SamsungImaging

Starring in the Dark

Below is a short survey to check whether you are a beginner or not. Of the following sentences, please select the ones that describe you.

1. I am afraid of the moment I press the shutter.

2. The mysterious world of photography. It’s embarrassing to ask for a helping hand.

3. Camera always set at AWB mode.

4. Tripod? – a stranger to me.

5. Photography is all about far-out travel to marvelous places.

6. I don’t know how to use a flash.

7. Copying someone else’s photo is not something I do.

8. My camera is a latest product. But, what is wrong with the photos?

9. I think photos should not be corrected afterwards.

10. I am more into cameras than photos. 

9 of Ten.. Perfect match!! Ca’em is totally loser!!

How many of the above sentences match you? If you nodded to 7 or more, you are definitely an amateur like me. You might refuse to accept this, but that’s what you are. When I first read this, I thought, “Wow! This is so me!”

Well, except the fact that I press away the shutter madly. HaHa :] Isn’t that the biggest benefit of digital cameras anyway? An animal leaves leather behind when dying and Ca’em will leave behind admirable photos. Click! *infinity <3<3<3<3<3<3<3

After spending three months taking pictures of various themes, Ca’em suddenly became curious as to how much progress Ca’em must have made in becoming a professional. But, the test left Ca’em more than disappointed. Some of the questions made perfect sense, but it turns out that Ca’em had major misunderstandings of photos.

First is that tripod is not a panacea. For instance, tripod is a MUST for night photography and for taking photos of running water, which requires low-speed shutter. However, tripod is of no use when taking pictures of birds, insects or when taking snapshots of people.

a. Here is a simple example. When taking pictures of night scene or light, tripod is desperately needed. Point-and-shoot cameras are light weighted, making it vulnerable to the smallest hand shake. 

 b. For moving subjects, you need to move around holding the camera.

Second, professionals are able to use the flash as they wish. Flash is more often used as fill light during the bright day time, rather than during the dark night. And optical flash is the most dreaded thing in portraits. However, flash plays very different roles for close up of nature. Want to take a good or unique picture? Then, you must become a master of flash. I always left the flash on off mode, but I have changed my mind about flash now. Then, how good is the flash function for compact cameras?   

[Flash off]                                                    [Flash on]

Web surfing, photos in ads or pamphlets are a reservoir of great pictures. Have there been any corrections made to these photos? I used to think that correction is an act of blaspheme or disregard of camera. However, sophisticated cameras always state “Our original photography always takes into account correction that follows”. So, for better results, it is important to learn how to do correction. Invest in your computer as much as you have done to your camera. The picture below is a comparison of before vs. after using photo editing program. Do you think it is worth it?

WB500(HZ10W)  1/1000s l 9.3f l ISO 200 l 1.60EV (Before correction)

 After correction  

When I first came across WB500(HZ10W), I used to blame the camera for producing poor pictures. But, it was not the camera’s fault. It was the set up that was wrong. A shortcut to taking good pictures is to understand the set up value and the functions available rather than accusing the camera for poor outcome. Photography always havs plenty to teach Ca’em and today is not an exception. Today seems like a long day.  

WB500(HZ10W) 1/1500s l 10.1f l ISO 200 l –1.60EV  Auto WB

WB500(HZ10W) 1/550s l 10.8f l ISO 200 l –1.60EV  Auto WB 

WB500(HZ10W) 1/1000s l 7.5f l ISO 200 l –1.60EV  

WB500(HZ10W) 1/500s l 7.5f l ISO 200 l –1.60EV

 

All photos, above, may not otherwise be reproduced, distributed, cropped, re sized, or otherwise altered without the written permission of the contributor. All photos represent the sole opinion of their individual authors and contributors and don’t express the opinion of Samsung Digital Imaging Co., Ltd., Samsungimaging.net or the opinion of any affiliates unless specifically marked as such.

All photos, above, have been shot with the Samsung WB500(HZ10W), which has been provided by Samsung Digital Imaging Co., Ltd.

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