I have a DSLR... But do I really want to take it off Auto?

Good afternoon and welcome to this wonderful Friday everyone!

I sat down today and was getting my gear set up and ready to go because I have a shoot with a famous soccer player tonight. (My son). It is the opening game of the season and I want to make sure that everything is just right. Batteries charged, 55-200mm lens attached, lens hood, a flash...just in case, and of course memory cards. Those tend to be one that gets forgotten quite a bit. As I was getting everything together I smiled and remembered what getting ready for a game use to be like. Grab the kids, check the uniforms, make sure everything is right, shove the camera in the pocket and out the door. It was simple, and now I have so much more to think about, and sometimes it can be a lot, but when I look at those early pictures of my children playing sports and I look at them now I am so glad that I upgraded to a DSLR, and even more appreciative of the fact that I finally turned off auto and went to manual.

I have read in a number of photography groups about beginners asking if they really needed to take their brand new camera off of the auto setting and if they did, what mode, any mode besides manual should they put it in.

The very short answer, YES! Take it out of auto, and take control!

I remember being in that very situation, and worrying about taking control away from the camera and having to rely on myself to pick the aperture, or shutter speed, or the ISO, and make sure that it was focused and trying to catch that perfect shot. It was a lot, and it was a very scary thought. These are my children, and they only play that very game once, and than it is gone forever. My biggest fear was taking control of this camera and than missing the amazing moments in the game and never being able to share it with the family is back home.

My first DSLR camera was a Nikon D40. I thought that camera was amazing. It was a huge improvement from the Cybershot that I had been working with, and even with the kit lens I realized there was less noise and the focus was so much better than the previous photos I was getting. I had a huge fear of the dials, and buttons and anything that gave me control over the camera in any sort of way, and in many ways, especially during night games I learned that this was causing so much more stress than I really needed to be dealing with. The struggle to get the photo right was so great that I began to notice that I was missing more of the game struggling with poor image quality and the camera not wanting to focus than I was enjoying shooting the game or even enjoying it. This was when I realized that the auto mode was not all that I thought that it was.

I decided that it was time for a change. I started taking my DSLR everywhere with me. During practice I would use different modes. I was very stubborn and decided that instead of reading a manual I could teach myself, so every practice it was a different mode. Which in most cases worked well. The reason it worked was because I fought the same conditions during practice as I did during the game, so I was able to spend all week running through the modes and trying to figure out which would work best for the game. I will say that there was one mode that I avoided, and that of course was manual mode. It remained very intimidating to me. So for a whole season I practiced in aperture priority, shutter priority and so on. This did yield better photos, but I still was not happy. I finally gave in during practice and switched to manual, and since that day I have not looked back.

(One of my first attempts with my camera on manual)

It was something that was not instant, and definitely was not perfect, but I realized that I was free, and had control. I could pick all of the settings, and control the dynamics within the constraints of my camera, and it was as if a huge light bulb went off in my head. Suddenly shooting at night became a little easier. It wasn't perfect as I tried to push my camera far beyond what it could do in performance, but I noticed that there was a much better improvement and I loved the pictures much more.

Were my pictures perfect from the beginning? Absolutely not! Are they always perfect now? Definitely not. There are things that I forget all the time. For example I forget that the last time I shot my camera it was the middle of the day and I have the settings set to accommodate for the mid day sun, and the shutter speed up, and when I grab my camera and rattle off the first test shots all the photos come back black, or vise versa I was shooting a night game and transition to a day game and all the test shots are blown out. This causes a short set back as I have to make adjustments, but once I have it set I am ready to go until my lighting changes or what I am shooting changes.

As with anything in life there is a learning curve. But if you are not learning you are not living, therefore never be afraid to learn. Remember you bought a DSLR for a reason, and you only know that reason, but you need to own it. Don't just throw your money away by never exploring the other options outside of the auto setting. Take the time to explore, and learn how to use each setting, and once you have determined your favorite stick with it, but never forget that the other settings are there, just in case, there may be that time that you do need them.

There is a saying that eyes are the window to the soul, and I believe that this is very true, I also believe that photographs are windows to the past, and I want to make sure that I have done everything that I can to make that window as clear, and as perfect as possible.

