Summer Project C&C Please!

[A.lyn]

I'm very disappointed in myself. Since I've bought this camera, I've barely ever had time to take pictures with it. Now since the summer's rolled around I have a little extra time on my hands. So I've recruited a few models to take pictures of so that we can build our portfolios over the summer. My main model, fifie, has been working very hard since the project started, and she's really excited and eager to work. I've been shooting in shutter mode for the most part, but I don't think I completely understand it just yet. The pictures are good, but most of them are really blurred. I thought that maybe I should make the shutter speed faster and open the aperture a little more, but that just made my pictures darker. I was thinking maybe I should raise the ISO because it's consistantly 100 through all the pictures...any help would be appreciated!!

the rest of the photos can be found at Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket

 

[manaheim]

I recommend posting those pictures directly in-line in the forums using [img ] [/img ] tags... and bigger.

 

[A.lyn]

i think i may have uploaded them smaller to save space

 

[Sherman Banks]

You should start with Aperture Priority mode as you can choose the aperture and the camera decides the appropriate shutter. It's much easier than working with Shutter Priority and should make your shots more crisp. If they still come out blurry, either use a tripod (if you're causing the blur), or bump your ISO and decrease the shutter speed.

 

[A.lyn]

thanks! i was really afraid to shoot in aperture priority because the wrong thing would always be in focus, but i fixed that with the metering system. I will for sure try that next time!

 

[A.lyn]

here's some i've uploaded to flickr

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3304/3556153432_ac7d7f8f3e.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3620/3556155548_3d11578e7e.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3580/3555337167_18de40ccdc.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2453/3556159492_df9d156e1f.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3611/3555349233_5b52422dc3.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3374/3556164000_c49079995d.jpg?v=0

 

[benhasajeep]

thanks! i was really afraid to shoot in aperture priority because the wrong thing would always be in focus, but i fixed that with the metering system. I will for sure try that next time!

Actually, focus mode used is also important. You should be in AF-S (single servo) and Single Point AF-Area Mode. This allows you to control whats in sharp focus.

AF-S allows you to lock the focus by holding the shutter down half way. If you move the camera it will not try and refocus on something else.

Single Point AF-Area Mode allows you to specify which of the 3 AF point in your view finder to use, and will use only whats under that AF point for autofocusing.

Why do you want this? This allows you to specifically control exactly the camera focuses. Say for instance the picture of her inside by the pole. It appears that the camera focused on her shoulder or the pole. What you really want is her eyes to be in sharp focus.

To do this. Make sure you camera is in AF-S focus mode, and Single Point AF area. You can now choose which of the 3 AF points to pick. Really doesn't matter with models (they're not moving) so pick the middle one.

Now put the center focusing point right on her right eye. This may not be the composure you want but we can fix that. While on her eye, press and hold the shutter button half way so the camera focuses. Now that her eye is in sharp focus, while still holding down the shutter release half way. Now move the camera down and to the left some. The focus stays locked on her eye (technically its locked on the distance from the camera to her eye). Once you get the scene composed correctly, press the shutter release the rest of the way. Now sometimes its a pain to hold the shutter button half way. So there is another way. While holding the button half way and the camera locks on focus. You can use your right thumb and press and hold the AE-L / AE-F button. This is Exposure / Focus lock button. If your holding this after focus is locked. You can relax your shutter finger as this button locks focus / exposure until you release it.

Now I mentioned distance. When you focus with the camera. You are really adjusting the lens to focus to a specific distance. In this case the distance between the camera and her eye. No matter how you move the camera up/ down, left / right. As long as you don't move closer or farther her eye will be in focus (actually everything the same distance as her eye). Now this is where aperture kicks in. Aperture determines the range of what is in focus behind and in front of what the lens is focused on (this case her eye).

You want just her eyes in sharp focus. Choose your biggest aperture (lowest number). Say you want her shoulder to also be in focus as well. Well you might have to change to f/8 maybe (just an example). The whole room to be in focus choose the smallest aperture (biggest number) but even with say f/22 chosen, her eye is the center focus point. Even if you moved the camera away from her eye as long as you locked focus on it.

I think that is what your really looking for.

Have fun.

 

[A.lyn]

awsomeness! a million thanks to you! i will definitely apply that to the next photo shoot

 

[TamiyaGuy]

Of the first-post photos, I really like all of them. They are all unique but still very much on a theme.

With the first one, I would recommend cropping it a little bit to make the person larger in the frame & to remove the car in the background, possibly increase the contrast too. The second one seems to be ever-so-slightly blurred, I can't tell if it's motion blur or it being out of focus. Still, I absolutely love the composition, the expression is brilliant. With the last one, in my opinion there's a bit too much clutter at the bottom, although the backlit leaves look fantastic.

These are all really quite minor critiques, they're certainly much better than I could've achieved in any situation. Keep up the nice work .