Camera Dojo » Shooting Tips

Use a simple angle to make a shot more dramatic

KerryG — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:22:02 +0000

Here is a quick tip for you that can make a big difference in your shots, try adding a little angle to your shots when you take them. The following two images show what a little turn of the camera can accomplish.(...)
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Skills You Need To Thrive as a Wedding Photographer

KerryG — Tue, 07 May 2013 17:06:06 +0000

Wedding photography can be a very lucrative endeavor for a budding, talented photographer out there. However, it takes a specific skill set to really thrive out of the gate, and you should be aware of what you would need to succeed. If you can begin the venture with these skills and the right mindset, you could stand to be a highly sought after photographer in your area. Here’s what you need.

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Post tags: Business, Photography, Skills, wedding

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The Sunny 16 Rule in Photography

KerryG — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 08:01:03 +0000

Although you may think that no two situations are alike, the fact is that there are a few constants that you can rely on to give you a good starting point. The sun is one of these things you can count on to be consistent. Of course there are things that affect the sun’s output like the time of day, haze, fog, and clouds, but on a bright sunny day the light output is very consistent and knowing the camera settings for this condition will give you a guideline to make adjustments. This is where the “sunny 16″ rule comes into play.

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Read the original post at The Sunny 16 Rule in Photography (216 words)

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Post tags: Adjustments, camera, ISO, light, lighting, shooting, shutter

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The Latest Fujifilm FinePix SL1000 Review

Chris — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:11:36 +0000

Fujifilm is a Japanese multinational photography and imaging company which has been consistently presenting an array of digital cameras in the world of photography. Lately the company has come up with its latest product i.e. Fujifilm FinePix SL1000. Fujifilm SL 1000 is categorized as a low cost super zoom which is expected to go head to head with mighty PowerShot SX50 HS by Canon which won the award for Best Super-Zoom in the year 2012. It’s said that Fuji SL 1000 will be best suited for the newbie in the world of photography.

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Read the original post at The Latest Fujifilm FinePix SL1000 Review (590 words)

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How to hold your camera

KerryG — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:17:48 +0000

In this week’s Friday Photo Tip I show you some different techniques for holding your camera to help prevent camera shake. Accidentally moving the camera when taking a picture is one of the leading causes of fuzzy or blurry images and these techniques will help.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M59WC4fOChg

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Post tags: Blurry, camera, Friday Photo Tip, Photography, Shake, Techniques, Tips

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How to clean your DSLR sensor

KerryG — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 04:46:48 +0000

In this episode I show you how to clean the sensor on your DSLR or mirrorless camera. To clean the sensor I use a LensPen SensorPen and KlearLoupe. This kit allows you to easily see the dust on the sensor and remove it without using and chemicals that can leave a residue on your sensor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3N1pWoTmqI

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Post tags: cleaning, Friday Photo Tip, lenspen, Photography, sensor, SensorPen

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Posing Basics: Using V’s for Composition and Framing

KerryG — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:34:03 +0000

Using V shapes is extremely pleasing to the eye and can help add a lot of dramatic flair as it really makes the subject stand out. The V shape can be used for both composition as well as framing the subject. In the first example we see how V’s help the overall composition of the shot:

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Read the original post at Posing Basics: Using V’s for Composition and Framing (51 words)

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Post tags: Models, Photography, Posing, Women

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Using a reflector

KerryG — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 18:00:20 +0000

In this episode, Kerry Garrison (http://kerrygarrison.com) shows how to use a reflector to bounce sunlight onto a subject to help improve your natural light portraits

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpecG1T1vfc

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Post tags: Friday Photo Tip, lighting, Natural Light, Photography, Reflector, technique, Tip

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Posing Basics – The Naked Shoulder & Full Back

KerryG — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 06:57:01 +0000

Continuing in our series on posing is The Naked Shoulder. In this pose the subject’s face is turned towards a naked shoulder with the face in either full frontal or 2/3 view. Of course the shoulder doesn’t always have to be bare but who doesn’t like to see more skin on a beautiful model? This pose works really well with all kinds of women, its easy to do, always helps to make a woman look great, so its no wonder it is so popular.(...)
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Post tags: Models, Naked Shoulder, Photography, Posing, Woman

