I'm new to Film SLR since a few weeks and I really enjoy it. However, what I don't like is some of the beginner mistakes I know I am making.
First off I am 19, I have always liked photography, enthusiast, if you will. It's always been the disposable camera and my outdated 3mp Sony Cybershot. Recently, my mom was given a Minolta 7000i for helping them move. She brought it home and it was like Christmas to me.
Apparently, they had found it next to a dumpster and kept it. Anyways, I looked it over very well and didn't find anything wrong with it at all. It still has the manuals for everything inside like the camera itself, the cluster of filters, 3000i flash, and the extra 70/210mm lens that was inside. I bought a single roll of 400 film and went to town making sure everything worked perfectly.
Nevertheless, I was thrilled. ( pictures taken with my webcam, clarity and glare were sort of hard to get by )
For never having ever used a SLR, not knowing anything about ISO, Aperture, Shutter control, I did quite well. Not to mention the camera is as old as I am. My second outing with it, I went to a cousins basketball game, and this is where the trouble starts.
The gymnasium was actually quite dark, I did not know whether or not to use flash, so I just used it. I did do alittle reasearch and read the manual a bit by now, so knowing it was an action shot, I set it to 1/500shutter and aperture at f16.
I noticed, when I put on the flash, my shutter was knocked down to 90, so I just went with it, I also believe I set it to 125 as well, I don't remember. The pictures turned out somewhat.. well..
The flash was abusive, and there was a slight blur in the pictures. First time indoors and I gave it a good try. I went home after getting the pictures back and read the manual again, looked around youtube for video's on settings and such so I could be better prepaired next time.
This is a bonus picture, I shot that day as the basketball game, same roll of film, and most likely, same settings, just outside and without flash. ( Alittle fuzzy on webcam )
Last two weeks, I went to two birthdays, a cousins and my sisters. Both indoors, and seemingly light well enough. The first was my sisters, ( Chuck E. Cheese's ) The party area was dark, the play area, I thought, was lit well enough. Settings again, ISO 400, f16, 1/500. I did not think to change the ISO, because it's not onboard and does not show on the screen. That being said, it was probably my downfall, that and the fast shutter.
Heres a few pictures;
This was in the party area, it was dark, and I knew I had to use flash. I believe I had the flash on low power, I just think it would be better if alittle of the background showed and wasn't just black.
This is the game area, you can't see much of anything, you'll notice big windows though. Also, one picture has flash, but I was at a bad angle and you can't see the screen. Not to mention the abusive flash.
Again, next to big windows, I figured it was good enough so..
Yeah, they were bad.
I am very disappointed with myself. Mainly because like 5/24 shots were even printable. But I kept going, and onto the next party. -Side note- Afterward, I had taken a picture of the group outside, which was still bright outside, yet all 3 different pictures were not able to be developed at all, I have no clue what the problem was then.
The room was slightly dark, I used flash the entire time. Settings again were ISO 400 ( still hadn't touched it ) f16, 1/500. Some turned out really well, again, black background but overall, okay.
3 good ones, same settings, I haven't a clue what went wrong, maybe I moved too much, I was knelt down and steady. The one bad picture of the table is dark because I had a polarizing filter on, for kicks. I note that the red filter shots did not show up at all, definately noted.
This was one of the games, intentionally set on a 2 second shutter for effect.
More intentional long shutter shots. Also sky shots, I also used various filters, just to see what they do,but they did not show up at all. I remember that I had settings at f22, ISO 400, shutter I don't remember, but it was probably 500.
Thats all I've got to share. Quite a progression. My outdoor shots are fantastic ( I think ) but the indoors and trying to judge exact settings for various places I've found is quite tedious. I understand that this was a long post just to ask " Do you have any tips for judging ISO/Aperture/Shutter with varying light situations? " I felt the need to also share visualizations.
So yes, if you've got tips, if you would like to know something I left out, or if you would just like to comment I welcome it all. Just keep in mind I am brand new to having to judge settings. I feel it inside to use a film camera because I find the wait and suspense when opening the pictures up is largely more gratifying then just using a digital camera, even though it's more practical.
