Scott Kelby, tripod, ISO and what do you do?

[Aino]

I just got Scott Kelby's two volumes on digital photography - good books with a wealth of valuable info and tips - just not long enough - cause I have read them both already.... but those are books to keep in your camerabag for sure and will be dog-eared in not too long...

My question:
He talks about the importance of using tripod -
how many of you ladies use a tripod in every day life???

I have one, but am finding it hard to use in everyday life with my two little ones that I generally photograph.
I can understand using it for more artistic work/macro/landscape etc - but how to incorporate into daily life photography??

Another thing: I generally try not to use a flash (for the time being, I only have the autoflash on the camera, a Nikon d50) - but will rather increase the ISO for inside shots - have been known to go up to 1600 even - thinking I'd rather prefer the noise (will run a bit of Noiseninja though) to the blownout flash look....
I got the feeling from his books that raising ISO was not a good idea, but rather use external flash pluss pluss pluss a bunch of items that certainly I cannot afford yet....

How do you feel about this issue?

[Chives]

Oohh, great questions because I wonder the exact same things reading through the same two books you mentioned...

[bluelemur01]

I rarely use a tripod for "everyday" photos of people & my daughter. To avoid shake blur, I use my fast lenses (they open up to 1.8 or 1.4), shoot with wide aperture in bright light, or like you, I bump up the ISO if needed.

But I also use my offboard flash frequently. I think it's a priceless investment and def. worth the $$ you'll spend. You can take photos that you could not get, even with 1600 ISO, and they'll turn out quite well. I OFTEN point my flash at the ceiling and bouce the light; this avoids harsh shadows behind someone's head and allows me to get indoor shots with dim light. I LOVE my offboard flash!

I would recommend getting the most powerful offboard flash they make for your camera, b/c when you bounce light, you also lose a lot of light, so the more powerful flash allows you more light in tough situations. I also often diffuse my flash by placing a diffuser over the flash. This way I can point the flash at someone and still avoid that overflashed look.

Sometimes I actually prefer the offboard flash to natural light + high ISO, becuase I can avoid the grain and I get more natural looking light. But it's all a preference thing, and many times I prefer high ISO + natural light. It depends on the setting. My best photos never seem to be the high ISO ones, though...how about you?

Back to tripods: I've used them for still life photos, esp. of flowers at wide apertures. I also use the tripod for portraits sometimes. And it helped get me really crisp, sharp photos that I could not have achieved any other way. But again, for my wiggly 1.5 yr old, there is NO WAY I could use a tripod!

HOpe that helps!
J

[Chives]

When purchasing a flash, should I go with one made by the same manufacturer as the camera (mine is Canon), or does it not matter?

Also, does a flash add more "complications"? My head is already spinning with aperture / f-stop, shutter speed, ISO, exposure compensation, etc. With an off-board flash, are there more things to set and worry about?

[bluelemur01]

You can go with the name brand, in your case Canon, or you can go with a 2nd party that makes flashes that fit your Canon. If you decide to go with a 2nd party flash, such as Quantaray, make sure you buy the one that is made specifically for your make & model of camera, otherwise it may not work properly (or at all!) on your camera.

If you go with the Canon flash, you'll be guaranteed that the flash will work perfectly with your camera in all situations. Some 2nd party flashes don't have all the features that a Canon flash will have. However, they are also a lot cheaper and they do work quite well.

In general, check the guide number: the higher the guide number, the more powerful the flash. I always think it's best to get the most powerful flash esp. if you plan to bounce it, which is pretty much one of the main reasons to get one! You lose a lot of light when you bounce, so the higher guide # flash means you'll get more light even when you bounce it.

good luck!
Jennifer

[Aino]

Thanks Jennifer for your insights.... I agree with all your points - both on tripod and flash.... and I will be wishing for a flash for my b-day!!

[iUma]

I started snooping around on the web and found this which might be of interest. The entire site seems very useful and highly regarded by the photo world.

http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/

Also check out this thread about external light...
http://www.dpchallenge.com/forum.php...READ_ID=738027

THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW TO LEARN. This comforts me at midnight when I think I can get it all before I go to bed!!

[bluelemur01]

I've actually been thinking of getting the Gorillapod, which I *might* actually use on the run, as long as I have my husband or a family member around to help with my daughter. They look pretty cool and easy to use and cart along.
http://www.joby.com/
There are definitely times when I know I *should* use a tripod to get a crisper picture, but it's just not easy to do...so this might be better than using my honking big old tripod!

My 'real' tripod is a Manfrotto ball head and it's AWESOME. It's so easy to use the trigger handle to adjust the head. I use it a lot for portraits and have used it for still life and flowers. But it's just to hard to use for kiddos!
J