How To: Bokeh

Bokeh (bo-kay) - The blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out of focus areas of an image.
"The way the lens renders out of focus points of light".

Bokeh is something that can either make or break your photo..theres a time and place for it, and some photos just look better without it.
But bokeh is something that is pretty much all what you personally like. What you think is good, someone else might think is bad.
An example of bad bokeh (in my opinion) would be something thats kind of busy and distracts from the subject of the photo, the photo isnt balanced.
An example of good bokeh would be something that adds contrast, its appealing on the eye, and emphasizes the subject. It should create good balance.


Heres how to achieve the effect.
Its really simple..large aperture and low f-stop. 
Shutter speeds lower than like 1/60 will start to sort of blur the lights together (you might want that look, but I think its more appealing to have small round sharp circles)
If the image is too dark with that shutter speed trying upping the ISO.
You wanna get close to your subject, and have the background further away. 
The further away the more blurred the background will be. 
Lights in the background like streetlights or a distant city creates an interesting bokeh, but if the entire background is light up it kind of ruins the effect.
To create an entirely bokeh shot with no subject go into manuel focus.

Heres some examples of bokeh shots Ive taken:
(these were some christmas lights hung in the background)

To get the streaked effect I simply moved the camera while taking the picture.

This is a classic bokeh of christmas lights, no subject, just bokeh.

Another shot where I moved the camera, this time in a squiggly motion after holding for a second in one spot, this created a overexposed dot then a stream of light.

These two are some christmas lights hung up on the wall and a jar placed close to the camera. You can see the one on the left is perfect bokeh, whereas the one on the right is fuzzy and the lighting is off. 

Another classic bokeh.

Here is a good example of a bokeh where the subject is in perfect focus and the background is out of focus, creating little circles of color from the lights.

And another example of that.

And here are some outdoor bokeh shots (where the background is very blurred, but not necessarily from lights)

You can see here the subject is in focus, but the flowers in the background is out of focus, creating interesting contrast and a secondary subject point.

Here I blurred the background to add contrast to make the subject pop.

And another shot where the subject is in focus, if the background were to be in focus here you would lose the subject, it would be too busy and look kind of messy.

The more you mess around with your settings and practice shots the easier it will be to recognize when to use the bokeh or blurred background effect. 

Remember: dont be afraid to  experiment, think outside of the box, and most of all have fun!

Keep on shooting :)

Disclaimer: All photos are mine, unless otherwise stated. All opinions are my own. No monetary exchange occurred in exchange for this post.

Happy Holidays!

Just a quickie to say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all my amazing readers and all my friends, family, and loved ones! No matter what your religion and beliefs, no matter what you celebrate; this is a time to be together and enjoy good laughs, good food, and good company! So relax and enjoy. Hope everyone is having a great day :) <3

Think Tank Offers!

With the holidays here, its time to start (or finish) your shopping. Heres a few great offers from Think Tank photo just for you!

This first offer doesnt expire, its good even after the holidays.
Free gear with every order over $50!
For your free gift go to www.thinktankphoto.com/affiliate and enter the code AP-764 in the box.
At check out you will be able to chose your free gift!
You can use this offer with every purchase at ThinkTankPhoto.com!
I believe the more you spend, the better the offer gets, but Im not completely sure.
(if you do this, please leave a comment below or send me an email and let me know how it works, what your free gift options were, whatever you wanna share!)



This second offer is good until Dec 31, 2012.
FREE SHIPPING!
Think Tank is offering free FedEx ground shipping on all orders November 21 through December 31.
There is no code to enter at checkout, just select FedEx ground from the shipping options.
You can also use the free gear offer with this just be sure to follow the directions above first.

FREE SHIPPING OFFER IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE. FREE GEAR OFFER IS STILL GOOD!
Disclaimer: Photos were provided by ThinkTankPhoto. I am sharing this offer through ThinkTankPhoto's affiliate program.

Lesson: Composition.

