Rules of thumb

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sandy

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Afternoon everyone,

I'm a newb to photography and was thinking there must be alot of rules of thumb that would be useful.. For example, the sunny f16 rule..

I wonder if you would e willing to share your rules of thumb or pointers you use when shooting in a particular situation.

Thanks for sharing
 
The first rule of thumb is not to put it in front of the lens...

:coat:
 
Alastair said:
The first rule of thumb is not to put it in front of the lens...

:coat:
Click to expand...

Great joke, made me chuckle :p

My rule of thumb is; Check ISO, aperture and shutter speed before pressing the button.
 
When out in sand, use a (clear/UV/etc) filter to minimize sand getting in the front element and for easy cleaning.

Decide how to place your lenses on a table from an early start to make it a habit (I place mine mount-end-down). This way you'll pay more attention and won't make clumsy mistakes. Also, placing lenses mount-end-down in a bag is also useful.

Change lenses without too much pause to minimize dust getting in the centre.

Before taking the picture do a scan of the outter limits of the picture to double check for unwanted artifacts.

Leveled horizons, 9/10 times are more appealing than non-leveled horizons, so check your horizons.

I also usually don't go over 1/15sec shutter speed for handheld because in my experience I get blur right around there and refrain from using ISO 1250 or over for fear of noise ;)

I also strongly recommend learning the buttons and every shortcut possible to make it faster, easier, and more pleasant to use your camera.
 
Great idea for a thread sandy and welcome to TP :thumbs: Mine is to reset the camera EVERY time before using it. How many times do I take shots and realise I have something set totally wrong, like exposure comp or the ISO :bonk:
 
If you are walking around, leave the camera on a setting that can be used instantly. If you've got time, then you can adjust.
 
some nice tips - thanks everyone who has posted so far, and thanks for the link Ray; loads of interesting pointers on that site!
 
Whenever you go out switch camera on before leaving to check memory card and battery are in it.
 
If you think you're going to fall over, always try to go on your back - the NHS is free, camera replacements are not :D
 
Carry a compact in your pocket so that you never miss that once in a lifetime shot.
 
sandy said:
Afternoon everyone,

I'm a newb to photography and was thinking there must be alot of rules of thumb that would be useful.. For example, the sunny f16 rule..

I wonder if you would e willing to share your rules of thumb or pointers you use when shooting in a particular situation.

Thanks for sharing
Click to expand...

White Balance, ISO, Shooting Mode, Exposure check, check extremeties of frame, Check exposure then shoot.

Always have camera set so it will not shoot without a media card inserted...

Simples
 
Quantum Sprite said:
Whenever you go out switch camera on before leaving to check memory card and battery are in it.
Click to expand...

In addition to this, always keep a spare battery (fully charged) and memory card with you just in case.

The number of times I've picked up my camera to take out, only to come to the horrific realisation that I've left it switched on since I last used it :bonk:
 
If you're shooting in JPEG, always always always check white balance !!!

Took a whole series of shots at a local park a while ago and then wondered why they all came out blue when I downloaded them

:bang: :bonk:
 
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