photojournalista

The problem with shooting with digital is that you tend to blast away without thinking what your settings should be. You just shoot, chimp and adjust then shoot again. You practice to become more efficient. So that when shooting events: a) You need less time to prepare and take the shot. Avoiding trouble with impatient subjects. b) Shoot less but get more keepers... saving shutter life of your digital camera and disk space on your computer. Behind the Gates Ambient light, Reflection shot Tied Down Ambient light, Leading lines shot Tiki Pole Fill flash using speedlight Group Hug Fill flash with gel. Custom white balance to get the nice blue background.

1/125 sec is too slow for action. The subjects are blurred due to the motion. (Motion blur) Shot info: 1/125 F6.3 ISO400 Fill flash from camera right.

18 * 3 = 54 54 * 3 = 162 15 * 2 = 30 15 * 2 = 30 Translation: 18 people at 3 shots each = 54. There are 3 sets of 18 people (18 flowers, 18 candles and 18 cash gifts). 162 shots total. 15 groups (tables) at 2 shots each at the table = 30. 15 groups at 2 shots each with the debutant = 30 shots. 162 + 30 + 30 = 222 shots Debutant + parents + preparations + entrance shots + miscellaneous + more tries on the said 222 shots easily brings the number of photos to about 500. I shoot in raw and only have 1 x 1GB and 1 x 2GB memory. That's only 100 shots on the 1GB and 200 shots on the 2GB memory. Lesson: * Do your math before the shoot. * Manage the memory cards properly. * Download the photos to your laptop at the earliest opportunity. /rom

Beware of gear lust! When I get hooked into something, I always strive to be better than average. I always put in extra effort. And if it's not enough to be better, I compensate with better gear. Unfortunately, extra gear means money. And right now, I'm tight on budget. I couldn't sleep knowing the fact that I need extra money to get better lens for my dSLR. I'm not even thinking of the brand name pro grade lens, I'm just looking at the 3rd party alternatives. Everytime I pass by the camera shops, I just drool over the lenses on display. So if you're not ready to throw down at least a hundred thousand pesos on gear, don't buy a dSLR. Because, you'll surely want that upgrade. Must resist!

I'm trying to figure out how to use the flash in manual for some lighting tricks. 430EX does not go down lower than 1/64 on manual. 50mm, F1.8 @ ISO1600 But it goes lower than 1/64 power when on ETTL mode. 50mm, F1.8 @ ISO1600

When I shot this image, contrast looks bad even on the tiny LCD of my camera. I tried another shot but the contrast is still the same and there's even a flare So I removed the cheap UV filter on my lens. The difference is like night and day. Why get the 50mm F1.8 lens? It's cheap It's a prime It allows you to capture low light photos like these

Instead of shooting, I'm reading. That's not the way to learn photography. I've been spending a lot of time in Internet forums and websites that relate to photography. I'm trying to research about the next item to be purchased and learn how to take a shot. 1. I now have enough information to start practicing. 2. I don't have enough money to buy any new equipment. So the best thing is to live with what I have and practice what I currently have learned. I should stop myself from spending a lot if time in front of the computer and instead spend a lot of time behind the viewfinder.

I've consumed my whole afternoon yesterday looking for a tripod that'll fit my budget. Stay away from the cheap WF something brand. It's too wobbly even for my low standards. Unfortunately, some sales clerk hard sells the item as if it's a low cost but "same quality" alternative to branded pods. Nope, not close enough. I came home empty handed.

Man oh man! Lotsa noise on my Christmas images! Why? I've left the ISO setting on my 350D to 1600. :( Next time, I should remember to push the "INFO." button and double check my settings everytime I change from one location to the other. Particularly the ISO and the flash exposure compensation. Another thing I'm still learning in using dSLR is to look at the bottom of the viewfinder first, change the settings if necessary, then compose the photo. These should be the steps: Point the cam to the subject. If not using flash, check the light meter. Adjust apperture, shutter speed, or both to get the light meter somehwere near the middle. Focus Recompose Click the shutter button. Merry Christmas everyone.

It's the indian not the pana. In plain english, it translates to: It's the indian, not the bow and arrow. Or, it's the photographer that matters, not the camera being used. Look at the two photographs. Which is better or more appealing? The first photograph is taken with a better equipment while the second one was taken using a point and shoot camera. Some things you lack in skill, you compensate with technology. * Shaky hands? there's Image Stabilizer. * Difficulty telling if the subject is in focus? Auto focus and focus assist beam. * Better and faster focus ability. * Better low light ability. * Lesser incidents of red eye. * Lower noise levels. Better equipment is simply better. A point and shoot in the hands of an able photographer will yield better than pro equipment in the hands of an amateur. But if a point and shoot camera and an SLR is used by the same person (or same skill level), the pro equipment will definitely produce instantly better results. In conclusi...

During the event in my previous post, I was shooting mostly groups of 3 for a certain portion of the program. So I've put on my 50mm 1.8 lens to get a wider apperture opening. There was a lull so I snuck out and ate dinner just outside the venue. Halfway through my platter, the coordinator was running to me panicking and asking to take some photos. I rushed back inside the venue ... and ... gosh! It's a group shot. The 50 mm is too long to get everyone in the photo. Luckily, I have my trusty A610 and shot the group with that puny camera. Whew! The Lesson: 1. Always carry fast food. Cookies, bread whatever. Something that will fit in your bag or pocket for a quick munch. 2. Always have a spare camera, even if it's a point and shoot.

If you're shooting at F1.8 or larger apperture, don't use focus-recompose technique as the DOF is too shallow. A slight change in angle moves the focus distance and you'll get a blurry photo as shown here. I'd rather recommend changing the focus point.