(A few seasons later. It may not be perfect but so much better!)

I would love to hear your thoughts or answer your questions regarding switching from auto to another mode. If you have tips or tricks please share those as well! I look forward to hearing from each and every one of you!

Review of Altura flash set up

I recently started using the Altura speedlites system, and since this is my first speedlites system I thought that it could be beneficial to write a review from the perspective of a beginner.

The system that I purchased came with two flashes, two receivers and one transmitter. It also came with cases for each flash, mini stands, hard plastic diffusers, and cables to connect with the camera or into other light systems. I was pretty impressed with the set up, and it also had a full manual as well as a quick start guide.

Each flash appears to be fairly durable and the case that each comes in seems to offer the right amount of protection for the flashes. It also has Velcro straps so that you can attach them to your camera bag or even your belt depending on what you are doing. Each flash takes 4 AA batteries, and after a full 2 hour session of use the batteries are still working well. This is something that I must admit caused me to be surprised but at the same time I was excited as this means to me that I should not have to change out batteries every time that I turn around.

The flashes can be set up in a number of ways. You can attach them to the camera via the hot shoe, or attach the receivers and use them as off camera flash. When setting up the flashes you have multiple options. You can use the slave mode, manual mode, or strobe. Within these settings you can control certain aspects, such as ISO, and shutter speed. 

These flashes DO NOT transmit any information from the camera. The only time that this happens is if the flash is connected directly to the hot shoe of the camera. The transmitter and receivers work off of a radio frequency and thus do not carry any kind of information.

When I used the set up I opted to fire both flashes off camera and use the transmitter to trigger both the camera (a Nikon D7100) and the flash with a secondary flash in slave mode. This is where the trouble began. I set everything up per the manual and was unable to get the flashes to trigger with the camera. I eventually changed the transmitter on the flash to camera, versus flash, and than was able to get the flash to fire. The second problem I discovered was triggering the second flash. In order to fire the second flash it has to be in very close proximity in order to to sense the first flash firing. This was troubling to me because I felt that I almost had to point the first flash at the second to get the desired result, which took away the light from my subject. The third problem I discovered was a syncing issue. I could not get the flashes to fire at the right time. They would not sync with the camera. Even after watching multiple YouTube videos I could just not get it to work properly. The flashes were consistently firing before my shutter was even beginning to move.

After doing some research I discovered that I am not the only one that has had this problem. I looked in several forums and discovered that there were a number of suggestions as to why it wouldn't sync, with the D7100 and there was even a suggestion to try it with another D7100 camera. This was done, and ended with the same result. The flash system would not sync. 

At the current time I have not been able to figure out a solution for this particular issue. 

Over all I think that this can be a great system, if you can get it to work with your camera. I also think it is a great system for a beginner. However this is not a system that I would be comfortable taking into a situation that I would not be able to recreate if for some reason the system failed. With this in mind I would NOT use this system for event photography, or weddings.  I think that this system would be alright for things such as portrait sessions and head shots due to the fact that these are things that can be recreated at another time on the chance that there is a failure.  

The Top 5 Places to Photograph (well for me)

Traveling.. For some people it is all about business, or it is to see family, or it can we for fun. As a photographer my traveling is typically for business, however I want to make the trip fun and exciting, and still accomplish the business aspect, which for me is to come home with amazing images.

Over the last year I have not been able to travel as I would like too, but through groups that I am a part of, such as Improve Photography I have had the chance to travel through the photos of others. As I watch individuals post photos from places I realize that as soon as I am able I want to travel to these places and have the chance to take some epic shots just as these individuals have. I must admit I want to see the world and photograph it all, but I realize with this thought that I am biting off much more than I could probably ever chew, so I have selected the top 5 places that I feel are a must go to as soon as I am able to travel again. 

Photo credit Majeed Badizadegan

1. Iceland

I have come to the understanding how beautiful this place truly is. The amazing mountain scenes, Ice beaches, and caverns truly are something to see. I have loved every photo that I have seen from this location and each photo just makes the desire to go grow. Not to mention to have the chance to see the Northern lights and have the chance to bring home a piece of that is amazing, and I believe a must do. 

