Acronics sps Peninsula

Here is the first set of macros with the new camera. WB is on auto, I tried the white paper trick but it didnt work out as planned. They are top downs so its a little blurry (any tips on getting a steady shot on a top down?) and I am shooting in full auto because in M my skills are no better and its faster just to shoot full auto. I also cant figure out how to use the Live view monitor in creative modes... Im having a hard time understanding the relation between aperture and shutter speed in order to attain better DOF... In due time. For now, practice practice practice! Enjoy;

Acro1.jpg


Acro2.jpg


Acro3.jpg


Ponape.jpg


This isn't a great photo but I love the reflection :)
CBB.jpg
 
Kevin, looks pretty good to me! The WB does look a bit off. Not surprising, the LED's make it tricky under the best of circumstances.

For WB, try going into your menu -> settings -> WB -> and set temperature to 10,000k - I'm almost positive you can do that with the 60D. That will get you much closer. Have you added DPP yet to your computer? If you shoot in RAW, you can do further adjustment with the "eyedropper" tool - select a pixel that is roughly 18% grey - you may have to pick, undo, pick and undo until you get the closest approximation. You can adjust the sharpness and contrast too (if shooting in RAW, the image may be devoid of contrast compared to what you see on the LED screen, which will have contrast added).

One of the hardest things to do is to jump to a SLR camera from a point and shoot with the "live view" feature - most of the custom features won't allow you to use it, because your eye should be in the viewfinder looking at the meter at the bottom of the viewfinder display - you need to look in here and properly meter your shot (get it close to the 0 or maybe underexpose to a full stop, i.e. -1). Don't get in the habit of shooting in manual with live view - you'll improve faster if you leave it behind and use the viewfinder - you'll quickly get used to it!

Shutter speed and aperture are only related in that the larger the aperture (the lower the number), the lower the shutter speed you can get away with for a properly exposed shot because more light is hitting the sensor. The higher the Av number, the less light that is hitting the sensor and you'll have to drop the shutter speed to get a shot that is exposed properly. This of course if for a constant ISO. The Av number is going to give you your depth of field. You could shoot at the same Av # (say 5.6), and get the exact same depth of field by using an ISO of 640 and Tv of 1/50 as you would with ISO 800 and Tv 1/40 (these are just examples). The lower the Av number (the more "wide open" your aperture blades are and the larger the opening), the thinner the depth of field. Also, the more difficult to get that very thin part of field in focus. Try lowering your Av number way down, shooting handheld, and take a pic of a tip of a coral - very difficult because such a small portion is in focus, that you shake enough to throw off the focus onto a different part of the coral easily through just breathing. For low Av # shots, try using a tripod and set your timer to 2 secs - your results will dramatically improve! Anyhow, try some shots at Av 5.6 to 11, and you'll get some great shots... (adjust your Tv and ISO to get it metered correctly, roughly -1 to 0). Once you master that, then lower the number and really hone in on a specific coral tip, polyp, etc. and the rest of the image will blur out behind creating that pleasing effect known as bokeh! Anyhoo, happy shooting - the more you shoot, the better you'll get. HTH.
 
Oh yeah, if you haven't figured it out, the ISO is just the sensitivity of the sensor - it replaces the speed of the film (most used to shoot either 100 or 200 film). The lower the number, the least sensitive, the higher the number, the more sensitive - lower is better - higher produces more noise, especially on a crop body CMOS sensor like the 7D and 60D have.
 
Yes Jordan, Thats what Im talking about! Thank you!!!!!

Dangit' I was in that WB setting at put it up to 10k but quickly went back to 5200k because I didnt want to mess things up. Any tips on using the white paper or whatever to custom set the WB? I tried it but it made all the pics green...

Whats DPP? Is that photoshop? I dont know what program to use. The camera came with some software but I have one of the new Samsung UltraBooks and It has no optical drive since its all solid state. My desktop PC is used only for the TV and would be a pain to install software on and transfer to the Ultrabook. What program do you use? Ill just go on Pirate Bay and DL it. And I am not shooting in RAW for this reason. But I soooooooooo want to do some real PP.

There is no way I can use the viewfinder for top down.. its impossible or at least very dangerous. Most of the shots I was taking of the fish were through the viewfinder but I like the monitor for tripod use. Do you use Mirror Lock for macro on a tripod?

