DSLR Boot Camp Thread: discussion and posting

vixmix said:
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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I found out why I couldn't upload. Where I had to type in my phone number I put a space between the area code and the number. When I removed this it uploaded.
 
mission1968 said:
I am going to give this a go. One question though does it have to be done in natural light ??
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Yea I think so. That's what it says in the magazine anyway
 
mission1968 said:
Cheers sean just on the website tutorial he uses a desktop lamp :shrug:
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I saw that too. Bit confusing really? I've gone for the natural light way and overexposed by 2 stops. I might have to re-do it because the White background is uber bright lol
 
mission1968 said:
Cheers sean just on the website tutorial he uses a desktop lamp :shrug:
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That's just to confuse us. In summary it has to be:
  1. Natural light
  2. aperture priority
  3. metering mode - centre weighted
  4. ISO, and aperture as you wish.
  5. Exposure adjustments must be by use of exposure button, as this is the object of the exercise.
  6. Subject, dark object against white background or Light object against black background.

There has been loads of homework uploads which don't fit the brief so be careful to follow it exactly as stated.
 
hillwalkinggirl said:
That's just to confuse us. In summary it has to be:
  1. Natural light
  2. aperture priority
  3. metering mode - centre weighted
  4. ISO, and aperture as you wish.
  5. Exposure adjustments must be by use of exposure button, as this is the object of the exercise.
  6. Subject, dark object against white background or Light object against black background.

There has been loads of homework uploads which don't fit the brief so be careful to follow it exactly as stated.
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Thanks for the info hillwalkinggirl will follow your list one other thing are you allowed to clean it up in photoshop :thinking: just that pointless sending something in if its not done the right way for the exercise
 
I think the idea is trying to get it right in camera though and get an understanding about exposure compensation.

Having said that I imagine some PP is allowed.
 
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Jeepers , never realised how hard it could be to shot a simple still life following some fairly simple rules.....200 shots later & rapidly losing the will to live I've posted my best one! Not fantastic but the best I could do:LOL:

Just been reading some of the forum discussions on Photo Answers.......PP is a No No , the idea being to get the exposure right in camera ( or as close to right as you can) rather than tweak it in photoshop or whatever editing you use .

The tutorial in the mag is a bit misleading (being hessian background etc) but if you read the instructions for the Homework module & stick to them you can't go far wrong.Black or white background ,Aperture priority & natural light. Simples:)

Just noticed the tutorial says centre weighted metering but the instructions for the homework don't mention that .Guess I've failed then as I used spot metering:bonk:
 
blondie606 said:
Jeepers , never realised how hard it could be to shot a simple still life following some fairly simple rules.....200 shots later & rapidly losing the will to live I've posted my best one! Not fantastic but the best I could do:LOL:

Just been reading some of the forum discussions on Photo Answers.......PP is a No No , the idea being to get the exposure right in camera ( or as close to right as you can) rather than tweak it in photoshop or whatever editing you use .

The tutorial in the mag is a bit misleading (being hessian background etc) but if you read the instructions for the Homework module & stick to them you can't go far wrong.Black or white background ,Aperture priority & natural light. Simples:)

Just noticed the tutorial says centre weighted metering but the instructions for the homework don't mention that .Guess I've failed then as I used spot metering:bonk:
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Your right it is misleading am going to go with what you said but hope i sort before 200 shots lol not got a clue what to use yet so where is your post so i can take a peep ?
 
I had my first go today and made a right hash of it, see flickr group. I ended up in manual mode, spot meter, and ISO 1250 because I forgot to check!!! My only excuse is I rushed it due to a bout of sciatica which chose to hurt like hell just as I started to take my photos :bang:

I suppose now that I’ve done all those mistakes I will pay more attention to my next attempt.

So it’s ….

• Natural light only, but using reflectors is ok?
• No Photoshop I imagine cropping will be ok?
• Centre weighted metering
• Aperture Priority only
• Exposure compensation must be used
• White or Black background
 
mission1968 said:
Thanks for the info hillwalkinggirl will follow your list one other thing are you allowed to clean it up in photoshop :thinking: just that pointless sending something in if its not done the right way for the exercise
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What I have tried to do is get it right in camera and the only PP I have allowed myself is to crop the photo a little. I decided that that way I would get the most out of it, as lately I have got very lazy and tended to put my mistakes right in Photoshop. I have found it quite a challenge to get the exposure and the WB right in camera but think that it has been very good to try to do it this way. I think that this was really the aim of this homework.