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Friday Photo Tip – Understanding ISO

KerryG — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 06:11:00 +0000

The ISO setting of your camera is used to adjust the sensitivity of your camera’s sensor, allowing you to shoot in darker situations than normal. There is a trade-off as increasing the ISO setting will eventually degrade your image quality. In this video I explain more about the ISO setting and shows examples of how too high of a setting can result in poor image quality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWgYfrr7clA

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Post tags: exposure, Friday Photo Tips, ISO, Photography, Tips, Tutorials

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Posing Basics – The Step Up

KerryG — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 05:59:15 +0000

Most of the poses we have seen so far in our posing series have been used to show a woman’s curves or can even be used to hide unwanted curves. This pose, which I call The Step Up, is a much stronger pose generally which helps add certain strength to a woman’s look. All we are doing in The Step Up is having one leg that is stepping up onto a platform or object.

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Post tags: Models, Photography, Posing, Women

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Posing Basics – Knees in or Out

KerryG — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 05:10:25 +0000

In the second installment of our Posing Basics series we will look at another simple technique to add a little style to your subjects with just a little knee action. The result is very similar to the S Curve but usually isn’t quite as dramatic. In the first set of examples one knee is turned in such that the presentation leg is turned so that the knee is bent in towards the other leg.

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Post tags: Models, People, Photography, Posing

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Posing Basics – The S Curve

KerryG — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 05:00:40 +0000

One day my wife came home to find me sitting in the middle of the living room floor surrounded by torn up fashion magazines. After the appropriate jokes about what I could possibly be doing I explained that I was going through the popular magazines and sorting the advertisements by poses. This turned out to be an excellent way to learn about posing and in this series about posing, we will go through the most popular poses and see how you can use them with your clients to make them look their best. We are going to start off with the S curve.

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Post tags: Models, Photography, Posing, Techniques

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Principles of Photography 101, Working with Light

Chris — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 05:29:57 +0000

With breakthroughs in modern technology, it is becoming easier and easier for people to learn to take nice, quality pictures themselves. DSLR’s (Digital Single Lens Reflex) are available for affordable prices.

These cameras can keep up with the best of them when you have the right filters and lenses. In fact, you will see many professional photographers in Las Vegas using them on site.

The equipment alone cannot make you like the professional photographers in Las Vegas. Nor can it make you into an amateur photographer, because anyone can point and shoot—you ask a stranger on the street to do it all the time.

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Read the original post at Principles of Photography 101, Working with Light (432 words)

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Using a Light Meter

KerryG — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 05:01:47 +0000

Getting a good exposure can often be tricky even when your camera’s internal meter is showing the exposure should be correct. If you have a light mete, you can ensure a proper exposure every time.

In this week’s episode I show how to use a light meter to ensure a proper exposure every time. For the example, Kerry used a Sekonic L-358 Light Meter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eooZWQh7-MI

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Understanding White Balance

KerryG — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 05:01:01 +0000

In this episode we take a look at white balance and what it means to you. Kerry Garrison shows examples of white balance issues and shows some of his favorite tools for ensuring a proper white balance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOwThGJeiMA

Items used in this video

Be sure and visit http://fridayphototip.com for more weekly videos

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Post tags: camera, Photography, White Balance

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Introduction to White Balance

KerryG — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 06:00:33 +0000

White balance is one of the more confusing aspects of digital photography and is one of the things that really baffles people when they go from simpler point and shoots to more advanced DSLR cameras and can’t figure out why the color of their images is so bad. Today we take a look at white balance and how it affects the color of your photos.
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Post tags: lighting, shooting, White Balance

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Should You Enroll in a Photography School?

KerryG — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 05:28:25 +0000

A lot of people love taking pictures of their friends and family. Many people who photograph for fun fall in love with the idea of taking it to the next level. Some people want to run their own photography businesses, some might want the intellectual foundation, or others might just simply want to make money with their passion. Fortunateley, anyone who wants to improve their photography has a lot of options. The path you should take should depends on your financial situation, as well as what you want out of the experience. So, here are six ways in which you can improve your photography skills, but not all of them might be options for you.

