Pentax SLR Digital Camera K-x

mee · 03-03-2016, 08:51 PM

The book has been mentioned numerous times in this thread.. it helped make a few concepts click with me.. but only after a few reads.

However, being curious and not afraid to fail is really what helped me the most... that is, I took my camera (I started with a k-x too) outside and just started using it. IF you take it out of AUTO mode and into one of the semi-auto modes (Sv [ISO priority], Tv [Shutter priority[, or Av [Aperture Priority]) and play with the other two parameters you will start to understand exposure a little more.

It is all about adjusting the camera settings for your location's lighting and type of subject.

For instance, your outdoors scene at noon might have a correct exposure of (1/1000s, f/8, ISO 100)
But at 5pm might have a correct exposure of (1/250s, f/8, ISO100)
or if you wanted the same shutter speed for some interesting reason (1/1000s, f/8, ISO 400)

Playing with an exposure calculator may help -- http://www.endoflow.com/exposure/

BTW, for landscape shots you'll generally want to set the camera to Aperture priority mode (Av), set the aperture to a higher number (which is actually a smaller aperture - a little confusing at first) of somewhere between f/5.6 to f/11, set the ISO to the lowest number (usually 100), and let the camera pick the correct shutter speed.

This is why a lot of landscape photography is done on a tripod.. you are minimizing vibration (which causes soft images) by having the camera on a fixed mount as well as not having to worry about a too-slow shutter speed to hand hold. Around 1/50s or so (give or take) the shutter speed begins to really be too slow to hand hold as our natural hand jitteryness will cause the resultant images to become blurry.

The other option is to set the camera to full manual and then adjust each individually.. once you get a proper exposure, play with one parameter (say shutter speed) by increasing it, taking a photo and examining it, then increasing shutter speed a little more and doing the same until you get an idea what that is doing to the exposure.

Setting the camera to auto mode and trying to memorize which settings will get you a proper exposure is futile -- light in a scene is so dynamic from one scene to the next you will not be able to use that method to understand what settings need to be where precisely. That is why it is smarter to set it to either a semi-auto mode or full manual and play until you understand how to get the lighting (Exposure) proper for you image.

It is best to take the ideas out of the book, try to understand the basic concepts being taught, then go out and practice/explore your camera. Don't be afraid to take a lot of horrible photographs. That is part of the process in learning.... failing. It took me a few months to get the A-HA moments to start and a couple years to get pretty good at it. slowly still learning new things after 6 years. Some of the olden goldens around here will say they still learn new things even after being involved in photography for 30 years. At least the honest ones will.

---------- Post added 03-03-16 at 10:17 PM ----------

Actually I say that, and now I see this soon after.. Comic: Why You Should Befriend Failure as a Photographer

Last edited by mee; 03-03-2016 at 08:59 PM.

Wise Owl · 03-04-2016, 05:25 AM

Thanks so much everyone and I promise not to be too much of a pain ( I will take baby steps, small goals) I hope to learn each time I go out. I have learned much just from the post in this thread, I will be sure to post pictures when I return Monday (winter scenes) One question is should I continue with this thread or start new ones each time?

**jatrax** · 03-04-2016, 07:04 PM

Originally posted by Wise Owl

One question is should I continue with this thread or start new ones each time?

I would post here, at least for the winter scenes. After that, no problem starting a new thread if any amount of time passes. Just make your questions as concise as possible, with as few variables as possible. Remember that there are many settings in the camera menu and someone else may have their camera set up completely different. Sometimes we can chase around in circles trying to solve a problem only to discover a setting was set different than the user thought.

Wise Owl · 03-06-2016, 02:12 PM

Ok did some winter scenes

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**paulh** · 03-07-2016, 05:31 AM

Originally posted by Wise Owl

Ok did some winter scenes

Looking much better - congrats!

normhead · 03-07-2016, 05:48 AM

Looking good.

Wise Owl · 03-07-2016, 07:11 AM

Thanks guys it was a very overcast day really wanted the sun to come out ... but hey there will be many more days to take pictures once again thanks everyone ( I have Understanding Exposure by Brian Peterson on my birthday wish list)

**TER-OR** · 03-07-2016, 08:01 AM - **1 Like**

Those look good for an overcast day. Overcast and snow make a very challenging photo. You can bump the exposure in post-processing, then increase contrast a bit and the images may pop more.

Wise Owl · 03-07-2016, 08:56 AM

Originally posted by TER-OR

Those look good for an overcast day. Overcast and snow make a very challenging photo. You can bump the exposure in post-processing, then increase contrast a bit and the images may pop more.

I have the CD that came with my camera (Pentax4 I think) ... will this allow me to do what you suggested?

**TER-OR** · 03-07-2016, 09:59 AM

It should, those are pretty simple changes. I haven't used that myself. I used to use paint.net for jpg processing, and still do for really simple stuff. It has plenty of tools. If you're processing RAW files, that won't work. You may want to do some reading in the processing forum to get some ideas of how to use the software.

Wise Owl · 03-07-2016, 10:20 AM

Thanks

Kozlok · 03-08-2016, 10:14 PM

Originally posted by Wise Owl

( I have Understanding Exposure by Brian Peterson on my birthday wish list)

One idea, my public library had a copy, so I read it for free. You should be able to check their library catalog online. Some library's can get books from other libraries as well. If you have a university nearby, you can go there and look at it in the library for free. I read a few chapters, went and used what I read for a few days, read a couple of more, etc.

