Wanted: Chicken Photography Tips

[Mrs MIA]

Yep... lots and lots of photos, on different settings. Sometimes it's just dumb luck, and other times it takes a while to get just the right one. For chicks I use a solid color bath-towel draped over a chair and onto the table. But fabric draped over anything will work. I try to get them somewhere without any other outside distractions, such as other chicks.

I just got this one this morning... it's a lace tablerunner over a dark towel draped over an incubator.

White towel over bar-stool and bar... It was one of many, but I finally got them all turned the right way and standing still...

This was dumb-luck...

I use the macro for super-close ups, or the portrait setting most of the time. I use a Canon Rebel XL digital SLR. I switch to the AV, or F-stop a lot, too... just depends on the conditions.

The outside shots are the hardest sometimes, and take a lot of shots to get the right one. I followed my pack of chukars around the yard in and out of the sunshine and shot off about 40 pictures before I got this one that turned out sweet...

Just keep playing and practicing, and switching things up til you find the combination that works for you. That's the beauty of digital... you can just keep going, then delete the ones you don't want.

 

[SterlingAcres]

Play with your ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture settings. Nikon is a great company because of the lens themselves, you should be able to take stunning photos even in auto mode. Remember, even if a shot looks crumby on the camera screen, it can be touched up and look fabulous in Photo Shop.

Read this for some tips:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/category/basic-photography/

 

[HorseFeathers]

Now, does anyone know how to SET the f-stop? I found a mention of it in the user's manual, but it only said "use the f-number to get a better photo".

 

[seismic wonder2]

Is it an automatic lense or manual?
Mine is 100% automatic and I have to TELL it I want manual.
The F-stop on a manual lens is colsest to the camera (usually) and is usually marked in increments from f22 or f16 to about f1.1 or f1.2 something like that. the larger the number the smaller the hole...sort of backwards.
An easy way to look at is the f-number is the number of feet on either side of the subject where things will be in focus.
So...
f16 has a little tiny hole but things are in focus 16 feet in front and 16 feet behind what ever you are taking a picture of.
f2 has a really large hole and the "in focus" range narrows to a total of 4 feet (2' in front and 2'behind the subject).

I said the f16 has a tiny hole and f2 has a large hole...I'm talking about the diameter of the apature (how much light gets in the camera)

a large hole requires a faster shutter speed in order to NOT overexpose the picture (big white blob)
a tiny hole requires a slow shutter speed in order NOT to underexpose the picture (big dark blob)

Slow shutter speeds allow blurring becuase the camera or the subject moves.
fast shutter speeds can stop fast things in mid stride.

the trick is to find the balance between f- stop, shutter speed, and lighting to get the pic you want without going insaine.
It takes practice.

 

[Cetawin]

Quote:

but so so true. sometimes I feel the same way.

 

[HorseFeathers]

Quote:
Automatic. The trouble is, if I put it on manual, it will not focus on anything! It comes out all blurry.

In case it helps, it is a Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6G VR. (Ashamed to admit it is the only one I have... for now. Until I get some extra $$$ and have great need of another. Like one of those extreme-zoom ones.)

 

[tiki244]

Quote:
Do you have an Av dial on your camera? Aperature Value-----

just dial that on your camera and then you will be able to set the aperature to what you want . Then the camera will set the shutter speed according to your aperature. the smaller the number, the less in focus the stuff will be in front of and behind your main subject. Your owners manual will tell you how.

The larger the number everything in the picture will be in focus more.


EDIT WOOPS thats what I get for not reading through the whole thread! Just ignore I will go look up your camera and then try and answer .

 

[Shared Acres]

It sounds like you have a newer camera, don't set your lense on manual--that is for the focus.

Set the aperature to to 5.6 or similiar. If the pics turn out too dark on this, change the ISO to a higher number like 800, turn out too bright, turn the ISO down to 400 or 200.

If you need to do a quick picture and not worry about all the technical stuff, turn your camera on to the little icon with the running man, it should automatically give you a smaller aperature at that setting.

 

[tiki244]

Is the D60 slr the camera and the NikonDX AF-S the lense? Thats probably it.


Well just try manual and push the button down only partially when you go to take a picture and see how it focuses. Then if it is good take the pic, other wise let up on the button and try to press it partially again and see if it focuses. That might solve the problem.

Your lenses smallest aperture is 3.5 and the largest is 5.6.

 

[HorseFeathers]

Quote:
Trust me, I HAVE tried. It will not focus on manual. At all. Zip, zero, goose eggs. I simply cannot find an AV dial, either.

Why does this have to be so hard?
You are correct on the lens