1. Questions Woodstock Camera Club Feb. 19, 2014 Pictures and video have been removed from these notes due to copyright issues. Check out the links for other details on the topics.

2. Take a picture of stars What is the best setting to take a picture of stars in the night sky?

3. Take a picture of stars How to Shoot the Night Sky (Introduction to Astrophotography

4. 1. What you need: You need a camera that has manual exposure mode. Most SRL camera come with a feature called Bulb which does exactly that. You will also need a remote control or a shutter release cable in order to minimize shaking the camera when taking the pictures. You will definitely need a tripod How to Shoot the Night Sky (Introduction to Astrophotography)

5. 2. Selecting the spot to take your picture The darker the place, the better it is. Taking stars pictures in your back yard is possible, however for better results select a place away from city lights. Those lights tend to pollute the image and make the stars less visible. How to Shoot the Night Sky (Introduction to Astrophotography)

6. 3. Camera settings First, try to use a lens with a large aperture. i.e.Sigma 28 mm lens at f/3.5 Next, set your camera at a high ISO. 600 and 800 ISO and can provide good results. To avoid the star trail you have to use the RULE of 600 which is very easy: Divide 600 by the focal length of the lens you are using. In my case I divided 600/28 = 21.42 ( I can leave the shutter open for 21 seconds and avoid capturing the star trail) Finally, put your lens in manual focusing and turn it to infinity focus (that would be the symbol at the end of the numbers on your lens) How to Shoot the Night Sky (Introduction to Astrophotography)

7. 4. Taking the pictures Set the camera in your tripod and take at least 5 consecutive images at the stars using the correct exposure time (using the RULE of 600) Do not move the camera to a different spot or change the settings unless you are done with that series of pictures. Tip: Every time I am done with a set of pictures, I place my hand in front of the lens and take another picture. That way I know that the picture where everything is black is where the series end. How to Shoot the Night Sky (Introduction to Astrophotography)

8. 5. Editing the images Don’t be disappointed if you don’t see any color in your images. This is normal. You will need to bring the colors up in PS or any other editing software. The first step is to stack the images. That is to superimpose one image on top of the others (not all the images, but pictures belonging to the same series). You can do this with a free software called Deep Sky Stacker. Just use the default settings on the software. The final image will be a large TIF file that you will use to bring up the colors in Photoshop.Deep Sky Stacker Next open your TIF file in Photoshop and edit the curves and levels. You can follow this easy tutorial on this video: I also edited the blue, red and green colors in the level in order to make the nebula more visible. That’s it. How to Shoot the Night Sky (Introduction to Astrophotography)

9. 5. Editing the images Don’t be disappointed if you don’t see any color in your images. This is normal. You will need to bring the colors up in PS or any other editing software. The first step is to stack the images. That is to superimpose one image on top of the others (not all the images, but pictures belonging to the same series). You can do this with a free software called Deep Sky Stacker. Just use the default settings on the software. The final image will be a large TIF file that you will use to bring up the colors in Photoshop.Deep Sky Stacker Next open your TIF file in Photoshop and edit the curves and levels. I also edited the blue, red and green colors in the level in order to make the nebula more visible. That’s it. How to Shoot the Night Sky (Introduction to Astrophotography)

10. 6. Master post-production. The truth is that no matter how high the ISO or how wide your fancy lens can go, it’s pretty difficult to get a totally clean night shot. So it is suggested creating a “dark frame” and subtracting the noise from your photo. “Let’s say you want to shoot a long, 15 minute exposure to make a star trails image, and there is a half moon,” says Grant. “You might be at f/2.8, ISO 400. After you make your 15-minute exposure, put the lens cap on, cover your viewfinder with your hat, and then make another 15-minute exposure, or ‘dark frame.’ Then take this image into Photoshop or Lightroom as a layer above your star trails image and change the blending mode of the dark frame to ‘difference.’” This post-production technique removes the noise and gives a cleaner final image. How to Shoot the Night Sky (Introduction to Astrophotography)

11. Backgrounds How do you get your backgrounds to be either tact sharp or sufficiently blurred?

12. Backgrounds How to Shoot for Depth of Field In order to accurately shoot for depth of field (DOF), no matter which end of the depth of field 'scale' you want to shoot, requires some knowledge of it. It is the in focus' part of the shot. Shutterbug.net states it well, "Depth of field refers to the area in front of and beyond the point focused upon in which things appear acceptably sharp in a photograph." Some uses of DOF are:depth of field Landscape - Large DOF Portrait - Medium DOF Macro - Small DOF

13. Things that Affect the DOF 1.Of course, photographers want to know what things affect the DOF. They can use this information to manipulate the DOF to create the effects that they want. Actually, there are several factors that affect the DOF. 2.Aperture: Aperture has a very large impact on DOF. The smaller the aperture, the greater the DOF. 3.Focal Length: Increasing the focal length reduces the DOF. Conversely, decreasing the focal length increases the DOF. Thus, long lenses typically have small DOFs and wide angle lenses have large DOFs. This is one of the reasons that landscape photographers often use wide angle lenses. A wide angle lens combined with a small aperture produces a very large DOF. 4.Distance: The greater the distance from the subject, the greater the DOF. 5.Lens Sharpness: Lens sharpness has an impact on DOF. Sharp lenses create smaller circles at the sensor plane than do lenses that are less sharp. Consequently, the DOF increases. 6.Sensor/Film Size: The size of the sensor or film also has an affect on the DOF. For instance, most DSLRs have sub-full-frame sensors. Small sensors have greater depth of field and small cameras have short focal lengths, both of which increase the depth of field.

