Another Newbie In Need of Advice

[Phantom552]

So I just bought myself a DSLR, as I've been wanting to take better pictures, give myself another excuse to get out of the house and have some fun, etc.

What I have so far:
Nikon D5500 w/ NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G kit lens
52mm UV Filter, 52mm Polarizing Filter
Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB Tripod Kit w/ QD Ball Mount

Given the above, what can I do to take a better picture? I plan on heading out again over the weekend, as I wasn't entirely happy with the results of my last outing.

Here's the photo:
(1/13 sec., f/29, 30mm, ISO 100, Manual Mode) Shooting off of Tripod.

Ideally, I would like the entire scene to be in focus and sharply detailed, and I feel that this shot could be better. What can I try? Thanks!

 

[table1349]

What can you do? Easy, take more photos and then take even more. No one has ever walked out of the stands, climbed into an Indy class race car and won the Indy 500 all in the same day. As Yoda would say, Practice need you.

Also rule #1: R.T.F.M.

Then read this: Digital Photography Tutorials

 

[medic2230]

You will also need to get your shutter speed up higher. Rule of thumb, shutter speed at least the focal length of lens you are using. Even better shoot with about f/8 to f/11 and your shutter speed with go way up for that shot.

 

[Phantom552]

What can you do? Easy, take more photos and then take even more. No one has ever walked out of the stands, climbed into an Indy class race car and won the Indy 500 all in the same day. As Yoda would say, Practice need you.

Also rule #1: R.T.F.M.

Then read this: Digital Photography Tutorials

Completely aware that anything worth doing takes practice, and photography is no exception. I'll probably be spending all of my days off for the foreseeable future doing just that. I did in fact read the manual, and I have the tutorials page open as we speak. I was mostly just looking for tips and critique, as I've seen in dozens of other posts thus far. You know, "try playing with X to achieve Y", that sort of thing.

I have zero expectation of taking perfect photos right out of the gate, it's simply not going to happen. I would however love to leverage the knowledge of others in addition to my own research in order to keep moving in a positive direction.

 

[table1349]

Jon, by understanding the basics like Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO and their relationship (think exposure triangle) goes a long way to improving your overall photography. That photo was taken at 1/13 of a second shutter speed with an aperture of f29. For what reason?

Understanding DOF allows you to shoot at a reasonable aperture to capture the image instead of going past the sweet spot of the lens. Most lenses have a sweet spot about 2 stops above wide open. Generally in the 5.6 to 11 range.

Here is the DOF data for you particular shot based on a distance of a guesstimated 100 feet, f28 at 30mm.
Subject distance 100 ft

Depth of field
Near limit 4.93 ft
Far limit Infinity
Total Infinite

In front of subject 95.1 ft
Behind subject Infinite

Hyperfocal distance 5.28 ft
Circle of confusion 0.02 mm

Same setup except with an aperture of f11.
Subject distance 100 ft

Depth of field
Near limit 11.6 ft
Far limit Infinity
Total Infinite

In front of subject 88.4 ft
Behind subject Infinite

Hyperfocal distance 13.1 ft
Circle of confusion 0.02 mm

Finally at F5.6
Subject distance 100 ft

Depth of field
Near limit 20.7 ft
Far limit Infinity
Total Infinite

In front of subject 79.3 ft
Behind subject Infinite

Hyperfocal distance 26.2 ft
Circle of confusion 0.02 mm

Your near distance increased however as you open the lens up more but far limit was still Infinity. Also buy opening the lens up you can increase you shutter speed.

Simple to use DOF calculator that is also a good teaching tool. http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

My point is, once you understand the basic physics of photography you can apply them to the creative side of photography.

As for taking the perfect photo, I've been doing this for over 40 years and I have yet to take the perfect photo.

 

[Phantom552]

Jon, by understanding the basics like Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO and their relationship goes a long way to improving your overall photographer. That photo was taken at 1/13 of a second shutter speed with an aperture of 29. For what reason?

Understanding DOF allows you to shoot at a reasonable aperture to capture the image instead of going past the sweet spot of the lens. Most lenses have a sweet spot about 2 stops above wide open. Generally in the 5.6 to 11 range.