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03-03-2016, 08:51 PM	#31
mee Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 7,403	The book has been mentioned numerous times in this thread.. it helped make a few concepts click with me.. but only after a few reads. However, being curious and not afraid to fail is really what helped me the most... that is, I took my camera (I started with a k-x too) outside and just started using it. IF you take it out of AUTO mode and into one of the semi-auto modes (Sv [ISO priority], Tv [Shutter priority[, or Av [Aperture Priority]) and play with the other two parameters you will start to understand exposure a little more. It is all about adjusting the camera settings for your location's lighting and type of subject. For instance, your outdoors scene at noon might have a correct exposure of (1/1000s, f/8, ISO 100) But at 5pm might have a correct exposure of (1/250s, f/8, ISO100) or if you wanted the same shutter speed for some interesting reason (1/1000s, f/8, ISO 400) Playing with an exposure calculator may help -- http://www.endoflow.com/exposure/ BTW, for landscape shots you'll generally want to set the camera to Aperture priority mode (Av), set the aperture to a higher number (which is actually a smaller aperture - a little confusing at first) of somewhere between f/5.6 to f/11, set the ISO to the lowest number (usually 100), and let the camera pick the correct shutter speed. This is why a lot of landscape photography is done on a tripod.. you are minimizing vibration (which causes soft images) by having the camera on a fixed mount as well as not having to worry about a too-slow shutter speed to hand hold. Around 1/50s or so (give or take) the shutter speed begins to really be too slow to hand hold as our natural hand jitteryness will cause the resultant images to become blurry. The other option is to set the camera to full manual and then adjust each individually.. once you get a proper exposure, play with one parameter (say shutter speed) by increasing it, taking a photo and examining it, then increasing shutter speed a little more and doing the same until you get an idea what that is doing to the exposure. Setting the camera to auto mode and trying to memorize which settings will get you a proper exposure is futile -- light in a scene is so dynamic from one scene to the next you will not be able to use that method to understand what settings need to be where precisely. That is why it is smarter to set it to either a semi-auto mode or full manual and play until you understand how to get the lighting (Exposure) proper for you image. It is best to take the ideas out of the book, try to understand the basic concepts being taught, then go out and practice/explore your camera. Don't be afraid to take a lot of horrible photographs. That is part of the process in learning.... failing. It took me a few months to get the A-HA moments to start and a couple years to get pretty good at it. slowly still learning new things after 6 years. Some of the olden goldens around here will say they still learn new things even after being involved in photography for 30 years. At least the honest ones will. ---------- Post added 03-03-16 at 10:17 PM ---------- Actually I say that, and now I see this soon after.. Comic: Why You Should Befriend Failure as a Photographer Last edited by mee; 03-03-2016 at 08:59 PM.

03-04-2016, 05:25 AM	#32
Wise Owl Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Copper Cliff, Ontario Posts: 28 Original Poster	Thanks so much everyone and I promise not to be too much of a pain ( I will take baby steps, small goals) I hope to learn each time I go out. I have learned much just from the post in this thread, I will be sure to post pictures when I return Monday (winter scenes) One question is should I continue with this thread or start new ones each time?

03-04-2016, 07:04 PM	#33
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	Originally posted by Wise Owl One question is should I continue with this thread or start new ones each time? I would post here, at least for the winter scenes. After that, no problem starting a new thread if any amount of time passes. Just make your questions as concise as possible, with as few variables as possible. Remember that there are many settings in the camera menu and someone else may have their camera set up completely different. Sometimes we can chase around in circles trying to solve a problem only to discover a setting was set different than the user thought.

03-07-2016, 05:31 AM	#35
paulh Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: DFW Texas/Ventura County, CA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 33,273	Originally posted by Wise Owl Ok did some winter scenes Looking much better - congrats!

03-07-2016, 05:48 AM	#36
normhead Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Near Algonquin Park Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 40,451	Looking good.

03-07-2016, 07:11 AM	#37
Wise Owl Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Copper Cliff, Ontario Posts: 28 Original Poster	Thanks guys it was a very overcast day really wanted the sun to come out ... but hey there will be many more days to take pictures once again thanks everyone ( I have Understanding Exposure by Brian Peterson on my birthday wish list)

03-07-2016, 08:01 AM - 1 Like	#38
TER-OR Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dundee, IL Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,699	Those look good for an overcast day. Overcast and snow make a very challenging photo. You can bump the exposure in post-processing, then increase contrast a bit and the images may pop more.

03-07-2016, 08:56 AM	#39
Wise Owl Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Copper Cliff, Ontario Posts: 28 Original Poster	Originally posted by TER-OR Those look good for an overcast day. Overcast and snow make a very challenging photo. You can bump the exposure in post-processing, then increase contrast a bit and the images may pop more. I have the CD that came with my camera (Pentax4 I think) ... will this allow me to do what you suggested?

03-07-2016, 09:59 AM	#40
TER-OR Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dundee, IL Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,699	It should, those are pretty simple changes. I haven't used that myself. I used to use paint.net for jpg processing, and still do for really simple stuff. It has plenty of tools. If you're processing RAW files, that won't work. You may want to do some reading in the processing forum to get some ideas of how to use the software.

03-07-2016, 10:20 AM	#41
Wise Owl Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Location: Copper Cliff, Ontario Posts: 28 Original Poster	Thanks

03-08-2016, 10:14 PM	#42
Kozlok Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Albuquerque Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,148	Originally posted by Wise Owl ( I have Understanding Exposure by Brian Peterson on my birthday wish list) One idea, my public library had a copy, so I read it for free. You should be able to check their library catalog online. Some library's can get books from other libraries as well. If you have a university nearby, you can go there and look at it in the library for free. I read a few chapters, went and used what I read for a few days, read a couple of more, etc.