Photo of a girl in a wesuit in the fog

Canon 5D camera, Canon 200mm f2.8 lens, ISO 100, shooting mode of Av, exposure compensation of +2/3, Shutter-speed of 1/4000 (selected by the camera), White balance set to cloudy, picture style of 'standard'.

I was the Oregon Coast recently and I shot this photo of girl walking on the beach. The hot sun was causing the water in the sand to evaporate and create fog that hung on the beach. It made for a pretty neat photo.

The 200mm focal length 'pulls-in' the background. I shot at f2.8 to get maximum background blur, but I think this shot would have worked using any aperture. I used the +2/3 exposure compensation because the camera wanted to make the image too dark.

Here's one more shot from the same day:

Canon 5D camera, Canon 200mm f2.8 lens, ISO 100, shooting mode of Av, exposure compensation of +2/3, Shutter-speed of 1/2500 (selected by the camera), White balance set to cloudy, picture style of 'standard'.

On this shot, I think that shooting the 200mm lens @ f2.8 gives the picture an sublime quality. The 'misty' image is 100% natural, this image never made a visit to Photoshop.

Breaking the rules: shooting into the Sun

There exists a number of common 'rules' we are supposed to follow to make photographs, one of these rules is shoot with the sun at your back. And while I normally follow this rule, you can also create great photos by breaking this rule. Here are some of my favorite photos shooting directly into the sun:

Camera: Canon 5D, Lens: Canon 24-85, ISO: 100, Focal length: 28mm, Shooting Mode: Av, Aperture: F8, Shutter-speed: 1/400, white balance: sunny, picture style: Landscape.

Camera: Canon 5D, Lens: Canon 24 f2.8, ISO: 100, Shooting Mode: Manual, Aperture: F10, Shutter-speed: 1/320, white balance: sunny, picture style: Faithful.

Camera: Canon 10D, Lens: Sigma 70-200 f2.8, ISO 100, Focal length: 200 mm, Shooting Mode: Tv, Aperture: F9.5, Shutter-speed: 1/500, white balance: auto.

The 'trick' I use when shooting into the sun is to 'meter' off the blue sky (point the camera at the blue sky and then press the '*' button--this 'locks' the exposure), and then recompose. The camera then meters for the 'blue sky' so when you shoot into the sun you still get 'blue sky'. Alternatively, you could meter off the blue sky - see what parameters the camera choose, switch the manual and then use those same parameters. You'll have the experiment a little to get the results you want.

An emotionally compelling photograph (for me)

One of my favorite subjects to photographs is 'my friends at play'.

Here a shot I took yesterday of my friend Maureen windsurfing in the Columbia River Gorge.


Shot settings:

• Canon 5D camera
• Canon 400 f5.6 L Lens: So the windsurfer was big enough in the frame & to pull in the background.
• ISO 200: To ensure a fast enough shutter-speed to freeze the action.
• Shooting Mode of 'aperture priority': I wanted to specify the widest aperture the lens supported and let the camera select the correct shutter-speed.
  
• Aperture f5.6: The widest aperture this lens supports--to give me a 'blurry background'. This lens (400 f5.6) is sharp 'wide-open', many lenses are not sharp 'wide-open.'
  
• Exposure compensation (EC) set to 0: The camera metered it 'just right'
• shutter-speed 1/1250th of a second: Selected by the camera. I did set ISO to 200, to ensure I got a fast shutter-speed (ISO 100 would have given me a shutter-speed of 1/600th of a second--at 1/600 I might have gotten some 'motion blur' or blur from 'camera movement'.)
  
• Picture style of 'standard': This gives me a nice 'punchy' image without a whole lot of post-processing.
  
• White balance set to 5900 degrees Kelvin when the RAW file was processed to JPEG: The 'sunny' white balance I used when shooting looked a little 'cold' to me back at my computer, so I set white balance via 'color temperature' when I processed the file (white balance 'color temp' is a 'slider' in Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP.)) Being able to 'tweak' white-balance in post-processing is a nice benefit to shooting in RAW.
• Focus mode set to AI Servo: So I could 'track' my subject and release the shutter when I wanted to take a photo.
  
• Tripod with ball-head: To keep the camera stable when shooting. The ball-head allows me to freely move the camera, while still having the camera stabilized by the tripod.
• Location the photo was taken: Arlington, Oregon, USA (Columbia River Gorge)
  

I really love this shot. The elements that make this photo good, in my opinion, are:

• The beautiful scene
• The very nice colors. The contrast between the green water and the tan hills.
  
• The subject in focus, with the slightly blurry background (making the sailor 'pop' a little.)
  
• The hills in the background 'filling the frame'
  
• An uncluttered background (remember to 'watch the background' -- it matters.)
• The subject is in the bottom third of the photo (following the 'rule of thirds')
• No other windsurfers in the frame to clutter the photo

For me, this is also 'emotionally compelling' photo. It reminds me of a spectacular day of windsurfing at a beautiful location with good friends. I can look at this photo and I am reminded of great day of sailing.

The use of the long 400mm focal length lens was key to:

• Make the subject (the sailor) large enough in the frame (so she isn't a 'speck')
• Pull in the hills in the background (with a 100mm focal length you would get lots of sky.)

Here's another photo from the day. I like the first photo better, but this one has a little more 'action' - so others may prefer this one:

(similar 'shot settings' to the previous photo.)

Review of Canon Rebel XSi (XSi vs. XTi vs. 40D)

Phil Askey over at DPReview has recently posted his review of the new Canon Digital Rebel XSi. This is a very comprehensive review and includes a detailed comparison between the Rebel XTi and the Rebel XSi.

You can read the entire review here. If you want to skip to Phil's conclusions, go here.

