SnapShot Photography Newsletter - 12/30/1999
SNAPSHOT - PHOTO NEWS FROM BETTERPHOTO.COM
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Welcome to SnapShot, the weekly newsletter on the art
of photography from http://www.betterphoto.com
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IN THIS ISSUE
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Thursday, December 30, 1999
* Quick Synopsis
* What's New at BetterPhoto.com
* Photographic Happenings on the Web
* This Week's Photo Tip
* Camera & Photography Q&A
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT
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Hot, Fun Instant Camera
Discover how much fun taking a photo can get with the new Polaroid
I-Zone Instant Pocket Camera. Colorful, compact and - best of all - it
produces mini photos. To top it all off, the instant camera can also be
used to make sticker photos! All this within minutes of taking the picture;
talk about immediate gratification! This is great of kids and photogs of
all ages who just want to have a little fun with photography. Learn more:
http://www.betterphoto.com/reviews/reviewItemDetail.asp?reviewItemID=540
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QUICK SYNOPSIS
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* Learn how to photograph paintings
* Enjoy examples from masters of the Polaroid image transfer
* Read a review on the new Kodak DC280 from CNET
* Find more tips on doing nature shots from outdoorphoto.com
* New Year's resolution: Go back to school with Photoflex
* Shoot great firework images this Friday night
* Understand why depth of field acts the way it does
* Allay fears about storing film
* Delve into the details of exposure
* How to know if a you can expect a good print from a slide
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WHAT'S NEW AT BETTERPHOTO.COM
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How to Photograph Paintings
Whether you are an artist trying to sell your work or a collector
trying to insure your priceless possessions, good photographic
technique will often be called upon as an integral part of your job.
Getting a good photo of your artwork can often mean the difference
between selling and not selling your painting. Visit our latest
article to learn how put your best foot forward by capturing
beautiful images of your paintings:
http://www.betterphoto.com/exploring/shootingPaintings.asp
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PHOTOGRAPHIC HAPPENINGS ON THE WEB
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Polaroid Image Transfers
Learn the how-to and see great examples from the masters with this
creative spin on the art. All you do is take a Polaroid snapshot (or make
one from a slide) and, before it has time to develop normally, apply
the chemicals to another media, such as watercolor paper.
(Link no longer active)
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CNET Reviews the Kodak DC280 Digital Camera
Named a "Best Buy" in a recent issue of Consumers Digest Magazine,
the Kodak DC280 Zoom digital camera was also recently praised by CNET.
This popular point-and-shoot camera offers 2X optical and 3x digital zoom,
2-megapixel resolution, and can store 32-245 pictures in the included
20MB Picture Card. The folks at CNET sum up:
"This camera sends shivers down our spine; it combines great image
quality along with more than generous storage."
The full CNET review:
http://computers.cnet.com/hardware/0-1079-404-132477.html
More on the Kodak DC280 at BetterPhoto.com:
http://www.betterphoto.com/reviews/reviewItemDetail.asp?reviewItemID=62
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More Tips on Nature Photography from outdoorphoto.com
Learn more about exposure, maximizing sharpness, and photographing
special subjects such as birds and waterfalls. Widen your horizons and
become an even better nature photographer with these great tips:
http://www.outdoorphoto.com/tips.htm
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Back to School for Studio Photography and More
Photoflex's school has undergone a face lift and is now Web Photo
School. Enrollment costs $45 a year and is well worth it - especially
if you are interested in studio photography technique.
http://www.webphotoschool.com
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THIS WEEK'S TIP
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If you are hoping to catch some fireworks on this millennial New Year's
celebration, here is a tip that will make your job a lot easier:
Use a tripod and shoot with a slower film such as Fuji Velvia or a 100 ISO
print film. Then set your aperture small enough to demand a long shutter
speed - up to 15 seconds. An aperture of f/8 is ideal but going smaller
(f/16 - f/32) will work well, too. Compensate for reciprocity failure -
double the exposure that your meter says is required - and release the
shutter before a series of fireworks go off. As your shutter remains open,
you will catch some spectacular bursts and explosions.
More tips on how to shoot fireworks from the Smithsonian photographers:
http://photo2.si.edu/firew/firew.html
Agfa's brief introduction to reciprocity failure:
http://www.agfaphoto.com/library/photocourse/9812/reciprocity_failure.html
Specific data on compensating for reciprocity failure with color slide film:
http://photo.net/photo/nature/reciprocity.html
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CAMERA AND PHOTOGRAPHY Q&A
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Q. Could you explain WHY aperture relates to depth of field? I understand
that with a smaller opening, the depth of field is enhanced, but WHY does
this happen? I don't understand technically how allowing less light in
provides you with sharper depth of field. Thank you so much, I look
forward to your response.
