DSLR – Pentax Body

I was born and raised in Florida. Now I live in England. Could you get more of a stark contrast than that?

England can be gloomy. Really gloomy. And gray and cold and bitter. I do whine a lot about the English weather and it’s mostly tongue-in-cheek because England can also be the freshest, most glorious, fragrant place on earth in the summer months.

But for a girl with an obsession for getting out with my kids for a daily photo shoot, the gray conditions couldn’t be better. Why? No harsh shadows or flaming bright spots. No need to say “oh guys I really love what you’re doing could you please just come do it in the shade?” No squinting eyes. Just a beautifully diffused light perfect for photography.

There’s also another thing to love about gray, cloudy days.

Last week I was doing a school. In some down time, I followed the kids outside and took photos on the playground. I stood up on an apparatus and just waited for kids to walk by. “Hey look up here!” *snap* And they were all perfect.

The gray sky was a gigantic softbox, softly lighting their faces with the most beautiful light and, oh my, what beautiful catchlights in their eyes!

So the next time you’re down about the weather, take the kids outside, climb up high and just tell them to look up!

When was the last time you had a moment where you asked “why didn’t I think of that before?”

Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips.

The Softbox in the Sky

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As we continue to wait out the aftermath of one of history’s worst economic disasters, it can be prudent to continue to cut spending where possible. The digital medium does mean shooting costs are substantially lowered, but equipment and accessory costs can be still high. We’ve compiled a few simple home remedies for creating kit on a budget…

1. Reflectors can be a useful photography aid as the reflective surface, usually available in white, silver and gold stretched fabric, can fill in, reflect or diffuse light where necessary. Top brands can be on the pricey side so if you’re on a budget grab a cheap substitute such as a silver car sunscreen, reflective tanning mat or wrap a circular sheet of cardboard in aluminum foil.

2. A snoot is a fantastic lighting accessory designed to creatively direct and control an artificial beam of light, perfect for a beauty shot for example. Try the technique before you buy with a DIY alternative. Roll a sheet of black card into a cone and place a strip of black or gaffer tape along the seam to hold it securely in place. Next lock the end of a torch with the smaller whole of the cone using tape and you’re done!

 3. Small plastic diffusers are used to soften the harsh light from a flashgun. They won’t cost a fortune but if you’d rather a free home made alternative then grab an empty and clean one litre plastic milk bottle. Cut off the base of the container a third of the way up. Measure the dimensions of your flash gun’s head and mould the base to fit – you may need to make a few cuts and bends in the opaque plastic to get the right size. When finished tape this cap to your flashgun.

4. Capturing Mother Nature at work is invigorating but exposing your kit to the elements definitely is not. You could buy a fully waterproof, custom fitted rain cover for protection in the rain but if you haven’t got the spare cash then opt for a clear plastic carrier bag (the thicker the better) so your kit is protected but the LCD, histogram and controls are still visible. Slice a small hole in the side of a carrier bag and stretch it over the lens hood, fastening with a rubber band to keep it in place. Create a second smaller hole where the eyepiece is and slide the eye-piece cover back on top to keep it in place.

5. Filters are fantastic for a plethora of reasons, but in particular the polarizer is superbly fun and effective. Photographers employ it for decreasing contrast, saturating blues and reducing harsh reflections. If a filter isn’t in your budget there is a household item that can be used as an affordable (yet less effective) substitute – sunglasses! This works best with a compact set on a tripod; simply hold a removed lens from the sunglasses’ frame as close to the front of your camera lens as possible. Results will vary and obviously images are unlikely to resonate the crispness that is achievable with the real thing – but it’s a start.

6. Underwater photography is becoming an increasingly popular genre but the equipment costs are extremely expensive. An achievable way to get started without shelling out thousands on specifically designed aquatic cameras, housing and strobes is to hire the equipment from a dive shop in tourist destinations, providing all the necessary gear at a fraction of the cost. Still not convinced? Camera manufacturers have really raised the bar in producing durable underwater compacts at affordable prices. In particular Olympus’ Mju: Tough range have a worthy reputation for shooting submerged scenes. Starting as low as £190 the Tough compacts are freeze proof, waterproof and shockproof.

7. Professional models can be expensive to hire so ask photogenic friends and family to pose for you instead. The additional benefit is their familiarity could produce more natural results. They may need more direction than their professional counterparts however, so have a stack of magazines on hand to offer posing guidance. Alternatively you could photograph an inexperienced model who is seeking head shots or a collection of images for his/her portfolio in exchange for their time. Gumtree.com and Starnow.com are great places to post ads or find willing subjects.

