Tips, Tricks, and Advice wanted

[tacomathunder]

Hi, this is my first post here so hi to everyone....anyway, I have a kodak easyshare ZD710 point and shoot camera....i was wondering if anyone could give me any tips and tricks on how to get great pictures... it also has a manual mode that i can use, so any tips there is also greatly appreciated...I was also looking to get good night shots, any advice??

 

[LCARSx32]

There's multiple ways to do night shots. Long exposures, flashes, external lights, etc. The best way to learn is to try it out, post it here, and we'll tell you what you could do to improve it.

Also, google for "Rule of thirds", "Photography Composition", and "Exposure". Reading the camera's manual will help when people here suggest things (like setting a certain ISO, Aperture, or shutter speed).

Keep in mind, your Kodak P&S is going to struggle in low light conditions. At least it's one of the larger lens models, so that will help (bigger lens = more light).

Take some photos and show em here! We'll let you know what's right, what's wrong and want you can do to fix it. Welcome to the site!

 

[KmH]

It's all about using light, composition, and framing:

List of photographic composition techniques - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composition_(visual_arts)

Study the visual arts since that is what photography is a part of.

 

[tacomathunder]

There's multiple ways to do night shots. Long exposures, flashes, external lights, etc. The best way to learn is to try it out, post it here, and we'll tell you what you could do to improve it.

Also, google for "Rule of thirds", "Photography Composition", and "Exposure". Reading the camera's manual will help when people here suggest things (like setting a certain ISO, Aperture, or shutter speed).

Keep in mind, your Kodak P&S is going to struggle in low light conditions. At least it's one of the larger lens models, so that will help (bigger lens = more light).

Take some photos and show em here! We'll let you know what's right, what's wrong and want you can do to fix it. Welcome to the site!

well thats just the thing... i was trying to take some pictures of downtown Charlotte NC, and i kept getting blurry pictures or pictures that were too dark.. i was using an f-stop of 2.8-3.2, a shutter speed of 1/10 to 1/8 and messed around with the iso from 300 to 1600

 

[tacomathunder]

here are some of the pictures i took with my kodak zd710...feel free to critique these, i need the help anyway

 

[LCARSx32]

Were you using a tripod? 1/8 & 1/10 are almost impossible to do hand held, hence your blurry shots. I don't hold the camera if I'm doing low light shots. 1/30 is the slowest I've had turn out sharp. Even then, I usually use the tripod for anything under 1/60 or 1/100.

The higher the ISO, the faster you'll be able to have the shutter, but the image will get grainier and grainier the higher you go.

Aperture also controls depth of field (DOF), so keep that in mind when composing your shots. The lower the f/# (f-stop), the smaller the area that will be in focus. The higher the f-stop, the wider the area that will be in focus, but the image will need more light (or longer exposure, or higher ISO).

You can get a decent speedlight flash on eBay for around $30. They will allow you to turn the flash at different angles so you can bounce the light off of wall, ceilings, etc. which will give you softer lighting than the camera's built in flash. Diffusers or softboxes help soften a flash's light as well.

I wrote a book! Sorry bout that. I get a little carried away some times.

 

[tacomathunder]

Were you using a tripod? 1/8 & 1/10 are almost impossible to do hand held, hence your blurry shots. I don't hold the camera if I'm doing low light shots. 1/30 is the slowest I've had turn out sharp. Even then, I usually use the tripod for anything under 1/60 or 1/100.

The higher the ISO, the faster you'll be able to have the shutter, but the image will get grainier and grainier the higher you go.

Aperture also controls depth of field (DOF), so keep that in mind when composing your shots. The lower the f/# (f-stop), the smaller the area that will be in focus. The higher the f-stop, the wider the area that will be in focus, but the image will need more light (or longer exposure, or higher ISO).

You can get a decent speedlight flash on eBay for around $30. They will allow you to turn the flash at different angles so you can bounce the light off of wall, ceilings, etc. which will give you softer lighting than the camera's built in flash. Diffusers or softboxes help soften a flash's light as well.

I wrote a book! Sorry bout that. I get a little carried away some times.

haha, no no, your advice is very helpful and appreciated... i'll try some shots with the tripod and see how they come out

 

[LCARSx32]

!! You posted while I was typing my book of a post, lol !!

First thing: Try not to post more than 4-5 photos at a time if you want C&C... You'll get more replies that way. It's also a good idea to number the pictures.

#1 the hill is running into the truck. Also, look up the rule of thirds, it will help.

#2 is a relatively bland picture. There's nothing that really grabs the viewer. Car pictures are difficult because they, by themselves, usually don't make the best subject. That's why in most really good car photos, there's an interesting location. If I were doing this shot, I would have had one truck close to the camera with the other behind but off to the side. Low shots give the vehicle a strong aggressive stance. High shots make them look weaker, more passive.

