Using available light. Flash or available light? I always prefer available light especially when shooting people. Flash creates shadows where shadows shouldn't be. This is the wonderful +B La'Belle posing in a crate in an abandoned warehouse.

This will show you how stable a tripod isn't when it's windy... So if you're still getting blur on your long exposures maybe this is why.

Terry Lane on why Mirrorless is simply better :). I couldn't agree more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kajFFCKXbQ

Photo Lemur or Photo Lemon

It's a big hairy yellow one for me... read on and look at sample images from this tool test on my blog.

If you don't want to read the blog, save the $29 and get some photography lessons instead.

Lunar eclipse this Wednesday night, Australia is in a great position to see it this time around.

The eclipse runs between 9.51pm and 3.08am AEDT with most of the action between 11.51pm and 1.07am and totality around 12.29am when the moon will appear dim red as the direct light from the sun will be eclipsed by the earth.

Normally you don't need a tripod to take a photo of the moon, but when it is eclipsed it is much darker and you will be better off with one.

Use the biggest zoom you've got (or a big prime if you have one), set your exposure manually (some advise spot metering is ok but you'll have to keep your metering spot on the moon if you're going to do that). Use the lowest ISO you can to shoot the moon without doing a long exposure - the moons moves surprisingly quickly and a long exposure will blur it. You should not need a long exposure anyway as even when its dim its pretty bright. If you're using anything really long and you can use an electronic shutter do it to avoid vibration.

This shot is from last time in 2011.

Why do you shoot at the widest aperture you've got?
Simple to pull your subject out of the background and limit the impact of unwanted foreground. This shot at f1.2 on the Olympus 45mm f1.2 prime is a classic example of how the subject just jumps out of the shot. I've included a near 100% crop to show that the important detail is retained. This is one of the main advantages of crop sensor over the "big boys" - you can use a much brighter lens but still get awesome depth of field. Are we learning yet? Put that antique DSLR away and go mirrorless.

Over of the cool things about 2x mirrorless is you can shoot at 2.8 or 3.5 in low light all day long with plenty of depth of field and lovely smooth backgrounds.

Sparkly
#faerie #faerierade2018

Want to do more people photography but haven't got a handy model? Take a frame or in public and wait. Hang it and they will come.

Don't toss that old glass. I'm off to do some portrait shooting this afternoon and while I'll probably do most of it with some nice modern auto focus glass I'll also be using the 1970s Hanimar 35mm f2.8 on a T2 to MFT adapter and a Canon FD 50mm f1.8 on a FD to MFT adapter. The old film lenses often yield interesting results. The Hanimar is useful because it's declicked making it awesome for video when you want to change dof during a take.

The amazing Cape Liptrap is so vibrant with colour texture and form. Well worth exploring the cliffs below the lighthouse. But take care, that next step down is a long way.

#hdr #aurora #localguides #victoria #australia