Let's talk photography

[angleigh]

of course photos is a very important part of scrapbooking....and I think our love for scrapbooking has led many of us more into being interested/branching into photography.  And I know photography can be a confusing field....so let's chat a bit and maybe we can help each other answer some questions if we need to

Cameras:  do you have a dslr (or mirrorless) camera or do you mainly use your phone for photography?  

Lenses: if you have a dslr do you find yourself hoarding lenses like scrapbooking supplies?  Or you have the 1 lens that came with it and that's what you use

Programs:  do you use lightroom or do you find yourself using camera raw along with PS

So many different things we could possible chat about!

[angleigh]

I'll start

Camera:  I've always used a Sony camera because my dad had a film Minolta and about 4 lenses, that all worked perfectly with Sony.  So it was easy to start with that to save $.  I'm not on my 3rd Sony camera, last year I made the jump to a full frame "beast" as I like to call it.  I'm hoping now that i'm not doing as much sports this one will last a good 6-8 years.  My last one lasted 4 really beating it up doing so many sports activities.  

Lenses:  I do collect to a point..lol  With Sony a big thing is collecting old Minolta lenses.  The glass in them is beautiful and holds up.  I have a 50, 28-85is,  70-210,  100-300.  I will use the 100-300 if i'm doing daytime sports alot.  The 50 is a gem and I carry it all the time.  I actually used it in the powder paint session I did because I needed that prime lens since it was later in the evening and needed to let in more light

Of course my 85 is my new baby and i'm still getting used to it.  I'll take it with me over the next month or so along with my trusty 28-75 but I love the creaminess of the background with it

 

Program:  I used to be PS all the way.   I had lightroom and used it to do the basic straighten, adjusting light etc in photos and loved I could do them in batches.  But I never went further then that.  But a couple weeks ago when I couldn't sleep because Ginger was so sick I spent many nights learning and watching video's about Lightroom and it's like a lightbulb went off.  Now i'm in love with that program and how quick it can make editing.  I do still use PS along side of it for certain things and maybe some cloaning and such.  

[mimes1]

I actually was into photography long before I was into scrapbooking - the photos led to the scrapbooking. All my cameras and lenses are currently packed away. Soon after this cross country move is complete I hope to get it all out and revisit this passion.  The phone has been the go to for so long I think I've forgotten how to use my camera and will have to start all over. 

[Marie-Christine]

I  bought a new camera a couple of years ago, Canon Powershot SX540HS, I really like it. It has no view finder just a display screen but due to loss of my vision, i can't see that proeprly so I now have it set on continous mode, as that is the only way I can take a photo, it doesn't stop me from taking photos but I have a lot of the same photos, I just sift through them on the computer. I also use my phone but that is not really working very well as i can't see what i'm doing - lol lots of shots of random stuff  that doesn't make any sense and the odd one where it actually worked. 

[englishrose]

I have a second hand Canon 40D with an 18 -55 and a 55 -200 lens - also second hand. It takes lovely photos - the colours are so rich - but unfortunately it weighs the same as a house brick and doesn't fit well into my handbag so I only use it for "serious" photography. My camera phone takes pretty good shots and these are fine for the impromptu pics that mostly find their way into my scrapbooking.

I learnt photo manipulation and scrapbooking on PSE5 and have only graduated as far as PSE9. I've toyed with RAW but to be honest the JPEGs my cameras produce are good enough for my scrapbooking projects.

[MariJ]

I've been interested in photography since a child and took good photos with a small Kodak film camera, graduating to a Minolta DSR with changeable lenses I bought with my college graduation gift money.  I loved it but it was heavy to carry around!    Years later I was given a digital camera as a birthday gift and haven't looked back.   When I bought a small Canon point and shoot I was delighted with its ability to easily go anyplace and it took wonderful photos.  I replaced it with another which traveled to Australia and took awesome photos but a few years later it had a smudge on the lens so I upgraded to a "better" Sony - bigger and with lots of settings.   Sadly I have not done well with it and unusually can't get used to it.  I keep thinking I should buy another point and shoot but then know I'd never use the Sony again!  I use my phone for photos when it's with me, but am not always happy with the results.  But, like Hilary the pics are good enough for my scrapping, so I often do use them.

