Owner of a new Canon 1000D here!

[krisietong]

Hi krisie, congratulations on your new purchase. Welcome to CS and keep shooting.

Some tips for landscapes:
1) Shoot in AV or Manual mode. This allows you to set a smaller Aperture (like f/11, f/16) to allow greater parts of your image to be in focus.
2) Take ISO off auto and keep it @ ISO100 for your landscape shots.
3) Always bring along a tripod if you can for your landscape shots.
4) Shoot at the golden hours (1/2 an hour before/after sunset/sunrise)
5) Use things like mirror lockup, countdown timer to help stabilize your shots in addition to using a tripod. If you invest cheaply (around $10) for a 3rd party remote, that's great for landscapes and allows you to do self family portraits as well.
6) Learn the basics of landscape composition, there are many books and also online resources for that. Think about the foreground, think about the skies and think about the leading lines in your pictures. Don't rush into a photo but sit back and let yourself immerse in the scene. Don't forget about your horizon - you can rotate it later but its better to get it straight in the first place.
7) Browse photo sharing sites like Flickr and learn from the shots that appeal most to you there
8) Really get out there and explore Singapore (or whereever you are), landscapes won't come to you, you have to go out there and discover for yourself. If you limit yourself to shooting only when it is convenient for you - it might turn out to be a great disappointment.
9) Invest in post processing software and hardware (a decent PC with a decent calibrated monitor) once you've mastered the basics. You can start with Canon's DPP but eventually you may find that software like Lightroom coupled with Photoshop (or Aperture if you're on a Mac) offers you more room for creativity. Some people may disagree with me but I feel post processing is a a vital part of photography.
10) Keep shooting, its the only way to improve.

I apologize if you already knew about these as these tips are aimed at a beginner.

haha.. i dun really understand all of the technical terms u r talking about.. so i suppose these tips are useful for me.. :bsmilie::bsmilie:
Thanks for that! there is still a long journey for me..
just tried to play with shutter spd, aperture and ISO.. WOW.. its not easy to get a nice shot with good exposure indoors!

 

[krisietong]

Jus checking.. I have a dry box to keep my cam and lenses.. dun intend to get dry cabi yet..
I realised that the RH should be maintained at ard 40% but my meter is only showing 60%..
I microwaved the silica gel yesterday as it already became pink when I opened the package. Then today, it turned pink again!! Do i really need to microwave the gel everyday??? I saw tt the gel is slowly turning pink when I left it to cool.. after tt when placed in the dry box, the RH only maintained at 60-70%.
Is the dry box faulty? or should i get more silica gel or something else like 'thirsty hippo' to be placed in the box????

 

[sabee]

If you have any questions or things you don't understand, please ask away The only way you can learn. Fortunately for photography, most of the common terms are also easily searchable online through google.

 

[krisietong]

Congrats on getting your cam!
Advice: 1. personally, I would have preferred the 55-250 over the 75-300 as it has IS for little more. Nevertheless, the 75-300 is a good piece of glass for a beginner and it should serve you well for a while. But, be aware of its limitations.
2. See about setting a 50mm f/1.8 soon. It costs around $120 and is good for night shots, which i believe your current lenses lack.

f/1.8 - this value would mean that there is a bigger aperture so that more light can enter the sensor for a brighter photo?
Will it be good for indoor shots oso?

 

[sabee]

f/1.8 - this value would mean that there is a bigger aperture so that more light can enter the sensor for a brighter photo?
Will it be good for indoor shots oso?

Yes, f/1.8 allows you to greatly reduce your shutter speed compared to f/5.6 making the shots much more handholdable indoors.

If you repeatedly open your dry box, then you may find the need to microwave your silica gel daily, the other way is to get more silica gel so you don't have to do it more often. I think as someone new to the DSLR scene, you tend to be more excited in the beginning, taking your camera in-out-in-out of the dry box. But honestly, if you're handling it every few hours, its fine to leave it on your table, since there's no risk of stale air allowing fungus to grow. Keeping it in a dry box with incorrect humidity can actually cause more harm than good.

 

[krisietong]

Yes, f/1.8 allows you to greatly reduce your shutter speed compared to f/5.6 making the shots much more handholdable indoors.

If you repeatedly open your dry box, then you may find the need to microwave your silica gel daily, the other way is to get more silica gel so you don't have to do it more often. I think as someone new to the DSLR scene, you tend to be more excited in the beginning, taking your camera in-out-in-out of the dry box. But honestly, if you're handling it every few hours, its fine to leave it on your table, since there's no risk of stale air allowing fungus to grow. Keeping it in a dry box with incorrect humidity can actually cause more harm than good.

wah.. den i better save up for a dry cabi.. so troublesome to microwave and leave it to cool!!

 

[Replica]

Yup, dry cabi is impt as u are having 2 lens and in future, u maybe getting accessories. U can find your dry cabi in the mass sales section, they provide free delivery with guarantee. Check them out.

Me too, like u, is a newbie still on the job learning. Took my 'baby' out to the streets to gain experience and enjoyed myself.. Cheers

 

[krisietong]

my fav pix of my son! did some adjustment to the saturation, brightness and contrast level with the photo edit software from Canon

 

[krisietong]

I realised the colours from DSLR not as vivid... is it the cam settings or the lighting? Or need some post processing of the photos?

 

[krisietong]

an attempt to capture one of my son's toy cars.. did some post processing on the saturation, brightness and contrast..

 

[krisietong]

here's a bigger pix of my son..
feel free to give comments.. thanks..

 

[chalib]

The flash is too harsh

I guess you were using in-built flash, instead of external flash gun with diffuser

 

[sinned79]

wah.. den i better save up for a dry cabi.. so troublesome to microwave and leave it to cool!!

invest on a dry cabinet instead. it dun cost much, u can get 36L for a start, its only $118.

 

[krisietong]

The flash is too harsh

I guess you were using in-built flash, instead of external flash gun with diffuser

yeah.. i agree.. cos its really difficult to get good lighting indoors!
But i kinda like the shadows behind him but his face looks overexposed

 

[peterpan]

Hi welcome to clubsnap :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Try looking at some mass buy/sell thread some basic gear are cheap
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=84

try this two brand of dry box

1} Digi cam
2} Alpo

Looking for external flash

3rd party brand like tumax & nissin and many brand


read up on book's and internet for some idea.
post more picture in clubsnap
Don't give up keep shooting

 

[hoho85]

hmm personally canon 55-250 IS would be a better choice over 75-300..
at the long focal range without IS, photos are easily blurry with the slight movement. when comes at night or low light areas.. it will be worse with only f5.6..

i think the reason why u find ur colours not as vibrant is due the the kit lens.. it produces pictures kind of bland sometimes as compared to tamron or L lenses..

as many ppl would advise.. is better to start using the kit lens before moving on to other lenses so at least we can understand better of wad we need more..