The composition of your photo can either make the photo, or break it. Bad composition can make an amazing scene look sloppy and unappealing. But good composition can take an ordinary scene and turn it into an extraordinary image.

A few things you must know about composition:

The subject - The subject itself, if its not interesting, chances are the image is also going to be uninteresting. 

Colors, if the background is white, and your subject is white, your image is going to be dull, look for contrast and interesting color combinations. If possible move your subject or change your background for still life images. 

Lighting, is the lighting too harsh, does it create an interesting shadow, or take away from the overall image?

And most importantly, sore the image tell a story, is it easy to understand, does it make you think, is it clear and easy on the eyes?

These are all important things to consider when initially photographing an object or scene.

The composition - 

Layout and position of subject. 

Camera position, angle and height.

Appropriate lens.

Focus point and depth of field.

Shutter speed.

These are all things you need to think about and adjust to create your perfect photo.

How to compose an image that is appealing to the eye:

Rule of thirds - The rule of thirds basically means, split your image into three sections horizontally and vertically. Where the lines cross is usually the best place to place your subject. Placing your secondary subject and the opposite crossing point makes for an even more interesting and balanced photo. Of course, rules are meant to be broken, and some images are more compelling when you dont follow this rule.

Lens Coat Review

LensCoat protects your gear rain or shine. Whether it be the elements, travel, or hazards of general use. LensCoat has you covered.

About LensCoat
LensCoat® Lens Covers are manufactured from 100% closed-cell neoprene, offering protection from bumps, jars and nicks, with a camouflage-pattern fabric cover. LensCoat® Lens Covers also provide a thermal barrier, protecting your hands from cold lenses in lower temperatures. They are easy to install and remove, sliding on like a sleeve, leaving no residue on the lens. And LensCoat® lens covers are waterproof, providing protection in harsh conditions.
Other features include a clear, flexible UV-PVC window over the AF/IS/VR controls and the distance-scale window. The LensCoat® also features custom holes that reveal the red-dot for easy alignment to the camera body without removing the cover.
LensCoat® Lens Covers are available for a wide variety of lenses and extenders. LensCoat® can also make CUSTOM COVERS.
LensCoat products are Made in America!
Thats such a huge plus! I would rather pay twice as much for a product made in the USA than support companies overseas, but fortunately these products are really well priced!

LensCoat Canon 55-250 f/4-5.6 IS - Black - $29.99

This is the LensCoat to fit on one of my lenses. It comes with instructions on how to put it on your lens. It fits perfectly, its soft and comfortable. They leave a little hole and notch for your AF and IS controls. (Be careful when putting it on not to stretch and tear your LensCoat)
The only problem Ive found with this product is when I put my lens in my camera bag it must have shifted the lenscoat, and when I took it out it had a little wrinkle in it where it was bent back. Also since this is a pretty small lens the two end pieces which are only about 3/4" so they can slip a little, but no biggie.
This product offers great protection and camouflage if you get it in camo. Great price! Id much rather spend $30 on this than risk having to spend another $300 on a new lens if it gets dinged up.

BodyBag® compact w/lens - Black - $27.99

Made from the same material as the coats, the body bag fits your camera with a lens up to 4.5" attached. This offers the same great protection as the coat, but for your whole camera and lens. You camera slides right in easily, and the bag closes with velcro, no annoying buckles or zippers to get stuck.

I havent found any problems with this product.

This product is great for storage, travel, and everyday use. Great value, wouldnt you much rather spend less than $30 on a product designed to protect your camera and lens, than have to spend hundreds to thousands of dollars on a new one?

LensPouch Small/XSmall - Black - $16.00/$15.99

Also made from the neoprene, these are great products to store your lenses in for storage, travel, etc. 

I havent found any problems with this product.