[angleigh]

9 hours ago, mimes1 said:

I actually was into photography long before I was into scrapbooking - the photos led to the scrapbooking. All my cameras and lenses are currently packed away. Soon after this cross country move is complete I hope to get it all out and revisit this passion.  The phone has been the go to for so long I think I've forgotten how to use my camera and will have to start all over. 

Once you get settled in think of all the time, and new locations you will have to take photos of.  I'm kind of jealous! 

[angleigh]

1 hour ago, Marie-Christine said:

I  bought a new camera a couple of years ago, Canon Powershot SX540HS, I really like it. It has no view finder just a display screen but due to loss of my vision, i can't see that proeprly so I now have it set on continous mode, as that is the only way I can take a photo, it doesn't stop me from taking photos but I have a lot of the same photos, I just sift through them on the computer. I also use my phone but that is not really working very well as i can't see what i'm doing - lol lots of shots of random stuff  that doesn't make any sense and the odd one where it actually worked. 

Good for you not letting it stop you!  And finding the solution that still allows you to enjoy one of your passions.  I take WAY to many photos at almost ever session I do, and sometimes will spend as much time going through and deleting the ones I don't like/use versus finding the keepers.

Do you use a certain program when going through them?  I love Lightroom for that.  

[angleigh]

1 hour ago, englishrose said:

I have a second hand Canon 40D with an 18 -55 and a 55 -200 lens - also second hand. It takes lovely photos - the colours are so rich - but unfortunately it weighs the same as a house brick and doesn't fit well into my handbag so I only use it for "serious" photography. My camera phone takes pretty good shots and these are fine for the impromptu pics that mostly find their way into my scrapbooking.

I learnt photo manipulation and scrapbooking on PSE5 and have only graduated as far as PSE9. I've toyed with RAW but to be honest the JPEGs my cameras produce are good enough for my scrapbooking projects.

lol oh I understand!  I don't take my camera most of the time when I'm just going out and about because it's so heavy.  Then add one one of the lens especially the 70-200 (which is only brought out at football games).  But I also don't take photos on my phone, I don't know what it is...I just can't bring myself to use it.  I know there's like this whole "iphone photo" movement and people take AMAZING photos with the cameras.  My phone photos consist of taking a pic of something at the store if I'm wanting to remember what it looks like.  

I do all sports photos in .jpg the files save so much faster to cards and take up less room.  Otherwise I use raw and it's saved me more then once if a photo was too dark or blown out.  But it's something that's almost a must when doing senior photos, and I just started doing for all photo (except sports) that I do.  

[angleigh]

1 hour ago, MariJ said:

I've been interested in photography since a child and took good photos with a small Kodak film camera, graduating to a Minolta DSR with changeable lenses I bought with my college graduation gift money.  I loved it but it was heavy to carry around!    Years later I was given a digital camera as a birthday gift and haven't looked back.   When I bought a small Canon point and shoot I was delighted with its ability to easily go anyplace and it took wonderful photos.  I replaced it with another which traveled to Australia and took awesome photos but a few years later it had a smudge on the lens so I upgraded to a "better" Sony - bigger and with lots of settings.   Sadly I have not done well with it and unusually can't get used to it.  I keep thinking I should buy another point and shoot but then know I'd never use the Sony again!  I use my phone for photos when it's with me, but am not always happy with the results.  But, like Hilary the pics are good enough for my scrapping, so I often do use them.

I STRUGGLED the first couple of years I got my first dslr...I mean set it on auto and go.  I slowly started messing around with manual and got a little understanding about it and how changing something like iso or shutter speed will allow in more light etc.  But I was getting frustrated and thought I had just wasted alot of $ on something I would never get.

