[isin2rt]

I went out walking around Mill Ave (college area--people watching, cool shops, etc) today with my camera. I shot entirely in AV mode, set the aperature I wanted and when I had trouble getting the exposure I increased the ISO.
I guess I didn't know enough to know that that would change the shutter speed before you told me. Thanks for your advice! I felt like I could get more predictable results today--rather than the shoot and *Surprise!* Never know what you're going to get! It's a steep learning curve, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
Thanks for your help.

[smf]

Suggestions you've received will be more helpful than the following, but I'll pass it along anyway. At a macrophotography workshop I attended, the instructor reminded us that even in good daylight, focusing can be helped by shining a flashlight's beam on the area where you'll be focusing.
All best,
Stu

Suggestions you've received will be more helpful than the following, but I'll pass it along anyway. At a macrophotography workshop I attended, the instructor reminded us that even in good daylight, focusing can be helped by shining a flashlight's beam on the area where you'll be focusing.
All best,
Stu

That's great for photographers with three hands.

[Peter Zack]

Yes and it produces that wonderful Squinting look I so love in my portrait shots or the even better "deer in headlights look".

But not to make too much fun of that, this technique is good with a light camera you can handle with one hand and doing night shooting to focus and then fire. Someone here posted some great moth shots once that were done this way.

[isin2rt]

Maybe this is a stupid question--but it won't be the first. As for the flash light recommendation--that sounds promising. But am I keeping the light on just to focus or during the picture as well? I actually tried something like that recently (with my 3rd hand)-- to light the subject and black out the background--suposed to be for portraits. I had pretty good results trying it on a teddy bear and using a clip-on spot light... (sounds like I need friends, huh?)

SInce I've come clean about my inability to focus I have a new question. Maybe this is really obvious, but not to me. I received my K200D about 2 wks ago. The seller forgot to ship the kit lens 18-55mm, so I have been using others: 70-300mm and 50mm. Today the kit lens arrived. Besides the ability to see around corners (I didn't even realize what a big range I was lacking!) the lens seems to be able to focus very close to an object. Why is that? With even the 50mm I have to be a few feet away or I can't focus. But the kit lens allows me to get really close--maybe a foot or less and it focuses. Why is that?
Again --my thanks to all who have chimed in with your help and recommendations!!

All lenses have a minimum focus distance and wider lenses tend to be able to focus closer than longer lenses, usually, macros are different obviously.

As far as using the flash, you can use the fill flash setting, this will give a quick burst at the end of the exposure. It is also very useful when the subject is lit from behind.
I'm sure other people can explain it better but I'm sure you get the gist of it.

[sawtooth235]

Isin2rt,

You have been getting some great advice here. If I may, I would like to add a little as well.

A good rule of thumb for shutter speeds is to shoot as least 110% of the lens focal length in shutter speed if you are trying to hand hold your camera. For example; if you are using a 200mm lens you should try to use at least a 220th of a second shutter speed, for a 100mm lens at least 110th of a second shutter speed to control camera shake.

Another thing that I discovered through research is that every digital camera sensor has a filter in front of it called a high-pass filter. This filter does many posative things, but it also softens the image a little. You need to add a little sharpening during the post processing in your image management software to compensate for this. So if you are taking the images straight off the memory card to your computer you may be seeing some of the effects of this high-pass filter.

When I first got my digital camera after shooting only film since the 1970's I was dreadfully disappointed by the soft images that I was getting.




Then I discovered how to use sharpening properly and my results improved to images like this.



Just my 2 cents worth,

Ray

[Peter Zack]

Maybe this is a stupid question--but it won't be the first. As for the flash light recommendation--that sounds promising. But am I keeping the light on just to focus or during the picture as well? I actually tried something like that recently (with my 3rd hand)-- to light the subject and black out the background--suposed to be for portraits. I had pretty good results trying it on a teddy bear and using a clip-on spot light... (sounds like I need friends, huh?)

SInce I've come clean about my inability to focus I have a new question. Maybe this is really obvious, but not to me. I received my K200D about 2 wks ago. The seller forgot to ship the kit lens 18-55mm, so I have been using others: 70-300mm and 50mm. Today the kit lens arrived. Besides the ability to see around corners (I didn't even realize what a big range I was lacking!) the lens seems to be able to focus very close to an object. Why is that? With even the 50mm I have to be a few feet away or I can't focus. But the kit lens allows me to get really close--maybe a foot or less and it focuses. Why is that?
Again --my thanks to all who have chimed in with your help and recommendations!!

Using a flashlight would be a highly unusual method of shooting portraits. Especially in the daytime. It isn't necessary and just adds to the complication of shooting. With respect I'd skip that method. The idea of using the flash, as Gary outlined is to use the flash at a lower setting to fill in shadows and more evenly light the subject as well as help freeze the subject. You don;t use it all the time but in shots similar to your first one where the subject has a strong backlight. You wouldn't use it in the 2nd or 3rd shots.

