Shooting on overcast days, etc.

[carolyn_guidry]

Hi. Well, I finally got a camera. It is a Canon EOS Rebel with a 35-

80mm lens. I picked it up used for $179. I am hoping to step up to

the Elan II in the future. My hubby wanted me to get something to

play with before i spent $1000 on an outfit and then decided

photography wasn't for me.

Anyway, the weather has been really overcast here, lately. Any

tips on how to shoot? I am just getting to know the caera so I don't

epect anything spectacular, but I would like to be prepared. I want

to do some fall leaves, water, and a spider/web.

Thanks,

Carolyn

[andy.kim]

Overcast days are quite nice for shooting due to the even and soft

light. You'll probably want to get a tripod, since exposures with

good fine grain (ie slow) film with your lens are likely to take you

into some pretty slow shutter speeds. Have fun.

[ydobon]

<P>Tripod: buy one and use it.

 

<P>I try to avoid taking pictures with a lot of sky when it's overcast. Macro/closeup stuff is often pretty good

since the lighting is really soft. Overcast days are great for tree photography. Go to a forest and take great

shots of trees. I use both B&W and color (Velvia works great on overcast days). Metering seems to be easier on

overcast days since there are no patches of brightness to fool modern metering systems.

 

<P>Since the light is pretty consistent through the day when it's overcast, you'll actually have more usable

shooting hours than on a sunny day (at high noon the light is really unflattering). Good luck and enjoy.

[chris_hansen]

Carolyn,

I would suggest that you try a warming filter on those overcast

days to chase those blues away. Take some with and some without

to see the different moods it creates.

Good luck and good light to you

Chris

[howard_creech1]

Carolyn, Tripod suggestion is a good one, as is the warming filter.

Since you mention leaves, water, and spider web you may want to

consider purchasing a close up diopter (a screw in filter that will

allow you to focus closer for macro work) AS you are just

beginning...try 100 ISO slide film (in addition to Velvia) and shoot

some Kodak TMax TC400n (which is a B&W film developed in color

chemistry...read here one hour labs) In overcast and sometimes gloomy

weather conditions B&W can be moody and evocative. Have fun...and

shoot lots of film.

[bliorg]

Hi, Carolyn -

 

<p>

 

Mark my agreement with all the above comments, particularly with

regards to tripods. I've been doing a lot of shooting in densely

wooded areas of late, and as overcast as it's been, I've been winding

up with 4-6 second exposures. Impossible without a tripod. Also, if

you're still watching your budget as much as possible, consider

Sensia II RA-135, as well as Velvia. You'll still get a nice, tight

grain, and the consumer-grade Sensia is substantially less expensive

than Velvia. Also, consider buying your film mail-order; a 24exp

roll of ISO 100 Sensia II is $6.75 a roll here locally (~$12.00/roll

for Velvia), while a 36exp roll is something like $3.29 at B&H...

 

<p>

 

Have fun!

[kferris575]

Tripod is more important than the camera (this is actually a true

statement).

 

<p>

 

Experiment - use slow shutter speeds on moving subjects.

[bill___2]

Why not expect something spectacular? You may suprise yourself. Since

you seem to want to shoot nature landscapes I would suggest you get

one of John Shaw's books, either his "Close Ups in Nature or his

"Landscape Photography". Either will help you enormously as well as

inspire you. If you can't find them in your local bookstore, try

Amazon.com. They are cheep and very fast (Amazon that is). Also get

lots of film (preferably slides), take notes on what you are doing, at

least while you are learning, and have fun.

 

<p>

 

Cheers

[carolyn_guidry]

Hi everyone! Thanks for the tips! I do not have a tripod yet and my

not be able to get one until after the holidays. Does this mean i

should not bother to shoot until I have one? I may try to get a cheap

one for around $20. When i buy a good one i am looking at the Bogen

3001 with a ball head of some sort... Is there something I can do in

the meantime?

As for film, could I use a faster speed to compensate for lack of

tripod? I know the lens I have is not very fast (35-80mm f4-5.6). Can

I get any closeup use out of this?

Shooting water is what i am most worried about. I would like to do

the silky shots i see in mags... Also, for trees should I shoot

upward or straight on? Or is this a matter of preference? I think

upwards would be nice. I like the idea of many-limbed giants cloaked

in vibrant colors...

Thanks,

Carolyn

[collin_houseal]

Carolyn, by all means go ahead a shoot... don't wait for a tripod. It

may help, as you suggest, to use faster film in the meantime.

 

<p>

 

As far as shooting straight on or upwards, that's completely up to you.

Make the photo your own, not someone else's vision. One thing you can

do to learn to see things differently: Take your camera and walk into

the woods or wherever. Put the camera to your eye and then "search" all

around you using the camera & lens instead of your two eyes... look up,

down, left, right, zoom out and in, tilt the camera... you'll be

surprised what compositions suddenly pop out at you. Then do just the

opposite. Put the camera down and envision with your eyes. Lay down on

the ground and get a perspective you're not used to. Take your time and

enjoy the learning process! Hopefully it will be one that never ends.

 

<p>

 

As some of the others recommend, I would suggest you shoot slides and

take notes. Slides will teach you much more about exposure than

negative film... because your successes will be evident along with your

failures.

 

<p>

 

Again, don't wait for a perfect 70-degree day with clear skies, or

until you have a newer camera or tripod. Go shooting... It's the

moments you don't count on that often produce the best images.

