Photography Weekend…

Hey RSS readers! Der be a vid-ey-oh down below!!

Photography Tips from Ryan Detzel on Vimeo.

This is my camera. It’s a Nikon D60. Click here for an in-depth assessment of this camera. I bought this camera as an inexpensive replacement to my old Nikon D100 that I was shooting with for years. The D100 was wearing out and while the new D60 isn’t built nearly as strong…it’s still a great little camera.

If I had my druthers, which by the way is just a shortening of the phrase “would rathers”, I’d have me either a Nikon D90 or a Nikon D700. But those are just druthers. This camera would be an excellent starter camera for someone looking to dive deeper into photography. It’s got many professional features and it’s also small and lightweight for someone new to the D-SLR game.

SLR stands for Single-Lens-Reflex. D-SLR stands for Digital-Single-Lens-Reflex. Read more about what that means —–> here.

This would be my favorite lens for portraits. It’s a Sigma 30mm f/1.4. Here is a good, honest review about this lens’ capabilities and downfalls. Ken Rockwell is a great person to learn from. This lens is used primarily for candid shots of people. This is an awesome lens to have on the camera when you’re having people over and you don’t want to use flash to annoy everyone. It will create a great natural light photograph with a super shallow depth of field…this is awesome for photos of one person, but can be trouble for group shots as one person will be focused while another is blurry.

Here’s a few shots I took with this lens:

See what I mean about the shallow depth of field? The background is very blurred out and the subject stands out…all of these shots are without flash.

This lens provides for some extremely wide-angle shots. It distorts things quite a bit, but I don’t mind distorted…some people hate it. A good review of this lens can be found here.
This lens is really fun. You can fit a ton of stuff into the frame and it always makes people wonder how the heck you did it.

Here are some shots from this lens:

And this is the flash I’m using now. A Nikon SB-800. A good review can be found here. I don’t have a whole lot to say about this flash just yet as I just got it a couple weeks ago…it’s a good one. One of the best Nikon has ever had. It’s powerful enough to throw a lot of light a long way and balanced enough to not wash things out. It meters very well with the camera. I hate any flash that is built in to the camera…these are always terrible. My recommendation would be to use no flash at all or an external flash like this one.

An external flash gives you the ability to control a lot more…such as where the light is coming from. This flash allows me to tilt the flash head up, down, backwards, sideways to the point where I can bounce the flash off of a ceiling or wall for a much nicer effect. It diffuses the flash and gives a much more natural look than flash usually offers.

Photos in this post <—click) are all using the SB-800 bounced off the ceiling.

GOT QUESTIONS? ASK AWAY!! I’ll be honest and tell you if I don’t know the answer. Who knows…you might learn something.

After you leave a comment containing a question, I’ll respond to it as soon as I get a chance. Just check back to your comment and there might be an answer waiting for you.

This entry was written by Ryan, posted on November 14, 2008 at 5:21 pm, filed under Photography. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL.

27 Comments

Sherri Morris

Posted November 14, 2008 at 5:49 pm | Permalink

I gotta say that I love your photos. Do you shoot in RAW? and also what do you do the photos…example post processing?

Answer from Ryan:

Most of the time I don’t shoot in RAW although I really should be. It’s just those dang file sizes are so big and I take so many stinking photos…but I should be.

As far as post processing goes - YES!! I used Adobe Photoshop CS3. I’ve been using PS for years as a self taught amateur (besides a few Scott Kelby books, which I would highly recommend).

Recently I stumbled upon Totally Rad Actions for Photoshop CS3 and it’s been really fun to use. http://www.totallyradactions.com

I typically like things to have a warm, moody effect to them and so I’ll warm things up using color balance or different actions and such. It’s always best to start with a good canvas though.

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Sigga

Posted November 14, 2008 at 6:14 pm | Permalink

I’ve recently started stealing/borrowing my husbands D200 camera w/ 18-200 mm lens. I’m stubborn. And am still trying to figure out ON MY OWN how to take pictures without the flash and without everything being blurry in the outcome of this experiment…WITHOUT any help from my husband. How childish can you get?

Answer from Ryan:

I understand completely. My wife is the exact same way. She will do anything possible to not ask me a question and I always notice…

It typically ends up with me forcing my help upon her…haha.