I use the 10 second delay because my tripod is a travel style, small and light (Slik 500g). Its not very sturdy so It takes a few seconds to stop shaking. Plus if I take a step the cam shakes. I dont even breathe when Im pressing the shutter button.

Thanks for the break down. I def have a better understanding of all that jazz now. Ill give those Av #'s a shot (or two) and see whats up.

Ill work on figuring out the metering this week. I rarely see it deviate from 0 ~ -1 and I think there are some blinking numbers that tell me if its underexposed or overexposed. My understanding is that I just rotate the top wheel till it stops blinking. Not 100% on that yet

Thanks again buddy, your a huge help.
 
Take me to school Roovers! I dont even know half that stuff....

thanks for you help too Darryl... I think at least... hear me out.

I was poking around the house for something to use as a top down box... struck out, then I remembered reading a long time ago, someone (you I think) was using a Ferrero Rocher candy box as a top down. It wasn't hard to convince Amanda that I needed a box of chocolate for the fish tank. She called dibbs on the chocolate and away we went to walmart. If it was you, thanks for the Idea, worked great :wildone:
 
Oh man, J! I now understand the metering. All these words and number actually make sense now. I got all into it and started taking all kinds of dumb photos of the walls and everything. Just when I was really getting into it and figuring it all out BAM, my first dead battery! Son of a..... I think Im going to the shop to buy a second battery to avoid this nuisance in the future.
 
@jroovers
That's one great photography lesson in a nut shell :)
Thanks for sharing.

@kevin
Trial macros are looking great my man. It will only get better with practice.
Wish I had the camera skills ya had.
Good luck and Happy Clicking!!
 
For WB, you can custom balance if you want from a card or something white under your lighting... I've never had much luck doing that and find setting to 10,000k the easiest. You can also select a picture that you feel is WB'd and use that as your baseline for your other shots (check your manual on this one).

DPP = Digital Photo Professional - this is Canon's editing software you received with your Canaon camera and is not bad for a first start with editing, converting RAW photos to JPEG's, and transferring images onto your computer. I started with DPP, but purchased the student version of Lightroom 3, and use that. There are various other programs that work as well, if you do a search you'll quickly find the various options and their prices. For the time being, if you can somehow get DPP on the computer or tablet you use, that would be a good starting point.

Roger on the top downs - could be difficult if you can't look into the viewfinder - don't know what to suggest there unless you get a tripod with a swiveling head that you can keep in place - live view might be necessary there. One possible trick is to put it in movie mode (can't recall if the 60D has that, but I think it does), and press the zoom in button (+), and it will zoom in on your subject, allowing you to adjust your focus based on what you see on the LED screen - once focused, just switch your button back over to camera mode, and shoot away - assuming you don't move the camera (i.e. it is in a tripod) it will be in focus. You may have to go into your advance settings and change your shutter release button to take the auto focus off, so that when you press the shutter, it just fires instead of trying to focus and fire. Or you could just put your lens in manual mode (i.e. turn auto focus off), which would probably be even easier.

Good to hear about the metering - you're on your way! :thumbsup:
 
Ok ill look into lightroom. I finally figured out that to use the live view on creative zones i have to press the live view button AND the shutter button before the screen turns on but this will make top downs much easier. I dont like AF for top downs, im scared the lens is going to go for a swim!
 
I dont use liveview for my top downs.....I just use aperture mode and shoot blind. It takes a few attempts to get what you want in focus but I can manage a good shot.

thanks for you help too Darryl... I think at least... hear me out.

I was poking around the house for something to use as a top down box... struck out, then I remembered reading a long time ago, someone (you I think) was using a Ferrero Rocher candy box as a top down. It wasn't hard to convince Amanda that I needed a box of chocolate for the fish tank. She called dibbs on the chocolate and away we went to walmart. If it was you, thanks for the Idea, worked great :wildone:
Thats right....still use one.
 
haha thanks J, thats the 10k baby! maybe some bracketing too but dont remember if I learned about that before or after these pics... oh well
 
thanks Darryl! I am as surprised as you are. After mr Roovers class I had a good understanding of what to do :)
 
Kevin, Looks like you have everthing back on track after the move. Your scape looks awesome and the pictures wow good thing you have some good subjects.
 
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