Shoot at Your Lens’ Sharpest Aperture.

 

Another trick the pros use is, when possible, shoot at your lens’ sharpest aperture. For most lenses, that is about two full stops smaller than wide open (so the f-stop number you use will go higher by two stops). For example, if you had an f/2.8 lens, the sharpest apertures for that lens would be f/5.6 and f/8 (two full stops down from 2.8).

Of course, you can’t always choose these apertures, but if you’re in a situation where you can (and we’ll talk about this later in the book), then shooting two stops down from wide open will usually give you the sharpest image your lens can deliver. Now, that being said, this isn’t true for all lenses, and if that’s not the case with your lens, you’ll find your lens’ sweet spot (its sharpest aperture) in short order if you keep an eye out for which aperture your sharpest images seem to come from.

You can do that by looking at your photos’ EXIF data (the background information on your shots embedded by your digital camera into the photos themselves) in Photoshop by going under Photoshop’s File menu and choosing File Info. Then click on Camera Data 1. It will show the aperture your shot was taken at. If you find most of your sharpest shots are taken with a particular aperture, then you’ve found your sweet spot.

However, don’t let this override the most important reason you choose a particular aperture, and that is to give you the depth of field you need for a particular shot. But it’s just nice to know which f-stop to choose when your main concern is sharpness, not controlling depth of field.

Source: The Digital Photography Book: The Step-By-Step Secrets for How to Make Your Photos Look Like the Pros’! By Scott Kelby.

Don’t Press the Shutter (Use a Cable Release).

 

Okay, so now you’re lugging around a tripod, but your photos are looking much sharper. Not tack sharp yet, but much sharper. What will take you to the next level of sharpness? A cable release. This is simply a cable that attaches to your digital camera (well, to most semi-pro or high-end consumer dSLRs anyway) and it has a button on the end of it. That way, when you press this button on the end of the cable, it takes the photo, but without you actually touching the shutter button on the camera itself.

So, why is this such a big deal? It’s because, believe it or not, when you press the shutter button on the camera, it makes the camera move just enough to keep your photos from being tack sharp. I know, it sounds like a little thing, but this one is bigger than it sounds. Using it is easier than you might think, and these days most cameras support wireless remotes too, and they’re fairly inexpensive as well. Now your photos are just that much sharper.

Source: The Digital Photography Book: The Step-By-Step Secrets for How to Make Your Photos Look Like the Pros’! By Scott Kelby.

A Ballhead Will Make Your Life Easier.

 

Here’s the thing: when you buy a pro-quality tripod, you get just the tripod. It doesn’t come with a tripod head affixed like the cheap-o tripods do, so you’ll have to buy one separately (by the way, this ballhead thing isn’t necessarily about getting sharp images, but it is about keeping your sanity, so I thought I’d better throw it in).

Ballheads are wonderful because with just one knob they let you quickly and easily aim and position your camera accurately at any angle (which you’ll find is a huge advantage). Best of all, good ballheads keep your camera locked down tight to keep your camera from "creeping" (slowly sliding one way or the other) after you’ve set up your shot. Like tripods, a good ballhead isn’t cheap, but if you buy a good one, you’ll fall in love with it.

Source: The Digital Photography Book: The Step-By-Step Secrets for How to Make Your Photos Look Like the Pros’! By Scott Kelby.

Getting “Tack Sharp” Starts with a Tripod.

 

There’s not just one trick that will give you the sharp photos the pros get it’s a combination of things that all come together to give you "tack sharp" shots. (Tack sharp is the term pro photographers use to describe the ultimate level of sharpness. Sadly, we aren’t the best at coming up with highly imaginative names for things.) So, while there are a number of things you’ll need to do to get tack-sharp photos, the most important is shooting on a tripod. In fact, if there’s one single thing that really separates the pros from the amateurs, it’s that the pros always shoot on a tripod (even in daylight).

Yes, it’s more work, but it’s the key ingredient that amateurs miss. Pros will do the little things that most amateurs aren’t willing to do; that’s part of the reason their photos look like they do. Keeping the camera still and steady is a tripod’s only job, but when it comes to tripods, some do a lot better job than others. That’s why you don’t want to skimp on quality. You’ll hear pros talking about this again and again, because cheap tripods simply don’t do a great job of keeping your camera that steady. That’s why they’re cheap.

Source: The Digital Photography Book: The Step-By-Step Secrets for How to Make Your Photos Look Like the Pros’! By Scott Kelby.

Turn Off Vibration Reduction/IS/VC/OS…

 

The big rage in digital lenses these days are the Vibration Reduction (VR) lens from Nikon and the Image Stabilization (IS) lens from Canon, which help you get sharper images while hand-holding your camera in low-light situations. Basically, they let you hand-hold in more low-light situations by stabilizing the movement of your lens when your shutter is open longer, and honestly, they work wonders for those instances where you can’t work on a tripod (like weddings, some sporting events, when you’re shooting in a city, or just places where they simply won’t let you set up a tripod). If you’re in one of those situations, I highly recommend these VR or IS lenses, but depending on which one you use, there are some rules about when you should turn them off. For example, we’ll start with Nikon. If you are shooting on a tripod with a Nikon VR lens, to get sharper images turn the VR feature off (you do this right on the lens itself by turning the VR switch to the Off position). The non-technical explanation why is, these VR lenses look for vibration. If they don’t find any, they’ll go looking for it, and that looking for vibration when there is absolutely none can cause (you guessed it) some small vibration. So just follow this simple rule: When you’re hand-holding, turn VR or IS on. When you’re shooting on a tripod, for the sharpest images possible, turn VR or IS off. Now, there are some Nikon VR lenses and some older Canon IS lenses that can be used on a tripod with VR or IS turned on. So, be sure to check the documentation that came with your VR or IS lens to see if yours needs to be turned off.

