Over the last few months I’ve been getting more and more questions emailed to me about all sorts of photography queries.  It’s been taking up a lot of my time writing each person back – which I try to do.  But I had a thought.  Many of these questions are very similar and so, in an effort to help ya’ll I’ve decided that I’m going to try to answer you questions in a new video series called CameraShy Q & A.

So here’s the first one – Emily from Arizona asks me which DSLR she should buy.

Recommended in this video

The Canon T3i 

The Nikon D3200

If you have a question you’d like me to answer, please email me ingrid {at} CameraShy{dot}info

Hope to hear from you soon!

Ingrid

(Apologies for the poor video quality – I’m working on it!)

As a photography instructor I try to be a good role model when it comes to things like photo organization, backing up my photos and taking care of my equipment.  I do try  – honest I do, but last night I lapsed.  I am constantly telling students that they must properly eject their memory card from their card reader before pulling it out when they are downloading their pictures.  If you are on a Mac this means “ejecting the disk” and if you are on a PC you need to “Safely Remove Hardware” the icon for which will most likely be found at the bottom menu bar depending on which operating system you are using.

Did you know you are supposed to do this?  It is crucial that you do as there is a very good reason for it.  If you remove your card without doing the above there is a chance that you can corrupt your card and loose your images on there.  Late last night I was trying to upload my Easter pics as well as a bunch for my #Take 52 Challenge that I haven’t posted yet and in my sleep deprived blur I inadvertently pulled out the memory card from the reader without ejecting it first.  I thought that I had inserted the wrong card so I was quickly about to change it over but midway I realized that it was in fact the correct card and a horrible sinking feeling was accompanied by an error message on my computer screen telling me that my card needed to be formatted.  Ugh.  Teacher FAIL –   Rookie mistake!

So I spent a few hours this morning trying to recover the lost images by downloading various software and running recovery programs but alas no joy.  I am totally bummed.  Being Easter both my girls were looking as cute as could be in their Easter dresses and for once were cooperating on getting their picture taken.  I also had a bunch taken of the whole family when we got together in the afternoon.  All gone bar a few like the one of my niece above on the swing.  I will just have to try and recreate and thankfully I can.  I realize this happens to many of you when you can’t go back and do a do-over.

So folks – be warned!  Do not pull out your memory card from your card reader without first ejecting it and while I’m at it, don’t take your card out of your camera without first turning it off either.

I will spend some more time trying to recover the card when I get a chance.  If this has happened to you, there are some free card recovery programs avalable.  Nothing there helped me unfortunately so it looks like we’ll all be getting dressed up again soon…

Has this ever happened to you?  Please share in the comments below and make me feel a little better.

Ingrid

This week’s Take 52 Challenge theme was Music.  My two girls are always shaking or banging something which in their mind is making music so this week I had an easy task.

I’ve been playing around with my speedlite lately, trying to get better exposures inside my house.  This shot was a combination of natural light coming in from the side and a bounced flash off of the ceiling above Mollie.  I’m working on some blog posts about using your speedlite (external flash) so more details to follow.

Week 9′s Theme: Growing

Feel free to jump in on the Take 52 Challenge at any time.  You’ll find us over at the Flickr Group and on Facebook too

Til next week

Ingrid

A what you say?  Where have you been hiding out!

What is a nifty 50?

The Nifty 50 refers to a 50mm prime lens which is considered a portrait lens on most entry level DLSRs such as the Canon rebel series or the Nikon D3100 or Sony Alpha range.

Do I need it?

If you are a beginner photographer and your main subject is your kids you will undoubtedly compare your pictures to those of the pro photographers that you have paid in the past to come and photograph your kiddos.

You want to be able to recreate those same types of photographs with your own DSLR.  You can get junior to smile and pose and look super cute but what you you REALLY want to know is how to get that BLURRY background like the pro did.  The lovely creamy background where it doesn’t matter whereabouts you shoot, your subject stands out, pin sharp against a soft out-of-focus creamy, dreamy background.

Well over half of my students come to me with this woe – “How to I get a blurry background?”

All about the f stops

As they learn a little bit about shooting out of auto mode they discover the concept of Aperture and learn that by controlling the Aperture, they control the depth of field, hence they have the ability to create a blurry background!