Then one day I was watching Jasmine Starr on Creative Live.  At this time she was a huge wedding photographer (now she's moved to teaching social media in the industry and being a mom) and I heard her say she shot all her wedding in aperture priority and never used manual.  She could lower her aperture down all the way to blur the background and raise it all the way to make it clean/clear for large group photos.  And I mean it was like a lightbulb went off.  And I realized I was trying to learn manual for nothing.  And found with watching more tutorials from photographers this is what alot do.  

So I shoot 99% of my session in aperture priority, and I can adjust my iso if I get in too dark of a location to help out.  On my sony I also have an exposure button and it's literally like the exposure slider in camera raw or lightroom that brightens/darkens the photo and I usually adjust that to get the right look before I take the photo.  But this one tip saved me so much headache when I started out.   And all sports I shoot in shutter priority, it's a must to freeze the action.

Now i'm glad I learned the little bit about manual when I first started out.  Every now and then there's a time that I just can't get the photo right and will have to use it.  And it's nice to know how it works.  But I might of used it 5 times last year in the 45 senior sessions that I did

[angleigh]

1 hour ago, MariJ said:

I've been interested in photography since a child and took good photos with a small Kodak film camera, graduating to a Minolta DSR with changeable lenses I bought with my college graduation gift money.  I loved it but it was heavy to carry around!    Years later I was given a digital camera as a birthday gift and haven't looked back.   When I bought a small Canon point and shoot I was delighted with its ability to easily go anyplace and it took wonderful photos.  I replaced it with another which traveled to Australia and took awesome photos but a few years later it had a smudge on the lens so I upgraded to a "better" Sony - bigger and with lots of settings.   Sadly I have not done well with it and unusually can't get used to it.  I keep thinking I should buy another point and shoot but then know I'd never use the Sony again!  I use my phone for photos when it's with me, but am not always happy with the results.  But, like Hilary the pics are good enough for my scrapping, so I often do use them.

oh and p.s.  all those settings and such....don't let them scare you off.  On my a99ii there are SO many setting, the main menu is divided into 10 sections and some of those sections have 8-10 sub sections.  Really??  Who needs all these setting and how can a camera have that many?  I searched youtube and found a couple of people that walked me through the setting and which ones were the important ones to change or know about.  And honestly after I did that, I haven't gone back and made any changes what so ever.  I know where my important ones are:  change from raw to jpg, format my memory card, turn off face/eye detection and the rest I never have to adjust again.

[MariJ]

@angleigh Thanks for the encouragement and tips, you make me want to try again.  ?  I do use the one "superior" setting or something like that but my photos just don't look great, I was so much better with the little point and shoot, I'm never happy with these.   I did buy a digital book someone wrote about the camera, but haven't really gotten into it.  So maybe I should spend more time trying to do that...    Maybe I'm expecting it to be an "easy" point and shoot but it isn't.  ?   It's also REALLY hard to find the millions of settings included; sometimes I touch something and a line or something comes on the screen -- and then I can't get it off!  Frustrating on all ends and I spent a lot of time and research deciding on this camera....
You've given me interest to try again, thank you!

And, me too, rarely use the phone camera, it just doesn't appeal to me.

 

[angleigh]

@MariJ yeah I have a book on my camera also.  I think I opened it day 1 and that's about it..lol   I found the youtube video's so much better for me.    Which Sony camera do you have

[MariJ]

@angleigh  THIS is the one that I have.  I actually bought another but returned it because the zoom was so bad.  I spent a lot of time researching and bought it in May 2019 and have barely used it.  And, somehow when I do, I'm not happy with the results and I've NEVER had that happen to me from the DSR>little point and shoots.

I normally prefer to read manuals I can hold in my hand (good luck with that!) the book I bought is on my iPad but like you, I maybe opened it twice.
I don't always do well with videos, but maybe I'll take your advice and look up some You Tube ones, thank you again for all the suggestions!    

[Marie-Christine]

On 7/28/2021 at 12:44 PM, angleigh said:

Good for you not letting it stop you!  And finding the solution that still allows you to enjoy one of your passions.  I take WAY to many photos at almost ever session I do, and sometimes will spend as much time going through and deleting the ones I don't like/use versus finding the keepers.