Available in seven different sizes for the perfect fit. The LensPouch includes a removable reinforced front element protection disc for your lenses. An easy pull cord closure allows fast and easy access. A convenient 1" belt loop allows you to connect your LensPouch to a belt or to a belt system; the bag also includes a heavy duty snap hood to clip onto your belt, jacket, or camera bag. Flattens and compacts when empty for easy storage.

LensCoat® RainCoat Standard/Medium - Black - $79.99/$59.99

LensCoat® RainCoat Rain Sleeve provides protection for your camera and lens from the elements like rain, snow, salt spray, dirt, sand and dust while allowing you easy access to the camera and lens controls. 

They Standard (left) was a little confusing when I first opened it, the little arm hole was on the inside, so I had to pu ll it out before I figured it out. Your camera should be on a tripod to put this on, otherwise it might be a little difficult. But when its on a tripod it slips on fast and easy. Its a great product to keep in your camera bag for those "out of the blue" moments when you need to cover your camera fast. It also comes in very handy when shooting at beaches, with sea spray and such.

The RainCoat RS comes in three sizes Small (for camera body and lens up to 10") and Medium (for camera body and lens up to 15") and Large (for camera body and lens up to 21"). The RainCoat is constructed from a lightweight waterproof, breathable material.

LensCoat® Micro Fiber Cleaning Cloth - $6.95

LensCoat® Micro Fiber cleaning cloth High quality Micro Fiber cleaning cloth.
Honestly, havent seen much difference in this than most other high quality microfiber cloths. It is a lit cheaper than most though, which is great. It also comes in a rigid plastic case, which will help keep it clean and dry.
Great for cleaning Camera lenses, LCD screens, Telescopes and Binoculars, Eyeglasses, Mobile phone, CDs, Electronic appliance, Jewelry, Crystal and much more.

I absolutely love every one of these products and I know you will too! Feel free to leave your thoughts on these products. :)

You can find all these products, and much more at LensCoat.com.
LensCoat makes products for Canon and Nikon products, they also make custom products.
This company makes some really cool products. I definitely recommend you go check them out!

I wanna send huge thanks to Scott! And everybody over at Lenscoat!
Disclaimer: Photos are from LensCoat.com. The products in this review was provided to me for the purpose of writing a review. This in no way effects the quality of the review provided. All opinions are my own. No monetary exchange occurred in exchange for this post or review. The views expressed in this review are strictly my own opinions. All reviews provided here are the work of myself and remain completely unbiased.

Hurricane Sandy.

The hurricane hit us pretty hard over here. We're out of power, and with record breaking power outages it will probably be a while till it's back on. Posting on this iPhone app is frustrating, so I won't be posting until I have power again.
Prayers to those further east who got it worse<3

Basic and Advanced Shooting Modes Explained

If youre just getting started with your DSLR, all the new words and settings can be very confusing to you. So, today Im going to break down what the different settings mean, and what theyre used for.

Heres what my dial looks like
(and pretty much what most other cameras dials look like as well)
First Ill explain the presets, which is the lower half. Basic Shooting Techniques.

With the "Basic Zone" modes, all you have to do is point and shoot, the camera sets everything automatically based on which mode youre in. Most point and shoot cameras also have these settings.

Starting with the green square in the center, working down the dial.

Full Auto - Pretty self explanatory, everything is automatic, everything will adjust itself for whatever you shoot, just shoot away. 

Portrait - Portrait mode blurs the background to make the human subject stand out. It also makes flesh tones and the hair look softer than with the full auto mode.

Landscape - Us the landscape mode for wide scenery, night scenes, or to have everything in focus from near to far. The greens and blues also become more vivid and sharper than with full auto.

Close up - When you want to photograph flowers or small things close up, use the close up more. To make small things appear much larger, use a macro lens.

Sports - To photograph a moving subject use the sports mode. You can use this to shoot a child running, playing sports (as the name suggests) or even a moving vehicle.

Night Portrait - To shoot someone at night and obtain a natural looking exposure in the background, use this mode. Using a tripod will help prevent camera shake in the low light.

