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gordonfraser

gordonfraser

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Gordon
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Hi guys,

Looking at the recent post "afraid to post images" I started wondering about something.


Do people strive to know exactly what to do, when to do it and therefore only need to take 1 shot?

I find that when I am "out in the field" I spend 5s or so taking a photo as a feeler shot, if you will. I then base the next shot off that and so on until I get what I want. The process takes at most 1 minute and gets me about 10 or so shots that I can then screen.

Would you say this was a wrong approach or should one try their best to get in to the habit of thinking, "Right I'll need an ND8 for this, with f/8 and -2 stop compensation"?

What do you guys do when you are out and about?
 
I think I know vaguely what to do, but more often than not prove myself wrong. I always look at the shots I take and adjust accordingly. I'm also not confident to take just 1 pic as I know it'll be out of focus or something!

If I take a butterfly shot for example, I end up taking about 5 shots of it and deleting the less sharp ones. For nature, the exposure tends to be OK but the focus less so.

Actually I'm thinking about the few times I've used my 10 stop filter on a landscape type of shot. Thought I knew what to do and how to do it ..................... The results were so crap they'll never see the light of day!!
 
I aim to know what I need, because it means I can spend more time taking pictures rather than use a "hit & hope" method. The danger of not knowing how to take a shot you can imagine is that you'll lose a decisive moment that you'll never get again.

You will naturally learn what kind of settings / filters / lenses, etc that you need as you progress. The ultimate aim of my photography is to produce images that I, and others, enjoy; to that end, I don't think it matters what "method" you use. I just find that knowing how to do these things makes the whole process far more satisfying, and means that you can make even better photos.
 
Lately I seem to be taking more people shots, so I try and consider DOF and composition as I raise the camera (Shooting on manual) twidling the dials as I go. Sometimes I get it right first time, sometimes I dont.

With landscapes I end up taking loads of shots of varying types and compositions.

Sometimes I'm happy with about 75% of the shots, sometimes I bin them all.
 
at the moment i'm very much like you. I have an *idea* of what I want, but as a beginner I don;t have all the knowledge to try to hit it in one.

I like to play with the setting and try the same shot at different fstop / Shutter speed combos. It's the fun I have being new to the hobby. I also liek to try to shoot the same thing from different angles, even if I don;t liek them at the time. Just incase I get home an actually liek the angle upon reflection.

For me there is nothing worse than gettin home and loading images up to think "b****r if only I..." so imho the more the merrier.

However, pro's who are being payed for their time I's imagine would have to hit it first time almost everytime, especially wedding togs who only get one chance at some of the magiv candid shots that make or break an album.

Just my thoughts
 
I'm certainly no hit and hoper, but I was curious as to whether or not people find they find benefit from knowing what settings they should use before they even turn on the camera?
 
gordonfraser said:
I'm certainly no hit and hoper, but I was curious as to whether or not people find they find benefit from knowing what settings they should use before they even turn on the camera?
Click to expand...

Well I'm sure that there are some out there who can look at the light levels and know exactly what shutter speed and aperture they will need to use, but for the rest of us mere mortals, we will have to switch our cameras on and use the light meter. :D
 
I certainly need to use a light meter! :D

But I usually have an idea of the sort of aperture, shutter speed and focal length I'll need - though not necessarily all together at the same time! It just comes from experience.

The main thing is learning to "see" a shot, then working out what you'll need to do to "get" it. If you have the luxury of time and repeat attempts, wonderful...but if you don't, you need to learn - but it's a very enjoyable process to learn :D
 
Depends what I'm doing, but I take loads and haven't got a good one yet.
If it's something like motorsport at a venue I've been to before, then I'll have an idea of where I want to be and what settings I want to try out.
 
fabs said:
Well I'm sure that there are some out there who can look at the light levels and know exactly what shutter speed and aperture they will need to use, but for the rest of us mere mortals, we will have to switch our cameras on and use the light meter. :D
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You don't, because you don't have to.
If you were forced to, you could transcend mere mortalism, and become an immortal know it all git.
No doubt attaining know it all git level, just buys you the licence to go back to being mortal again.

wait.....is that a waste of time or educational...:thinking:
 
gordonfraser said:
I'm certainly no hit and hoper, but I was curious as to whether or not people find they find benefit from knowing what settings they should use before they even turn on the camera?
Click to expand...

I've come to a few settings that usually work. Like shooting dim light indoors I usually end up with ISO 800, Shutter 30, Aperture 3.5, with flash bounced off ceiling. (as a very general start).

But usually I meter a scene with in aperture/shutter priority, switch to manual, input those settings and change them around to suit my needs.
 
I dont have the knowledge but i DO seem to have a good eye for photography which helps. ALthough i am striving to learn, I dont want to let the technicalities affect what good be a good photo.
 
