Happy Wednesday! I really feel like today should be Thursday or Friday, so that’s a bummer, but hey, we’re halfway through the week!
So I got my first DSLR camera Monday night, and to say I’m confused would be an understatement. I’ve adjusted the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO and haven’t noticed a difference in my pictures, except for at one point when my pictures were coming out completely black. That wasn’t good.
But I have already determined I need a new lens. My aperture only goes down to like F4.5, so from what I’ve gathered, that’s why I’m not getting fuzzy background photos. Or maybe I just have no idea what I’m doing. Probably that one.
I was really hoping to show up here today with beautiful photos of my recently painted furniture with only the furniture itself in focus. I was also probably going to have a home tour that made my apartment look like something out of a magazine even thought it really doesn’t. But, as it turns out, these photos don’t create themselves just because you buy a “real” camera. Go figure.
Considering it’s been too cold for a snowman outside and it’s pretty much dark out when I get home from work, I really haven’t messed with it much actually. Hopefully this weekend I’ll buy my new lens and practice some outdoor photos in good lighting! :)
Now, share all your photography secrets with me!
Check out Click it up a Notch.com, great tips. (She just had a post on types of lenses and recommendations.) You will need a lens that has a f-stop of 1.8 to start. The 50mm fixed (prime) lens is pretty reasonably priced. This lens does not have zoom, so you will need to be willing to move your tootsies around to focus and get the shot. I purchased mine off Amazon for just over $100. Me Ra Koh also has some great tips in easy to understand explanations. Get yourself a piece of white foam board to use for shoots. I have gotten the buttery, blurry background with a f-stop of 4.5, but you need to be very close to your subject. When you are told to have your aperture wide open, that means the lowest your f-stop will go (1.8). This will also let in light. If you are indoors taking shots, I would start at 400 ISO and just play around with the shutter speed. And then it is just practice. Keep a small notebook of where the light is in your home at what time of day. Write down the settings and location of the shot when the picture turns out. This has been helpful for me. I also have been taking shots in manual mode. It forces me to pay attention to ISO, aperture and shutter speed. Well, for what it is worth! Take care and happy clickin’ ~Michelle, Dandelion Patina
Thank you so much for stopping by and explaining all of that to me! That is super helpful! I’m also going to try to shoot in manual mode, as long as it doesn’t take me way too long to figure out. :)
I love kevinandamanda.com. She has the BEST photography tips! Nothing beats trial and error. You’ll get it. Just takes time.
Jen
I’ll definitely check her out! Thank you! :)