Beginner How to improve my technique?

Messages
1,686
Name
jason
Edit My Images
Yes
I attended one of the Timeline Events at RAF Cosford and at the time, I had a morbid fear of venturing away from ISO 100. I have learnt that its not such a bad thing with modern day cameras which can still produce good results. I have a Nikon D7200.
I am attending another event in February 2019 and don't want to make the same mistakes I did with this last event. i.e, any photo that had an actor in the shot, came out messed up due to the actor moving slightly and my camera shooting slowly.
My settings for this shot were F8 @45mm, ISO 100 and 0.8 seconds.
As you can see its soft.
If I was taking a similar shot again, in low light, with a potentially moving part, what settings would you suggest to ensure everything remained sharp?

DSC_0562 by jason greenwood, on Flickr
 
Lower your aperature from F8 to the lowest (or max whichever way you think) that your lens can achieve. A photo like this at 45mm and the distance you are from the subject I would worry about depth of field too much. If you can achieve 0.8s shutter speed at F8 there should be plenty of light for wider aperatures.

I would go F2-4 (depending on the lens) and ISO around 1600 and see what shutter speeds you get. Theyll probably be about 1/60th or so which should be ok for 45mm. As you say the only reason the image is soft is a slow shutter speed and your hands and the actor moving slightly.

Its still a good image mind!
 
Personally, I'd be looking at about 1/100 sec to stop noticeable movement. (Ben posted while I was writing)
1/60th would be fine! probably :)
So, up the ISO to 1600/3200 at the top end (you might get away with 800) and adjust your aperture down a bit from f8 - I don't think it is necessary with the lens and distance.
 
As others have said anything up to ISO 1000 is absolutely fine with modern cameras, and some can go a lot further. Open your aperture up a bit and shoot at at least 1/100th of a second (although faster is always better) and you should be fine. If the pilot was walking around you'd need a faster shutter speed to stop movement.
 
So f8 to f5.6 is one stop, ISO 100 to 800 is another 3 stops giving 4 stops increase, takes it from 0.8s to 0.05s or 1/20s. f4 gets another stop as does going to iso1600, which would take it to 1/80s. Assuming my maths is right, whcih it probably isn't, you really are going to have to go wide open and highest ISO or get them to turn more lights on :)
 
Flickr says that image was taken at f/8 with a f/2.8 - 4.0 lens, not sure you can get to f/2.8 at 45mm with that lens, but you can at least get to f/4 (which gains you 2 stops), so ISO800 = 3 more stops = 5 stops faster shutter = 1/40th, or ISO1600 = 6 stops = 1/80th.
 
Personally, I'd be looking at about 1/100 sec to stop noticeable movement. (Ben posted while I was writing)
1/60th would be fine! probably :)
So, up the ISO to 1600/3200 at the top end (you might get away with 800) and adjust your aperture down a bit from f8 - I don't think it is necessary with the lens and distance.
This sounds about right. Other responses were variable in quality. Indeed the last one was flippant.

Now here's a funny thing. You seem to be fussed about sharpness. But might you go more with the flow? In the circumstances, and with the camera steadied against something maybe, you might trade shutterspeed (movement) against dof (allowing focus fall-off in front of & behind a plane (sorry) that you choose). In this instance, maybe I'd have had the figure sharp (high shutter, wide aperture, focus on the figure), and let the rest blur for atmosphere.

I presume that there's a certain time pressure, so you're a bit rushed for choices?

But Ken's target iso's are a good pivot point for everything else.
 
Notwithstanding all the maths above which helps a great deal.
You’re clearly coming from a landscape background into a completely new area.

There’s really no need for f8, so long as your subject is in focus and sharp, and your DoF covers the front of the plane (should be setup so it’s not that far away), you’re good. 1/60 would probably do, but 1/100 is safer.

So you’re into adding more light or raising the iso.

If the shot is setup on a workshop, I’d have expected them to talk you through the settings (otherwise what’s the point of the workshop).

As an aside, I’d be p***ed off if I’d paid for a workshop and come away without usable images because they hadnt explained the settings.
 
Thanks guys. Just as a note, it was tripod mounted, but yes I was rushed. The Timeline events are very well attended with nearly 90 photographers so I arrived at this shot quite late on and they were trying to wrap it up. Timeline do not give any advice on settings. They just stage the shots and let people snap away. I've got another one in Feb 19 so hoping to do a much better job.
 
I have been on a few TLE events and they are very good, although unless its described as a training session then its down to you to decide the settings. Normally the models stay still, so you could shoot at 1/30 if you are steady, personally I use 1/60 as a minimum, 1/125 is better. Not up on the 7200 but would be surprised if the 800 iso shots would not come out well. Not sure on your lens, but 5.6 would be enough for this shot, f4 quite possibly.

TLE do training events, may be worth one of those?
 
If you fancy you can still have one shot at iso 100 and the other at whatever settings needed to freeze the motion. As long as tripod stays still you can pick and choose the best bits of each very easily.
 
Back
Top