New camera :)

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[callforhelp62]

Well the first and third one they didn't do anything real special.  They're a long-ish exposure and they used a camera mount like this http://www.stickypod.com/  Then they probably used a remote switch to trigger the shutter.

The second picture was definitely done with a flash.  You can tell because of the blurry snowflakes in the extreme foreground and the harsh reflection on the license plate.  It is also apparent that the flash was the main source of light.  You see how the headlights are blurred but the car and wheels aren't?  That's because when the flash went off, it exposed the car and wheels.  After the flash turned off there wasn't enough light reflecting off of the car to expose it further (thus no motion blur).  The headlights however produce their own light and aren't affected by the flash.  So even after the flash turned off, the lights were still exposing for the maybe 1/30sec. but that was enough time to move the camera slightly and give the motion blur on the lights.

This is a cool effect you can do.  I actually did this picture by accident but I thought it looked cool:


I did this by using a flash in a dark vehicle and then quickly swinging the camera round while the shutter was still open and immediately after the flash went off.  I used a shutter speed of 1.3sec.  This works off of the same principal of the picture of the magnum.  The flash exposed my sister and the interior of the van but after the flash was off, there wasn't enough light to continue exposure.  The street lights and taillights however did produce enough light and continued to expose across the frame as I swung the camera.

I got the blue tint by adjusting my white balance for tungsten light (3200°K) while the flash was much, much cooler (5500°K).  That made it blue.  I was going to go over white balance in the tutorial too but I omitted it.  Lemme know if you'd like a short section about white balance and color temperatures.  You probably understand color temperatures and the Kelvin scale already, it's what the color of HID headlights is measured with.  3000°K is yellow, 5000°K is white, 8000°K is blue.

[Aztek-Knight]

Coolness!

[austriker]

wow! this is easily probably one of my favorite posts on the afc. i love photography too, and the 7d is quite legit! i recently upgraded to a nikon d300 (christmas time, from a d40) and i love it to death! i am hopefully going to try and get some tek photography in this summer betweeen 3 part time jobs and the world cup (haha i know, i have high hopes). you did a great job explaining everything call4help, some of the tutorials would have been really helpful 2 years ago for me- they are really well done and with visuals that work well!

[callforhelp62]

I just made my first test time lapse.  I think it turned out pretty well for my first attempt.  Next time I'll prolly go with a slightly quicker shutter.  I wanted the blur but not that much.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbbcZiJVOyE

[austriker]

nice that is pretty sweet! I have always thought about doing that, especially because I have like a time lapse mode on my d300 (aww I just forgot what it is called.. dang nabbit). Did you use a tripod setup in the back?

also just a thought- are you on flickr? i am austriker, feel free to add me !!

[callforhelp62]

Yeah I had my back seats folded up and a tripod strapped down so the camera didn't fall over

I have a Flickr but I don't really use it.  I'll have to start!  I think I added you :/  I'd be callforhelp62

[Aztek-Knight]

I got a book a week ago for better photos and info like you posted too... still need to start to read it *blush*

[callforhelp62]

Update:

Now that I've had my camera for a while, I've upgraded some of my lenses and changed some stuff up.  I sold my Rebel XS recently; I just didn't use it enough to justify keeping it.

I also just sold my 15-85mm and replaced it with the 24-70mm f/2.8 L.  I'm in love with this new lens   It also makes my camera look super bada$$.  With the lens hood on, my camera is 10" long!


I added a fisheye I was looking at for a while.  It was only $300 so it's obviously not as good as the more expensive fisheyes but it's plenty worth the money.
http://www.amazon.com/Rokinon-FE8M-C-Fisheye-Canon-Black/dp/B002LTXQUE/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285388897&sr=8-1

I also just bought the EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-5.6 USM.  I love wide angles and I couldn't pass this baby up   It's basically an L lens for crop bodies.


I went ahead and got the 430ex ii flash and it came in very handy at my mom's wedding in late June.

The last major thing I did was get rid of all of my crappy Tiffen filters and upgrade to some nice HOYAs.

My next purchase will be the EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM.  I tried one out at my local camera place and it I instantly fell in love.  The bokeh that think produces is astounding!

I'm also considering the MP-E 65mm f/2.8 macro.  I've been using those extension tubes but I really want to get into real macro photography.  It's such a different view of the world and I find it very interesting.  This lens has an amazing 5:1 magnification level.  So you can basically fill a 35mm film negative with a grain of rice.  Pretty ridiculous.

[austriker]

WOW you have done some serious upgrading (and $$) but looks quite legit! I am working for our school paper this semester and thus am diving into the world of photoj. I am working on buying a new 70-200 f/2.8 VRII (Nikon, of course) for the school but otherwise just have the same glass. f/1.2, that is just ridiculous.

I must say I am VERY jealous of your wide angle. I used my friends tokina 11-16 f/2.8 the other day and it was amazing! I want one asap but am quite poor (thanks college.). Also your 24-70 f/2.8L sounds perfect, such a great range- especially for portraits.

I know most people on here probably have minimal idea when we get into 'photo' speak but I love it. Thanks for the update- I love to talk photo (one of the fav parts about my photoj job).

[callforhelp62]

Yeah dude, the 85mm f/1.2 is an amazing lens.  Here's a sample pic I took while I was considering running out of the photo shop with the demo lens.  The focus isn't quite on his eye but it was just a quick snap and f/1.2 is incredibly shallow DOF so the slightest movement and they're OOF.


If you're looking for a wide angle lens, I know a few people who have this one.  I guess it's pretty good for the price, and the price is really good.
http://www.amazon.com/Tamron-10-24mm-3-5-4-5-Aspherical-Digital/dp/B001G7PIBM/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285399685&sr=8-1

I was considering the 70-200mm f/2.8L as well but I hardly ever use my 70-300mm so I figured I'd use the money on a different lens that would see more use.  If I were you, I would just get the f/2.8 version without the VR.  I know a lot of people who are totally satisfied with the non-IS Canon version.  I'm not quite sure what you'd be using it for tho.

I'm going to try to start photographing weddings part-time to earn a little extra side money to feed my lens addiction

BTW, what glass do you have?  I'm not real familiar with Nikkor lenses, mainly their acronyms.  How do they signify their premium glass?  Like Canon has the "L" series lenses that are their best.

[Aztek-Knight]

NICE UPDATE!

When you are tired of your stuff - you can give it to me

[austriker]

Nikon uses ED to signify the nicer lenses (yes, not as pretentious as L for Luxury.. ouch! canon bash!).

Yea I am thinking I want to get the lens that will be the best investment so I am probably going to try and get the 70-200 f/2.8 VRII (IS 2.0 in canon speak). It would be for photojournalism, so like sports and events and such. The school is technically paying for it, so I do not have to fork over the $2400 for it, which is nice. And as photo editor I get to use it all I want!! Yay my 20+ hours of work each week pays off!

Yea I brought my camera along to my cousins wedding this summer and snapped a few. I was quite happy with teh results and am thinking about maybe trying to shoot some weddings for lens money too..

That tamron does look real nice and a good price .Also the more zoomy-ness would be good (10-24 as opposed to 11-16) but I think the f/2.8 of the 11-16 would be super nice.

[Trishay]

I've got the same Sony tv in 46".

[austriker]

BIG NEWS!

A Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VRII is in the mail coming to our school!!! Gosh I CANNOT wait to use that thing..

[Aztek-Knight]

I have a friend with a Nikon DSLR... busted it! HA smacked it into a wall with a shoulder strap mishap. Busted the lens and it's mount. It was repaired but seems the eye piece is blurry now - even though photos are clear. An expensive OOPS