Tag Archives: shutter speed

Just for fun

An object in motion remains in motion – even when photographed

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I got a ping pong table for my birthday on March 16. It wasn’t until a week later that I had some friends help me get the massive table home and into the basement. It was another week before I was able to try putting the table together, but I was only able to get so far until I needed additional manpower to complete the assembly. I can’t lift the tables up onto the folding mechanism by myself, and my 10-year-old son doesn’t have the strength… yet. Now that I’ve voiced my sobbing about my unfinished birthday present, let me get on with the photo.

In my last photo, I shot salt crystals that were falling. In looking at the crystals a little closer, I noticed that when the flash went off at initial trigger, the crystal is bigger, but once the light of the flash ceased and the shutter was still open, the visibility of the falling crystal faded, thus creating a little streaking action. This got me to thinking – could I do something like this with a ping pong ball (especially since I have a dozen ping pong balls and no table to play them on. Here’s what I came up with.

Bouncing ping pong ball

Canon 60D | 18-135mm lens | 1″ | f/4.5 | ISO 100 | Speedlite 430EX II | LED Flashmate | RAW

One question I want to pose to the reader is – which direction is the ball traveling in the photo – Left to right or right to left? Take a moment to think about it before reading on.

After getting all the lighting, tripod and camera settings ready to go, I stood on the right side of the camera and got the bouncing ping pong ball in motion. As soon as it got in front of the camera lens, I would trigger the shutter and flash. The initial burst of light illuminates the ping pong ball and literally stops it mid-flight. The secondary lighting I had set up would provide less light to the continually moving ball, thus giving it the motion blur as it bounces out of frame. In short, the ball is moving right to left, and the tail of the frozen ball is actually the path it pursued AFTER the shutter was triggered.

I’ll have to play with this a little further in the future, but I thought it created a neat looking photo.

~Carltonaut

Just for fun, Macro

Capturing my first photo of 2013

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Last night, as the ball was making its way to the bottom in Times Square, I threw out a photo challenge to a photography group I belong to on Facebook – Share the very first photo you capture in 2013. This meant sharing the very first photo, (i.e., you have to get all your settings right the first time).

I settled on using my Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens so I could hone in on one small part of the globe and get good depth of field to highlight the curvature of the earth. I was surprised at the amount of time I actually spent adjusting all the settings on my Canon 60D to capture a photo of our new National Geographic globe. I tried shooting it in Program mode, but decided I would feel more confident shooting in Manual mode (weird, I know).

I initially tried to capture it hand-held, but the shutter speed was too slow and I didn’t want my first capture to be blurry. I whipped out my new Manfrotto tripod (which I am totally loving) and positioned the camera to capture western Europe. I wanted to assure the lighting was good, so I turned off all the tungsten lights and attached my LED Flashmate to “light the world.”

I double-checked every setting and the on-camera light meter before releasing the shutter. Oh wait! I didn’t want to bump the tripod, so I attached my shutter release cable, too. Probably a lot more time spent on this photo than needed, but I only have one first photo of 2013.

Western Europe on the Globe

Canon 60D | 100mm f/2.8 macro lens | 1/5 | f/10 | ISO 400 | LED Flashmate | RAW

Here’s to a happy and healthy new year to all my readers. I’m looking forward to sharing more of my photos, trying new things with my camera and seeing the amazing captures of everyone else in the blogosphere.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering why Europe: I loved the nearly two years I spent living in southern France; I love studying the history of my grandpa Carlton and his time spent in Europe during WWII as a pilot and later prisoner of war; I am fascinated with European history, specifically WWII.

~signed, Carltonaut

Tutorials

Tutorial: How to Shoot the Bokeh Technique in Photographs

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I’ve played with this lighting technique as part of bokeh photography as a way of adding a background that correlates with the subject of the photo. I first learned about using this technique in bokeh in a blog post I came across earlier this year. Since then, I’ve used it for Valentines Day and St. Patrick’s Day.

With the first day of autumn (Sept 22) just around the corner, I thought this “fall colors” photo, along with a tutorial on how I took it (as part of the DIY How I Took It contest), would expose other photographers to the technique, and show how simple it is to execute.