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Everything People on the Go Should Know About Photography

Guest Author — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 03:31:28 +0000

Photography is a fun hobby that interests people from all walks of life. Nothing is more enjoyable to many people than taking a stroll through the woods and photographing their favorite sites. Parents who have kids love the idea of taking pictures of everything their kids do, especially when their kids are young. Unfortunately, a lot of people are too busy in their day to day lives to take great photographs. Luckily, for anyone on the go, there are many tips to ensure that they do not neglect their hobby. So without further ado, here are four tips for anyone who is on the go and still wants to practice their favorite (or a new) passion.
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Photography Basics: Beginners Guide to Aperture

KerryG — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 02:00:02 +0000

As part of our Photography Basics series we talked about Exposure already and this time we are going to cover the mystery of aperture. Aperture is probably the least understood setting of everything on your camera. While shutter settings are very easy to understand, to long of a shutter speed and you will get blurring, pretty simple stuff. Same with ISO, too high of ISO and you introduce digital noise. But learning how to use aperture properly can kill brain cells faster than a frat house kegger party.

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Read the original post at Photography Basics: Beginners Guide to Aperture (780 words)

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Post tags: Adjustments, aperture, background, Backgrounds, camera, Digital, distance, exposure, ing, ISO, lens, light, lighting, noise, Post, shutter

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Another Take on Perspective

KerryG — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 03:01:31 +0000

Last time we looked at tilting the camera and getting a little more angle on the subject. This time lets look at shooting from an angle that isn’t normal. Often changing to a low-to-high or high-to-low angle can change the mood or the message we are trying to convey.

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How to Calculate Depth of Field

KerryG — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 03:00:53 +0000

A big stumbling block for many new camera users is how to figure out how much depth of field a particular image will have it in given the focal length of the lens, the aperture used and the distance to the subject. Trust me on this, trying to do the algebra to figure it out is not something most people want to try to do in their heads. In this article we will cover all the math involved and then make it real easy with an Excel spreadsheet and some links to some free applications to help you out.

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Read the original post at How to Calculate Depth of Field (948 words)

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Post tags: Android, aperture, articles, camera, canon, Digital, distance, exposure, flash, iPhone, lens, light, lighting, lost, Meter, new, Pictures, power, shooting, wedding, Weddings, windows

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Using Common Filters

KerryG — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 13:00:39 +0000

While there are dozens of different types of filters you can put on your lenses for different effects, there are three very common filters that everyone should have in their camera kit, the circular polarizing filter, the neutral density filter, and the UV filter. In this article we will discuss what these three filters are and the effects that it can add to your images.

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Top 10 Photography Books of 2012

KerryG — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 06:06:13 +0000

Photography education should always be an on-going thing and there are some excellent books available to help you learn more about photography technique as well as post processing. I have compiled a list of my top ten books for this year so far so get your reading on and learn something new, fun, and exciting!

The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Book for Digital Photographers (Scott Kelby)
Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera (Bryan Peterson)
Welcome to Oz 2.0: A Cinematic Approach to Digital Still Photography with Photoshop (2nd Edition) (Vincent Versace)
Speedliter’s Handbook: Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites (Syl Arena)
Lighting for Digital Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots (Using Flash and Natural Light for Portrait, Still Life, Action, and Product Photography) (Syl Arena)
So You Want To Be A Rockstar Photographer: Exploding The Myth And Real World Guidance (Gary Fong)
Magnum Contact Sheets (Kristen Lubben)
Captured by the Light: The Essential Guide to Creating Extraordinary Wedding Photography (David Ziser)
On-Camera Flash Techniques for Digital Wedding and Portrait Photography (Neil van Niekerk)
Picture Perfect Practice: A Self-Training Guide to Mastering the Challenges of Taking World-Class Photographs (Roberto Valenzuela)

Available for Kindle are also my two books Beginner’s Guide to Exposure, and All About Light. If you have a favorite book, be sure and let us know about it in the comments.

