There is an old adage in photography that if you get the exposure right when you take the shot, the image will have a quality you’ll never achieve trying to create it afterwards, in the old days in the darkroom, these days using an image editing application i.e. Photoshop.
What is a good photograph?
A good photo is first and foremost subject. How the subject is framed within the rectangle that is the photograph is the image’s composition. How the subject is lit supplies the character. The tonal and color quality completes the story by bringing the subject into the viewer’s eye in the most satisfying manner.
I think it’s fair to say that we have all become somewhat reliant on letting the camera do all the ‘thinking’ for us in regards to exposure. Cameras do a hell of a good job too. My newest camera, the Nikon D300 is phenomenal in how it reads a scene and delivers a superb exposure. However, a recent assignment showed me how much variation could occur over the course of shoot as I went back and forth between low and high ISO settings, flash and ambient light changes and the variety of skin tones of the people who were my subjects. I spent an enormous amount of time leveling out the 300 plus photos of the event. They all looked fine as individual photos but as a set of images, I couldn’t show them to my client without tightening the consistency.
Last week I had a personal shoot where I went back to the most basic form of photography I know. I set the camera’s ISO to 400. I set the white balance to daylight. I set the exposure mode to manual. I used color correction filters for the first time in years. I am a fan of the basic UV filter for lens protection. The polarizing filter has always stayed in my kit too, as well as a few others of the standards. What I experienced in using the correction filters though was a consistency of quality that resulted in my being able to enjoy the photos with no tweaking post shoot in Photoshop.
Color correction filters
These filters are subtle in what they do. I’m not talking about color conversion filters, the type that compensate for the lighting conditions compared to the color setting (or type of film) in the camera. A correction filter adds a quality to the exposure. It can be a slight warming up or cooling down of the color. It can be an enhancement of a part of the color spectrum such as red or green intensifiers. There are filters that help to even out skin tones and decrease the harshness of flash highlights.
What I saw was that by capturing the image with the quality optimized as it was being taken made for a better image. The benefit of not spending five to fifteen minutes with each image in Photoshop was cool too.
Some things never change
My exercise also satisfied me in that it’s nice to know that all I gleaned in school and by learning photography through hard knocks still has validity in these days of evaluative metering systems, face detection focusing and now even where the camera will tell you when someone blinked when you took the shot.
I began by saying a good photo is subject. The great thing about taking photos with highly advanced cameras these days is, you get more of ‘good results’. If what you took a picture of was interesting, chances are you’ll have a photo you and others will enjoy. However, it is when you get back to controlling what’s going to result when you make an exposure that brings you to the level where you’re master of the art and you can always anticipate how your image will look. The practice of doing this will result in your being able to give yourself over to the technology because a synergy will develop where you’ll know how to interface with the camera so that you get as close to the desired result as you can while still taking advantage of what your state of the are camera has to offer.
I have many friends and clients who turn to film cameras to experience ‘real photography’. I understand the allure. I recently ran a few rolls of film through a Nikon F5 I have and honestly, at first I forgot not only how to load the camera (and it’s auto-loading) and was perplexed for a moment when the camera stopped working…after 36 pictures! Now, there is a quality about film that is unique unto itself. I wrote of this in a previous blog entry. But whether it be film or digital…or oil painting for that matter, subject, composition, lighting and tonal quality make an image work. Playing with the light in real life is the way to go. It’ll show in your work.
Showing posts with label Nikon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nikon. Show all posts
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
What can a digital SLR do a compact camera can’t? And vice versa.
Digital SLR cameras are really affordable now. When you’re buying a camera it is again like the days when 35mm cameras were sold. You would buy a camera based on your needs. When I had my store a customer would come in looking to buy a camera and ask me to make a suggestion. One of the questions I’d ask them was what was more important to them, portability or versatility.
What you're committing to
An SLR is a bigger camera that can be easily adapted to be what you need for your particular interest. It can take lenses that can be extremely wide angle all the way through to powerful telephotos. An SLR can use accessory flashes that can give a better quality of light and can be powerful enough to light up a large room. An SLR can be built up into a system that you can put together to do the kind of photography you want to do. The SLR is a larger camera and a system can fill up a camera bag. It can be a lot to carry but as I said in my last article, for me having my camera with me is my way of enjoying what I’m doing. I don’t consider it a burden at all.
What's better about an SLR?
One thing all the manufacturers craft their SLRs to do is be very responsive to a photographer’s commands. They typically do not ‘lag’ when you take a picture as many compact digital cameras do. They allow their user to take control of how they work. Where most compacts are used completely automatically, SLRs are at their best when you control them to work with the parameters set for what your taking pictures of. An example I’ll give you is that usually a compact taking a portrait will take a picture that’s sharp throughout, both the subject and the background. With an SLR you can more easily make sure the subject is sharp and the background is thrown out of focus so it’s not distracting. Photography is a technical art. There are techniques you can learn to make your photos look really professional but you need a camera you can apply these techniques to. An SLR is such a camera.
