Tag Archives: Buying equipment

How to buy a new camera…

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Damon (Editor) | 5 comments

Buying a new digital camera

Buying is a big decision.

Photographers should be wary of the simple answer. Buying a camera is a deeply personal matter and a big investment. You live with the consequences for a long time. Look carefully at considerations that really matter to you and your performance as a photographer. Impulsive buys may spoil your photography. If you’re comfortable with your buy you will be more likely to get to know it, use it and have fun with it.

1. Work out what you need

Impulsive buying means something will not match your need, then you won’t get the use you want. The points below will help refine your thoughts. Write down your ideas to ease your research later.

Budget: Fix a budget – it may define the type of camera you can buy. So write down what you want to spend before starting. Change your mind later, but start with an idea to guide initial research.

Usage: What type of photography will you do? There are broadly two types of photographer…
The ‘point-and-shooter’:

Interested in recording fun, family, events and memories.
Love things they do when they have a camera around.
Take pictures as reminders. (Holidays, family, fun, action, friendship).
The camera is an accessory to the activity.
The camera is easy to use, probably in auto mode.
Simple controls – lighter, lifestyle-type design.
Less interested in the art of photography, more the style of life.

The ‘photographer’:

Take pride in every shot.
Indulges other passions through photography.
Wants more equipment.
Interested in “functions” and “controls” – technical cameras/DSLRs.
Camera is an essential part of the activity. (Landscapes, macro, action, nature, still-life, fine art…).
Loves photography for its art, technology, skills and techniques.
Documents passions and communicates interests through photography.
Take pride in camera control.
Enjoys the technical aspects of the capture as much as the images.

Each has an associated type of camera. A heavy DSLR is not well suited to the carefree life of the point-and-shooter. A compact, colourful, wrist-strap camera is not suited to landscape shots and large prints. Preferences and lifestyle should be shorted out early on. Are you are a point-and-shooter or a committed photographer (DSLR style)?

Conditions: Indoors/outdoors, weather, underwater, holiday, abroad, air travel? The situations in which you use the camera affects what you buy. Consider protection, travel, camera size and special equipment needs.

Experience: Skill level affects purchase – your aspirations for your future photography will too. If you’re just starting out, buying a camera with a bewildering range of functions is daunting. Take simple steps. Entry level DSLRs provide for years of growth into your hobby and produce great images. This allows you to develop skills without confusion.

Features/flexibility: Spending more on a camera means more features and flexibility. However, while this gives more control it increases cost for relatively little increase in picture quality for starters. Don’t waste your money. Focus on what you need, not “feature bloat”.

Physique/fitness: When buying you don’t get a feel for using a camera. Little, disabled, or not very fit people may find big cameras unusable. Fit, but not shooting daily? You might struggle to hold up a big camera for long periods. Buy a camera you can hold steady and use all day (if necessary). I know people who bought great cameras and had to sell them again to buy another great, but lighter, camera. Also ensure you can grip it properly and comfortably. Can you reach all the buttons easily?

Size of prints: More megapixels is NOT a better camera today. Good quality cameras have sensors to produce great images. High megapixels are only necessary for high resolution pictures – mostly for large prints. You pay a lot of money for top-megapixel cameras. Only buy them if you frequently do big prints in high definition. Don’t worry about megapixels in the market mid-range.

Lenses: To a committed photographer lenses are key. Buying the right lenses is more important than a camera body. Lens investment pays you back for a lifetime, or many camera bodies. Spend less on the body than you intended and save money for better quality lenses (not more lenses). Consider retaining at least half your budget for lenses.

Other equipment and accessories: New cameras require other items affecting your budget. Consider…

Lenses (Wide angle, Zoom, macro etc)
Camera/equipment bag
Tripod
Spare batteries (two)
Light modifiers (diffusers), filters, reflectors
Specialist equipment for specific interests
Memory cards (at least two – eg. 2×16 Gb not 1×32 Gb – cheaper and more secure)
Off-camera flash (pop-up flash is rarely useful)
Remote trigger to fire the flash/camera

There may be other things too.

Compatibility: Is your existing equipment compatible? Buying a camera could mean buying those extras again, straining your budget. Consider the camera brand you want to buy. That may affect the other equipment you buy later. Lenses are a particular consideration. Top brands make good lenses, but other brands may not. That could be important for your buying strategy.

