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Thread: Practice

  1. #1
    Registered Member rickztahone's Avatar
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    Default Practice

    I just had an idea for a possible sticky, or maybe even a little corner section of the photo center. This post will be earmarked for that purpose.

    In short, I would like to set a practice routine where I tell people specifically what to do with their camera on a step-by-step basis.

    For example,

    Go outdoors during daytime
    set camera to Aperture Priority
    set aperture to...
    now change aperture to...

    Stuff of that nature.

    In this way, we actually get these potential photographers out and shooting, rather than just reading about it. What do you think?

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  2. #2
    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practice

    Ricardo, I think some people may need that and others will take the initiation so would supply that as needed.
    Your discus are talking to you....are you listening


  3. #3
    Registered Member rickztahone's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practice

    Quote Originally Posted by Second Hand Pat View Post
    Ricardo, I think some people may need that and others will take the initiation so would supply that as needed.
    Would you be willing to do a test run today if I gave you a certain set of steps to take?

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    Also, click here for my 25 group of discus grow out thread


    http://i3.cpcache.com/product/162117...ht=75&width=75
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  4. #4
    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practice

    Quote Originally Posted by rickztahone View Post
    Would you be willing to do a test run today if I gave you a certain set of steps to take?
    Sure but if you want outside pictures it is cloudy now and is expected to be all day. Just saying if sunlight is needed.
    Your discus are talking to you....are you listening


  5. #5
    Registered Member rickztahone's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practice

    Quote Originally Posted by Second Hand Pat View Post
    Sure but if you want outside pictures it is cloudy now and is expected to be all day. Just saying if sunlight is needed.
    Hmm, depends how cloudy really, but shouldn't be a huge problem. This is what I would like for you to do for me:

    Get your fastest lens, hopefully one that starts at 2.8, but I believe you have prime that is 1.8? If so, choose the 1.8.

    Grab your camera/lens and go outside.

    Find a rather small object, maybe the size of a soccerball or thereabouts.

    Isolate it on a table, but have something interesting in the background, maybe a flower corner, or something colorful in general. If you can't find something along those lines, use what you got, but something interesting may suit better.

    Set your camera in apeture priority.

    Set your White balance to cloudy if it is cloudy. Or if under shade, use shade. Either one works, so long as your WB is consistent.

    You will start wide open (hopefully at 1.8 if I remembered correctly). When wide open, the camera will choose your shutter speed, but should let you choose your ISO.

    Now, set your camera for spot focus so that you are only using your middle focus point.


    Check out what your exposure metering is set to. Exposure metering should look something like this icon right in the middle of this picture, right above the iso100


    In Nikon it may look different than mine, but I believe the one shown is wide metering. This means that it will try to meter the WHOLE scene for you and will tell you how to compensate your exposure to achieve a good exposure.

    What I would like for you to do is set that exposure metering to spot as well. In this manner, all we are telling the camera to meter for is the subject (e.g. soccer ball or something similar). You will notice, that if you have spot focus, if you move your focus to something else, say the background, you will see your exposure reading change, and it should be pretty dramatic. That is typically because a sky outside is much more brighter than a subject not directly under the sunlight.

    Set your camera to focus on the object. Once you have locked focus, see if you can set the camera in to manual. If you can, the focus will remain on the subject.

    So, now we are manually focused on the subject. You will want to stay in relatively the same place.

    Now, finally, I want you to start stopping down and taking a shot at each stop. This means, you will go from 1.8, to 2.8, then to 4, then to 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22. When you reach the end of this scale, you will probably be in lower shutter speed numbers (if it really is cloudy outside, if daylight, the shutter speed may still be useable). If the shutter speed is too low, say 1/10, you can bump up your ISO to help with the camera shake.

    Once you do all of these things, review your photos, and tell us what you find.


    Now THAT, is some homework, lol.

    I almost went in to exposure lock:


    but I forgot that in apeture priority, you do not need to worry about locking in the exposure to keep the exposure the same. The camera does it for you. If you ever transition to full manual mode, like I always shoot, you will have to use the exposure lock button to drag the shutter speed with you to keep the same exposure.

