New camera!!
I just bought my first DSLR, a Cannon Rebel XS. I have no idea how to use a DSLR so look forward to learning how to use it! Any advice on good books or things I need to know to take good shots of my pup? I've attached my very first picture of Franklin with my new camera! I'm so excited to start snapping pictures!
Tiny (my cat) got bored after just a few shots
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on
-
Hi Melissa,
The Rebel XS is a great camera, DSLR bodies can be upgraded every 4-6 years if need be, great lens last a lifetime and keep their value. But remember It is the creativity of the brain, not gear :)
With that said here are a few of my heroes: Zack Arias, Joey L, Joe McNally, David Hobby, Vincent Laforet, Philip Bloom and Chase Jarvis. Read their books, videos, tutorials, a lot of them are free straight from Nikon / Canon / personal website, also on Creativelive.com
My personal rule is ONLY use the "M" mode. This is how you learn to shoot properly.
I only buy F1.4, F1.8 and F2.8 lens only, they are fast and works great in low light condition. A good starter lens for you is the Canon EF 50mm F1.8, I've seen it under $100. Once you've mastered it, THEN think about purchasing other things.
For fast action shots, a faster SD card may squeeze in one more pic in burst mode. A Class 10 card with 30mb/s read and write should be plenty on the XS.
For inspiration, join Flickr and Vimeo's canon group, I believe they have sub groups for the XS and individual lens. Have fun!
-
Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on
-
Thank you so much Sam!
-
Permalink Reply by Yuki & Ellie on
-
Aww, I love the look on Franklin's face. :) And the picture of your cat is really funny! Talk about a great shot of the inside of a cat's mouth! I, too, am learning how to use a DSLR, but mine is a Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2. So far I've mostly used the auto features (I know, I'm cheating!) and I love the quality. I hope to play with the manual settings as things quiet down this winter. I look forward to seeing lots of pictures featuring Franklin, especially since he's a "professional model" now. ;)
-
-
I love the Panasonic Lumix. I had 3 Lumix point and shoot cameras and when my last one got dust inside the lens and could no longer be used in bright sunlight I decided to upgrade. My mom has the most recent Lumix point and shoot and it takes AMAZING pictures! I just chose a cannon because my film SLR was a cannon rebel and I LOVED it. Franklin hasn't had his photo shoot yet for the magazine BUT he will get lots of practice in the next few weeks while I learn to use my camera! lol
-
Permalink Reply by Nicola Porter on
-
Hai Franklin, such a pretty boy.
-
Permalink Reply by Gromit, Sparkle, and Doug on
-
Melissa, you have a fine camera and a Corgi so you're 2/3 of the way to making excellent photos! Sam's suggestions are right on. You'll find many excellent "how to" videos on-line but there's no substitute for taking lots of photos and then figuring out what you did right and what went wrong and also studying the work of the pros and learning how they did it. It takes a while for it all to soak in so be patient with yourself and of course you have Franklin to assist so you're in good shape.
-
Permalink Reply by Beth on
-
The nice thing is that any basic photo program, like iPhoto, tells you what the f-stop, shutter speed, ISO setting etc were on the camera, so it's easy to just shoot tons of pics and then go back and see what you did. In the old days one had to write down what all the pics were so you knew what went right and wrong.
Do shoot a lot of pics on either manual or one of the semi-manual settings to get used to it, but I do rely on the auto settings when I have to take pics of fast-moving objects that will be moving through different lighting conditions. It is just not possible to keep metering the light and readjusting the settings if, say, a running dog moving in and out of shadow. Even the pros rely on the cameras auto sensors in some situations.
One thing I did was pre-set the program mode for a particular scenario I use: using my telephoto lens to photograph wildlife. After too many missed shots with the auto-focus picking out the wrong thing, I set up this one to have a 400 ISO (for faster shutter speeds) and to focus off of the central auto-focus dot, and to use the semi-spot metering (or whatever it's called on this camera) so the light is metered off what is in the middle of the viewfinder. When I'm doing wildlife, all I care about is getting good lighting and focus on what I'm shooting; I can then use some simple photo-editing if the background is very dark, or washed out, or contrasty. Before this, the auto-focus would frequently pick up on, say, the tree branch rather than the bird because it was using multiple dots to focus. Now what I'm shooting is usually in focus. If I can get framed in tight enough with the zoom I try when possible to focus on the animal's eyes and then keep the shutter half-pressed to hold the setting and re-center the image before snapping the shot. For things that are still not filling the frame even when zoomed in (a bald eagle at the top of a tree, for instance) I just point the focus ring at the biggest chunk of critter I can find and shoot that, then reposition the shot with basic photo editing.
Finally, go out and practice different things. Take seven pictures of the same flower with different ISO's to see how your camera does at blurring the background. Take pictures of birds at a feeder, or landscapes, or your family's kids. Get to know your camera before you have that can't-miss shot and you do miss it because you messed up the settings. I've not spent enough time with my camera and therefore I've ruined some shots by picking the wrong settings.
One last thing is that I've sort of memorized a saying to help me get the stupid aperture thing right. "The bigger the number, the smaller the opening and the wider the field of view."
You get less light with the smaller opening but more of the field in focus at once. If you want to blur out the background, you want a smaller f-stop which means more light, and THAT means that if you are trying to do that on a bright sunny day you need a really fast shutter speed and a low ISO or you'll have too much light. If you are shooting scenery and you want that wide field of view, you need a smaller aperture which means a slow shutter speed to compensate.
Have fun! Can't wait to see the results.
-
-
so much great info! My problem is (was) I have no idea what half the settings on the camera mean! I haven't taken a photography class in over 10 years so remember nothing! Thanks for the info on metering and f-stop. I played a bit with that on our walk today. I have a friend who is a professional pet photographer who offered to give me some advice but I am wanting to learn my camera a bit more before talking with him so I don't go in totally stupid lol. Here are some pics from today. A lot were taken in sport mode since Franklin never stops moving, but I did to some in the semi-automatic mode where I set the f-stop.
-
Permalink Reply by John Wolff on
-
As these photos show, a DSLR is vastly faster than a point-and-shoot, and can do action.
See Shepdog's page.
These are complicated gadgets. You do need to do your homework. The more you learn, the better you'll be, and every option is also a mistake waiting to be made. There's a million things to learn about that gizmo. Learn them.
I've had my obsolete Canon A590 for 5+ years, and just learned some new things about it on the last trip.
You've got a good start; that howl photo is pretty good -- subject sharp, background fuzzy, and action too -- I couldn't do that with my lightweight P & S.
Keep things in perspective. Franklin just wants you to throw the ball.
-
Permalink Reply by Kari & Quin on
-
http://blacksheepcardigans.com/ruff/ this is a blog you might like she also has one where she talks about taking photos
-
-
Thought I'd post more pictures of Franklin, AND MY NEW GUY!!! He is still on trial, doesn't care much for Franklin yet and bristled a bit at the cat so I'm giving him a month to settle in. He attacked my parents lab several times, but the lab is super sweet so just jumped back confused. He has definite fear aggression, so hopefully that will subside as he gets used to me and Franklin.
Rescue Store
Stay Connected
FDA Recall
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall
Groups
We support...
Badge
© 2024 Created by Sam Tsang.
Powered by