As of 5/31/08, here are the current prices on the Rebel XTi, XSi & 40D on Amazon:

• Canon Rebel XTi body only $599
• Canon Rebel XTi with 18-55 kit lens $689
• Canon Rebel XSi body only $799
• Canon Rebel XSi with 18-55 image stabilized kit lens $849
• Canon 40D body only $954 (price includes Canon $200 instant rebate)
• Canon 40D with 28-135 image stabilized lens $1129 (price includes Canon $200 instant rebate)

In all cases, I'd also recommend getting the body with the kit-lens. For a more detailed post regarding lenses for your first Canon DSLR, go here.

Reasons to buy the XSi over the XTi?

• You're buying 1 year newer technology
• Bigger Screen
• Much better high ISO performance (ISO 800/1600) (100% usable). This enables indoor flash-free photography (best done with a prime lens: Example 50mm f1.8 $80)
• 12 MP vs. 10 MP
• Faster overall operation

So, the Rebel XSi offers some very nice improvements over the Rebel XTi, but it's also $160 more. Your decision.

If you're really thinking of the XSi, you should also give serious consideration to the 40D. With the current Canon $200 instant rebate on the 40D, it's now only $140 more than the Rebel XSi. (when comparing body-only prices.) The 40D has a very similar feature-set to the Rebel XSi, but gives you:

• A much beefier build-quality: Magnesium alloy body (vs. Rebel XSi plastic body)
• Much beefier and more comfortable grip
• Can shoot at 6.5 frames per second (vs. 3.5 frames per second on the XSi). This is great for shooting sports.

So, the 40D has a number of nice advantages over the XSI, but it's about $140 more (camera coby only). Your decision.

You can see current prices and purchase the Rebel XTi/Rebel XSi/40D on this page on Amazon. Please support this blog by clicking through these links when purchasing your Canon DSLR. You pay the same price as normal, but I get a tiny commission from Amazon.

Point-and-shoot vs. DSLR

This is one the questions I get asked all the time -- why don't I just buy one of these 7+ megapixel digital point and shoots? Well, this is an option, and the digital point and shoots do have the following benefits:

• small
• easy to carry
• some models have very good image quality at ISO 100 (example: Canon PowerShot G9)
• some models do have good creative controls (example: Canon PowerShot G9)

The negatives to the digital point and shoots are:

• really slow auto-focus (since the digital point and shoot uses the same sensor for both auto-focus and image-capture, auto-focus is really slow.) This is big cause of missed shots--it drives me crazy.
  
• most have mediocre to poor image quality above ISO 100. On my point-and-shoot, anything about ISO 100 is all mushy and noisy.
  
• no (or limited) ability to use different lenses.

The big advantages of the DSLR over the digital point and shoot are:

• Lighting-fast auto-focus (the DSLR has 1 sensor for image capture and a separate dedicated auto-focus sensor)
  
• Most new DSLR models have excellent image quality up to ISO 800 (in some cases even ISO 1600.) This enables me to 1) get more shots using natural light vs. having to resort to using the flash 2) do a better job of shooting indoor sports.
  
• Ability to use different lenses for different situations (wide angle, telephoto, macro, fish-eye, prime lenses, etc.)
• Superior image quality due to the much larger sensor (Rebel XTi sensor size = 328 sq mm vs. PowerShot G9 sensor size of 38 sqmm). Read those numbers again. The quality difference between point-and-shoot vs. DSLR at ISO 400 to 1600 is HUGE. There are tons of photos I take where ISO 400-1600 is required to get the shot.
  

If you will always be photographing static subjects at ISO 100, don't need to print at sizes bigger than 14 x 11, and the integrated zoom lens that comes with the point-and-shoot meets all your needs, a high quality digital point and shoot like the Canon PowerShot G9 is an option. But, if you want to shoot moving subjects and value the flexibility of being able to shoot at higher ISO's and still get excellent image quality, you'll want a DSLR. The digital SLR also allows you to fundamentally change your camera by allow you to change lenses. In addition, the Canon Rebel XTi with a kit lens (about $675) is very similar in price to the Canon PowerShot G9 ($479.)

The DSLR has a 'full auto' mode, so you can still use your DSLR like a 'point-and-shoot' if you want.

For me, it's not an 'either/or'. I have both. But I try and use my 5D whenever I can because it gives me far superior photos to my little point-and-shoot. Then again, if I'm going on a bike ride I take the 'point-and-shoot' because 1) it's smaller and lighter 2) I wouldn't be heart-broken if I broke the $200 point and shoot.

Compare prices on the Canon XTi, XSi & 40D at Amazon here. Support this site by clicking through these links when you buy your Canon DSLR.

Amazing Canon Instant Rebates!

Canon is offering the following instant rebates from 5/18/08 to 7/19/08:

The best rebates are (great gear & excellent values) are:

• Canon 5D Camera $300 [effective price $1900 @ Amazon]
  
• Canon 40D Camera $200 [effective price $940@ Amazon]
  
• Canon EF 70-200 f4 L Lens $40 [effective price $560@ Amazon]
• Canon EF 17-40 f4 L Lens $40 [effective price $650@ Amazon]
• Canon EF 100 f2.8 Macro $35 [effective price $455@ Amazon]
• Canon 430EX flash $15 [effective price $245@ Amazon]
• Canon EF-s 60 Macro $30 [effective price $370 @ Amazon]

Other Canon instant rebates (rebates on some higher-end, more expensive Canon glass):

• Canon EF 50 f1.2 L Lens $50 [effective price $1300 @ Amazon] ($950 more than the 50 f1.4)
  
• Canon EF 70-200 f4 IS L Lens $75 [effective price $1025] ($500 more than the 70-200 f4 above)
  
• Canon EF 70-200 f2.8 IS L Lens $125 [effective price $1574 @ Amazon] ($1000 more than the 70-200 f4 above)
  
• Canon EF 85 f1.2 L Lens $125 [effective price $1745 @ Amazon] ($1350 more than the 85 f1.8)
  
• Canon EF 16-35 f2.8 L Lens $100 [effective price $1350 @ Amazon] (about $600 more than the 17-40 above)Canon 100-400 f4.5-f5.6 IS L [effective price $1360 @ Amazon]
  
• Canon EF 35 f1.4 L Lens $100 [effective price $1080 @ Amazon]
• Canon SpeedLite 580EX II $30 [effective price $390 @ Amazon]

Here's a link to the rebate flyer on the Canon website. This is an 'instant-rebate', so there is no 'claim form' or paperwork to fill-out. You get the rebate at the time of purchase. The prices listed on the Amazon website INCLUDE the rebate. This is very convenient and saves you all the time/trouble of submitting a 'claim form' -- thanks Canon!