    Same principle, just one added step.

    Click here to view my 75g Acrylic Tank w/ Bean Animal Overflow with 40g Sump Thread

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    http://i3.cpcache.com/product/162117...ht=75&width=75
    Want to look like Al did at his ACA talk with his white Simply Polo shirt?(You can catch Al's awesome Discus talk HERE)
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  6. #6
    Registered Member rickztahone's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practice

    I forgot to ask, do you know how to read your exposure meter? In the first picture, do you see the meter that it is pointing to? You typically always want to be at 0 on that scale. This gives you a sense of correct exposure. This is a guide of sorts. You don't always have to abide by it, and you can use exposure compensation to override it, but in general, it is very handy and should be used all the time.

    Keep an eye on it, and notice how it changes during the exercise (or doesn't )

    Click here to view my 75g Acrylic Tank w/ Bean Animal Overflow with 40g Sump Thread

    Also, click here for my 25 group of discus grow out thread


    http://i3.cpcache.com/product/162117...ht=75&width=75
    Want to look like Al did at his ACA talk with his white Simply Polo shirt?(You can catch Al's awesome Discus talk HERE)
    You can get this and many more items such as T-shirts/Polos/hoodies/cups from our merchandise shop:
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  7. #7
    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practice

    Ricardo, this is what I didn't know.

    1. Setting the white balance.
    2. The camera will set the ISO in AP. Not sure how to set it manually.
    3. Spot focus is AF-S?
    4. No clue about the exposure metering?
    Your discus are talking to you....are you listening


  8. #8
    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practice

    Your discus are talking to you....are you listening


  9. #9
    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practice

    Ok, found the EM, it is in the view finder and is set to 0 which is where you want it. Not sure you can set it in AP mode. Perhaps just in manual mode http://www.dummies.com/how-to/conten...sure-mete.html.
    Your discus are talking to you....are you listening


  10. #10
    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practice

    I see you actually want to go to manual mode. So will lookup ISO and see if I can set the metering mode to spot.
    Your discus are talking to you....are you listening


  11. #11
    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practice

    Ok, here's the metering button http://www.digital-photography.com/n...tering-button/. Now I need to fine the main command dial. The main command dial is here http://www.digital-photography.com/n...-command-dial/ and I do have the metering mode set to spot. Now ISO.

    It is not "lite" homework lol.
    Last edited by Second Hand Pat; 12-07-2014 at 04:10 PM.
    Your discus are talking to you....are you listening


  12. #12
    Registered Member rickztahone's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practice

    Quote Originally Posted by Second Hand Pat View Post
    Ricardo, this is what I didn't know.

    1. Setting the white balance.
    2. The camera will set the ISO in AP. Not sure how to set it manually.
    3. Spot focus is AF-S?
    4. No clue about the exposure metering?
    1. It seems that on the next post you figured out the WB.
    2. I rarely use Apeture priority, but you SHOULD be able to adjust the ISO to your desire. I would have to check that later though.
    3. Spot focus can be used in AF-S(ingle) or AF-(C)ontinous. It is a focus point that determines what will be in focus. By default, all cameras come with wide focus, which means the camera chooses it for you. You can see the spot designation here:

    Right at the bottom (the one marked 3) you will see that it shows only a tiny dot. That is the spot focus.
    4. The exposure metering CAN be changed in AP mode. To do this, you have to change the exposure compensation.

    Quote Originally Posted by Second Hand Pat View Post
    I believe you got the WB part, great job! If you shoot jpeg, it is crucial to get the correct WB from the start. If you shoot RAW, you get a lot more latitude and can be fixed in PP. You can always put it in auto, but as you can probably tell from all of my postings in this section, I tend to not let the camera do ANY of my decisions. For this reason, most mid to higher end (and even some entry level) cameras have something called WB Set. In thise mode, YOU tell the camera what is actually white. You basically get a white piece of something that is getting the type of lighting from the scene, then shoot it, and you tell the camera that the subject you just shot is actually white.