Flash off - In places where flash photography is prohibited, use the flash off mode. This mode is also effective for candlelight scenes when you want to capture the ambient light. This is another one where you might need a tripod if the light is somewhat dim.

*Movie Shooting - (Live View) Not all cameras have this, my Canon T1i does, so Im explaining it. Using this mode will close the view finder, and the screen will now work like a point and shoot. To focus you now press the little * button, half pressing the shutter button doesnt work in this mode. When focused press the shutter button to take a photo, or the button with the little red camera above it to take video. Note: this camera will not keep autofocusing while youre shooting, when your subject moves out of focus you have to refocus yourself, the camera wont do it for you. Also, focusing can be pretty noisy, and you can hear it in the video. If you want to take good videos get yourself an actual video camera. 

Now for the upper half, Advanced Shooting Techniques.

In the basic zone modes (explained above) to prevent spoiled shots, most functions are set automatically and cannot be changed. In theses modes you can change your settings to achieve the image you want.

Going up from the green square..

Creative Auto Shooting - Some people might put this under the basic modes, but Im explaining it under more advanced. Basic modes except creative auto take care of everything, whereas the creative auto mode enables you to easily change the pictures brightness, depth of field, color tone, etc. The default settings are the same as the full auto mode. 

Program AE - In the program ae mode, you can set various functions and be more creative. The camera sets the shutter speed and aperture automatically to obtain the standard exposure.  P stands for program; AE stands for auto exposure. 

Action Shots - You can either freeze the action or create motion blur with the Tv (shutter priority AE) mode. Tv stands for Time Value. In this mode you can change the shutter speed, ISO, exposure comp, flash exposure comp, picture style, white balance and metering mode, aperture is automatically set. 

Aperture Priority - To obtain a blurry background or to make everything near or far look sharp, set the mode dial to Av, aperture priority AE) to adjust the depth of field. Av stands for aperture value, which is the size of the diaphragm home inside the lens. In this mode you can change aperture, ISO, exposure comp, flash exposure comp, picture style, white balance and metering mode. Shutter speed is automatically set.

Manual - Pretty self explanatory, in manual mode, you manually set everything, nothing is automatic unless you set it to auto. In this mode you can change the shutter speed, aperture, ISO, exposure comp, flash exposure comp, picture style, white balance, and metering mode. Nothing is automatically set.

Auto Depth of Field - Objects in the foreground and background will be in focus automatically. All the AF (autofocus) points will function to detect the subject, and the aperture required to attain the necessary depth of field will be set automatically. In this mode you can change the ISO, exposure comp, flash exposure comp, picture style, white balance, and metering mode. The shutter speed and aperture are automatically set. 

I hope this helps you understand you shooting modes a little better. If anything is unclear or you have any suggestions please feel free to leave a comment below. 

For a break down on shutter speed and aperture click ->HERE<-

For a break down on some photography terminology click ->HERE<-

Disclaimer: All photos are mine, unless otherwise stated. All opinions are my own. No monetary exchange occurred in exchange for this post.

Heavy Leather Review

I was SO excited when I got these in the mail!
By far the coolest camera straps Ive ever seen!

Heavy Leather NYC was founded by Rachael Becker in the spring of 2008. Combining her love of leather and heavy metal, she began accessorizing bands across the world with her 'guitar armor'. They make some badass guitar straps, but they also make a few (really cool) camera straps. (as well as belts and wallets) Handmade from the best USA brand leather, theyre unmatched in quality and craftsmanship.
HEAVY LEATHER NYC has rocked the shoulders of Lemmy Kilmister/Motorhead, Slash, Judas Priest, Jesse/Eagles of Death Metal, Uli Jon Roth, Testament members Eric Peterson and Greg Christian, Kim Mcauliffe of Girlschool to name a few. The guitar straps have been featured in publications such as Cosmopolitan Magazine, Hails and Horns Magazine and Mass Appeal Magazine.

