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I got a Canon Eos Rebel t2i over Christmas and haven't had a lot of time to figure things out.
Just wondering if someone could help out with some tips/advice on accomplishing the following:
1. Headshots - which mode to shoot in? iso? other settings etc?
2. Photos where the background is blurred?
3. I'm hoping this makes sense... I'm having some trouble with indoor shots (during the day) where a window is involved. If the window is in the shot, the light peaking in between the blinds/curtains is too intense. It comes out just as a big white blotch. How can one minimize that? Also I don't want to compromise the natural light indoor as well, if that makes sense. Is there a certain mode I should be shooting in?
I'm sure I will have more questions for you experts, but that's it for now. Thanks in advance!
I got a Canon Eos Rebel t2i over Christmas and haven't had a lot of time to figure things out.
Just wondering if someone could help out with some tips/advice on accomplishing the following:
1. Headshots - which mode to shoot in? iso? other settings etc?
There should be a portrait mode on the T2i. You can start off playing with that but once you gain experience, you'll learn how to control the settings yourself. I recommend picking up a book on the basics of photography - Bryan Peterson has some great ones like "Understanding Exposure" and "Understanding Photography" for the basics but also has some on more specific topics like close-up photography and flash: Amazon.com: Bryan Peterson: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle
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2. Photos where the background is blurred?
This is called a shallow depth of field, when your focal plane is very thin. A number of things can influence depth of field but the main one is your aperture or F-stop. If your aperture is wide open, it actually has a small number such as F/2.8. The smaller the number, the shallower your DOF will be. How wide your aperture can open depends on the lens... if you have the kit lens, you'll only be able to open up to F/3.5.
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3. I'm hoping this makes sense... I'm having some trouble with indoor shots (during the day) where a window is involved. If the window is in the shot, the light peaking in between the blinds/curtains is too intense. It comes out just as a big white blotch. How can one minimize that? Also I don't want to compromise the natural light indoor as well, if that makes sense. Is there a certain mode I should be shooting in?
That's called backlighting. As a beginner, it's best to avoid backlighting altogether. You can counter it by using flash but until you have good experience with flash, you should probably just avoid it. Don't try to run before you can walk. Window light is easy to work with though - just don't place the window behind the model. Place the model so the window is beside them or in front of them, so the window itself is not in the shot.
What I found helpful was a really good after market book and an after market DVD by Blue Crane.
But the most help has been the Canon fourm...I still spend hours a week there learning, they are great group of people and there are so many subforums and help where you need it.
The book "understanding exposure" recommended above is awesome. it's only $20 or so and you can probably learn more from that book then any other one.
going to question #3 ill use this pic i posted again in the pix thread since it uses all natural light
there is a row of windows with light pouring in along the wall. standing the model directly in it or shooting directly into the window is gonna be way too bright. i placed the model on one side of the window next to the wall, then stood along the wall on the other side of the window. i dont get any of the window itself thats lighting her in the shot, the lights not too harsh on her and you dont have a crazy amount of light hitting the lens.
What the others have said. Also, use a north-facing window for that light... or an east facing window if it's morning, west facing window if it's morning. You don't normally want direct sunlight on an indoor subject.
If you must have windows in your indoor pictures, try for gloomy, rainy days or do it at pre-dawn or just after sunset.
OK, for the window question, this is sort of what I meant about the light coming in through the windows. The settings used were: AV mode, ISO 800, F5.6 (though I was advised to use at least 10?), and +2 to enhance the brightness indoor. However I don't know how to minimize that bright white from the window (without having to take a picture at night?).
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/tokyoooo/Canon%20Eos%20Rebel/window.jpg (broken link)
Also, a similar issue with the brightness is that it makes the light from the lamps too intense as well. What would you suggest doing to minimize that (making the lamp shade actually visible) and still maintaining the brightness in the room?
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a2/tokyoooo/Canon%20Eos%20Rebel/lamp.jpg (broken link)
Thanks in advance and thanks for helping out a newbie!
The two solutions to that is either taking multiple exposures and combining them in post processing, such as with HDR - or using studio lighting to bring the indoor exposure closer to the outdoor exposure. Again, I think you're trying to run before you can walk - indoor architectural photography is fairly advanced stuff, if that's what you're trying to do.
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