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Photography Question 
Melinda Hambrick
BetterPhoto Member

member since: 11/19/2005 		 

Moving Subject, Low Light


 
 
I have a Nikon D50, and I'm trying to shoot pictures of a friend who wants a photo of himself walking down a railroad track with his guitar slung on his back. We went out recently on a foggy, overcast morning. I wanted to use the natural light, and I used a tripod. Based on what I saw on my LCD screen, everything looked great. But when I got them home, none of my images were sharp. If I had set a high enough shutter speed to capture him in motion, the overall lighting was too dark. If I lowered the shutter speed to let in more light, the track was sharp but his motion made him out of focus, and often, the whole picture was blurry. I had the white balance set at "cloudy" and the ISO at 200. I've attached a couple of pictures as examples. Can you advise me on what to do when I re-shoot these pictures? Also, what can I do about pictures appearing well-lit on my LCD screen, but way too dark on my computer when I get them home?

4/13/2007 3:28:25 PM

 
John Rhodes
BetterPhoto Member

member since: 2/24/2005 		  Melinda, I assume you want the subject - your friend - to be sharp as well as the track. If you need the entire scene in focus, you'll need a small aperture - large f/number such as in the f/16 - f/22 range. This, however, would require a slow shutter speed, making it difficult to get the moving object in sharp focus. You could use the external flash if you have one, or even try the on-camera flash, but with little chance of success I think.
I think your problem likely lies with where you are focusing. You could try to use the continuous focus setting which follows the moving subject. Another way, and maybe simpler, would be pre-focusing at the point where you want the subject to be when you take the image. Pick a place and put in a marker such as a larger stone that won't be noticable in the image. In fact, I see a larger stone at his feet in one of your photos. Have the subject stand at that point and obtain a sharp focus. Now, without resetting the focal point, take the image when he gets to that marker.John

4/13/2007 4:28:13 PM

 
Melinda Hambrick
BetterPhoto Member

member since: 11/19/2005 		  Thanks so much for the suggestions! I like the idea of pre-focusing. I'll definitely give that a try.

Melinda

4/13/2007 5:53:44 PM

 
Mike Rubin
BetterPhoto Member

member since: 10/15/2004 		  Why do you need to actually have him walking, Couldn't you just pose him as if he were walking? Just a thought.

4/13/2007 6:46:00 PM

 
Samuel Smith
BetterPhoto Member

member since: 1/21/2004 		  Not just a thought. Look at the photos you have and duplicate his stance.you cannot get dof and slow shutter speed any other way.even with pre focusing your still going to get a slow shutter speed.
f8 and 800 might get a bit closer,but I really don't think so.kinda throws the dof out.
your pushing some limits there.

4/13/2007 8:44:29 PM

 
Melinda Hambrick
BetterPhoto Member

member since: 11/19/2005 		  Thanks for all the great advice. It definitely helps to have input from others. I like the idea of posing him - it does seem the most foolproof way.

Melinda

4/13/2007 9:41:23 PM

 
Jon Close
BetterPhoto Member

member since: 5/18/2000 		  >>"... and the ISO at 200."<<
Agree with Chris on the duplicate thread. At ISO 200 you're not getting a shutter speed fast enough to stop the subject's motion. Raise the ISO. Setting 400 will give a shutter speed twice as fast which should stop the motion. I like the shallow DoF in the sample shots, I would not go with a smaller aperture.

4/14/2007 7:11:04 AM

 
Melinda Hambrick
BetterPhoto Member

member since: 11/19/2005 		  Thanks, Jon. I'll give that a try. I wondered if the ISO was too low, but I had read somewhere that it was usually best to keep your ISO on the lowest setting your camera offered in order to reduce graininess. I knew my friend was planning to enlarge the image a little, and wanted to avoid that. But I'll definitely try 400 and see if that helps.

4/14/2007 7:32:01 AM

 
Joe Ciccone
BetterPhoto Member

member since: 3/7/2005 		  A couple of things I might try in difficult lighting situations...
1- the ISO...actually 800 might have been a better choice, the additional 'noise' might have hardly been a problem in the misty conditions.
2-instead of playing with the White Balance...shoot RAW/Jpeg.... with the RAW shots you have total control over the White Balance.
3-try using #12- Bracket Setting in your Camera's menu... it will give you 3 shots at different exposures, or if you only want to shoot Jpeg, can be set to shot 3 choices of White Balance.

4/17/2007 5:39:21 AM

 
Solomon Kraner

member since: 4/12/2007 		  Hi Melinda,
I agree with the advice to raise the ISO if you are not going to make a large print. Also remember that the cameras white balance is catching all incoming lights and average them. Do not point the camera high to avoid the light from the sky.

4/17/2007 8:18:15 AM

 
Melody L. Hollowell

member since: 6/11/2006 		  Hi Melinda,

Did you meter the light where he will be? and also I like to use my histogram to determine whether I have the right exposure or not. My instructure said to not rely on the LCD because it can be misleading.
Have you used the auto white balance?
I have very good success with that and concentrate on the right exposure. Experiment with everything and find out what is good for you.

Melody

4/17/2007 8:24:20 AM

 
Melinda Hambrick
BetterPhoto Member

member since: 11/19/2005 		  Thanks all, for the great advice! I'll let you know how it goes when we re-shoot.

Melinda

4/17/2007 10:41:06 AM

 
Samuel Smith
BetterPhoto Member

member since: 1/21/2004 		  you won't like anything over 400 iso.
experience will only catch the fog and light and result in a capture.your going for a mood.
well I did get a laugh out of instructure,let it go.
plan as you will,those conditions are not in the yellow pages.best of luck,sam

4/18/2007 8:12:01 PM

 
Roy Blinston
BetterPhoto Member

member since: 1/4/2005 		  Why not try a different time, like late afternoon when the sun is going down and the light would be more golden maybe. You may also have more light tot work with. You can add to this "folksy" look by adding more golden and sepia colours in PhotoShop.... or just keep it B&W and give it a "diffuse glow".... and maybe add "more" grain for that rough look. Grain can be good, depending on the topic and subject matter.
I use Canon, but assume Nikon can also adjust your LCD screen to better match your end result with dark display pics. Trial and error until you get it right.
PS: This topic... "man-on-railway-tracks-with-guitar-on-back" has been done a million times and is somewhat cliched. Why not start off with this in mind, but look for a new angle on the subject as you progress.

4/19/2007 8:54:13 PM

 

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