Rachael sent me some sample camera straps, and I was amazed at how awesome they are. I mean on HeavyLeatherNYC.com they look super cool, but in person, theyre 100 times cooler.

About the Straps:
Classic Camera Strap in Pebble White - $95

Classic Camera Strap in Black - $95

The Classic strap length is 46-49" adjustable by leather pieces in the front, made to fit both men and women. The base leather is a 2" double sided soft 3/4 oz buttery cowhide. The sides are bound in leather for smooth comfort around your neck. This style can also be worn on one shoulder slingshot style.

Slingshot Strap in Vintage Brown - $145

The base leather is a soft 3/4 oz cowhide. The shoulder piece is 2 3/4" wide x 15" long and padded with a business card holder towards the back. The buckle sits flat, centered on the shoulder pad. The strap is 1" wide, length is 45-51". There is a snap in the back of the strap to lock your camera in place when not in use. The strap attaches to the camera with a quick release swivel snap. This strap is for the pros- built to last!

My thoughts:
Since these straps are leather, theyre about a thousand times more comfortable than the strap that comes with your camera. Not to mention a thousand times better looking. And since theyre leather, theyll of course break in and become even more comfortable. 

I put the black one on my camera to feel it out. I LOVED how it felt. It was the perfect length (its also adjustable, so if you want it a little longer or shorter, you can do adjust it accordingly; or if you need to you could always add more holes to fit your needs)
They attach to your camera like your original strap attaches, but they also have little clips, for quick release, or if you own more than one you can switch them out really easily.

The sling strap attaches a little differently, and has key rings you put on that the clips attach to. I tried on the sling for a minute, and it seemed really comfortable. It was padded a little, which is really nice. The snap is pretty cool for when your cameras not in use, it kind of keeps it out of the way. 

All in all, I love these straps; and although theyre a bit pricy, I can definitely see myself buying them in the future. 

Go here to find out more about Heavy Leather NYC.
You can also find Heavy Leather straps at B&H Photo, Adorama, Amazon, or go here to find more stores.

I wanna send huge thanks to Rachael! And everybody over at Heavy Leather NYC, keep rockin!
Disclaimer: Photos are from HeavyLeatherNYC.com. The product in this review was provided to me for the purpose of writing a review. This in no way effects the quality of the review provided. All opinions are my own. No monetary exchange occurred in exchange for this post or review. The views expressed in this review are strictly my own opinions. All reviews provided here are the work of myself and remain completely unbiased.

How-To: Light Art

Light art, or light photography, is one of my favorite. I love the abstract aspect of it. I love how easy it is. I love that you can do it in your own home.

What light art is: a form of visual art where main media of expression is light.
What that means: in a dark environment, you take your camera, and some light. The light can be just a flashlight, a glowstick, any shape, and color, any size. You take a photo at a very slow shutter speed, move the light in your desired shape or design, and viola, youve got light art.

Light art has become very popular recently, and people are getting really creative with it. A Google image search brings up tons of amazing pictures.
Here are some of my favorites:

Image by: Gizmodo

Image by: LAPP

Image by: Signes de Luimiere

Light art doesnt always have to have people in it, a lot of it is just shapes and designs.

You can really go anywhere you want to take these kind of photos, as you can see some of these photos are outside. You just want to make sure youre in a dark enough environment that your image wont be over exposed. Since youre working with a slow shutter speed, if its too light outside, your image is also going to be too light.

For these example photos Im shooting in my bathroom, since its the only room in the house that doesnt have windows, and its about 11 am. I also tried covering the window in the computer/art room, some photos still turned out a little bright from the small amount of window not covered though. Heres some examples of photos I took:

(for these photos I shot on: bulb  - F29 - ISO 3200)

[I used a timer remote and held it in only as long as I moved the light]

As you can see some pictures came out better than others. Some I had to edit to darken the background. But really, light art isnt about trying to get everything exactly perfect, for me anyway, its about having fun and creating cool images. 

