Black and White: From Snapshots to Great Shots

Black and White: From Snapshots to Great Shots

Now that you’ve bought that amazing new DSLR, you need a book that goes beyond the camera manual to capture stunning images. For digital photographers interested in black and white, this guide will help beginning- and intermediate-level shooters conquer the fundamentals and take amazing shots.

Pro photographer John Batdorff starts with the basics, including composition, light, contrast, exposure, and when to choose black and white. He covers all the key camera features (regardless of what type of DSLR you have) that affect your image, including the shutter speed’s ability to freeze and convey motion, and the aperture’s direct correlation with depth of field.

Once you’ve captured those great shots, John takes you step by step through the color conversion process to black and white in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom using simple presets. He also covers the enhancements and features that can be added using Nik Silver Efex Pro software–from presets to control points using U-Point Technology.

Follow along with your friendly and knowledgeable guide and you will:

  • Learn to see in black and white by understanding contrast, texture, and lighting
  • Understand all the best tricks and techniques for getting great black and white action shots, landscapes, and portraits
  • Create your own digital workflow by understanding the basics of post processing in Lightroom, then go beyond the basics with Nik Silver Efex Pro
  • Share your images and learn tips on printing and presenting your work online
  • And once you’ve got the shot, show it off! Join the book’s Flickr group, share your photos, and discuss how you use your camera to get great black and white shots at flickr.com/groups/blackandwhite fromsnapshotstogreatshots.

    List Price: $ 24.99

    Price: $ 13.73

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Q&A: What is the best wide angle lens for Nikon that is great with group pictures of more than 40 people?

Question by : What is the best wide angle lens for Nikon that is great with group pictures of more than 40 people?
I am looking for a wide angle lens for my NIKON D80 that is good for the body, compatible, easy to use, and most importantly good for group pictures of 40 and more

Best answer:

Answer by Gabriel 1
What’s your price range?

Look at this one: http://www.amazon.com/Tamron-10-24mm-3-5-4-5-Aspherical-Digital/dp/B001G7PIBM/ref=sr_1_28?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1304654006&sr=1-28

What do you think? Answer below!

Digital Photography Unleashed: Capturing Wildly Great Pictures Reviews

Digital Photography Unleashed: Capturing Wildly Great Pictures

Learn the basics of digital photography in Jim Miotke’s new DVD, “Digital Photography Unleashed: Capturing Wildly Great Photos”.

This jam-packed DVD is over 2 hours long. Each of the four segments is just under a half hour, and helpful bonus materials are included as well. The four segments are:

• Learning the Basics (with Andy the Mountain Lion)

• Day at the Ranch (where we photograph horses, cowboys, branding, and more)

• Mastering Further Techniques (with a variety of wildlife models)

• Exploring Light and Shutter Speed (in Yosemite Valley)

Each segment has a variety of tips and techniques sprinkled throughout.

While enjoying an adventure photographing animals near Yosemite, California, you will:

• Learn to see and appreciate light

• Master the “Exposure Triangle”

• Know how to choose the best ISO, shutter speed, and f-number

• Understand file formats such as JPEG and Raw

• Select the right white balance setting

• Compose with the Rule of Thirds

• Digital photograph any subject, whether it is your child, a scenic, a close up flower, your favorite pet, your friends and family, and more…

This exciting and dramatic DVD is fun to watch even for non-photography enthusiasts. With the help of Triple “D”, we explore the universal tips and techniques while photographing wildlife models, cowboys, colorful horses, and Yosemite Valley.

Bonus materials include a Buyer’s Guide, a collection of tips for easy reference, and interviews with the Triple “D” staff and ranchers who put on the wildlife photo shoot.

List Price: $ 24.95

Price: $ 24.95

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84CM (33″) Black & Gold Reflective Lighting Umbrella – Great for Portrait Photography Studio

84CM (33″) Black & Gold Reflective Lighting Umbrella – Great for Portrait Photography Studio

  • This umbrella is for professional studios.
  • It gives a better skin tone and contrast control.
  • Color: Black and Gold
  • Diameter:84cm/33”
  • Brand New – One Year Warranty!

