Originally posted by Pixie Duster
Ya my boy is gettin' some over due props!!!! Heck ya man!
Way before I met you I thought your photos were incredible. You have some real talent babydoll.
Heh...... Right on. Babydoll, we gotta work on that project
With my real camera; im amazed that the Pointy and shoot did so well with those ones.
Thanks all. Anyhow, as my astute roommmate said I primarily use a Nikon D1X these days, everything in that gallery BEFORE Sept 03 was with a plain ol Nikon D1. Everything is still shot only from guests areas... no special access has been asked for and none has been granted.
Okay... lets start from the bottom here -
Digital Printing - I use a Canon i850. Stick with Canon or HP. Its mainly in the paper, for high end art uses, go for anythign Illford makes , Kodak is decent. Print out of something like Photoshop Elements at a resolution or @200 DPI - anythign beyond is a waste of ink. Let photoshop use the color management when you print and turn off all printer color management. Usually the computer is better....
Fireworks :
Film - Tripod, ISO200 film, f/8 and a shutter release. Beware of the finales of Wishes & Illuminations.
Digital - Tripod, Shutter Release, Set to ISO 125 - 200 and f/7.1-9 ... Thats what ive been able to come up with so far. Try NOT to overexpose. Its still a work in progress.
Overall - Composition, composition, composition. Fill the frame, look for unique angles and watch the background. Follow the basics. If youve got good light, you'll get good shots. An hour or two after sunrise as well as before sunset are just good times.
If youve got 15-20 bucks, check out the National Geographic Field Guide to Photography. Great basic/beginners book. Explains basic techniques like using a fill flash if its backlit, using a polarizer, the rule of 3rds, etc.
The camera doesnt necessarily matter, neither does megapixels in the digital. Thats more for how big the picture is gonna be. For 8x10, you need at least 3 MP to print at 150-200 DPI. Its all in what you see and the composition.
'If your pictures arent good enough, youre not close enough' said Robert Capa. So think about it compositionally ... youre in front of teh castle. Do you need to go wide angle and get the whole castle, or do you crouch down and zoom in tight on the faces of your friends so that you see them and have the castle blurred in the background? All in composition.