DSLR Boot Camp Thread: discussion and posting

So, I've never really attempted 'still life' before and was really looking forward to having a go but (and I know this is probably a stoopid question) - how do you get the black so,er, black? I've often wondered that when looking at photo posts, but never came to have to worry about it in a practical sense before! :help:
 
~Sam~ said:
So, I've never really attempted 'still life' before and was really looking forward to having a go but (and I know this is probably a stoopid question) - how do you get the black so,er, black? I've often wondered that when looking at photo posts, but never came to have to worry about it in a practical sense before! :help:
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wasn't the whole tutorial about getting black blacks and white whites?? :)
 
jovialjester said:
wasn't the whole tutorial about getting black blacks and white whites?? :)
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Yup - and I think I wasn't basic enough in my question, which is probably more along the lines of....what do you find works best for you in terms of material :LOL::shrug:
 
regarding the homework deadlines.. from their FAQ's

http://www.photoanswers.co.uk/Bootcamp/FAQ/

We'll keep the homework galleries open but remember you will get new homework each new magazine so if you lag behind you'll soon end up chasing your tail. Our advice is to try to upload a relevant homework picture before the new issue arrives. This will also ensure you are in the draw for the monthly Nikon training vouchers we are giving away
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the cut off date they give is if you want your photo to be eligible for the feedback and chance to win the monthly vouchers :)
 
~Sam~ said:
Yup - and I think I wasn't basic enough in my question, which is probably more along the lines of....what do you find works best for you in terms of material :LOL::shrug:
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Hi, I've used some matte black paper that I bought in 'The Range'. It's probably available in any crafty type shop though.
 
chopchop said:
Hi, I've used some matte black paper that I bought in 'The Range'. It's probably available in any crafty type shop though.
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Thanks - I tried some black card I had but it was not a success! Not matte either, so will grab some next time I'm out and about :)

Used black material in the end. Didn't get a uniform shade throughout but can always try again!
 
Hmmmm , thought I'd make a start today given that the sun was shining so good light . Went through the exercise for sorting exposure , black white & grey cards , just as they described . Went from zero +1 +2 +3 then went the other way & couldn't tell any difference , at all ,not even a little bit :shrug:

Doesn't bode well for me does it :LOL:

The black card I bought appears to be more very dark grey than black .

Anybody got any idea's what I'm doing wrong ?

cheers
 
I've read the mag but nowhere can I see that it has to be on black or white, what page in the mag does it say this, I'm obviously missing something :|

Also do we have to use f4 & ISO 400 as my shutter speeds at the most are coming through at 1/25 :|

Thanks
 
Molly47 said:
I've read the mag but nowhere can I see that it has to be on black or white, what page in the mag does it say this, I'm obviously missing something :|

Also do we have to use f4 & ISO 400 as my shutter speeds at the most are coming through at 1/25 :|

Thanks
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Hi Carole

page 47 under the WORK ON IT title 1st paragraph say to shoot on white or black background depending on which contrasts best with your chosen object . Can't see any mention of specfic F numbers or ISO just use what is suitable...hope this helps


Any chance you can now tell me where I'm going wrong ?:)
 
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blondie606 said:
Anybody got any idea's what I'm doing wrong ?
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Difficult to know without having seen you do the exercise. All I can suggest is to double check that you are in Aperture Priority. Next check the EXIF data of your shots and make sure that the shutter speeds were actually changing between shots. With 5 stops of difference between your shots, there should be a significant change in shutter speeds over the 5 shots.

I wouldn't worry too much that the black isn't as black as could be, as long as you get the spirit of the experiment. I am using black, grey and white t-shirts. I'm off to try it myself. I will let you know if I think of something new. Let us know how you are getting on?
 
Am I the only one who thinks the section on exposure (page 38) is absolutely dire? :thinking: I think I have a reasonable grasp of exposure and metering now, but if I was reading that as a complete beginner I would be much more confused than when I started. There are much much better written and explained articles about exposure and metering here on TP and in books like Understanding Exposure
 
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I agree. I'm not a newbie having learned at school on film and returning to photography required some refreshing and familiarising with digital. I have a good grasp of metering and I found the article 'bitty' and lacking flow.
 
Have to say, I thought the videos were somewhat lacking but I gues it is all free so can't complain too much.

I aim to have my images up by the end of this week.
 
vixmix said:
Difficult to know without having seen you do the exercise. All I can suggest is to double check that you are in Aperture Priority. Next check the EXIF data of your shots and make sure that the shutter speeds were actually changing between shots. With 5 stops of difference between your shots, there should be a significant change in shutter speeds over the 5 shots.