Just keep trying different things out. The nice thing about digital cameras is that the learning process has become much shorter than with film. Can you imagine? 10 years ago shooting 96 photos and it would cost you $40 to check out your experiment! Now you’ve got the chance to shoot and shoot and delete and delete. Have you flipped it over to the ISO settings yet?

If you’re in any mode besides full-auto, you can change the ISO. ISO is a film speed equivalent. Example: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, etc..

The higher the number, the more light you can bring in. There is a trade-off though…the higher the number, the higher the graininess of the photo. Try shooting the same photo @ all different ISO settings and see what you find out.

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Sonja Chandler

Posted November 14, 2008 at 6:24 pm | Permalink

Ok Ryan THANK YOU a million. Not only for the photography tips but for making me laugh out loud several times. Did you know you were that funny?
Anyway here are my questions: I use a Canon 30D and have had it for about 3 years now. I take a TON and I mean a TON of sports pics for my boys ball teams and I mean the WHOLE team. Every kid out there. So I have noticed lately that my pictures are not looking as “good/sharp” as they did when I first got the camera. Can a camera wear out?
Second question: I use my Canon 28-135 IS lense for everything except for “ballfield Shots” in which I use my telephoto (100-400) Would my pics really benefit from a portrait lense or is the 28-135 good enough.
Last question: What creative suggestions do yo have for convincing our spouses to allow us to go out and get more lenses. Cause I gots to have more lenses now.

P.S. You HAVE got to do a Photoshop video with you showing us some step by step ways to use the system, becasue I can not READ it try to use it at the same time. I need to be shown. I have problems.

Thanks a mil Ryan.
Sorry this is so long.

Answer from Ryan:

Yes, I did know I was that funny. I keep telling everyone that…but only a few of you weirdos agree with me.

As far as cameras wearing out…yes they can. That doesn’t mean your camera is worn out though. The most common problem with photos taking a downturn in quality is the dirt & grime that is building up on the lenses and the camera itself. Have you been cleaning your stuff? Do you have a good lens cleaning kit with a microfiber cloth? Cleaning everything up would be step one. Grab a can of compressed air and gently blow out the inside of the camera when the lens is off.

Try that first, if you haven’t already, and then check to see if something is wearing out.

You would definitely benefit from having a “fast” lens of some sort. An inexpensive and fantastic lens for your camera would be the Canon 50mm f/1.8. < ----you can get this lens for less than $90...a tremendous value. Buy that and play around with it. The old boy has to be willing to come off of $85 for his lovely sweetheart right?

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Mary

Posted November 14, 2008 at 8:30 pm | Permalink

Thanks for the tips, Ryan! I’ve been wanting to pursue photography for a while now, but the expense of a camera has been keeping me from taking the plunge, which brings me to my question … when I finally do get a camera, I’m going to be able to afford just one lens. I know you mentioned a couple lenses you like for specific shots, but is there a good, all-purpose lens you’d recommend?

Answer from Ryan:

You will only be able to buy one lens at first…who knows what the future holds. I would recommend getting one of the all-purpose zoom lenses to start out with. This will immediately bring up your image quality and if you start to get serious about photography you can always purchase another lens later.

If you go with Nikon: I would probably start with a Nikon D60 with 18-55 zoom lens. It will run you about $600. You can save a little money by going with a lower end camera, but I wouldn’t.

If you go with Canon: I would probably start with a Canon Digital Rebel XT with 18-55 lens. It will run a little less than $500 total. If you’re able to swing a little more than that…go with the Rebel XSi with 18-55 lens. It will run about $650.

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Kelsea

Posted November 14, 2008 at 8:58 pm | Permalink

Okay Here’s my Question … You think maybe you could email my Mom, AKA Santa Claus, and tell her why I need a Nikon for Christmas?

… My convincing isn’t too … well, convincing.

Answer by Ryan:

Shoot me an email including her email address and consider it done. I’m serious. I could sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman in white gloves.

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Lisa

Posted November 14, 2008 at 9:14 pm | Permalink

Thanks so much for the great tips! I just got my Nikon D80 in June and now (as of last week) have a Nikkor 50mm f1.8. Now I really want the Sigma 30mm! I think you should definitely teach photography on your site! I love your pictures and recently went through your Flicker site…the pictures from inside the moving car are fantastic! As a newbie, I can’t wait to learn more.

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Dyan

Posted November 15, 2008 at 12:38 am | Permalink

No questions yet - just wanted to say that was informative and hilarious!!!

