by Janet Hickey
I recently posted a invitation to the club to attend the Lu Lu Shriner's Rodeo. Even though I'd given a few weeks notice, I appear to be the only one who attended the event. So... while this would not be considered a 'trip memoir' that I might post for a group, with every shoot, I learn something new (or remember something I knew). I decided to write this article and share what I re-learned Three dates were available and I chose Sunday because the rodeo would be held early afternoon. I have an older camera and I was looking to minimize issues with noise at higher ISO speeds. I brought my mono-pod. Even with all the prep and some thought, I relearned some important lessons during my excursion. Thinking it through; what are the basics?
Where did I go wrong? What didn't I think about? I had my mono-pod. Did I use it? No. Thinking that I had plenty of light and that the 'pod' is sometimes annoying, I chose to 'forgetaboutit'. My reasoning? I had company on that row and the stand would vibrate with their movements. The mono-pod sat on the floor of the stands. Because I was using my camera zoom capabilities, I probably would have had sharper images if I had used the mono-pod vs hand-holding. I should have at least tried it. I relied on hand holding the camera while I used a zoom. The general rule for setting your speed is 1 divided by the focal length of your lens. So if you have a speed of 1/125, you can use zoom to 100mm. IMy zoome was in between 300-400mm. I should have used a speed of 1/250 to 1/500. I wasn't anywhere near that criteria with my f-stop and ISO speed. I could have raised my ISO and taken a little hit on the noise. it would have helped and the images would still be very good vs slightly blurry. I was excited and often forgot 'technique'. Take a deep breath, exhale, hold the camera still with your elbows at your side and press gently. There was so much going on, my technique became shoddy. I tried to keep the camera moving with the animal, pressing the shutter and often failed to get the image I wanted. I should have allowed a wider image to allow for cropping. Panning is a great idea, but it does takes practice to get an image in motion that looks good. Have you tried getting a sharp image while panning? Unlikely, but you have to have a camera that tracks the subject and provides excellent image stabilization. (You can almost hear me say it - time to buy another camera.) And finally..... It was a great day to get out of the house. I saw the bareback and saddle bronc riding and the bull riding. The rodeo arena was posted this year with signs that stated 'no video or photos', however, after speaking to "Illustrious Potentate" Bill Adamson Sr, I was assured that as long as I was in the middle of the stands and not high up and in the corners of the stands, and if I promised to only take still images (not video), I would be able to take photos. The cowboys do not like their competition viewing their secrets; their successful techniques earn them money. Here are some of the images from the Lu Lu Shriner's Rodeo this year.... == |
Last Updated on Monday, 14 November 2011 08:34 |
So you have a digital camera? The basics still apply…
So you have a digital camera? The basics still apply...
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