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Post tags: Books, flash, lighting, Lightroom, Photography

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Composition Basics: Get In Close

KerryG — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 06:00:03 +0000

Very often we hesitate to get in close with our subject but we also have to realize that details are very important. The best way to show details is to get up close and personal. Don’t be afraid to really push it and even get close enough the parts of the subject get cut off. Whatever you are shooting, try experimenting with getting closer and closer, past the point where you are comfortable and see what happens. In the rest of this article we will look at some examples to see just how big of a different this can make.

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Post tags: composition, details, People, zoom

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Improving Sports Action Photos

KerryG — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 14:42:02 +0000

Action photos are some of the funnest photos you can take but it takes a few tips to go from simple snapshot to something that really stands out. Usually the problem is with showing motion. As the image to the right shows, a fast shutter speed and the rear side angle doesn’t really do much for this shot. During this article we will look at other images that didn’t work, and others that did so we can learn how to improve our sports action photos.

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Read the original post at Improving Sports Action Photos (434 words)

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Post tags: Action, Bikers, Movement, Sports

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Composition Basics: Rule of Thirds

KerryG — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 12:44:44 +0000

There are several different rules of composition but the first one you should start off with is the rule of thirds. With just this simple skill you will go from taking snapshots to making images. Put simply, think of a Tic-Tac-Toe grid overlaid on your image and then place the subject on the lines as best you can. If you can put an important element just as the primary eye right on the intersection of two lines then you get an even more powerful image.

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Post tags: composition, Rule of Thirds, shooting, Tips

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Sony Announces NEX 6 Mirrorless Camera

KerryG — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 02:00:58 +0000

The much anticipated Sony NEX 6 has just been announced and is quite the enhancement over the NEX 5 series and has some very unique features. A new dual dial system on top makes switching between modes and settings a lot easier. the NEX 6 sports a built-in pop-up flash and a built-in viewfinder, so that’s two less accessories to have to deal with. WiFi ability allows for simple image transfers and uploads as well as being able to use a smart phone as a remote viewfinder and shutter release. The 18-50mm lens that came with the NEX 5 series and NEX 7 has been replaced with a new 16-50mm that is only an inch thick. The body is outfitted with a new hybrid autofocus system for faster and more accurate focusing. The most surprising new feature of all is a standard ISO hotshoe. What all we will be able to do with this hotshoe is unknown but since it only has a single pin, it sure makes this camera an oddball for Sony.

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Post tags: announcement, camera, Mirrorless, NEX 6, Sony

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Three Top Tips for Posing Your Subject

Jason Anderson — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 07:01:57 +0000

Guest blogger Jason Anderson from CanonBlogger.com joins us today with a few simple tips on posing people. Be sure to follow his blog for more tips and inspiration

Most people don’t know what to do to get the images of themselves to look as good as possible and a few simple techniques can help whether your working with everyday people or even models. Here are a few tips to getting your subjects to pleasing postures.

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Read the original post at Three Top Tips for Posing Your Subject (331 words)

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Post tags: People, Photography, Posing, technique

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Building a Rail System for your Video DSLR

mauricen — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 06:00:10 +0000

This is a product that may be new to a lot of photographers. I know it’s a little new for me too, as I just started researching rail systems at the beginning of this year after buying my Canon 5D Mark II. I read, researched and talked to people to really get an understanding of what a rail system does for you and why you would need it. So, lets get into it…(...)
Read the original post at Building a Rail System for your Video DSLR (3,374 words)

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Creating Timelapse Videos

KerryG — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 08:00:37 +0000

Timelapse videos can be very cool when done well. But let’s start with the basics, what IS a timelapse? Timelapse is a technique that photographs slow process, such as plant growth, at intervals, so that continuous playback of the frames gives an accelerated view of the process. To put this in more basic terms, a timelapse is a series of still images that when played back in succession will create a video of the scene, very much like an animation flipbook. Each still image is a frame of the video and how fast you display them will determine the playback speed of the video. In this simple demo I used a Canon EOS 7D, Phottix Intervalometer, Sigma 24-70 Lens and shot at ISO 100, f/11, 1/125 Second. The sequence uses 304 Shots taken 5 seconds apart and played back at 24fps. I imported the images into Adobe Premiere Pro as an Image Sequence and then exported the movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXIpGdi81qo

As you can see, there are a few glitches in it. As this was my first experiment, there was bound to have something go wrong. I discuss this issues in the article called How NOT to do Timelapse Photography.

