 Keri E. Pinney |
How do you spot-check work while shooting Can anyone offer tips on ways to spot-check exposure, DOF and focus while shooting? I tend to shoot mostly people in natural light and I find it difficult to check my work when I'm out in the sun (vs. viewing images on my PC). I do use the magnification tool and I'm learning to use the histogram - are there other tools or tricks that can be recommended? Also, images often look focused on my LCD but are not crisp when I open them online. Do I just need to magnify them more on my LCD to check?
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W. |
Chimp on a laptop?
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Mary Anne Frey |
Hi Keri! I think that is a good question and I would like to know if there is an answer also. I, too, have come across images that I thought were sharp in the field then was disappointed once I downloaded them.
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Keri E. Pinney |
Laughing!! This is my first time posting to this site, so thanks for your help with all of my questions W.S. - really appreciate it.
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W. |
And, because you seem to have missed it, the answer is CHIMP ON A LAPTOP!
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Samuel Smith |
i just wanted to be here when answers come flying in.ain't no spot check.that's for. light meter? dof and focus?ya focus on the eyes and set the aperture to select the dof. sam
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Mark Feldstein |
Hmmmmmmmm, how about a chimp using a medium format camera and a polaroid back? Nah, that's a bit too banannas, even for me. Take it light. ;>) M.
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Julie Wall |
I totally hit this question because I was curious...True to form W.S. had me giggling, again. I've been on again/off again the last couple of weeks and not reading here as much as I would like, but when I am here, I always manage to hit threads where W. is posting...very witty! :0 I'm the owner of a brand new DSLR and am learning a whole new world, so am looking forward to the DOF answers. I'm really having an issue with aperture, myself... I'll be waiting for the replies to this thread! :) Y'all are great! Julie
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Michael A. Bielat |
From what I read, you want to make sure your photos are in focus and that you have the correct depth of field and exposure from picture to picture? If that is correct then hopefully this can help you out: First off you need a subject. Let's use a portrait in natural light like you enjoy shooting. First, determine what you want out of the photo. Do you want the person to "freeze in motion" or do you want them in focus and the background blurred? Do you want them running and showing motion blur? Shutter Speed, measured in fractions of a second, controls weather the subject is frozen or blurred. Anything under 1/30th or sometimes even around 1/60th of a second will be blurry if the subject is moving (it could even be YOU barely moving when holding the camera) Next is the Aperture, measured in f/stops. Here is the trick. The larger the number, ie. f/22, then the more everything from your subject and beyond will be in focus. This is good for landscapes and stuff where you want everything in the photo to be in focus. The lower the number, ie. f/2.8, then the less will be in focus in front or behind of the subject. Now, you need to set your camera up to produce the proper exposure. For you, you want a lower f/stop like f/2.8 and a fast shutter speed. You have to trust your skills and know your camera for this. If your camera has auto focus then use that to focus on your subject. Otherwise, you will have to dial it in yourself. This is kind of a crash course in the basics and forgive me if I didn't explain EVERYTHING. Hope this helps you get a better grasp of things. Remember, in the old days, pros only had film and couldn't check their photo's quality until they were developed. The 21st century is spoiled with trial and error checking with digital that they are slacking on the basics.
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Julie Wall |
I can't speak for Keri, but thank you, Michael! That helps a LOT! Jules
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Sharon Day |
Mark, I think chimping on a digital MF would be great. Will you buy me one? ;)!
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Samuel Smith |
i suppose, now.f2.8 for portraits..gotta background? since spot checking,oh geeeez. ya didn't even question the amount of light which could at f2.8 be 1/1000,1/1200. at even iso 100,f8,1/500th is what..., depends on the light?his/her question is out in the sun/or your question.
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Keri E. Pinney |
Thanks for all of the helpful feedback and for the great humor! I will be the first to admit how spoiled I feel learning photography in the digital age - not sure I would have the time/patience/$$$ otherwise. That said, I am starting to better understand the correlation between appeture and shutter speed and their impact on my images. I guess my biggest challenge is understanding whether or not my exposure is correct before I've shot a bunch of images. It's still hard for me to tell by simply viewing images on my LCD - especially when I'm in the sun. Sounds like more experience with my camera, a lot of practice and using the camera's built in tools will help me get there. I am realizing that some of my focus issues are attributed to either shutter speeds that are too slow or using a large appeture (e.g. f/1.8) where the focus plane is cm and difficult to get two eyes in focus for example. Using a slightly smaller appeture where possible has helped. Thanks again - love this site!
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