I have uploaded my attempt to the homework gallery yesterday. I am samhoods on the gallery, as I joined that forum a long time ago and kept the same name for the course.
 
blondie606 said:
Jeepers , never realised how hard it could be to shot a simple still life following some fairly simple rules.....200 shots later & rapidly losing the will to live I've posted my best one! Not fantastic but the best I could do:LOL:

Just been reading some of the forum discussions on Photo Answers.......PP is a No No , the idea being to get the exposure right in camera ( or as close to right as you can) rather than tweak it in photoshop or whatever editing you use .

The tutorial in the mag is a bit misleading (being hessian background etc) but if you read the instructions for the Homework module & stick to them you can't go far wrong.Black or white background ,Aperture priority & natural light. Simples:)

Just noticed the tutorial says centre weighted metering but the instructions for the homework don't mention that .Guess I've failed then as I used spot metering:bonk:
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I did the same - I used multi segment for my first ones, then manual mode before reading centre weighted and aperture priority. I then had to take all the photos again. Teach me to read it properly in the first place.:bang:
 
stormcrow said:
I had my first go today and made a right hash of it, see flickr group. I ended up in manual mode, spot meter, and ISO 1250 because I forgot to check!!! My only excuse is I rushed it due to a bout of sciatica which chose to hurt like hell just as I started to take my photos :bang:

I suppose now that I’ve done all those mistakes I will pay more attention to my next attempt.

So it’s ….

• Natural light only, but using reflectors is ok?
• No Photoshop I imagine cropping will be ok?
• Centre weighted metering
• Aperture Priority only
• Exposure compensation must be used
• White or Black background
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I cropped mine because it was difficult to get the right composition with just a small table and a tiny room, so very limited to how near or close I could get and stay in focus, and the brief didn't say anywhere that we couldn't.
I also used a piece of card and kitchen foil to reflect the light back from the window.
 
I shot in both multi segment and centre weighted using the exact same composition and saw no difference at all in the images. I usually shoot everything in multi segment so that's what I ended up with for the final image. I don't think there's any way to tell which mode used so I'm not too worried. As for everything else I stuck to the rules, ended up with 2 stops overexposure to get the white background really white.
 
mission1968 said:
Your right it is misleading am going to go with what you said but hope i sort before 200 shots lol not got a clue what to use yet so where is your post so i can take a peep ?
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Hi Peter

I'm on Photo Answers as Blondie606 , just checked & my inage not appeared in the Homework Gallery yet...site says it can take 2 hours so maybe later it'll appear but you can see the pic in my profile . Wouldn't follow my lead though....I've got loads of learning to do :LOL:

I posted up about the metering method & got a reply that I still don't understand but think it's saying that the metering method doesn't really matter , it's a case of demonstrating that you can get white's white & black's black....I think :shrug:

Your exif data should tell them your exact set-up though .
Didn't do any PP except crop & sharpen as shot in RAW
 
Just wondering what people are using to provide black or white backgrounds, and how are they being supported? I would like to create an 'infinity curve' type background but not sure where to get suitable paper/vinyl for the background and how to support it.

Thanks,
Dave.
 
Dredd123 said:
Just wondering what people are using to provide black or white backgrounds, and how are they being supported? I would like to create an 'infinity curve' type background but not sure where to get suitable paper/vinyl for the background and how to support it.

Thanks,
Dave.
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I kept it cheap and cheerful with two A4 pieces of white paper. I had to overexpose by 2 stops so you couldn't see that they where just propped up against my kids toy slide. I had one on the floor and one at 90 deg upright as background. Simples :D
 
Dredd123 said:
Just wondering what people are using to provide black or white backgrounds, and how are they being supported? I would like to create an 'infinity curve' type background but not sure where to get suitable paper/vinyl for the background and how to support it.

Thanks,
Dave.
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Hi Dave,

I used an A1 Black mount board bought from Cass Art near me in West London.

Then I propped it up against a window outside so you get the infinity curve. Placed my objects in the middle, took a couple of test shots, knocked the exposure comp down a couple of notches took a couple more and cropped in Lightroom.

Mine isn't on the site yet but it is on my Flickr page if you want to look.

Dave
 
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I am having a real problem with the video tutorials I think our internet is on strike this week! They are very jerky and dfficult to follow is there any way of donloading them to my HDD so I can view them offline? Also I still can't get the link to sign up to the magazine subscription to work so I went out and bought the first one... must get somethng done before the new one comes out!
 