Here is the DOF data for you particular shot based on a distance of a guesstimated 100 feet, f28 at 55mm.
Subject distance 100 ft

Depth of field
Near limit 14.8 ft
Far limit Infinity
Total Infinite

In front of subject 85.2 ft
Behind subject Infinite

Hyperfocal distance 17.6 ft
Circle of confusion 0.02 mm

Same setup except with an aperture of f11.
Subject distance 100 ft

Depth of field
Near limit 30.5 ft
Far limit Infinity
Total Infinite

In front of subject 69.5 ft
Behind subject Infinite

Hyperfocal distance 44 ft
Circle of confusion 0.02 mm

Finally at F5.6
Subject distance 100 ft

Depth of field
Near limit 46.8 ft
Far limit Infinity
Total Infinite

In front of subject 53.2 ft
Behind subject Infinite

Hyperfocal distance 87.9 ft
Circle of confusion 0.02 mm

Your near distance increased however as you open the lens up more but far limit was still Infinity. Also buy opening the lens up you can increase you shutter speed.

Simple to use DOF calculator that is also a good teaching tool. http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

My point is, once you understand the basic physics of photography you can apply them to the creative side of photography.

Cool, Thanks! As for why I chose the particular settings of this shot, there is no logical reason beyond just me changing shutter speed, aperture, focal length, etc. pretty much arbitrarily and taking photos of the same subject over and over again for the sake of firsthand experience. The above image was the one I posted simply because it looked the best of the bunch to my eye.

 

[wfooshee]

You will eventually find that the kit lenses are inexpensive for a reason, and they are not the sharpest glass out there by any means.

That said, was that shot handheld? 1/13 is an awfully slow shutter speed! What you are calling not quite in focus may just be a little bit of camera shake during that "forever" exposure. In full sun, there's no reason to use anything slower than 1/125, unless you want motion blur.

Also, get rid of that UV filter. Digital cameras have absolutely no need of them, and using them as "protection" for the lens is frankly kind of silly. they are a cheap, flat piece of glass that can produce reflections and distortion, and amazingly enough, if they're cheap enough (i.e. came with the camera kit as a "bonus" item) they will reduce sharpness. As for the polarizing filter, similar story. If it was a freebie with the kit, use a hammer to convert it into dust; it will be just as useful in that form. If it's one you bought separately and gave around 50 bucks for, then keep the hammer away from it.

 

[Phantom552]

You will eventually find that the kit lenses are inexpensive for a reason, and they are not the sharpest glass out there by any means.

That said, was that shot handheld? 1/13 is an awfully slow shutter speed! What you are calling not quite in focus may just be a little bit of camera shake during that "forever" exposure. In full sun, there's no reason to use anything slower than 1/125, unless you want motion blur.

Also, get rid of that UV filter. Digital cameras have absolutely no need of them, and using them as "protection" for the lens is frankly kind of silly. they are a cheap, flat piece of glass that can produce reflections and distortion, and amazingly enough, if they're cheap enough (i.e. came with the camera kit as a "bonus" item) they will reduce sharpness. As for the polarizing filter, similar story. If it was a freebie with the kit, use a hammer to convert it into dust; it will be just as useful in that form. If it's one you bought separately and gave around 50 bucks for, then keep the hammer away from it.

Yeah, kit lenses are what they are, but I figure if I just use the heck out of it for awhile I'll start to have an idea of what I want in quality lenses.

The shot was taken from a fairly solid tripod (Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB). The "vague" look on the ends of the palm fronds and reeds and such I figure is a result of the shutter speed, combined with a light breeze. I was expecting that to be a factor in the final image. I wasn't however expecting the mountain itself to be as fuzzy as it is.

The UV filter hasn't yet been used in a shot, it's just sort of hanging out in my camera bag. I played with it for a little while and noticed minimal positive effect, but some negative in certain situations, so I just put it away. The circular polarizer I actually like, as it helps add depth to an otherwise boring sky and/or remove unwanted reflections. These are just my personal albeit limited experiences with the two.

 

[Phantom552]

You will also need to get your shutter speed up higher. Rule of thumb, shutter speed at least the focal length of lens you are using. Even better shoot with about f/8 to f/11 and your shutter speed with go way up for that shot.

So for the rule of thumb you spoke of, a 30mm focal length would equate to at least a 1/30 shutter speed? I'll probably try staying around f/8 and taking the same shots in the next day or so sometime and see what happens.

Thank you everybody for your input so far.

