y los distintos tipos de estos, sino que además aprenderás en que situaciones conviene utilizar uno u otro de modo de potenciar los mensajes y sensaciones que estas trasmiten. ¿Qué es el encuadre? El encuadre, en fotografía, hace alusión a la porción de la escena que como fotógrafo, utilizaras para tus fotografías. Tomate tu tiempo al encuadrar Dinámica del encuadre Orientación
How to Photograph an Elephant "I've never been bored photographing elephants," says National Geographic photographer Michael "Nick" Nichols, who has been documenting elephants in the rain forests and savannas of Africa for over 20 years. While they may not resemble humans in appearance, they are like us—social, intelligent, playful, emotional, vulnerable. "Elephants' strong social attachments are what make them special," Nichols says. Whether you are on safari in Africa, visiting a sanctuary, or on a trip to the zoo, the key to a great photograph lies in understanding elephant behavior so that you can photograph—and appreciate—what makes them truly magical. Be patient. Elephants are social creatures. "Elephants gather in small family groups. Another behavior to keep an eye out for? "If you see a big bull elephant and another is not too far away, they will eventually greet each other by wrapping their trunks around each other. Catch them at play but be boring yourself. If you are at the zoo ...