Amateur Photography Thread

[Plasmatopia]

Great info, guys. Yes, Duncan, I would like to keep the cost in that range (actually, I'm willing to spend a bit more, but I'm not sure she agrees). Yves - you bring up a great point because in the summer she does like to do macro photography of butterflies and bees which she finds in her various flowerbeds (her other favorite activity) and she also loves to try to snap pics of birds around our back yard. She does try to get some band photos when we're at shows too.

[Yves]

You can do "close up" photography; which is not quite the same as "macro" photography. The fixed lens cameras should give you good results, though their lenses tend to not give the sort of bokeh ( unfocused background that looks like a painting) that many want in close up photography. If she's leaning towards nature photography, she will want a telephoto lens that is at least 300mm in order to capture that cardinal high in the tree, etc... Tough call. On the one hand, you save money with an "in between" camera, while you figure out the level of your passion. On the other (and this was my situation) I knew I wanted to photograph animals in nature so I immediately took the plunge with a DSLR. Many come as packages that offer both a wide angle lens and a telephoto lens. My only mistake was only upgrading from a 250mm to a 300mm instead of biting the bullet for a 400mm telephoto.

[Plasmatopia]

Yeah, I need to discuss with her more to see what she really wants to accomplish.

Edit: After talking with her this morning I found out that one of the things that frustrated her (and inspired her to get a better camera) was not being able to zoom in with her iPhone and get a quality picture at last Saturday's prog fest in Arlington, MA.

[Plasmatopia]

My wife ended up buying this camera:

http://www.costco.com/Canon-EOS-Rebe...00128185.html#

[WHORG]

That's a very nice camera kit for starting out. You have a wide variety of focal lengths covered between both lenses - - and the APS-C sized sensor should perform well in lower light situations, plus all the extras. Bear in mind those are slower lenses, meaning you'll need lots of light to avoid (either) longer shutter speeds or higher iso . . . which can both introduce blur/noise into your images . . . a steady hand will help (or a tripod if you're so inclined). Higher ISO will granulate your images to a certain extent - but some of that can be minimized in post processing.

I knew you were originally on Flickr Yves - - - and would stick with that tool if you are familiar with the layout/tools, etc.

I just returned from a trip up north to the mountains - but had no time to take any photographs as I was busy with my Mom and getting her vehicle back on the road, registered, etc. It was amazingly beautiful in the mountains this time of year - lots of snow. On the way back to NC I cut through the mountains from the Shenandoah Valley - driving way up into this frozen, ice-covered forested area above the frost line . . . it was like something out of a fantasy novel . . . amazing !!!

Like many on this thread have said: a good book on exposure will help a lot in understanding how all the basics are related in capturing an image correctly - and how one thing will affect the other in a positive or negative manner. Or perhaps a class too, check out your local area for some photography classes - it will help greatly and you'll also meet others of like mind, who can all participate on photo hikes/efforts moving forward.

Later

[Yves]

My wife ended up buying this camera:

http://www.costco.com/Canon-EOS-Rebe...00128185.html#

Nice! I have the T4i, which is the model they made before this one. Nice to see they include a 300mm lens now. My kit came with a 250mm which just wasn't powerful enough.

[Yves]

This book has served as an excellent primer for me:

[Plasmatopia]

This is going to be interesting - so much to learn. English is a second language for my wife, so I'm not sure how well she's going to do with reading books and manuals on the subject. She may be just fine or I may end up learning more about this myself and then teaching it to her. Bad timing for me as I'm still trying to get through the manual for my band's mixing board and a whole lot of other band-related crap.

Really appreciate the input, guys.

[Yves]

The book I posted is very much in layman's terms but a basic understanding of a camera is required. Once it starts sinking in and you can call up from memory the various lessons you've read you'll find yourself "getting it". Enjoy!

[WHORG]

Yup - Yves book is the best one out there IMO.

Modern cameras behave very well on full auto-mode too . . . so getting decent shots right away is quite possible. Once you learn the basics of exposure, composition and lighting . . . then you can consider getting more refined lenses depending on your path of choice.

I take more travel/landscapes, street shots, dance club, and portraits myself . . . so a semi wide-angle and a medium telephoto fit my needs. Everybody's different - - - you will discover (over time) what style of photography appeals to you the most. Yves has a lot of experience with bird/nature, macro . . . which sounds like the direction your wife (Plasmatopia) is initially interested in.

I tell you: if she attends your gigs - then get her a fast, medium zoom once she gets some chops - - - and you can get some great live music images of y'all too.

Remember - it's super easy to rent lenses too - - just to test the waters. There's tons of on-line rental shops, especially for Canon (and Nikon) glass - - - a lot of pros do this when shooting an odd event out of their normal style. I rented a big Nikon kit before deciding on my current rig - - - so be it.

