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Long story short, I'm from Los Angeles, went to an amazing school, left the US and moved to the Middle East. I've been backpacking around Europe and the Middle East on and off since August 2013. Would you like to converse? Here's my Forum
Quite frankly, I'm sarcastic way more than I should be. Read a few of my answers, and you'll see that I am not totally mean to anyone.
Type correctly or go home. Yes, that is an ultimatum.
advice
I am a beginner photographer doing b & w shots. I am currently enrolled in a photography class, but as you can see, I am very confused. Any answers to any one of the many questions would be fine too. Thanks in advance for your help!
I have used both but which film is better?
Kodak Professional:
125 PX film (Plus-X)
400 TX film (Tri-X)
What settings do I use for the following:
. which [film]
. [aperture]
. [shutter speed]
. [night] vs. [cloudy/dim/low-light day] vs. [sunny day] vs. [indoors w/ artificial light]
To take photographs of:
- To capture fast-motion objects so object at hand is clear and crisp but background blurred while I'm standing still. How about slow-ish moving objects?
- Panning
- To write words in the air with a lighter
- Taking photographs of carnival lights
- Still-life/non-moving objects
- Depth of field (shallow, deep)
Basically, I don't understand how the settings work. If I open up the aperture and have a fast shutter speed both isn't that the best way to capture motion and allowing lots of light in at the same time? So should I always have those settings for taking any photograph?
How do I use filters? The higher the number, the more contrast I will get? I haven't really seen them but they look like square papers with different colors (shades of red). Also, what is bracketing, spot-metering, the poor man's zone, and exposure (long, short.. strobe or flash in dark)? How do I control those? For multiple exposures you can have a person running and on the photograph you can see step-by-step the motion of the runner, right?
It depends what you're shooting and what kind of lighting you're in.
I use Tri-X. It's what we have to use, but in very bright situations, I use like a 100 speed film.
I use a Rebel, and you shouldn't be worrying about some of this stuff. Just set it on automatic and the aperture (f-stop) should adjust for you, for the most part.
Shutter speed should also be automatic.
If you're shooting at night, your shutter speed (and film speed) need to change. Shutter speed should be slower to allow more light in, and film speed should be faster. Do NOT use the flash unless you are looking to wash out your subjects. For similar reasons, it's best to avoid shooting indoors.
I like this link: http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/how-to-capture-motion-blur-in-photography/
That explains how to shoot your fast motion stuff.
Disregard the digital in the URL. It should be the same enough so that you get the idea.
To write words in the air with a lighter/flashlight, set you aperture to all the way open. I haven't done this in awhile, so double check this part, but I think you click the shutter and then once you're done click it again.
Experiment with it.
On an overcast day, you get lucky. This is when some of my BEST pictures have been taken (they're called Open Shade, FYI). You shouldn't be shooting inside unless you're in a studio, which will have the appropriate lighting. Bright sun requires you to let in less light, otherwise your negative will be overexposed (too dark).
Taking pictures of carnival lights and still life/ immobile objects is just point and shoot.
As for depth of field, I assume that you have an assignment. I did a Google image search for you, and here is what came up: http://images.google.com/images?q=depth+of+field+photo&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=gsu&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=images&ct=title
A lot of those look really good, though some are obviously better than others.
If you have any more questions like the depth of field one, just Google image search it to see what comes up. In times of desperation or mindblock, I always do that. It gets you thinking about what you might like to shoot.
I already said this, but in case you missed it, NO, you do not want the same settings for each photograph. I assume you realize that the more light that gets in, the darker your picture gets. I don't know if you understand how negatives work, so I will explain that and hopefully it will make more sense. Once you develop your negs, the white (or pale gray) is where your picture (print) will be at its darkest. Why? It allows the light to come through, thus darkening your paper. The dark spots on our negative will block the light (or some of it, depending on the negative and how dark and contrasted it is) and leave your paper white in those areas. That is why the settings matter. Your picture will not come out if overexposed. You cannot counteract this by developing it for less time...it will still look overexposed and underdeveloped.
And, yes, for multiple exposures you can have a person running and on the photograph you can see step-by-step the motion of the runner.
I hope that this helps, and feel free to ask my any other questions you might have, or ask me to clarify something.
(Rating: 5) oh wow thanks! i hope its ok to ask more later