[andy.kim]

Carolyn, you should definitely just shoot with what you have! I

think most of us think we need just one more piece of equipment, but

if we didn't shoot until we got it...

 

<p>

 

Anyways, an inexpensive Slik tripod or something is definitely better

than nothing and can always be useful later as a light tripod.

Handheld works, too, you'll just be shooting wide open most of the

time to get a reasonable shutter speed. And sure, it might be a good

opportunity to play with something high speed...I've been using a lot

of Fuji 800 in my point and shoot lately and it's probably as good as

400 film was about 5 years ago.

 

<p>

 

With flowing water, you'll end up with shutter speeds of 1/4 second

and slower, several seconds to get a really silky effect, so fast

film isn't going to help you there. I've gotten reasonable results

on occasion shooting waterfalls by nestling my camera in my jacket on

a rock (essentially using my jacket as a beanbag) and triggering the

camera with the self-timer (so that I'm not touching the camera when

it fires), but you're largely restricted to things that are nearly

level with you.

 

<p>

 

Have a good time shooting!

[jason_elsworth1]

On the book front I have found Charles Campbell's The Backpacker

photographers handbook to be the best on general nature photography,

he is especially good on exposure and as a beginner I have found his

chromzone system very usefull. The only down side is that many of the

pictures in it are taken with a 4x5 and he no longer uses the Nikon

gear he recomneds as he has switched to Canon. I also have two of John

Shaws books and they are both excellent.

[ken_brunton]

Although there is no all-round substitute for a good tripod, use

anything you can find to brace the camera - trees, stumps, posts, car

window frame (with the engine turned off) etc. A sandbag or beanbag

(literally - a bag of dried beans from the market works fine) will

help, as will a cable release.

A stable camera platform really does make a difference; just use your

imagination to find one.

Also, learn the proper technique to hand hold your camera. Moose

Peterson has a good explanation on his website (www.moose395.net).

[bill___2]

Yes by all means go shoot. I frequently use Fugi superia 400 for

close-up hand held work and have taken some wonderful shots. I

recently entered a contest with a shot of a water drop on the tip of a

blade of grass taken hand held while lying on my stomach. In the

forest use the trunks of trees, stumps, branches etc. to give support.

Ditto for that water shot you want. I know of at least one pro

travel photographer that only carries a small table top tripod and

takes most of his photos without it. He uses what ever is available

and has become an expert of sorts at improvising some sort of support.

Sides of buildings, fences, even someones shoulder. Fast film(400-800)

will definately help with your slower lens. The key here is to make

mistakes and then look at your notes to know why. After a short time

you will start to know what works and what doesn't. One other thing,

bracket your exposures, 1 stop each way for prints, 1/2 stop each way

for slides. you will soon know what exposure you like best and can

bracket less or only in one direction.

 

<p>

 

Cheers

[stanley_mcmanus]

I think the suggestion to try some different films is a good one. You

may wish to try E200 for the extra speed it will give over the 100

speed films. Also, on grey days a film with extra saturation is nice

to have. Currently that means using Velvia which is only ISO 50 (and

many of us shoot it at ISO 40. Sloooowww!) But Kodak has a new

Ektachrome film E100VS that will be out in January and it promises

high saturation with double the speed of Velvia. I hope it is as

good as it promises to be. I am almost out of Velvia and I don't want

to order anymore until I try this film.

[don_ridgway]

Carolyn-

 

<p>

 

1. Run, don't walk, to whatever store will sell you (as noted earlier)

John Shaw's "Professional's Guide to Nature Photography" (the one with

the heron on the front) AND his close-up book. I also learned a lot

early on from "Understanding Exposure"; don't remember the name of the

author, but the cover has a kid with a flock of pidgeons.

 

<p>

 

2. Recommendation for starter tripod that won't cost a fortune: Bogen

3011, with a medium ball head. Take off the bottom part of the center

post so you can get closer to the ground. It's not the biggest,

sturdiest one available, but it's a pretty good compromise between

sturdiness and lugability. Later, consider the Bogen 3021, or spend

lots on a Gitzo.

 

<p>

 

3. Shoot slide film instead of print film. Slide film gives you

exactly what you shot, which isn't always what you wanted when you're

on the learning curve. Print film usually gives you what the guy at

the lab lets the computer do, and your feedback is tainted at best.

 

<p>

 

4. See if your local Sierra Club has an outdoor photography section. I

learned and enjoyed a lot that way.

 

<p>

 

Still learning,

Don Ridgway

[don_ridgway]

One last thing!

 

<p>

 

Start saving for a decent macro lens if you like closeups, one that

will give you a 1:1 closeup without extra doodads. You'll love it. And

don't let the lens snobs intimidate you about whose lens you get. I

have a Vivitar Series One 105 macro lens and it does just swell on my

Nikons. So there.

 

<p>

 

Don Ridgway

[michael_yu]

Carolyn,

If you're interested macro, try to get a steady tripod. I bought Bogen 3021 (leg) and 3030 (head). This is a good combination to me. You can order it from B&H. Also, if you can , get macro lens , for example Canon 100/2.8 USM. This lens is great for macro as well as portrait. The alternate solution is to get close-up filter. Nikon 5T or 6T is great. However, you will need a step up ring for this. Nikon 5T or 6T is 62mm, I think. Happy shooting and enjoy.

Michael