Description:

*This umbrella is for professional studios.

*It gives a better skin tone and contrast control.

*The Silver Umbrella softens all light sources, and reflects more light than a translucent umbrella or soft-box.

Specification:

*Color: Black and Gold

*Diameter:84cm/33”

*Weight: 300g

List Price: $ 3.00

Price: $ 3.00

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A Great Canon Rebel Portrait Lens Is Worth Its Weight In Gold

wide lens
by jdsmith1021

A Great Canon Rebel Portrait Lens Is Worth Its Weight In Gold

Let’s say you just got your very first DSLR and it’s a Canon Rebel. At this point you have developed into a pro in the eyes of others. Folks around you will jump to the conclusion that you are indeed a professional.

So what about portraits? What are the specifications for a Canon Rebel portrait lens?

If you are a photographer, there is not doubt that you will be called on to be a portrait at some point in your photo career. Even if it’s only your loved ones who takes it for granted that you are a fabulous portrait shooter. And these wonderful people will expect you to deliver for free.

It’s simply a well known fact. When individuals notice that beast of a dslr camera, they just suppose you happen to be a pro and you can take any kind of photo with superiority.

A little tip here, don’t tell them you just acquired that Canon Rebel. Hide behind your camera and allow them to believe what they want.

Listed below are the two main points to keep in mind for getting a decent facial shot.

First, it is advisable to be from about 6 to 20 feet from the model you are shooting. Any closer than half a dozen feet and you will be experiencing some distortions in the body attributes.

Next, make sure you select as wide an aperture as possible, such as f/2.8 or f/4. A wide aperture will result in an excellent depth of field, and thus the plane of focus is restricted to two or three inches in front of and behind the primary focus region (meaning the face, and specifically the eye, in a portrait). The object of a small depth of field is a blurry background.

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Choosing a lens to do this might simply mean looking within your camera carrier or actually presently on the Digital Rebel, as you might actually have an excellent portrait lens.

Your Canon Rebel has a sensor that multiplies the focal length of the lens by a factor of 1.6. To figure the actual focal length of a lens on a Canon Rebel, you need to multiply the lens length by 1.6 to get the effective focal length. Therefore, a 50mm lens would actually act like a lens with a focal length of 80mm.

A portrait shot typically involves a photo area approximately 3 to 4 feet high. Taking a photo using a 100mm lens would likely put you roughly 15 feet from your model… excellent.

The very least focal length lens you could use to get that same shot will be a 50mm lens, with you positioned about 6 feet from your subject.

One lens in particular, the Canon EF-S 60mm Macro, is produced especially for cameras like the Canon Rebels. It really is great for macro and portraits.

Portrait lenses for Canon Rebels can also be much longer in focal length than 50-60mm. Particularly, zoom lenses that are much longer like the Canon 70-200mm lens does very well because of how totally magnificent the photos are. It is actually what many call the Canon “Flagship” lens. If you own one of the 70-200mm lenses there are a total of five of these lenses now), you will be set.

However, quite a few photographers feel that a prime lens does the best job and takes the perfect portrait images (a prime lens incorporates a single focal length as an alternative to a zoom). There isn’t any argument that a great portrait might be taken using a 100mm prime or possibly a 135mm prime lens. These are excellent lenses. Nonetheless they are also higher in price than many of the other possibilities.

If it turns out price range may take any role during your selection, take into account that the focal length might be between 50mm and up. It is definitely camera placement (length from your model), the point of view of the photo, and the excellence of the lens that make the photograph.

If you will be taking a great deal of portraits, then a superior lens with the proper focal length and aperture is a the best choice. Having said that, if you’re not thinking about doing portraits your main style of photography, you ought to purchase a lens that can suit your needs for whichever type of images you intend to major in and allow it to be used as a Canon Rebel Portrait lens.

I love photography and all things related to it. Cameras, camera gear, and image editing software fascinate me, so I am either buying the newest piece of equipment (or software) or researching my next purchase.

For more about Canon Rebel Portrait lenses, visit us at http://www.canoneoslenses.org/canon-portrait-lenses/.

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