 

[wfooshee]

But still, a good polarizer is light-years ahead of a cheap one.

As for the shutter-speed rule of thumb, that goes way back to the film days, and applies still to full-frame cameras. For a crop-sensor camera, use an even bigger ratio. Instead of 1/focal length, us 1/(focal length time 1.5) or 1/(double the focal length). The reason is that a given focal length gives a longer (narrower) field of view on a crop-sensor camera, so any camera shake is even more exaggerated.

And even on a tripod, you get camera shake. Steps near the tripod while the shutter's open. A cheap tripod whose head gives a little bit when you press the shutter button.

 

[Phantom552]

But still, a good polarizer is light-years ahead of a cheap one.

Mine is a Hoya branded one, 52mm. Not sure which end of the spectrum it falls on, though I'm sure there are much better out there. Either way, I might try leaving it off next time. I was just worried about possible glare from harsh sunlight and water.

 

[wfooshee]

Hoya's not too shabby. When you see that the Hoya is out there discounted around 35 bucks, and then you see one from Vivitar for 8 bucks......

 

[vintagesnaps]

Shutter speed was too slow, and you had a really small aperture; seems like you got a little vibration or movement. If the lens was open a stop or two (set at a larger aperture) you could have brought that shutter speed up to a faster setting.

I'm a longtime film photographer and have done sports/events, so I got into a routine a long time ago of having as a starting point of f8 and 1/125. Partly that comes from an old film/press photographer adage 'f8 and be there' meaning be at the 'right' place at the right time, or be where something might happen and be ready. The f8 is just a midrange setting that makes it more efficient to turn the aperture ring a setting or two. I use 1/125 because that's the sync speed on a lot of film cameras (or on some it's 1/60). Basically, I know that's where the camera's set when I pick it up and can adjust from there more effectively instead of bumbling around (well, that's the plan anyway! can't say I always reset the camera to that every time but I usually do).

Eventually you'll start figuring out what works for you, and probably develop routines that can help you when you're out and about using your camera.

You might want to take along a small notebook and write down what you do, so when you go thru your photos you can see what worked and what didn't (which can often be a help to know something didn't work to eliminate that possibility or figure out why it didn't work and what might work better). I know a digital camera records the info. but it still might help. Like if you photograph the same thing with the filter, then without, which ones turn out better? do you see much difference? did it make a difference if you were out on a sunny day or on a cloudy day? What happens if you use a larger aperture? a smaller aperture?

I think what can be key is to learn how to get proper exposures. Learn how to meter a scene; that's what I rely on to tell me if the camera's getting the proper amount of light for a good picture.

Think about what you see in the viewfinder/on the viewscreen. Later, what do you think about how you framed the photo. Is there anything in the photo cut off? Learn to see everything in the viewfinder, all around the frame; then later is there anything in the photo that you didn't want in there but didn't see at the time?

I think this is a nice photo especially for an early effort. I might have framed it slightly more to the right - notice how the palm tree to the right is barely in the frame and slightly cut off, then to the left there's a post over there that probably doesn't need to be in the frame. But you did a nice job getting the reflections in the water so they aren't cut off; it's good to be aware of that when you're framing.

I hope you keep enjoying photography, and if you like it enough to keep practicing you'll probably keep seeing improvements as you go.

 

[KC1]

With filters, like everything lower price doesn't always mean lower quality and expensive doesn't always equal top quality, by testing and researching you can find top quality items for less money in many items.
Some companies put high prices on junk knowing that people will think if it costs more there must be a reason so it has to be better.
Its always best to do your own testing to evaluate things yourself instead of believing marketing tactics and possibly biased reviewers.

 

[medic2230]

You will also need to get your shutter speed up higher. Rule of thumb, shutter speed at least the focal length of lens you are using. Even better shoot with about f/8 to f/11 and your shutter speed with go way up for that shot.

So for the rule of thumb you spoke of, a 30mm focal length would equate to at least a 1/30 shutter speed? I'll probably try staying around f/8 and taking the same shots in the next day or so sometime and see what happens.

Thank you everybody for your input so far.

That's kind of a minimum. I always try to get above that anytime I can. Your photo's will show the difference. Anytime you see one of your photo's that looks soft check the shutter speed first to see if it's motion blur. I don't claim to know it all but I've learned a little over 32 years in photography.