Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Ukon]

So I've been trying to get into photography in korea, I'm using a point and shoot now, and will probably upgrade later....currently using a Nikon S520

However, after learning about white balance, ISO settings, the ins and outs of my camera, most of my shots come out looking like blurry ass....I suppose my hands are perhaps a bit shaky.....Maybe I should buy a camera with better image stabilization? Is that the key(other than buying a tripod)?

[The Grumpy Senator]

What kind of pictures are you taking? Night shots? Action?

Natural hand shake shows at shutter speed slower than 1/30 of a second. Keep an eye on your meter to see if you in the "shake range" before shooting. Just changing your position slightly can make a huge difference.

[Ukon]

Still shots....in Sunlight....sometimes indoors.

[JJJ]

Just search photography lessons on Google. There are hundreds of lessons online to help you with every aspect of photography. Image stabilization does not make a good picture. I have an old Casio Exlim and my pictures turn out awesome. You just have to find the correct settings. Have fun.

[Marishka]

If all your settings are on auto and you shood in broad daylight, are the images still blurry? If so, the problem is with the camera, not you.

[Aelric]

Working with natural light can be a big pain in the butt, but it's better to cut your teeth on natural light and then move to studio if you get the opportunity than the other way around in my opinion. If your camera have the option, 2nd curtain sync for your flash can help tremendously for night photography, adding light streaks with a still focused image. For daylight, I suggest keeping your shutter speed as high as possible with the lowest ISO possible. most digital camera with auto white balance are fine, due to photoshop (which is a must) having easy to use white balance adjustments. Finally, remember this rule: High light and/or motionless things - low ISO, low light and/or fast moving things - high ISO. If you happen to be in Busan, I'd love to talk shop and show you a tip or two, though I'm much more used to Canons myself (current using a Canon 450D).

Oh, one more tip. Try to get an external flash. Onboards tend to screw up shots due to direct light, but if you can get an external you can angle some light bounce or (with a proper cord or transmitter) hold the flash exactly how you want the light to hit. Good luck!

[RACETRAITOR]

Looking at your photos, it seems to be a focus problem. But you still had a few shots that were in sharp focus. It is possible maybe you switched on some kind of macro photography setting and need to turn it off.

[nosmallplans]

Buy a tripod.

You'll learn more about photography using a tripod than any thousands of dollars spent elsewhere. All the fancy new products that are making demands on your wallet are all just 'short cuts' around using a solid tripod.

Good, clean glass, a solid tripod, interesting framing and proper technique will produce A+ images every time. Learn to move slowly, take your time, double check all your steps and you'll develop good photographic habits. People tend to try to shoot too fast.

[ppcg4]

#1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds
#2: (Although I'm sure you've done this already) Read the manual of your camera, and learn the settings well.

If your images are blurry, the first thing you should do is look at your shutter speeds. Generally a shutter speed of 125 or more should reduce or eliminate most blur. Second look at aperture. The smaller the number, the wider the aperture (makes sense, eh?)

Then you can tinker with ISO. The higher the ISO speed, the less light needed for a proper exposure. However, anything over ISO 800 will likely produce a lot of noise. I say the golden ISO number is 400.