Hurrah!  They’ve cracked it.  They’ve discovered they key…that is, until they try to shoot at a wide aperture with their camera’s kit lens – i.e. the lens that comes with the camera.  No matter how wide the open the aperture – usually f/4, the cannot achieve the blurry backgrounds they dream of.  Their photos still look flat compared with those shot by the pro.  Sound familiar?

So what gives?

Well, the main big difference between your shots and the Pro’s shots is most likely choice of lens.  And that’s where the  so-called nifty 50 comes in to play.  The nifty 50 is a 50mm Prime lens i.e. it it has a fixed focal length of 50mm and therefore doesn’t zoom.  If you want to get closer you gotta move your feet! This focal length of  50 mm is a nice distance for portraiture photography on entry level DSLRS and you’ll often hear it referred to as a portrait lens. But this is not where the secret lies.  The best thing about the nifty 50 is that is has an extremely wide open maximum aperture which means it will give you a much blurrier (is that even a word?) background than your standard kit lens.

Consider my fancy slide below:

Aperture ratings

Most kit lenses can only open the aperture to somewhere between f/3.5 and f/5.6, depending on the focal length in use.  In the grand scheme of things, this isn’t a wide open aperture at all.

Our friendly nifty 50 however comes in 3 versions with a f 1.8, f 1.4 and f 1.2 maximum apertures for most camera brands.  These are considerably more open that the kit lens, allowing you to photograph inside in natural light with out the aid of flash, and more  importantly for this discussion, rendering a beautiful creamy blurry background.

That’s the key!  Use the best lens for the job and you’ll get the results that you are after.  The camera is only half the story…

I need to get one!

And the other awesome thing about the nifty 50?  It’s probably the cheapest bit of photography gear you’re likely to purchase.  Most pros shoot with either the f1.4 or the f1.2 but you can nab a f1.8 (like me!) for about $100. (Be sure to check out your own camera’s compatibility with any lens before you buy)

And trust me, you will blow yourself away with the results. Pin sharp, works in low light with beautify blurry backgrounds.  So what are you waiting for? Go grab one today!

Happy Snapping

Ingrid

P.S. The nifty 50 is such good value that it is one of the only lenses I recommend buying new – your can check it out on Amazon for the best deals

Ok I have a confession…I’ve fallen behind.  I’ve been so super busy over the last few weeks it’s been really challenging taking an image every week for the Take 52 Challenge (How on earth does anybody ever so the Project 365?)  Anyways, all is not lost.  The cool thing about this Challenge is that it’s mine so I give myself permission to keep on going!  I have actually been taking the images just not having had the time to post them, so now you get to see a mini collection all at one time.

Week 5: Shadows

This week I finally got my 50mm lens replaced so I spent some time playing with it wide open.  If you haven’t yet invested in a 50mm wide aperture lens then make it a point to do so soon.  I LOVE mine and I especially love that it is so lightweight and compact.  It makes a nice change from the heavy zoom lens that I usually have on my camera.  It gives such an interesting field of view and of course renders beautiful creamy backgrounds.  This shot is of Sam’s glasses and I love the way the shadows created by the glasses almost look like a reflection in the book.

Week 6: Shiny

I found Shiny a little tough – probably due to the lack of shiny surfaces in my house – I have 2 kids, a dog and a hubby who loves bringing the outside in you know!  And as my mother says I’m NOT a natural housekeeper.  So for SHINY I decided to photograph my newest Shiny object – the necklace hubby gave me for Christmas.  I used the little bell (also shiny) as a backdrop as it is a favor from one of our wedding showers way back when…

Week 7: Love is…

Awh, this week was an easy one right?  We were surrounded by love and lovely things all week so I used my iPhone to snap this shot of my brand new coffee tea travel mug from my hubby.  I was seriously excited about this mug – I mean it – I never had one of my own before and I need my tea in the mornings while carrying out my chauffeur duties for the little ones   Love is tea I guess! (oh and not forgetting the heart shaped peppermint patties)

So I’m reinvigorated and planning to keep up from now on.  The crowd in the Flickr group is amazing – you guys inspire me!  It’s not too late for you to jump in – just get going this week and don’t even try to catch up.

Week 8:Theme: Music

Have fun

Ingrid

I heard a podcast this week about how when we let the little things slip, then we begin to slide on big projects.  Makes sense.  Here we are at the beginning of February and so many of us have let our New Years Resoultions slip and then the goal gets lost and we let the whole idea slide.

