Basic SLR Tips
Discussion
I bought my first SLR a few days ago - a Canon 350d, with the standard 18-55 lens. I've had a little play around with it, but not much yet.
I'm heading up north tomorrow to Loch Ness and would like to get a few decent photos. I would appreciate any tips you experienced guys can give with regards to the best settings for people/landscape pics and any other general tips you can think of.
Thank you!
I'm heading up north tomorrow to Loch Ness and would like to get a few decent photos. I would appreciate any tips you experienced guys can give with regards to the best settings for people/landscape pics and any other general tips you can think of.
Thank you!
Best tip I can give you is to use aperture priority and select small aperture for landscapes (e.g. f16 - but make sure the shutter speed is fast enough for hand-holding (images will be blurred), otherwise use a tripod or select higher ISO), and large aperture for people/portrait (in order to blur the background - unless you want to keep the background sharp as well). Have fun!
buy this today:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-Digital-Rebel-Lanter...
and read it while the missus drives up there.
d
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-Digital-Rebel-Lanter...
and read it while the missus drives up there.
dCongrats on your purchase!
Firstly, I would suggest that you shoot in RAW rather than JPEG - this will allow you to have more control over editing / correcting images on your PC in case you don't get the exposure correct (I believe that the supplied Canon RAW converter/editor is pretty good).
Secondly, buy yourself a good polarising filter to emphasise those blue skies that we all remember
It will also help reduce reflections on water etc,.
Thirdly, get yourself a decent tripod. You might think it's a bit geeky, but it really does help with composition. You will find that by spending a little time looking all around the image in the viewfinder with the camera on the tripod will result in better final images.
Hope you will enjoy it - I'm sure you will!
Firstly, I would suggest that you shoot in RAW rather than JPEG - this will allow you to have more control over editing / correcting images on your PC in case you don't get the exposure correct (I believe that the supplied Canon RAW converter/editor is pretty good).
Secondly, buy yourself a good polarising filter to emphasise those blue skies that we all remember
It will also help reduce reflections on water etc,.Thirdly, get yourself a decent tripod. You might think it's a bit geeky, but it really does help with composition. You will find that by spending a little time looking all around the image in the viewfinder with the camera on the tripod will result in better final images.
Hope you will enjoy it - I'm sure you will!
I agree with Chim666's comments. One word of advice though. DO NOT SCRIMP when buying a tripod. I had a Velbron Ultra Maxi F for about a year and thought is was OK. I then invested in Manfrotto 055ProB legs and ball head, the difference was undescribable. Yes, they are heavier, but IMHO thats the point. Get a decent tripod, you won't regret it.
Edited by JuSlaughter on Friday 6th July 13:00
Thanks for the tips everyone.
I had another little play today and quite liked this pic, even though it was mostly about being in the right place at the right time.
http://img105.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img9998ml...
I had another little play today and quite liked this pic, even though it was mostly about being in the right place at the right time.
http://img105.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img9998ml...
Edited by Stevenj214 on Friday 6th July 19:07
Hi.
Some great advice from folks there, I'm not sure if you have come over from film or not but one thing that helped me when I moved to DSLR was to experiment. Sounds daft but it is so much easier to play with digital, I always felt as though I needed to work hard to make the most of film but as digital is so instant you can really push it to the limits. Take hundreds of pictures, go fully manual and try different ISO settings, different exposure times and different apertures, what's there to loose?! Go mad and really learn, if you end up with 500 useless pictures then who cares, delete them and carry on experimenting. Soon you will begin to understand what your camera does in different light situations and you won't even have to think about it. I take hundreds of pictures and love every minute of it, even when it's -40 and my fingers are frozen and snot is freezing to my beard, it's still an amazing thing to do!
So, that's my advice, go mad and use it all the time, learn from what you produce and most of all enjoy it.
Cheers.
Mat.
Some great advice from folks there, I'm not sure if you have come over from film or not but one thing that helped me when I moved to DSLR was to experiment. Sounds daft but it is so much easier to play with digital, I always felt as though I needed to work hard to make the most of film but as digital is so instant you can really push it to the limits. Take hundreds of pictures, go fully manual and try different ISO settings, different exposure times and different apertures, what's there to loose?! Go mad and really learn, if you end up with 500 useless pictures then who cares, delete them and carry on experimenting. Soon you will begin to understand what your camera does in different light situations and you won't even have to think about it. I take hundreds of pictures and love every minute of it, even when it's -40 and my fingers are frozen and snot is freezing to my beard, it's still an amazing thing to do!
So, that's my advice, go mad and use it all the time, learn from what you produce and most of all enjoy it.
Cheers.
Mat.
Hi Steven
Nice images there, the 350 is a great camera and excellent as a first DSLR so you should be able to learn loads from it.
Something that takes a lot of working out is exactly what you are taking a picture of, if it's a landscape then what is it in the landscape that makes you want to take the picture? Is it the contrast between the land/sea and sky? Is it the way the light is reflected off of surfaces? Is it the clouds? Try and look at what it is you like about the view in front of you then construct your composition to make the most of that. People looking at your images will hopefully then see what made you want to take the picture. Have a look in the manual at depth of field, great for accentuating objects when you are taking close ups. Have a look at 3, great exposure of the face, she's in the right position on the frame but for me the background is a little too busy, a narrower depth of field may well have blurred the background more and brought the woman out more. Also look at composition, it's all great and then the wooden rail just appears in the bottom right hand corner, it'd be much better if that wasn't there so really look through the view finder and see what you are going to include in you picture, move slightly and miss it out or crop it afterwards. I like the last one the best, as said before, a slightly longer exposure would have blurred the water just a touch more but you got the exposure right for the foliage so excellent attempt. I like the green framing the top corners, if it was me I would have maybe tried getting a bit lower to it, it looks like you are looking down on it at the moment.
Everyone has a different idea about what is a good photograph and what isn't, you only have to please yourself, if you like it then it's good enough! Just go out and enjoy it!
Mat.
Nice images there, the 350 is a great camera and excellent as a first DSLR so you should be able to learn loads from it.
Something that takes a lot of working out is exactly what you are taking a picture of, if it's a landscape then what is it in the landscape that makes you want to take the picture? Is it the contrast between the land/sea and sky? Is it the way the light is reflected off of surfaces? Is it the clouds? Try and look at what it is you like about the view in front of you then construct your composition to make the most of that. People looking at your images will hopefully then see what made you want to take the picture. Have a look in the manual at depth of field, great for accentuating objects when you are taking close ups. Have a look at 3, great exposure of the face, she's in the right position on the frame but for me the background is a little too busy, a narrower depth of field may well have blurred the background more and brought the woman out more. Also look at composition, it's all great and then the wooden rail just appears in the bottom right hand corner, it'd be much better if that wasn't there so really look through the view finder and see what you are going to include in you picture, move slightly and miss it out or crop it afterwards. I like the last one the best, as said before, a slightly longer exposure would have blurred the water just a touch more but you got the exposure right for the foliage so excellent attempt. I like the green framing the top corners, if it was me I would have maybe tried getting a bit lower to it, it looks like you are looking down on it at the moment.
Everyone has a different idea about what is a good photograph and what isn't, you only have to please yourself, if you like it then it's good enough! Just go out and enjoy it!
Mat.
Steve,
Here's a few shots that I took when I was up there. Just to give you a little inspiration?
http://gallery.benluckman.com/v/LochNess/
Here's a few shots that I took when I was up there. Just to give you a little inspiration?
http://gallery.benluckman.com/v/LochNess/
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