092112 Bokeh-Scarecrow

Canon 60D | 50mm lens | 1/60 | f/1.8 | ISO 400 | Canon Speedlite 430EX II

Step 1 – Gather the necessary Supplies

  • Sheet of cardstock (can be any color, but it will be easier to work with if it’s thicker)
  • Shaped punch – be creative (most shapes will do, but make sure the punch isn’t so small that the subject can’t be seen through the lens)
  • 50mm lens with UV filter (this lens allows a shallow depth of field, which allows the light sources in the background to be out of focus, thus take on the shape of the punch; the purpose of the UV filter is noted next)
  • Putty (which is used to attach the cardstock to the UV filter)
  • Strands of holiday lights (you can vary the color of the lights to fit your desired background; you can vary the quantity of strands, but for this photo, I used two)
  • A subject (the subject can be pretty much anything you want it to be)

Step 2 – Punch and Prepare the Lens

  • Start by punching the shape into your cardstock (I usually fold an edge of the paper in about 1/4″ to allow the punch to be far enough from the edge that it can be in the center of the lens when I cut it out.
  • Place the UV filter on the cardstock with the punched shape centered in the circle.
  • Draw a cut-line around the filter, allowing a roughly 1/4″ border, then cut out the circle.
  • Using putty, attach the cardstock to the UV filter and attach to the lens.
  • Attach the lens to the camera body (you can adjust the punched sheet with the shape as needed so it’s right-side up, or oriented as you would like.

Step 3 – Setting up the Scene

  • String the lights across a cord, stick, or other item that will allow the lights to hang freely (if you place them against a solid object, the object will be illuminated and not provide the darker background).
  • Place your subject roughly 10′-15′ in front of the lights (you can adjust this distance as desired, but this is a good starting point)
  • Place your camera 1.5′ to 3′ in front of the subject, with the lights directly behind the subject. (the closer you are to the subject, the larger the shapes will appear; in the sample photo above, I was closer to 3′ away from the subject).

Step 4 – Setting the Camera and Taking the Shots

  • Set the camera to manual mode so you have better control.
  • Set the aperture to the lowest number possible (in this case, a 1.8)
  • Adjust the shutter speed to allow for the exposure of the subject you want. I used a flash to illuminate the subject, which allowed me to keep the shutter speed fast enough for handheld shooting.
  • Shoot a few photos at various focal lengths and settings until you get the look you want. Adjust as needed.

Here are a few other outtakes from this photo shoot to show how slight adjustments can change the photo outcome. 

If you give this a shot, post a link to your photos below. It’s always fun to see how others implement certain techniques.

~signed, Carltonaut

Black & White, Night Sky, Tutorials

How to Shoot the Moon – in Honor of Neil Armstrong

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If you can’t tell from the name of my blog, I am enthralled by all things space. I am amazed at the precision with which humans can launch a rocket from Earth and land Man or machine on distant moons or planets. I am humbled by the dedication each astronaut has for their “profession” and proud to know that I have shaken hands with Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, Charlie Duke, Gene Cernan, and countless other moonwalkers, astronauts, and mission control personnel.

When I heard of Neil Armstrong’s passing, I was saddended that I never had the chance to meet him. From everything I had heard about him, he was humble, and convinced that he was just doing his job when he took Man’s first steps on the moon. So this post is my way of honoring Neil Armstrong, and I invite others to share their moon photos this week in his honor.

I digress. This blog post isn’t just about my love of space. It’s about my experiences in photographing the moon, and sharing with others the simple things that will hopefully give them the confidence to DIY and shoot [for] the stars… or at least the moon!

Here are the 4 simple steps I used a few moments ago to capture this shot of the moon, with a clarity that even surprised me – though I wish I had a more powerful zoom lens. Or better yet, a Saturn V rocket to take me to the moon to snap a few photos in person!

082812 Honor Neil Armstrong r2

Canon 60D | 55-200mm lens | 1/100 | f/11 | ISO 100 | (Manual Mode)
And a setting that hopefully will make you LOL: Focal Length 238,900 Miles. :-)

STEP 1 – Camera Setup

  • Attach the lens with the longest zoom
  • Put your camera in Manual Mode
  • Start with ISO 100, f/11, and shutter speed of 1/100

STEP 2 – Location Setup

  • Choose a location that works for you. The photo above was shot from my back door. If you can, get away from ambient light.
  • Find the moon (if it’s overcast, go back inside and try for the moon another night).

STEP 3 – Getting Ready to Shoot

  • Use a tripod if you have one handy. If not, set down or lean against something to help keep the lens steady. (I did NOT use a tripod for the photo above)
  • Zoom your lens all the way in to get as close to the moon as you can.
  • You can auto focus on the moon, then switch to manual mode (which is what I did), or you can just refocus on the moon for each shot (which also works).
  • Hold it steady and snap a shot.

STEP 4 – See How It Looks, Adjust Accordingly

  • You can simply look at the LCD screen on your camera to get an initial look at the photo (unless you are using film).
  • If the moon looks dark, adjust one of two things – the aperture or shutter speed.
  • If you’re not using a tripod and the moon looks blurry, try again. You can try holding your breathe as you pust the shutter release button to reduce your movements.
  • Keep adjusting camera settings to snap a few shots. No harm in trying a few different settings to see how it changes the outcome.

