Archive for Photography: Getting Started
How to Improve Your Waterproof Point-and-Shoot Camera in Low Light
Posted by: | CommentsIt is my opinion that the waterproof point-and-shoot (P&S) cameras are invaluable tools for fly fishers. They are very powerful cameras once you learn to compensate for their deficiencies. Unfortunately, they often get a bad rap on the internet. It is wise to read the critiques carefully and understand the author’s bias. The FAS workshops now focus almost exclusively on the waterproof P&S cameras because frankly most of the questions are specifically about these camera models. In my experience, the waterproof cameras are the most common cameras in the general fly fishing community, but there is a lack of understanding on how to properly use the gear. The analogy here would be learning to fly fish with a moderately priced 5wt fly rod – make sure the instructor is able to teach on that particular rod and not giving you a fast action 4wt because he prefers that setup. Learn the basics and you can achieve great outcomes. At the time of this article, both the Olympus Stylus and Pentax Optio are great cameras. Newer models are even more advanced. However, the frustration with low-light photography is shared by many fishers and this is a limiting condition for any camera. The following post will offer tips and tricks for Pentax Optio W20 camera, but the principles are the same regardless of the camera brand. These adjustments can be performed on any waterproof camera.
5 Tips on getting better pictures with your waterproof point-and-shoot camera.
1. Select the appropriate camera mode
2. Adjust the EV to compensate for the available light
3. Adjust the ISO to compensate for the available light
4. Use flash wisely
5. Use photography software for post processing
Fashion Chicks
Posted by: | CommentsHere are a few images from a recent workshop on macro photography. The attendees were by no means fly fishers so instead the props included little micro fuzzy chicks. We had a blast shooting and staging these little guys and the final images turned out well. I thought it would be fun to post them here to give you ideas on how to position your flies in creative ways.
Little Fashion Chicks
Things you can do with a waterproof point-and-shoot camera
Posted by: | CommentsClick the picture to view the slideshow. When the slideshow opens in a new window make sure to choose the white square and the bottom to view the images in full resolution.
I love my waterproof point-and-shoot camera (Olympus Stylus 770SW). It is essentially worry free, it can take a drop from 10 feet without damage, it can get wet, and it can submerge very deeply in the water without concern. It is with me on the river and on every vacation. After two years I have learned how to unlock it’s full potential. It certainly has limitations compared to my dSLR, but it’s potential never ceases to amaze me.
In light of the more recent posts on fly photography, you have seen how to use your point-and-shoot to take fly pictures. I thought it would be fun to show other pictures I have taken with my 770SW. Click the picture above to view the slideshow.
As you view the pictures notice that the metadata is included on the bottom. This should help you better understand how each image was captured. Most of the images are out of the camera with only minimal post editing manipulation. I have alerted you when Photoshop was employed to give an artistic effect. Remember, once you learn to manipulate the scene modes in combination with adjustments in ISO and exposure compensation your camera will come alive. That’s when it gets fun. Your point-and-shoot is a good camera regardless of the brand or price point.
White Balance and ISO for Fly Photography
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Incorrect White Balance
Correct White Balance
Fly Photography: Getting Started with Point-and-Shoot
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Tutorial Finalist Photograph
This tutorial will teach you to master your point-and-shoot camera for fly tying pictures. It will serve as an introduction to what is possible with that little piece of equipment you thought was only good for taking grip-and-grin photos on the water. Oh the power of knowing your equipment. A lot of topics will be introduced here and in the future we will expand on each individual concept. For example, white balance, ISO, lighting, and backgrounds each deserve a full discussion. However, it is often fun to put it all together in story format to provide a more active experience.
Equipment:
Olympus Stylus 770SW waterproof point-and-shoot camera
Photographing Flies Part Three: Shooting with an Entry-Level dSLR
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Fly Photography – Entry Level DSLR TutorialFeb 15th, 2009, 1:35am
How to take better fly tying photos with an entry level DSLR
The purpose of this post is to show how to get the most out of your basic DSLR when taking pictures of your flies. Sure, macro lenses and off camera flash come in handy but I want to show (with pictures) how powerful your entry level equipment can be. In order to accomplish this goal I pulled out my Nikon D50 and kit lens and purposely left all the other gear in the bag. By doing this I hope you will see that the pictures come from your brain and not the camera (per se). This is stripped down naked photography and most of you already have the equipment.
