Photographers (of anykind) please come in and help me! hahaha

[Gracy]

Okay so I'm sure my photographer friends are getting a bit tired of all my little questions so I thought I'd move along to ya'll and see if anyone here can offer me some helpful tips

I bought a Canon Digital SLR recently and I'm having some challenges figuring out the best settings and shutter speeds for some of my everyday shots.  The booklet they only offers limited info

Any recommendations on a good setting and shutter speed for outdoor semi action shots?  For instance when we did beach bonfire couple weekends ago my day shots were fine until it started to get dark... then the shots on the night time setting were blurry???  

So basically for the following what would you advise:

Daytime outdoor semi action - what setting and shutter speed?

Night outdoor semi action - what setting and shutter speed?

Indoor semi action - what setting and shutter speed?

Monochrome (black and white) semi action - what setting and shutter speed?

Thanks a ton... I hope someone on this board wont mind sharing with me their thoughts on this... I love photography but have never had any formal training!  

[perterra]

Dont know how much help I can be. I have a Canon XTi and it's a great camera, for quick shots during daylight hours your auto settings should work great. If you turn the control knob to the icon of the man running (it will say sports on your LCD screen) it will handle most action shots well. For night time shots a tripod will be your best friend. Also depending on the camera they have excellent high ISO characteristics even as high as 1600. A lot of my photos that are too dark can be salvaged nicely when developing in your computer. Their great cameras, play with it, shoot hundreds of shots and read your manual from cover to cover.

[waygard33]

Dont know how much help I can be. I have a Canon XTi and it's a great camera, for quick shots durling daylight hours your auto settings should work great. If you turn the control knob to the icon of the man running (it will say sports on your LCD screen) it will handle most action shots well. For night time shots a tripod will be your best friend. Also depending on the camera they have excellent high ISO characteristics even as high as 1600. A lot of my photos that are too dark can be salvaged nicely when developing in your computer. Their great cameras, play with it, shoot hundreds of shots and read your manual from cover to cover.

Hi Gracy,
There's a lot to learn if this is your first SLR. I have always had a film SLR but recently bought (6 months ago) a DSLR. A Canon XSi. Great camera.

I would be glad to help but I don't have too much time right now but you should check into a couple photography forums. I really like //www.dgrin.com.

Most of the questions you're asking have already been asked and you'll find the answers in there.

Good luck and have fun.
Wayne in Oregon

[He Ruide]

Gracy,

First the reason your night time photographs are blurry is that the shutter speed is so slow (greater than 1/60 second) that there is no way you can hold the camera steady while taking a photograph.  The answer is to get a tripod.  It will also come in handy for close ups.

Second, I don't think any of us can recommend a f stop and shutter speed for the conditions you gave because there are some many other variables that have to be accounted for.  For example, the amount of light will change if the sun is out versus hidden by cloud in just a couple minutes.  More importantly, we would have to account for a host of other camera settings e.g., ISO sensitivity, white balance, method of metering and focusing, exposure compensation, type of flash etc.

The beauty of digital camera is that it will try and measure the light and make some of the decisions for you. So I would recommend that you try the  program and automatic modes (child, action, daylight, shade, landscape, night, portrait, etc.).  Some cameras over exposed slightly, so you might not like the results but you can make a note of the settings (f stop and speed) and then switch to either the aperture priority or shutter priority and change the other settings higher and lower.  An alternative is to change the exposure compensation and see if you prefer the results.  Remember this is not like taking 35mm shots where you try to get the setting just right because you can't see the results until the film is developed.  Take lots of photographs while bracketing the settings and delete the ones you don't like.  Keep track of the settings and with time you'll quickly zero in on the settings you prefer.

I understand that you don't like the manual that came with the camera,  There are lots of third party manuals that you should look at.  I would also recommend that you purchase "How to photograph absolutely everything by Tom Ang". He has lots of photographs and some settings and tips that he used.

Hope this helps.