Now that you have the photos, take the camera card over to your computer and adjust the exposure, temperature, etc. as you wish. You can even make it a black and white photograph to eliminate any odd colors of the moon (unless you want it to be a rare Blue Moon).

I hope this helps, and I invite you to give it a shot (literally) and then share your photo and camera settings with me in the comments. With the Blue Moon on Friday (Aug 31), it’s a great week to give the moon a shot… literally!

~signed, Carltonaut

Alphabet Photo Challenge, Black & White

CTE Weekly Photo Challenge: N is for Night

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I really wish I could do night photography better. Mostly, I am constrained by life. In order to truly get the star photographs I want, I need to go out into the middle of nowhere and spend a few nights, sleeping during the day. But the other joys of life (i.e., family, work and responsibilities) keep me busy for the time being.

So for now, I settle into my backyard wearing pajamas and flip flops and freeze my little toes off trying new things. Could I have done it better? Probably. Would I have lost my toes to frostbite? Very likely!

Anyhow, here’s the photo. Can you tell which constellation it is?

040612 Name that constellation

Canon 60D | 18-135mm lens | 30″ | f/4.0 | ISO 100 | Manual Mode

It was a full moon out tonight, so that celestial object was enough light pollution to wipe out my vision of the stars through the view finder, meaning I had to guesstimate and take a few  ”alignment” shots. I initially set my camera ISO to 3200, but I didn’t like how washed out it made everything, though I will admit it picked up more stars – but the sky was gray rather than black.

I gradually decreased my ISO to 100 and made shutter speed and aperture changes until I got it generally how I wanted. But the tree looked gross. It was more of a bright orange yellow, which isn’t the actual color of the tree. So, to the chagrin of my neighbors (but they didn’t holler any obscenities over the fence), I grabbed my Canon Speedlite 430EX II flash and held it at many different angles, flashing probably 12-15 times in various spots, ranging from 10 feet to the left of the camera, and 10 feet to the right – all done in the 30-second exposure. During one exposure, I took the flash to the backside of the tree, but the tree turned a deep red (I’m guess that’s because it was in the shadow of the flash) and that is even farther from how I wanted it to look.

In the end, I used the photo with the flashes in the front, then made it black & white, added my signature, and uploaded it to my Flickr page.

I would love to try this again, even if it is from my backyard. But I will need to make sure it’s clear skies, no moon, and everyone in Davis County shuts off their lights so I can get my shot. That’s not too much to ask, right?

Oh, and if you didn’t catch it, the answer is Ursa Major (a.k.a. Big Dipper).

~signed, Carltonaut

Just for fun

3…2…1…Blast-off!

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I became a counselor for the Space Exploration merit badge about two weeks ago. Last week, we talked about Newton’s Laws and made these Estes Model Rockets. Tonight, we launched them at a local park. The weather couldn’t have been better – no wind. no rain. no problem.

I grabbed a few shots of the rockets launching. I missed the rockets about half the time, either getting it motionless on the pad, or out of the frame. But here is one I caught just after ignition.

Caught at Lift-off

Canon 60D | 50mm lens | 1/8000 | f2.2 | ISO 2000

I went with a fast shutter speed to capture it motionless in flight, because the first photo I shot had a slower speed (1/100) and came out like this:

Space Exploration Merit Badge

Canon 60D | 18-135mm lens | 1/100 | f6.3 | ISO 100

You can check out some of the other outtakes on my Facebook page, as well as a photo of the rocket that didn’t deploy and slammed into the ground with such force, its nose cone required some digging to recover. Scary part was, my son was standing 10 feet from the impact zone when it happened.

~signed, Carltonaut

Just for fun, WordPress Photo Challenge

Weekly Photo Challenge: Down

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While contemplating various ways of participating in this week’s The Daily Post at WordPress.com weekly photo challenge, I decided a family trip on President’s Day to Boondocks for a little bowling would be perfect. Nothing like throwing the bowling ball “down” the alley, hoping to knock “down” all of the pins, right?

Down the alley

Canon 60D | 18-135mm lens | 1/5 | f4.5 | ISO 500

Bowling alleys are notorious for low-lighting situations, so I knew that going in to it. However, I didn’t want to set the ISO so high that the quality of the photo suffered. I also thought a little blur on the bowling call could be a cool effect, but I wasn’t about to set up my tripod in the middle of my family’s bowling match.