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SaRaH

Posted November 15, 2008 at 1:48 am | Permalink

Love Love LOVE this post. I’ve been debating between a Nikon or Cannon. BTW, I’m officially an Ohio homeowner! Boy is this weather a diversion from Texas, but I’m adjusting. I can’t find a link to your church….could you help me out? We’d really love to come and visit.

Answer by Ryan:

You can’t go wrong with either Canon or Nikon. I’ve shot both many times and they are both excellent. As far as church goes…sorry about the link lack…still working on building this new blog. All information can be found on http://www.vineyardwestside.com - We would love to have you visit!

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Bec

Posted November 15, 2008 at 8:56 am | Permalink

Hi there I’m a lurker that’s delurking! I’ve had a Nikon D80 for a year now but am still trying to figure out the manual settings etc… so I was wondering what settings you mainly use to get your exposure and all that right? Thanks for doing a photography post… would love to see more! I’m self-taught in PS but would just like to know more about which settings to use to get good shots in different lighting conditions… that fountain pic is amazing… how did you get a night shot to look so clear??? I think that’s enough questions huh? Have a great week!

Answer by Ryan:

Thanks for de-lurking! I mainly use Aperture Priority Mode (A) or Shutter Priority Mode (S) for most shots. I’ll flip between matrix metering and spot metering modes depending on what I’m shooting. If it’s a person, I typically try to meter their face with the spot meter mode.

Getting great photos in all the “wrong” settings is what will set you apart as a great photographer. Anyone can take a nice photo on a perfectly sunny day. One way to test this is simple. Bracket your exposures. You can shoot one photo with a normal exposure and then however many you wish over/under with the exposure +/- button which is located right behind the shutter button. On the D80 you’ll have to hold it in and rotate one of the “action wheels” or whatever they call them. This will allow you to over or under expose in 1/3 stop increments. Try it out!

As far as very clear night shots go…I typically underexpose them a little bit, which gives you a more clear (darker) shot than normal. The camera is trying to make night into day…we don’t need that. Night is night and it’s okay if it’s darker than usual. When the camera tries on it’s own to achieve a “proper exposure” at night…there is likely to be some light pollution on the image. Try underexposing.

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Holly

Posted November 15, 2008 at 9:38 am | Permalink

Loved the photography lesson. I am using a camera like the one you tossed out!

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Cara

Posted November 15, 2008 at 10:01 am | Permalink

I’ve been lurking on your site for a while and love it. I am seriously beyond remedial in my photography knowledge and just hope and wish to one day be able to have a nice camera and take good photos.

My questions 1. Does the $600 on the camera you showed on the video include the extra lens price? If not, what is the approx lens price?
2. Does the flash cost extra?
3. Are there any decent cameras out there you would recommend in the $300 - $500 range?
4. Do I have to have photoshop to accompany this kind of camera so my photos can come out decent?

I’m sure I’ll have more questions later - Thank you!!

Answer by Ryan:

1. $600 is for the Nikon D60 camera with the 18-55 zoom lens. Everything else is additional cost. The Sigma 30mm lens is a little over $400 and the Nikon 10.5mm Fisheye lens will run you about $600.

2. Yes, the flash is extra too although it’s not a necessity. You just need to worry about one piece of photography equipment at a time. If you feel like you have to buy it all…you’ll never buy any of it. The flash I have was about $300, but there are others available for $100-$200.

3. There are definitely good cameras out there in that price range. I would get either a Nikon D40 or a Canon Rebel XT. Just make sure you are willing to spend the most you can upfront so you’re not disappointed soon after your purchase.

4. You do not need to have photoshop for good pictures. Photoshop is simply an accessory…”icing” if you will. Most any camera you purchase will include some sort of editing software with it.

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Colleen L

Posted November 15, 2008 at 11:31 am | Permalink

I’ve been reading your blog for a couple weeks now and feel the need to de-lurk!

