Help !#?

[Ex-Biker]

I am going to Kenya at the beginning of November.

I think I'm prepared. Canon S1 IS, spare batteries, 2x 512mb & 1x 256mb CF card and a tripod. Also thinking about telephoto lens / adaptor.

Problem. I know nothing about photography. The Canon seemed ideal as it had a good zoom, heard good things about Canon cameras, it can be used in fully automatic mode and it has some 'real' camera functions.

Now I need to find out how to use the functions to produce pics like I see on here. I really want to get some good photo's while I'm there, after all it's not everyday . . . . . . .

Where do I start?

I saw a book in WH Smiths the other day. Digital Photography or something. There are 2 volumes, produced in association with a couple of camera magazines. Price £14.99 each.

Has anyone seen it? Is it any good? Will it help me?

I have been experimenting as much as I can to try and learn things, but I'm not sure I'm getting anywhere. eg. I can take a photo where I focus on the foreground and / or focus on background, but don't know how and I end up taking 3 -4 pics to get it right. Now I don't think the average lion has the patience to pose for me when it takes that long.

Any advice?

[docevi1]

First off I'd personally say give those books a miss, I tend to find that "digital" books and mags tend to concentrate more on the post fiddling rather than taking the actual shot in the first place.

Secondly, I'd email simpo two as he passed on a very informative word document regarding camera settings.

Thirdly, practice - how long before you head out there? Take as many pictures as you can, fiddle and fiddle some more.

Lastly, don't expect miracles - I'm assuming you are wanting your pictures to look more like the "proffesional" pictures on here, but without a lot of luck and pure natural skill you'll end up with images more like mine, which aren't bad I hope Just make sure you're happy with them.

[simpo two]

I think the answer is...




... give your ticket to me

But no, it's just the basic physics you need to get your head round (the things they don't tell you in the instructions): Word doc available on request

[chim_girl]

Could I have a copy of your word document please?

Email via PH sent to you.

[Ex-Biker]

simpo two said:

I think the answer is... ... give your ticket to me But no, it's just the basic physics you need to get your head round (the things they don't tell you in the instructions): Word doc available on request

YHM

But sorry . . . . no spare tickets

[Ex-Biker]

I learned how cropping makes a lot of difference to a pic from a previous post (sunsets).

I'm now playing with action shots. I know it's boring, but other than taking pics or cars driving past, this is the best idea for something of some interest.



The question is, what is wrong with it? & How can I improve it? (in the taking of the pic, not in Photoshop).

[docevi1]

from critism I have received:

The horizon is not flat and is in the center of the page. The rule of 1/3rds applies in that nothing should be in the center but 1/3 up or down the page...

Other than that simple composition idea (which you can rectify by cropping from what you say) it looks spot-on to me :thumbsup:

[simpo two]

Ex-Biker said:

The question is, what is wrong with it? & How can I improve it? (in the taking of the pic, not in Photoshop).

In the taking, not much I think. The subject is sharp, the spray is frozen which looks nice, the exposure is good.

Ideally have him facing towards you though.

And then make him female. And pretty. And not wearing much

[CVP]

Rule of thirds is a good general maxim (basically divide your screen into nine squares by using three vertical lines and three horizontal lines all evenly spaced and try and put the interesting bits at the intersections of these lines). However it's only a general rule as it generates a pciture that's easy for the eye to follow. Often by ignoring this compositional guidance you can produce a much more striking and visually challenging image.

Re your surfing picture the only thing I'd say is oyu are missing eye contact from the image. As Simpo said the expsoure and composition are nice but if the surfer had been facng you rather than facing away it might make for a more interesting image.

Thinking of your upcoming trip. With animals eye contact is often the key between getting a nice picutre of something and one that really jumps out at you. If you look back in the threads on this forum you can find some taken of big cats by "srider". There's one in there that really stands out for me. It's the one of the black panther lounging on the tree. Just look at the eyes - they convey the sheer power and intent of the animal even though it's just lounging around.

