This week I'm working on... (now with a page 1 directory)

[TheGoofster]

One of my goals this year is to try and learn (and hopefully apply) 2 or 3 new things about my camera every week or so.
That got me thinking about what I hope could be a very useful thread about what others are working on learning as well, and perhaps how that could help others who are trying to learn the same thing.
I hope this is something that everybody (beginners, intermediate and expert) photographers can use. I have always learned so much from reading and seeing what other Dissers have posted, and would love to see so much more of that in this thread.

So, if you could, would you perhaps tell us what you are trying to work on this week in your photo skills (either just learning or working to improve at), and if possible post a picture or two demonstrating what you are doing (and perhaps how you did it).

Since this thread is getting bigger, let me go ahead and insert a directory here to help us find certain topics that have alread been covered, so if there is something specific you are interested in, this might help you find it quicker:

Auto Exposure / Auto focus lock - page 1
High Dynamic Range (HDR) - pages 1,2,3,10
White Balance - page 1
White Balance Bracketing - page 3
On Screen Controls - page 3
Manual focus / Rangefinder - page 4
Single Point or Auto Area Focusing - page 4, 8
Dynamic Area and 3D Tracking focusing - page 4
Telephoto Close up shots - page 4
Bouncing Flash - page 5
Macro Shots - page 5
Panning - page 5, 6
Night Shots - page 5,7
Telephoto shots - page 6
Black and White shots - page 6,7
Background Blur - page 4,7
Different Shooting Modes - page 8
Low light shots - page 9
First shots - page 9
RAW - page 10
Tilt shifting - page 10
Fill flash - page 11

Let me start with what I'm working on today (and this week). Last night I watched a Youtube video of somebody explaining the AE / AF lock button, and how to best use it. In the couple of months I've had my camera (the Nikon D5000), I've never given this button much thought, but after watching the video, I've decided to try and start using this button.
Basically it locks the focus and the exposure of a picture (after you press the shutter release button half way down), thus allowing you to keep those settings, and recompose or adjust your shot.

Here are 2 examples:

First of all keeping the focus on an object, and then recomposing the shot with that object now on the side of the picture:

And here is one where the exposure was first set, and then held while the shot was adjusted to include a strong back-light:

with AE-lock:

without AE-lock:

I'm hoping to do a lot more experimenting this week using this button.

 

[VVFF]

One of my goals this year is to try and learn (and hopefully apply) 2 or 3 new things about my camera every week or so.
That got me thinking about what I hope could be a very useful thread about what others are working on learning as well, and perhaps how that could help others who are trying to learn the same thing.
I hope this is something that everybody (beginners, intermediate and expert) photographers can use. I have always learned so much from reading and seeing what other Dissers have posted, and would love to see so much more of that in this thread.

So, if you could, would you perhaps tell us what you are trying to work on this week in your photo skills (either just learning or working to improve at), and if possible post a picture or two demonstrating what you are doing (and perhaps how you did it).

Let me start with what I'm working on today (and this week). Last night I watched a Youtube video of somebody explaining the AE / AF lock button, and how to best use it. In the couple of months I've had my camera (the Nikon D5000), I've never given this button much thought, but after watching the video, I've decided to try and start using this button.
Basically it locks the focus and the exposure of a picture (after you press the shutter release button half way down), thus allowing you to keep those settings, and recompose or adjust your shot.

Here are 2 examples:

First of all keeping the focus on an object, and then recomposing the shot with that object now on the side of the picture:

And here is one where the exposure was first set, and then held while the shot was adjusted to include a strong back-light:

with AE-lock:

without AE-lock:

I'm hoping to do a lot more experimenting this week using this button.

Assuming it works the same on Nikon as it does Canon...

1. Exposure is locked in evaluative metering mode when the shutter button is half pressed

2. AE lock can be used before the shutter button has been half pressed. This will lock in the exposure with the current scene but not the focus. You can then go and lock focus by using the shutter button.

3. In other metering modes the metering will change even after the shutter button is half pressed. You can lock the exposure before or after the shutter button has been half-pressed by using this.

Very important for when focusing and recomposing would include direct light sources that really changes the exposure.

 

[TheGoofster]

Basically it locks the focus and the exposure of a picture (after you press the shutter release button half way down.), thus allowing you to keep those settings, and recompose or adjust your shot.