Here's a link to all these items on Amazon.com with pricing. I checked-out pricing on these items on Amazon and Amazon is selling these items at the same or less than B&H, Dell, etc. Support this site buy clicking through the links on this page when you buy. Thanks!


Some additional notes:

Canon 5D @ $1900 is amazing. This camera originally came to market for $3300. Full-frame for $1900 - wow!

Canon 40D @ $940 is also an amazing deal.

Photos of Bill Clinton on 5/17/08

Bill Clinton came to Hood River, Oregon today to 'stump' for Hillary. Here a couple photos:

Canon 5D Camera, Canon 200 f2.8 lens, ISO 200, Shooting mode of Aperture Priority (Av), Exposure compensation of -1, Aperture of f2.8. Shutter speed of 1/200 (selected by the camera), white balance set to 'shade', picture style of 'faithful' (saturation +1, contrast +1), hand-held.

He was impressive. Very knowledgeable and very eloquent. I was told afterwards that this was his fifth 'pitch' of the day--it felt like his first.

Photographs from Zion National Park

Below are the some of the best photographs from Zion National Park. We spent 2 days in Zion during our southwest US road trip:

Canon 5D camera, Canon 24-85 lens, shooting mode Aperture Priority (Av), ISO 400, Exposure compensation (EC) -2/3, Aperture f6.3, focal length of 46mm, shutter-speed 1/3200 of a second, white balance of 'shade', picture style 'landscape', hand-held. [note: this really should have been shot ISO 100, Av, F11. I had been shooting the kids in the shade and these were the correct setting for that.]

Canon 5D camera, Canon 17-40 lens, shooting mode Aperture Priority (Av), ISO 200, focal length 17mm, Exposure compensation (EC) -1/3, Aperture f13, shutter-speed 1/320 of a second, white balance of 'cloudy', picture style 'landscape', hand-held.

Canon 5D camera, Canon 200mm f2.8 lens, shooting mode 'Program' (P), ISO 200, Exposure compensation (EC) -1, Aperture f5.6, shutter-speed 1/800 of a second, white balance of 'cloudy', picture style 'standard', hand-held.

Canon 5D camera, Canon 24-85 lens, shooting mode Aperture Priority (Av), ISO 400, Exposure compensation (EC) -2/3, Aperture f5.6, focal length of 24mm, shutter-speed 1/80 of a second, white balance of 'shade', picture style 'standard', hand-held.

This is another location where I could have spent a week photographing the entire park. You can't really do the park justice in 2 days. Since we were traveling with the kids, the trip focus wasn't photography.

I tried to get some unique landscape shots (like the ones above), that aren't the 'cliche' Zion landscape shots. When I found myself framing the same landscape shot I found in local galleries or my hotel room, I just stopped. To duplicate the same shot that has been taken 1000 times by other photographs wasn't interesting to me.

Sidebar: Although my Canon 24-85 lens covers a useful range for hiking with the kids it's just 'mushy' at it's wider apertures. If I shoot it at f8 - f13 it does produce good results. I may have to 'pony-up' for the 24-105 L at some point.

Photos of kids mountain biking in Moab

As part of my recent southwest US trip with the family, we spent 5 days mountain biking in Moab, UT. This was my favorite part of the road trip. We would do a 2-3 hour adult ride in the morning and then take the kids to play on the Slickrock trail in the early evening. The Slickrock trial is about 20 square miles of petrified sand dunes. Here are a couple of the best shots from these evening rides with the kids:

Canon 5D camera, Canon 200mm F2.8 lens, shooting mode of Aperture Priority (Av), ISO 200, Exposure compensation (EC) -1/3, Aperture of F4, shutter-speed of 1/5000 (selected by the camera), picture-style of 'standard', white-balance of 'cloudy', hand-held.

Canon 5D camera, Canon 200mm F2.8 lens, shooting mode of program (P) [this was an accident, the control dial moved from Av to P when I pulled the camera from my bag], ISO 200, Exposure compensation (EC) -0, Aperture of F10 (selected by the camera), shutter-speed of 1/320 (selected by the camera), picture-style of 'standard', white-balance of 'cloudy', hand-held.

Canon 5D camera, Canon 200mm F2.8 lens, shooting mode of Aperture Priority (Av), ISO 200, Exposure compensation (EC) -0, Aperture of F3.5, shutter-speed of 1/3200 (selected by the camera), picture-style of 'standard', white-balance of 'cloudy', hand-held.

Canon 5D camera, Canon 200mm F2.8 lens, shooting mode of Aperture Priority (Av), ISO 200, Exposure compensation (EC) -1/3, Aperture of F3.5, shutter-speed of 1/3200 (selected by the camera), picture-style of 'standard', white-balance of 'cloudy', hand-held.

The mountains in the background are the La Sal's. I did purposely bring the kids on this ride right before sunset because I knew this would have the best light. I also positioned myself so I would get the La Sal mountains in as many background.