HTH

Chris

[simpo two]

CVP said:

With animals eye contact is often the key between getting a nice picutre of something and one that really jumps out at you.

Just try to press the shutter release before you get eaten...

NB You might get a posthumous LRPS!

[Don]

Something to remember...

You take the picture its possible to take. When photographing nature or sports it simply isn't possible to arrange your standpoint to perfection or to get the animal/sportsman to behave in any particular way.

I also find when photographing people their expressions vary from moment to moment - some flattering, most not..

So the trick is to take a LOT of pictures...and cull the worst ones in the camera at the end of each day.

This is the total amateur talking here...but going digital seriously worked for me as I can now take literally hundreds of pictures to get the one or two corkers...

Oh...and sunrise and sunset always give whatever the subject matter is a real lift...

[Ex-Biker]

Don said:

Something to remember... So the trick is to take a LOT of pictures...and cull the worst ones in the camera at the end of each day. This is the total amateur talking here...but going digital seriously worked for me as I can now take literally hundreds of pictures to get the one or two corkers...

Yep Digital works for me!

[simpo two]

Don said:

So the trick is to take a LOT of pictures...and cull the worst ones in the camera at the end of each day.

As I used to say before going digital, 'Digital allows you to take pictures you don't like and then delete them!'.
But I agree in principle. Even with digital, if I looked through the viewfinder and wasn't pleased with the view, I wouldn't press the button. But I would do so on the 'hmm not sure' ones which with film I wouldn't have done.

I don't know how big your image files are, but 1.25Gb is not massive for such an interesting trip I think: maybe get a 1Gb as well?

[chrisjl]

Ex-Biker said:

2x 512mb & 1x 256mb CF card

I'd be surprised if that's enough. Unless there's a laptop for offloading at the end of every day, I think you should look into an Xs-Drive (a laptop hdd, a battery and a CF reader in a box).

[Ex-Biker]

simpo two said:

I don't know how big your image files are, but 1.25Gb is not massive for such an interesting trip I think: maybe get a 1Gb as well?

That brings me back to an earlier thread.

There are 4 settings on my camera Norm, M1, M2 and L. There are 3 compression settings norm, fine and s.fine. Camera is 3.2mpixel

Most pics I take at the moment are set at L-Fine. This gives an image of 2048x1536 and about a 1mb file.

So at this setting I can get over 500 images from the 512mb card.

Should I use the s.fine compression?

[docevi1]

yes - you don't know which ones you want to print and having the larger size could prove invaluable later on. Having said that, the obvious downside is that you need more memory available.

When I went to Egypt I was offered a nice piece of advice here (in another thread somewhere). It said Take lots of pictures, but don't look through the viewfinder. Now that seems strange but what it meant is - there is little point going on Holiday to somewhere fantastic and not actualy looking around to enjoy it because you are looking through a camera... My parents for instance went to Canada for three weeks and took 1200 images - they can't remember anything they didn't take a picture of as a result.

[murph7355]

As noted, never compress unless you are desperate for space.

You can never recover data lost at capture, no matter how good the software.

[CVP]

simpo two said:

CVP said: With animals eye contact is often the key between getting a nice picutre of something and one that really jumps out at you. Just try to press the shutter release before you get eaten... NB You might get a posthumous LRPS!

Yes, could have chosen my words better couldn't I

I'd agree with the taking lots of pictures comments, especially of animals or people. Expressions are very fleeting and can make the difference in your pictures. With landscapes etc you get more time to compose and so will probably take fewer pictures to get the one you were thinking of.

Also echo the comments about enjoying yourself whilst you're there. If you're a pro you're there to get the image, if your on holiday you need to get a balance, especially if you've got other half / family with you.

Chris

[simpo two]

CVP said:

if your on holiday you need to get a balance, especially if you've got other half / family with you. Chris

True; I got into trouble on that front when my F70 was new... left them too long at an airshow apparently Buy them cameras too!

[Ex-biker]

simpo two

Thanks for the info. Started reading throught it last night.

Seems easy enough to follow at the moment.