Jul 29, 2012 |
“When all else fails, read the directions.”
~Everyone’s Mother.
Often.
Just two days ago, I wrote how I want to learn better photography skills. In the last few days, I’ve worked toward that end: reading the manual that came with my Kodak camera. Trying my hand at photographing anything and everything. Pointing and shooting my Kodak as much as possible.
Okay, not really. Not all of that. But I have been reading the manual, and I must admit I realize I’ve fooled myself. Because while a Point-and-Shoot camera is just that easy, there’s so much more to it. For instance, Smart Capture mode is great for beginners and non-thinkers. Of which I not-so-proudly admit I was one. That little dial on the top of my camera? I’ve been too afraid to turn it, too afraid to see what it has to offer.
On Page 7 of my manual, it describes for me how different tools are available in different modes. So I turned the dial, one click at a time, and saw for myself that it’s true! I didn’t spend time learning each tool, as I know that will come later in the manual. But it certainly whet my whistle.
I’m looking forward to understanding the conversations between my brothers about F-stops and apertures and compensation. I’m really looking forward to the day I can not only understand, but contribute to such discussions!
Today, I discovered that a picture can be taken while filming a video. Imagine that! Two separate actions, at the same time! Just to prove to myself that it could happen (and that I could be the one to cause it to happen!), I gave this theory a test drive. I took the following two photos while recording a short video. The quality is dark and grainy, as it’s late and the lighting isn’t the best. I wasn’t interested in setting a scene; rather, I just needed to test the settings.
These are tonight’s photo results:
I tried uploading the short video, but I haven’t quite figured that out yet. It appears the easiest route will be to set up a YouTube account, but it’s late (after midnight, in fact!), and I’ll work on that later. If anyone has suggestions on sharing my videos, I welcome your advice!
For now, I’m pleased to know that my camera is capable of multi-tasking.
And Frankly, My Dear…
Jul 27, 2012 |
It’s no secret that I’ve been wanting to learn better photography tips. My brothers and my daughter are all naturals when it comes to cameras. Me? Notsomuch. But I definitely want to learn.
I have a great camera. You’ve seen it, right? My Kodak Z990 EasyShare Max camera. It is, I’m told, classified as a point-and-click camera. Honestly… I don’t even really know what that means other than “easy to use”. I know (I believe) it’s not an SLR, which stands for Single Lens Reflex. I’m not really sure what that means. But I think it’s more complicated than Point-and-Click.
The first photo I took with my camera was of Lizzie. I’m so in love with this photo, this cat, that I’ve featured it often on my media sites.
Lizzie Cat
I couldn’t believe the clarity and fine detail available… and this was straight out of the box! I hadn’t even read the manual yet! Look at the individual whiskers, the authentic tones of the blanket, and yes, even the reflection of my desert yard in her eye! Simply amazing!
Of course, I started playing with the camera. Learned a few tricks. It helped that I’d bought the exact same model for Dot last summer (which is how I knew I wanted one of my own). As time went on, I found myself asking her for advice. But mostly, just trusting the Point-and-Click mentality. No muss. No fuss.
But something’s missing. I look at photography blogs and I’m amazed at the way they capture what they photograph. The lighting is different. The backgrounds are softer. There’s so much more than just Point-and-Click-and-Be-Done.
My food photos need to be brighter. Better. More appealing. Let’s face it, if my food photos were the ones in The Unemployment Cookbook, there’s a good chance my sales might not be as great as they are. I made a passing comment when talking to one of my brothers last week. His work involves an immense amount of professional photography. I said, “Why do my photos come out orange-y?” He asked what my filter settings were. That’s when I paused. He suggested I review the Manual. That’s when I gulped.
Did I even have a Manual? I mean, yeah. A little start-up booklet came with the camera. But a Manual? Like, something to read and explain and help me get better use out of my easy-to-use Point-and-Click-and-Fuggetaboutit Camera?
A Manual?
It dawned on me, then, that perhaps there’s more to my camera, pardon the pun, than meets the eye. And perhaps, I can be a better Photo Blogger once I learn how to better use my camera.
Let’s face it. I love both of these photos of Fred the Tomato. They were taken about 20 seconds apart, and I made no filter changes. I can’t tell you why one is true color and the other is tinted. But I know I love them both.
A Table Scene
A Sunlit Scene
So tonight I downloaded the PDF Manual for my camera. The first eight pages were the get-to-know-your-camera stuff. You know. The If-You-Didn’t-Know-This-Is-A-Camera-You’re-An-Idiot stuff. But then I turned the page. And something happened. I read something I didn’t quite understand. Not that I’m an idiot. I’m just not a great photographer. Yet.
And I realized that reading the Manual might actually be beneficial. To me. To my Blog. To my future publications.
And that made me happy. The potential to be better. To provide better services to my readers. And to fully know what I’m doing.
Can you picture that?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
