Weather And Photography - What You Should Know

Oh man, I’m so excited! I’m gonna take a picture of the sun!

Well, that’s what happens when you get overexposed pictures. (This is a worst case scenario, so don’t expect to get a full white screen…and never expect to get…The Beatles… in it as well)

In reality, exposure is what you need to worry about in pictures. most pictures undergo special treatment to avoid overexposure, but some just seem to love exposure as it compliments everything. (And in reality, overexposed pictures are more… bumpy than that white screen.)

So, in this post, we will talk about weather, and your camera.

WEATHER AND YOUR CAMERA

From skylightweb.com:

These familiar occurrences of nature, such as; rain fog, wind and sunshine, always add a special touch to any scene. And make no mistake; the non-photographer will always welcome such low-budget special effects.

So, here’s a detailed list shortened:

Rain-Mysterious/Romantic/Unique
Sunny-Cheery
Low light-Dreary/scary
Fog-Mysterious with a dash of sadness
Night-Tense/scary/beauty
Snow-Fun
Winds-Jolty
Underwater-Cool (Yes)

So, that’s my very own detailed list on what weather (In photos) makes me feel.

So, if you’re looking to add emotion to your photography, weather is a think to keep your eyes out for.

Here’s one example. Just copy and paste the other links.. for some reason, they aren’t working..

Rain-

Sun-

Low light-

I miss home :(

Fog-

From a P&S (Mine)

Night-

Snow-

Windy-

Underwater-
<img src=”http://farm1.static.flickr.com/199/524677648_8632ce9f8d_m.jpg” alt=”" />

**Note:Only the fog picture is mine

Why Buy A DSLR?

Undoubtedly one of the season’s hottest accessories (I’m just pointing it out. I sure as heck don’t want to join the bandwagon, thank you very much.), I have been approached with numerous inquiries about the DSLR. What is it? What makes it different? What makes it so darned special?

DSLR stands for Digital-Single Lens Reflex. Due to a special mechanical mirror and (usually) a pentaprism system, a DSLR allows you to view a picture from the camera as your eye would perceive it. Yes, it’s as accurate as you can get in terms of getting what you see. [I would explain how to mechanical mirror and pentaprism system works, but it’s highly confusing, so I suggest you read up on it on other websites. If you need any help, though, just ask me.] All of this would mean that the camera can capture the perfect blend of purple, orange and pink of the sky during the sunset, or the yellow of the rearing head of your friend’s zit. If you’re observant enough, you’d notice that this is not always the case with regular compact digital cameras. There’s always something that’s not accurate in the picture. DSLRs capture real life, mood and emotion unlike any other.

Another thing that makes the DSLR so special is its inherent ability to use interchangeable lenses. You have a smorgasbord of lenses to choose from, like macro lenses, telephoto lenses, wide-angle lenses and prime lenses, which offer no special function therefore making them standard (an example of these are the set lenses which are included in a standard DSLR package), but giving slightly better quality of photos. There are many other special effects lenses available, but I won’t dwell on that for now.

credits:  (counter-clockwise, from top left.) Fly on Daisy by Duncan, Concert Photography by Todd Owyoung, Red Bridge by El Fotopakismo and Catch Me If You Can by Lekke

It’s pretty hard to explain how different everything is, especially if you haven’t seen a lot of pictures taken by DSLRs. But typically, these pictures summarize everything about the four lens groups that I’ve mentioned.

The macro lens are for extreme close-ups. If you click the picture and see its blown-up version, you can see everything, down to the very last detail, which is the pollen on the bee’s body. Pretty cool, huh?

The telephoto lens, on the other hand, are for magnification of distant objects. Perfect use for concerts, as demonstrated in the picture. That picture was taken from the pit, and if you’ve been to any concert, getting a decent picture of the drummer will be no easy feat–and a good one at that. :)

The wide-angle lens has shorter than average focal lenses which therefore allow you to fit in more of a particular scene than regular lens. Because of this, wide-angle lens are usually perfect for landscapes.

The prime lens are the standard lenses (an example of this are the set lenses included per DSLR package) and they are fixed-focal length lenses (as opposed to being zoom lenses). Their simple design allows them superior optical quality in relation to the other lenses.

DSLR resolutions range from 6 MP up to more or less 20 MP.

They have a tough build, making them fit for harsh conditions and poor weather. Most DSLRs have their buttons sealed against small particles.

DSLRs are generally classified as entry-level, midrange and high-end levels. However, some companies may manufacture other cameras in different levels (such as enthusiast or prosumer levels).