I wouldn't worry too much that the black isn't as black as could be, as long as you get the spirit of the experiment. I am using black, grey and white t-shirts. I'm off to try it myself. I will let you know if I think of something new. Let us know how you are getting on?
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Hi , thanks for the reply. Have checked all the data on the shots & the exposure definately changed just could'nt tell the difference in the color tones when I checked the shots .Gonna have another try this weekend , can tell the difference when ding proper shots it's just the way to check them using blank cards that was/is baffling me. I'll keep trying :)
 
Hi Blondie
I'm a little confused by your posts, it's probably me. The way I read it was you laid the 3 sheets of paper out on the floor in good but not direct light as this woild cause glare off the paper.
Then you had to put the camera in spot metering and aperture priority, choosing a large aperture. Shoot all three papers and they all look grey, moving the exposure compensation to +2 makes the black sheet now look black not grey and taking the compensation down to -2 makes the white paper white not grey.
I followed this and it worked for me.

Now this is not the homework we submit is it??????????????

It's a still life of any object you like, at least that's what all the homework photos are that have been submitted.

Steve
 
D40 Guy said:
Hi Blondie
I'm a little confused by your posts, it's probably me. The way I read it was you laid the 3 sheets of paper out on the floor in good but not direct light as this woild cause glare off the paper.
Then you had to put the camera in spot metering and aperture priority, choosing a large aperture. Shoot all three papers and they all look grey, moving the exposure compensation to +2 makes the black sheet now look black not grey and taking the compensation down to -2 makes the white paper white not grey.
I followed this and it worked for me.

Now this is not the homework we submit is it??????????????

It's a still life of any object you like, at least that's what all the homework photos are that have been submitted.

Steve
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Hi Steve , for a change I was following all the instructions having never tried exposure compensation before . Not sure where I went wrong just couldn't tell the difference when doing the test shots but could see a difference when doing proper shots so guess it's nothing to worry about .& think I need to try a different black background !
 
D40 Guy said:
could you explain test shots and real shots? are you calling a test shot just looking through the viewfinder without taking a photograph?
Steve
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Sorry Steve , the test shots were as they suggested , grey white & black card shot at different exposures to get the blacks black & the whites white .These were the one's I couldn't tell the difference with .
The real shots were the one's I was taking of objects on black backgrounds where I could see a difference .Think it's just me being a nitwit , gonna have another try at the weekend
 
Dredd123 said:
Am I the only one who thinks the section on exposure (page 38) is absolutely dire? :thinking: I think I have a reasonable grasp of exposure and metering now, but if I was reading that as a complete beginner I would be much more confused than when I started. There are much much better written and explained articles about exposure and metering here on TP and in books like Understanding Exposure
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I am new to exposure & metering, think i grasped a little from the exposure bit but the metering didnt tell me anything & I am still pretty clueless.
I tried doing a Mod 1 shot this evening & I found all my shutter speeds were really slow even after I changed ISO & changed exposure.
Is there any way I can make them faster other than changing in shutter priority?

Thanks :)
 
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Molly47 said:
I am new to exposure & metering, think i grasped a little from the exposure bit but the metering didnt tell me anything & I am still pretty clueless.
I tried doing a Mod 1 shot this evening & I found all my shutter speeds were really slow even after I changed ISO & changed exposure.
Is there any way I can make them faster other than changing in shutter priority?

Thanks :)
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What f number are you using? If you lower it then the shutter speed should drop if your using aperture priority. If you can't get it low enough you may need to use a tripod to avoid camera shake and blurry images.
 
Thanks for the reply Sean, I was using F4. I don't have a tripod so its about time I invested in one
 
Molly47 said:
Thanks for the reply Sean, I was using F4. I don't have a tripod so its about time I invested in one
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No probs. You may just need to find a better location with more natural light. The brighter the better and your shutter speed will be less because of it :D
 
funky_monkies said:
I'm having real trouble with my backgrounds. I am using tshirts/material, but how are people holding it up, so that it looks like a back drop? If you get me.... I can;t seem to find anywhere to put it!
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I havnt tried yet (busy with kids and work) but I was planning on using a black pillow case draped over a cardboard box if you know what I mean? Half on the box, half on the floor in front of the patio doors to get the most light.
 