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Read the original post at Creating Timelapse Videos (423 words)

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Getting Good Slow Motion Video

KerryG — Wed, 15 Aug 2012 08:01:38 +0000

Video is one of my favorite things to play with because there are a ton of challenges in learning how to get the most out of the video content as possible. One of the really tricky things is to good really good slow motion effects. Quite often you just slow the video down and all you get is a blurry or smeared looking result that isn’t very watchable. To get the best looking slow motion, there are a few tricks to use that can make a huge difference.

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Read the original post at Getting Good Slow Motion Video (404 words)

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Post tags: DSLR, Processing, shutter speed, SloMo, Slow Motion, Video

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5 Steps For Avoiding Blur When Using A Telephoto Lens

Josh Austin — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 14:56:54 +0000

Soon after buying my first telephoto lens I rushed out and took a load of wildlife pictures. I’d been desperate to photograph the impressive deer that roam the woodland near my house, and finally I had the lens to do them justice.

The shots looked great on the little 3″ LCD screen during the shoot. But back at my computer, zoomed in at 50% or 100% for post processing, I was really disappointed to find bad amounts of blur caused by camera shake.

So, if you’re new to using a telephoto lens, here are 5 simple things you can do to avoid the same mistake…

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Post tags: Blur, Shake, Shooting Tips, Tips, zoom

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Why You Need a Neutral Density Filter

KerryG — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 11:00:42 +0000

Neutral Density filters can be a photographers best friend when you want to get creative with depth of field or long exposures but there is simply too much ambient light. Take for example that gorgeous waterfall that you want to use a longer exposure with to get that silky look to the water. To get that look we need to use an exposure of 1/2 a second. If We use the Sunny 16 Rule, the right exposure would be ISO 100, 1/100th shutter, and f/16. But if we wanted 1/2 second exposure, we cant take our ISO down anymore (on most cameras) and if we crank our aperture to the maximum of f/32, we only gain one stop which would take us down to 1/50th of a second, nowhere near slow enough to smooth out that water. However, slap a Neutral Density filter on the camera that can block 4 stops of light and you are right where you want to be to get the shot.

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Post tags: exposure, Filters, ISO, Neutral Density, shooting, shutter

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Review: CustomSLR Glide Strap System

KerryG — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 12:55:32 +0000

It never ceases to amaze me when a small unknown company comes up with a new take on a product genre and really knocks it out of the park. What is even more interesting is when the funding for a company’s entire product line comes from the community. Such is the case with CustomSLR. The C-Loop was the first product launched in Dec 2010 and received 4x the funding they were asking for. The CustomSLR guys leveraged this success into the Split Strap which received a whopping 5x what they asked for. The third component of the complete system is the M-Plate which was funded in December of 2011 at double their asking amount. Even one successful project off of Kickstarter is pretty good but three is pretty much unheard of. If I had to take a guess at why they have done so well with their products I would have to say its because they have really thought through the issues that photographers face on a daily basis and created highly effective and yet simple ways to solve those problems.

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Read the original post at Review: CustomSLR Glide Strap System (530 words)

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Post tags: Camera Strap, CustomSLR, Kickstarter, Review, Tripod Mount

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Camera 101 – Understanding the mode dial

KerryG — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 15:14:04 +0000

The latest cameras can often do an amazing job right out of the box but to really take creative control over your images you will want to learn about some of the other modes your camera can operate in. Sometimes you want to control the shutter speed to freeze or convey motion. Sometimes you want to control the depth of field to blur out a background. Once you get the hang of it, then you can go full manual and have complete control over everything.