Ya know when you buy a new car…. and you notice that everyone around you has YOUR car… or when you (if you are female) are newly pregnant - all you notice are other pregnant people???? Well - I found pioneerwoman.com and your blog (from your recipe posts over there) just a about a month ago now. My husband had been wanting to make the jump from point and shoot to dslr (he used to shoot in 35mm) and he’s retired now - so we’d already made the decision to invest in a camera for our combination b-day and xmas gift to each other. Suddenly I’m finding all this info on PW’s site, and 3 weeks later - we are the proud owners of a Nikon D90 Now you’ve posted this awesome video - with the promise of more posts - I just love it! All this info coming at me so easily! I spent a good half hour last night trying to figure out how to take a decent piccie of my neighbors house - he’s already begun decorating for Xmas - and using a monopod with the camera on the Aperture priority setting (not brave enough to try the totally manual setting yet) can’t keep the camera still enough to not blur the decorations(I ordered the accessory part to make the monopod a tripod today though so that will fix that li’l problemo) - I gave up and shot on the automatic setting which brought up the built in flash! I know I can do better! With you and PW’s help I WILL get better. Have you any advice on a good reference like “DSLR’s for dummies” I could invest in - the D90 is apparently so new that there isn’t a specific book out there yet and I don’t want to wait til next spring to figure out how to get the most out of this camera.

Man - I wrote a book - so sorry - I’m just very excited to see this post and video today!

Answer by Ryan:

The D90 is such a great camera…good for you!! You can read a great write-up on the D90 here. The information is abundant all over the internet for free…you probably don’t need to buy a book. Trial and error is the best teacher when it comes to photography.

Play around with the ISO settings, switch back and fourth between Aperture Priority Mode (A) and Shutter Priority Mode (S) and see if you can figure out why you would want to use one over the other. Don’t feel like you need to go into full manual mode to be a “real” photographer. The goal is great pictures…any way you achieve that is the right way. I hardly every shoot in full manual.

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Andrew Hughes

Posted November 15, 2008 at 1:32 pm | Permalink

dude..I just got this camera…it should arrive on monday…I got the 18-55 lens and a 55-200 lens.

Answer by Ryan:

Awesome! We’ll have to get out there and shoot some stuff together. You’ll have fun with it.

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TheDan

Posted November 15, 2008 at 11:28 pm | Permalink

$7 - $8 psssss what a rip off.

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Farah

Posted November 16, 2008 at 4:46 am | Permalink

ryan! your chicken boob recipe post has no pictures but only weird writing.. just so you know i check the food archives regularly! love ya site!

Answer by Ryan:

Thanks for the heads up…still trying to fix everything since switching to WordPress. It’s coming soon!

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stacy t

Posted November 16, 2008 at 6:50 am | Permalink

do you shoot in Manual/Aperture Prior/shutter prior? and how do you meter for correct exposure? do you meter the face, if you’re shooting a person? i shoot in manual and have been at a guessing game with my exposure. it seems a bit of a guessing game - i keep checking the back to get the right exposure then when i get it right, i shoot away. just wondering what method you use and if there is an easier way. next question: where you do you lock focus? for instance, say you’re taking a pic of your beautiful wife, do you focus on the eye, half press the shutter to lock exposure, then recompose the shot, then shoot?

i shoot with a canon 40D and primarily use my 50mm f/1.4

love the tip about getting on the ground. and thanks for taking our questions.

Answer by Ryan:

I typically shoot in Aperture Priority Mode. I’ll switch in an out of other things for certain situations, but it’s (A) about 75% of the time. Metering properly will determine on the subject and which lens I am using…also, photoshop covers a multitude of sins.

Digital cameras with a built-in meter, like ours, are bound to have the metering a little bit off. They just don’t have the capacity to do it well all the time. I do meter the face if I am shooting photos of people. I’ll switch it over to Spot Meter mode which takes a meter reading from a very small portion of the frame…right in the center. Just make sure you put the person’s face right in the center and do a meter-lock on them. The same goes for focus, and yes, I typically go for the eyes.

You can hold the shutter halfway down to focus/meter lock or you should have a button somewhere on that thing to do a focus lock / meter lock so you can hold it with your thumb or another free finger and concentrate on framing up your shot. Nice camera you have with a great lens!!

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Sonja Chandler

Posted November 16, 2008 at 10:15 am | Permalink

You’ve already helped so much that I’m not sure I should ask another question, but I miraculously managed to create a banner in Photoshop for the first time in the 3 years since I’ve had the software but I don’t know how to size it and get it on my blog. Can you help? Yours looks awesome. I just cannot not seem to figure this one out.
Thanks

Answer by Ryan:

Honestly…I have no idea about typepad blogs. I do know that you probably should have known exactly what size the banner should be before creating it…this is tough sometimes when the blog layout already has a built-in banner. I just hope you won’t have to change the size to where it compresses or expands whatever you’ve created. I’m not really sure how to help on that one. Sorry!

