Outdoor Photography Questions

[SkyRider]

A couple of questions on outdoor photography.

1) Shooting into the sun
Sometimes shooting into the sun is unavoidable. What is the best way to get a good pic? Does using the onboard flash help?

2) Optical zoom
Sometimes it is not possible to get closer to the subject. Does using the optical zoom distort the pic a bit?

 

[bolt.upright]

I'm not a professional photographer by a long shot, but here are my opinions.

Some of the best pictures I've ever taken have been using flash with a very bright background (like the sky or a window). It brightens up the foreground (or subject of the picture) and makes you think all the world's a sunny day, oh yeah.

I've never found the optical zoom distorts the picture very much. I use it if I have to, and not if I don't have to. Never use the digital zoom though--you can do the same thing, with much better effect, on your computer later, and have the option just to leave the picture as it is too. Same idea with taking a picture in black and white mode--you can remove the colour later, and you'll still have the colour version in case you prefer it on second thought.

 

[ZenSouljah]

Too answer your questions,

First, shooting in to the sun can be pretty tricky. What kind of camera are you using, point and shoot or DSLR? On camera flash can help add fill, however how effective it is will depend on how strong the sun is, angle, how far away or close you are to the subject.

Second, optical zoom. Optical zoom is superior to digital zoom as it is a true zoom and not a digital enhancement. Use optical zoom as much as you can.

 

[curiousandlooking]

Yes Flash will help. Avoid digital zoom. There is lots of info out there if you search for it... not in the review board. ;-)

 

[Damondean]

Use flash when shooting into the sun. You can get spectacular photos. Sun acts as a backlight. Books by Scott Kelby have lots of tips re outdoor flash, especially volume 2. Inexpensive and i think available as e-books. Lots of other into re outdoor flash online. Just google. Here is one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd7adTXuvpA

 

[KBear]

Agree with the posts above. The best way to shoot on sunny days is to use reflectors or powerful strobe lights to light up the subject. Any fill flash will be better than nothing. Problem with using an on camera flash is that is lacks power and the camera does not know how to adjust the flash power as the camera thinks it is bright enough without the flash, so often better to set the flash power manually.

Optical zoom can be good, but it becomes more difficult to get a sharp picture when you use more zoom as camera shake and other issues are exaggerated. But with more zoom you can back away from your subject and get less distortion and more blur in the foreground and background. The on camera flash becomes useless when you are any distance from the subject. It depends what you are doing.

 

[SkyRider]

The best way to shoot on sunny days is to use reflectors or powerful strobe lights to light up the subject. Any fill flash will be better than nothing. Problem with using an on camera flash is that is lacks power and the camera does not know how to adjust the flash power as the camera thinks it is bright enough without the flash, so often better to set the flash power manually.

I'm using a point and shoot. Reflectors and strobe lights are not a practical option for me either indoors or outdoors. Here is an example. The Jack Layton monument at the Ferry Docks is facing away from the sun in the afternoon which means I have to shoot into the sun to capture the fronts (not the backs) of my friends sitting on the bike for two. I managed to get some decent shots by shooting at an angle but that means I am not getting the full front of my friends.

As far as using the optical zoom, the zoo is a perfect example. You are allowed to get only so close and no closer to the animals, so to get a close up you have to use the optical zoom but I find the image quality of the zoomed pic not as good as a non-zoom shot. What am I doing wrong?

 

[IM469]

I'm using a point and shoot. Reflectors and strobe lights are not a practical option for me either indoors or outdoors. Here is an example. The Jack Layton monument at the Ferry Docks is facing away from the sun in the afternoon which means I have to shoot into the sun to capture the fronts (not the backs) of my friends sitting on the bike for two. I managed to get some decent shots by shooting at an angle but that means I am not getting the full front of my friends.

As far as using the optical zoom, the zoo is a perfect example. You are allowed to get only so close and no closer to the animals, so to get a close up you have to use the optical zoom but I find the image quality of the zoomed pic not as good as a non-zoom shot. What am I doing wrong?

If it is a point and shoot camera centre the subject and try to minimize the background. The camera metering systems are generally centre weighted. Many point and shoot cameras also will let you set 'Flash' always which may minimize the strong contrast between the background and heavily shadowed subject.

If you are noticing a difference between zoom and normal, I'm guessing that you are seeing the digital zoom. There were cameras that had combination of optical and digital zoom. These usually had the ability to turn off the digital portion.

Just me two cents from my amateur experience.

 

[buttercup]

If you're taking a close-up of a person lying on a bed, for example, it's good to use the optical zoom (not digital) zoom, and stand back as far as the room will allow.

Say her feet are towards you -- her feet will look enormous if the camera is close, but ok if you're a few metres back.

 

[glamphotographer]

I use ND filters, they are neutral density filters that block the amount of light coming through the lens and on to the sensor. They come in several stops. But to understand the use of ND filters and the right amount of stops to use you have to understand exposure. Sorry if this sound like advanced photography but ND filters have helped me many times on bright sunny days.

 

[KBear]

I'm using a point and shoot. Reflectors and strobe lights are not a practical option for me either indoors or outdoors. Here is an example. The Jack Layton monument at the Ferry Docks is facing away from the sun in the afternoon which means I have to shoot into the sun to capture the fronts (not the backs) of my friends sitting on the bike for two. I managed to get some decent shots by shooting at an angle but that means I am not getting the full front of my friends.

As far as using the optical zoom, the zoo is a perfect example. You are allowed to get only so close and no closer to the animals, so to get a close up you have to use the optical zoom but I find the image quality of the zoomed pic not as good as a non-zoom shot. What am I doing wrong?

Your on camera flash likely does not have the power to light up the subjects enough to balance the lighting out. Also when using a flash your shutter speed is restricted to 1/60 second or so, which makes balancing the lighting that much more difficult. Try to take the pictures on overcast days.

With optical zoom you could be shaking the camera a bit when taking the picture which would cause some blur in the image. It takes some practice to get a sharp picture. Can try to rest the camera on something and take a picture to see if the image quality is better. The people taking pictures of wildlife or sports from a distance use the big expensive lenses that cost $10K+ to get sharper pictures.

 

[glamphotographer]

If you don't have the advanced gear (DSLR, etc) to get the results of a pro and only have a point and shoot. Then you are basically restricted to not shooting in situations with harsh backlight, unless your going for something artsy like lens flare. Like Kbear said shoot on an overcast day which is the best light for outdoor photography anyways.

 

[SkyRider]

If you don't have the advanced gear (DSLR, etc).

I wonder if Black's will have a "going out of business" sale. Maybe I can pick up a DSLR for less than $400. Although they are not as big as they were formerly, they are still far from pocket size.

 

[Garrett]

I wonder if Black's will have a "going out of business" sale. Maybe I can pick up a DSLR for less than $400. Although they are not as big as they were formerly, they are still far from pocket size.

If you look at Henry's used list, you can get a good intro DSLR (no lens) for 100 bucks. You can get a Sony a5000 new for under 400 typically. It will be small like your P&S, offers interchangeable lenses, and is amazing in low light. You can move up to the a6000, which is a much better camera, but also near double the price. The Sony will take you a long long way compared to what you have now.