What am I do wrong?

[Murasaki]

Please explain what is going wrong.

I am trying to take photos inside my Rabbit Room, it is fairly dark. So I am using the flash, now trying to meter it the exposure meter on the P510 the meter is full –ev, adjusting the Aperture to the lower setting, the meter move a little the only way I can get the meter close to the center is to drop the Shutter Speed to 1/1.2 which is no good trying to photograph a rabbit, so I need to max out the ISO to get the meter to the center, but the photographs come out too bright.

Photo 1
33mm – ISO 3200
Shutter Speed : 1/30s
Aperture f/4.6


Photo 2
33mm – ISO 200
Shutter Speed : 1/3s
Aperture : f/4.6


The photographs do not look or feel right to me, and with the lower shutter speeds if Yuki makes the slightest movement the photograph is a complete blur.

Photo 3
33mm -ISO 200
Shutter Speed 1/1.3s
Aperture : f/4.6

 

[enzodm]

Add light.

 

[Patriot]

Open up all the windows. Or better yet take the rabbit out in your backyard, that will give you all the light needed. Also the pictures will more natural with the rabbit in grass.

 

[denzil2fathers]

Get down low. Photos from the same level as the subject give the animal more personality and also present a background further away so it will be more attractively out of focus.

 

[SCraig]

Welcome to the world of photography. We live with that problem each and every time we use a camera. There is always either too much or not enough light, so picking a usable combination of shutter speed, aperture, and ISO is always a compromise.

In a relatively dark area you have four choices:
1. Add more light (natural or artificial)
2. Open the aperture more
3. Slow the shutter speed
4. Increase the ISO

There are pros and cons to each and how they are balanced is what makes the difference between a photographer and a button-pusher.

 

[tirediron]

Unfortunately, the P510 doesn't have a hot shoe, so you can't use a speedlight other than the built-in one. I would start by placing the camera in either 'Green box mode' or 'Sport' mode, raise the pop-up flash, and put a thin piece of tissue or toilet-paper in front of it to act as a diffuser. That should allow the shutter speed to be increased and that, in combination with the flash should freeze any motion, and the paper will reduce the harsh 'flashed' look and red eye that pop-up flashes usually cause. Cute little fellow!

 

[Murasaki]

Add light.

Sad to say that is not possible, the room is enclosed by 3 walls and there is only 1 small window and it was fully open, I have two lights in the room but they do not give off enough light.

Open up all the windows. Or better yet take the rabbit out in your backyard, that will give you all the light needed. Also the pictures will more natural with the rabbit in grass.

I live in an apartment and there is not back yard, and taking her to the park would not be a good idea as there are Kites flying about all the time, and she would become food.

Get down low. Photos from the same level as the subject give the animal more personality and also present a background further away so it will be more attractively out of focus.

Have done this before and have got a few shots but they still looked dark, and she loves licking the lens of the camera. But I will keep trying with this as I really want a nice shot of her doing a Binkie (Jumping when Happy).

Welcome to the world of photography. We live with that problem each and every time we use a camera. There is always either too much or not enough light, so picking a usable combination of shutter speed, aperture, and ISO is always a compromise.

In a relatively dark area you have four choices:
1. Add more light (natural or artificial)
2. Open the aperture more
3. Slow the shutter speed
4. Increase the ISO

There are pros and cons to each and how they are balanced is what makes the difference between a photographer and a button-pusher.

I only learnt photography in High School on a SLR 35mm Film and it was easy, everything was black and white and nothing was colour, now all these digital cameras have built in meters, effects etc. it is all new to me, so learning really fast in the past few weeks. Digital (Digcams) Point and Shoot was fine, but the photographs did not really have life to them, but then again I was not really looking at what I was taking so it was also my fault and not fully the cameras, but there is no way to adjust the point & shoot cameras to take more professional photographs that is why the return to a SLR, I have just ordered a Nikon D600, but it will not be put to the test until I can master the Nikon P510 first which is only 3 weeks old now.

Unfortunately, the P510 doesn't have a hot shoe, so you can't use a speedlight other than the built-in one. I would start by placing the camera in either 'Green box mode' or 'Sport' mode, raise the pop-up flash, and put a thin piece of tissue or toilet-paper in front of it to act as a diffuser. That should allow the shutter speed to be increased and that, in combination with the flash should freeze any motion, and the paper will reduce the harsh 'flashed' look and red eye that pop-up flashes usually cause. Cute little fellow!

Yes I am using the P510 as a bridging camera, I use to have a Canon PowerShot SX150is & Canon IXY that you point and shoot, and before that a SLR(35mm) in 1990 so I am learning about digcams. I have tried to take photos on 'AUTO' and they are really dark(See Below) and this is with the flash firing, so this is the reason for going back to 'M', 'Auto' on the P510 is as useless as t★ts on a bull. Will try the tissue paper diffuser trick.

'AUTO' mode aka 'Virgin' Mode
8.3mm – Auto (ISO 800)
Shutter Speed 1/30s
Aperture : f/3.5


The photo does not seem sharp or have any life to it.

 

[enzodm]

Add light.

Sad to say that is not possible, the room is enclosed by 3 walls and there is only 1 small window and it was fully open, I have two lights in the room but they do not give off enough light.

Sad to say, but if you already are at maximum ISO and largest aperture, nothing other can be done than adding light. Your shutter speed is already too low -1/30s surely leaves you with some micro movement unless the rabbit is dead.
Since you are waiting for a D600, use it as soon as you can, no reason to stay on a bridge. This will give you at least much more ISO room. Furthermore, you could also buy a flash -one reason why your last picture is lifeless is due to the flat lighting (plus the bad background - some aspects of photography are not related to technicalities, and are always the same since film).

 

[Murasaki]

Sad to say, but if you already are at maximum ISO and largest aperture, nothing other can be done than adding light. Your shutter speed is already too low -1/30s surely leaves you with some micro movement unless the rabbit is dead.
Since you are waiting for a D600, use it as soon as you can, no reason to stay on a bridge. This will give you at least much more ISO room. Furthermore, you could also buy a flash -one reason why your last picture is lifeless is due to the flat lighting (plus the bad background - some aspects of photography are not related to technicalities, and are always the same since film).

I think I need to invest in some LED lights for the room for now and remove the tube lighting that it has, the LED should brighten the room right up.
I plan to buy a few flashes for the D600 as well as a range of glass.
As for the background in the last photo I took it is a heated blanket, the rabbit was only 3 weeks old at the time and the temp in Japan dropped fast the past few weeks, she was trying to heat her little body and look cute in a sexy little rabbit pose.



※　Rabbit was brought for the girlfriend.