Do you use a certain program when going through them?  I love Lightroom for that.  

I keep meaning to look at 'Lightroom, then something else gets in the way. I use Bridge to upload and sift through all the images and add metadata but I'm not very good at doing that all the time.  I'm not very good at deleting my photos that are not fit for use, i seem to find use for them later and I use filters,blending techniques to enhance to layout I'm working on, just depends what I'm trying to create. 

[Marie-Christine]

On 7/28/2021 at 2:34 PM, MariJ said:

@angleigh  THIS is the one that I have.  I actually bought another but returned it because the zoom was so bad.  I spent a lot of time researching and bought it in May 2019 and have barely used it.  And, somehow when I do, I'm not happy with the results and I've NEVER had that happen to me from the DSR>little point and shoots.

I normally prefer to read manuals I can hold in my hand (good luck with that!) the book I bought is on my iPad but like you, I maybe opened it twice.
I don't always do well with videos, but maybe I'll take your advice and look up some You Tube ones, thank you again for all the suggestions!    

I also prefer to read manuals but I had to change to way I read but sadly most manuals are now only available on line, which means that you need to print them yourself - not something i wnat to do. I have started using YouTube alot for tuts as long as the person explaining speak reasonably slowly  i can follow without pausing. I tend to just have the volume of the tutorial whilst i follow. I have just finsihed looking at a you tube video on how to get your floor ready for tiling nothing to do with scrapping  

[SodScrap]

I don't remember the last time I got out my big camera!  I use my iPhone for everything these days.  I got a new camera a couple of years ago (cannon something?) and I have just used it a few times.  And, I have one lense I use and have no idea what it is.  ??‍♀️ I would love to learn more about it all, but I just don't have the time right now...

I use PS.  I have Lightroom, but do not use it much.  

[Boatlady]

I started with a film Canon so when I went digital I went with Canon so I could use the lenses I had. I wore that out then got the one I have now. I have a Canon T5i with 6 lens but the one I keep on it most of the time is 18 to 200 for my everyday shots. It works for most things I need to photograph.  My newest lens is 150-600 that I use for wildlife photos but it is super heavy!!! I imagine when we start traveling in the next few months it will get used more.  I do use my phone allot for photos actually much more than I ever thought I would. It's easy to use it for spur of the moment photos.

I use PSE2021 for all my photo manipulation but I never used Lightroom that my granddaughter learned in school. She loved it for what she was doing for classes.

[angleigh]

2 hours ago, Boatlady said:

I started with a film Canon so when I went digital I went with Canon so I could use the lenses I had. I wore that out then got the one I have now. I have a Canon T5i with 6 lens but the one I keep on it most of the time is 18 to 200 for my everyday shots. It works for most things I need to photograph.  My newest lens is 150-600 that I use for wildlife photos but it is super heavy!!! I imagine when we start traveling in the next few months it will get used more.  I do use my phone allot for photos actually much more than I ever thought I would. It's easy to use it for spur of the moment photos.

I use PSE2021 for all my photo manipulation but I never used Lightroom that my granddaughter learned in school. She loved it for what she was doing for classes.

ooh 150-600 that has to be amazing!  If I did more sports full time I would 100% invest in one of those.

[KTB]

On 7/27/2021 at 8:53 PM, mimes1 said:

I actually was into photography long before I was into scrapbooking - the photos led to the scrapbooking. All my cameras and lenses are currently packed away. Soon after this cross country move is complete I hope to get it all out and revisit this passion.  The phone has been the go to for so long I think I've forgotten how to use my camera and will have to start all over. 

I got into Photography decades ago. I was 19. I love it! My 35mm camera still works last time I checked. I have bought a couple of underwater cameras. It was so strange swimming with them.

I did buy a couple of digital cameras which eventually went kaput. Right now I am using my iPhone SE 2 and it takes lovely photos. I can always clean the photos up later.