Remember: dont be afraid to  experiment, think outside of the box, and most of all have fun!

Keep on shooting :)

Disclaimer: All photos are mine, unless otherwise stated. All opinions are my own. No monetary exchange occurred in exchange for this post.

Keep It Clean: LensPen Review.

Keeping your lens clean is verrrrryyy important. Dust dirt and fingerprints or smudges can degrade your image quality, and even obscure your image. So what I use to keep my lens clean is the LensPen.
"A superb new tool in optical lens cleaning technology.
Perfect for cleaning camera lenses, binocular lenses, small aperture spotting scopes and telescopes, eyepieces, and other optical items. Comes with a handy retractable dust removal brush and a special non-liquid cleaning element, designed to never dry out. Safe and very easy to use."
(text from LensPen.com)

Ive been using the LensPen for a few years now, and in my opinion, it beats all the competition. Everything from microfiber cloths to cleansing sprays. 

The LensPen has a brush at one end, to remove dust and debris. The brush slides out and locks into place. The bristles are very soft, and will not scratch or damage the lens at all. I havent experienced any shedding. At The other end of the pen is a unique non-liquid carbon compound cleaning element. Carbon absorbs oil, so this tip removes fingerprints like nothing else Ive ever used. Inside the cap is a little sponge, which cleans the tip of the pen with just a slight turn of the cap. Since this doesnt use liquid it will never dry out, and will last much longer, since it wont run out of liquid.

You clearly see a fingerprint on the lens, before using LensPen.

No fingerprint or residue, after using LensPen.

You can find LensPen at most camera supply stores. I got mine at Allens Camera, which is right down the street from my house. I got it for $9.99. You might be able to find it as cheap as $6-$7 online. (just be careful of fakes)

I bought a few things off Amazon.com a while back, and it came with a LensPen knockoff, here you can see the differences.

 LensPen is on the left in all images, knockoff is on the right. You can see its shorter. The brush is not as full, and not as soft. The brush actually doesnt lock in place and stay up, you have to hold it up to keep it from going back in when brushing off the lens. The cleaning tip (Im not sure if its made out of the same stuff as LensPen) you can see that its not curves like the LensPen, its slightly smaller, but seems to work basically the same. As with everything, if you buy a knockoff its not going to be as good as the origonal, so buy from a reputable store that sells authentic merchandise.

No matter how many new microfiber cloths come out, no matter how fancy and expensive they are, I will always buy LensPen. (or at least until something truely better comes out) LensPen is extremely affordable and works better than any expensive cleaning cloth or spray Ive ever used.

Hope this review helps. Feel free to leave requests of anything youd like me to review. Thanks for reading. And remember:

Keep on shooting. :)

Disclaimer: All photos are mine, unless otherwise stated. All opinions are my own. No monetary exchange occurred in exchange for this post or review. All items mentioned in this review were purchased by me, for my own personal use, and not for review purposes. I am simply sharing my opinions.

Lesson: Photo Lingo

I know photography "slang" can be very confusing..and honestly, a lot of the time the words are just redundant, and mean nothing more than changing the shutter speed or exposure.
Working in your presets help you avoid running into these words, but lets face it..you will never be able to take full advantage of your cameras (and your own) abilities until you figure this stuff out. So Im going to try to make it a little easier on you.

Here is a quick explanation of some confusing terms you might run into:
ISO speed - This one might not be as confusing, I did touch on this a little here, but basically, what that does, it controls how sensitive your cameras sensor is to the light that reaches it. If your ISO is too high your image will be too light, too low and your image will be too dark. Adjusting this is one of the main things that will affect the exposure of your image.

ex. here is the same image, at the same settings, just changing the ISO speed.

click to enlarge image

 from left to right: iso 100, iso 200, iso 400, iso 800, iso 1600, iso 3200

Exposure Compensation - This goes hand in hand with what I talked about here, when you adjust your aperture/shutter speed, sometimes its still to dark or bright, so you can adjust this to compensate for that. On your camera it will look like the image below (the highlighted area) It will show -2..1..0..1..+2 (or something similar) Adjusting to the + side will brighten your image, adjusting to the - side, will darken your image.

