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Thread: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #3

  1. #1
    Elephant
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    Default The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #3

    The DoMeBo Photography Class
    Lesson #3 – “How Big and How Fast?”

    OK, boys and girls, this will be my feeble attempt to explain exposures, shutter speeds and apertures. If I fail to get the point across (and I just know I’ll fail to get the point across), you are free to peruse the many, many other attempts at the same thing. A Google search will get many hits, and on these very boards there have been previous posts on the subject.

    Now… to action!

    “Exposure” refers to the act of letting light hit light-sensitive film for a brief amount of time. For us digital photographers, the film is replaced with a light-sensitive chip, but the idea is the same. Exposure is used to refer to the amount of light captured by the chip and the lightness or darkness of the resulting image. This is controlled by three things: ISO (film speed), shutter speed, and aperture. Aperture also controls how much of the picture is in focus, called “depth of field.” More on that later.

    Here are some examples of different exposures:
    Papa Bear took this picture of mrs.gnu. It’s underexposed. Aperture at f/2.8, shutter speed at 8 (1/8sec.).


    Mama Bear took this picture of a rock stack on a beach. It’s overexposed. Aperture at f/7.1, shutter speed at 125.


    Baby Bear took this picture of Jiminy Cricket. It’s just right. Aperture at f/7.1, shutter speed at 320.


    OK, OK. I took all three pictures. Ssshhhhhhhh.

    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
    ISO (Film Speed)
    This actually stand for “International Organization for Standardization,” not anything to do with film speed directly. The ISO merely standardized the numbers. In them olden days of film, there was still something kind of like pixels used, call “grain.” The size of the individual grains determined their sensitivity to light; the bigger they were, the faster they could be exposed. The flip side of the coin is resolution; faster film lost detail and if you embiggened faster film you could see individual grains.
    In digital photography, the ISO setting on your camera is an arbitrarily-generated speed setting on the image chip that does a fairly good approximation of the film speed numbers it’s emulating. You still get the trade offs of resolution and speed, but the graininess of digital is pretty ugly.
    For a ridiculously detailed description of film speeds, get thee to Wikipedia.

    What the numbers mean:
    The higher the number the faster you can take a picture, the lower the number, the better your resolution. Each increase is a doubling of the speed, meaning 800 film takes half the time to expose than 400 film. 100, 200, 400, and in some cases 800 are the most common for normal people, like you and me. I recommend keeping you ISO set in this range. If you have all the time in the world, set it lower, but you probably won’t see much of a difference unless you print it really big.

    To be continued...
    I do not bite my thumb at you, but I bite my thumb.

  2. #2
    Elephant
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Shutter Speed
    This should be pretty easy to understand. No, really. The shutter is a little door inside your camera that keeps light from hitting the chip. When you take a picture, the shutter opens and closes in a fraction of a second. Exactly how long it stays open is called the shutter speed. With me so far?
    The longer the shutter stays open, the more light hits the chip. If something in the frame moves while the shutter is open, it will end up looking blurred. This is called “motion blur.” If the camera moves while the shutter is open, everything will be blurred.

    What the numbers mean:
    The normal convention for shutter speed number is that the number shown is the reciprocal of a fraction of a second. That probably didn’t make any sense. If you see “60” that really means the shutter will stay open for 1/60th of a second. “500” would be 1/500th of a second. Some cameras now either will show the “1/” with the speed, or show a decimal for slow speeds.
    If the shutter speed is slower than, say, ˝ a second, some other notation may be shown. My camera puts a little quotation mark (actually a double prime mark) behind the number to mean full second. So a three-second exposure would be displayed as: 3"0

    I’m going to shamelessly borrow chacoguy420’s chart for this:
    4000=
    1/4,000 of a second------------------Will stop the propeller of an airplane.
    2000=
    1/1,000 of a second------------------Will stop the main rotor of a helicopter.
    500=
    1/500 0f a second---------------------Action Shots: stop your buddy jumping in mid-air, a drop of water is a dot.
    250=
    1/250th of a second-------------------Vacation Shots: A person walking will be sharp; a thrown ball will blur.
    125/sec ----------------------------------- If you want to show moving humans, this is it; torsos will stay, limbs will blur.
    1/60----------------------------------------They say, this is the slowest exposure that you can stay still.
    1/30----------------------------------------Set your camera on the hood of your car and prop it up with a sweater.
    1/15----------------------------------------Use a Tripod.

    If, in the future, I mention “slow shutter speed” I mean anything slower than 1/60.
    To balance out the amount of light let in during different shutter speeds, and still get the right exposure, you change the size of the hole. That will be covered under “Aperture” below.

    Example time:
    I convinced my photographer’s assistant, Raven, to chase a ball for me. It was either that or go out to the street and take pictures of cars. Playing fetch is more fun...

    These were taken with “Tv” mode, which stands for “Time Value” meaning shutter speed priority for Canon.
    First up is with a shutter speed of 60. The camera chose the aperture at f/22, the highest it would go with the lens I was using.


    Next I increased the shutter speed to 640. The camera set the aperture to f/7.1. Notice that even at 1/640th of a second you can see some motion blur in her hind legs.


    next up...
    I do not bite my thumb at you, but I bite my thumb.

  3. #3
    Elephant
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Aperture
    Your camera’s aperture is made up of thin plates arranged in a circular pattern that can create a circular hole of varying size.

    This controls two things, unfortunately at the same time: the amount of light allowed through to the image chip, and depth of field. The amount of light let through is simple. A fast shutter speed combined with a large opening lets the same amount of light in as a slow shutter speed and a small opening.

    However, the aperture also controls how much of your field of view is in focus, from back to front. This is called depth of field.
    If you’ve ever looked through a little tiny hole, you may have noticed things are more in focus, especially if you wear corrective lenses. The same is true for the aperture. The smaller the hole, the more things are in focus. If the aperture is opened wide, objects in front of or behind the subject will blur out of focus. This is a very important thing to learn how to control because it helps the viewer see the subject as the subject and the background as an ambiguous canvas the subject pops out from. If everything is in focus, the eye sees it all as the subject.