2. The Palouse 

This is a location in Washington state. It amazes me that I spent a large part of my childhood in this area and was completely oblivious to what was around me and what I was truly missing out on. There are amazing barns and beautiful landscapes. The waterfalls are truly amazing once you find them. 

3. San Fransisco

This city is not only a great place to visit, but to photograph as well. You have so many diverse things to photograph. There is the architecture alone that is almost one of a kind. There is also the chance to get the iconic trolley shots, or the fishermans warf. For the dark and dreary there is a trip into the bay to photograph Alcatraz. I will say there is not a lot around the island, but the ability to go and photograph the inside, and than add some creative editing, well, the fun may never end. But I must admit my most favorite place to go is the Golden Gate Bridge. It is iconic and as I have spent part of my childhood in this area as well, it is near and dear to my heart.

Photo credit Majeed Badizadegan

4. Oregon Coast

I love the coast line. I wish I could live out the rest of my days on a beach. There are a number of amazing places along the Oregon Coast that I would love to visit. There seems to be so much diversity as you move up and down the coast that I am sure that you would never get bored, and would eventually only leave because all of your memory cards are full! 

5. China

This choice is due to the culture and just a complete change from what I am accustom to in the US. There are tours that take you out of the major city and into the rural areas of China. I have seen pictures that are amazing of the Conrad Fishermen, and celebrations in the rice patties, and just the people. The people in the rural areas will allow photographers to take pictures of them, and in some cases will invite you into their home in order to take pictures. Please keep in mind that this is a guided tour and this is all translated through the guide and to my understanding the guide knows who is willing to allow strangers into their homes and who is not. However I believe that this is something that is totally worth it if you are able to go. You are able to see a part of history, and sadly it is a part that is fading away and like many other things will not be there much longer.


As I have said these are my top 5 choices of places to travel as soon as I have the chance to do so.

Where would you like to travel too? I would love to hear where each of you are looking to travel too!

Please do not copy, alter, or use the photos in this post. They are under copyright of the photographer who is kind enough to let me post them. For more of Majeed's  work please go too:  www.majeedb.com

Traveling and your camera... Part 4

So with the last thought in mind when it comes to traveling... What do you do about your memory cards? What are some things to consider when traveling with them?

(free photo stock traveling with your camera)

As I got ready for my trip this was something that I struggled with a bit. The first thing that I struggled with is how many do I really need? I really cannot give a good answer to this question. This is honestly something that only you as the photographer can determine. Some things to consider would be the type of trip, the number of photos that you plan to take, and are you planning to have a back up. What I mean by a back up is a second card with all of the same exact shots on it. I have a Nikon D7100 that has to memory card slots and I can use these slots in multiple ways. One being a primary card and the second card is written to at the same time as a backup. On the off chance that the first card becomes corrupt or fails. This is a trick I picked up from wedding photographers and this is something that they do all the time in the effort to prevent losing parts of a wedding due to card failure or corruption. The size of the card also matters as well. If you get an 8 GB card you are going to run out of space considerably faster than if you had a 128 GB card. In my case I opted to take three 64 GB cards. In hind sight I should have taken four just to have an even number as I was using one card for back up while I was shooting. 

My next area of consideration is the airport security. As a child I had a film camera and I remember an amazing trip that my grandmother took my cousins and myself on. We were given the great experience of going to Washington DC. I remember my father taking me to the store and we bought several rolls of film and when we got home we loaded the first roll into my 35mm camera. At the airport I hand carried my camera on the plane ( I wanted to photograph everything!) and I remember putting my camera on the belt for the X-ray machine. The man at the X-ray machine grabbed my camera and asked if my camera was already loaded with film. My grandmother informed him that it was and he immediately stated that it could not go through the X-ray because all of my film would be ruined along with the photos. The man kindly inspected my camera and meant me on the other side along with my cousins and gave us our cameras back. I understand that the technology has come a long way, but before I left I still did my homework to ensure that my cards would not be damaged in the same fashion as my film would have been. Based upon my research I can say that the cards are safe. Although I do prefer to have them in their card holders and buried deep within my bag in order to protect them as much as possible. 

