Hey, it's
National Blog Posting Month! And since I'm on this kick to continue to learn how to use my camera, I'm going to have a photography theme and blog for a month. I found myself back in Henry's room this afternoon and I remembered a part of the class in which we discussed various lightings (probably metering related). Anyway, my camera is usually set to daylight but that doesn't make sense given that I'm inside, so I switched the setting to incandescent, which doesn't make any more sense given that I didn't have the lights on but I wanted to see how much that changed the shot. Here's what happened:
Shutter 1/40 Aperture f/2.0 ISO 800 TungstenHe's blue, ladies and gentlemen! Here's what else I learned. To capture shots of Henry without a flash using manual mode while inside I have to have a fast shutter speed. Seems like this goes without saying but when you use the automatic mode you don't have to think about any of this so it sort of feels like a revelation. What this also tells me is that to manipulate light in these circumstances, since I have to keep the fast shutter speed in order to capture my subject (i.e., Henry Finn), I need to use the aperture settings to increase or decrease the amount of light coming in. Later on I snapped this one:
Shutter 1/200 Aperture f/1.4 ISO 800
I'm
with Amber, I still like the shots I got using the automatic setting better but I'm committed to plodding along with the manual mode. Tomorrow I think I might shoot a wee bit outside.
Shutter 1/40 Aperture f/2.0 ISO 800 Tungsten
Shutter 1/200 Aperture f/1.4 ISO 800
6 comments:
That bottom one is great (the top one is great in its own way too)... I'm actually kind of loving the fact that I now have some basic tricks for not using a flash. I hate using a flash, although not quite as much now that I have a better flash. I was going nuts at Josie's school though because looking around, there were fluorescent lights (some softer, white ones and some yellows), tungsten lights and some sunlight. These are the things that are keeping me up at night! :)
I'm secretly going to try NaBloPoMo again too, but I'm not advertising it (except for here), so maybe I'll try something like this too... any excuse to try and get more comfortable with the camera.
I have the same reaction. I'm in the house with the lights on but there's light coming in from the window, too. How do you decide??!?!???!??!
What professional photogs don't get is that we don't have time to discover the best options by taking shots using every possible option so we need generalizations to help give us a starting point. It's exhausting. But also I sort of feel like a detective. In the car this morning I was all, if I was shooting outside today I'd set it to cloudy and have the ISO at 200-400 and I'd clamp down the aperture, maybe starting at 5.6 or 8. I can see how with time these things can become second nature. I'm just hoping I can speed up that time part of it so I'm not still trying to figure things out 10 years from now.
And good luck with NaBloPoMo!
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who's thinking about this all way too much. I agree that it is kind of like a mystery though, which is fun. In a weird, twisted sort of way.
Oh...I should learn how to use my camera too... You're doing a great job!
My brain used to hurt after photography class too, which was a requirement for my J degree. And (I'm dating myself here) I was using 35mm SLR, namely an awesome Nikon that was state-of-the-art at the time. (it's still a great camera, but I've been spoiled by the instant gratification and delete ability with a digital)
It would take a crash course for me to remember what all of it meant. One must really USE all those new terms and twists of the dials in order to fully understand what they do. I did enjoy it though, and was rather impressed with the end results.
I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that you're doing this!! Dare I say, it's about time!!!
Go forth and photograph.........
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