Sean_m said:
I havnt tried yet (busy with kids and work) but I was planning on using a black pillow case draped over a cardboard box if you know what I mean? Half on the box, half on the floor in front of the patio doors to get the most light.
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Good plan, I did find it quite difficult finding a good place and way of doing it. Found with material no matter how much it was ironed it still looked wrinkly!
In the end I went with a white top lay on a table and photo'd from above or the side as best I could!.

I'm quite pleased with mine, but compared to others on Flickr mine look rubbish!!
 
funky_monkies said:
Good plan, I did find it quite difficult finding a good place and way of doing it. Found with material no matter how much it was ironed it still looked wrinkly!
In the end I went with a white top lay on a table and photo'd from above or the side as best I could!.

I'm quite pleased with mine, but compared to others on Flickr mine look rubbish!!
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I wouldn't worry about everyones pictures on flickr as long as you've got the exposure spot on it will be a good image. I know what you mean about the wrinkles, I suppose it might add to the picture if it looks deliberate.
 
funky_monkies said:
I've had another go, http://www.flickr.com/photos/brionylench/5571057509/in/photostream/ but don't think it's really improved much, plus it is starting to look abit dull outside so don't think thats helped. WB is just set too Auto at the mo, which do you recommend?
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You're right, the overcast sky won't have helped today. I'm unfamiliar with your Canon but it should have a custom WB facility, this should give you a truer white for the available light. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will come along shortly to advise how to do it on your camera!

Nice composition on the latest pic though, make sure you crop it evenly on the final one though.
 
Here's a couple of examples:

On page 38, "In fact within the exposure range of 1 second to 1/1000sec, all exposures are mathematically equal" :thinking: What on earth does that mean?????

On page 46, "Shooting in a well-lit part of your house using only natural light makes lighting your still life very easy. Shoot at ISO 400 for handheld shots, but if the shutter speed is too slow drop back to ISO 100 and use a tripod." I've had to read that about twenty times before I realised what they were getting at. At first, it read as if they were suggesting dropping the ISO from 400 to 100 would actually INCREASE the shutter speed, thus making hand holding more of a possibility. What they are actually saying is if the shutter speed at ISO 400 is too slow, then give up on the idea of hand holding and revert to a tripod, then drop back to ISO 100 to achieve maximum quality/minimum noise. Very badly written/worded IMHO.

Dredd123 said:
Am I the only one who thinks the section on exposure (page 38) is absolutely dire? :thinking: I think I have a reasonable grasp of exposure and metering now, but if I was reading that as a complete beginner I would be much more confused than when I started. There are much much better written and explained articles about exposure and metering here on TP and in books like Understanding Exposure
Click to expand...
 
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Dredd123 said:
Here's a couple of examples:

On page 38, "In fact within the exposure range of 1 second to 1/1000sec, all exposures are mathematically equal" :thinking: What on earth does that mean?????

On page 46, "Shooting in a well-lit part of your house using only natural light makes lighting your still life very easy. Shoot at ISO 400 for handheld shots, but if the shutter speed is too slow drop back to ISO 100 and use a tripod." I've had to read that about twenty times before I realised what they were getting at. At first, it read as if they were suggesting dropping the ISO from 400 to 100 would actually INCREASE the shutter speed, thus making hand holding more of a possibility. What they are actually saying is if the shutter speed at ISO 400 is too slow, then give up on the idea of hand holding and revert to a tripod, then drop back to ISO 100 to achieve maximum quality/minimum noise. Very badly written/worded IMHO.
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Agreed!

Glad I am not the only one that thinks that piece of text was really badly written!

What gets me is this a tutorial, surely it should be made simple for us.

Never mind!
 
vixmix said:
My pic was uploaded very early this morning (around 2am) and is in now. It is the green grapes one. :)
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Hi Vicky, I just had a look at your pic on Flickr. I like the light and the subject, nice pic.
 
I was a bit short on ideas so I opted for some artificial flowers... Pics seem to have come out well but I've still to get them onto the computer and upload one.

I found the settings fairly straightforward. Had a play with over and under exposure and the middle settings worked best. It was pretty bright in the room though.

Hope to get them uploaded over the weekend.
 
PINNACLE said:
Has anybody actually managed to upload a photo yet and how long did it take to get in the gallery as mine is still not there. I have also tried to upload into other galleries both via pc and flickr with no joy, so now getting a bit fed up!
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I've just tried to upload my photo, I click on the upload button and then nothing happens, no confirmation or anything. Did you get any message saying that the upload was successful. I'm not sure whether it worked or not.
 
I think I did. Got a page where i had to add a title and description for the photo and I remember reading that it could take a few hours before my picture appeared in the gallery.
 
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