what to do with my canon 5d mark ii ?????
i have spent loads of money buy better lenses good camera but my pics are not very good. when i took pics indoor or outdoor i still non the wiser about how to take good pics. either it come too dark or too bright. all the people who has loads of experience taking pics please help what am i doing wrong.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Papa Rotzzi on -
STOP BUYING GEAR! More gear will seldom make you a good photographer. You need to be buying books on exposure and composition. You need to spend money for a few classes. I don't see anything in your portfolio that is that bad.. but I don't see anything that is any good either.
A great set of books are by Scott Kelby.. The Digital Photography Book Vol 1-4. It is like having a mentor with you at all times.
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Permalink Reply by CameraClicker on -
Vol 1-4? When did 4 come out? I only have 1-3! I need to visit my book store more often.
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Permalink Reply by Papa Rotzzi on
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Oh, crap, I guess it has been on the pre-order list for so long I thought it had been released already. Sorry. vol 4 is scheduled for March.
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Permalink Reply by CameraClicker on
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Indigo is showing it as pre-order. I didn't know a fourth was planned until now... The first three were good.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Brooks on -
I thin V.4 came out about a half a year ago.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Brooks on
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Yeah..thats right Papa...I have been thinking the same thing cause I pre-ordered it about that long ago.....
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Permalink Reply by CameraClicker on
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When all else fails, set the mode dial to the green square. That will turn the camera into a very expensive point & shoot model.
If you want more control, try out P mode. Want a bit more control, try out Av mode, if you want full control, try out M mode. I don't recommend Tv mode, just because I don't bother with it. It is the reverse of Av and you can get the same effect using Av, and adjusting the aperture and ISO to get the shutter speed you want, but if light changes, shutter speed will change instead of aperture.... Think of ISO, aperture and shutter speed as forming a triangle, you can affect exposure by changing any one of them, and you can use either of the other two (or both) to return the exposure to the original.
The 5 and 5D are a little strange in implementing Bulb mode on the mode dial instead of simply having a bulb speed after 30 sec on the shutter speed dial.
Anyway, read the manual. That is a great place to start because it explains what the controls do. Pay close attention to the controls for metering. Your description suggests to me that you do not understand metering modes and how to apply them.
Once you understand the contents of the manual, then try out some of the books on photography. Scott Kelby's books are good. Joe McNally has some good books, he shoots Nikon and uses the Nikon speedlights but much of it can be adapted to Canon and he tells great stories. Light Science & Magic is a good book.
A final thought: don't look at the display of the image on the back of the camera and try to gauge if it is properly exposed or not. Instead, press the display button and look at the histogram, it will give you a much more reliable indication of your exposure. Use the image display to make sure everyone's eyes are open. The display is only moderately helpful at determining if your subject is in sharp focus or not, sometimes it looks sharp on the back of the camera but is too soft on the computer monitor.
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Permalink Reply by Daniel Leis on -
I have to agree with Papa. Gear doesn't make you a good photographer. I've noticed most, if not all, of your posts are all gear related...where can I get a good monopod, where to get stuff for newborn shoots, whats the best....
I would challenge you to go out for a week of shooting with your camera phone. Seriously. Take the camera in your cell phone and go for a walk this week. Forget the 5grand worth of gear and go take some pictures. I went to a workshop once with a guy who could take a portrait masterpiece with a cell phone. He had 'the eye', the confidence that comes with experience, and he knew how to work the light. Fantastic combination, and with that, any piece of photographic equipment can take a masterpiece. Look back through history, take a look at some of the photogs that have shot amazing photos with little to no gear. (Steve McCurry -the Afghan Girl- comes to mind...) Its the eye, timing, and sometimes just plain luck. Stop trying to mechanize the procedure, relax, and just tune into the moment.
Bottom line, its not gear thats going to make you a good photog, its the feeling behind what you do, its the story you are trying to convey to your viewer.
If all it took was good gear to make a great shot, there would be an awful lot of out of work photographers as there would be a ton of people taking stellar shots.
Like Papa Rotzzi suggested, take a class or two, go to your local community college, http://www.hotcourses.com/uk-courses/Photography-courses-in-London/...
And those books he suggested by Scott Kelby, they are amazing! Well written, full of knowledge, information and wit. Scott is a great writer and knows how to convey his point across in such an easy straight forward way you'll be shocked how simple he makes things.
Again, its not the gear dude, stop focusing (heh heh...get it...) stop focusing on the hardware. While it helps, its not going to do anything until you have a great grasp of photography first. But if you do really want to do something with that 5d mark 2, I'll send you my mailing address....
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Permalink Reply by Anthony Hutchinson on -
I have to agree with just about every reply! Stop thinking "equipment"! At this point there are three things you need to focus on:
1. Composition
2. Composition
3. Composition
Oh, and did I mention Composition? Follow the great advice given in the previous replies and allow me to add the following:
Think carefully about the type of photos you like to take. Then go out and find great photographers who take those same types of photos. Study their images carefully. Study how they composed their subjects. Study the lighting in the image. Think about shutter speed, aperture and ISO. The more great images you are able to look at the more you will see patterns in the images and the more they will become imprinted on your brain. You will then be amazed by how you then begin to "see" images as you conduct your daily life. Seeing the image before you take the image is one of the most important skills you need to gain as a photographer. The next important skill is learning how to use your equipment AND the lighting to achieve the image you see in your mind (composition). Using the equipment comes down to knowing what ISO, shutter speed and aperture to set based on the lighting and what you want to achieve when it comes to COMPOSITION. ultimately, you are trying to achieve great COMPOSITION.
Study the masters and how they COMPOSE their images. Develop a photographic eye so you can COMPOSE an image before picking up the camera. Learn to use your equipment achieve your COMPOSITION.
Have I emphasized the art of composition enough?!
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Permalink Reply by Daniel Leis on
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Nicely written Anthony! Great website you have too, I'm going to send the link to my step-daughter whom I just gave her first DSLR this Xmas. Thanks for sharing!
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Permalink Reply by Anthony Hutchinson on
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Thanks Daniel. Love to help wherever I can. While the website is a work-in-progress hopefully your step-daughter will find it helpful since I have started off dealing with how to use the camera BEFORE dealing with equipment, which just goes to show how I feel about composition!
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Permalink Reply by Gary Vernon on -
I echo the thoughts of most everybody else in this discussion, no amount of shiny new camera gear is going to help
if you can't learn how to meter properly..
It's called "putting the cart before the horse" Money is always best spent when first learning on books and practical workshops to understand theory of light and composition among very many other things..
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