Another benefit to an SLR is since it has the architecture to house more technology, the sensor that captures the image can be larger and therefore grab more light, which means more detail in the photo. The lenses can be designed for performance as opposed to being designed to be as small as possible.
Does price matter?
Every SLR can enhance your photography. There is nothing an inexpensive SLR can’t do as far as taking a picture goes. As they get more expensive they merely get more performance and are built for more use. As an example using the Nikon line. The under $500.00 Nikon D40 takes as good a photo as a $5000.00 D3. What the D3 gives for the price is it captures the image in a bigger file and on a larger sensor. Its also built like a tank because a D3 could find itself in a war zone or traveling with its owner around the world every day. The resulting picture will be no better though because that’s still the result of the photographer’s eye.
Now…what about the compact digital?
I have to admit, if I take 100 photos, 80-90 of them I take with a compact camera. My little Canon Powershot Elph has taken THOUSANDS of photos in the two years I’ve had it. They’re mostly snapshots of my family but these are the pictures that mean the most to me. That little camera goes almost everywhere with me. It even has its place in my SLR camera bag so when I travel and there’s a day when I don’t want to haul the bag, I have the ability to still take great photos.
The same rule applies to a compact digital as it does to a low price SLR. The photographer makes a photo great. The only thing you have to deal with is to understand the limitations of the camera. The more you know what it can do, the greater the chance you can take a picture you’ll include with your best work.
What you're committing to
An SLR is a bigger camera that can be easily adapted to be what you need for your particular interest. It can take lenses that can be extremely wide angle all the way through to powerful telephotos. An SLR can use accessory flashes that can give a better quality of light and can be powerful enough to light up a large room. An SLR can be built up into a system that you can put together to do the kind of photography you want to do. The SLR is a larger camera and a system can fill up a camera bag. It can be a lot to carry but as I said in my last article, for me having my camera with me is my way of enjoying what I’m doing. I don’t consider it a burden at all.
What's better about an SLR?
One thing all the manufacturers craft their SLRs to do is be very responsive to a photographer’s commands. They typically do not ‘lag’ when you take a picture as many compact digital cameras do. They allow their user to take control of how they work. Where most compacts are used completely automatically, SLRs are at their best when you control them to work with the parameters set for what your taking pictures of. An example I’ll give you is that usually a compact taking a portrait will take a picture that’s sharp throughout, both the subject and the background. With an SLR you can more easily make sure the subject is sharp and the background is thrown out of focus so it’s not distracting. Photography is a technical art. There are techniques you can learn to make your photos look really professional but you need a camera you can apply these techniques to. An SLR is such a camera.
Another benefit to an SLR is since it has the architecture to house more technology, the sensor that captures the image can be larger and therefore grab more light, which means more detail in the photo. The lenses can be designed for performance as opposed to being designed to be as small as possible.
Does price matter?
Every SLR can enhance your photography. There is nothing an inexpensive SLR can’t do as far as taking a picture goes. As they get more expensive they merely get more performance and are built for more use. As an example using the Nikon line. The under $500.00 Nikon D40 takes as good a photo as a $5000.00 D3. What the D3 gives for the price is it captures the image in a bigger file and on a larger sensor. Its also built like a tank because a D3 could find itself in a war zone or traveling with its owner around the world every day. The resulting picture will be no better though because that’s still the result of the photographer’s eye.
Now…what about the compact digital?
I have to admit, if I take 100 photos, 80-90 of them I take with a compact camera. My little Canon Powershot Elph has taken THOUSANDS of photos in the two years I’ve had it. They’re mostly snapshots of my family but these are the pictures that mean the most to me. That little camera goes almost everywhere with me. It even has its place in my SLR camera bag so when I travel and there’s a day when I don’t want to haul the bag, I have the ability to still take great photos.
The same rule applies to a compact digital as it does to a low price SLR. The photographer makes a photo great. The only thing you have to deal with is to understand the limitations of the camera. The more you know what it can do, the greater the chance you can take a picture you’ll include with your best work.
Friday, September 12, 2008
What about film?
Does film have any life left in it?
My first impulse is to say no. Digital is not only on par but absolutely amazing in the detail it can capture. I take my hat off to the thousands of code writers who brought digital imaging to where it is today. So quickly too. I am currently shooting with a Nikon D300 which replaced my top of the line Nikon D1x. The difference is astonishing. My D1x was troublesome, inconsistent and constantly disappointed me. Since I sell cameras, I get a chance to check them out and I liked the D2x, D200 and D80. I tried buying a used D2x online and was the victim of fraud. $2300.00 down the drain and my desire for a new body was on hold while I recovered from that hit. The Nikon D3 and D300 came out and I got a chance to play with them both. Man I wanted a D3 bad! Could not swallow the price tag and for me, having the top of the line has always been so important to me. Just because! I decided to go with the D300 and I am so happy with it. It's actually a better camera for where I'm at now because of its size and I have to admit having that little built in flash is really handy. OK enough for now about my camera. Film. What does it offer? I have heard so much about how film has more tonal quality and detail. That it's still unmatched in resolution. There is an advantage film has in that it can record from pure black to pure white without points along the curve that drop out. Digital sensors often have failure points. However this is unimportant a huge amount of the time.