As for the closer focusing, Gary is correct and there is one other added feature of the Kit lens. It was designed as a "macro" lens. So Pentax built the lens to not only be a normal to wide lens but also to take close up shots of flowers, bugs and so on.

I'm not sure if you have a modern Sigma or Tamron 70-300mm but the newest versions of those lenses can also take macro shots from the 200 to 300mm range. The macro setting on the side of the lens is quite good actually.

[isin2rt]

I do have the Tamron with the macro--I've played with it a little, thought I'd try more when the tripod arrives. I did not realize the 18-55 kit lens was a macro. It's a much better lens than I thought I'd be getting --seems sharp and being able to get very close to things at least makes macro seem "normal". It's weird being far away and doing a close up shot with the Tamron lens.

Thank you for clarifying about the flash. I went searching to see if I actually had a "fill flash" setting I didn't know about, other than in CS3! I do understand I can control the amount so that it doesn't look blown out. I guess that will require more experiemnting so I can do it without 10 mintues between pictures to think about what I need to change.

Also --what a relief to hear about the high pass filter. I've seen that in software, but didn't know it applies to a filter in a camera. Thank you for the info about shutter speeds and focal length! It's great to have a formula to keep in mind.
About the post processing sharpening -- I tend to like some of the HDR images I've seen online, not in all situations though. And I can see that it has influenced me to sharpen to the extreme sometimes. Is there a general formula for sharnening that people use as far as the settings? Do you also apply sharpening to people?
Again --thank you all so much for sharing your wisdom! You have all helped so much--thanks for your patience.
Kelly
By the way--that lizard rocks!!

[sawtooth235]

Kelly,

In Photoshop I use unsharp mask and set the raduis to 0.3, strength to between 150-300 (to my taste for the image), and threshold to 0. Sometimes I will then go back to unsharp mask and set the radius to 5-10, strength to 10-80 (again to my taste), and threshold to 0. If your image is contrasty to start the second unsharp mask step will really mess up the image so I don't always do the second unsharp mask step.

Fellow Forum member Benjamin posted this a while back in the Post Processing section and it has been a blessing.

Ray

Kelly, one more thing about sharpening. If you are printing shots, it is often an idea to sharpen just to the point where you start seeing 'edges' within the shot. They disappear when you print.

[smf]

In a lighthearted tone, and perhaps clarifying and amplifying my earlier post about use of a flashlight, which wasn't intended to be "the" answer for portraits:

1. As noted in my original post, it's a focusing aid that's sometimes helpful for macrophotography. And it could perhaps be helpful at some other times — but not if the photographer shines the light in a model's eye. (It's not the approved method of getting the highly recommended catch light.)

2. At the macrophotography workshop, we were using tripods. That makes use of a flashlight more practical for those of us who lack a third hand (In one instance, another student held the flashlight. We all are always accompanied by helpful assistants on our photo shoots, right?

All best,
Stu

In a lighthearted tone, and perhaps clarifying and amplifying my earlier post about use of a flashlight, which wasn't intended to be "the" answer for portraits:

1. As noted in my original post, it's a focusing aid that's sometimes helpful for macrophotography. And it could perhaps be helpful at some other times — but not if the photographer shines the light in a model's eye. (It's not the approved method of getting the highly recommended catch light.)

2. At the macrophotography workshop, we were using tripods. That makes use of a flashlight more practical for those of us who lack a third hand (In one instance, another student held the flashlight. We all are always accompanied by helpful assistants on our photo shoots, right?

All best,
Stu

We were just having a bit of fun with you Stu.

[isin2rt]

Thanks for that sharpening help --thats really useful, and good to know how far I can push it and still print. I took my kit lens (18-55mm) out on this wonderful Veteran's day off from school (I'm the teacher not the student)...I thought you guys had empowered me enough to try manual mode again--this time with a little more knowledge.
I resisted the urge to escape back into one of the auto modes when several shots came out under exposed--kept thinking about the shutter speed vs the F stop...and changing the ISO. I had previously tried not to use ISO of 1000 and 1600 (noise) but I found myself there today. I was in a park by my house--very shady and contrasty. I felt like I used my head more (thanks to all of your help, at least now I had things to think on!) but I wished I had another lens with me to make some comparisons.

It seems this lens is pitiful in low light --hard to get proper exposure for an amature like me. Maybe I was spoiled working with the 50mm f1.4 my first day with my new camera? I had no issues getting enough light with that lens. Today though-- I had to think alot more about all your tips. That part was good -- I could feel my brain growing (as I would say to my 5th graders!). I think in order to get a properly exposed shot today would have required a tripod...or someone better at managing settings than me!
Also, Gary, I think you were the first to tell me to get the book Understanding Exposure (but not the last) and it arrived today so I will dig in. The best part about today: I didn't just walk around thinking about color/contrast/composition but I thought about the mechanics of getting the shot done correctly--which is a big step up for me.
Thank you so much for all your help and patience guys!
Your student,
Kelly

[Arpe]

I don't have any advice to add, but cannot let the number 2 photo at the start go unnoticed - for some reason I think it's a great photo. Well done.