I borrowed a friends Canon 70-300 f3.5-f5.6 IS lens specifically for shooting mountain biking on this trip. I used this lens for 1 day and then put it away. It produced 'decent' images, but was not in the same league as my Canon 200 f.28 prime. The 200 prime (not zoom) worked great and if my subject got 'to close', I would switch to shooting in portrait mode, if he still got closer I would go for a 'head and shoulders' shot. As always, I'm thrilled with the results from the 200 prime. Compared with the 70-300 zoom, the 200 prime delivered shallower depth of field, better colors, better contrast and better sharpness. The 70-300 still produced some pretty good results, but the photos from the 200 prime we superior.

I shot at f3.5 and f4.0 instead of f2.8 because I wanted a little more depth of field to keep the moving subject in the plane of focus. I was worried that at f2.8 I might get too many photos where the subject outside the plane of focus.

The 'ingredients' that made these photos work:

• attractive subjects
  
• great scene (the La Sal's & slickrock)
• great pre-sunset light
• subject isolation and blurry background (from 200mm lens @ f3.5-f4.0 apertures)
• white balance set to 'cloudy' 'warms-up' the images
• picture style of 'standard' makes the photos 'pop' (this picture style increases contrast and saturation)
• Using a telephoto lens to 'pull-in' the background (the La Sal's)

I carried my 5D + 200 f2.8 in my DaKine Drafter backpack. This is a mountain biking specific backpack for carrying a water bladder, tools & windbreaker. The 5D + 200 fit fine in the backpack, even with a 3/4 full water-bladder. My big LowePro camera backpack was too big and heavy for carrying on long mountain bike rides. Yes, I was a little nervous about damaging the camera from a crash and yes, it was a lot of weight to lug around -- but I'd rather take a little risk and carry some extra weight to get spectacular photos, than concede to the 'point and shoot' digital camera and just get 'snapshots'. I do concede to using the digital point-and-shoot for skiing/snowboarding because I find the risk from water damage to my 5D unacceptable.

I'll do a separate post with some photos from the adult rides.

Why I shoot in RAW

There is the constant debate of shooting in JPEG format vs. shooting in RAW format. I wanted to share my personal preference on this topic with the group.

I should probably start with "What is the difference between RAW and JPEG?"

With JPEG, the camera is producing a 'finished' photograph based on all the parameters set on the camera at the time the shutter release was pressed. With RAW, you are doing the following:

• Saving the raw data collected by the cameras imaging sensor
• Saving the parameters that were used at the time of capture, including Picture Style, white-balance, saturation, contrast, Exposure compensation, etc.
• You can then 'tweak' all these parameters on a computer before you produce a 'finished' JPEG or TIFF file.
  

I shoot in RAW because:

• I can change Picture Style, white balance, exposure compensation, contrast, sharpness and noise reduction all after the photo has been taken. These are very easily changed when processing the RAW file. When shooting JPEG I find it more difficult to 'mimic' various white-balance and picture-styles using Photoshop (or something similar.) Although you can't change shutter-speed or aperture in the RAW converter, you can 'tweak' most of the significant parameters related to the photo in your RAW converter. Very handy in my opinion.
• Sometimes, using a new technique or new RAW tools I can do a substantially better job processing a RAW file now, then at the date I capture the image (perhaps years ago). I find my post-processing skills improve significantly over the years (I cringe when I look at some of my early post-processing -- why did I feel the need to over-sharpen and over-saturate everything?). In addition, RAW processing tools improve over the years. I suspect that in the future I will be able to do a superior job processing the RAW files I capture today.
  

There are additional reasons other folks choose to shoot in RAW, but these are the reasons I shoot in RAW.

There are a bunch of different RAW conversion tools, including: Adobe Photoshop, ACR, BreezeBrowser, Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP), Adobe Light Room, Apple Aperture, Capture One, etc.

I use Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP) because:

• You can change picture style during RAW conversion (not all RAW tools allow this. 'Picture Style' is a very Canon specific parameter.)
• It does a good job
• It's free with most (if not all) Canon DSLR's

I concede that I have not tried all the different RAW converters. I found one I like (which is free) and I have stuck with it.

Most RAW converters also allow you to crop the image.

Once I process an image from RAW to JPEG, I don't typically do any additional modifications in Photoshop (a 'fine art' photograph being the exception.)

Converting files from RAW to JPEG one at a time is a slow process. I typically 'tweak' a bunch of photos from a 'shoot' in DPP and then 'batch covert' them from RAW to JPEG. In most RAW converters, you can also easily apply the same 'settings' to many photographs easily (example: exposure compensation of -1/3, Picture Style = 'standard', white balance = 'shade'.) The batch conversion of RAW to JPEG takes about 15 seconds per photo (depending on the speed of your computer.) While DPP is batch processing files, I can browse the web, grab a snack, etc.

While there are benefits to shooting RAW, there are also some negatives to shooting RAW, including:

• larger file size than JPEG (approx. 10 MB vs. approx. 3 MB)
• requires larger memory cards
• requires larger hard drive
• requires larger backup medium
• RAW photos must be 'processed'. Depending on your work-flow, this may increase your post-processing time per photo.
  

Here are the different file formats that modern Canon DSLR support:

• RAW
• JPEG
• RAW + JPEG (the camera saves the file in both RAW and JPEG)
  

I've shared why I shoot in RAW, but others may find that shooting in JPEG or RAW+JPEG works better for them. I concede there are many different ways to manage a digital photo work-flow, mine is one of many acceptable work-flows (with it's own pros & cons.)

If you have any questions, please post them.

Useful Canon DSLR photography tips

I find some of my posts are 'more useful' than others. Below are the posts I feel have been the most useful so far (listed in order of value):

4 things to take your photography to the next level
Getting that 'blurry-background'
Conveying motion
The landscape photo with everything sharp
My fix for garish-color, high-ISO indoor shots
Creating cool light trails
Good portrait & good sunset
It's all about the light
Making great photos in a bar
Warm-up your photos with correct white balance
Rock star
$3 for 18"x12" archival photographic prints
Drop-deal gorgeous photo books
First Canon DSLR: What lenses to by?

