Photographers: tips, tricks, equipment, etc

[Yukon Don]

Thanks for the tips.
An eight year old took those ...sigh...

[Triguy]

Originally Posted by Canonman

The basic settings I've found to work the best are:
Set the camera to manual mode
Focus to infinity
f11 or 16
(these were at 11 but if I were paying closer attention I'd have used 16)
ISO 100
Use a tripod (you can't hold still for 4 seconds) and a remote shutter release
If you can hear the mortar or see the trail wait a second or two then hit the shutter.
Repeat as needed
BTW my 8 year old grandson took these. (that's why I wasn't paying attention)
Hope the tips help

Thanks for the tips, Canonman.

[Canonman]

Grandpa sets 'em up "Boomer" nocks 'em down. It was a pretty fun event for everyone especially the teenagers competing for the best cell/I phone photo. We had great the next morning comparing photos voting on the favorites.

[ependydad]

Cannonman- I see that you recommended a software called Topaz. Out of curiosity, now that I've just gone to their site, which specific product(s) do you typically use:
Products | Topaz Labs

Are these stand-alone software? Or are they used in conjunction with something else?

Other than that- I've got some of the technical side of "taking" photos down. I'm not good by any means, but I can usually come up with a few passable shots. I really struggle in the post-processing department. I rarely have time to play, and when I do- I end up with photos that look extremely over-processed. Any tips for us there?

[Coops1]

Originally Posted by Canonman

The basic settings I've found to work the best are:
Set the camera to manual mode
Focus to infinity
f11 or 16
(these were at 11 but if I were paying closer attention I'd have used 16)
ISO 100
Use a tripod (you can't hold still for 4 seconds) and a remote shutter release
If you can hear the mortar or see the trail wait a second or two then hit the shutter.
Repeat as needed
BTW my 8 year old grandson took these. (that's why I wasn't paying attention)
Hope the tips help

Great tip... maybe you missed it but if your camera has the Bulb setting you want to use it to hold the shutter open at will.

[Canonman]

You are absolutely correct about the bulb setting, but remember I was just trying to present "basic" tips w/o trying to get too complicated. One of the things i want to try next time is using a black card to get multiple bursts in the same frame over a period of time.
Anyone have any experience with that technique?

[Triguy]

Doug, I use Topaz as Lightroom plugins but I believe you can use them alone.

[JDWeir]

Many years ago I sent up my old Pentax 6x7 on a sturdy tripod, locked the shutter open and shot the entire fireworks display on a single exposure. When there was little fireworks activity, I would carefully place the lens cap on, then take it back off when the show started up again. The problems I faced with this was that on this particular year, the fireworks were very consistent with where they "bloomed" and I did get some color wash out. I did, however, get excellent detail in a bridge in the foreground. The film used (yea, it is that old) was Fujichrome 100. The 6x7 makes a 2.25x2.75 inch image and the Fujichrome provided nice crisp detail. The image ended up making it into one of the Oregon Coast magazines as the center fold. I would think that using a black card would be similar to what I did. The longer exposure will provide more detail in the surrounding areas that in my opinion provides more interest to the image. Obviously, one would need a sturdy tripod and just have to be careful not to move the camera when blocking the lens with the black card.

[Canonman]

Thanks JD
This is something I've wanted to try for some time. I think I'm gong give it a try later this month

[mhartzel]

I shot this with my Samsung Galaxy S4 two nights ago. I chose the"nighttime" mode and used the railing of the bridge I was standing on.

[Canonman]

Excellent!
There you go, just making it work with no frills

[Canonman]

Originally Posted by ependydad

Cannonman- I see that you recommended a software called Topaz. Out of curiosity, now that I've just gone to their site, which specific product(s) do you typically use:
Products | Topaz Labs

Are these stand-alone software? Or are they used in conjunction with something else?

Other than that- I've got some of the technical side of "taking" photos down. I'm not good by any means, but I can usually come up with a few passable shots. I really struggle in the post-processing department. I rarely have time to play, and when I do- I end up with photos that look extremely over-processed. Any tips for us there?

Sorry Dad, I didn't see your post/question. I'm usually using Topaz "Fusion Express 2", "Adjust 4"

[Oakman]

Joyce and I are headed to the mountains again this year. I can't wait to get to the Tetons and Yellowstone again. That scenery is so spectacular you don't even have to be a good photograph to get beautiful shots.

Here's one of my favorites from 2004. It was taken at Oxbow Bend on the Snake River. I no sooner snapped this photo when some canoeist came paddling into the scene and the mirror reflection was gone.

[Triguy]

That's beautiful scenery. I like your composition with the bank leading from front to back. Takes the eye right along with it.

[Oakman]

Thanks Scott, that's the beauty of digital photography, I just keep shooting until something good turns up.

[ependydad]

Read this and thought it was pretty interesting for the photo fantics out there:
5 Tips for Creating fun Campfire Photos

(Note, not spam- digital photography school is good stuff and no I'm not affiliated with them!)

[Triguy]

That's a good tutorial, Doug! I forgot about that site. Very useful.

[Mister]

I need a little help deciding. I was planning on jumping (back) into the SLR market after years of using cheapy digitals. I was all set on taking the plunge and getting a D7100... However I'm not thinking I may want to sacrifice the higher mega pixel count and get a medium format... What say ye, ladies and gentleman?

[Oakman]

I’ve always considered medium format to be the realm of professional photographers. The cost is hard to justify even for most serious hobbyists. If it were me, I’d buy the Nikon D7100 and use the rest of the money to buy an RV. Just saying.

Keep in mind that I’m just a point and shoot guy that just takes snapshots so my opinion is probably worthless.

[ependydad]

I'm just a hobbyist (and not very good from what I've seen here!), but I do love my D7000.