Natalie_B said:
I dont have the knowledge but i DO seem to have a good eye for photography which helps. ALthough i am striving to learn, I dont want to let the technicalities affect what good be a good photo.
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But you might well find, on occasion, that if you're dealing with a difficult shot (say, mixed lighting), you can "see" the shot you want - but without an understanding of "technicalities", you won't necessarily be able to get it in the way that you want.

You can't divorce photography from technology and the laws of physics.
 
I think to get to the point where you can say "Right I'll need an ND8 for this, with f/8 and -2 stop compensation"? you need to do this:

I find that when I am "out in the field" I spend 5s or so taking a photo as a feeler shot, if you will. I then base the next shot off that and so on until I get what I want. The process takes at most 1 minute and gets me about 10 or so shots that I can then screen.

Otherwise, how do you know what to use. I can pretty much set up a camera now to the point where I can guesstimate what ISO, Aperture and shutter speed I need and then use minor adjustments to get it exposed properly. I however, still consider myself a complete noob :)

A light meter is something I really need to get when I have a spare £100+ :( then I need to learn how to use it. I don't have a flash either so I have to learn all that too when I finally get my SB900 :S
 
I think the whole process is different thanks to digital photography, surely?
With film (I'm guessing, I've never shot film in my LIFE) you can't see what you've done, so you have to know what will work. Digital photography removes that restriction, so the ability to produce fantastic photos is opened up to a much wider group of people.

However, I see the advantages of film (in terms of texture and grain), and I reckon I'll be ready to give it a go soon - however, I find the idea of shooting film without my own darkroom repulsive - so much of what I consider to be the process of photography would have to be handed off to people who could basically do what they felt like with my images. That would suck big time I think.
 
well, i usually switch the camera to program mode when i'm first at the scene, so i have a general idea about the light levels as the camera judges it, then i change to manual/ss/ap or whatever so i can make the changes i need (like if i want a faster ss i know what aperture i'll have to open to).
Sometimes i would take a wee test shot too to make sure it's exposed properly.
 
Question..

A half press of the shutter will give us a shutter speed for our chosen aperture, that will decide whether the shot is within iso range, or whether we need a tripod.
We can also choose a portion of the frame to meter from.
Why do we need to shoot a frame to check ?
Do we not trust the camera metering.
Do we not trust our choice of aperture.
Do we not trust our compositional skills.

Its not about being immortal, its not about good or bad practice, nobody cares about that stuff.

Why do we need to check ?
 
My first frame is never any good.
May as well get it out of the way :lol:
 
gordonfraser said:
Do people strive to know exactly what to do, when to do it and therefore only need to take 1 shot?
Click to expand...

Yes I strive for this, and would love a day when it works.

Usually I end up with at most 10% of my shots being good. The rest are test shots or brackets to get things right.
 
Joxby,

I check because it takes me 2 seconds to look at the image on the back of the screen and go "that's underexposed" change setting, next photo.

It takes a lot longer to half shutter press, then think, "is that in ISO range? Will I dial in -4 exp comp? Do I need a tripod?"

(Surely a tripod choice is done before even looking through the camera? Dark? aye. Tripod.)

I check my shots because they tell me the truth. Histogram is my friend, how do I know if I have clipped without looking at the back of my camera to "check"? I don't surely?

Do you review your shots before moving on or do you know you have got what you think you have?

I guess I am too scared of the familiar feeling "Damn it, if only that wasn't blown/underxposed" so I make damn sure.
 
You work at it - you take a shot - change angles - change lenses - change exposures take more and more - try different settings - different viewpoints - keep working - high angle - try a low angle - slower shutter - wider ap - keep trying - keep working - and don't show anyone the rubbish - and you should have loads of rubbish shots - but the number of good ones you get should go up to if you keep working the subject!

If you just walk up and click once - that's a snap!
 
gordonfraser said:
Joxby,

I check because it takes me 2 seconds to look at the image on the back of the screen and go "that's underexposed" change setting, next photo.

It takes a lot longer to half shutter press, then think, "is that in ISO range? Will I dial in -4 exp comp? Do I need a tripod?"

(Surely a tripod choice is done before even looking through the camera? Dark? aye. Tripod.)

I check my shots because they tell me the truth. Histogram is my friend, how do I know if I have clipped without looking at the back of my camera to "check"? I don't surely?

Do you review your shots before moving on or do you know you have got what you think you have?

I guess I am too scared of the familiar feeling "Damn it, if only that wasn't blown/underxposed" so I make damn sure.
Click to expand...

I'm not having a go, I'm just asking the question.
Prior to digital, nobody needed previews or histograms, except maybe studio polaroids.
Does that say something about the way digital captures, that we actually "need" the bells and whistles in order to shoot it ?
Is applying an analogue method of shooting, to digital, not actually that useful in a practical sense, doesn't really apply itself that well in the same way it applies to film.

Yes I did preview/review/check histograms/take daft quantities of shots/examine at atomic level, all the usual stuff, just like everybody else when shooting digital.
Did I need to ?, well probably, I think its part of the nature of the medium, but its not something I enjoyed or am interested in doing any more.:)
 
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