Ruide

[AustinBoston]

I started typing a basic response.  It started growing.  It got longer, and as I tried to explain things it got longer.  The old timers can tell you I can go on and on.  I deleted it all.  Instead, I offer you this:  Go to the library.  Get out a beginner's book on digital photography.  Make sure the emphasis is on using the camera, not on Photoshop or some other editor.

There's nothing wrong with Photoshop, I use it a lot myself.  In fact, at this stage, hardly a photo leaves my computer that has not been touched with photoshop.  But you have to start with something of value from the camera; then editing tools can be used to build on that.

When you want to move on, look for books that are based on the types of photography you want to do, such as sports and action photography, available light photography (i.e. campfire), nature and landscape photography, or photographing people, for example.  Note that if the book is any good, it will will have some chapters that are the same as most of the others.  Light, composition, and exposure apply to all photography, but are used in different ways.

Most of all, learn composition.  When I wade through hundreds or even thousands of images to find one that I really like, the only conclusion I can come to is that most people with a camera have no clue about composition.  But it's the most important thing that differentiates a snapshot from a photograph.

Make mistakes.  Learn from them.  Get advice from others.  Grow a thick skin, so that you can learn (instead of being hurt) when someone tells younthe honest truth about your photographs.  In the end, shoot to satisfy yourself.

You will find photography more satisfying as a craft (think: "how can I capture his expression") than as a technical persuit (think: "what settings do I use").  While you can't get far without some understanding of the technichal, knowing how to figure out or at least make an educated guess on the technical stuff can free you from getting bogged down in it.  Leaving it all up to the camera is a mistake.  There is nothing wrong with auto modes, but if you don't know what or how the camera is doing something, then you won't know when it can't possibly get it right, and you will be dispapointed.

If you then want to continue, there is something to be said for artistry with a camera.  I've been shooting for more than 25 years, and I don't yet consider myself an artist; that is something that has to be in your soul.

Austin

[Gracy]

Thanks so much for all the feedback!!!  I'm going to print everyones notes and study them while camping over the weekend!!!  I'm also going to check out some of those books mentioned... it also reminded me that a few years back I bought a book on how to photograph kids that I totally forgot I had!  I need to pull that down and go over it!!!  

I did quickly read over some of what you guys mentioned and I do have a really great tripod... the only problem is its so hard to take shots of moving kids using a tripod.... anyway I'm going to start trying to use it more though... maybe that will help with some of my shots

I can't thank you guys enough for the feedback... I really do love taking pictures.... I just want to take the best ones I can

[He Ruide]

Gracy,

I understand the issue of using a tripod when trying to photograph children.  I would recommend that you purchase a monopod with a quick release mount.  It will help in low light conditions but at night you still will get some blurriness and the tripod will be the only answer. Here is a quick reference guide to holding a monopod.

Also in low light conditions you can increase the ISO settings. Just be aware that the higher the settings the more grainy the photograph will be.

Three tips for photographing moving objects like children.

1, Select the Shutter priority.  This will allow you to control the length of time the shutter is open and the camera will adjust the aperture opening (f stop). Try taking photographs at 1/500 second and higher. This will allow you to freeze the action but remember the faster the speed the more light you will need or the wider the aperture and these may limit the speed at which you can take a photograph.

2. If available, switch the shooting mode to continuous (some cameras allow you to take three photographs each time the shutter button is depressed or have another setting that continues to take photographs as long as you are holding down the shutter button).  Anyway this will allow you to take several photographs and then select the ones you like later.

3.  The biggest problem with children is that one second you have them in focus and the next they are out of focus.  Check your camera and see if it allows you to control the area that it will focus on as well as the focus mode. On my camera I can select "Dynamic Area" which allows me to focus on a particular object in a bracket within the field of vision.  If the object moves the camera will look at the other brackets to find something to focus on.  More important is the focusing mode.  Your camera may allow you to select continuous servo mode.  In this mode the camera will continue to focus the entire time that the shutter button is depressed halfway.  So if the object within the focus area moves the camera will adjust to keep that object in focus.

Hope this helps.