First off I am 19, I have always liked photography, enthusiast, if you will. It's always been the disposable camera and my outdated 3mp Sony Cybershot. Recently, my mom was given a Minolta 7000i for helping them move. She brought it home and it was like Christmas to me.
Apparently, they had found it next to a dumpster and kept it. Anyways, I looked it over very well and didn't find anything wrong with it at all. It still has the manuals for everything inside like the camera itself, the cluster of filters, 3000i flash, and the extra 70/210mm lens that was inside. I bought a single roll of 400 film and went to town making sure everything worked perfectly.
Nevertheless, I was thrilled. ( pictures taken with my webcam, clarity and glare were sort of hard to get by )
For never having ever used a SLR, not knowing anything about ISO, Aperture, Shutter control, I did quite well. Not to mention the camera is as old as I am. My second outing with it, I went to a cousins basketball game, and this is where the trouble starts.
The gymnasium was actually quite dark, I did not know whether or not to use flash, so I just used it. I did do alittle reasearch and read the manual a bit by now, so knowing it was an action shot, I set it to 1/500shutter and aperture at f16.
I noticed, when I put on the flash, my shutter was knocked down to 90, so I just went with it, I also believe I set it to 125 as well, I don't remember. The pictures turned out somewhat.. well..
The flash was abusive, and there was a slight blur in the pictures. First time indoors and I gave it a good try. I went home after getting the pictures back and read the manual again, looked around youtube for video's on settings and such so I could be better prepaired next time.
This is a bonus picture, I shot that day as the basketball game, same roll of film, and most likely, same settings, just outside and without flash. ( Alittle fuzzy on webcam )
Last two weeks, I went to two birthdays, a cousins and my sisters. Both indoors, and seemingly light well enough. The first was my sisters, ( Chuck E. Cheese's ) The party area was dark, the play area, I thought, was lit well enough. Settings again, ISO 400, f16, 1/500. I did not think to change the ISO, because it's not onboard and does not show on the screen. That being said, it was probably my downfall, that and the fast shutter.
Heres a few pictures;
This was in the party area, it was dark, and I knew I had to use flash. I believe I had the flash on low power, I just think it would be better if alittle of the background showed and wasn't just black.
This is the game area, you can't see much of anything, you'll notice big windows though. Also, one picture has flash, but I was at a bad angle and you can't see the screen. Not to mention the abusive flash.
Again, next to big windows, I figured it was good enough so..
Yeah, they were bad.
I am very disappointed with myself. Mainly because like 5/24 shots were even printable. But I kept going, and onto the next party. -Side note- Afterward, I had taken a picture of the group outside, which was still bright outside, yet all 3 different pictures were not able to be developed at all, I have no clue what the problem was then.
The room was slightly dark, I used flash the entire time. Settings again were ISO 400 ( still hadn't touched it ) f16, 1/500. Some turned out really well, again, black background but overall, okay.
3 good ones, same settings, I haven't a clue what went wrong, maybe I moved too much, I was knelt down and steady. The one bad picture of the table is dark because I had a polarizing filter on, for kicks. I note that the red filter shots did not show up at all, definately noted.
This was one of the games, intentionally set on a 2 second shutter for effect.
More intentional long shutter shots. Also sky shots, I also used various filters, just to see what they do,but they did not show up at all. I remember that I had settings at f22, ISO 400, shutter I don't remember, but it was probably 500.
Thats all I've got to share. Quite a progression. My outdoor shots are fantastic ( I think ) but the indoors and trying to judge exact settings for various places I've found is quite tedious. I understand that this was a long post just to ask " Do you have any tips for judging ISO/Aperture/Shutter with varying light situations? " I felt the need to also share visualizations.
So yes, if you've got tips, if you would like to know something I left out, or if you would just like to comment I welcome it all. Just keep in mind I am brand new to having to judge settings. I feel it inside to use a film camera because I find the wait and suspense when opening the pictures up is largely more gratifying then just using a digital camera, even though it's more practical.
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