So, I've picked up David Busch's Nikon D7000 Guide to Digital SLR Photography, a Nikon D7000 and a Nikkor 35mm/1.8g lens. After about the second chapter, the book lost me.
I'm new to DSLR photography and photography in general. I've done a little research via google about ISO, aperature, shutter speed, etc. and have a very minimal understanding of it all.
As of right now, I could use help with my lightbox and getting the best possible settings with my D7000. I understand that ISO should be as low as possible for the least amount of noise. I'm sure I could use a tripod, but I like to get in there and take pictures at odd angles. I like to set my products apart with unique photos (
ebay) and a tripod limits what I can do.
How should I go about this? I take pictures of vintage metal razors primarily.
Does anyone have any good reading material / complete idiots guide to DSLR photography that I can read online somewhere? Maybe tutorials on different camera settings that produce cool effects?
I shoot with a D7000. I also have that 35mm f1.8 prime and the Busch book. Let me offer a few tips.
1. Start with the manual over the Busch book. I like Busch. But it will make a lot more sense once you get familiar on a basic level with a DSLR. Right now, I bet it's all Greek to you.
2. Get a household object like a pencil. Or a pen. Or a fork. Don't start with a razor b/c you'll just frustrate the crap out of yourself. Take your pencil/pen/fork. And start manipulating the camera and shooting that object. Set the camera to "A" (for aperture mode). Read in the manual how to adjust the aperture. Get yourself a white board or a bunch of post-it notes or index cards. Start at f1.8 and keep raising the f-stop as you shoot that object (and each picture, you right down on the index card or white board what the aperture setting is) and make sure that is next to the object you're shooting (right next to it). Have a couple of other objects scattered in the background (so you can see the difference the change in aperture makes). There are a lot of things that you will need to learn about your D7000. But given what you're shooting, what you said you wanted to do (get bokeh or blur in the background), and the lens you got, then the first thing you should learn to do (once you get past turning the camera on, learning where basic bells and whistles are) is the impact of aperture and how to adjust it. And if you start by shooting razors you'll get frustrated b/c the pictures aren't looking like you want them to look. But if you shoot a fork it's just an experiment with a fricking fork. Take your time. Once you've discovered the impact of aperture, start changing how you shoot the fork and what your distance/perspective/angle is. You think a fork is just a fork? In fact, don't even attempt to shoot a razor for at least a week, maybe two weeks. Otherwise your camera phone razor pictures will look better than your DSLR razor pictures. And that will just discourage you and piss you off simultaneously.
View attachment 68736
This is a fork. If I remember correctly, I shot this with the same 35mm f1.8 (either than or my 50mm f1.4).
3. The next thing you're going to need to work on (and this is where both the manual and the Busch book will come in handy) is the whole issue of focus. Focal points (one or many?). How to shift the focal point in the view. How to deal with a range of depth. The D7000 gives you a lot of options, they aren't all intuitive. My wife, for instance, refuses to take pictures of me on vacation with my D7000 body b/c they always come out unfocused (or focused on something other than me) if when set on "auto"...she doesn't know how the focal points work and how to freeze the focus.
Okay, there's a lot more to it than just these things. But do these three things and you'll be able to start shooting some snazzy pictures of razors in a couple of weeks.
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