As I mentioned I carried my cards on to the plane with me, and this a recommendation that I will give to anyone. The memory cars are like any other electronic item. They are susceptible to changes in climate, extreme heat, extreme cold, and moisture. These three things specifically are not controlled in the belly of the plane. This is the same reason why you will see people who are flying with animals get removed from flights. When the temperature is to cold or to warm the animal that is in the belly of the plane could die, and as a safety precaution they are not allowed to fly if it is determined that these extremes may be reached during the flight. I must admit that in travel I tend to treat my cards the same as I do my pets. I do not want to see them damaged in any way and therefore I want to keep them as close to me as possible. This way if something happens to my cards I am the one at fault for the loss or the damage and therefore I can only hold myself to blame. 

Thank you all so much, and if you have any information that you would like to see added to this post please feel free to email me, or leave the information in the comments below. 

Until next time my friends! Safe travels!

Traveling and your camera Part 3

You did it! The trip is booked! But......

(free photo stock image. Looked for one with a nikon, but this was the best that I could do.)

Over the last few posts I have been discussing the ability to travel and the questions that I have in regards to traveling with my gear, because this is not something that I have done on a regular basis. Up to this point in my life my traveling with my gear has been limited to just within a few hours of home. So this meant I would put my gear in my truck and just go. There was no big concern about theft, loss or damage of my gear as I had total control of what was going on with my gear. 

Now I am able to travel without much stress on a plane, and with that said, this is where the control is lost. Especially if you have to check your gear with your luggage. I have come to the conclusion that this is just not the way that I want to go. First of all my luck is not great. I have had my baggage lost on multiple occasions, and I really do not want to lose time due to not having my gear. Especially if I am traveling for the sole purpose of using my gear.

Once past the how am I going to travel with my gear question I move on to "How do I take care of my gear in different climates?" question. I am sure that there are people that are reading this and feel that I am over reacting about this thought, but it has become a very real concern for me. Before living in South Carolina I lived in Hawaii. Hawaii was amazing! The sun was shining and it stayed at a pretty steady 80 degrees, and never really dipping below the 70's. If it was raining I would wait in my vehicle for about 10 minutes, and the rain would pass and I could get out and continue to photograph whatever my subject for the day was. However South Carolina has thrown a huge game changer for me. For example in South Carolina it reaches at its peak about 105 degrees during the summer, but than there is the humidity to factor in and that raises the temperature to 115-125 degrees. (That's the highest that I have seen so far this year.) The heat is a concern in regards to my sensor, but considering that I am not out in the middle of the day shooting it is not a huge concern. However the big concern is the humidity.

I realized that this was a concern when I was out working in the backyard and realized the opportunities that I was missing to practice shooting the small insects and animals that I was running into while out. So I ran to the house and grabbed my camera. In my opinion I did not think that there was much of a temperature change from the house to the yard (as this was early spring) but I did not consider the humidity. When I got back out to the yard I began to take photos, and realized that they were soft, and seemed to be out of focus, yet in the view finder they were sharp and seemed to be the exact way that I wanted them to be. I took photos for roughly five minutes and they continued to get worse. When I finally stopped and looked at my lens the glass was covered with condensation. I also noticed that it was starting to develop on the body and the outer portions of the lens. So I immediately took the camera back inside. My saving grace was that when I went outside I did not switch the lens so this kept the inside of the camera and the sensor protected. However it affected the glass, and caused it to spot and I worried that the weather sealing may not have been able to hold. Several hours in I realized everything was ok, but it was a huge shock. 

In another instance several years ago a fellow photographer and I were deployed with our unit to Iraq. At the time I was barely dabbling in photography and opted not to bring anything more than my point and shoot. I honestly did not think that I would have the time to shoot much anyway. Not to mention it is a desert that has been ravaged for years with war and I did not think that there would be much to really photograph that would be of interest to me. However I was sadly mistaken. 

(Sunrise in Tikrit, Iraq)

The place in of itself was not great to shoot, but the buildings, Saddam's castle in Baghdad, and the sandstorms were amazing! Sounds strange to most but the sandstorms were one of my favorite things to watch roll in. But the damage the would cause to a camera was horrible. The fellow photographer that took their camera had to send all of their lens and I believe their camera body in to be cleaned when we returned and they were afraid that the sand may have damaged the sensor. It had already done a number on several of the motors in the lens which later led to having to replace them completely.