    What the numbers mean:
    This is where things get hairy. Aperture opening sizes are measured in “f/stops.” (to quote Wikipedia, the numbers are an “approximately geometric sequence of numbers that corresponds to the sequence of the powers of the square root of 2.”) The f/stop is generated relative to your zoom level (focal length), so remember that zoom affects depth of field, too.
    The numbers are “backward.” The smaller the f/stop number, the larger the aperture is opened. The smallest and largest your aperture can be set to is different for each camera lens. I’ll use some common numbers:
    f/2.8 – Wide opening, letting in a lot of light. Very tight focal depth.
    f/5.6 – Still a wide opening, depth of field will increase
    f/11 – A smaller opening. Shutter speed will have to be increased. Depth of field is deepened.
    f/22 – A very tight opening. Virtually everything will be in focus, especially if zoomed out.

    I’ve skipped some numbers on the scale, and your camera may go higher or lower than these numbers. Just remember that a lower number means tighter focus.

    Example time:
    I convinced my photographer’s assistant, Samantha, to lie motionless on the bed. This was rather easy, she gave no fuss.

    These were taken with “Av” mode, meaning “Aperture Value.” Canon just has to be different, huh?
    First I set the aperture to f/36, the highest the lens would go. With the corresponding shutter speed of 2.5 full seconds, I used a small tripod and a remote shutter control, known as a “bulb.” Even at f/32, the 80mm focal length makes the tuning head out of focus.


    Next I set the aperture to the other extreme, f/5.6. More expensive SLR lenses will have even lower available aperture settings than f/5.6. With this setting, the shutter speed was still slow at 15. The depth of field is extremely shallow. Focused at the middle of the f-hole, it very quickly goes blurry both in the foreground and background.



    Next we’ll cover what the pre-set auto shooting modes on cameras do...
    I do not bite my thumb at you, but I bite my thumb.

  4. #4
    Elephant
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Camera Shooting Modes:
    Automatic
    The camera will read the whole frame and try to set the aperture and shutter speed so that the exposure balances out to a loverly medium grey. If completely blurred out and colorless, the camera wants the picture to look something like this:

    Even on a manual mode, the camera will tell you how close to that even grey you’ll be.

    Spot Metering
    This will make your camera look only at one small portion of the frame to gauge exposure, instead of the whole thing. This can be useful at music concerts or other places where lighting is limited. You can also go the other way: metering on a person’s face and telling the camera to ignore the bright sky behind them. You can also create silhouettes using this.

    Shutter Speed Priority (also “S” or “Tv”)
    This allows you to set a shutter speed manually. The camera will then adjust the aperture size to make the right exposure. If you know what shutter speed you want, use this mode.

    Aperture Priority (also “A” or “Av”)
    This most useful mode is my favorite. You set the aperture and the camera selects the correct shutter speed for the exposure. This allows you to manually control depth of field without having to fiddle with the shutter speed yourself.

    Program Mode (semi-automatic)
    My Digital Rebel has a wonderful little dial next to the shutter button. Normally this is used on manual modes to control shutter speed or aperture. When on “Program” mode, you can turn the dial to select the shutter speed/aperture combo the camera will use. It resets after each picture, but it’s very convenient when you want to override the settings for one picture without going to full manual. I don’t know what it’s called, but see if you camera has something similar.

    Preset Auto Modes:
    Portrait Mode

    The camera will select a large aperture so the subject will be the only thing in focus. You’ll want to be close to your subject and only have one subject. The background-out-of-focus effect works best if the background is farther away.

    Landscape Mode

    The opposite of Portrait Mode, the camera will select a small aperture so as much is in focus as possible.

    Sports Mode or Action Mode

    To capture fast-moving objects, the camera will select a fast shutter speed. This usually means the aperture is wide open, too, so know that your depth of field will be shallow.

    Macro Mode

    Macro used to refer to taking pictures of thing so that the image on the film was the same size as the real-life object. Now it means the ability to focus on things very close to the camera lens. If you have true macro, you may notice your lens extends out much farther than it normally does. This is for that close focus. In any case, your depth of field will be shallow, and avoid using the flash: it will be too bright at such close distances.

    Night Mode (also “Slow Shutter Sync”)

    For night and low-light situations, the camera sets very long shutter speeds and a wide-open aperture. It will also probably use the flash. You’ll be served best by this mode if you use a tripod. You can get some weird and funky stuff if you play around with this mode.

    Some cameras will have many more, superfluous shooting modes, such as “Beach,” “Snow,” “Kids & Pets,” “Fireworks,” etc. You can look up what these things do your damn self. Most point-and-shoots now also have movie mode for shooting video. This is cool, but beyond the purview of this class.

    Next we’ll discuss how to make your pictures black and white...
    I do not bite my thumb at you, but I bite my thumb.

  5. #5
    Elephant
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Desaturating Your Pictures

    For the next few lessons, I’d like your pictures to be in black and white. There are different ways to do this. Some cameras have a built-in mode that will do this. That’s the easiest way. If you don’t have that feature, or if you want more control of the desaturation, you can do it in post-production.
    In Photoshop, if you have it, you can either use the “Desaturate” function under the “Image: Adjustments” menu. Or you can use other methods, like Channel Mixer. You can look up these techniques. I like to look at the channels and pick the one I like.

    GIMP has similar tools. The “Desaturate” function in GIMP has three options. I use whichever one give me the highest contrast.

    Most image-hosting sites have photo manipulation tools you can use. Somewhere in those there will be a “black & white” button. Hopefully, this button will have some options that will affect the resulting picture’s balance of light and dark. Here’s what it looks like in Photobucket:

    You can also find the Saturation slider bar that may be available. In Photobucket, the slider bar controlling lightness is right next to it:



    After you change it to black and white, find the controls that adjust contrast, and fiddle with those to create higher contrasts between the light and dark parts of your picture. Not too much, though; just whatever looks good to you.

    I convinced my photographer’s assistant, Mushroom, to pose on the table outside. He didn’t get bent out of shape about it. All three of these are the same picture desaturated different ways. The first was desaturated by GIMP, the second by Photobucket, and the third manually by me in GIMP using only the green color channel.
    . . . .
    I’d show an example from Photoshop, but I just had a hard drive failure and have yet to find my install CD to get it back.
    I do not bite my thumb at you, but I bite my thumb.