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Read the original post at Camera 101 – Understanding the mode dial (339 words)

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Post tags: aperture, Basics, camera, exposure, Manual, Program, shutter

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So You Want To Be A Wedding Photographer

KerryG — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:55:19 +0000

You’ve bought yourself a nice camera and in order to justify the thousands of dollars in gear you decide you should try to make some money with it. Well what’s easier than shooting a few weddings right? You walk around, take some shots, give them a disk of images, and collect a fat fee right? How hard can it be, advertise on Craigslist and let the flood gates open.

I am not one for writing editorial commentary but things are getting a little crazy in the wedding photography business right now and you need to be aware of what you are putting on the line whenever you shoot a wedding.

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Read the original post at So You Want To Be A Wedding Photographer (1,043 words)

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Post tags: Bullied, contract, Lawsuit, Lawyer, Nelson Tang, photographer

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RAW vs. JPEG – Deciding which is best for you

KerryG — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 11:00:42 +0000

Yes, RAW vs. JPEG, the seemingly endless debate, almost as bad as Mac vs. PC or Film vs. Digital and people have been asking me to write up an article on this based on my opinion and experience and I have really put this article off for a long time as I wanted to be as unbiased in how I write this given that this is a very biased topic. In the interest of full disclosure I will start off by saying that I shoot every image, and I do mean every image I shoot in RAW, we will get into why in a bit.

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Read the original post at RAW vs. JPEG – Deciding which is best for you (2,148 words)

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Post tags: Adjustments, Adobe, albums, aperture, articles, camera, canon, clients, color, Digital, Editing, exposure, flash, Florida, ing, jpeg, light, lighting, Lightroom, lost, new, Nikon, photographer, Photoshop, Pictures, Post, raw, shooting, Special, Storage, Update, Upgrade, wedding, Weddings, Workflow

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Introduction to the Adjustment Brush in Lightroom 4

KerryG — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 07:04:16 +0000

Many of us who jumped on the Lightroom bandwagon at the beginning quickly learned that about 70%-80% of our work could now been done easier and faster in Lightroom than it could in Photoshop. We only needed Photoshop when we needed to manipulate pixels beyond simple cloning and healing tools. Adobe listened and with Lightroom 2.0 they gave us the Local Adjustment Tool. Over time, the local adjustment brush has grown in features and functionality. The Local Adjustment Tool is basically a masking paintbrush that allows you to apply different effects such as:

Color Temperature
Coolor Tint
Exposure
Contrast
Highlights
Shadows
Clarity
Saturation
Sharpness
Noise
Moire
Defringe
Color

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Post tags: Adjustment Brush, Adobe, Lightroom, Photoshop, Post Processing, Tutorial

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How to choose a new lens

KerryG — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 08:01:32 +0000

With so many lens choices to choose from, how can you possible know what kind of lens to get and if it will do what you want? In this article we will walk you through the different features of standard lenses so that you can learn how to pick out the right lens for the type of shooting you do.

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How to: Use long exposures for interesting shots

KerryG — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 07:57:26 +0000

Using a long exposure can enable some really interesting shots that can convey motion. What happens during a long exposure shot is that the shutter remains open for a long period of time which allows the image to “burn into” the sensor longer. When there is motion during the exposure, that motion will be blurred. When used well, you can achieve some really interesting shots with this technique.

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Post tags: aperture, exposure, ISO, Long Exposure, shutter, technique

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Video Basics for Photographers

KerryG — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 22:02:57 +0000

Let’s face it, video is coming on strong and is available in almost all new cameras. The “to shoot video” or “not to shoot video” has created almost as much dissension between photographers as RAW vs JPEG or Canon vs Nikon. Some photographers are embracing video as a way to enhance their businesses while others are happy to specialize in still photography and not dilute their skills. The reality is that there really is a distinctly different skill set to shoot and edit video. If you are thinking about getting started with video, there are a few things you should know so I have put together this primer to give you a good starting point.

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Post tags: Basics, DSLR, exposure, ISO, NEX 5n, Photography, shutter, Speed, Video

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6 Ways To Be An Obnoxious Photographer

KerryG — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:00:39 +0000

Over the years we have always talked about all the ways to be a great photographer, how to deal with customers, how to deal with coordinators and DJs, and how to act professional. Of course this is what we should do all the time, I figured I would go the opposite direction and talk about how photographers seek revenge against annoying Uncle Bucks, hoards of point & shoot cameras, and other situations where you just wish you could fire back. Some of what you will read here was actually done by some photographers, others are just wishful thinking on the part of frustrated photographers, I will leave it up to you to decide which of these things has actually been used by anyone.