14. Make it work for you. You will always have some type of DOF in your shots so make it work for you, not against you.

15. Use the modes that your camera came with. That is the quickest and easiest way to get the right depth of field.

16. Learn what controls your depth of field and how.

17. A smaller aperture (F/22) will increase the DOF and a larger aperture {F2) will decrease the DOF. I use a saying to help me: One big opening. Meaning the closer you get to one, the bigger the opening or aperture.

18. Shorter focal length (50mm) will increase the depth of field and longer focal length (200mm) will decrease it.

19. Greater focusing distances (shooting further away from you) increase depth of field, while shorter focusing distances (shooting closely, like in macro) decrease it.

20. Learn to use your DOF creatively.

21. Learn your lens ‘Circle of confusion’ (CoC). The circle of confusion is defined as the largest blur spot that is indistinguishable from the point source that is being rendered.

22. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlQaiCPTFS4 http://www.cameratechnica.com/2011/02/07/109/ http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/depth-of- field.htm http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/depth-of- field.htm http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/diffraction- photography.htm http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/diffraction- photography.htm

23. Get sparkles on the snow Why can't I get the sparkles on the snow in my pictures? What settings do I need for this?

24. Get sparkles on the snow Try setting the F stop at 3.2 (the lowest it would go) and then back up about 10 feet from the sparkles and zoom all the way in.

25. Get sparkles on the snow With a point and shoot (or any camera) try using the macro setting and then zoom in and focused on your subject, and see if the sparkles all around the subject show up!

26. Or you can use Photoshop.

27. Macro picture What is the best way to take a Macro picture? I have trouble either getting too close and getting the picture blurred or not close enough and lose the effect I'm trying to capture.

28. Macro picture

29. Best camera settings for macro photography Use a tripod The depth of field is very tight in extreme close-up shooting, so it’s best to use a narrow aperture. It’s often better to focus manually on exactly the point in the frame that you want to be in sharpest focus. If you have live view on your camera turn it on and magnify as much as you can. Now use manual focus to adjust until you have focus where you need it. Macro picture

30. Best camera settings for macro photography Mirror bounce can also be a big problem in macro shooting, so use mirror lock-up. http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2012/09/26/how-to-stop-mirror-bounce-on-canon-and-nikon-dslrs/ Use a remote trigger. Try using a flashgun to give more effective illumination, which will increase fine detail and contrast. A ringflash is better still, as this gives a nice, even lighting effect for close-ups, without any unwanted shadows. Macro picture

31. 1 Shooting mode Use Aperture Priority or Manual shooting mode with a narrow aperture of around f/16. Very narrow apertures of around f/32 are likely to degrade sharpness, due to diffraction.

32. 2 Manual focus Switch to manual focus, then focus on the most critical point in the frame. If your camera has a magnified Live View option, use this for maximum focusing precision.

33. 3 Exposure Delay Most Nikon DSLRs have an Exposure Delay mode, which delays the shutter from opening for a second or more after the mirror flips up, giving the camera a chance to settle.

34. 4 Mirror up Most Canon DSLRs have Mirror Lock-up on the shooting menu or as a custom function. Use this in conjunction with a two-second self-timer delay, or with a remote controller.

35. Brand New Model Why do camera manufacturers, about every 18 months, open up the Aperture and provide a brand new model that has all the features that should have been in the last two models..?

36. Brand New Model The photographers skill is what counts, not the equipment they use. The equipment often does make the job easier.

37. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX76k-chflo&list=PL7ECB90D96DF59DE5&feature=c4-overview-vl Chase Jarvis, Lego Camera - DigitalRev TV

38. When should you erase a flash card? How important is a portfolio? AnswerAnswer What is the exposure compensation and what use is it? What mode should your camera be in when you go out on a general shoot? Is it better to underexposed or overexpose? AnswerAnswer Which might be the best option one 64 GB card or four16 GB cards? What can you shoot in bad weather? AnswerAnswer How can I get richer colors? What trick can you use to prevent a person from blinking when you take their photograph? How can you shoot in lower light without raising your ISO? For example in a church. On a regular basis as this might require a purchase. AnswerAnswer

39. The End

40. Portfolio of your best work is important so when you compile your best photos you’ll get our real sense of where you are on the journey and only then can you decide what you need to learn or do next. Post or print the best 24. Return

41. Right after the rain if it is cloudy and dark a perfect time to shoot foliage forests. Plus the water droplets on the leaves and flowers. Rivers and waterfalls if it’s storming as there is a good chance right after the rain stops and the sun peeks through for a very dramatic shot. A couple of minutes before the storm lets loose you can get some amazing skies and sometimes colorful lightning. Protect your gear! Return

42. It is better to slightly over- expose because there will be an increase in noise when lightening an under-exposed photo. Be aware of the danger of blowing out the photograph Return

43. You can try an inexpensive 50mm f/1.8 lens (for about $120) or better yet a 50mm f/1.4 (for about $440). These lenses allow you to hand hold in low light without boosting you ISO. They are lightweight and surprisingly crisp. Return