That being said, quality lenses have a high resale value too . . . you should not lose more than 10% - 15% if you dump a lens you don't want anymore . . . assuming it's clean and operational . . . just saying.

I have to pull my new lens out this weekend and get busy, all this talk is giving me a photo boner.

[Plasmatopia]

I will definitely check out that book. I do know (or used to know) a few camera basics from years ago when I had a decent 35mm film camera that I used to mess around with, so I think I'll be able to follow the book well enough.

Great tip about the fast zoom lens. Maybe in a few weeks I'll look into a rental. I'd love to get her taking pics of my band as it keeps her busy and involved with the band to some extent. She really does have an eye for composition. I've seen photos from some people who have taken classes or in some cases even have degrees in photography and to my way of thinking my wife has something that (apparently) can't always be taught.

[Plasmatopia]

photo boner

I'm glad you put those words in that order. Otherwise we'd be understanding a different kind of exposure.

[proggosaurus]

I didn't take these but thought I would share them

January 4th, 2015 - Monarch butterflies in the Piedra Herrada sanctuary near Valle de Bravo, Mexico.The orange-and-black butterflies are suffering from loss of milkweed habitat in the United States, illegal logging in Mexico and climate change. Each year, the butterflies migrate to Mexico to find the same pine and fir forests to spend the winter.

photos by Associated Press photographer Rebecca Blackwell who joined the AP as West Africa photographer in 2007, before moving to the Mexico City bureau in 2014.

click on thumb for larger image

[proggosaurus]

[proggosaurus]

one more

[spellbound]

150408_001.jpg

Carson Range, Sierra Nevada from Minden, Douglas County, Nevada, 8 April 2015

[Jerjo]

OK, how do you get your images posted on here? I've got tons of photos but they're always too big.

[Gholen]

Photos from China are great

[Yves]

Yes they are... though they were professionally taken and the thread is amateur photography.

I'll have to post a new batch at some point, taken over the winter and early spring. I just need to upload a few to Flickr...

[WHORG]

One of the last sets of images from the Leica camera taken over the Easter weekend down on the coast:







It's Fuji time now . . .

[Yves]

That top one is fantastic!

[WHORG]

It's still a really good camera for web based images . . . and can hold it's own for a 5MP sensor.

Yves - what lens are you using for birds & wildlife. There's a national park out west (NC) that has a successful elk population that's been (re)established in this little valley - and we'll be taking a camping trip out there over the summer months. Point being - I'd need something with more reach than what I currently own . . .

[Yves]

I use a Canon EF 70-300mm but I would prefer a 400mm. I just don't know if I want to spend the kind of money they are asking for it. I rarely use a tripod because I am out taking a walk or riding my bike. I have gone fully automatic (no flash setting) for the bird photos now, using a manual focus. I am finding my results have been much better. I need to post a few here. I just don't use Flickr much these days.

This is the perfect time for bird photography up here. Most of the migratory birds are back and the trees are still devoid of leaves so this is optimal viewing time.

[WHORG]

Yup - I've read that 400mm is the "go to" focal length for birds/wildlife. Fuji lenses only reach out to 350mm at this time - and their offerings are fairly reasonable, or I could possibly rent one for the week ($76) and test the waters. I'm not a big tripod user myself -

Birds are going crazy in these parts too - - - we have a couple of nests on the property: a blue bird in the proper bird house mounted on a pole, and a small warbler that made a nest inside a bag of drainage rocks inside of Abby's play-house . . . scared the shit out of me when I was planting our flowers and reached in there for some rocks ... and that little bird flew out right into my face . . . I fell backwards on my ass. Abby was laughing like crazy - - -

I preordered the new Fuji 16mm f/1.4 fast wide angle (24mm equivalent on a regular camera). It's a good lens for large groups indoors, scenic landscapes outdoors, street shots . . . and a lot of people will be using it for astro-photography since it's so fast. That will round out my prime lens collection for now - - - and (like I said) will probably rent anything else for special/boutique sessions as needed.

I like to travel light and fast - - - carry as little as possible and be quick with my technique. I hate fussing around with dials, menus and buttons all the time - - - and that was one of the reasons I enjoyed using that Leica so much . . . the IQ was fast, friendly and well-known to me after 10 years.

Still staying with Zenfolio on my end - they host both photos and movies now . . . plus we picked up GoPro 4 (silver) for HD video capture. That little thing is a fuckin' blast and goes anywhere. Abby shot a ton of video over Easter weekend - and is in the process of learning iMovie here at home (we got a new iMac a few weeks ago).

Lots of fun - - -

Post some bird pics when you get the chance.

[Yves]

Here's a link to some of the better photos I took over the last few months. I basically did not touch my camera from mid december to late March

https://www.flickr.com/photos/102902...7651574511427/