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Shooting The Steampunk by Chris Diset

Chris — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:57:57 +0000

So we were on a shoot Saturday morning, and Debra got a text from Kerry, and she told him about the shoot we were on and that I was setting up the Blackbelt Lighting BB560 speedlights. Kerry suggested a guest blogpost on Dojo, so here I am. Let me tell you a little about the shoot. Debra and I met Brian (in the photos) on New Years Day. We got to talking and traded info, and decided to set up a shoot for the 28th. I had much anticipation for this shoot. Now I am a big fan of diffused sun, so I was keeping my fingers crossed that the 28th would be a miserably overcast and cloudy day. But it wasn’t. The skies were perfectly clear and the 7:30 AM sun was brutally bright and shiny. Oh yeah, and we were having high wind warnings.

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Post tags: Chris Diset, flash, lighting, Speedlite, Strobe

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Ave Water Bottle Photo Shoot

KerryG — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:00:34 +0000

This past weekend I ended up with a rather tricky product shot to do for a client. When he had originally explained the job to me he said it was a “water bottle” so I was thinking it was some kind of gym bottle or something, should be a real easy shoot. When he arrives as the studio, its not so much a water bottle as it was a bottle of water….a CLEAR bottle of water with an almost transparent label. This all of a sudden went from what I thought was going to be an easy shoot to one that would actually entail a variety of techniques and post-production skills.

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Post tags: flash, lighting, Photography, Photoshop, product photography

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Video capability coming to Canon 50D

KerryG — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 01:31:16 +0000

If you have a 5D Mk II you may already know about the Magic Lantern firmware hack that adds a bunch of features that really help cinematographers. One key feature is the ability to turn off the Automatic Gain Control on the audio which can result in better audio as well as on-screen audio meters.

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Post tags: 50D, 550D, 5D Mk II, 600D, 60D, DSLR, Firmware, Magic Lantern, Video

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Using Neutral Density Filters for DSLR Video Production

KerryG — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:36:31 +0000

During our adventure into shooting video with a DSLR such as the Canon EOS 7D one of the recent things we looked at was that you should maintain a shutter speed of twice the frame rate to achieve the best visual results. The challenge is that are working with relatively long shutter speeds of 1/50th or 1/60th of a second which in bright sunlight may be difficult from getting overexposed even with a small aperture and low ISO setting. If we are still too bright the best way to get down into the working range that we want is to use a neutral density filter.

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Post tags: 5D Mark II, 7d, aperture, canon, DSLR, exposure, Filter, Video

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Poor Man’s DSLR Focus Pulling

KerryG — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:51:38 +0000

One of the best things about shooting video with a DSLR is the ability to use lenses with large apertures in order to have a short depth of field. This allows you to change the focal plane during the video to shift focus from one subject to another. This changing of focus can have a dramatic impact in your video but since we have to deal with manual focus (yes, there are certain exceptions) we need a way to adjust the focus on the fly without having to rely on the camera’s small LCD screen. The way filmmakers do this is with a focus puller. A focus puller is a device that allows you to control the focus of the lens by a mechanical wheel which gives you more precise control. On most focus pull wheels is an outer rim where you can use a grease pen or dry erase pen to mark different focus points so you can hit the focus right without looking at the viewfinder or LCD.

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Post tags: 5D Mark 2, 7d, canon, DSLR, focus, Video

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Why Shutter Speed Matters With DSLR Video

KerryG — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 14:56:25 +0000

I will be the first to admit that when I try to take on a new skill that I become completely obsessed with really understanding every aspect of it in order to do the best I can and use the new skill to its full potential. Such is the case with learning to shoot video with my Canon EOS 7D. Since the best video camera I had up until the 7D was a small Canon Vixia camcorder. While the Vixia can shoot 1080p video, the only settings are 24 fps or 60 fps. The only thing this meant to me was that if I shot action sequences at the faster frame rate, I could slow the sequence down better because there was more data to work with. Now that I am learning to shoot video on the 7D, I have ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed available. The big question is, how do these affect your image when shooting video.