Assuming it works the same on Nikon as it does Canon...

1. Exposure is locked in evaluative metering mode when the shutter button is half pressed

2. AE lock can be used before the shutter button has been half pressed. This will lock in the exposure with the current scene but not the focus. You can then go and lock focus by using the shutter button.

3. In other metering modes the metering will change even after the shutter button is half pressed. You can lock the exposure before or after the shutter button has been half-pressed by using this.

Very important for when focusing and recomposing would include direct light sources that really changes the exposure.

Thanks for sharing that! The video just mentioned the use of the button after you push the shutter release half way down. I didn't realize that you can actually do it before (thus given you even more chance of manipulating both the focus and the exposure.) Hopefully I can try and learn to do it using both ways, and put it into application.

Like I said, I always learn so much from these boards!

 

[SrisonS]

I think it's great that you're learning all the features of your camera; especially AF and AE. I had my Canon S3 for 2 years. And a month before I made the jump to a dslr, I finally learned how to use AE lock. Learning about that earlier would've saved me from so many headaches though. But a good thing is that my Canon dslr had the same button, in pretty much the same spot. So I was able to easily transfer what I had learned.

Good idea for a thread too. I've learned a lot on these boards; but I'm still constantly trying to figure out all my camera can do.

 

[wen-tom]

this is a great idea for a thread. I've made myself a similar plan for this year and am hoping to start a course at college in feb.

maybe you could post a link to the video's that you are looking at so that we can follow?

 

[TheGoofster]

this is a great idea for a thread. I've made myself a similar plan for this year and am hoping to start a course at college in feb.

maybe you could post a link to the video's that you are looking at so that we can follow?

Here's the link to the video about the AE / AF lock button:

 

[TheGoofster]

Assuming it works the same on Nikon as it does Canon...

1. Exposure is locked in evaluative metering mode when the shutter button is half pressed

2. AE lock can be used before the shutter button has been half pressed. This will lock in the exposure with the current scene but not the focus. You can then go and lock focus by using the shutter button.

3. In other metering modes the metering will change even after the shutter button is half pressed. You can lock the exposure before or after the shutter button has been half-pressed by using this.

Very important for when focusing and recomposing would include direct light sources that really changes the exposure.

I was doing some more experimenting today with this technique (again, using the Nikon D5000). I found out that in the normal setting, where the AE / AF lock is set to lock both the exposure and the focus (the factory setting), that if you use that button it actually prevents the shutter button from focusing (when you push it half way down). So once I pushed and held the AE / AF button, I no longer had control over the auto-focus via the shutter button.
So then I went into the settings, and changed the button to be an Auto Exposure lock only. When I did that, I once again was able to use the shutter release button to auto-focus. I found that I actually like this arrangement much better. Now, like you said, I can go ahead and use the AE / AF button to lock my exposure setting, and then use the shutter release button to work with the focusing. I think I'll keep that setting on most of the time now.
Here is another example of how the AE lock button can be put to good use. Today is a very sunny day, and when I take a picture outside it tends to be a little washed out (I know I can also change different settings to adjust for that), but I was able to use the AE lock button to do a quick fix. I simply locked the exposure on a beam of sun on my desk in another room, then went back and took the same picture again (without having to adjust any other settings), and it came out much better.

photo 1 - without the AE lock:

photo 2 - with the AE lock (without changing any other settings):

I can see how it will take a lot of practice to know when to use this feature and how to best use it, but it really does seem to add another dimension to shooting.

 

[SrisonS]

To further test AE; I'd suggest going outside and locking onto a different subject from right where you're standing. I only say this because you'll hardly ever have the opportunity to go into another room and just meter off of what you want to. It'll also help for those moments you have to do some fast shooting. You'll just become accustomed to being aware of your surroundings.... light-wise.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

This week im working on learning photography terms and taking at least one picture a week.

 

[jann1033]

good idea for a thread. right now i need to get some motivation to use my camera....