(Soldiers standing in formation outside during a sandstorm)

As you can see in the picture above a sandstorm for us was no joke. This photo was shot in the middle of the day, and yet due to the sand being so thick in the air it changed it to a very dark and orange environment. 

So what do you do to protect your gear in various climates. Here are some suggestions from what I have learned.

l. When traveling into a new climate make sure that you are prepared for anything. The best way to prepare is do some research into the area. Determine what type of climate that you are going to be dealing with. Is it humid? Dry? Hot? Are there potential storms I should be concerned about? Cold? 

2. Prepare for that type of climate. If you are dealing with a humid environment realize that your best way to deal with this is to slowly expose your gear to the environment. For example when you reach the location just unzip your bag and let the air slowly start moving into the bag, after 15 minutes carefully check your gear without opening the bag to far and with out removing it from the bag. If it appears to have climatized you can open your bag and go about your planned day, however I do not recommend changing lens in this type of environment. 

3. If you are using your gear in a harmful environment protect it. You can use rain hoods, or in my case while I was in Iraq I kept my point and shoot in a ziplock bag and during sandstorms would shoot with it in the bag. 

4. Inspect your gear often in a controlled environment. As soon as you are done shooting for the day take your gear to your hotel, home or where ever you may be staying and check it for dirt, water damage etc. This can be done more frequently if you are worried about your gear. If you notice that your gear is not standing up to the challenge of the area stop using it!

5. Clean your gear often. I say this with a word of caution. I am not saying that you should do a full on cleaning as Nikon or Canon would do if you sent it to them, but I am saying to do the basics and do not go out of your comfort zone. Clean the outside and all of the contact points and mirror if you have one. But do not clean the sensor of you are not comfortable or do not know how. You will cost yourself more money in the long run.

If you have more tips or suggestions or maybe some things that I did not mention please comment below! I would love to hear from you! 

Traveling and your camera.... Part 2

Traveling can be a stressful experience for some, but I have come to realize that it is even more stressful when I travel.

(photo stock image)

Truth be told it almost makes me panic when I travel. I typically fly when I do travel and this leads to a number of concerns. The first is baggage check in. I have had my luggage lost enough to know that it is not a safe route to go, and the older I get, well the lighter I travel. I have it almost down to a science now. I use the same jump bag that I deployed with and that holds everything I need with room left over. However this is not exactly ideal to tote all of my camera gear in. There is no protection, and I am not about to have my gear go unprotected.

So this leads to the first problem. Do I need to base my bag on where I am traveling, or do I base it on how I am traveling or both? Or do I by pass all of this and look at a bag that is rated to handle 95% of the situations that I usually find myself in while I am traveling? I will admit that when it comes to price and spending money I do get a bit squeamish. I am trying to get every bit of worth out of something that I purchase, so I want to make sure that what ever I do it is financially acceptable. Before writing this post I posed these thoughts written a similar format to a group that I am. I did not get many responses, however the ones that I did get seemed to follow my thought process. The all-in-one bag is the way to go. Or at least preferred. But I still wonder about how others feel. I know that I carry all of my gear in a backpack, but I have noticed when I have shot at weddings and such as a second shooter that the primary shooter always has a fancy leather messenger bag, or something along the messenger bag line which leads to question if there is a need to have different bags for different activities. 

I have taken the time and looked at various bag reviews and honestly they reinforce the idea of needing different bags for different situations. Here is the first article that I read.

http://improvephotography.com/gear/bag-gear/

This article lead to even more, you guessed it. Divided thoughts about bags and what is best for what. Which here are the links for those. Please keep in mind that these are written by different contributors to the website and are all vetted by the owner for authenticity before posting.

http://improvephotography.com/35962/35962/

http://improvephotography.com/35887/messenger-camera-bag-review/

http://improvephotography.com/35723/bag-review-sneak-peek-peak-design-ona/

I also spent some time with google and discovered these sites as well. They are not as detailed, but at least it gives a few answers.... about the bags... not the decision making.

http://www.cambags.com/

http://www.adorama.com/alc/1357/article/12-top-camera-bags-traveling-photographers

After digging through these articles I am still really stuck. I have come to the conclusion that you either go with personal preference, or what you think will work best for you. Worst case scenario you have a closet full of bags for different reasons. 