A. This is a very good question, and kind of complex one. I'm going to
give it my best shot. When focusing on a subject their is only one plane
or point which is in focus(plane of critical focus). Everything that is
within the depth of field appears to be sharp but truly only one plane
is actually in focus. This plane is represented as points on the film and
everything thing else is represented by small blurred disc(circles of
confusion). As the aperture is made smaller then the circles of confusion
become smaller which makes them appear more like points and hence
more in focus. Hope this helps.
-Michael
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Q. What is the best way to store extra rolls of 35mm film and for how
long can I store it?
A. In a cool, dry place.
Professional films are a little more time-sensitive and perishable than
other films. Many photographers choose to store these creme de la creme
films, such as Fujichrome Velvia, in the frig if they do not plan to shoot
it in the near future. If you do this, just take your film out an hour or
two before shooting to let it 'thaw' - this way, your film won't stick
together from condensation. But most films, and even the pro films
if you will be shooting them soon, can be kept in a cool, dry spot.
Fujichrome Velvia:
http://www.betterphoto.com/reviews/reviewItemDetail.asp?reviewItemID=355
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Q. How do you set the light control on an older Nikon 35mm camera.
It's all manual, nothing is automatic on it. I believe it is called the
aperture.
How do I set it?
A. Two things contribute to the exposure on a camera. One is the
aperture which you are referring to. Such as, 5.6, 8,11,16,32. This should
be located near the base of the lens. Just turn it to the desired setting.
The other contributor to exposure is the shutter speed, 1/125,1/60,1/30,
1/15. This is located on top right of the camera body and usually is a round
knob (also just turn). If your camera doesn't have a light meter built in,
then you will probably want to purchase a handheld light meter or
possibly use the rough guidelines outlined in the packaging that came
with the film.
Example, for a sunny outdoor photograph use f16 and 1/125. Before
you do that, make sure you don't have a built in meter. The indicators
are seen looking through the viewfinder. Often the meters are represented
by a needle or green lights. All cameras are a little different so what I
described may not be exact. Good luck.
-Michael
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Q. I recently had some 4x6 prints made from a roll of Ektachrome 64.
They came out horrible!! I took them back and they said the slides
weren't exposed well to begin with...
What is the best way of critique slides before having prints made?
I have a 5x loupe and a light box... And how much color change should
be expected? And I was told that glossy only could be made from
slides. True?
A. You can expect prints from slides to be contrasty - the darks
getting darker and the lights getting lighter - unless you fork over
some top dollar and go to a professional lab. There you can get
really beautiful prints - but it is true that the original slide needs to
have good image data.
When they told you that only glossy prints can be made from slides,
they must have meant that their service only did glossies. You can
certainly get other paper / finish types from slides. I would take your
slides to another lab before accepting that judgement about them
being poorly exposed.
If the loupe you mention is one of those $5 -$10 round loupes, you will
benefit from getting a better one - my favorite inexpensive one
is the 8x rectangular from Peak. A projector or one of those
mini-slide viewers might also help make it easier to view the slides.
If they do not look faded, hazy, or less than perfect - and this is where
subjectivity and judgement come into the picture - than you should be
able to expect good prints.
Peak 8x Loupe:
http://www.betterphoto.com/reviews/reviewItemDetail.asp?reviewItemID=860
Leica P150 Pradovit Slide Projector:
http://www.betterphoto.com/reviews/reviewItemDetail.asp?reviewItemID=546
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Q. I'm shooting indoors with ISO 400 and no flash... is it okay using
60-30-15 sec with f8, f5.6, f4, f2?
A. Yes it is okay using these shutter speeds and f-stops if that is what
your meter indicates. But remember it is important what you are
shooting. If its an indoor basketball game then a faster shutter speed
will be necessary to stop the action, probably something along the lines
of 1/250 or 1/500. If it is a still subject then a slower shutter speed is
okay. Just be sure to use a tripod to steady the camera for anything
slower than 1/60 with a 50mm lens. Also, remember that the shutter
speed and f-stop work together to make an exposure. If you change
one you need to compensate with the other to keep the correct
exposure. For example, if your meter indicates 1/60 and f8 and you
decide to speed up the shutter say to 1/125 then your f-stop needs to
be f5.6. Likewise 1/30 and f11, 1/15 and f16, are also the correct
exposure. Also, remember to consider depth of field (depth of focus)
which is determined by your f-stop (aperture f8,f5.6). A large aperture
such as f2 has a shallow depth of field. So objects in front and behind
the subject focused on will be out of focus. On the other hand, a small
aperture such as f32 will have a greater depth of field. So objects
in front and behind the subject will be in focus also. Hope this helps.
-Michael
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Ask a question of your own or answer a few from your fellow photographers:
http://www.betterphoto.com/qnaTOC.asp
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Until next week, enjoy shooting!
Thank you,
Jim Miotke
BetterPhoto.com
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