If you find this blog valuable:

1) Please
Subscribe in a reader

2) Send an email to your friends with Canon DSLRs sharing this blog with them... I've even written the email for you:

Hello!

I found this great little blog about 'making great photos with your Canon DSLR'. The blog is written for the beginner/intermediate photographer looking to control the camera to create the images you want. It's a useful little blog. You can check it out here:

www.dslrcanon.blogspot.com

Photos from Slot Canyons

The following photos are from a couple slot canyons in Grand Staircase National Monument. These 2 canyons are called 'peek-a-book' and 'spooky'. You have to drive about 30 miles down a dirt road to get to the trailhead and then hike in about a mile. It was a great photo opportunity and one of the kids favorite activities from our 2 week southwest US road-trip.

Canon 5D Camera, Canon 17-40 f4 lens, focal length 17mm, ISO 800, Shooting mode 'program' (P), Exposure compensation of +1/3, f5 aperture, 1/50 of a second shutter speed, white balance set to 'shade', picture style set to 'standard', hand-held.

Canon 5D camera, Canon 200 f2.8 lens, Shooting mode of aperture priority (Av), ISO 800, f2.8 aperture (to gather as much light as possible & isolate the subject), shutter-speed of 1/160 of a second (selected by the camera), Exposure compensation -1 (to have the picture reflect the dark early evening lighting], picture style set to 'standard'.

Canon 5D camera, Canon 17-40 f4 lens, focal length 17mm, ISO 800, shooting mode of 'program', exposure compensation (EC) -1/2, aperture f4, shutter-speed 1/15 of a second, picture style set to 'standard', white balance set to 'shade', hand-held.

Canon 5D camera, Canon 17-40 f4 lens, ISO 400, shooting mode of 'program', exposure compensation (EC) -1, aperture f4, shutter-speed 1/25 of a second, picture style set to 'standard', white balance set to 'shade', hand-held.

Canon 5D camera, Canon 17-40 f4 lens, focal length 17mm, ISO 800, shooting mode of 'program', exposure compensation (EC) -1, aperture f18, shutter-speed 1/800 of a second, picture style set to 'standard', white balance set to 'cloudy', hand-held.

Canon 5D camera, Canon 17-40 f4 lens, focal length 17mm, ISO 250, shooting mode of 'program', exposure compensation (EC) -1, aperture f8, shutter-speed 1/1250 of a second, picture style set to 'standard', white balance set to 'cloudy', hand-held.

The kids were running and scrambling very fast through the slot canyons and I was running as fast as I could to keep up.

Here are some of the techniques I used to make these photos work:

Because the slot canyons were so narrow and I would also be needing to use my hands to climb in sections, so I just brought the camera with my 17-40 wide-angle lens mounted. No tripod, no camera bag (as it was, I had to take make Camelback off in sections to squeeze through a couple very narrow sections.)

If the kids hat not been with me, I would have brought the tripod. The tripod would have allowed me to shoot at ISO 100 and f13 apertures, delivering better quality enlargements and kept 'everything sharp.' But, this was more of a 'family hike' than a photo shoot.

I used an ultra-wide angle lens so I could capture as much of the slot canyon as possible (Canon 17-40 f4 lens.) If I had been shooting a crop-body, I would have used the Canon 10-22 lens.

Since the slots canyon were so dark, and I was shooting without a tripod, I set ISO to 800 so I would get fast enough shutter-speeds. I dialed ISO down to 400 if I came to a sunny section. I was switching between ISO 800/400 a lot.

I shot in 'program' mode so the camera would choose the best combination of both aperture & shutter-speed (I wanted both the aperture & shutter-speed to 'ramp-up' when more light was available.)

I used exposure compensation to get the exposure correct. In most cases the meter was getting the exposure 'wrong', so I was using +/- exposure compensation to get exposure right.

I also shot in RAW, so I could have additional exposure compensation latitude in post-processing.

Compared to some of the other parks we visited, Grand Staircase was more remote and undeveloped, which I liked. We stayed at the Slot Canyons Inn (Bed and Breakfast), which was very nice.

Light Graffitti with the kids

If you haven't used your Canon DSLR for 'light grafitti', this can be a lot of fun.

Here are some examples. I explain 'how' at the end of this post.

Canon 5D camera, Canon 50mm f1.4 lens, shooting mode of 'manual', ISO 200, shutter-speed of 15 seconds, aperture of f4, external flash 'on', white balance set to 'flash', picture-style set to 'standard', tripod.

Canon 5D camera, Canon 50mm f1.4 lens, shooting mode of 'manual', ISO 200, shutter-speed of 15 seconds, aperture of f4, external flash, white balance set to 'flash', picture-style set to 'standard', tripod.

Canon 5D camera, Canon 50mm f1.4 lens, shooting mode of 'manual', ISO 200, shutter-speed of 15 seconds, aperture of f4, external flash, white balance set to 'flash', picture-style set to 'standard', tripod. A dark background is desirable.

You're basically leaving the shutter open for a long time while you use a light source to 'paint' the graffitti. The flash illuminates the subject. A tripod keeps the camera steady while you're doing the light graffitti. I used 'manual' mode so I could select both the shutter-speed and aperture. I tried a couple combinations (of shutter-speed and aperture) until I got it 'just right'.

I used the screen of my blackberry smart phone to 'paint' the grafitti. A colored light source might work even better.

Photos from Death Valley

I took the family on a 2 week southwest US road-trip, visiting many of the national parks. We explored Smith Rock (Oregon), Crater Lake (Oregon), Travertine Hot Springs (CA), Death Valley, Zion National Park, Bryce National Park, Grand Staircase National Monument and Moab. It was a great adventure.