Auto Exposure Bracketing - (AEB) This is something that can be very useful in certain situations. When you dont have time to be messing with your settings in between every shot and want to take an image at different exposures. How this works..you will see your exposure compensation meter again, but this time when you change it you will see two lines which move opposite of each other, so when you turn it once, they will be at the same spots, one on the left side of 0, one on the right. You will then take three shots of the same image, and your camera will adjust the exposure for you. Taking one at 0, then one darkening and one lightening to where you have it set. (having it on continuous shooting makes this easier) Every camera is different for setting this, so check your manuel if you arent sure how.

ex. heres some shots I took using AEB.

click to enlarge image

from left to right: exposure -2, exposure 0, exposure +2

Bulb Exposure - This is a shutter speed setting. When set at bulb, or just b on some cameras, you basically hold in the shutter release button as long as you want the shutter to be open. This is good for when you want to test different shutter speeds without having to manually change it every time. Using a timer remote is helpful when shooting in bulb, because it reduces possible shake from your hand on the camera.
TTL metering - This stands for "Through The Lens" Metering. And all that does is measures the light reflected back through the camera lens from the scene in front of it.
Center Weighted Metering - Using the cameras exposure meter to concentrate on the central 60-80% of the image.
Flash Ratio - The balance of natural and artificial light when using more than one light source.
Hyperfocal Distance - The distance into your picture at where the selected aperture will be most effective.

Depth of Field - the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image.

Hopefully that helps clear up some confusion. As you can see most of these terms have to do with shutter speed and aperture, or exposure of your image. 

Remember: Don't be afraid to play with your settings, sometimes just reading about it isn't enough. Get hands on..practice different set ups until you figure it out. This can be a very confusing topic that can take some time to understand. Don't let the technical words scare you away, once you get the hang of it you'll completely impress yourself. 

Keep on shooting. :)

Disclaimer: All photos are mine, unless otherwise stated. All opinions are my own. No monetary exchange occurred in exchange for this post.

How-To: Water Drops

Photography is basically my biggest passion in life. For days now I've just been aching to shoot. But being sick and couch ridden for a week or so I haven't really been up for much more than movies and soup. Thankfully today I feel better and was able to actually get off the couch. So today I finally busted out my camera and set up some of my favorite in home shots.
Water is such an amazing thing to shoot.. You can do slow shutter speeds on flowing water to create a smooth silky effect. And you can do fast shutter speeds to freeze the image and capture splash.
(find out more about shutter speed here)
Today, being inside, I went with a fast shutter speed and photographed some water dripping into water.
Here is my easy in home set up for photographing water drops:
(This is an amazingly easy set up. Everything I used I found around the house. And I actually set it up in my bedroom.)
Things you'll need:
Shallow dish (I used a 9x9 glass baking dish lined with tin foil)
Small ziplock bag (with a pin size hole in the middle on the bottom to allow water to drop out one drop at a time)
4-6 lights
Tripod (I used two, one for my camera, and the other to hold up my bag of water)

I put my tripod on the table. Placed my dish of water below it. Clamped my bag of water to the tripod above my dish of water. And set up about five lights behind my set up.
I attached my 18-55mm lens to my camera, put it on the tripod, attached my timer remote, and turned my dial to M.
I used the following settings:
Shutter speed - 1/1600
Aperture - 7.1
ISO - 400
Flash on
Autofocus OFF

It can be very hard to focus on the water as its dripping past the lens. So to help focus I use a pen and put the tip in the water exactly where the water is dripping.
Now that you're all set up its time to snap some shots. Timing can be tricky. Too early and you catch the drop before it hits the water. Too late and you only get the ripple after. So just play with your timing until you get the shot just right. (I used my time remote to prevent any slight shake)