Picture quality: Quality digital cameras produce great picture quality. However, large, high resolution images (especially for printing) may need larger digital-sensor size (cropped or full frame?) and type of lens and lens quality. Buy up-market lenses as far as you can. For a point-and-shoot camera consider the quality of zoom. ‘Optical zoom’ is best, the lens does the enlarging. The quality will be better with a good optical zoom. With a large digital zoom component expect lower quality prints. Digital zooms crop the picture in-camera to make the picture appear bigger. You will see more detail, but the picture may be a lower definition/resolution.

More after this…

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2. Research

Now look at what is available. examine a range of reviews on different websites. Check out what’s popular around the web and get a “best fit” camera to your specification from above. Talk to experienced photographers. Join a club. Leave questions on Internet forums. Ask in shops.

Be prepared for this stage to take quite a long time. You may be committing to a brand for a quite a few years, or your career. Take it slowly so you can understand all implications. Keep notes and be prepared to check definitions and learn about features.

3. Try it out

Once you have identified your dream machine, see if you can try one out. Beg, borrow or hire. You will be unlikely to try everything but spend a weekend or week with it to really get a feel for it. That will help you to feel confident about your ideas or start new research. Ensure you are on the right track.

4. The purchase

From a shop: Local camera shops often have deals and committed staff. They will have knowledge and experience too. Remember they are on commission and a different focus to you. So go to a shop with a really good knowledge from the above before you buy.

Online: There are some great deals but also a lot of scam artists. Consider…

Who you are buying from.
Does the site cover losses?
Is delivery and packaging good?
Delivery times?
Are there proper cancellation and returns procedures?
Transit/purchase insurance (the company or your credit card)
Is the online store reputable and well known?
Do not click from email ads to the site – insecure.
Check with friends to see which online stores they used.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. A reputable company will have protections built into the purchase and made clear on the site.

When you are ready consider negotiations. Lots of websites will do deals. Shops will too. Make sure you get the right deal, but don’t compromise security or safety.

5. After purchasing

Check your purchase properly – has everything arrived? Retain all paperwork and orders for future reference, returns and insurance. Test to see that it works properly. Get signed receipts and correct paper work for returns, delivery shortages or damage.

Satisfied you have the correct equipment and it works? Put it through its paces in a logical way. In Getting started with a new lens I show how to work through testing and getting to know new lenses. Many of the principles apply to the purchase of a camera and help you get to know your camera properly.

Other ideas?

Please share your other ideas, tips or experiences on buying a camera with us below in the comments…

By Damon Guy (author and Photokonnexion editor)

Damon Guy (Netkonnexion)

Damon is a writer-photog and editor of this site. He has run some major websites, a computing department and a digital image library. He started out as a trained teacher and now runs training for digital photographers.
See also: Editors ‘Bio’.

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Posted in Background Info., Camera control, Disability & Access, Equipment, How to..., Opinion, Photography, Shooting specific subjects, Technology

Tagged Accessories, Buying, Buying a camera, Buying a camera lens, Buying equipment, Camera, Camera Body, DSLR, Features, Flash, Flexibility, How it works, Ideas, Lenses, Point-and-shoot, purchase, purchasing, Technology, Tripod

Inexpensive Close-Up Photography – Reverse Rings

Posted on March 30, 2013 by Damon (Editor) | 3 comments

Green bubble wrap shot with Canon 50 mm f/1.8 lens reversed.
Hand-held to the camera body.
• Bubble Wrap •
By Archaeofrog

Anyone can use reverse rings.

Close-up or macro photography is something every photographer should try. However, a macro lens can be an expensive investment. This series covers inexpensive ways to get great close-up results. The first article “Inexpensive Close-Up Photography – close-up rings” discussed using close-up lenses that attach to your existing photographic lens. A second way to achieve close-up results, surprising as it may sound, is to reverse your DSLR camera’s lens by mounting it on backward.

It is possible (but awkward) to simply handhold your lens backwards against your camera body, as in the top photograph. I don’t recommend it, as it can allow dust or other debris into your camera that may affect the sensor. The inexpensive alternative is to purchase a reverse ring camera mount adapter that fits your lens (based on its diameter) and the make and model of your camera body.