  6. #6
    Elephant
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Lesson #3 Assignments
    Assignment A: Figure out how to adjust aperture and/or shutter speed with your camera. If you have no manual or priority controls, use the appropriate shooting mode, as described above, to get the desired effect.

    The photos for the these assignments should be in black and white:
    Assignment B: Take two pictures of a moving object. One picture with a fast shutter speed and one with a slow shutter speed. For shutter speeds slower than 1/60 of a second, use a tripod or set the camera on something solid.
    Assignment C: Take two pictures of a scene with an object in the foreground. When focused on the foreground object, take a picture with a low aperture setting and one with a high aperture setting.
    I do not bite my thumb at you, but I bite my thumb.

  7. #7
    Elephant
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    I do not bite my thumb at you, but I bite my thumb.

  8. #8
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Adding a little info to Gary's ISO description....

    Back in the day, we had the "Sunny (f/)16" rule. It said something like, "On a bright and sunny day, the correct exposure will be 1/ISO @ f/16." So if you have your ISO set at 400, you should be exposing bright and sunny pictures at 1/400 sec @ f/16. Back when we were using mechanical cameras and the meter batteries died, it gave us some starting point for what correct exposure might be.

    If your P/S is like my Canon, you don't have f/16. Mine stops at f/8. I'd have to trade two f/stops for two shutter speeds, i.e. 1/1600 sec at f/8, to follow that rule.

    So if you're outdoors and you can't get the shutter speed/aperture combination you want---you want a slow shutter speed to blur action or a wider aperture to limit depth of field--- drop your ISO.

    Aperture, shutter speed, and ISO determine the exposure. E.g.:

    ISO 400, 1/250, f/4 is the same as

    ISO 200, 1/500, f/4, or for that matter

    ISO 400, 1/125, f/5.6...and so on (as far as how dark/light the picture will be). Trade a shutter speed for an aperture or an ISO. Trade an aperture for a shutter speed or ISO. Trade an ISO...well, you get the idea. The one that's not intuitive is f/numbers. f/8 is one-fourth the light of f/4. The camera will calculate for you of course. My point is to remember that your ISO is as easily adjusted as shutter speed or aperture to get the shot you want.
    My latest photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/lobotomyboy63

    Major gear: Olympus E520 w/2 AF Zuiko, 3 adapted Minolta MD, Metz Flash, Digital King 0.7x wide angle auxiliary, Slik tripod, Lowepro pack, intervalometer en route, + Canon & Oly PS.

  9. #9
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    I've had a lot of experience with cameras, so I'm not worried about doing this lesson. I did, however, want to see how the camera and editing programs would render black and white, so I've been goofing around with that. Gary, I don't need this graded but if you have comments feel free.

    I didn't shoot them with black and white in mind. What I learned: it's probably a good idea to try for dark, bright, and as much grey as you can get in the original.

    First I shot some pictures with my table lamp, which has a compact fluorescent bulb.

    "Howzabout a kiss?"
    ISO 400, 1/13 sec, f/2.7, 4.6mm.


    No flash. Whoa, that went way yellow. Need to adjust for fluorescent? See the first picture of the post...there's some yellow, but not like this. I have a feeling the green of the chair caused the problem, though I'm not sure how.

    ISO: 400, Exposure: 1/2 sec, Aperture: 3.2, Focal Length: 6.9mm, Flash Used: No


    Closeup with flash. I like the uber white in contrast to the black of the background. This one has a glazed finish so there was a high chance of glare and the highlights would wash out some detail.

    ISO: 400, Exposure: 1/200 sec, Aperture: 2.7, Focal Length: 4.6mm, Flash Used: Yes


    Ambient light from a window. The very light and very dark figures limited how much I could tweak this.

    ISO: 80, Exposure: 1/10 sec, Aperture: 3.0, Focal Length: 5.9mm, Flash Used: No


    Next, it was off to a dark room. Like most of the above, I used a tripod. I took my small flashlight.

    I guessed at how long to shine the light, hoping the aperture priority would take care of the exposure. Still, these needed some help from Picasa. I brought up the highlights and fill light to where I liked them. The partial halo, of course, was created by the flashlight. I really like the sharp arc...maybe I should have placed more of it over the figure. In converting to black and white I cheated and made it blue.

    ISO: 200, Exposure: 1/5 sec, Aperture: 3.2, Focal Length: 11.5mm, Flash Used: No





    Then I went to manual exposure, set the shutter open for 8 seconds and "painted" the figure with the Maglite. I tried one second, two seconds, and so on. I didn't add the color---I just brought up the highlights. Nothing spectacular...could have been made with aflash. So I put a piece of duct tape over the lens of the Maglite and poked a hole in the tape. If I'd had a laser pointer I would have used it, but I don't so I improvised. I like the spotty lighting.

    ISO: 200, Exposure: 8.0 sec, Aperture: 3.2, Focal Length: 11.5mm, Flash Used: No

    My latest photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/lobotomyboy63

    Major gear: Olympus E520 w/2 AF Zuiko, 3 adapted Minolta MD, Metz Flash, Digital King 0.7x wide angle auxiliary, Slik tripod, Lowepro pack, intervalometer en route, + Canon & Oly PS.

  10. #10
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    The chair may have reflected backlighting and modified your color that way.

    I'm having my usual problem with this sort of assignment - I can't seem to wrap my head around bigger f-stop = smaller light. That, and my damn camera doesn't seem to show a lot of difference based on the aperture. I shall persevere.

    That said, I am mildly annoyed that, although I can do B&W in-camera, I cannot do B&W in-camera at the same time I am operating in AV mode. Alas.
    Aunt Em - Hate you, hate Kansas, took the dog - Dorothy.

  11. #11
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Quote Originally posted by sistercoyote
    The chair may have reflected backlighting and modified your color that way.

    I'm having my usual problem with this sort of assignment - I can't seem to wrap my head around bigger f-stop = smaller light. That, and my damn camera doesn't seem to show a lot of difference based on the aperture. I shall persevere.

