Today's, or more like this weekend's picture is one that I recently took using my Sigma 10mm f/2.8 fisheye lens. The challenge of this photo was two things. First, since it was dark, I needed to use a high ISO, long exposure, and/or wide aperture opening to get a shot bright enough for the end result. Second, I surely needed to use a long exposure, so I needed a tripod to stabilize the shot for long exposure. So how did I solve these two issues?
Well, first the easy part: the settings.
Exposure Program: Aperture priority
Exposure Time: 2.5
FNumber: 4
Focal Length: 10
ISO Speed Ratings: 400
So it looks like I used a aperture of f/4.0. The reason for this is technical reasons. The Sigma lens doesn't come out very sharp at full opening of f/2.8. Since I could not use a wide opening, that means I had to expose longer. I got lazy, so I used aperture priority and that gave me an automatic exposure of 2.5 seconds. Of course, this could've been shortened if I used a higher ISO, but instead I settled with ISO 400 in order to get less noise in the image.
So these were the settings I used. So how did I get the shot steady enough to get a blur free image? A tripod you guess? Well, I had no tripod at hand and in fact, do not carry a tripod around the parks since they are bulky and a pain to carry amongst the crowds. So what did I use? Well, the surroundings around me. in this case, I was in line for Space Mountain so the things that came up every few feet were those poles they use for the queue lines. Since they have flat tops, they made perfect tripods for the shot. Now, when using them, don't just set the camera on top and forget it. You need to secure it to prevent shake, and even more importantly, to prevent it from falling off. So how do I do this without causing any unwanted shake? My method is to place the camera on top of the pole, assuming it's a flat surface and positioning it so its centered on the pole. Next, I place my hand directly on top, acting as a weight, and applying pressure to prevent it from bouncing around or moving around the pole. Lastly, I use a 2 second timer on my camera to delay and prevent any last shakes that my other hand my create when triggering the shutter. With a combination of those steps, I am able to create a fairly clean, tripod-free image.
Now, why don't you try that out? Remember, creativity is something that is seen in your final image, but it is also a tool you must use in order to create your final image.
-Ryan
No comments:
Post a Comment