Not going to let it happen with me. So, I ‘m playing catch up.  Only 5 days late with this post…

Week 5′s theme was Comfort

Baddie

Sophie and her comfort blankie “Baddie.” He used to be so soft and cuddly … but even now, despite his lack of fluffiness, he still has his calming effect. Heaven help us if he were ever to go missing….

Week 5′s theme is “Shadows”

And I better get a wriggle on…

Happy Snapping

Phew!  The weeks are flying by and we’re at week 4 already.  Doing this challenge has made me acutely aware of the fact that right now, there is no way I could cope with Project 365!

Last week’s theme was “Play-Time”

Despite the fact that I spend my days surrounded by toys my kids – like most kids – are difficult to photograph because they never stay still!  So I gotta say I was pleased with shot shot as I didn’t use any flash and just bumped my ISO  – waaay up to 1600 which on my camera is a lot.  It is grainy but I think it kinda adds to the shot.

This week’s theme is “Comfort”

Let me know how you are getting on!

Happy Snapping

Wow! I can’t believe January is flying by so fast.  It seems like no time since we were getting ready for Christmas and then making New Years Resolutions.

My main resolution this year is to get as many Digital SLR owners Out of the Auto mode on their cameras as possible.

So many people have these great (expensive!) , powerful, digital cameras but yet they have no idea how to operate it out of the Automatic setting.  It’s such a waste!  Seriously, you may as well just be using a heavy point and shoot camera if you are stuck on the little green square or smiley faced man setting…

But I know why you are stuck there…

DSLRs can be confusing

There are so many buttons to figure out.

The manuals are written in double dutch and use hieroglyphics!

If only someone could TELL you what you need to know

If only someone could show you what mode to be in for each shot

If only someone could just explain some of the terminology!

Well it’s time to be stuck no more.

It’s time to Get out of Auto!

Join me live, online each Tuesday evening at 8pm EST, beginning Jan 24th, for this 4 week course designed to Get you Out of Auto

It’s going to be fun!  To get the details click here and start using your camera to the max.

See you in class!

Ingrid

P.S. This is a very unique course delivery and class size is very limited so hurry up and register right away!

So how did we all do in week 2 of the Take 52 Challenge?  I found the theme “Cold to be particularly tricky.  I was sure I would be able to conjure up some magical winter scene outside my house, but alas, it was not to be. Every time I would venture out, camera in hand, everything seemed bleak, barren and boring. The day that I finally took the shot below I was wearing Mollie in the ergobaby carrier and was somewhat restricted in the types of pictures I could take.  Crawling on the ground,for example, was out of the question.

So, when in doubt – I look up.

These are the awesome Oak trees that surround our house.  They must be hundreds of years old as they are huge.  I plan on doing a study of these trees at some point as they are very much a part of my husband’s family history.  But that is for another time…

As always I took several shots, zooming in and out, varying my position and trying to eliminate the power lines. It was tricky enough getting the both the sky and the trees properly exposed and I had to tweak a little in PSE which brought out some green detail in the bark of the trees. A tiny sign of growth in an otherwise chilly image.

I hope you are sticking with me and the Challenge and enjoying it. Each week we get to start anew!  So it’s not too late to join in. You can check out the Flickr group , the Facebook Page  and previous week’s themes to see what’s been happening so far.

This week the theme is full of fun – “Play-time”

Can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Happy Snapping

What a week!  I’ve been overwhelmed by the response of all of you wanting to join in on the Take 52 Challenge.  It’s been great to have some company and I’ve been starting to get to know some of you over in Flickr and on facebook.  It’s been awesome putting faces and names to readers!

Last week’s theme was “New” and here is my effort:

Mollie’s New Shoes

It was much harder than I thought it would be – and this is only the first week!

As I said in Flickr:

There was a time when I loved buying new shoes.  Now I buy them for my little girls while I run around in trainers. This is my baby’s first pair bought specifically for her. Being my 2nd girl she gets her fair share of hand-me-downs. New.

I tried several other subjects before settling on this one.  And I tried several different backgrounds, lighting and elements of this shot as well.  It’s funny how a simple change of background gave a completely different feel to the shot. This is the one I decided on because it seemed girlie and bright and New.

So onward to Week 2.

And the theme for this week is “Cold”

Easy perhaps for our Irish participants, not so much for those in Australia!

Don’t forget to join in the Flickr group where there’s a great community forming with lots of commenting and discussion.

I’d love to hear your comments about how you are getting on with the challenge so let me know below!

Happy Snapping