Canon 50 mm f/1.8 lens attached backwards to a Canon T1i body using a reverse ring. The depth of field preview button is visible underneath the lens release button.
Click image to view large

How to use the reverse ring

First, remove any filters you have on your lens. To use a reverse ring, screw the ring securely on to the front of your camera lens filter thread. Hint, it is easiest to screw the ring on while the lens is in the camera body. After attaching the reverse ring to the lens, remove the lens from the camera body. Now reverse it and fit the lens-mount side of the ring into the camera body and lock it in place. You will no longer be able to use the autofocus function of your camera or adjust the aperture of the lens once it is reversed, but you will be able to adjust the shutter speed and ISO. Your camera may display an aperture value of F00 or other default. I recommend that you change the shooting mode on your camera to aperture priority or manual. In aperture priority mode, the camera will calculate and set the shutter speed for you, while in manual, you will set it yourself. Now you are ready to use the lens.

• Origami Crane •
Click image to view large
Origami paper crane folded from a bite-sized Hershey wrapper.
Captured with a reverse-mounted Canon 50 mm f/1.8 lens

A reverse ring gives better results when used with a prime lens rather than a zoom lens. Prime lens are often faster, which means that they have a wider maximum aperture and can use a faster shutter speed, even in lower light.

You can use any type of lens, although light lenses are recommended. Very heavy lenses may damage the reverse ring mount adaptor or the lens filter thread.

Using a zoom lens, particularly when fully zoomed out, can be awkward to support. Because the lens is reversed, zooming the lens requires you to be further from the object you are photographing and does not give such a close-up view of the subject. The working distance (distance from the lens to the object in focus) is about five inches with the Canon 50 mm f/1.8 lens reversed. Using my Tamron 18-270 mm zoom lens at 18 mm, I have to be within about two inches to get an object in focus, while it is greater than six inches at 270 mm.

Adjusting the aperture

When your camera lens is not attached to a camera, its default position is to be open to its widest aperture. So, for the Canon 50 mm f/1.8 that would be f/1.8, which results in a very shallow depth of focus. In the crane picture above, the neck of the crane is in focus, while the beak and tail are not. When I reverse this lens on my camera, the aperture will still be f/1.8, and I will be unable to adjust the aperture value after the lens is reversed on the camera. But there is a work-around.

Most DSLR cameras have a ‘depth of field preview’ button. The purpose of this button is to allow you to look through the viewfinder and see exactly what your camera will see at the aperture that is set. When you press that button, the blades inside the camera lens close down to the selected aperture. This will allow you to set the aperture for your lens. (Please note: not all DSLRs have a depth of field preview button).

• Carnation at F22 •
By Archaeofrog

Here is the procedure. Using aperture priority or manual mode on your camera, dial in the aperture that you want to use for the shot. Next, depress and hold the depth of field preview button. While still holding down the button, press the lens release button and remove the camera lens. Then you can mount it on your camera body using the reverse ring. The camera lens will maintain whatever aperture you had selected. If you want to return to the default position or change the aperture again, simply put the lens back on the camera the regular way and repeat the process. Tip: if working outside, you may want to set your aperture first and reverse the lens indoors, to avoid dust getting into the camera body and on the sensor.

Advantages and limitations of reverse rings

The reverse ring is a fun and easy way to experiment with close-up photography. The ring itself is very inexpensive, usually less than $10 USD (around £7-£8 UK), and is small enough to fit in a purse or pocket. Depending on the lens that you reverse, you can get very close to macro-level results.

• Ruler •
Click image to view large
This photograph of a ruler demonstrates the scale of a reverse-mounted Canon 50 mm f/1.8 lens, which gets down to an image of about an inch and a quarter wide and has a working distance of about five inches.

Like other close-up techniques, using a reverse ring does require you to be physically close to the objects you are photographing. Depending on your lens and your comfort level, however, you may still be able to capture detailed shots of slower moving insects, such as the bee below. A reverse ring is also ideal for indoor shots or other stationary details.

• Bee •
Click image to view large
Bee photographed using a reverse-mounted Canon 50 mm f/1.8 lens.

You will lose some of the automatic functions of your camera, including autofocus, with a reverse ring. The electrical contacts that normally carry signals to the lens are not in contact with a reversed lens. This is not that much of a disadvantage. Generally, with close-up shots, you get better results when using manual focusing.

While you can adjust the aperture (on some cameras), there is an additional step of setting the aperture using the ‘depth of field preview button’ before reversing the lens.

As with any close-up or macro technique, the depth of field (area in focus) will be very shallow. You can maximize sharpness by keeping the camera lens parallel to the object being photographed. In the photograph of the bee, above, the body of the bee is parallel to the camera lens and stays in focus. The flower is perpendicular to the lens and falls out of focus quickly.