Source: The Digital Photography Book: The Step-By-Step Secrets for How to Make Your Photos Look Like the Pros’! By Scott Kelby.

The Digital Photography Book: The Revolution!

 

Kepada semua, saya akan menyiarkan part by part berkaitan fotografi digital untuk tatapan dan rujukan. Untuk permulaan, saya sudah menyiarkan dua bahagian dan yang lainnya akan menyusul.

Untuk yang sudah kira PRO, boleh abaikan saja maklumat yang ada di sini dan bagi yang new bee seperti saya, maklumat yang ada kira berguna juga.

Di samping itu, untuk maklumat tambahan, boleh lawati forum seperti berikut:

1. Shutter Asia

2. Photography Malaysia

Jangan lupa untuk mendaftar di laman forum tu dulu. Tidak lupa juga anda semua boleh melawat laman ini:

Sekolah Fotography Digital

Semoga berjaya semua!!!

The Other Most Important Secret.

 

Again, ignore that headline. It’s just a cheap come-on to get you to keep reading. Anyway, that’s the scoop. Now, here’s another important thing you need to know. To get the kind of quality photos I think you’re looking for, sometimes it takes more than changing an adjustment in the camera or changing the way you shoot. Sometimes, you have to buy the stuff the pros use to shoot like a pro. I don’t mean you need to buy a new digital camera, but instead, some accessories that the pros use in the field every day. I learned a long time ago that in many fields, like sports for example, the equipment doesn’t really make that big a difference. For example, go to Wal-Mart, buy the cheapest set of golf clubs you can, hand them to Tiger Woods, and he’s still Tiger Woodsshooting 12 under par on a bad day. However, I’ve never seen a field where the equipment makes as big a difference as it does in photography. Don’t get me wrong, hand Jay Maisel a point-and-shoot camera and he’ll take point-and-shoot shots that could hang in a gallery, but the problem is we’re not as good as Jay Maisel. So, to level the playing field, sometimes we have to buy accessories (crutches) to make up for the fact that we’re not Jay Maisel. Now, I don’t get a kickback, bonus, or anything from any of the companies whose products I recommend. I’m giving you the same advice I’d give you if we were out shooting (which is the whole theme behind this book). This is not a book to sell you stuff, but before you move forward, understand that to get pro results sometimes you have to use (and that means buy) what the pros use.

Source: The Digital Photography Book: The Step-By-Step Secrets for How to Make Your Photos Look Like the Pros’! By Scott Kelby.

Pautan MP3 Terbaru.

 

Kepada anda semua, jika ingin mendengar/pra-dengar lagu-lagu terbaru, bolehlah datang ke alamat ini:

MP3Cript

Yang lain-lain tu akan menyusul…Semoga gembira selalu!!!

The Real Secret to Getting Sharp Photos.

Before we get to "The Real Secret to Getting Sharp Photos," I need to let you in on a few quick things that will help you big time in getting the most from this book (sorry about duping you with "The Real Secret to Getting Sharp Photos" headline, but don’t worry that subject and more are coming right up, but first I have to make sure you totally understand how this book works. Then it will all make sense and we can worry about sharp photos). The idea is simple: you and I are out on a photo shoot. While we’re out shooting, you have lots of questions, and I’m going to answer them here in the book just like I would in real life straight and to the point, without teaching you all the technical aspects and behind-the-scenes technology of digital photography. For example, if we were out shooting and you turned to me and said, "Hey Scott, I want to take a shot where that flower over there is in focus, but the background is out of focus. How do I do that?" I wouldn’t turn to you and give you a speech about smaller and larger apertures, about how exposure equals shutter speed plus aperture, or any of that stuff you can read in any book about digital photography (and I mean any book it’s in every one). In real life, I’d just turn to you and say, "Put on your zoom lens, set your aperture at f/2.8, focus on the flower, and fire away." That’s how this book works. Basically, it’s you and me out shooting, and I’m giving you the same tips, the same advice, and the same techniques I’ve learned over the years from some of the top working pros, but I’m giving it to you in plain English, just like I would in person, to a friend.

Source: The Digital Photography Book: The Step-By-Step Secrets for How to Make Your Photos Look Like the Pros’! By Scott Kelby.

Pro Tips for Getting Really Sharp Photos.

Having photos that are sharp and in focus is so vitally important to pro photographers that they actually have coined a term for them. They call them "tack sharp." When I first heard that term tossed around years ago, I naturally assumed that it was derived from the old phrase "sharp as a tack," but once I began writing this book and doing some serious research into its history, I was shocked and surprised at what I found. First of all, it’s not based on the "sharp as a tack" phrase at all. Tack sharp is actually an acronym. TACK stands for Technically Accurate Cibachrome Kelvin (which refers to the color temperature of light in photographs), and SHARP stands for Shutter Hyperfocal At Refracted Polarization. Now, these may seem like highly technical terms at first, but once you realize that I totally made them up, it doesn’t seem so complicated, does it? Now, you have to admit, it sounded pretty legitimate at first. I mean, I almost had ya, didn’t I? Come on, you know I had you, and I’ll bet it was that "color temperature of light" thing I put in parenthesis that helped sell the idea that it was real, right? It’s okay to admit you were fooled, just like it’s okay to admit that you’ve taken photos in the past that weren’t tack sharp (just in case you were wondering, the term "tack sharp" is actually formed from the Latin phrase tantus saeta equina which means "there’s horsehair in my tantus"). Anyway, what’s really important at this point is whatever you do, keep your spotted palomino away from anything with a sharp, pointy end used to attach paper to a bulletin board.

Source: The Digital Photography Book: The Step-By-Step Secrets for How to Make Your Photos Look Like the Pros’! By Scott Kelby