…for a repeat: the Dutch play Spain in the World Cup finals.
Oranje Fans Celebrate Semifinal in Toronto
I wonder how many people in Las Vegas know what football is? Yeah, soccer.
That picture above shows something important: capture the moment. Photography is about light, composition/subject, and moment.
Another flash tip for you today.
580ex2 Flash
Say you are using a flash for a portrait outdoors. You want to decrease the ambient light, of course, and add flash to light your subject. But uh oh – you run out of enough power. You verify this with the full-power tip I gave you the other day. Not enough.
Now what?
One option: concentrate the light more.
Your flash includes a zoom mechanism, to ensure the light goes as wide of the lens. If you have insufficient power, you can:
Drawback: only the centre of where the flash aims is now lit – so, aim carefully. The big benefit, however: the light is concentrated more, and hence brighter. You get more power when you need it!
I am off to Vegas now, to teach Advanced Flash with David Honl. Talk to you all soon!
People often ask me: should I get a DSLR or a point-and-shoot?
Of course there is no answer to that that I can give – any more than to a question like “should I buy a Kia or a Mercedes?”. But what I can do is give you pros and cons. So you can decide for yourself.
First, there is the simple point-and-shoot. These are small, simple, light. They have few buttons. These cameras are truly “point and shoot” – except this is perhaps an oversimplification.
Point-and-shoot
Pro:
Con:
The simple point-and-shoot is for light, casual users who do not demand much from their cameras. If a simple occasional snapshot is what you want, go for it. Else, look at the next categories.
Next: the advanced point-and-shoot. This category includes the Canon G11, the micro four-thirds cameras, other fixed-lens “pro-sumer models”, and most Leicas, for example.
Pro:
Con:
This category is great for people who want pro-quality photos, or nearly so, without the bulk. Yes, there are compromises, but these are minor compared to the alternatives. I would carry one of these if I could not carry a DSLR.
Finally, there is the DSLR. From low-end (Digital Rebel, D3000/5000) to medium (7D, D700) and all the way up to high-end (1D MkIV, D3S), these are the “gold standard”.
Canon 7D, by Michael Willems
Pro:
Con:
I called this the Gold Standard – because it is. There is a reason all the pros use these. There is often no way to get the shot you want without them.
My advice is to start with an SLR. If that is not possible, go down to one of the other categories. Even the cheapest SLR will produce professional pictures: no need to spend $5,000 on a camera unless you need the specific features this brings, such as ultra-fast operation, the ability to use dual memory cards, or waterproofing.
Today, a quick but important (and as far as I can tell, pretty unique) TTL flash tip.
So you want to know if you can do a certain shot? TTL outdoors is fighting against the sun. Do you have enough power to do the shot? It’s always a battle.
You can of course fire a test shot. If the flashed area is dark, try exposure compensation, maybe. Or spot metering, or using FEL (flash lock). Or rely on the LCD display on your flash to tell you the expected distance. All very time consuming and uncertain. What if I just want to know “do I have enough power in my flash to do this shot” and then if yes, figure it out from there?
I am glad you asked.
Now you know:
Simple, innit? This trick has saved me countless times.
Tricks like this one, and many more, is what you will learn in Las Vegas next week, and in Mono, Ontario the week after. Come join me and David Honl in Vegas and me and Jospeh Marranca in Mono to learn more!
Should you ever focus manually? When?
Well, yes. Indeed there are circumstances where manual focus (setting lens or camera switch to manual focus, and turning the focus ring yourself) is the way to go.
And here’s a few of those circumstances. I can think of six right away:
Tip: Do not confuse manual focus with “using one focus point”. When using autofocus, you should always (or virtually always) use one focus point. When the camera chooses it will choose what you do not want to see sharp.
Homework: go take ten pictures right now where you focus manually. You;ll see how easy it is, and how consistent once you get it right.
…during the Netherlands-Uruguay game.
Netherlands-Uruguay happiness, 6 July 2010
Tech Note: In a bright room like that, straight flash (aimed forward) is an option, but as fill – meaning I expose just under for the ambient light and Flash Exposure Compensation is set to -2 stops.
One aspect of wide versus telephoto lenses is how large the background gets. As in “If you want a large moon, use a long lens”.
Huh? What do you mean, Michael?
I shall illustrate with a couple of shots I took of a student during a “Creative Urban Photography” outing the other day. One with a long lens, and one with a wide angle lens.
Ignore the light (I was using a flash with a warming gel on one camera, and no flash at all on the other), and look instead at the size of the blurred-out car in the background:
Here’s picture one:
Student during recent CUP outing, Oakville
Now look at picture two (where by moving my position I have kept the subject the same size):
Student during recent CUP outing, Oakville
See how that car magically grew much larger in the second picture?
Do I need to explain which picture was taken with a wide angle lens, and which one with a telephoto lens?
So now imagine the person is a tree and the car is the moon at night, or the setting sun. So what lens would I be most likely to use if I want a large moon or a large setting sun?
Everyone should own a fast 50mm lens, I keep saying. “Fast” meaning a prime, large aperture lens (like a 50mm f/1.8, or even a 50mm f/1.4, like this one:)
50mm fast lens, by Michael Willems
One student asks a good question about this:
“I recently attended your travel photography and Nikon Pt. 2 classes. You spoke about the value of a 50 mm lens. I have a Nikon D90, which is not full frame therefore I am wondering if you still recommend the 50 mm over a 35 mm.”
Good question.
As you know, a small sensor camera (like most of today’s DSLRs) appears to “lengthen” the lens (search this blog for “crop factor” to see why). So a 50mm lens will work like a “real” 80mm lens.
In “real” terms,
So presumably we should all start with a “real” 50mm lens? On a regular (non-“full frame”) DSLR, that means you need to buy a 35mm lens.
So is my advice really “buy a lens marked 35mm” or “buy a lens marked 50mm”?
Ideally, both. But if you have to choose, start with the 50, because:
Most manufacturers make a 50mm f/1.8 that costs around $150 or less. A bargain, and something you just need to put in your camera bag.
Quick recipe for fireworks, US friends!
Fireworks, by Michael Willems
Technical tips:
And the usage tips:
And above all, have fun, and happy 4th of July!
It is July 4 in the US, so my American friends will all be taking pictures today. So here is a quick tip for you flash users out there!
If you want a slightly warmer look – the “late afternoon light” look – to your flash pictures, simply do this:
Result: your subject (close by, lit by flash) looks slightly warm.. instant late afternoon “golden hour” light even at noon.
Student, slightly warmed up
That was a student at last week’s “Creative Urban Photography” course. In not very warm light!