    That said, I am mildly annoyed that, although I can do B&W in-camera, I cannot do B&W in-camera at the same time I am operating in AV mode. Alas.
    I didn't realize till I took that picture that I actually have three different fluorescent modes on the camera. IIRC I managed to get a good one with the third setting, but I thought it would be more interesting to post a bad one. Another weird thing: if I shoot under fluorescents (the long sticks) I get a yellow cast. But, if I switch to video mode, it's very well-balanced. Weird.

    Technical question: do most/all cameras make color images but show them in b/w or is it actually encoded in black and white in the camera?

    WRT apertures...part of the confusion may be in nomenclature. A "large" aperture is a big hole, right? But it's a small f/number (sometimes called f ratio). Focal length / aperture size = f ratio. But many of us are probably in the bad habit of using the terms interchangeably.

    Maybe you can think of "zero" (0) as Open. The closer you get to zero on the f/number, the more open it is.
    My latest photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/lobotomyboy63

    Major gear: Olympus E520 w/2 AF Zuiko, 3 adapted Minolta MD, Metz Flash, Digital King 0.7x wide angle auxiliary, Slik tripod, Lowepro pack, intervalometer en route, + Canon & Oly PS.

  12. #12
    Elephant
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    A few more things:

    For Assignment C, the focus control experiment, it will help if the background is at least a few feet away. In the pictures of Mushroom, my photographer’s assistant, the plant in the background is about 5 feet behind the little guy.

    Here it is again, and the same shot with a small aperture to see the difference:
    .

    Focus control is extra important in black and white photography because the eye can’t use color to distinguish between subject and background.

    To reiterate, if you only have pre-set auto modes, set the camera to Portrait Mode to get shallow depth of field, and Landscape Mode to get deep depth of field. For the shutter speed portion, use Sport/Action Mode versus either Night Shot Mode or Landscape Mode. (Since Landscape mode chooses a small aperture, it will have to choose a slow shutter speed to compensate.)

    Be sure to try your best to get proper exposure levels. This is easiest if you go outside in the sun.

    Class discussion can be about anything related to exposure control.
    I do not bite my thumb at you, but I bite my thumb.

  13. #13
    Elephant
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Quote Originally posted by lobotomyboy63
    ...Technical question: do most/all cameras make color images but show them in b/w or is it actually encoded in black and white in the camera?
    Good question. It may be both, actually, depending on whether you save in RAW or JPEG. The image chip records red, green, and blue light in three separate channels. You can see these individually in Photoshop or GIMP. Black and White mode may average them all out, or it may just take one channel. I’ll look into it or wait for a more technical poster comes along...

    Quote Originally posted by lobotomyboy63
    WRT apertures...part of the confusion may be in nomenclature. A "large" aperture is a big hole, right? But it's a small f/number (sometimes called f ratio). Focal length / aperture size = f ratio. But many of us are probably in the bad habit of using the terms interchangeably.

    Maybe you can think of "zero" (0) as Open. The closer you get to zero on the f/number, the more open it is.
    This is a good thing to remember. Thanks for the tip.

    Everyone, say thank you to lobotomyboy63.
    [garygnu waits for class to simultaneously drone “thank you, lobotomyboy63.” in a bored monotone...]
    I do not bite my thumb at you, but I bite my thumb.

  14. #14
    troubleagain
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Thank you, lobotomyboy63. garygnu, I didn't get my homework for last lesson done, but I'll try to be sure and do this one.

  15. #15
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Quote Originally posted by garygnu
    Everyone, say thank you to lobotomyboy63. [/size][garygnu waits for class to simultaneously drone “thank you, lobotomyboy63.” in a bored monotone...][/color]
    [monotone]Thank you lobotomyboy63[/monotone]

    Aunt Em - Hate you, hate Kansas, took the dog - Dorothy.

  16. #16
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Quote Originally posted by garygnu
    Quote Originally posted by lobotomyboy63
    ...Technical question: do most/all cameras make color images but show them in b/w or is it actually encoded in black and white in the camera?
    Good question. It may be both, actually, depending on whether you save in RAW or JPEG. The image chip records red, green, and blue light in three separate channels. You can see these individually in Photoshop or GIMP. Black and White mode may average them all out, or it may just take one channel. I’ll look into it or wait for a more technical poster comes along...
    Thing is, if you can get the same results with your software in the computer, it seems silly to store two shots on your card (and possibly wait twice as long for them to store). And sometimes, the color looks better than the B&W and sometimes not...better to decide later, viewing on a bigger screen. But it might be useful as a "preview" kind of thing.

    Quote Originally posted by garygnu
    Quote Originally posted by lobotomyboy63
    WRT apertures...part of the confusion may be in nomenclature. A "large" aperture is a big hole, right? But it's a small f/number (sometimes called f ratio). Focal length / aperture size = f ratio. But many of us are probably in the bad habit of using the terms interchangeably.

    Maybe you can think of "zero" (0) as Open. The closer you get to zero on the f/number, the more open it is.
    This is a good thing to remember. Thanks for the tip.

    Everyone, say thank you to lobotomyboy63.
    [garygnu waits for class to simultaneously drone “thank you, lobotomyboy63.” in a bored monotone...]
    Aw, shucks. Also think of the 0 as "less depth of field/smaller zone of focus." Usually depth of field is something people want and smaller numbers mean you'll be getting less of it.

    I don't know if you planned to mention it in the "History" portion, Gary, but manufacturers set up instamatics to have a fast shutter speed and a small aperture (large f/number) on a wide-ish angle lens. The fast shutter froze action. The lens was prefocused at a given distance and the large f/number gave depth of field from a few feet to infinity. If you were within a couple EV of correct exposure, the latitude of the film would give a printable negative. But you had to be outdoors on a fairly sunny day or resort to flash. Given the low price, millions were happy enough with the compromises.
    My latest photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/lobotomyboy63

    Major gear: Olympus E520 w/2 AF Zuiko, 3 adapted Minolta MD, Metz Flash, Digital King 0.7x wide angle auxiliary, Slik tripod, Lowepro pack, intervalometer en route, + Canon & Oly PS.