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Post tags: DSLR, exposure, shooting, shutter, Video

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Getting Started with DSLR Video

KerryG — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 00:22:38 +0000

Ok, so I finally broke down and bought a new camera, I picked up a 7DÂ and so my 50D has been relegated to being a backup camera. While you could certainly go one and on about the features of the 7D, let’s face it, one of the most interesting is its ability to record 1080p video. While I do my share of videos, I do not lay claim to being a videographer. I know how to shoot video, and I am pretty adept at editing video, but shooting with a simple camcorder and shooting with a DSLR are vastly different beasts. In this article we will take a first glance at how to get started, and make the most out of, your DSLR video.

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Post tags: 5DMkII, 7d, canon, DSLR, Nikon, Video

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Camera Dojo » Shooting Tips

Use a simple angle to make a shot more dramatic

Skills You Need To Thrive as a Wedding Photographer

The Sunny 16 Rule in Photography

The Latest Fujifilm FinePix SL1000 Review

How to hold your camera

How to clean your DSLR sensor

Posing Basics: Using V’s for Composition and Framing

Using a reflector

Posing Basics – The Naked Shoulder & Full Back

Friday Photo Tip – Understanding ISO

Posing Basics – The Step Up

Posing Basics – Knees in or Out

Posing Basics – The S Curve

Principles of Photography 101, Working with Light

Using a Light Meter

Understanding White Balance

Introduction to White Balance

Should You Enroll in a Photography School?

Everything People on the Go Should Know About Photography

Photography Basics: Beginners Guide to Aperture

Another Take on Perspective

How to Calculate Depth of Field

Using Common Filters

Top 10 Photography Books of 2012

Composition Basics: Get In Close

Improving Sports Action Photos

Composition Basics: Rule of Thirds

Sony Announces NEX 6 Mirrorless Camera

Three Top Tips for Posing Your Subject

Building a Rail System for your Video DSLR

Creating Timelapse Videos

Getting Good Slow Motion Video

5 Steps For Avoiding Blur When Using A Telephoto Lens

Why You Need a Neutral Density Filter

Review: CustomSLR Glide Strap System

Camera 101 – Understanding the mode dial

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So You Want To Be A Wedding Photographer

RAW vs. JPEG – Deciding which is best for you

Introduction to the Adjustment Brush in Lightroom 4

How to choose a new lens

How to: Use long exposures for interesting shots

Video Basics for Photographers

6 Ways To Be An Obnoxious Photographer

Shooting The Steampunk by Chris Diset

Ave Water Bottle Photo Shoot

Video capability coming to Canon 50D

Using Neutral Density Filters for DSLR Video Production

(...)Read the original post at Using Neutral Density Filters for DSLR Video Production (491 words) © admin for Camera Dojo, 2011. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: 5D Mark II, 7d, aperture, canon, DSLR, exposure, Filter, Video Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Poor Man’s DSLR Focus Pulling

Why Shutter Speed Matters With DSLR Video

(...)Read the original post at Why Shutter Speed Matters With DSLR Video (1,043 words) © admin for Camera Dojo, 2011. | Permalink | 32 comments | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: DSLR, exposure, shooting, shutter, Video Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Getting Started with DSLR Video

(...)Read the original post at Getting Started with DSLR Video (1,191 words) © admin for Camera Dojo, 2011. | Permalink | 20 comments | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: 5DMkII, 7d, canon, DSLR, Nikon, Video Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

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Read the original post at Camera 101 – Understanding the mode dial (339 words)

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Post tags: aperture, Basics, camera, exposure, Manual, Program, shutter

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Read the original post at Using Neutral Density Filters for DSLR Video Production (491 words)

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Read the original post at Why Shutter Speed Matters With DSLR Video (1,043 words)

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Read the original post at Getting Started with DSLR Video (1,191 words)

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Post tags: 5DMkII, 7d, canon, DSLR, Nikon, Video

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