Photography tips?
Mon 2011/11/14 12:17 JST
I recently bought a Nikon d3100 and will be arriving either tomorrow or Tuesday and I was wondering if you guys have any advice. The lens that I will be using is the Nikkor 18-55mm kit lens, mostly interested at taking pictures of figures and cosplayers. Thank you all !
Best advice I can give you.
1. Read a lot of tutorials (http://www.digital-photography-school.com/ and http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/) I've learned so much from browsing and reading these sites.
2. Practice a lot! Doesn't matter what pictures you take. Just practice different shots, angles, lighting, settings and features with your camera. You'll want to become very intimate with your camera.
3. Don't be afraid to take pictures or ask people to pose.
4. Good programs for photo editing helps a lot.
It's a lot of fun mate! I wish you luck. Grats on your new camera.
Shoot in RAW for better post processing. Read the manual for your camera and learn how to adjust the settings. Learn to shoot in manual mode!
eh, manual isn't as important as people make it out to be, honestly.
You can shoot just fine in Aperture/Shutter priority. even Program mode! As long as you get find good lighting (mid morning is generally best) then your camera will do the rest.
Manual mode comes in handy when shooting in situations that aren't necessarily good for the camera (low lighting, etc)
That being said. Understanding aperture and shutter speeds is key!! Understanding how to manipulate them, will really make a world of difference!
Aperture/Shutter priority (A and S on your mode dial) make it so you can adjust one or the other, and then the latter will adjust based on what the camera senses the needs are.
I've shoot with a Nikon D40 and live in Aperture Priority. I occasionally go over to manual mode if I'm not getting the shot I want, but rarely.
Going to second shooting in RAW though! Your camera, if you bought it new, should have come with a software pack including some kind of camera RAW editor. Nikon calls their RAW files ".NEF" (nikon electronic file) so look for any software talking about that.
the D3100 is a GREAT starter camera :D so awesome job selecting it! I know a lot of people who shoot with it, from all levels of photography and it's a really great camera for the money :)
Just play play play play play!!! The more you shoot with your camera, the more you will learn about it! Take it out with you - even if you're just going to the store. I've actually gotten some fun shots sitting in dead stop traffic on the freeway *horrible*
The kit lens is also powerful. I used my D40 kit lens several years before finally breaking down and buying another.
However when you're ready to upgrade XD....
Generally with doll photography, people really like a shallow depth of field. To achieve that you're going to need a low F-stop (the number corresponding to the Aperture). Your kit lens can't get that low, and won't give you that nice of boke (the pretty colorful dots in the backgrounds of photos) I'd recommend getting a 50mm prime lens. I got my 50mm F/1.8(that's the f-stop) for about 200$ on Amazon, and I brought my photos to whole new levels. Being able to seperate my dolls from the background better than before.
eh... scratch my 50mm ramble.
I'm new to figure and still getting used to the idea that not every one is a Dollfie Dream person.
Seems you're more into figmas and such, so 50mm may not be the route you want to go >.<
Yeah figmas, pvc statues, gunpla and what not.
I have the same camera and I just bought the (Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Lens) and i can't believe the difference it makes. Here are some pics I took at a local convention with it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/iaburto/6316321371/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/iaburto/6316824450/in/photostream
Those are amazing!
Th best advice I can give as a professional photographer:
Shoot all the time and practice all the time.
Yes, going to take this camera with me whenever I can. I also recently discovered I needed a special SD card XD
All so, let yourself opened to make mistakes, so you can learn and improve from them.
People have already written a lot of good advice above, so I'll just say: Enjoy photography!
If you have fun doing it and enjoy it, then that's what matters most. If you love it and enjoy it, you'll do it more and look up things to get better. ^^
Play with manual mode to see what settings will result in what picture you get. Learn what is Aperture, Shutter, and ISO
get a external flash if you have extra money, helps pretty well especially kit lenses usually isn't good in low light, in-door.
Even if it comes with a built-in flash?
you will get much better results then built-in flash
Don't forget rule of thirds, it helps to understand it and work with it.
So what makes Manual mode so great? I've been playing around with AUTO and they are turning out great, kind of hard getting used to Manual
Auto is okay first starting out, and when you're shooting in areas with sufficient light, your camera can easily recognize your focus.
When you are in a low light setting, or if you are trying out some different angles and shooting in various environments (vacations, trips, etc.), you want to use manual to take full advantage of your camera's features and adapt to whatever the lighting is in your current situation. Just keep shooting! You'll start to understand when and where to use the different settings on the camera to get the perfect shot.