Here are some of the best photos from Death Valley:

Canon 5D camera, Canon 17-40 f4 lens, 17mm focal length, ISO 200, shooting mode of shutter-priority (Tv), exposure compensation of -1, shutter speed of 1/100 of a second, aperture f7.1, picture style set to 'landscape', white balance set to 'shade', handheld.

Canon 5D camera, Canon 70-300 f4-5.6 IS lens, focal length 300m, ISO 400, shooting mode of aperture priority (Av), exposure compensation of -1, shutter-speed of 1/500 of a second, picture style set to 'landscape', white balance set to 'shade', handheld.

Canon 5D Camera, Canon 200 f2.8 lens, ISO 800, Exposure compensation of +1/3, shooting mode of aperture priority (Av), Aperture of 3.2, shutter-speed of 1/800 of a second, white balance set to 'shade', picture style set to 'landscape', handheld.

Canon 5D camera, Canon 200 f2.8 lens, ISO 400, shooting mode of aperture-priority (Av), aperture f3.5, exposure compensation of -2/3, shutter speed of 1/8000 of a second, picture style set to landscape, white balance set to cloudy, handheld.

Canon 5D Camera, Canon 17-40 f4 lens, focal length of 17mm, ISO 100, shooting mode of aperture priority (Av), aperture of f10, shutter-speed of 1/200, picture style set to 'landscape', white balance set to 'shade' (warms-up the photo), handheld.

Canon 5D Camera, Canon 17-40 f4 lens, focal length of 27mm, ISO 100, shooting mode of aperture priority (Av), aperture of f11, shutter-speed of 1/250, picture style set to 'landscape', white balance set to 'cloudy', hand-held.

Canon 5D camera, Canon 200 f2.8 lens, ISO 400, exposure compensation of -2/3, shooting mode of shutter priority, shutter-speed of 1/2000 of a second, aperture f4.5, picture style set to 'landscape', white balance set to 'shade', hand-held [note: this Coyote crossed the street right in front of me while I was driving at around 6 AM. I yanked my camera out of my bag and started shooting without adjusting any settings - thus, the odd choice of Tv & 1/2000.]

Canon 5D, Canon 100 f2.8 Macro lens, ISO 100, shooting mode of Aperture Priority (Av), f11 aperture, 1/4 of a second shutter speed, white balance of 'cloudy', picture style of 'standard', tripod, remote release, mirror lockup.

Canon 5D, Canon 70-300 f4-5.6 IS lens, ISO 100, shooting mode of Aperture Priority (Av), exposure compensation of -2/3, f13 aperture, 1/40 of a second shutter speed, white balance of 'shade', picture style set to 'landscape', tripod, remote release, mirror lockup.

Canon 5D, Canon 70-300 f4-5.6 IS lens, focal length of 300mm, ISO 100, shooting mode of Aperture Priority (Av), f11 aperture, 1/20 of a second shutter speed, white balance of 'shade', picture style set to 'landscape', tripod, remote release, mirror lockup.

We spent 2 days in Death valley. The photographer in me would have loved to stayed for 2 weeks. Death Valley is an incredible photographic opportunity, but it is also a huge park with many of the photo opportunities found in the far corners of the park.

I'm back from 2 week southwest road trip...

Hello!

I'm back. I've been on a 2 week road trip with the family touring the southwest and I just got home today. We visited Smith Rock (Oregon), Crater Lake (Oregon), Travertine Hot Springs (CA), Death Valley, Zion National Park, Bryce National Park, Grand Staircase National Monument and Moab.

The trip was a blast and I got some great photos. Once I've had a chance to cull through the 2300+ shots, I'll post some of the winners. I'll also share what photography gear strategies worked, and which didn't work.

Clint

Choosing your first Canon DSLR

If you do not yet have a Canon DSLR body and you want one, you have to make a decision between the various models available. This article is designed to help.

A couple qualifiers regarding this article:

• The purpose of this post is NOT to perform a comprehensive technical assessment of these Cameras


• The purpose is also not to do a detailed technical comparison.


• The purpose is not to review these cameras.

The purpose is to let you know which Canon DSLR's are 'contenders' for your purchase with the core differences between each model, and my 2 cents.

In the Canon family, here are the current DSLR options (as of 3/28/08):

• Digital Rebel XTi + 18-55 Kit Lens $590 $US


• Digital Rebel XSi+ 18-55 IS Kit Lens $900 $US


• 40D + 18-55 Lens $1250 $US


• 5D + 24-85 Lens $2500 $US

I've included a 'kit-type' lens (of similar quality) with each body so each package is 'similar'.

The XTi, XSi and 40D all excellent 'first DSLRs'. The 5D is also an excellent first DSRL, it's just a little spendy for your first DSLR.

Here are a some generalities about the different family of Canon DSLR bodies:

Canon Digital Rebel Series:

• Canon's least expensive family of Digital SLRs


• Very small form factor. Because this camera is so small, you may be more likely to bring it with you. The small grip may not feel comfortable for folks with larger hands.


• Lots of plastic in the build quality. This keeps the camera light and inexpensive, but the 40D/5D have a significantly better build-quality. If you have any doubt go to a camera store and pick them both up, you'll understand.


• The 8-10 MP APS-c CMOS sensors on these cameras are excellent. Put some good glass in front of these camera bodies and they are capable of producing awesome quality.


• Delivers exceptional functionality for the $.

Canon 40D

• Very durable Magnisium body. Very solid build-quality.


• Beefy-grip that fits comfortably in your hand.


• Adds a convenient 2nd LCD display on the top of the camera.


• Should last longer than the Rebel's


• There are some added 'bells&whistles' that the Rebel doesn't have.

Canon 5D

• Very similar build-quality to 30D/40D (perhaps even a little better)


• Slightly larger body than 30D/40D.


