Photography 101 Basics (Indoor Shots)

Ok..you guys have shared with us all some wonderful gear. Some of the photos are taken wonderfully, some just do no justice to your equipment. Hopefully this thread will help you take better photos. Why take better photos? Look around in the media. If it looks hot, sexy or awesome its impresses, inspires, is desired and receives a premium price and it just looks way cooler.

Gear: a decent digital camera. A film camera is the same but developing can get expensive. Some necessary functions might not be available on your existing camera.

A solid tripod. Think turntable, if it shakes it distorts. You guys should be able to find one for cheap at a GW. This is essential for clear focused pictures. Don't try doing the balancing act on a stack of speakers.

Ideally the camera will have manual controls or more importantly the ability to shoot at a slow shutter speed. Thus the need for a tripod. For normal indoor lighting conditions anywhere from 1 to 1/16th of a second but will vary.

Ok, lets pick a subject to photo. Make sure its dusted and clean! Finger prints and hairballs got to go. Before you even touch the camera, look at your subject. Look at it from different angles. What are it's attributes, what do you want to highlight? Does it have tons of shinny knobs and buttons or those sexy blue meters? Pick it's best side! Next look around it in on all sides and especially behind it. Move stuff away so the visual focus is on your gear. I saw one member's photo where I saw underwear! That's all I remember of that particular photo.

Take your time and find that right angle and shooting location. If you want to get more serious, create studio effects. Use a complimentary colored backdrop or colors to set a tone. Glass makes for wonderful reflections. Usable materials are endless, wood, marble, experiment!

Lighting is the next big factor. There are two types of light. Natural light and man made. You can use one or the other or both. If you don't want to or can't move that 65lb receiver bring the light to it. Kinda like speakers, regular light bulbs give off a yellowish hue (warm, colored) and fluorescent lamps give off a white or bluish hue (bright, harsh). If your using natural light (Sun) through a window take time and see what the lighting conditions are at different times of the day. Early morning and late day the light is warm (sunsets). Middle of the day its…you got it, its bright! Through the seasons the lighting conditions also change. Mix it up.

Move the light(s) around while looking through the viewfinder. Place the light (might need an assistant) high, low, front, back. Try using more than one light source at different distances. Experiment! Just like placing speakers. Find the sweet spot. You can get the silver faceplate shimmering with reflected and refracted light or create dark dramatic shadows.

Time to take the picture. Since there are a wide variety and types of cameras this part will require you to check your user’s manual for reference.

Adjust the white balance. Incandescent setting works the best for indoors and AWB setting is a good overall, but if your camera has more options try them out. Turn OFF your flash. Set your shutter speed to 1/8th second for starters and work your way slower. Use the self timer, because you pushing down the shutter will shake the camera at that speed, creating a blur. Try different speeds until you get an exposure you like. If you can’t turn off the flash cover it lightly with tape and over expose and bring in more lights.

Taking photos with your camera is just like listening to music through your stereo. The only difference is your listening with your eyes. Fine tune your eyes and take the time, experiment until you find what you like.

Cheers,
Carl
 
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Guilty, guilty, guilty!

I admit it - I take shortcuts.

But if I still had my Sinar (like Axel has) I know I'd do better.
 
Good info.

Welcome back OP.

I'm not digging the new avatar. Really liked your old ones.

I know it's not just you, but I hold you to a higher standard. :D

Cheers, Snade
 
Just got a new digicamera. Charged the battery last night. I had better try it to see if the thing works.
LOL I actually thumbed through the OM, too, but will probably stumble-bum ahead without recourse to the facts.
 
Thanks Snade.

I actually like Binky from "Life in Hell". He is the antithesis of Barney who was going to make me puke with all the warm sweet, saccharin fuzziness. As for Mona she's on holiday.


bully!
Congratulations on your new camera! Take tons of pictures and have fun! Don't forget to show us!

:D
Carl
 
Very nice thread, Carl! I wish everyone here would read this and take it to heart! I've managed to accidentally take a few decent pictures, but this will help a lot.

I still need to get a tripod. I've come across so many of them at thrift shops that I don't even look at them anymore, but I still need to actually buy one!

To take this a step further, I'll suggest that more members should take advantage of the free image hosting sites that allow you to embed a large picture within a post. I've been quite happy with Photobucket, but there are several others out there.

Thanks again!
 