 

8. For many of us shooting models in a fancy studio backed with an encyclopaedic range of lighting equipment maybe more of a dream that a reality but that doesn’t mean beautifully lit portraits aren’t achievable. Natural daylight isn’t only free it’s very flattering, especially for portraiture and still life shooting. For the best results position your subject next to a large clean window. If the sun is too bright, drap a thin veil of white fabric (such as a cotton bed sheet or net curtain) in front of it to soften the effect.

9. Forget expensive printing services there are tonnes of websites offering free prints and bargain photo gift ideas so you have no excuse not to get creative. Popular choices like: Jessops, Snapfish and Photobox offer free print credits for every new customer and gifts that start from low price points. 

10. Photoshop is one of the best editing apps on the market but it steep price tag isn’t, but there are plenty of cheaper and even free alternatives out there. Adobe’s Lightroom or Elements, Apple’s Aperture, Corel’s Paint Shop Pro Photo or Painter are all under half the cost of Photoshop. Many of these even offer a free 30-day trial, so be sure to try before you buy! And if you like free then don’t forget Picasa, a free editing app perfect for quick fixes and online album creation making sharing shots with friends, family and the world a piece if cake.

Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips.

10 Tips for Creating a Photography Kit on a Budget

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There are may ways an image can be made unsuitable. Camera shake and poor focus are two of them. How does it happen? How can you prevent it? And what if you don’t even have one of those ‘fancy schmancy’ cameras?

When first setting out to research this subject, of course, the top of Google for ‘blur camera shake’ was a post from DPS. In it, Darren Rowse explains the difference between camera shake and poor focussing.

Today, I’ll talk about how to prevent them from happening.

{Camera Shake}

As Darren said in his post, camera shake and the resulting motion blur are a result of the camera moving during the time of exposure. Which means that there is movement while the shutter is open and the sensor is gathering information. For particularly long exposures (like evening landscapes or trying to capture a waterfall in soft, beautiful motion), a tripod will be necessary. But even the movement caused by putting your finger on the shutter button can cause blur so you can use a remote control or set the self timer and take your hands off.

If you use a point-and-shoot, camera shake and blur could be a problem if you’re not operating in the appropriate mode. For instance, trying to capture running children in portrait mode will probably result in motion blur. Try sports mode.

For the DSLR users, the heavier the camera, the more stable it will be and less likely to be moving about due to hand tremor. Research proper camera holding and stance for maximum stability.

Some lenses have IS (image stabilisation) options which help to reduce camera shake (and battery life!)

Camera shake becomes less and less a problem the faster your shutter speed and the more light is available. If you’re in low light, opening your aperture to let in more light will allow you to quicken your shutter speed, but then you might have to battle poor focussing.

{Out of Focus}

My pet peeve is improper focus. I’m sure the majority of photographers operate in auto focus mode, unless they’re photographing still life. This means that we allow the camera to focus for us and it does it in a variety of ways.

If you use a point-and-shoot, the solution it pretty simple. You hold down the shutter button halfway until focus is achieved and then push it the rest of the way down. The only reason you’d be likely to end up with poor focus is, as I said before, you’re shooting in an improper mode. For example, you’re shooting a landscape in macro mode.

For us DSLR users, focus becomes another monster all together. Consult your camera’s manual and familiarise yourself with the focus modes and the focus areas because both of these factors result in proper focusing. And you might find this post useful too

On the subject of pet peeves, what’s your biggest photographic annoyance?

Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips.

Camera Shake & Poor Focus

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I’m going mountain ski resort this weekend, and, obviously, want to take my camera with me and take pictures!

But… How should I prepare for that? My camera’s not sealed (K-x), nor is the lens I’m planning to take with me.
I’m only going to shoot if it doesn’t snow (hopefully!) – so falling snow shouldn’t be a problem.
What I’m worried a bit about is the temperature difference (lodging and outside) and condensation – but that can be solved with ziplock bags if I remember correctly… If anyone can comment on that, would be great.

Another thing I’ve been pondering is – how do I carry the stuff when I come out skiing? Right now I see three options: 1) Leave everything home – works, but I want something to take photos with 2) take a tiny backpack and stuff camera inside (I’d guess it would fit my K-x, a 200mm prime and maybe a wide angle) and somehow make it less prone to snow – don’t have a clue how, though; and finally, 3) just take my regular backpack that I take to school… It’s not waterproof, but it’s got layers – and I can stick camera somewhere in the middle.

So… If anyone has any experience shooting while out on a mountain, I’d appreciate it if you could share your experience! Also, maybe your lens selection, general advice, etc

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Just got my Kx back fro Spencer’s in Utah. Converted to IR with a CLR filter and a heat tranfer system for long exposure night photography to keep out the noise. Here’s a few samples.

590nm filter with channels swapped

590nm filter straight.( I hate it when the colors don’t translate on the screen!)

and the necessary 87c

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