 

[VVFF]

I was doing some more experimenting today with this technique (again, using the Nikon D5000). I found out that in the normal setting, where the AE / AF lock is set to lock both the exposure and the focus (the factory setting), that if you use that button it actually prevents the shutter button from focusing (when you push it half way down). So once I pushed and held the AE / AF button, I no longer had control over the auto-focus via the shutter button.
So then I went into the settings, and changed the button to be an Auto Exposure lock only. When I did that, I once again was able to use the shutter release button to auto-focus. I found that I actually like this arrangement much better. Now, like you said, I can go ahead and use the AE / AF button to lock my exposure setting, and then use the shutter release button to work with the focusing. I think I'll keep that setting on most of the time now.
Here is another example of how the AE lock button can be put to good use. Today is a very sunny day, and when I take a picture outside it tends to be a little washed out (I know I can also change different settings to adjust for that), but I was able to use the AE lock button to do a quick fix. I simply locked the exposure on a beam of sun on my desk in another room, then went back and took the same picture again (without having to adjust any other settings), and it came out much better.

photo 1 - without the AE lock:

photo 2 - with the AE lock (without changing any other settings):

I can see how it will take a lot of practice to know when to use this feature and how to best use it, but it really does seem to add another dimension to shooting.

Thanks for letting me know how it works on Nikon. I agree that changing that setting from its default is FAR more ideal. Canon cameras(at least the 50D prosumer models) have a AF on button and a AE lock button so this is automatically separated by default.

Because the shutter button effectively locks the focus and exposure in evaluative metering mode, the metering can be updated again by pressing the AE lock button after having recomposed the scene. This will only affect metering and not focus.

 

[TheGoofster]

Well, this week I've been focusing still on exposure, but in a different sort of way. I've been doing some experimenting with HDR (High Dynamic Range) shots (for any who aren't familiar with it, it's basically where you take multiple {usually 3} shots of the same subject at varying exposure settings, and then use a special program to merge them together, thus allowing for some interesting effects).

I am still only just scratching the surface of this procedure, but here are a few observations that I've had so far (and feel free to agree, disagree or call me a fruit cake ).

- Wind is your enemy. Even though the program does have an align images feature, anything more than just a small bit of movement will give you a ghost / multiple image sort of effect. Most of what I took the first part of the week was outside shots, so wind did indeed come into play quite often.
- HDR shots don't always give you that "great" shot that you are looking for. After about 2 - 3 dozen examples, I found that for the most part the HDR merged shot, and the original (not under or over exposed) shot didn't really look that much different.
- Clouds can be a good, a bad or a useless feature when merging your shots. In some of my examples, the clouds are what made the picture stand out, in other examples, the clouds really made almost no difference at all, and some times, they really distracted from the final product. Probably the biggest difference that I saw with clouds is when the lighting behind them was pretty strong (or weak)
- Time of day also seems to make a big difference when attempting a HDR shot. Evening shots seemed to allow much more range to play with as opposed to middle of the day shots.
- Color. Most of the examples I took really didn't have striking differences in color. I imagine that color will give you better (more interesting) results when attempting a HDR shot.

Here are a few examples of what I did earlier in the week with outside HDR shtos:

In this shot you can see that the clouds are really what make this shot stand out from a regular shot:

You don't always have to make extreme use of HDR to get a more interesting picture. Here I really didn't tweek it all that much, but I think I got the results I was looking for (more contrast than the normal shot, which just kind of blended the church into the mountain):

Some times the best examples of HDR aren't necessarily an elaborate view or breathtaking scene. Here is a before and after example of my neighbors wall:

before:

after:

Like I said, I am only just beginning to understand the whole HDR concept, and I would love any feedback, comments, suggestions from others who are much better at it.

 

[TheGoofster]

This week I hope to try and learn more about using White Balance (particularly in mixed light situations).
Besides reading about it in the manual, and taking some different experimental shots, I'm going to begin by watching some different videos, and then trying to start applying it in different situations.
Here are a couple of videos that seem pretty useful:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NeuJoTmPwQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U_I5CUMcDU

But what I would also like would be any feedback, info, starting tips from some of the photographers here on the Dis. Things like how you set your custom White Balance settings, when you mostly use White Balance settings (as opposed to just letting the camera choose it), what to look for, or to avoid, any special tips, etc... As well as any examples you could post showing the differences.
I've not really done anything with White Balance since getting my camera so I would love any feedback on it.