Another technique to maximize sharpness is to use a smaller aperture like f/22, but this may require a longer shutter speed than you can easily hand-hold. You can solve this problem by using a tripod for stationary objects, which allows you to use a longer shutter speed to achieve the desired sharpness.

All close-up techniques benefit from the additional stability of a tripod. Although, as you can see from the shots above, you can get effective results from hand-held techniques.

A flexible option

Overall, a reverse ring is an inexpensive and portable way to use your existing lens for close-up photography. Depending on the lens you reverse, there is enough working distance to photograph insects, flowers, or any other small subjects that interest you. There is flexibility to adjust the aperture value before reversing the lens, which gives you a little control over the depth of focus. It is an inexpensive option to get you started in the tiny world of close-up photography.

Buyers guide

The inexpensive nature of these rings makes a quick purchase worthwhile. Remember that you will need to buy the ring that suits your specific camera mount (eg. Canon, Nikon etc). The size of the filter thread on your lens is important too. On the following link you can find a range camera mount types as well as thread sizes…
Reverse ring camera mount adapter products

A great lens for doing close-up work is a 50mm prime lens. More information on buying 50mm prime lenses including product links can be found in…
Are your pictures distorted? Considered a 50mm?

For general reference: 50mm Prime lens product listing

• Lego •
Click image to view large
Lego explorer mini-figure.
Using a reverse-mounted Canon 50 mm f/1.8 lens at f/1.8.
• Lego • By Archaeofrog

Articles on Close-Up and Macro Photography
by Katie McEnaney

Part 1 of this series focused on using close-up lenses. Part 3 will cover extension tubes, and Part 4 will bring all these techniques together with a range of close-up ideas and tips.

Inexpensive Close-Up Photography – close-up rings
Inexpensive Close-Up Photography – Reverse Rings (this article)
Inexpensive Close-Up Photography – Extension Tubes
Inexpensive Close-Up Photography – Tips and Tricks

By Katie McEnaney (contributing author)

Katie is an elementary school teacher in Wisconsin, USA. She is an avid photographer with wide interests. She is always interested in learning more and growing in her photography.
By Katie McEnaney (Archaeofrog)

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Posted in Camera control, Guest Contribution, How to..., Insights, Shooting specific subjects, Things to try, Tips Tutorials & Techniques

Tagged Accessories, Aperture, Approach, Buying equipment, Close-up, Depth of Field, exposure, How to Shoot, ISO, Lens, Lenses, Light, Lighting, Macro, Macro lens, Macro tubes, Manual, Manual Control, Maximum aperture, Minimum aperture, Prime, Prime lens., Products, Reverse ring camera mount adapter, Shutter, Shutter Speed, Tripod

Why pro-photographers insist on using lens hoods

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Damon (Editor) | 2 comments

Lenses

Lens hoods are all about control.

The control of your lens, control of difficult light and control over lens damage. Yes, believe it or not even pros make mistakes with flare and break or damage lenses. Lens hoods provide cover for you and perform a specific and important control function over the light that can create ugly flare or the sheen of overexposure.

In the video Phil Steele looks at the way that lens hoods help your shots get properly exposed. Remember, the best shots are taken by the photographer finalising every last detail in the chain of events that lead to releasing the shutter. Knowing about lens hoods is one of those shot makers-or-breakers. Get it right and the blacks in your picture will show just that little extra saturation and contrast that intensifies the shot bringing out depth and realism.

Lens Hoods – Why, When, and How to Use Them

SteeleTraining

Related articles/links:
Start Photokonnexion email subscription now!
Photokonnexion Photographic Glossary – Definitions and articles.
Finding lenses and buying to suit your needs

By Damon Guy (author and Photokonnexion editor)

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Tagged Accessories, Buying equipment, exposure, Flare, Hood, How it works, Lens, Lens caps, Lens flare, Lens hoods, Lenses, Light, light and lighting, Light control, Lighting, Vocabulary

Simple portrait lighting for anyone to try (pt.2)

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Damon (Editor) | 2 comments

Video from the “Slanted Lens”

Making a portrait is a process.

A great portrait says something about the subject. It will capture something of the essence of the person in the shot. Achieve that level of artistry and you will have arisen above the technical process. However, if you cannot do the basic photographic capture well, all the artistry in the world will not save your shot.

