Lots of equipment but i dont know what im doing

[GSMguy]

i have lots of expensive camera equipment cannon rebel xti 100mm ef macrolens and photoshop cs2 and a giant powermac
but i dont know how to get great photos
what are some good resources for me to learn how to use my equipment
thanks
Nick

[edwing206]

have you read this? you probably have.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-01/gr/index.php

[GSMguy]

ya i dont have point and shoot though i have DSLR and it is very complicated also i dont know how to shoot in RAW and then edit in photoshop i want to learn

[Ebn]

This might be of help.

http://www.photoworkshop.com/canon/


Here's a full PDF from one of them.
http://photoworkshop.com/canon/EOS_Digital.pdf


Take a moment and go through some of it. It should give you a basic understanding of the camera and how you can use it. From there, start shooting and then post some pictures for some guidance.

[GSMguy]

camera setting and why you use them is what im looking for i also dont know how to use photoshop

[Blazer88]

The best thing you can do is to just start practicing and post in here for help. Avoid the non-creative modes, such as macro, night, etc. Learn the manual controls and it will help out immensely. And I wouldn't worry about any photoshop or even RAW quite yet. Many people seem to skip the whole step or learning how to actually take a focused and well-exposed shot. Start there first

[edwing206]

i thought that article applied to all cameras, i guess not.

[GSMguy]

thanks blazer i have a thread in the sps forum i will start one here for help

[Blazer88]

I took a look at your thread over there. The first thing you need to make sure you are doing is shooting straight into the glass. Almost all of your pictures look to have glass distortion which happens when you shoot through glass at angles. Take a pass on the full auto mode, it will do nothing for you. Do you have a tripod? Here a quick rundown of what I do to shoot corals (easy to start there since they don't move)

-Setup on a tripod
-Set camera to Av (aperture priority)
-Set f-stop between F/8-F/16, depending on the depth of field you want
-Use a low ISO (I always use 100 since I'm on a tripod)
-Make sure you can focus correctly (the coral isn't too close)
-Use timer or remote shutter so you don't shake the camera
-Now take lots of pictures!

I can post examples of SPS shots for you with the settings I used if that would be helpful. Learning from examples have always helped me.

[GSMguy]

feel free to post

[GSMguy]

you shoot raw in AV

[GSMguy]

also only way i can get the flash to turn off is in full autoW/O flash

[Blazer88]

The flash won't fire in the "creative" (Av, Tv, Manual) modes if it isn't up. Here are a few samples with the settings that I used to snap some SPS shots. Feel free to ask questions.

F/13, 1/2 second, aperture priority, ISO 100


F/16, 1/2 second, aperture priority, ISO 100


F/25 (trying to get more DOF), .6 seconds, ISO 100


F/16, .4 seconds, ISO 100, aperture priority

[jeffbrig]

Looks like we're all in trouble when they do SPS corals in the photo contest.

[Blazer88]

Too bad I can only post one, lol. I have about fifty that I like

[afex]

Originally posted by GSMguy
i have lots of expensive camera equipment cannon rebel xti 100mm ef macrolens and photoshop cs2 and a giant powermac
but i dont know how to get great photos
what are some good resources for me to learn how to use my equipment
thanks
Nick

http://www.ximinasphotography.com/lessons/index.html

[ahuxman58]

Ive seen your pics in the Canon forum Blazer88 awesome shots. You turning off your pumps and powerheads for those exposures? cause I dont see any polyp blur from movement

[jeffbrig]

ahuxman58's signature
24-105MM EF 4L,70-200MM EF 2.8L IS USM,100-400MM EF 4.5-5.6L IS USM

:drool:

[Blazer88]

Originally posted by ahuxman58
Ive seen your pics in the Canon forum Blazer88 awesome shots. You turning off your pumps and powerheads for those exposures? cause I dont see any polyp blur from movement

I did turn off the pumps for these shots. The polyps are pretty good about staying still but you are bound to still get white streaks of particles floating by. This is where post-processing comes in, but more importantly you still need a good picture to start with. It's also great to see someone who lists a ton of L glass in their signature, lol. The 24-105 F/4L is in my very near future as well as a 30D or 40D (once it's released).

[xxxbadfishxxx]

Really nice shots Blazer, you and Greg are both amazing. Have you guys put together any Photoshop tutorials? I have a D50, and can get halfway decent shots, but the post processing, which IMO is needed to make pictures look amazing, i dont know.

[GSMguy]

yes i need to find a resource for how to use CS2 i also have CS3 beta anyone use CS3 yet

[Blazer88]

I made a tutorial a while back on color correction but didn't bookmark it. I would really suggest reading a few books on photoshop though. I have read two and picked up tons of great tips and tools. I have read The Photoshop CS2 Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby and Adobe Photoshop Restoration & Retouching (3rd Edition) by Katrin Eismann. I just checked them out from my local library so they didn't cost anything. Each book has some great tips/examples and teaches different ways to accomplish stuff in CS2.

[GuOD]

Blazer88 - did you use flash for those SPS shots? What lighting did you have on at the time?

I wish I could take good pictures like that...my water is so murky that I can't get a good shot

L glass just doesn't help

[Blazer88]

Yeah, L glass may not always be the answer but it sure is nice I have never used a flash on an aquarium as I find out it washes out the colors (at least when I tried). These SPS shots were taken with 20K lighting and supplemental VHO actinic's. The pics came out pretty blue (even after RAW adjustment) so color correction was the biggest challenge. There is probably more PS on these shots than I would normally do but the picture still has to be in focus and decently exposed to begin with. So GSMguy, start posting up some progress!

[jeffbrig]

Blazer, does shooting in RAW give you more control to smooth differences in exposure in post-processing? I'm constantly amazed by how evenly lit your subjects appear.