What should i have done differently? C&C please

Natural_Disaster · Feb 18, 2010

All 4 pictures were taken with 18-55mm lens....Manual 1/2000 f5.6 ISO 800 W/Flash
I was about 2 feet from the carrots.
I thought i was focused on the carrots in each picture but apparently in one i wasn't.
Smaller F# blurs background, but i had it at the lowest number possible. So would my 55-200mm lens give more blur?
What is the difference in F# to get blur in background v/s blur in foreground or will it always blur anything in front of the subject your focusing on?
If you wanted whats in front to be blurred and whats in back to be sharp, would you still use smaller F# and just focus on the background instead of foreground, and which lens would work better for that?
Should i have set the shutter speed and/or ISO differently?
(sorry so many questions at one time)

#1

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#4

Photo Phan · Feb 18, 2010

needs better lighting... umm... lets see... It isn't really an interesting angle. you can try more of a top view angle maybe.

MGriff240 · Feb 18, 2010

1. More interesting angle. Maybe from up top or down really low with the zoom lens.
2. Higher aperture. You want to get that middle-range D.O.F, so maybe somewhere in the f/7-9 range?
3. You did mean 1/200th, correct? Because 1/2000th is FAST. :lol:

If at first you don't succeed, try try again. :sexywink:

Sirashley · Feb 18, 2010

Photo Phan said:
needs better lighting... umm... lets see... It isn't really an interesting angle. you can try more of a top view angle maybe.

I have to agree with you on the interesting angle... My golden rule is, if that's what my eyes see without a camera, then I have to change up the shot... I mean, these pictures are taken from an angle that one would expect to see if they were sitting there. Like Phan said, a top angle view would be interesting, completely unexpected, and unusual.... That's what makes it interesting.

I think the lighting is/was good enough, but the shots just aren't that interesting. Try what Phan said, or try getting low, or perhaps getting a unique view that a person who is just sitting there wouldn't normally see...Just my two cents...Best of luck.

myfotoguy · Feb 19, 2010

All 4 pictures were taken with 18-55mm lens....Manual 1/2000 f5.6 ISO 800 W/Flash
Someone asked earlier if you meant 1/200. If you were that close using direct flash, with that shutter speed, I would be in auto to let the camera control the shutter speed. They are bit overexposed. You could:

Turn of flash if not needed, but maybe you wanted to fill in the shadows.
I would lower the ISO, especially with such high shutter speeds and flash at close range. It didn't take much to blow out the highlights with this combo.

I was about 2 feet from the carrots.... Smaller F# blurs background, but i had it at the lowest number possible. So would my 55-200mm lens give more blur?

The 55-200 has a minimum focusing distance of 3.5 feet, so you would have been too close. You would have to back up, and then zoom in to increase the blurring. But at only 2 feet, 5.6 is a narrow and not much will be in focus at that angle. I would shoot this at F/8 (range previously mentioned by MGriff

What is the difference in F# to get blur in background v/s blur in foreground or will it always blur anything in front of the subject your focusing on? If you wanted whats in front to be blurred and whats in back to be sharp, would you still use smaller F# and just focus on the background instead of foreground, and which lens would work better for that?

There are DOF calculators that are based on focal length and f/stop and where you focus, search google and thos sites will explain it better than I can. Basically, your point of focus will determine what is blurred in front of and behind. You would focus on what you want to be sharp in this situtaiotn and adjust the aperture until you get desired effect. You will have an easier time on a scene like this if you can back up, and use the 55-200 and zoom from a greater distance. Using longer focal length, say 200mm fo rexample would "compress" the scene and make it easeir to isolate part of it. That's just what longer focal lengths tend to do (combined with smaller F#'s)

Should i have set the shutter speed and/or ISO differently?

I would have started this shot in Aperture priority, ISO 200 - 400 and flash if needed and see what my shutterspeed was at. If the shuttersped was too slow to stop the action, I would got to Shutter priority and choose 1/250 to 1/500 fo rstopping the action and let the aperture fall where it may. You could also have turned auto ISO on in shutter priority so if the flash and other settings weren't enough then the camera would adjust. (If the camera has auto ISO, I think the D5000 does).

Lastly, what exposuremodw were you in? Matrix? Center Weighted, Spot? The camera may have interpreted the scene wrong, so maybe some negative compensation was in order (I probably would have used negative flash compensation).

Natural_Disaster · Feb 19, 2010

Yes, that should have said 1/200 :lmao:........I'm still learning shutter speed and at that time i only changed it once and the picture was dark so i put it back.
As for angle, i completely agree. I knew they would come out as snap shots, but I was just basically using the opportunity to use one setting and then see what i could have done differently for that paticular scene as far as f #, shutter speed, iso, and focus. Im trying to tackle one thing at a time and this seems to be the hardest part.
Flash was definitely needed, tried it without it and it was horrible. Didnt think to lower iso while using flash..(duh moment)
Thanks for all the info about F# and which lens to use and how far away to be. Ive read and read about it but still trying to get it straight!
No idea what exposure mode i was in..i don't think Ive even changed it since i got the camera...don't even know where to look for it. I just tried, but didn't see anything about matrix, center weighted, or spot..Ill have to get out my manual!

myfotoguy · Feb 21, 2010

Natural_Disaster said:
Yes, that should have said 1/200 :lmao:........I'm still learning shutter speed and at that time i only changed it once and the picture was dark so i put it back.

No idea what exposure mode i was in..i don't think Ive even changed it since i got the camera...don't even know where to look for it. I just tried, but didn't see anything about matrix, center weighted, or spot..Ill have to get out my manual!

You should learn a lot from these forums. I haven't been here long, but already see how helpful everyone is. I just started a series for newer DSLR users, hopefully it can help you. I have been telling a few folks here, so I hope people don't get tired of me linking to my site. I'm just hoping it can helps some folks out.