In Simple portrait lighting for anyone to try (pt.1) I looked at the background layout for the one light set up in portraiture and explained the components involved. Today we will see a video for the same set up so you can put into context my diagram from yesterday.

The Basics of a One Light Setup: A Lighting Tutorial

TheSlantedLens

Related articles/links:
Start Photokonnexion email subscription now!
Photokonnexion Photographic Glossary – Definitions and articles.
Light and Lighting – Resource pages on Photokonnexion
Simple portrait lighting for anyone to try (Pt.1)
Portraiture – Resource pages on Photokonnexion
Definition: Portraiture

By Damon Guy (author and Photokonnexion editor)

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Tagged Approach, Buying equipment, Camera, Composition, Creativity, Depth of Field, exposure, How to Shoot, Light, light and lighting, Lighting tutorial, Manual Control, People Shots, Portrait, Portraits, Portraiture, Portratiture, Shutter Speed, Simple lighting, Tripod, Video, Vocabulary

Finding lenses and buying to suit your needs

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Damon (Editor) | 5 comments

The choice is wide. Finding lenses requires careful thought.

Finding lenses that are right for you can be hard

Knowing what lens to buy is a challenge. It can be made simple if you have a few ideas. It is all about understanding your needs and making sure you fit the lens to a budget. First, some general advice about buying lenses.

Are you happy with the camera brand you own?

After a line of different cameras SLRs and different brands, my first digital camera was a Canon. It was my first Canon too. I was impressed. Well, they told me that Canon lenses were the best in the world! So I stayed with Canon.

I know, I know… you don’t agree with me on the best lenses. Whatever the outcome of that argument, I am not going there. That’s the whole point. Buying lenses is a personal decision. It relates to a range of needs and understandings you have about your photography.

You need to be completely happy with your camera brand before you buy lenses. Otherwise you will be stuck with a camera brand you don’t like and lots of money invested in lenses. Love the brand first. Then look for the ‘glass’.

Finding lenses… Things to consider

Usually the budget is fairly clear. However, I have one word of advice. Make sure you look at the upper range of your budget where the quality will be better. Don’t cut corners. Quality lenses don’t come cheap. There are lots of cheap lenses around, but you get what you pay for with lenses. They are expensive, but they are also high precision instruments. If the lens is cheap it probably will not be very robust and the quality of the optics will tend to be low.

After budget the next most important thing is to define your needs. It may be lovely to have a 500mm behemoth of a lens weighing two kilos and costing thousands. But if you are only in a position to use it once a year then it will not be worth investing. Far better to buy a more general purpose lens of higher quality to benefit your general photography and will use often. Focus on your regular photography action and expand your lenses around those activities. If you need that behemoth one weekend, hire or borrow one.

Defining your ‘needs’ is often confused with defining your ‘wishes’. Try to be realistic. Finding lenses is about knowing what you need. Only go for a lens that will be of regular, practical use. Do not define your needs based on your wish to pursue a dream. Most types of photography can be performed with a non-specialist set of lenses. Get good with those. Only buy good quality lenses to replace them. Only buy lenses when you can afford it. And, when you have the mega-once-in-a-lifetime trip actually planned, then factor in the specialist lens (if you really need it for most of the trip). Finding lenses suited to your needs is about being realistic about what you can achieve and how you will use them.

Of course the focal length and how ‘fast’ the lens is are both important. Also important is the type of lens – zoom, telephoto, prime, normal, wide angle and so on… However, most of these will come out in your decision around why you need the lens.

There are other things that are a little less obvious when finding lenses…

Weight – Some people simply cannot hold up a big camera and a big lens. Be realistic about what you can handle.
Size – especially for travel purposes, big lenses are a complication and a problem.
Image stabilisation – Modern lenses usually have stabilisation – consider its weight, availability, cost and if you need it or not (large lenses are normally where there is an option).
Glass quality – with professional grade lenses the glass is usually of very high optical quality. However, it is also expensive. So consider the importance of glass quality and overall lens quality for your budget and use.
Brand name – Are you paying for a manufacturers reputation, or is the lens equalled by a third party manufacture – check the review websites. Ask around to see what other photographers think.
Suitability for purpose – does the lens you want to buy actually suit your intended use. Check on the manufactures website, review sites or on discussion forums to get more information about the best type of lens for your use.
Consider the insurance implications and cost. Covering several thousand pounds of lens for a foreign holiday is a significant extra cost.

