"Bedroom" Exercises

[grantjames]

Well, I wonder what the majority of people thought reading the title of this topic! :mrgreen:

Anyways, I'm still figuring out my way around my camera and am reading Understanding Exposure - Bryan Peterson, but for most of the exercises suggested in the book, you need to be outside so I only really get to give them a go on the weekend.

Can anyone suggest any good "exercises" or tutorials I can try out just in my bedroom or in other rooms in the house? I want to just keep trying out different types of shots until I can quickly decide what kind of aperture and shutter speed I need for certain shots.

 

[edouble]

Set up a row of items fairly close to each other in a straight line. Such as 10-20 items lined up in a row across your floor or across the length of a long desk. With your camera held in portrait orientation, take numerous shots from the same position, roughly 6 inches above your items and 12-24 inches in front of your first item. Start at a large aperture (small f number) and work your way to a small aperture (big f number). Take a shot at every aperture from the same camera position. Notice how the dof changes throughout the aperture range. Some photos will have narrow dof some will have wide dof. Also notice how your shutter speed progressively gets slower from small f number aperature to a bigger f number aperture.

Also, as you change your camera position and move further away from your subject and use a longer focal length your dof will be less. In other words longer focal lengths at the same aperture give you less dof.

 

[grantjames]

I like that idea! Sounds like a great way to actually capture and see for myself, the effect that aperture has on the finished photo.

Thanks! I'll try it out tonight

 

[cnutco]

Other than your Canon EOS 1000D, what other equipment do you have?

 

[grantjames]

Other than your Canon EOS 1000D, what other equipment do you have?

The lens that came with it is 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, other than that I have nothing! I had a tiny little tri-pod that I've used to experiment with shutter speed (wrote my name in the air with a torch!).

I'm looking to get some filters for christmas, not sure which ones yet. Need to do some research!

 

[edouble]

Other than your Canon EOS 1000D, what other equipment do you have?

The lens that came with it is 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, other than that I have nothing! I had a tiny little tri-pod that I've used to experiment with shutter speed (wrote my name in the air with a torch!).

I'm looking to get some filters for christmas, not sure which ones yet. Need to do some research!

I highly recommend that you purchase a good tripod before filters. You can almost(!) always duplicate filter effects in post processing but no post processing can take the place of a tripod. Seriously, you will miss more shots by not having a sturdy tripod than you will by not having filters. I can still take good pictures if I leave my filters at home, I will miss alot of good shots if I leave my tripod at home!

In my opinion filters come after a camera/lens/flash purchase, tripod and post processing software.

 

[grantjames]

Other than your Canon EOS 1000D, what other equipment do you have?

The lens that came with it is 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6, other than that I have nothing! I had a tiny little tri-pod that I've used to experiment with shutter speed (wrote my name in the air with a torch!).

I'm looking to get some filters for christmas, not sure which ones yet. Need to do some research!

I highly recommend that you purchase a good tripod before filters. You can almost(!) always duplicate filter effects in post processing but no post processing can take the place of a tripod. Seriously, you will miss more shots by not having a sturdy tripod than you will by not having filters. I can still take good pictures if I leave my filters at home, I will miss alot of good shots if I leave my tripod at home!

In my opinion filters come after a camera/lens/flash purchase, tripod and post processing software.

That's good to know. A decent tripod was definitely on my list of things to buy next.

What about one of those gorillapods? I don't mean instead of a normal tripod, but has anyone got one of these and do you find it useful sometimes instead of your normal tripod?

 

[edouble]

I never used a gorillapod but I suppose it could be useful in limited situations. I never thought to myself "a gorillapod would be useful right now".

The best thing that you can do right now is to go out and shoot with the equipment you currently have. Expose (no pun intended lol) yourself to different environments with unique lighting and take lots of pictures. Discover what you like to shoot. Landscape? Portraits? Weddings? Macro? Sports? And many other types. After you know how to fully use your camera and what type of photography you will be using it for then YOU WILL KNOW what accessories (gear) you need to help you capture the best photographs possible! Me personally I do not need a gorillapod but maybe you do.

 

[phiya]

Also, as you change your camera position and move further away from your subject and use a longer focal length your dof will be less. In other words longer focal lengths at the same aperture give you less dof.

Remember that distance from your point of focus also affects DOF. It's not just aperture and focal length.

 

[Stradawhovious]

There are all sorts of things I'm finding to do indoors, especially with 7" of fresh snow, and the sun being down when I leave for work, and when I get home from it. I've done lots of things with experimenting with color balance, and the different types of lighting in the house. I've experimented with taking photos of water drops, trying to "freeze" motion, Ive experimented with panning shots on the kitchen table and floor with the little one's toy cars and my dog as subjects..... there is a lot to be learned about DOF, shutter speed, ISO, Exposure comp and almost every other aspect of your camera by just taking pictures of household objects. You can also practice manual focus vs auto. I've found that it's a decent skill to at least have an idea of.

I do think my dog is a little sick of my after the last few days of chasing him around the house snapping away.

 

[Boomn4x4]

Anyways, I'm still figuring out my way around my camera and am reading Understanding Exposure - Bryan Peterson, but for most of the exercises suggested in the book, you need to be outside so I only really get to give them a go on the weekend.

You've gotten some good advice on most of your question, and I don't really have anything more to add there... but I can fill in some information on the above.

The reason most suggested exercisis in the book were out doors is because indoor photography is a whole different can of worms. Indoor photography typically is considered low light and requires a whole different setup, flashes, strobes, light boxes, reflectors.... That all goes out past the basics of "exposure" principals.

It becomes difficult to practice basic exposure principals when confined to indoor lighting. Because of the levels of light, you are forced to shoot at wider apertures (which may very well be past the limits of your lens) slower shutter speeds (which make you susceptible to camera shake and bluring w/o a tripod) and higher ISO (which results in grain and noise that take away from the quality of your shots). The only logical solution to indoor photography for the beginner is to utilize the popup flash. And in that case with TTL exposures and automatic flashes, you aren't really doing much to learn the basics of exposure pricipals because you are utilizing artifical light.

 

[Stradawhovious]

The reason most suggested exercisis in the book were out doors is because indoor photography is a whole different can of worms. Indoor photography typically is considered low light and requires a whole different setup, flashes, strobes, light boxes, reflectors.... That all goes out past the basics of "exposure" principals.

You raise a really good point....... which brings me to another one. Indoors is a good way to work with you popup flash too...... especially since you don't yet have a fast lens. Learn to work with the different flash modes, and experiment with makeshift diffusers like kleenex and typing paper. With the right diffusion you can actually get some really nice images with the popup.

Tons of fun.

 

[DerekSalem]

As others have said, go with a tripod before filters or some of the other things. This is pretty much how my list went when I started getting into photography:

1) Camera and kit lens
2) Tripod
3) Better lenses
4) Flash

This way you'll be set to capture just about anything you really want. The Flash should probably be purchased before better lenses, since it can be used with even the kit lens to learn how to use it and such.

I'd stay away from Gorillapod tripods though...someone bought one for me once and although I could see the usefulness...the problem was they're not strong enough to hold an SLR and lens in place. Especially with the stuff I use now...the weight is just too high. Even a 1000D and kit lens would make it droop...making the entire point of using a tripod moot.

 

[kundalini]

As a starting point........

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...eresting-things-within-10-feet-challenge.html