One of my guilty thrift pleasures are tripods. I can't pass a good one up. These days most are the cheapy Wal-Mart type, better than nothing, but every once in a while you will come across a good slik or really good machined aluminum unit. Just make sure it is solid and has all the adjustment screws/clamps and you're in bidness.
 
As an experienced photographer, +1 one on onepixel (Carl's) post!

I'll add 2 more thoughts though:

1) use a reflector (i.e. umbrella or "brollie" as we call it in the trade) to reflect light onto your gear. It results in a better, more gentle light imho. Direct lighting, no matter what it is, is always going to be harsher.

2) WB (white balance). This one's tricky. Film won't help you here at all really. Yes, back in the days of film, you could buy film for different colour temperatures (Tungsten, Fluro, daylight, etc), but each light source is variable, so you're never going to be spot on. Digital is a bit better in most cases, at least with DSLRs. Most of them let you adjust the WB, either via presets, or via the K temperature (Kelvin). You can also, and this is a very simple, very cheap trick, use a pure white card. It must be proper white. Most photography stores will probably be able to sell you one. Take one image with the white card in the frame. Save this image. Take all your other images (without the white card). If the lighting conditions change, take note of the image #, and re-introduce the white card and take a 2nd test shot). Make sure, if possible, you shoot in RAW mode (not JPEG). If you do this, you can open up your RAW images in your RAW convertor and select the WB tool and the test images with the White card in them, and click on it. Since it's pure white, you can tell the RAW software that this is pure white! You can also buy specialist colour temperature devices, but they cost a lot. The White card is easier and cheaper imho and just as good. Once you get the WB right, you can avoid nasty colour casts.

I'd also recommend running a calibrated monitor (something like a Pantone Huey Pro is fine for entry level stuff). This allows you to create a profile for Windows/OS X etc that means the monitor and video card are calibrated to be as accurate as possible in their colour reproduction/white point/black point/neutral gray readings. This is essential imho for getting accuracy in your images.

If you have any questions, please ask.

Dave
 
One of my guilty thrift pleasures are tripods. I can't pass a good one up. These days most are the cheapy Wal-Mart type, better than nothing, but every once in a while you will come across a good slik or really good machined aluminum unit. Just make sure it is solid and has all the adjustment screws/clamps and you're in bidness.

hehehe Slik is a cheap, entry level brand that is about as stable as Krakatoa was. Just my experience. Better to buy a better quality tripod such as those made by Manfrotto or Gitzo come to mind.

Dave
 
hehehe Slik is a cheap, entry level brand that is about as stable as Krakatoa was. Just my experience. Better to buy a better quality tripod such as those made by Manfrotto or Gitzo come to mind.

Dave

Bought one off that auction place a couple of years back. It's in the attic now. :thumbsdn:
 
I remember when Manfrotto was/is Bogen. I have had my Bogen since 1986 and it is still serving me well. I have used it to hold everything from 35mm to a 5x7 Agfa-Ansco flat bed camera.
 
Light umbrellas and reflectors on tripods work wonderfully. But if you're just an average guy with a camera using available light sources can work just as good. Besides setting up all that stuff takes to long. :D

For this shot I used 4 lamps. Two existing lamps filled the room and the 2 other regular desk lamps I took the shade off to give it directional light. The one from the left is actually a bit to bright on the brochures. The middle lamp gives the gear a nice glow. Just experiment and find that lighting sweet spot. I did use Photoshop to reduce the warm yellow/red cast of the house hold bulbs.

DSCN1027-sm.jpg
 
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Here is one with natural light filtering in through the window and one lamp. I kept the room semi-dark so I could capture the blue lights. The lamp gave it those shinny halos. I used a slow shutter speed.

Marantz_2265B.jpg
 
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Great shot! Looks like one from a magazine. If you don't have a tripod you can setup a chair and use the timer when taking pictures. The timer trick makes a huge difference even with a tripod.

I have an old table lamp I like to use with no shade. Move the light around and see what looks best. Oh and take lots of pictures if your using a digital camera. They are free and you can easily go through and delete the bad ones once on your computer.
 
Well, for those technically inclined, yes, using the timer on your camera is recommended, but I'd also add in those instances to use both mirror lockup and a cable release, to complete remove shutter vibrations. I do this for my astro imaging setup. Not all camera models offer mirror lockup, sadly.

Also, use a low ISO, preferably something like ISO 200, to keep noise to a minimum (if shooting digital).

Dave
 
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