Popular examples of DSLRs are: Canon’s EOS series, Sony’s α (alpha) series, Nikon’s DX series, Olympus’ E series and Pentax’s *ist series. Their price ranges from expensive to very, very expensive. Besides the camera body, you also have to take care of it (maintenance), buy memory cards, flash accessories, lenses and filters etc. which terminally means that a DSLR is an investment, a huge investment, which is why it is highly advisable to consider everything before buying a DSLR. Follow Karl’s NCGVF tips. :)

High-End/Advanced Digital Cameras

It’s pretty awesome that my co-contributor Karl wrote his own version of a buyer’s guide, as I believe that it would go hand-in-hand with my own sort of buyer’s guide. Although his is a bit more targeted for people who consider buying DSLRs… you can always take it out of its original context and apply it to the three general types of digital cameras.

Speaking of, I’m back with the high-end / advanced digital cameras. I think that some people have to know that this type of camera exists, because others shoot directly to DSLRs without consideration of what they want, or more importantly, what they need — and in the long run, can they really afford it? (I don’t have anything against shooting to DSLRs though, both have their pros and cons, and some people feel like they are more than ready to take the big leap,  if you have the money, then why the hell not?) But still.

*Drum roll, please.*

The High-End Digital Cameras!

Also known as prosumer or bridge cameras, they are designed for those whose skill levels lie between a professional and a regular consumer. (If you’d ask me, they’re targeted for people who are trying to transition to Digital SLRs but without the proper knowledge or skill level.)

I would like to think of them as a good union of the good sides of the compact digicams and the DSLRs. It has many of the usual advantages of an SLR camera—numerous exposure and focus modes, versatile flash set-ups (meaning that you can attach accessory flashguns and the like), and medium-to-large aperture lenses—a multitude of manual controls but with more enhanced automatic settings. They are usually smaller in size and lighter in weight, which makes them more portable compared to a DSLR, which in addition to its hefty body, also has lenses which you also have to carry all the time. (As you can see, there’s also a stark similarity in its physical appearance with the DSLR. So if you’re in it for the ego power, then surely this has got pogi points.) Basically, you can do more with a prosumer digital camera than you can with a basic digital camera with almost the same image quality as that of a DSLR’s.

High-end digital cameras, however, have fixed lenses as opposed to the interchangeable lenses of a DSLR—one of the latter’s top features. They also lack the mirrors, larger sensors and reflex systems which characterize any DSLR.

Compared to the compact digital camera, it has better light-catching ability due to the premium optical glasses crafted by its manufacturer. They usually have resolutions that start from 5MP and…well, we just know it starts there.

Some examples of prosumer digital cameras lines are: Canon’s Powershot G line and Fujifilm’s Finepix S series. Their price ranges from moderately expensive to highly expensive.

The Point-And-Shoot Digital Cameras

There’s no point of living in the digital age when moment-capturing devices, otherwise known as cameras,  aren’t rampant. But that’s the thing. There are so much cameras out there in the market, how do you know which is which? How do you know which one would be able to fit your photographic needs? Would it fit into your budget? Consider this series as a buyer’s guide of some sort. Point-and-shoots first, then we’ll get onto the High-End Digital Cameras and to the DSLRs on the following posts. ;)

To start off, let’s put the spotlight on the point-and-shoot digital cameras.

The Point-And-Shoot Digital Cameras

Arguably the most common type of digital cameras, they are designed for people who have no in-depth knowledge regarding photography, but want a camera for regular everyday use—vacations, parties, reunions and other events.

Also known as compact digital cameras (whilst those slimmer than 20mm are known as ultracompacts), they are called point-and-shoot because of their simplicity and uncomplicated controls. Because of this, they only have a few manual controls.  My Sony Cybershot DSC-T30’s program mode, for example, allows me to adjust its color mode (to b&w and sepia, for example); the exposure values; the focus, the metering mode, the white balance, ISO and contrast.  Some may cameras have less, some may have more– it varies per manufacturer and per model. Also, most  P&S cameras have shooting modes which automatically adjust your camera’s settings for certain circumstances (sports, portrait, landscape, fireworks, snow, macro etc.). They will also have low-power built-in flash units. Its resolutions start from as low as 2MP to as high as 10MP (and probably even higher, seeing the manufacturing boom in compacts)

The most popular examples of compact digital camera lines are: Sony’s Cybershot line, Canon’s Powershot (A, D and E series) and Digital IXUS lines and Fujifilm’s Finepix line. Their price ranges from low to moderately expensive.