• Large viewfinder


• Huge full frame sensor for image capture (856 sqmm sensor vs. APS-c 338 sqmm sensor)


• The difference in image-quality from the large sensor vs APS-c is really only noticeable in very large prints.


• Support for very shallow depth of field (because with the larger sensor you need to get closer to your subject to achieve the same framing.)


• Superior high ISO performance to Rebel, 40D. ISO 1600 is 100% usable.


• No built-in-flash.

My thoughts:

• If you're looking for the least expensive family of Canon DSLR, the Digital Rebel is your ticket.


• If you're trying to decide between a point-and-shoot and a Rebel XTi, I would choose the Rebel XTi over any point-and-shoot.


• In the Canon family, the 40D is the Cadillac of APS-c format cameras. Awesome auto-focus system, 6.5 fps, all the latest 'bells & whistles.'


• The 5D is very much a specialty camera. For those who want full-frame, this is your camera. The 5D with it's larger sensor can offer slightly shallower depth of field than the APS-c sensor DSLRs. In my opinion this is a 'lot of camera' for a first time DSLR user. But, if you can afford it, it's an extraordinary machine.


• The XSi offers incremental improvements over the XTi: more MP, larger LCD, 'Live view', etc..


• All these camera's do support full 'auto' modes, so you can use any of them as a 'point and shoot' if you wish.

Image quality depends on both camera's sensor and the quality of lens. Don't under-estimate the importance of good glass to produce great images. The lenses do matter. This doesn't mean you need to spend a fortune of 'L-class' zoom lenses. Canon offers some amazing values, particularly in their family of simple prime lenses (they don't zoom). Example: The 50m f1.8 lens is $85.

DSLR bodies drop in value very quickly. Good lenses can last you a decade - and quality Canon glass holds it's value surprisingly well. If you truly get bitten by the photography bug, you'll likely upgrade camera bodies every 2-4 years. On the other hand, good lenses could well serve you for a decade and they hold their value well. I do believe in investing in good lenses (but 'cherry-picking' the best values in the Canon lens line-up.)

If you don't have a Digital SLR today and you want one, run, don't walk to your local camera store (of Amazon.com) and order the one that makes your heart go 'pitter-patter'.

For my suggestion on lenses for your first Canon DSLR, go here.

For detailed technical reviews of each camera, go to DPreview.

For reviews of these camera by your peers, go to Fred Miranda.

You can purchase these camera on Amazon.com here:

4 things to take your photography to the next level

In my opinion, here are 4 things that can really make a big difference in the quality of your photographs. You may benefit from all, some or none of these :)

• Get the white balance right. It matters. Canon auto-white-balance is very cool in my opinion. If you set white balance to 'sunny' on sunny days, 'cloudy' on cloudy days and 'shade' when you're in the shade -- you'll be amazed by the difference. It sounds so obvious, but very few beginner photographers do it. (If you're shooting RAW, you can try different white balances when you process the image.)

• Do use exposure compensation (EC). The camera meter is not that smart. It likes to make everything 'pretty bright'. If for example, you are taking photographs in dark woods, the meter will make the scene much brighter than it is. Use negative EC of -1/3 to -1 to have the image captured match what is before your eyes. Likewise, when you find your images look to dark, use EC +1/3 to +2/3 to make them brighter. You are much smarter than the camera exposure meter, you need to constantly be reviewing images on the camera LCD and adjusting EC as needed.

• If you shoot any portraits, get a prime lens (like the EF 50 f1.8,EF 50 f1.4, EF-s 60 f2.8 Macro, 85 f1.8, EF 100 f2, EF 100 f2.8 Macro) and take some portraits at wide apertures. Even if it's only the Canon 50 f1.8 for $85 -- you'll be amazed at the differences in portrait photographs this lens produces vs. the 18-55 kits lens. SIDEBAR: All these lenses (except the 60 f2.8 and 100 f2.8) need to be 'stopped-down' a little for them for them to be sharp (around f2.5 of so). These prime lenses are extremely sharp, small, light, have really wide apertures, are great for low-light photography, and cheap (you can buy 2-3 of these lenses for the price of one 17-55 f2.8 zoom). The 2 Macro lenses are especially nice because you can use them for both portrait and Macro work. FYI: The 85mm-100mm focal lengths on an APS-c body (XTi, XSi, 40D, etc.) is too long for most indoor use, but are great for outdoor shooting. Go to Fred Miranda's site for end-user reviews of these Canon prime lenses.

• Know the basics of photography and how to use your camera (in detail). This includes shooting modes (P, Av, Tv, M), shutter-speed, aperture, ISO, depth-of-field and how all of these relate. Read the book referenced here (or something similar) and read your manual. Here's a good Canon educational website also.

These are 4 'biggies' in my mind. Doing all 4 should really take your photography to the 'next level.' If you're already doing some or all of these, great.

Oh, yeah #5, subscribe to this blog :)

Subscribe in a reader

Photos of Dad & baby

I did another 'baby shoot' this week for some friends, there must be something in the water--everyone in Hood River, Oregon is having babies. Here are some of the 'winners' from the shoot:

Canon 5D, Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro, ISO 200, Shooting mode of Aperture Priority, Aperture of f4 (so there would be a little depth of field and baby & dad would both be in focus), 1/125th of a second shutter-speed (selected by camera), Exposure compensation 0, Flash off, Picture style of monochrome with Sepia tone, sharpness of 0.

Canon 5D, Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro, ISO 200, Shooting mode of Aperture Priority, Aperture of f2.8 (shallow depth of field), 1/250th of a second shutter-speed (selected by camera), Exposure compensation 0, Flash off, Picture style of monochrome with Sepia tone, sharpness of 0.

Canon 5D, Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro, ISO 200, Shooting mode of Aperture Priority, Aperture of f2.8 (for shallowest depth of field), 1/3200 of a second shutter-speed (selected by camera), Exposure compensation -2/3, Flash off, Picture style of monochrome with Sepia tone, sharpness of 0.