  17. #17
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    I take a lot of pictures of jewelry and I'd like them look as nice as possible, so I'll be using my jewelry taking set up a lot for this class I think. Here's Assignment B (Assignment C will have to wait until I get to see the outside and the sun. I'll do my other favorite subject-- my garden)

    All are in Tv mode. All with tripod.

    The camera chose f1.7 the shutter speed is 3.22 seconds (the camera was very 'busy')


    The camera chose f2.8 shutter speed 1/3


    I ran into trouble with the faster shutter speeds

    f2.8 (max for camera) 1/101



    f2.8 shutter 1/40


    The really slow speed made even the stationary pendant look blurry. Looks like if I want absolutely no movement, I'm gonna need a lot more light.
    WTF did I just say?

  18. #18
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Let me also thank gary for explaining aperture and shutter speed so clearly even a dullard like me can understand. I've read manuals and on-line 'how to take great pictures' sites and the most I ever got from them is "if I set my camera on these numbers, I should get something nice" without ever understanding why. Not the sites or manual's fault but my own thick skull.

    Thanks again for penetrating it.

    Oh and, thanks too lobby!
    WTF did I just say?

  19. #19
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Biggirl, what ISO were you shooting with? Raising it may cost you some sharpness in terms of noise, but it may be worth it.
    My latest photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/lobotomyboy63

    Major gear: Olympus E520 w/2 AF Zuiko, 3 adapted Minolta MD, Metz Flash, Digital King 0.7x wide angle auxiliary, Slik tripod, Lowepro pack, intervalometer en route, + Canon & Oly PS.

  20. #20
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Quote Originally posted by lobotomyboy63
    Biggirl, what ISO were you shooting with? Raising it may cost you some sharpness in terms of noise, but it may be worth it.
    I don't know and I'd have to do some research to find out how to find out. My jewelry is usually motionless when I shoot it, though and I always use a tripod.
    WTF did I just say?

  21. #21
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Quote Originally posted by Biggirl
    Quote Originally posted by lobotomyboy63
    Biggirl, what ISO were you shooting with? Raising it may cost you some sharpness in terms of noise, but it may be worth it.
    I don't know and I'd have to do some research to find out how to find out. My jewelry is usually motionless when I shoot it, though and I always use a tripod.
    In some cases, if you right click on the image on your computer it will show you. Mine won't. I upload to Picasa sometimes and there's an "info" link, which gives a lot of that.

    It could be that the jewelry isn't moving---your camera is. I know, tripod: if you trip the shutter like you would a normal camera, there can be some wiggling. That becomes more pronounced as you go close up because it's magnified more optically. Also with a wide f/1.7 or 2.8, you have precious little depth of field: it may be that it isn't moving, but rather, it's out of focus.

    You might try setting up the shot, then putting it on self-timer. Then you push the shutter, there's a delay (camera stops jiggling) and camera trips itself. Remember, releasing the shutter also shakes the camera.

    I'd guess your ISO was also low. If you plan to make prints (especially enlargements), the lower the better. Otherwise try it at ISO 400. You can go higher but you start getting a lot of noise.

    You can also introduce light to the situation. Flash may be too harsh but you can use room light, check the white balance till you get what you like. Also you can often bounce light back with a white board or some aluminum foil.
    My latest photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/lobotomyboy63

    Major gear: Olympus E520 w/2 AF Zuiko, 3 adapted Minolta MD, Metz Flash, Digital King 0.7x wide angle auxiliary, Slik tripod, Lowepro pack, intervalometer en route, + Canon & Oly PS.

  22. #22
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    It's not in the picture info-- I looked. I'm sure it's somewhere in the menu on my camera. Thing is there are many, many pictures and precious few words in the menu on the camera. I'm sure I've seen the letters ISO under one of the submenus-- the wrench one or the head with a camera one-- and all I gotta do is find the manual on line.

    The pics above were also not shot in macro, which makes for much nicer jewelry pictures.
    WTF did I just say?

  23. #23
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Quote Originally posted by Biggirl
    It's not in the picture info-- I looked. I'm sure it's somewhere in the menu on my camera. Thing is there are many, many pictures and precious few words in the menu on the camera. I'm sure I've seen the letters ISO under one of the submenus-- the wrench one or the head with a camera one-- and all I gotta do is find the manual on line.

    The pics above were also not shot in macro, which makes for much nicer jewelry pictures.
    I have a Powershot as well, but a different model.

    To view what settings the camera used, I play back the picture. Then I press the "Display" button.

    To set the ISO, I have a "bullseye" sort of button on the back. In the center (the "donut hole") is "Function set." I push that and it brings up a menu to choose ISO.
    My latest photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/lobotomyboy63

    Major gear: Olympus E520 w/2 AF Zuiko, 3 adapted Minolta MD, Metz Flash, Digital King 0.7x wide angle auxiliary, Slik tripod, Lowepro pack, intervalometer en route, + Canon & Oly PS.

  24. #24
    Elephant
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    You can manually set the ISO on a PowerShot A85 under the Function button (labeled “FUNC.”). You should see an ISO Setting listed under there. See more info on control options in this review.
    I do not bite my thumb at you, but I bite my thumb.

  25. #25
    Stegodon
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    Default Assignment C

    I have some ideas for assignment B, but I have to coordinate with a couple of other people, first.


    Shot using AV with super macro, holding the aperture at: f2.8
    Camera set the shutter: 1/50
    I also had to fight the camera to get it to focus on the foreground instead of the background


    Shot using AV and super macro, holding the aperture at f2.8
    Camera set the shutter: 1/40
    Again with the convincing the camera to focus on the foreground


    Shot using AV and manual focus, holding the aperture at f2.8
    Camera set the shutter: 1/160


    Shot using AV and no other settings, holding the aperture at f7.8 (the maximum my camera would give me)
    Camera set the shutter: 1/20

    That last picture is a perfect example of a problem I have all the time with this camera: it wants to focus on the background, not the foreground. It's very exasperating. (Yes, I realize this is probably an example of operator error. Nonetheless.)
    Aunt Em - Hate you, hate Kansas, took the dog - Dorothy.

