What Tiger Can Teach Obama

I saw the cover and laughed as I looked through the magazine rack. 10 Tips Obama Can Take From Tiger made me glad I am not a magazine editor, but it helped in at least one sale today. I immediately came up with an idea, but it got even better. There was a pull-out section, like a Playboy centerfold, but it merely showed forty-eight pictures of Jack Nicklaus from 1940 when he was a baby up until the present in preparation of his 70th birthday.

The Wescott 28" softbox is a handy light modifier and I've gain compliments on my photos because of using it, even though they have little idea of lighting technique, which is a bit less than I know. I have an SB-25 on the way to replace my SB-600 since I have a pc adapter rubberbanded to the hotshoe because it really isn't that secure. The SB-25 has the sync port while the SB-600 does not.

I'm just beginning to learn about off camera flash, but I think I just need more experience. My first approach for this shot is knowing that I wanted to eliminate most ambient light, which was going to take a high-sync speed. So 1/250 of a second was dialed and I decided to used ISO 400 because I knew it was going to be dark inside my small living room. Then I shot at f/4 for a test with the magazine on the chair and could see immediately that it was too bright. I shot at f/5.6 and only a small bit of the magazine was flashing on the highlights screen. I stopped it down 1/3 stop, and then realized that the magazine was being held a little closer to my softbox which was just right of the camera and pointed downward a little above eye level. I then dropped the aperture another 1/3 stop at f/7.1.

I probably took nearly 100 photos. I started at one angle shooting down, then moved the camera to left and shot more. By the time I shot this frame, I had gone ninety degrees around the chair, lowered and then raised the tripod. Some frames were ruined due to anticipating the flash. Sometimes, it would be nice to have a random self-time mode so one doesn't get used to the time before the shutter is released. At 1/2 power, the flash was close enough to really get several frames of squinty eyes, but with my new CyberSyncs, I didn't have to deal with the on camera flash, which is worse. Before, I would place a sock overtop of the flash to diffuse it and enough light came through to trip the optical slave.

A Year of Photos

It has been a little over a year since I first purchased a Nikon DSLR. The first model I bought was a D40, but soon, I needed something a little more. When autofocus motors first were introduced in Nikon, they were placed in the body that would mate with the slotted screw in the lens. A few years later, Nikon would begin creating lenses with autofocus motors. The D40 excluded the in-camera motor so autofocus would require lenses with the motor inside. After the first of the year, I purchased a 50mm f/1.8 lens, which was designed for Nikon bodies with the AF motor.

It became frustrating to autofocus with the shallow depth of field possible with the fast 50mm lens, so I decided to look around for perhaps a used D80 and found several dealer samples for $550 dollars on several websites. And then I wondered how much a D200 would run and eventually I found that BestBuy.com were selling the bodies for $799. I decided to go ahead and purchase the D200 and as soon as it landed in my hands, they marked the price down to $650. Since it was within the thirty days, they credited my card and a week later, it drops to $600 and another $50 was credited to me. So I really got a new D200 for $50 more than a used dealer sample D80, although I would have been satisfied either way. However, I do love the ability to change settings without having to go into the menu system.

I really love digital and the ability to learn quickly. So far, I've captured over 20,000 images, but only posted a few hundred on my flickr account. Some images I thought were fantastic out in the field were less inspiring when viewed larger and some which had been nice images really stood out when looking through a day of shooting. I wish I could dedicate more time to photography, but work and college come first.

However, the time that I have spent has really reenforced the conceptual ideas of photography into practical applications. An example of this is the basic exposure triangle. While seemingly easy to understand, there are many who have spent thousands of dollars for the best equipment who lack such knowledge and fail to understand why their photos on their D300s come out blurred. Like I said, when I first got into it, I shot with the entry level D40 and quickly learned that the camera fought against me by automatically setting the ISO speed. After setting up the camera, I spent five months shooting 95% of the time in manual mode pressing the exposure compensation button, which was used in manual mode, to change aperture.

But it really began a love of capturing images that I could share.

Photography is not black and white

This is one of my favorite photos that I have captured. It was during the praise and worship of a service at church. I, of course, shot it in color and then adjusted it to greyscale. I have little understanding of why anyone would want to shoot in just black and white digitally because one can capture the image and adjust it later using more information than pure greyscale. I mean, I love black and white photography, but if one is going to shoot, then just shoot with the greatest resolution and information including chrominance because you can always go to B&W from color, but not the other way around.

I shoot RAW format most all of the time, which allows for adjustments later. While there are still arguments between film and digital, no one can argue that it is absolutely great to have the ability to review your shot immediately after capturing it with digital. I feel much more comfortable snapping away, especially at such a live event such as music because no matter what, timing is everything. A singer's lips may look awkward one moment, but the next moments everything looks natural in that fraction of a section of the capture.

While I would love to buy a nicer zoom lens, the Nikon 55-200 VR (vibration reduction) lens is pretty sweet for its price. Shooting on this Sunday morning allowed me to capture inside without as much worry about my hand movement as much and allows for a bit slower shutter speed. However, I still sometimes push process these types of pictures because slower shutter speeds also can lead to blurring if the subject of the picture is moving as well. So I'll set the shutter to a little faster speed and get a darker picture, but I can still bring out the details in the shadows. One thing I've learned is that blown out highlights just cannot be recaptured. Once it reaches white, then no details can be brought out. This is true of any photograph, film or digital.

I have learned quite a lot after I purchased my Nikon D40, but there is so much more to learn. Perhaps I'll never venture out as a National Geographic photographer, but I can still enjoy the experience of capturing and processing photos. And with digital, I can do it without the chemicals and darkroom, although I would love to learn it.

Just as there are photography standards like the rule of thirds, etc., rules were meant to be broken and there really is this process of creativity that just cannot be quantified. So have fun and happy shooting!

200mm f/5.6, 1/50 sec., ISO 400
Sing unto the Lord, 1 March 2009

Photograph

I'll post some of my photos that I have taken since early November when I bought a Nikon D40. While I have been looking at digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras for a few years now, I finally had some extra money to finally buy one. Along with the camera and 18-55mm kit lens, I bought a 55-200mm VR lens as well as an autofocus 50mm f/1.8 that I have to manually focus on my D40. Below is a shot with the 50mm.

With buying the entry level DSLR, I did save money and was able to afford a SB-600 flash as well as a nice Manfrotto tripod legs and head. I understand that the lens is the most important part of the system save for the person taking the picture. If I had the money, I would definitely invest in better glass rather than a top-of-the-line camera.

Photography should be enjoyable. Sure, it can be some work getting the right shot, but the creativity it takes to capture an image is nothing less than a thrill. I've learned quite a bit having studied video and working in broadcasting about shutter speed, f-stops and composition, but nothing is better than real world experience.

Soaring Spirit by Robert Koepnic

Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, Ohio, 7 February 2009

50mm, f/1.8 1/640 ISO 200 with Neutral Density filter.