[KTB]

On 7/31/2021 at 5:02 AM, Marie-Christine said:

I also prefer to read manuals but I had to change to way I read but sadly most manuals are now only available on line, which means that you need to print them yourself - not something i wnat to do. I have started using YouTube alot for tuts as long as the person explaining speak reasonably slowly  i can follow without pausing. I tend to just have the volume of the tutorial whilst i follow. I have just finsihed looking at a you tube video on how to get your floor ready for tiling nothing to do with scrapping  

You have such a lovely name!

I REALLY miss reading manuals. I use to get to know the ins and outs of an assortment of software and everything under the sun. Having a manual online is so hard to use. I wish they'd give you the option to get an actual book.

I do love the Dummies series!

[KTB]

On 7/28/2021 at 7:04 AM, angleigh said:

I STRUGGLED the first couple of years I got my first dslr...I mean set it on auto and go.  I slowly started messing around with manual and got a little understanding about it and how changing something like iso or shutter speed will allow in more light etc.  But I was getting frustrated and thought I had just wasted alot of $ on something I would never get.

Then one day I was watching Jasmine Starr on Creative Live.  At this time she was a huge wedding photographer (now she's moved to teaching social media in the industry and being a mom) and I heard her say she shot all her wedding in aperture priority and never used manual.  She could lower her aperture down all the way to blur the background and raise it all the way to make it clean/clear for large group photos.  And I mean it was like a lightbulb went off.  And I realized I was trying to learn manual for nothing.  And found with watching more tutorials from photographers this is what alot do.  

So I shoot 99% of my session in aperture priority, and I can adjust my iso if I get in too dark of a location to help out.  On my sony I also have an exposure button and it's literally like the exposure slider in camera raw or lightroom that brightens/darkens the photo and I usually adjust that to get the right look before I take the photo.  But this one tip saved me so much headache when I started out.   And all sports I shoot in shutter priority, it's a must to freeze the action.

Now i'm glad I learned the little bit about manual when I first started out.  Every now and then there's a time that I just can't get the photo right and will have to use it.  And it's nice to know how it works.  But I might of used it 5 times last year in the 45 senior sessions that I did

Aperture priority makes so much sense, Angie! When I first started, once I set the ASA, I was using the settings with the most depth of field! LOL! It is super easy to blur the background now with the software.

Katie

[scrapgarden]

Started photography, as opposed to just taking pictures, in the early 60s. My first real camera was Ricoh 2.25 twin lens reflex. My DH also had one. We shot B&W, color, and slides. We set up a dark room in our garage and processed all our own film and mounted the slides in glass. When we got interested in caving I took my camera in a plastic bag into a cave called Silver Shadow. It was a small and very dusty cave. When we got out my camera shutter didn't want to work anymore. The guy at the photo repair said he had never seen such a dirty camera. At that point we changes to 35mm or half-frame cameras, which were much smaller and easier to package up to keep clean while caving. Over the years I had 4-5 Olympus 1/2 frame cameras. Have gone through an assortment of them. We have given all our old camera stuff to a museum in Hood River or sold the items to a local camera shop that caters to film users. Yes, apparently there is a thriving community of them out there. We went digital in the earlier 90's when it became almost impossible to get film or to find the processing chemicals. I have a Nikon D5100 with two lenses, a 18-55mm and a 55-300mm. I don't use it very much since I have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 with a Leica lens, 24mm to 720mm. It is small and has all the bells and whistles I need and is very easy to use and reset settings on the fly. I shoot in sports mode and always shoot with 3 aperture pics, before and after.This model has not been made for several years, but on Amazon we found a new one, which will be delivered next week. DH had been envious!

As to fixing old photos, I am taking a class by Jennifer Juris using Bridge Camera Raw with PSCC vs. 2022. PSE has a lite version, but it is not non-destructive. I have just started using Bridge to catalog my photos. Like all Adobe products the learning curve is steep. I have tinkered with LR over the years, but just never got the hang of it. A friend just told me I should be using Aperture, but haven't tried it yet. He said there was a trial to try it out.