Here are a couple of early examples that I'm working on. These were taken in my room with both an overhead incandescent light as well as sun light from the window.

Photo 1 - using Auto White Balance:

Photo 2 - Using Pre-set White Balance (with a blank white piece of paper to get the setting):

Photo 1 - auto WB:

Photo 2 - Pre-set WB:

 

[NateNLogansDad]

Goof, I love this thread! Last week I actually figured out how to do HDR in CS3, which is awesome and much easier than I thought!

I've played around with the white balance and at night it makes a huge difference where I live because everybody uses those ugly yellow lights outside. The Custom White Balance was so dramatic I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

One thing I can through out there is that I was told to be careful with using white paper as most paper has a little bit of blue in it. For me, it works well enough when I've used it, but I'm no professional!

 

[boBQuincy]

One thing I can through out there is that I was told to be careful with using white paper as most paper has a little bit of blue in it. For me, it works well enough when I've used it, but I'm no professional!

Many papers have optical brighteners that are activated by violet and UV light to give off blue light, to make the paper appear whiter. Gray cards are much better for setting WB but paper sure is inexpensive!

 

[HollyannHeck]

Love this thread. I just got a Nikon D5000 myself, a few days ago, and it's my first DSLR, so this week I am working on.... the ginormous amount of menus and how to navigate them!

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

This is a great thread! Thanks for posting those youtube links too! I'm learning right along with you!
What software are you using to merge your HDR photos?

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

Goof, I love this thread! Last week I actually figured out how to do HDR in CS3, which is awesome and much easier than I thought!

I've played around with the white balance and at night it makes a huge difference where I live because everybody uses those ugly yellow lights outside. The Custom White Balance was so dramatic I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

One thing I can through out there is that I was told to be careful with using white paper as most paper has a little bit of blue in it. For me, it works well enough when I've used it, but I'm no professional!

Canyou give us a tutorial? I'd love to learn how to do HDR in CS3. Thanks!

 

[TheGoofster]

This is a great thread! Thanks for posting those youtube links too! I'm learning right along with you!
What software are you using to merge your HDR photos?

I'm using Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate. It's a really easy process. After you take your shots with different exposure settings, simply select "File" then "HDR Photo Merge". That opens up a new window with your merging options. Select "browse" (next to load images), and that will let you select your photos. Choose the photos you want to merge. After you see the pictures you've chosen, be sure to click on the "align Images" button (this will make sure that they are all lined up as good as possible. After that you have the option of changing the "brightness" and / or the "clarify". Play around with the slide controller until you find the settings you like, and then simply "save" the picture as a "jpeg" image.

I imagine that some of the other programs probably give you more control over the settings, so you can fine tune the picture even more.

Just have fun experimenting with different shots. I don't know how often I'll actually use this process, but it is fun to play around with.

 

[DisneySuiteFreak]

I was doing some more experimenting today with this technique (again, using the Nikon D5000). I found out that in the normal setting, where the AE / AF lock is set to lock both the exposure and the focus (the factory setting), that if you use that button it actually prevents the shutter button from focusing (when you push it half way down). So once I pushed and held the AE / AF button, I no longer had control over the auto-focus via the shutter button.
So then I went into the settings, and changed the button to be an Auto Exposure lock only. When I did that, I once again was able to use the shutter release button to auto-focus. I found that I actually like this arrangement much better. Now, like you said, I can go ahead and use the AE / AF button to lock my exposure setting, and then use the shutter release button to work with the focusing. I think I'll keep that setting on most of the time now.
Here is another example of how the AE lock button can be put to good use. Today is a very sunny day, and when I take a picture outside it tends to be a little washed out (I know I can also change different settings to adjust for that), but I was able to use the AE lock button to do a quick fix. I simply locked the exposure on a beam of sun on my desk in another room, then went back and took the same picture again (without having to adjust any other settings), and it came out much better.

photo 1 - without the AE lock:

photo 2 - with the AE lock (without changing any other settings):

I can see how it will take a lot of practice to know when to use this feature and how to best use it, but it really does seem to add another dimension to shooting.

Goofster, do you have your camera on Auto ISO? I noticed your first photo shows ISO 1000 Aperture priority, and the 2nd photo shows ISO 200 and undefined exposure setting.