Ruide

[dthurk]

If you're trying to take action shots in low light conditions, it doesn't matter how still you're holding the camera if the subject you're shooting is moving.  The shutter speed would be too slow to "freeze" the action.  This would result in a blurry subject, not a blurry photograph.  If you can learn to "pan" the camera, you might be able to change this so that the subject is not blurry but the background is.  This can yield some very interesting and satisfying effects in your photograph.   You could go to a shutter priority setting as suggested in a previous post to try to "freeze" the action and get everything clear, but you wouldn't have enough light at night to give you a decent exposure.  However, the shutter priority settings would work very well to "freeze" action if available light is adequate.  Of course, another solution would be to use flash at night, but that may not be the answer you're looking for either.

[sundawg]

Okay so I'm sure my photographer friends are getting a bit tired of all my little questions so I thought I'd move along to ya'll and see if anyone here can offer me some helpful tips

I bought a Canon Digital SLR recently and I'm having some challenges figuring out the best settings and shutter speeds for some of my everyday shots.  The booklet they only offers limited info

Any recommendations on a good setting and shutter speed for outdoor semi action shots?  For instance when we did beach bonfire couple weekends ago my day shots were fine until it started to get dark... then the shots on the night time setting were blurry???  

So basically for the following what would you advise:

Daytime outdoor semi action - what setting and shutter speed?

Night outdoor semi action - what setting and shutter speed?

Indoor semi action - what setting and shutter speed?

Monochrome (black and white) semi action - what setting and shutter speed?

Thanks a ton... I hope someone on this board wont mind sharing with me their thoughts on this... I love photography but have never had any formal training!  

Mostly you need to know what the shutter and f stop do....then lots of practice. action shots and night time take practice.

http://digital-photography-school.com/forum/index.php

[rockhoundcamper]

Hello!
   I just took a class at my local community college in digital photography. You shoulda been there! (Really!) A lot of what the others have posted was covered, along with other items I hadn't even thought of! I would recommend such a class. Lots of info and lots of fun!

[sundawg]

Hello!
   I just took a class at my local community college in digital photography. You shoulda been there! (Really!) A lot of what the others have posted was covered, along with other items I hadn't even thought of! I would recommend such a class. Lots of info and lots of fun!

now we want pictures....we want pictures!

[LACamper]

Speaking of monopods, there are lots of hiking staffs that have a camera mount built in. Being able to hold the camera still enough when taking a picture can make a tremendous difference!
One other bit of advice, practice on still subjects around the house. Outdoor plants are great. Then you can run inside and see how they came out. If they didn't come out right, go back out and try again. The plant will still be there!
F-stops- I'm still learning... Try bracketing though. Pick what you think it should be, then go up one then two, then down one then two. The best things about digital are almost instant results and that you don't have to wait days for developing.

[coach]

film is cheap, digital that is!

take lots of pictures varying combinations.
Practice practice practice

[cjpoppin]

film is cheap, digital that is!

take lots of pictures varying combinations.
Practice practice practice

Amen  to this answer......also your camera does have an action shot on the dial(auto) and I use this all the time to catch my grandkids and SCCamers doing all kinds of action shots.......I use a Cannon EOS 30D.....carol

[JimS]

Try to keep the shutter speed above 1/60th sec.  If below that it is very difficult to keep the camera still.  It is difficult to suggest any shutter speed / apature combinations as each photograph is unique.

I generally use the Program mode or occasionally the manual in diffucult situations.  As a general rule, in daylight, I will use shutter speeds no lower than 1/125th sec.  Then in low light, no less that 1/60th.

Also, I try to keep the apature in the mid range to get the best out of the lens.  Depending on the lens, f11 or above, (smaller appature) can lead to diffraction limits and "fuzzy" detail.  Wide open can lead to vignetting and soft corners.  Generally, try to use the middle of the lens.

One other thing: ALWAYS check the focus and manually adjust if necessary.  Canons can have focus issues, particularly in low light situations.  I have lost some pictures because of poor low light focus and failing to check it.

Also, go to your local camera shop and see if they have a book or even a DVD on operating the camera you have.  They can be very helpfull.

Hope this helps,
Jim