Digikat said:
I am having a real problem with the video tutorials I think our internet is on strike this week! They are very jerky and dfficult to follow is there any way of donloading them to my HDD so I can view them offline? Also I still can't get the link to sign up to the magazine subscription to work so I went out and bought the first one... must get somethng done before the new one comes out!
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I've tried everything to try to get the tutorial to download, nothing has worked yet :(
 
Digikat said:
I am having a real problem with the video tutorials I think our internet is on strike this week! They are very jerky and dfficult to follow is there any way of donloading them to my HDD so I can view them offline? Also I still can't get the link to sign up to the magazine subscription to work so I went out and bought the first one... must get somethng done before the new one comes out!
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I think you have missed the deadline to subscribe for the next mag already, if you go on there web site they have the dates and also a number to call to order over the phone if you are having trouble.
 
Hi Dave,

I had a look at your Flickr and your photo of the rings looks great - nice exposure with deep black background.

Is your black mount board flat (I'm not getting the curve bit!!)

ATB,
Dave.

DeeJay said:
Hi Dave,

I used an A1 Black mount board bought from Cass Art near me in West London.

Then I propped it up against a window outside so you get the infinity curve. Placed my objects in the middle, took a couple of test shots, knocked the exposure comp down a couple of notches took a couple more and cropped in Lightroom.

Mine isn't on the site yet but it is on my Flickr page if you want to look.

Dave
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@ Dredd123 - No problem mate. I have created a little picture diagram that will hopefully make it click. Forgive the rudimentryness of it as I have only got MSpaint at work!

tp_infinite_curve_setup.jpg


Basically I Formed a curve in the mount board by putting the bottom on the window sill, placing a couple of books to weigh it down and the curve will be formed for you. Then I placed my rings in the lower flat'ish section of the board. Voilla! :D

Any more issues then let me know.

Dave.
 
Thanks very much for taking the time to make the diagram Dave - it's obvious to me now that the mount board is actually flexible. I think I will try and get hold of a black one and a white one and have a play myself.

Cheers,
Dave.
 
Still not received the first magazine, I emailed them about two weeks ago asking where it was, they said it would be here in 12 days.

Well 12 days has gone now, two more emails sent in the past couple of days with no reply.

Still no first magazine.
 
gothgirl said:
Still not received the first magazine, I emailed them about two weeks ago asking where it was, they said it would be here in 12 days.

Well 12 days has gone now, two more emails sent in the past couple of days with no reply.

Still no first magazine.
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Is there a phone number you could try?
 
gothgirl said:
Still not received the first magazine, I emailed them about two weeks ago asking where it was, they said it would be here in 12 days.

Well 12 days has gone now, two more emails sent in the past couple of days with no reply.

Still no first magazine.
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I read somewhere (on this forum) that they had run out of the issue so you'd be better off buying it from a shop. :shrug:
 
So the homework clearly states use a White or Black Background, so there are quite a few who obviously didnt read that bit :D
 
AdeM said:
So the homework clearly states use a White or Black Background, so there are quite a few who obviously didnt read that bit :D
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I thought that when I looked through the gallery. Some lazy people out there :D
 
Yes and I think the whole point of the exercise is specifically to use the extremes of black and white to throw the camera metering off and force you to understand how exposure compensation works.

Sean_m said:
I thought that when I looked through the gallery. Some lazy people out there :D
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Dredd123 said:
Yes and I think the whole point of the exercise is specifically to use the extremes of black and white to throw the camera metering off and force you to understand how exposure compensation works.
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yep that is the whole point of the exercise which makes it even more surprising to see some of the backgrounds used in some of the homework uploads.
 
Dredd123 said:
Yes and I think the whole point of the exercise is specifically to use the extremes of black and white to throw the camera metering off and force you to understand how exposure compensation works.
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Thats how I understand it and what I've done, yet in the video that is meant to support this task a midtone hessian is used to demonstrate. So you can see how some people are getting a little confused. I think a little bit more consistency is needed in the instructions.
 
stormcrow said:
Thats how I understand it and what I've done, yet in the video that is meant to support this task a midtone hessian is used to demonstrate. So you can see how some people are getting a little confused. I think a little bit more consistency is needed in the instructions.
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I agree with the lack of consistency in the article causing misunderstandings of the task.

The instructions for the task are quite clear though (assuming they are spotted in the first place).
 
FWIW & only my opinion....

I read & watched the tutorials & groaned about having to buy peas & hession ! Then read the instructions which do state to use a black or white background whichever contrasts better with your object
The tutorials are to give you an insight as to what you were aiming for using exposure then you had to use what you'd learnt about exposure for your homework task . To simply copy the tutorial is not the aim of the homework . It's your learning phase . Simples (y)
 
AdeM said:
So the homework clearly states use a White or Black Background, so there are quite a few who obviously didnt read that bit :D
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Perhaps they couldn't read. Seriously though, I think it was probably a test to see whether you could understand the instructions. Good practice if a client asks you to do a specific task. Make sure you know what they want before racing on to do the wrong thing.:nono:
 
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