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Photography Tips

Photography Tips


Postby liamando » Fri Jan 23, 2015 5:52 pm

Hi I have recently started taking my dslr out with me to the hills and was wondering if anyone had any tips or hints on how to get some great pics!
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Re: Photography Tips

Postby TheFox » Fri Jan 30, 2015 12:45 am

Depends really - it's difficult to give advice without knowing your level of knowledge and experience. How long have you had your DSLR - I assume you're beyond the auto mode and know the basics of exposure, which aperture to use for landscapes etc.?

Which kind of pictures are you trying to snap? Do you use a tripod?
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Re: Photography Tips

Postby Caberfeidh » Fri Jan 30, 2015 8:56 am

liamando wrote:Hi I have recently started taking my dslr out with me to the hills and was wondering if anyone had any tips or hints on how to get some great pics!


Aye ~ keep yer camera nice and warm inside your jacket as the low temperatures make DSLRs shut down. Remember a soft cloth to clear the condensation from the lens and viewfinder when you bring it out into the cold. A wee tripod gives much greater clarity and sharpness to photos, just set the timer once you have your picture lined up. Go out at times of unusual light - dawn and dusk give sideways light with interesting shadows, stormy clouds look very impressive in mountainous landscapes, whereas sunny days often give flat, uninspiring light conditions. A wide-angle lens is great for 3D effects and impressive mountain/landscape shots. Try not to drop it in a puddle....
http://digital-photography-school.com/2 ... ould-know/
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Re: Photography Tips

Postby TheFox » Fri Jan 30, 2015 2:34 pm

Caberfeidh wrote:Aye ~ keep yer camera nice and warm inside your jacket as the low temperatures make DSLRs shut down.


I don't know which DSLR you use, but mine doesn't fit under my jacket, at least not comfortably :D In general cameras can stand much lower temperatures than many expect, I've been shooting for hours in -30°C (albeit with a compact camera that time) and the camera was just fine. The main problems are battery drain (batteries last much shorter in very low temperatures) and condensation that can form inside when moving from the cold outside back into the warmth inside. To avoid that, put the camera in a plastic bag and seal it before you step back inside.
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Re: Photography Tips

Postby TheFox » Fri Jan 30, 2015 7:02 pm

Is it not possible to edit one's own posts after a certain time?

Anyway, just wanted to add that I know of one guy who spend a winter at the Amundsen-Scott research station right on the South Pole and used his DSLR to take pictures in -65°C for extended periods - no issues apart from rapid battery drain.
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Re: Photography Tips

Postby Caberfeidh » Sat Jan 31, 2015 1:23 am

TheFox wrote:Is it not possible to edit one's own posts after a certain time?

Anyway, just wanted to add that I know of one guy who spend a winter at the Amundsen-Scott research station right on the South Pole and used his DSLR to take pictures in -65°C for extended periods - no issues apart from rapid battery drain.
TheFox wrote:
Caberfeidh wrote:Aye ~ keep yer camera nice and warm inside your jacket as the low temperatures make DSLRs shut down.


I don't know which DSLR you use, but mine doesn't fit under my jacket, at least not comfortably :D In general cameras can stand much lower temperatures than many expect, I've been shooting for hours in -30°C (albeit with a compact camera that time) and the camera was just fine. The main problems are battery drain (batteries last much shorter in very low temperatures) and condensation that can form inside when moving from the cold outside back into the warmth inside. To avoid that, put the camera in a plastic bag and seal it before you step back inside.


http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/vi ... ry#p176950
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Re: Photography Tips

Postby TheFox » Sat Jan 31, 2015 12:36 pm

Caberfeidh wrote:X


I'm not sure which camera you use and whether there actually might be a contraction problem with this particular model, but in general I'm afraid that your explanation is wrong. As a new member I cannot post links, but if you google "Chemistry about cold battery' you'll get a nice explanation.

Batteries are essentially just galvanic cells - a chemical redox reaction provides electrons that generate a current. Chemical reactions usually proceed more slowly in low temperatures, so the current generated is weaker.

You can google the relation to photographing in cold weather, there are tons of articles on the net from people and organisations who ought to know (National Geographic, Nikon etc.).

The best way to proceed is to carry extra batteries close to your body and swap them around with the one in your camera to keep them warm.

Hope I could shed some light :wink:
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Re: Photography Tips

Postby spiderwebb » Sun Mar 08, 2015 10:49 pm

Good book for photo tips, easy to read, no heavy jargon or techy stuff, one tip per page is The Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby, there is a series, but No 1 good place to start :D
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Re: Photography Tips

Postby BobMcBob » Fri May 22, 2015 5:42 pm

I've had my camera shut down in cold weather. Modern cameras use Lithium batteries and they are definitely affected by cold - their internal resistance rises very rapidly as they cool, it's one of their downsides. I'd been using my DSLR at about -10 for an hour or so and it just switched off. Warmed it back up later and it was fine.

As for photography tips, the one book I'd recommend is "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. It'll teach you everything you need to know about how to get the best performance out of a DSLR, so that the technical stuff all becomes second nature. It's very easy to read and helped me go from budding amateur to a stage where I now sell and exhibit landscape photos.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Photographs-Camera/dp/0817439390/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432312614&sr=8-1&keywords=understanding+exposure

I've also got the Scott Kelby book and it's also a great introduction.

As you progress you should also start shooting in RAW and learn about post-processing, but that requires more expensive software so stick with JPEG for starters.
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Re: Photography Tips

Postby pjm1 » Mon Jan 25, 2016 5:09 pm

My top tip would be to think about what photography actually means: "drawing with light". The key part of that is light. The tools you use to "draw" are way down the pecking order compared with the quality of the light you're actually capturing.

1. Get out in the golden hours (either side of sunset and sunrise) and see what a difference that type of light makes to landscapes
2. See how shooting into, away from and at 90 degrees to the sun affects the contrast of the image you capture
3. Shoot somewhere nearby/handy on a clear blue sky day and again the same scene when it's overcast - notice the differences to the light and shadows. Also note how clouds can make for far more interesting pictures than "empty" skies

There are rules for good reasons, but often it's when you bend or break the rules you can get exceptional photos. However, understanding why the rules are there in the first place is pretty important and I'd start off focusing on how important a role light plays in photography.

Sorry if that's all a bit cryptic, but IMO it's far more important than lens choice, aperture selection or the megapixel race.
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Re: Photography Tips

Postby jupe1407 » Mon Jan 25, 2016 7:37 pm

Pjm1's post is spot on.

One of the best things I ever did was buy a book called "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. Pretty sure it's still on Amazon. Great book and I learned a fair bit from it.
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