#3 would have been better from a 3/4 view, I think. The sky is over exposed. To light this shot properly you would have needed to lower the exposure to get the sky and light the truck with either a flash, or external lighting.

#4 is much better. The sky is not as blown out (it's still a tad overexposed on the lower right side). I still would have liked to see more of the side of the truck.

#5 I like the angle more, but it is waaaay over exposed. A faster shutter or higher f-stop would have helped. If you are shooting on full automatic, shots like this will be hard. Try not to cut off the front and back of your subject.

#6 Better exposure, but I'm not too hot on the composition. Maybe a tighter crop? I dunno...

#7 (this is a lot of pictures!!) Better angle, but over exposed sky again.

#8 Much better location! I like this one the most so far. Turn the wheels the other way so we can see the wheels instead of shadowy suspension parts. It's also slightly over exposed.

#9 is out of focus and centered. 99% you want to have your subject off center. It makes for a more visually appealing shot (the rule of thirds).

#10 It looks like the truck's going to fall over, lol. Not sure what to say about this one! The sky's over exposed again.

Phew! I made it!

Definitely look into the rule of thirds. It will help your composition A LOT. Also, play with the manual settings. Does your camera have a setting on the dial called "Av"? If so, try that out. You set the aperture, it sets the shutter speed. That will give you more control over depth of field and exposure.

 

[tacomathunder]

!! You posted while I was typing my book of a post, lol !!

First thing: Try not to post more than 4-5 photos at a time if you want C&C... You'll get more replies that way. It's also a good idea to number the pictures.

#1 the hill is running into the truck. Also, look up the rule of thirds, it will help.

#2 is a relatively bland picture. There's nothing that really grabs the viewer. Car pictures are difficult because they, by themselves, usually don't make the best subject. That's why in most really good car photos, there's an interesting location. If I were doing this shot, I would have had one truck close to the camera with the other behind but off to the side. Low shots give the vehicle a strong aggressive stance. High shots make them look weaker, more passive.

#3 would have been better from a 3/4 view, I think. The sky is over exposed. To light this shot properly you would have needed to lower the exposure to get the sky and light the truck with either a flash, or external lighting.

#4 is much better. The sky is not as blown out (it's still a tad overexposed on the lower right side). I still would have liked to see more of the side of the truck.

#5 I like the angle more, but it is waaaay over exposed. A faster shutter or higher f-stop would have helped. If you are shooting on full automatic, shots like this will be hard. Try not to cut off the front and back of your subject.

#6 Better exposure, but I'm not too hot on the composition. Maybe a tighter crop? I dunno...

#7 (this is a lot of pictures!!) Better angle, but over exposed sky again.

#8 Much better location! I like this one the most so far. Turn the wheels the other way so we can see the wheels instead of shadowy suspension parts. It's also slightly over exposed.

#9 is out of focus and centered. 99% you want to have your subject off center. It makes for a more visually appealing shot (the rule of thirds).

#10 It looks like the truck's going to fall over, lol. Not sure what to say about this one! The sky's over exposed again.

Phew! I made it!

Definitely look into the rule of thirds. It will help your composition A LOT. Also, play with the manual settings. Does your camera have a setting on the dial called "Av"? If so, try that out. You set the aperture, it sets the shutter speed. That will give you more control over depth of field and exposure.

wow thanks a lot for all of that... on the settings i do have a setting that is called A, im guessing that is aperture priority...I should try that?

 

[tacomathunder]

i'll post some of my charlotte shots...but they are terrible

 

[tacomathunder]

here they are

1

2

3

 

[tacomathunder]

anyone got any tips on these last 3 pics, how i could get better shots with the camera i have?

 

[Morpheuss]

If 1 and 2 were taken on a tripod and you still got that blured effect I would suggest setting the timmer to a second or something like that so you click the button and it gives your camera some time to not move even a mm so hopefully it will be clear. For the theird one I'm not sure if it is the building itself or what but the very top looks slightly burrry.

 

[tacomathunder]

If 1 and 2 were taken on a tripod and you still got that blured effect I would suggest setting the timmer to a second or something like that so you click the button and it gives your camera some time to not move even a mm so hopefully it will be clear. For the theird one I'm not sure if it is the building itself or what but the very top looks slightly burrry.

yea...i just noticed that....idk, it could just be the building but idk....but thanks for the tips

 

[LCARSx32]

Has #3 been cropped? It looks like a crop of a much farther back picture. Either that or the ISO was set too high (800 or 1600, maybe?). The higher the ISO, the more grain the image will have.