Buying your lens

The sheer number of lenses available is bewildering. Finding lenses is best done with a finder tool. This tool for finding lenses on Amazon has made lens searches much easier.

Lens Finder – Click to view the actual tool.

The tool for finding lenses allows you to enter the factors that you consider important. It will return you a list of the available lenses to suit that purpose. After years of buying lenses I find this tool invaluable for helping to me to find a range of lenses from which to choose my ideal purchase.

If you want advice on what to do once your new lens arrives, check out this post: Getting started with a new lens.

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Related articles/links:
Photokonnexion Photographic Glossary – Definitions and articles.

Also about ‘Finding lenses’: Buying lenses – a quick guide.

What is an SLR?
Definition: Focal Length
Definition: Fast Lens
Definition: Zoom Lens
Definition: Telephoto lens
Definition: Prime Lens
Definition: Normal Lens
Definition: Wide Angle Lens; Wide-angle lens; Wide angle

Damon Guy (Netkonnexion)

Damon is a writer-photographer and editor of this site. He has run some major websites, a computing department and a digital image library. He started out as a trained teacher and now runs training for digital photogs.
See also: Editors ‘Bio’.
By Damon Guy see his profile on Google+.

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Posted in Background Info., Equipment, How to..., Report, Starters School

Tagged Buying equipment, Buying lenses, Camera brand, Focal lenght, Glass, Lens, Lens finder, Lens glass, Lens quality, Lenses, Macro lens, Telephoto lens, Wide angle lense, Zoom lens

Sidelight – How to capture great texture in your photographs

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Damon (Editor) | Comments Off

Rippled Sand • Sidelight creates a lovely texture

• Rippled Sand •
Beautiful soft sidelight from bottom left creates lovely shadows after each ripple. Had the shot been taken with flash from above, the ripples would have been near invisible.
Rippled sand by Seldom Scene Photography, on Flickr

The capture of texture depends on the angle of light.

It is that simple. The lower you get your light to the side of your subject the more you will create shadows that stand out. Photographers have long recognised the benefit of long shadows for their definition in landscapes. Beside the great colours of sunset, the long shadows from sidelight provide character and definition to the landscape.

The same idea can be applied to the much smaller scale. Still life, studio set-ups and even drying paint can all be enhanced by sidelight. When working with smaller subjects, “get in tight and sidelight” is great advice.

Vintage Store Photo Challenge

This is the best video I have seen on working with smaller objects and side lighting. Gavin Hoey explains with an off-camera flash how to bring out texture and detail in still life photos. This is a very simple lesson. After seeing it you will want to explore side lighting further.

After the video there are some more resources on the subject…

From: adoramaTV

Approaching sidelight with your images

In the video Gavin Hoey used a diffused speedlight, off-camera flash. In the post “Off-camera flash” you can find out all about what they are and the functions they provide.

If you want to improve your off-camera flash working with some sort of diffuser is a great idea. I have worked with a range of off-camera flash diffusers over the years and often been disappointed. I am really enthusiastic about the Rogue Flashbender range of diffusers. I use the Large Rogue Flashbender and the diffuser to go with it for work and my own projects. It is an exceptionally flexible piece of kit and occupies only a tiny space in your kitbag since it rolls up very tightly. The whole Rogue Flashbender range are great products and worth checking out.

One of the great tools I keep within reach when doing table top photography is the little LED light unit below. Designed for camping it has become a great light for my table top product work. It is small, adaptable and very cheap to run as it uses very little battery power.

Rolson 61770 72 LED Camping Light

I have two of these and place them on the table lying down or on end. The light itself is quite white so it will not give you colour casts. If the light is too harsh I just cover the LED panel with tracing paper or ordinary (white) toilet tissue. The tissue-light is gorgeous, soft and easy to use. These are excellent products and inexpensive to buy. They are probably the simplest way to set up a table top sidelight.

Working with people, stronger light gives you more control over freezing your subject. For portrait work a flash helps. To freeze a portrait for a sharp picture use a brighter light and a short exposure. A side-lit portrait is 100% better than a pop-up flash shot where the light is straight on. For this, the off-camera flash is the way to go. You have the flexibility to create a sidelight that creates shadows that define the face. Make the light as soft as possible so the shadows wrap around. Avoid hard or harsh shadow lines on faces. It is not flattering.

