This post will be an on going post. It has come about as I am often asked questions about cameras, techniques, or anything to do with photography. So on this post please feel free to post up any Photographic based questions and I will try my best to answer them and reply in this post.
I really look forward to hearing from you, Paul.
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Hi,
ReplyDeleteI have a Panasonic Lumix, so I can make some some manual adjustments to how my camera takes pictures. I am going to Iceland and am hoping to get good pictures of the aurora borealis. What settings do you recommend to make this happen?
Thanks in advance!
M x
Photographing the Aurora Borealis
DeleteMay I start by saying that you are very lucky to be able to have the chance to view the Aurora Borealis, to many this is top on the “must see” things in ones life.
Some things to note in general are that moonlight will brighten the sky and so this means that the aurora may be less intense and the position of the moon may also create lens flare so if possible a lens hood should be used. (if your camera does not except lens hoods, one can be made from a piece of card over the top of the lens, like a baseball cap peak over your eyes). The snow, if there is any will help you create nice compositions and help reflect the light up giving added textures and tones to your image. If it happens to be a moonless night your exposure times will be longer.
You will definitely need to use a tripod or a stable surface to rest your camera on. The ISO settings on your camera need to be set to either ISO400 or ISO800, I would try both (after all you’re only using up Mb not wasting film).
Switch off the image stabilization as you will not need this due to your camera being set on a tripod. By the nature of the IS if you have it turned on whilst on a tripod, the IS will try to make stable movement that is not there and so create a slight blur in your photograph.
A tall tripod is a good idea as you will be pointing your camera skywards and so you ideally want to avoid kneeling in the cold damp snow.
As a rough guide your exposure times may be as follows be this is only a rough idea;
F2.0 = 7.5 seconds. F3.5 = 30 seconds. F7 = 70 seconds.
Remember that long exposures will eat up batteries so spares will be needed. Also wearing a headlamp will keep your hands free to use and adjust your camera.
I hope this helps you are able to use the suggestions to capture fantastic photographs.
Paul @ BWP
Hi, i'm having trouble with my diana f+ camera, it take 120 format and i used 100iso film, yet when i got it developed it came back nearly almost blank with only very faint markings... not sure whats gone wrong here? any advice?
ReplyDeleteExposure problems with the Lomo Diana F+
DeleteThis is a common problem with this camera. I often tend to use a 400 ISO film and if indoors i add a flash. With the 100 ISO film I would keep the lens open on the very cloudy mode (switch found underneath the lens.
If you have dense dark black squares then the photos were over exposed (too much light hitting the film). For beginners this normally comes from using the B setting when there is too much light around, or possibly by doing several multiple exposures on the same frame.
If the film appears almost completely blank then the opposite is true, not enough light and the photos are under exposed. This is often caused by leaving the lens cap on (easy to do), using the wrong aperture settings i.e. sunny setting on a cloudy day, or using the pinhole setting on N mode or B mode for too short a time.
I assume you had the lab print the pictures for you. Do you have a Photo scanner that can scan negatives? A couple of steps of over or underexposure can be sometimes be recovered during scanning or printing. You just have to adapt and not do the same as with the other pictures (which is most likely what the lab here did). A high street lab often takes the process values form one shot and uses the same values when printing all the frames, whilst if scan at home you can adjust to suit each frame. It also keeps the cost down as you only need pay for processing only.
If you ever want to hold the shutter in longer, remember that you would have to switch to the B setting. N mode is always the same speed.
Start with a roll of 400 or even 800 ISO film to get acquainted with the Diana and after that move towards the lower rated film...
take your time to experience what works and what doesn't...
(Make some notes to help you remember!)
Keeping a little pocket notebook with notes such as – Shot number, Shot subject, sunny setting, full sun behind you, etc.
I know this may sound a little geeky but when you get those prints back you can review, have your "ah ha!" moment and learn the 'feel' of your Diana.
I hope this goes some way to helping you. Feel free to let me know how you get on.
Paul @ BWP
Yes I think I ventured too far with the ISO100, will buy some 400 and make notes as I go along (good idea!), maybe save my last roll of 100 for summer when there's more sunlight! Hopefully I get some pictures back then! Cheers :)
DeleteHappy to be of help to you. Enjoy your Diana. Remember, experimenting is the key to success.
DeletePaul @ BWP
hi , I have been reeding your many great posts and i was just wondering, after reading your post on using instagram
ReplyDeletehttp://thebigworldpicture.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/getting-most-out-of-iphone-photography.html
I was wondering what other camera applications are good for getting great photographs
cheers. T
Yes there are plenty of other fantastic camera apps .
Deletekeep coming back to this blog for more camera apps .
the next post will include the App Hipstamatic.
Thanks Paul @ BWP
Hi
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if you had any suggestions for capturing a person's personality in a photograph?
Hi, thank you for your interesting question.
DeleteA full face portrait would be a very good place to start from. Using a telephoto or zoom lens is a great way to separate the subject from the background. Get in close, doing so will help pick up all the fine details that make up the person and can also help to tell a lot about the subject. The face says a lot about the history and experiences in the subject.
Get to know your subject, this is essential. Get to know more about their circumstances, career or hobbies. Think about your compositions as this is vital to making a truly successful portrait.
A person’s home is a great place to choose as a location to help show their real personality. You will find tour subject at their most relaxed and will help give more of the subject’s personality.
Work with your subject, find out what they want out of the portrait. Getting your subject in action or doing what they enjoy or taking candid style photos really help to great a unique portrait.
Most of all shoot LOADS of photos. The more the better as you never truly know what you have taken until in the processing of your shots. Work at their subjects pace and timeframe as this helps keep the subject relaxed.
I hope this goes some way to helping you.
Paul @ BWP
I stood outside in the storm the other night trying to capture a great lightening shot. I was taking pictures on a high speed burst to increase my chances. On 3 shots I got brief washed out images of lightening. On others the lightening over saturated the image. Most of them I just plain missed.
ReplyDeleteAny tips to increase my chances? Any advice to help make the shots more atmospheric? Would a filter help with the contrast and if so, what type filter?
Hi, capturing lighting is a lot easier than one may think once one understands a few simple things.
DeleteRapid firing shots is not really the best way to try and capture lightening, not only is it far too hit and miss but your photo exposure may be out.
First of all if your camera has a bulb exposure setting it will make life a lot easier for yourself to capture lightening.
The trick is to expose your shot for the landscape not the lightening. Set your camera on a sturdy surface or tripod and compose your shot. The trick is to “catch” the lightening then close to shutter once the lightening has struck. It is best to take these shot in low light as daylight can crowd your cameras sensor with too much light and the shutter may not be open long enough and the lightening may be lost amongst the other light in the shot. Yes, a filter may help you to leave the shutter open longer and to stop the photo from “whitening” out.
The best thing to is to take test shots to make sure your seen is exposed correctly with a long exposure, anything between 5 and 30 seconds would be great.
Some point and shoot cameras allow some sense of manual mode. If possible you will need to aperture F8 and set shutter time for as long as possible. Then it’s just a case of hit and miss. But your hit rate will be far greater.
I hope this goes some way to helping you.
Paul @ BWP