  26. #26
    Stegodon Dragon's avatar
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    We don't have sun shine for now but I did this much with black/white so far.

    These were shot with the Canon SD850 is.

    Made them B/W with Ifranview.

    No job is too hard for the person who does not have to do it.

  27. #27
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Quote Originally posted by garygnu
    You can manually set the ISO on a PowerShot A85 under the Function button (labeled “FUNC.”). You should see an ISO Setting listed under there. See more info on control options in this review.
    You are an effin great teacher. You and your assistant lobby. They should pay you guys more.
    WTF did I just say?

  28. #28
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Quote Originally posted by Biggirl
    Quote Originally posted by garygnu
    You can manually set the ISO on a PowerShot A85 under the Function button (labeled “FUNC.”). You should see an ISO Setting listed under there. See more info on control options in this review.
    You are an effin great teacher. You and your assistant lobby. They should pay you guys more.
    Thanks. 8-) They keep promising raises without following through. I may get tenure soon, though...
    I do not bite my thumb at you, but I bite my thumb.

  29. #29
    Stegodon
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    Default Assignment B

    The idea I had didn't pan out, so instead I used a clock on a spring I have around the office:


    Using TV mode, shutter speed set to .4
    Camera set aperture at f4.6


    Using TV mode, shutter speed set to 1/125
    Camera set aperture at f4.0
    ISO of 80, Exposure Bias +2 EV, and I still had to bump the contrast in Photoshop
    Aunt Em - Hate you, hate Kansas, took the dog - Dorothy.

  30. #30
    Stegodon Dragon's avatar
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Still no sunshine so an inside job. the background is out of focus as requested.

    Fuji f-10, manual, ISO 80, timer, camera balanced on the monitor, 1/4sec. at f 2.8. Brightness, Contrast & Gama adjusted in Irfanview.


    No job is too hard for the person who does not have to do it.

  31. #31
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Assignment B, take two.

    The same set up with different ISO speeds. The originals were at 50.

    Here is ISO at 100, shutter speed 1/15




    Here is ISO 200 shutter speed 1/60

    WTF did I just say?

  32. #32
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Hit submit too fast-- twice!

    Anyway, I think I'll leave it at ISO 100. 200 looks awful.
    WTF did I just say?

  33. #33
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Quote Originally posted by Biggirl
    Quote Originally posted by garygnu
    You can manually set the ISO on a PowerShot A85 under the Function button (labeled “FUNC.”). You should see an ISO Setting listed under there. See more info on control options in this review.
    You are an effin great teacher. You and your assistant lobby. They should pay you guys more.
    I agree with this wholeheartedly, by the way. This is the first time I've actually understood what aperture is doing for the camera, and how to use it, and I've taken three separate meatspace photo classes.
    Aunt Em - Hate you, hate Kansas, took the dog - Dorothy.

  34. #34
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Quote Originally posted by sistercoyote
    Quote Originally posted by Biggirl
    Quote Originally posted by garygnu
    You can manually set the ISO on a PowerShot A85 under the Function button (labeled “FUNC.”). You should see an ISO Setting listed under there. See more info on control options in this review.
    You are an effin great teacher. You and your assistant lobby. They should pay you guys more.
    I agree with this wholeheartedly, by the way. This is the first time I've actually understood what aperture is doing for the camera, and how to use it, and I've taken three separate meatspace photo classes.
    Hey, happy to help. Someone will have to stop me when I get going on the technical stuff sometimes, but when we get to composition, I'll suddenly go quiet :mrgreen:

    Biggirl, I'm surprised that you're not getting better results. Assuming you're in aperture preferred, I'm not sure why the camera traded two shutter speeds for one ISO change. It could be rounding error or a change in lighting. Hmm.

    I wonder if the background is a problem. For one thing, as I think Gary mentioned upthread, the meter is trying to render everything 18% gray. Take the cardboard backing from a legal pad---that's an approximation of 18% gray. I can't tell if your background is black---it looks it---but in any event, dark colors absorb light rather than reflect it. Your light meter won't detect much reflected light because there isn't much (primarily what's coming off the jewelry, which is a tiny fraction of the image). It's going to give really long exposures to try to make the black into grey.

    Another issue: the autofocus may not have enough reflected light to focus well. Then you're not sure what it's really focused on.

    If you enjoy photographing jewelry and/or plan to do a lot of it, I'd experiment with different color backgrounds. If you plan to put them in B/W, I'd familiarize yourself with how they "translate" in a B/W image.

    And finally, odds are that your lens is achromatic. Here comes some really technical stuff that I don't completely understand myself.

    When you get to the far end of the spectrum (red or violet in the ROY G BIV scheme of things), you can run into focusing problems because those wavelengths don't focus at the same point (i.e. on the sensor). Beyond those---infrared and ultraviolet---you buy special film and adjust focus with 35mms.

    That's why there are apochromatic lenses, which focus all wavelengths at the same point. Anyway, the takeaway here is that if you're shooting on a red background, you may be asking for trouble. For more reading if you're so inclined and good at physics:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apochromat

    Here again is the 50mm normal lens from my 35mm Minolta.



    That band that says 22 16 8 4...that shows how the zone of focus expands. I have it focused at about 12 feet. If you're using f/8, your zone will be about 9 to 17 feet. If you're using f/22, it will be about 6 feet to infinity. And the red dot between 4/8 on the right? That's how far you shift focus for infrared film.

    Since some are still mastering the depth of field issue, I'll recap:

    To get more depth of field (a wider zone of focus):

    1) wide angle
    2) small aperture (high f/number)
    3) focus farther away, nearer infinity (where light rays become parallel and indistinguishably far to the camera)

    To get less depth of field (a narrower zone of focus):

    1) telephoto
    2) a large aperture (small f/number, closer to 0)
    3) focus nearer (macro being the extreme...look at closeup floral images already posted to illustrate)


    Remember, there can be multiple whammies. Like if you're in telephoto macro, you're losing depth of field "twice." And of course all the other things, like possible camera shake, still apply.