At the other end of the scale the low intensity light of the LED panels allows for long exposures when using static subjects. Use a longer shutter time if you want your subject to be lit more brightly. Of course to do that you will need a way of steadying your camera for long exposures. A tripod is probably best in this situation.

The way to go…

In the wilds, or doing table-top studies the best light comes in from a shallow angle as sidelight. It is the shadows that define objects and bring out strong textures. Look for side lighting where ever you can, and create it yourself if the natural light can’t do it for you.

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Related articles/links:
Photokonnexion Photographic Glossary – Definitions and articles.
Light and Lighting – Resource pages on Photokonnexion
Soft Light (Information and use)
Soft Light (Definition)
Hard Light (Information and use)
Hard Light (Definition)
Make soft light work for you
Six things to know about light
Three little known facts about shadows

By Damon Guy (author and Photokonnexion editor)

Damon Guy (Netkonnexion)

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Posted in Background Info., Camera control, Composition, Equipment, How to..., Light and Lighting, Tips Tutorials & Techniques, Video included

Tagged Buying equipment, LED, LED lighting, light and lighting, Manual Control, Micro texture, Off Camera Flash, Off-camera, People Shots, Portraiture, Shadow, Shadow and texture, Shutter Speed, Side light, soft light, Soft shadow, Still Life, Texture, Tripod, Video

When is a tripod not a tripod?

Posted on March 7, 2013 by Damon (Editor) | 3 comments

Tripods & Bean Bags are great alternatives to a full sized three legged contraption. And there is one other option too!

A tripod is not a tripod when it’s another stabiliser!

I suggest everyone use a tripod for the sharpest image. Of course they are not always practical. However, there are alternatives. Here are ideas for stabilised working without tripod.

Working alternatives

Working with a tripod is perhaps evidence for careful attention to detail. After all the use of a tripod does require some persistence. They can be heavy, they certainly take up space and take a little time to put up when you want to take a shot. On the other hand, they definitely increase the sharpness of the shot and allow longer exposures. They also provide a firm platform to work with when working a scene, giving the photographer flexibility to walk around. They also provide a vantage point for the camera during the shot – a solid holding point for the camera in difficult situations.

Using different versions of tripods extend their usefulness. The Joby Gorillapod series of tripods are excellent. They provide a solid platform for taking photos which can be adapted to almost anything as a holding point. So instead of a long set of three legs, the existing bendy legs can be used to grip fences, poles, furniture, walls… well pretty much anything you can think of using. They are light and practical and can be used in most situations as long as you can find a place to anchor them. They do not work at their best with a very heavy camera and lens setup. So they do have their limitations. However, for most entry level DSLRs, medium sized DSLRs and most normal lenses they are great.

The other possible tripod-alternative product to consider is the bean bag. There have been a number of different types of bean bags made over the years. The idea is that you can use a bean bag to bed down your camera on a variety of surfaces. Wall tops, rocks, the ground, cars, even furniture are all perfectly acceptable for using the bean bag. The one that I recommend is the Maxsima – Professional Camera Bean Bag – ‘twin bags’ 262×162. Lens support Bean Bags for Wildlife photography etc.. also Designed for use on a Vehicle / Car door . It provides a solid and adaptable way to put your camera on a hard surface to prevent damage to the camera (from abrasion, chips and dirt). This is, in effect, a cheap and efficient way to make a solid stand-point from which to make a shot. It is not as accurate as a tripod – you may have to massage the bean bag into the right shape to get the camera pointing exactly where you want it. In general however, it is a great way to work when you have limited options, especially at ground level or when working with other surfaces.

Another, simple option!

The final option you have is somewhat surprising. Its simplicity is also its flexibility. And because it is so simple, a lot of photographers forget to use it as an option. Try rolling up your jumper, jacket or even your coat! If you make a ball or cushion on which to put your camera you have a way to protect it from the ground or abrasive surfaces. But it provides a simple and solid surface for your camera. Lots of photographers forget the simple answer. They often think of the high-tech solution. But sometimes it pays to work smart when you are in a situation and you are caught out.

By Damon Guy (author and Photokonnexion editor)

Damon Guy (Netkonnexion)

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Posted in Background Info., Camera control, Equipment, How to..., Starters School, Technology, Tips Tutorials & Techniques

Tagged Adaptation, Approach, Bean bag, Buying equipment, Gorilla Pod, How to Shoot, Tripod, Tripods, Vocabulary

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