The one positive out of reading all of these articles is that there seems to be one particular theme. When it comes to traveling on the plane a backpack seems to be the best option that there is out there. The reasons that are listed and make sense is that you can fit it in the overhead bin, the weight is distributed properly on your back when you are carrying your gear anywhere you are going, and you can get backpacks with rain gear protection which leads to extra protection for your camera. Not to mention a number of bags are being made now that not only hold the camera and the gear but there is also room for personal items which means even less to carry while traveling! A personal pull for me really. 

When it comes to picking a back pack I believe it comes down to comfort and durability. If the bag is not comfortable your camera is never going to travel with you purely because you are like every other person in the world and like to be comfortable.  Durability will play a huge role as well. I mean if you are putting thousands of dollars in a bag you want to ensure that it is not going to be damaged. However realize that nothing is safe. A photographer learned this the hard way. He put ALL of his gear in a pelican case and checked his bag. Once on the plane and seated he glanced out and saw lenses and gear strewn all over the ground outside. About that time the stewardess announced over head that someone's camera stuff had been dropped from the plane while loading and they needed to speak with the owner of the bag. The pelican case had busted open when it hit the ground and nearly all the gear was scratched, and there were thousands of dollars in gear that was just destroyed. It just makes my gut churn when I hear about stories like this.... Just remember... Nothing is 100% effective, and be ready for the worst to happen. 

I'd love to hear your thought about this or any other information I have put out there! 

Traveling, and your camera

As I look out my window and notice the mound of yard work that I really need to get done I can do nothing but day dream about going out and about with my camera. When I say go out and about I more specifically mean going on a vacation, or traveling somewhere, well really anywhere but to my back yard. Don't get me wrong, I love my house and where I live, but it is summer, and it is one of the best times to see the world and all that it has to offer.

In thinking about traveling my mind set is slowly changing. All of my children are old enough to keep track of themselves, and for the most part travel on their own if they want. With this concern, and stress slightly lifted from my shoulders this gives me more time to think about me and what I want to take on the next adventure.

In most cases my traveling consists of somewhere within a couple hours of home and looking for new places to hike and explore. I love exploring a new area and photographing anything that draws my attention. Which is great, but now that I am looking to start taking bigger trips there are things that I need to start thinking about.

1. Where am I going to go?
I have so many options running through my head that I have no idea where to begin really. I want to see the world and I want to do it all right now! Very unreasonable thought I know, however it is not quite so unreasonable to plan to do as much of it as I possibly can. So in order to slow myself down I have started a "Bucket List" I am sure that a number of you have them, and I am finding that they are great to have. I love lists. My biggest reason for loving them, because I love to check things off of them! So I figure that this is the best way for me to accomplish the traveling that I want to do and at the same time be organized and make sure that I do not forget or over look a place that I want to go.

2. How am I going to get there?
This is a question that in most cases would be a simple answer, however, as I said before I love lists and checking things off of them. For example, I have never been on a cruise, and I also would love to go on a tour of Alaska. Well my friends I can officially take two things off of my list. There is a cruise schedule in Alaska and if I go at the right time I can go whale watching, which means, you got it, another thing off of the list. 3 birds with one stone!  I am not sure that I can do much better than that.

So here is where my concern now comes in. I must admit that I have not done alot of distance traveling with my camera and this leads to a number of concerns that I have about my gear. For example:

1. Do I need to look at having a different camera bag for different places or activities?
2. How do I take care of my gear while I am traveling?
3. How do I keep track of my gear while I am traveling?
4. Does the care for my camera change in different climates and what is different in those climates that I need to consider to protect my gear?
5. How do I protect my memory cards from things like X-Ray machines at the airports, and do I need to worry about things like climate changes?

These are just the 5 basic questions that I have, and I am sure that there are many more. However these are the 5 top things that I think about when it comes to traveling.

I am sure that are a number of you that have great answers for these questions and I would love to hear them! Please share them in the comment section below.

If you don't have answer, but may someone that does, please share this with them and than you and I can both learn from them together,

I am looking forward to all the suggestions, guidance, and new questions that may come along the way!