Will have to check out this APA function.

[angleigh]

4 hours ago, scrapgarden said:

Started photography, as opposed to just taking pictures, in the early 60s. My first real camera was Ricoh 2.25 twin lens reflex. My DH also had one. We shot B&W, color, and slides. We set up a dark room in our garage and processed all our own film and mounted the slides in glass. When we got interested in caving I took my camera in a plastic bag into a cave called Silver Shadow. It was a small and very dusty cave. When we got out my camera shutter didn't want to work anymore. The guy at the photo repair said he had never seen such a dirty camera. At that point we changes to 35mm or half-frame cameras, which were much smaller and easier to package up to keep clean while caving. Over the years I had 4-5 Olympus 1/2 frame cameras. Have gone through an assortment of them. We have given all our old camera stuff to a museum in Hood River or sold the items to a local camera shop that caters to film users. Yes, apparently there is a thriving community of them out there. We went digital in the earlier 90's when it became almost impossible to get film or to find the processing chemicals. I have a Nikon D5100 with two lenses, a 18-55mm and a 55-300mm. I don't use it very much since I have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 with a Leica lens, 24mm to 720mm. It is small and has all the bells and whistles I need and is very easy to use and reset settings on the fly. I shoot in sports mode and always shoot with 3 aperture pics, before and after.This model has not been made for several years, but on Amazon we found a new one, which will be delivered next week. DH had been envious!

As to fixing old photos, I am taking a class by Jennifer Juris using Bridge Camera Raw with PSCC vs. 2022. PSE has a lite version, but it is not non-destructive. I have just started using Bridge to catalog my photos. Like all Adobe products the learning curve is steep. I have tinkered with LR over the years, but just never got the hang of it. A friend just told me I should be using Aperture, but haven't tried it yet. He said there was a trial to try it out.

Will have to check out this APA function.

Lynne...I'm with you I have tried Lightroom for the last few month.  Taking classes and such, and I just don't like it.  I don't feel like I get the control over an edit like I do PS.  The other day I saw a FB page about "ditching LR and using Camera Raw"  I was happy to see the presets I LOVED from LR all work in Camera Raw and the program just makes so much more sense to me.  And it's so easy to take the pics over to PS to finish my editing.  

[scrapgarden]

1 hour ago, angleigh said:

Lynne...I'm with you I have tried Lightroom for the last few month.  Taking classes and such, and I just don't like it.  I don't feel like I get the control over an edit like I do PS.  The other day I saw a FB page about "ditching LR and using Camera Raw"  I was happy to see the presets I LOVED from LR all work in Camera Raw and the program just makes so much more sense to me.  And it's so easy to take the pics over to PS to finish my editing.  

Wow, I did not know that about LR presets. I haven't gotten any new ones in years, but will definitely see if they will work. Will also see if presets from On One will work. Have you ever tried Topaz Lab?

[KTB]

Do you need a special program to shoot in RAW?

[angleigh]

12 hours ago, scrapgarden said:

Wow, I did not know that about LR presets. I haven't gotten any new ones in years, but will definitely see if they will work. Will also see if presets from On One will work. Have you ever tried Topaz Lab?

I have done a trail for all the topaz products.  I did purchase Sharpen and Gigapixel  Really don't ever use sharpen but it has saved a few photos that I couldn't save in PS.  Gigapixel is great when you have smaller camera phone photos you want to use.  

There's another program called Luminar AI that if you don't already have PS/LR it's an amazing option, it's also more powerful then Aperture.  You can do everything in it Sky Replacement, color adjustment etc.  It actually saved a whole session for me as dealing with teens you get alot of acne.  This girl was beautiful, but alot of scarring and the skin smoothing in it is amazing and very real looking.  

[angleigh]

8 hours ago, KTB said:

Do you need a special program to shoot in RAW?

Your camera has to have the ability to do it, depending on what you have some will have a setting in the menu that you can switch over

[mimes1]

Thanks for this thread. It's inspiring me to literally dust off my cameras and get to it.