    You'll find yourself in situations where maybe you want a low shutter speed to blur motion or a small aperture for max depth of field. Remember, you can still change your ISO to help you achieve that.
    My latest photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/lobotomyboy63

    Major gear: Olympus E520 w/2 AF Zuiko, 3 adapted Minolta MD, Metz Flash, Digital King 0.7x wide angle auxiliary, Slik tripod, Lowepro pack, intervalometer en route, + Canon & Oly PS.

  35. #35
    Elephant
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    You could also just add more light. I have three desklamps that I use for extra light during interior photo shoots, particularly macro shots.
    I do not bite my thumb at you, but I bite my thumb.

  36. #36
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Quote Originally posted by garygnu
    You could also just add more light. I have three desklamps that I use for extra light during interior photo shoots, particularly macro shots.
    A good tip, although just in general I need to get more lights for my house.
    Aunt Em - Hate you, hate Kansas, took the dog - Dorothy.

  37. #37
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Am I going to be a problem child? Crafty type project in progress using Av priority.


    f2.8 shutter 1/50



    f8 shutter 1/5


    2.8 and 8 are the upper and lower limits on my camera. I don't see much difference. Too many focal points? Need to put foreground foregroundier?
    WTF did I just say?

  38. #38
    Stegodon Dragon's avatar
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Finally got some sun... Pictures are thumbnails....



    No job is too hard for the person who does not have to do it.

  39. #39
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Quote Originally posted by Biggirl
    Am I going to be a problem child? Crafty type project in progress using Av priority.


    f2.8 shutter 1/50



    f8 shutter 1/5


    2.8 and 8 are the upper and lower limits on my camera. I don't see much difference. Too many focal points? Need to put foreground foregroundier?
    In the first picture, the background looks sharper. In the second, the foreground looks sharper. I think your AF used two different points to focus on.
    My latest photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/lobotomyboy63

    Major gear: Olympus E520 w/2 AF Zuiko, 3 adapted Minolta MD, Metz Flash, Digital King 0.7x wide angle auxiliary, Slik tripod, Lowepro pack, intervalometer en route, + Canon & Oly PS.

  40. #40
    Elephant
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    I’m still waiting for assignments to be turned in by:

    featherlou
    NAF1138
    Art Rock
    SmartAleq
    NinetyWt
    troubleagain
    Giles
    ulfhjorr
    MisterDiskord
    Clayton_e
    longPath
    Cyberhwk
    Dangerously Unqualified

    I've gotten photos from:
    Biggirl
    sistercoyote
    Dragon

    Thank you.
    I do not bite my thumb at you, but I bite my thumb.

  41. #41
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    I always did wait until the night before. So far I've only got Assignment C done. Being a single guy with no kids or pets and living in a cul-de-sac with no traffic I'm having a tough time finding a moving subject. Took some of a clock in the house, but the pics are so boring I'm not going to subject anybody do them.

    But here's Assignment C:

    F2.5, 1/20 sec, ISO-100, Exposure Bias -1, Focal Length 21mm, Metering: Center Weighted Average.


    F7.1, 1/2 sec, ISO-100, Exposure Bias -1, Focal Length 21mm, Metering: Center Weighted Average.

    Comments: These came out underexposed. I added the exposure bias because it looked significantly lighter on my LCD when I took the pictures. Ended up being a mistake. Pretty hard to expose due to the high contrast figures anyway.

    I'll see if I can find something better than a clock pendulum by the end of the weekend.

  42. #42
    Elephant
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Okay, okay, I been busy!

    I do have one question--I went through every single preset mode on my P/S, took the same picture and checked the details on them--I get different exposure times and ISO readings but the F-stop is always 2.7, so what's up with that? Is it really always the same? Weird...

    Anyway--here's photo #1, I used one of the preset modes, I think it was the text setting for no flash, long exposure time. The photo has been desaturated and cropped. Linked to larger size.


    f/2.7, 1/59 sec, ISO 80, exp bias +1 step, desaturated, cropped

    Photo #2, used sports/action mode for faster exposure:


    f/2.7, 1/512 sec exp, ISO 800, sports/action mode, desaturated, cropped.

    Photo #3, similar to above but a bit more dynamic:


    f/2.7, 1/512 sec exp, ISO 671, desaturated, cropped, used sports/action mode.

    Closeups--I found a very perfectly in flower trillium and precariously balanced myself across a tiny stream to get a good closeup on it:


    f/2.7, exp 1/209 sec, ISO-80, desaturated, close up setting.


    f/2.7, exp 1/64 sec, no flash, ISO 98, desaturated, closeup setting

    If anyone would like to check out the uncropped color versions of these shots, the album is here.
    "And I hope I don't get born again, 'cuz one time was enough!" -- Mark Sandman

  43. #43
    Elephant
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    On review, I decided that I like the composition on this one better than the other two--better balance or something...



    Don't mind me, I'm being random...
    "And I hope I don't get born again, 'cuz one time was enough!" -- Mark Sandman

  44. #44
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Quote Originally posted by garygnu
    Quote Originally posted by lobotomyboy63
    ...Technical question: do most/all cameras make color images but show them in b/w or is it actually encoded in black and white in the camera?
    Good question. It may be both, actually, depending on whether you save in RAW or JPEG. The image chip records red, green, and blue light in three separate channels. You can see these individually in Photoshop or GIMP. Black and White mode may average them all out, or it may just take one channel. I’ll look into it or wait for a more technical poster comes along...
    A RAW file, to my knowledge (I can't think of an exception), always contains all the red, green, and blue color channel information, with settings, white balance, etc., stored as metadata. A black-and-white JPEG or TIFF stored on your camera starts as a raw capture, is fed through the camera's image processor, and is saved as a black-and-white JPEG. You cannot eke the original information out of this file, as it is destroyed.