I pretty much followed the same 'formula' as my last baby shoot, but had Dad take off his shirt. You can find more info on the technique here.

Making great photos in a bar

So we were celebrating a birthday with some friends and I was asked (ok, I proactively volunteered) to document the evening in photographs (be the dork with the camera). We went from bar to bar and all the bars were pretty dark. The technique I used most of the evening was pretty simple:

• It will be a 1 lens night (Canon 50mm f1.4.) I use the 50 because it can gather lots of light, is small and inconspicuous and the photos it creates have that 'journalistic' 'look'.
  
• external flash on.
• I set the camera to ISO 400 (delivers awesome quality on my 5D and since I was using a flash I didn't have to go to super-high ISO's)
  
• manual exposure
• f2.8 (for razor sharp images, but letting in lots of light)
• 1/80th of a second shutter-speed (fast enough to freeze the action)

On most Canon DSLR's, if you set the camera to manual exposure and turn on the flash the camera will adjust the power of the flash to provide correct exposure. It's 'manual' with a 'smart flash' - pretty cool.

Here are some of my favorite images from the evening:

Canon 5D, Canon 50mm f1.4 lens, manual exposure, f2.8, 1/80, ISO 400, flash is on, flash assist is on, picture style is monochrome with a sepia tone (the sepia tone eliminates the 'snapshot' look of the color flash photo.)

Canon 5D, Canon 50mm f1.4 lens, manual exposure, f2.8, 1/80, ISO 400, flash is on, flash assist is on, picture style is 'standard'. [beware the trays of fruity-flavored shots - they taste delicious tonight, but you will pay for them tomorrow.]

Canon 5D, Canon 50mm f1.4 lens, manual exposure, f2.8, 1/80, ISO 400, flash is on, flash assist is on, picture style is standard.

This picture was a little different -- I turned-off the flash for this one and switched to 'program.'

Canon 5D, Canon 50mm f1.4 lens, 'program' exposure mode, f1.4, 1/6th of a second shutter-speed, ISO 400, flash is off, flash assist is off, picture style is 'standard' [I clearly should have cranked the ISO to 1600.]

There are other great pictures, but they are 'incriminating' and I can't share them :)

Photographing glass blowing

I made a trip to a nearby glass blowing studio to both watch the glass blowing and make some photos. It turned-out to be a very cool photo opportunity; the dark studio with the glowing molten glass. The dim lighting did present some challenges.

I wanted to have relatively dark photos, with the molten glass glowing in the frame. I also wanted to avoid the 'snap-shot' look I get when using a flash. I really had to push the limits of the light gathering capability of my gear. To get adequate shutter-speed to freeze the action and have the moltel glass 'glow' I had to shoot @ f2.8 and ISO 1600. Here are some of the best shots from the day:

Canon 5D Camera, Canon 200 f2.8 lens, Aperture priority shooting mode, Aperture of f2.8, ISO 1600, 1/400th of second shutter-speed (selected by the camera), flash is off, Handheld.

Canon 5D Camera, Canon 100 f2.8 Macro lens, Aperture priority shooting mode, Aperture of f2.8, ISO 800, 1/125th of second shutter-speed (selected by the camera), flash is off, handheld.

Canon 5D Camera, Canon 200 f2.8 lens, Aperture priority shooting mode, Aperture of f2.8, ISO 800, 1/125th of second shutter-speed (selected by the camera), flash is off, handheld. [I should have had ISO @ 1600, because 1/125 it too slow a shutter-speed for a 200mm non-IS lens handheld.]

If you haven't seen glass being blown, it really is amazing to watch and a neat subject to photograph. If you have lenses in the 85mm to 200mm range, bring 'em.

Obtain perfect auto-focus in the pitch dark

You guys all probably know this trick, but for those who don't: One of the side-benefits of an external flash is the 'flash assist' feature. On most (if not all) of the Canon external flashes, there is a 'flash-assist' feature where the flash assist paints a grid of red lines on your subject so the camera's auto-focus engine has something to focus on. This allows the camera to obtain focus in the pitch black - pretty cool. On most Canon DSLR bodies you also have the ability to enable/disable flash and also enable/disable 'flash assist'. So, you can even use flash-assist without firing the flash (if for example it's too dark to focus, but you don't want to fire the flash). If you aren't using this technique - it's a good one :)

The external flash 'flash assist' also does not perform the very annoying 3 'pre-flashes' the Camera's built-in flash uses for flash-assist (which makes all the subjects close their eyes and/or grimace.) No one even notices the red lines from the external flash, flash-assist.

This 'flash assist' technique was required to make the following photos:

This shot was made in the pitch black. Canon 5D, 50mm f1.4 lens, manual exposure of 2.5 second @ f1.8, ISO 400, external flash is on, flash-assist is on (this is how the camera was able to focus on the subject.)
(see the post here for complete details on how to make photos like this)

This shot was made in the pitch black. Canon 10D Camera, Canon 17-40 f4 Lens, Focal length 17mm, Shooting mode of 'program', 1/60th of a second shutter-speed, f4 aperture, ISO 400, exposure compensation -1/3, external flash is on, flash assist is on (this is how the camera obtained focus on the subject.)

If you're going to buy an external Canon flash, I'd recommend the Canon EX430 at minimum, this flash not only gives you TONS more lighting power than the 'built-in' flash on the XT, XTi, XSi, 30D, 30D, etc, but the ability to tilt/swivel the flash head and 'flash assist'. With the excellent ISO 800/1600 performance of the modern Canon DSLR, the external flash gets uses less and less, but I would never remove mine from my bag -- it's a required tool for me. The Canon EX580 is the 'Cadillac' of Canon flashes, but it's huge and costs $400 $US.

Here's the 430EX on Amazon.com for about $250 $US.