I took about two dozen photos of my kids bowling, and this was the one that I thought came out the best. I like the blur of my son’s motion, and the way he moved the ball made it blur less, so it provided more of a “floating bowling ball” look to the photo.

I would probably have kept going with the photo-taking, but I am a serious bowler, and I wasn’t on track to even break 100. So the camera was put away and my bowling skills brought me back up to beat everyone else (yes, that included my wife and three young kids) with 124 points. But my daughter was second place at 106. It was a great way to spend the weekend.

~signed, Carltonaut

Just for fun

Capturing the splash

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I’ve seen a lot of photos of water splashes and thought, “why don’t I try?” So, here is one of the shots I ended up with after about two hours of setup and shooting.

Water drop

If you’ve ever wanted to try, here is how I set this up and the things I would change if I were to do this again… which I will do… eventually.

I found a clear, glass bowl and filled it with water. I wanted to have something cool appear in the splash, so I made a checkerboard pattern large enough to fill the whole frame using four 8.5″ x 11″ sheets of paper taped together and matching up with the pattern.

I focused my camera on the center of the bowl, set my aperture to 1.8, using my 50mm lens, and hooked up a shutter release cable to my Canon Digital Rebel (I don’t recall the final shutter-speed or ISO, but I imaging a fast speed and sensitive ISO in order to stop the motion). In order to give myself the best lighting, since I only had an on-camera flash, I did this outside in my backyard.

The challenging part was figuring out timing. I dropped a marble into the water and pushed the shutter-release cable when the marble hit the water. Many were too early, most were too late. But about a dozen came out like that one, with different shapes, lengths, ripples and size.

Once I brought the camera inside to see what I had captured on the larger monitor, I cropped in a little closer on the splashes and got what I deemed a decent finished product. However, I am open to any pointers or best practices on how to capture this better, or create other effects of water splashes for the next time I give this a go.

~signed, Carltonaut

Alphabet Photo Challenge, Just for fun

E is for Entrance

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When I started thinking about what I wanted to shoot for this weeks alphabet photo challenge with CTE Salt Lake City, the revolving door entrance at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building (JSMB) in downtown Salt Lake City came to mind. Weird, I know. But it worked.

Finding a time to get to JSMB was the biggest challenge, but when I got tired of adding air into one of my car tires that apparently had a slow leak, I called Big O Tires and brought it by early this morning. It was going to take an hour to fix the flat and do an alignment, so I walked the block-and-a-half to the building and set up shop on the Mezzanine level.

My biggest concern was getting a shot of someone and posting it to the blog, without getting their consent. To avoid this, I went TV priority to set a slower shutter speed. This would also allow for movement in the revolving door. Here is the photo I thought was the best out of all the ones I took.

E is for Entrance

TV Priority | 1-second | 5.6 | ISO 100

I didn’t like the ones that had blurred people in them (check out the outtakes here). I REALLY didn’t like the ones that had no blur in them – they just looked stale. This one had the right amount of blur, because you can tell it’s a revolving door in motion. It was a matter of luck to catch the door in that 1-second where the blur was mostly symmetrical. So while photography is a matter of skill, I also think it’s a matter of luck.

~signed, Carltonaut

Night Sky

Star trails in northern Utah

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The other day I came across a fellow blogger (DailySnaps2012) who had shared some nice star trail photos she had taken last week. Star trails and night photography are some of my all-time favorite shots to try and capture, so I thought I would share two that I took during a Father-Son campout last fall.

My favorite ones are of the North Star, because it is a constant in the night sky, but all the other stars rotate around it to create a sort of vortex look.

Circumpolar Star Trails

In order to get a cooler effect, leave the shutter open for a longer time – the longer, the better. The night I took these photos, there was a full moon, so I wasn’t sure how long I could keep the shutter open without over-exposing the whole thing. I think this was about 5-10 minutes, but again, I don’t remember. However, I do like how the moon lit up the tree, I just wish the stars showed up a little better.

I then pointed the camera south to get some longer star trails.

The night sky over Liberty, Utah

Not only did I like how the tall evergreen shoots up and out of the dark hill side and into the sky, the clouds moving through the sky added a nice look to the photo. Although the full moon was lighting up the sky, the city lights from around Pineview Reservoir polluted the lower portion of the photo, but gave a nice gradient effect to the night sky.

Getting up and into the mountains offer the best setting for photographing star trails – away from the light pollution of nearby cities. But getting up into the mountains isn’t something that I can do on a whim, but it is something that I would love to do more often. If I do get out and capture some interesting star trails, I will definitely share. Thanks again to Lisa from DailySnaps2012 for sharing her star trail photos.

~signed, Carltonaut