What remains important about film?
The look! Images captured on film look different from those on digital. What film brings to the table these days is it is another media artists can express themselves on. In wanting to communicate in a way that sets you apart from the crowd, those who embrace film are like portrait painters who continued to work after photographers started taking over their business. There were subjects who wanted their likeness rendered in a different way. There still are. Then there is the classic experience of photography. In Woody Allen's last movie, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, the story includes a part where Cristina takes up photography using a digital camera. The artists she has hooked up with tell her to ditch the digital. Get a 'real' camera. Use film. Get into a darkroom. I have spent many hours in a darkroom. I'm glad for the experience. I felt akin to a long line of photographers from the famous to the friends in college I worked beside. It's a special place to be. Standing there in the smell of chemistry and a softly glowing orange light. Taking away the nostalgia though, Photoshop has provided me with more pleasure, fine tuning my images than anything I've ever gotten done in a darkroom.
I hope film doesn't go away or become so expensive it will become scarce. It is still the only media where what was seen was truly captured and is there for anyone to see, just by holding that negative and slide up to the sun. For the few days after the 'big one' (I live in L.A.) until the electricity comes back on, I'll be able to look at my pictures to pass the time. Oh yeah…I better make prints of my favorite digital pix too.
My first impulse is to say no. Digital is not only on par but absolutely amazing in the detail it can capture. I take my hat off to the thousands of code writers who brought digital imaging to where it is today. So quickly too. I am currently shooting with a Nikon D300 which replaced my top of the line Nikon D1x. The difference is astonishing. My D1x was troublesome, inconsistent and constantly disappointed me. Since I sell cameras, I get a chance to check them out and I liked the D2x, D200 and D80. I tried buying a used D2x online and was the victim of fraud. $2300.00 down the drain and my desire for a new body was on hold while I recovered from that hit. The Nikon D3 and D300 came out and I got a chance to play with them both. Man I wanted a D3 bad! Could not swallow the price tag and for me, having the top of the line has always been so important to me. Just because! I decided to go with the D300 and I am so happy with it. It's actually a better camera for where I'm at now because of its size and I have to admit having that little built in flash is really handy. OK enough for now about my camera. Film. What does it offer? I have heard so much about how film has more tonal quality and detail. That it's still unmatched in resolution. There is an advantage film has in that it can record from pure black to pure white without points along the curve that drop out. Digital sensors often have failure points. However this is unimportant a huge amount of the time.
What remains important about film?
The look! Images captured on film look different from those on digital. What film brings to the table these days is it is another media artists can express themselves on. In wanting to communicate in a way that sets you apart from the crowd, those who embrace film are like portrait painters who continued to work after photographers started taking over their business. There were subjects who wanted their likeness rendered in a different way. There still are. Then there is the classic experience of photography. In Woody Allen's last movie, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, the story includes a part where Cristina takes up photography using a digital camera. The artists she has hooked up with tell her to ditch the digital. Get a 'real' camera. Use film. Get into a darkroom. I have spent many hours in a darkroom. I'm glad for the experience. I felt akin to a long line of photographers from the famous to the friends in college I worked beside. It's a special place to be. Standing there in the smell of chemistry and a softly glowing orange light. Taking away the nostalgia though, Photoshop has provided me with more pleasure, fine tuning my images than anything I've ever gotten done in a darkroom.
I hope film doesn't go away or become so expensive it will become scarce. It is still the only media where what was seen was truly captured and is there for anyone to see, just by holding that negative and slide up to the sun. For the few days after the 'big one' (I live in L.A.) until the electricity comes back on, I'll be able to look at my pictures to pass the time. Oh yeah…I better make prints of my favorite digital pix too.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
why blog, why now?
I have had an interest in cameras and photography for 37 years. I've been a photographer. I've sold cameras and taught photography to hundreds, perhaps thousands of people. I own cameras...a LOT of cameras. Too many! I love how they're made, the better ones I mean. I owned a camera store for 23 years. I closed it in 2007.
I'm attending a meeting to improve my skills in selling on the internet and on eBay. What impresses me are the people selling on the net who like talking to those with like interests and use blogs to do so. I'm told it helps with sales and creates relationships. This is what I did in my camera store for years. I know much about photography and camera equipment. Not everything but it is my forte. I have spoken to people who've said I communicate how much I enjoy photography in a special way. If I do, I'll try expressing it here. I'm gonna blog my way through it.
I'm attending a meeting to improve my skills in selling on the internet and on eBay. What impresses me are the people selling on the net who like talking to those with like interests and use blogs to do so. I'm told it helps with sales and creates relationships. This is what I did in my camera store for years. I know much about photography and camera equipment. Not everything but it is my forte. I have spoken to people who've said I communicate how much I enjoy photography in a special way. If I do, I'll try expressing it here. I'm gonna blog my way through it.
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