    There is no good reason I can see to shoot black-and-white in-camera, unless you absolutely have no time or software to make a black-and-white conversion, or if you really like your camera's black-and-white conversion algorithm (which, if you're shooting RAW and using your camera's proprietary software can be duplicated.) By keeping your colors, you have a lot more control over the black-and-white conversion process. For example, if you have a red and green sweater of equal luminance (brightness), if you do a simple desaturation in Photoshop (which is generally one of the worst ways of converting a color image to black-and-white, if not the worst), they both come out as the same shade of gray. When you have the color info, you're able to bias towards certain colors (just like real black and white film), so you can make reds in your photo darker and greens brighter, for instance. So shoot in color, covert to black-and-white later.

    [Technical information for those interested. Pay no attention unless you really want to know the technical nitty-gritty about this stuff. Don't let it distract you: Image>Adjustments>Desaturate in Photoshop mixes each channel equally (33%R, 33%G, 33%B) when making a black-and-white image. Convert>Greyscale biases towards green, at a 30%R, 59%G, 11%B mix. And Image>Adjustments>Black & White defaults to 40%R, 40%G, 20%B). Using Image>Adjustments>Black & White or Image>Adjustments>Channel Mixer gives you the most control over making pure black-and-white images, and is, in my opinion, the best way of doing so. A quick-and-dirty way of making a decent black-and-white is to go into LAB in Photoshop and pull out the L channel. If you have Photoshop and want to see the differences in action, open up a blank file, say 800x800 pixels, make a square, fill it with pure red (255R,0G,0B), and repeat for a green square and a blue square. Try Desaturate and see what happens. Try Convert>Greyscale. Try Image>Adjustments>Black & White. Note the vast differences.)

  45. #45
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Quote Originally posted by SmartAleq
    I do have one question--I went through every single preset mode on my P/S, took the same picture and checked the details on them--I get different exposure times and ISO readings but the F-stop is always 2.7, so what's up with that? Is it really always the same? Weird...
    You must have your ISO set to Auto, which lets the camera choose which ISO to use on each shot. I never use that because it may choose ISOs over 400, at which point the picture quality is probably going to tank due to noise. I generally shoot at ISO 400 and change when only lighting requires it (shutter speeds getting too high or whatever).

    As for the f/2.7, if you were in aperture priority and set f/2.7, maybe it keeps the last user setting as its default for other modes. I notice the camera is electing to change ISOs instead of the aperture. Try manually changing the aperture to something else, shoot in different modes, and see if all other pictures come back with that aperture.

    That doesn't make sense for modes that must be aimed at giving more depth of field, though. Maybe the program's overwhelming bias is to freeze action, i.e. use the biggest aperture to ensure the highest shutter speed.

    @pulykamell: thanks for the technical info. I wondered how many would shoot something in black and white only later to wish they could retrieve the color info either to make a color image or to make a better black and white.
    My latest photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/lobotomyboy63

    Major gear: Olympus E520 w/2 AF Zuiko, 3 adapted Minolta MD, Metz Flash, Digital King 0.7x wide angle auxiliary, Slik tripod, Lowepro pack, intervalometer en route, + Canon & Oly PS.

  46. #46
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Now that you mention it lob, I do see that thef2.8 shows a much more detailed "find the bird" pattern on those awful background cushions in much sharper detail than the f8 one. I need someone to point this stuff out to me because I'm. . . not as sharp as some.

    I think a much more stark contrast could have been made if I could have kept the shutter speed constant. My camera did a lot of compensating. 1/5 shutter speed as compared to 1/50
    WTF did I just say?

  47. #47
    Stegodon
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Quote Originally posted by Biggirl
    Now that you mention it lob, I do see that thef2.8 shows a much more detailed "find the bird" pattern on those awful background cushions in much sharper detail than the f8 one. I need someone to point this stuff out to me because I'm. . . not as sharp as some.
    I had to study it some before noticing. Look at the "claw like" thing in front of the disc in the foreground...it's sharper at f/8. Anyway, DOF will probably show up more dramatically when you look at larger image sizes because the brain tends to "fill in" detail that isn't really there.

    Quote Originally posted by Biggirl
    I think a much more stark contrast could have been made if I could have kept the shutter speed constant. My camera did a lot of compensating. 1/5 shutter speed as compared to 1/50
    WRT contrast, what might look like a variety to your eye because you're seeing in color doesn't always translate that way in B/W. If you manipulate highlights and shadows you may get results you like better.

    WRT exposure, your camera is probably not off by that much.
    f/8@.2 sec
    f/5.6@.4 sec=
    f/4@.8 sec=
    f/2.8@.16 sec vs. f/2.8 @ .2 (i.e.1/5) sec.

    Slight variations in the framing, ambient light, and rounding values could explain it.
    My latest photos here: http://picasaweb.google.com/lobotomyboy63

    Major gear: Olympus E520 w/2 AF Zuiko, 3 adapted Minolta MD, Metz Flash, Digital King 0.7x wide angle auxiliary, Slik tripod, Lowepro pack, intervalometer en route, + Canon & Oly PS.

  48. #48
    Elephant
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Ok, I am extremely discouraged. I tried to take some photos in Landscape mode, so the camera would use a slower shutter speed, and in Sports mode, to use a faster speed, but it just doesn't work.

    There is no way to set either the shutter speed or aperture on this camera. (Kodak Easyshare C713).

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  49. #49
    Elephant
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    I suppose I can use these for my different apertures. The difference is too small to really be effective. I was trying to do the difference in shutter speeds (spinning pinwheel).

    Clickable thumbnails:

    Shutter 1/302, f4.80 ('sports' mode)

    Shutter 1/138, f2.70 ('landscape' mode)
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  50. #50
    Elephant
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    Default Re: The DoMeBo Photography Class - Lesson #2

    Quote Originally posted by NinetyWt
    Ok, I am extremely discouraged. I tried to take some photos in Landscape mode, so the camera would use a slower shutter speed, and in Sports mode, to use a faster speed, but it just doesn't work.

    There is no way to set either the shutter speed or aperture on this camera. (Kodak Easyshare C713).

    I'm feeling your pain--mine's a C813 and it's similarly inflexible. If you have those silly modes,try text or manner/museum, both of those are slow shutter speeds--so are the "night" modes. Aperture is apparently something we don't need to bother our pretty little heads over.
    "And I hope I don't get born again, 'cuz one time was enough!" -- Mark Sandman

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