Here are a few shots I took today:
(I adjusted brightness/contrast and hue/saturation to bring out some detail and enhance the drops more)

Reviews

I've been blogging for a while now (check out my beauty blog here) and some of my most popular posts are review posts. I love doing reviews on products I've tried, I always give my 100% honest opinion and let you know exactly how I feel about a product. I never accept money for my reviews. (yes sometimes products are given to me in exchange for a review on them, but as I said my reviews are always honest) I was going to post a review on a few things I have in my camera bag today, but I wanted to check with my readers first. Do you want me to keep this blog informational (no reviews) or would you like to see some reviews?
I would love for you guys to throw me some suggestions and requests for posts! So don't be afraid to comment and let me know what you think! :)

Lesson: Aperture and Shutter Speed

Aperture and Shutter Speed.

You can shoot all day long in your preset modes, but you will never be able to take full advantage of your cameras abilities until you begin shooting in your manual settings. But before you can do that you have to understand what each means.

Aperture: (AV = Aperture Value) Aperture is the hole that light has to pass through. You change your aperture to allow more, or less light through the lens. (a large aperture letting in more light, and small letting in less) On your camera the aperture will be shown as f/number. The smaller the number, the larger the opening. (i know that might be a little confusing, usually bigger number would mean bigger hole, but not in this case) The f/number is a ratio of focal length to aperture diameter (the size of the hole that is letting light through)

Now lets get to what this all means in your photograph. Basically, a small aperture (higher f/number) means your subject, as well as anything in front and behind will be in focus; and a large aperture (lower f/number) means your subject will be in focus, while your foreground and background will be out of focus, or blurred.

Here's an example:

In this image I used a large aperture. You can see the background is blurred.

In this image I used a small aperture. You can see the background is more in focus.

Shutter Speed: (TV = Time Value) Shutter speed is pretty self explanatory, it is the speed that the shutter opens and closes, allowing light to pass through the lens. A slow shutter speed will be open longer, allowing more light to pass through; while a fast shutter speed will open faster, allowing less light to pass through. The shutter speed is shown as a number such as 8000. What that actually means is 1/8000th of a second. That is a very fast shutter speed. (8 would be 1/8th of a second) If the number is shown as x", the shutter will stay open for x amount of seconds (8" would be 8 seconds)

Here's a few more examples:

1000 = 1/1000th of a second

250 = 1/250th of a second

4 = 1/4 of a second

2 = 1/2 of a second

1" = 1 second

2" = 2 seconds

30" = 30 seconds

With fast shutter speeds, movement will become frozen in your image, while a slow shutter speed will blur movement.

Here's an example:

In this image I used a fast shutter speed. The movement of the ball falling is frozen. 

In this image I used a slow shutter speed. The movement of the ball falling is blurred.

How the two effect each other: With a fast shutter speed, you let in less light, so your aperture should be adjusted to allow more light to pass through, so your image wont be too dark. With a slow shutter speed, you let in more light, so you must adjust your aperture to let in less, or your image will be too light. Aperture and shutter speed are both measured in stops, so when you adjust one stop, you must adjust the other the same amount of stops to compensate for the adjustment. (this is called equivalent exposures)

Some other uses for slow slow shutter speed are: (I'll go more into detail on these later)

Night shots (or low light shots)

Light art (moving a small light source in a dark environment to create a stream of light)

To create blurred movement such as flowing water

Once you understand aperture and shutter speed, you won't believe how much your photographs will improve.

Remember: Don't be afraid to play with your settings, sometimes just reading about it isn't enough. Get hands on..practice different set ups until you figure it out. This can be a very confusing topic that can take some time to understand. Don't let the technical words scare you away, once you get the hang of it you'll completely impress yourself. 

Keep on shooting. :)

Disclaimer: All photos are mine, unless otherwise stated. All opinions are my own. No monetary exchange occurred in exchange for this post.