    Quote Originally Posted by Second Hand Pat View Post
    Ok, found the EM, it is in the view finder and is set to 0 which is where you want it. Not sure you can set it in AP mode. Perhaps just in manual mode http://www.dummies.com/how-to/conten...sure-mete.html.
    You should also have a metering bar across the bottom (typical location) on the LCD, but don't quote me on that.

    Quote Originally Posted by Second Hand Pat View Post
    I see you actually want to go to manual mode. So will lookup ISO and see if I can set the metering mode to spot.
    The only thing that I wanted you to set to manual was the lens itself, so that it doesn't Auto Focus on its own, and it was locked on the subject. I didn't mean to switch to (M)anual Mode. My apologies for not having been clear there.

    Click here to view my 75g Acrylic Tank w/ Bean Animal Overflow with 40g Sump Thread

    Also, click here for my 25 group of discus grow out thread


    http://i3.cpcache.com/product/162117...ht=75&width=75
    Want to look like Al did at his ACA talk with his white Simply Polo shirt?(You can catch Al's awesome Discus talk HERE)
    You can get this and many more items such as T-shirts/Polos/hoodies/cups from our merchandise shop:
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  13. #13
    Registered Member rickztahone's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practice

    Quote Originally Posted by Second Hand Pat View Post
    Ok, here's the metering button http://www.digital-photography.com/n...tering-button/. Now I need to fine the main command dial. The main command dial is here http://www.digital-photography.com/n...-command-dial/ and I do have the metering mode set to spot. Now ISO.

    It is not "lite" homework lol.
    There you go, that is exactly the button I was hopingyou had. That button will change what is being exposed for on your viewfinder and lcd (if in liveview mode).

    Typically, when there is only one scroll wheel, you have to activate it by holding another button and scrolling with the wheel to adjust. If I remember correctly, it is typically the AEL button that you hold and then scroll. It basically works as an "alt" button.

    I know many of this sounds complicated, but getting to know where all of these buttons are, will help you a great deal, and will expand your knowledge of photography like never before.

    If it is too much at once, take a break, and take it in small steps. If you need help along the way, I am here to help.

    Click here to view my 75g Acrylic Tank w/ Bean Animal Overflow with 40g Sump Thread

    Also, click here for my 25 group of discus grow out thread


    http://i3.cpcache.com/product/162117...ht=75&width=75
    Want to look like Al did at his ACA talk with his white Simply Polo shirt?(You can catch Al's awesome Discus talk HERE)
    You can get this and many more items such as T-shirts/Polos/hoodies/cups from our merchandise shop:
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  14. #14
    Administrator and MVP Dec.2015 Second Hand Pat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practice

    Ok Ricardo, I did try to call you BTW but just left a voice message. I see the MA vs M on the lens so think I am ready to try this.
    Your discus are talking to you....are you listening


  15. #15
    Registered Member rickztahone's Avatar
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    Default Re: Practice

    Quote Originally Posted by Second Hand Pat View Post
    Ok Ricardo, I did try to call you BTW but just left a voice message. I see the MA vs M on the lens so think I am ready to try this.
    lol, I did get a voicemail, but no call came through. I get really horrible service here at work.

    Yes, the manual override would be on the lens I believe. Again, it is difficult for me to tell you specifically without seeing what you are using. Some have the manual override on the lens itself as a switch, others have a coupling system where you have to pull it, and my camera actually has a AF/MF engage button that it doesn't matter what the lens says, it will override it regardless, which makes it super easy for me to spot focus, hit that button and not have to refocus again. If you need some help, I will be on my lunch break in about 30 minutes or so. After I eat, I got outside and watch the nice Santa Monica weather

    Click here to view my 75g Acrylic Tank w/ Bean Animal Overflow with 40g Sump Thread

    Also, click here for my 25 group of discus grow out thread


    http://i3.cpcache.com/product/162117...ht=75&width=75
    Want to look like Al did at his ACA talk with his white Simply Polo shirt?(You can catch Al's awesome Discus talk HERE)
    You can get this and many more items such as T-shirts/Polos/hoodies/cups from our merchandise shop:
    Cafepress.com

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