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Debbie

Posted November 16, 2008 at 10:32 am | Permalink

Hi Ryan, I have a FinePix S7000 and am clueless. Thanks for the information - you explain it so well that I think I may learn something. And thanks for starting at the beginning - some of us are newbies to this. I love the video - as I am a visual learner and I hope you keep teaching us so that we can take pictures as beautiful as yours!

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Jennifer McKinnon

Posted November 16, 2008 at 5:21 pm | Permalink

I’m so excited to be learning about taking better pictures. I carry my camera with me everywhere. I find that with four kids home all day there’s always something that is needing to be documented as blackmail later.

I’m wondering if my camera falls under the ‘replace it’ category. I have a Canon Powershot S5 IS. I love it but I also don’t play around with lenses. I’m just not there yet. I love your suggestion to get up or down and not to use the same eye level shots.

Thanks for doing this. I love your blog!

Answer by Ryan:

The Powershot S5 isn’t quite the same thing as a point and shoot camera. It’s a hybrid. It gives you many of the controls that a DSLR would give you without the ability to change lenses. It’s a good camera…a DSLR would be better, but it’s a good one. You can do a lot with that S5.

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Jenny

Posted November 17, 2008 at 7:24 am | Permalink

Yowza! While that wasn’t a lot of info, it still was! Make sense?

Anywho, we’re getting ready to get a Nikon D40, since it’s best for our budget. Would you say it’s still a good starter D-SLR? Or would you recommend saving for the D60? Will the Sigma 30mm lens work on the D40?

Thank you so much for putting yourself out there for us, Ryan! Blessings!

Answer by Ryan:

The D40 is a great little camera. I’ve shot with it a few times as I have a friend who picked one up. It had a few little things that I didn’t like compared to the D60. For one, the D60 has the awesome ability to display the settings on the LCD screen when you pull your face away from the camera. This is much, much, much easier to see than what you normally have to do, which is peek through the viewfinder and find the little tiny numbers and such.

Another thing is that the D60 is 10 megapixels compared to 6 megapixels. A lot of people will say this doesn’t matter much…but if that were the case, all new cameras would be 6 megapixels. More pixels means more image to play with. This will allow you to make more crops without a big loss in overall image quality. Many of my photos are cropped in from the original. This will allow you to get much more creative with composition.

I guess what I’m trying to say is this: Get the D60 if you can. If it’s something that’s going to make you wait a long time to get a camera…get the D40. You can always step up later as they are sure to have the latest and greatest thing out soon.

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penny

Posted November 22, 2008 at 8:37 pm | Permalink

I have spots (somewhere) on my camera and I can’t figure out where they are! I can see them through the viewfinder (and they’re not on the viewfinder) but they don’t show up in the photo. I’ve even tried cleaning the sensor. Should I just not worry about it or should I keep trying to figure it out?

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Hannah

Posted November 23, 2008 at 10:37 am | Permalink

I love your wide angle shots. It makes me want to get a wide angle lens! Our eternal flash kinda scares me. I have taken some lucky shots with it though. Always a work in progress. Thanks for sharing.

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Annie

Posted November 24, 2008 at 10:15 am | Permalink

That picture of Fountain Square rocks!!!

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Sheila

Posted November 25, 2008 at 4:35 pm | Permalink

I was just going to shoot you an email with photo questions and to my delight, saw this wonderful post!

I have a Nikon D40 and I envy your warm-toned shots! It looks like I’ll have to look into photoshop!

Ken Rockwell is amazing — I’ve learned SO much from him.

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JB

Posted November 26, 2008 at 11:07 pm | Permalink

I *love* Ken Rockwell’s site- tons of great info! But I also love DpReview. An excellent source of photography info and photo gear review. Definitely worth a look if you haven’t been there yet.

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JB

Posted November 26, 2008 at 11:17 pm | Permalink

I love Ken Rockwell’s site- a ton of great info there. DpReview is another great source of reviews on photo gear too. Definitely worth a look if you haven’t been there.

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Jenny

Posted December 19, 2008 at 12:41 am | Permalink

Just bought a Nikon D60 today (two lens kit). I purchased 2 filters and am now wondering if they are the ones I need (or if I just got robbed at the local camera store).

Promaster Digital UV Precision Optical Filters 52mm.

They were $50 each which seemed like a lot, but here I sit with them in hand!

Would you recommend these? Over-kill or a good buy?

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