Photographing Flies Part Two: Shooting on a Budget
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HOW TO SHOOT FLIES ON A BUDGET
EQUIPMENT
For this tutorial I used my Olympus Stylus 770SW waterproof point-and-shoot.
The micro studio is the same as shown above.
No flash was used.
Gear: point-and-shoot camera, a Gorilla tripod (about $10 at Office Max), a halogen hot lamp, tissue paper wrapped around the hot lamp to create a light diffuser/soft-light, a second lamp focused on the white background, the background is white poster board ($2.99 at the craft store). That’s it.
Things you need to know: get out your camera manual and learn how to set macro mode and how many macro modes you have available (more later, they are not all the same), know if you can adjust ISO and white balance (most can), and know how to set the delay timer (very important – you need to use delay to negate camera shake). You won’t be using flash (most of time it is shut off in macro mode anyway). Go to the links above to learn more.
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Photographing Flies Part One: General Discussion
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Backgrounds and depth of field in relation to macro photography. You can change the background three ways, 1) move it closer or further away, 2)bring it into or out of focus by changing depth of field (wider aperture = background blurred, smaller aperture = background more in focus), and 3)change the physical background with flash, either on- or off-camera (focus flash on the subject = background goes black, focus flash on the background and it becomes visible).
Examples vis-a-vis fly tying.
Shot of a calcasiu pig boat with the tying bench in the background. Nothing special, nice quick shot after tying.
From the Macro Notebook
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Here are a few notes I’ve picked up on macro photography.
Preface: These are copied thoughts from my notebook. Below are “topics” that I believe are important to the process and I wanted to share with you how to approach the subject. It is important to understand each topic and spend time at least reading the basics. Early on I did not have a structured road-map to help focus my reading and therefore my reading was disjointed. Think about each topic and ask yourself, “how does this relate to my goals, my camera, my budget, etc.”
First, have a goal in mind of what you are trying to shoot (e.g. bugs on the water is a good start). Then you can hone in the necessary equipment and techniques needed for that subject. Once you master one you can apply the knowledge to another subject and so on. For nature macro photography you won’t need to break the bank to get started but for other techniques like medical macro or educational photography you will certainly need more advanced equipment. Like my example above, I “had” to start with a very specific subject matter but now I have grown to love macro photography and find myself developing my own style and aesthetic feel.
Book to read: IMHO the best book on nature macro photography is John Shaw’s Closeups in Nature (Practical Photography Books) (Paperback) http://www.amazon.com/Shaws-Closeups-Nature-Practical-Photography/dp/0817440526/…. This is an older book, copyright 1987, and the author employs film photography. However, it is a superb read and very detailed. I have read it at least 3 times and the pages are full of notes and earmarks. It is a perfect start for nature macro photography.
Neal’s 10 C’s of Photography
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A while back I made a checklist list for photography because I found myself needing a quick assessment for my pictures. When starting out you don’t always know what questions to ask yourself in order to make adjustments. Furthermore, we often see wonderful pictures posted on the internet and want to create similar images ourselves but don’t know how to go about breaking down a shot into parts for examination. Like fly fishing, there is a lot going on – By knowing the basics you can better look at a scene and have at least a starting point on what fly to choose and what leader to use, the rest of time we are adjusting on the water as the day progresses.
At first, it is common to shoot a bunch of pictures, load them on the computer and then stare aimlessly wondering if you like the result. However, if you have a checklist memorized, you can quickly hone in on what is wrong with a picture and either make adjustments or ask higher level questions of others to help you out. Instead of asking, “do you like this picture, what would you do differently?”, you can now say, “I am having trouble with the white balance in this picture and the composition seems wrong, I think I should have used f/10 instead of f/4, maybe a shorter focal length lens, what do you think?” By thinking in this way, you can produce better quality images in less time and become more efficient at post production (i.e. waste less of your valuable time).
