Hello! Here are some pictures from a short vacation our family took a few weeks back. I had some other shots that I was going to post, and I wasn't able to finish some of these pictures that I'm posting because my computer crashed on me tonight! So, here's what i have to post. Enjoy.
Bottle of root beer in background :)
10 comments:
Hi, Jonathan!
I just found your blog & I really like your photos. :) What kind of camera do you use?
Hi Haley! Thanks for your comment I really appreciate it! I'm glad you like the pictures. Currently I am using the Canon 5D Mark II. I purchased it back in the spring, and I've been able to use it quite a bit! I really like it! The combination of this camera with the "L Series" lenses, or most lenses compatible for that reason, is superb. Are you a photographer yourself?
Jonathan
Well, I wouldn't really be considered a photographer - not yet - though I love taking pictures of anything & everything. I'm saving up for my first DSLR. I would LOVE to be able to afford something like the Mark II, but unfortunately I can't, not yet. :0) I'm pretty sure I'm getting a Nikon D5000, though if I had a few thousand dollars to spare, I would definitely go for one of the GREAT ones!!
What lenses do you use? Do you use Photoshop or Lightroom? & do you have any tips for an 18 year old, just getting into photography?
Oh, BTW, are you a Christian? I was just looking at the list of songs on the side there & saw the Bible verse you have up...
(Sorry for rambling :) )
A photo enthusiast then! That's great. My first camera was a little film point and shoot camera years and years ago, and my photography passion just took off from there! Several years later I saved up and purchased my first DSLR. It wasn't until I purchased that camera that I really learned how a camera operates, which completely changed my photography! I also had some professional help from some amazing photographers. I haven't done much research on the D5000. I don't know if you have looked any of the canon rebel cameras before because you can get a rebel for about the same price as the D5000 and there is a great lens that you can get for less than $100 dollars! I own it myself. Of course it gets technical as to why it's a great lens! lol It's something worth considering though, especially since you may not have made up your mind just yet. If you have any questions about cameras just let me know!
I own the 24-105mm f/4 L series lens and the 50mm f/1.8 (which is the lens for under $100). There is also a place that I can rent many of the canon lenses if I need to. I do edit in Photoshop! Are you familiar with both Photoshop and Lightroom?
How about this, how about you tell me your experiences in photography before I try to give you tips - that-a-way I don't undermine your intelligence. hehe
Yes! I am a Christian! I have also been blessed to grow up in a christian home:) I serve an amazing God!
I look forward hearing more about your experience's in photography.
Jonathan
Yes, I've considered the one of the Rebels, but I haven't looked at any of them in the store yet. I have messed around with the D5000 in Target, and I really like it. My pastor has a D20 and is trying to convince me to buy a Canon. :) He also has the 24-105mm & says it is a great lens.
I just downloaded the free 30 day trial of Lightroom 3. I had tried downloading Photoshop CS5, but I couldn't on my computer. :( I like messing with Lightroom, though. Ok, my experience in photography...
I got my first digital point-and-shoot for my birthday a few years ago, because I was always using my mom's. :) I unfortunately lost that camera, but then bought another one. I now use my Sony Cybershot DSC-W120. I use it pretty much every day. I started considering a new camera maybe like a year ago, when I started reading different photography blogs. Seeing all those great pictures made me want to be able to take ones like that mself! :) I get pretty frustrated at how limited my camera is.
So I started researching DSLR's, and saving up my money. Right away I saw that it was either going to be Nikon or Canon. What were some of the reasons that you chose Canon over Nikon or another brand?
Anyway, I am always reading photography blogs, trying to learn a bunch about photography so that I'm not totally lost when I get my camera. :) I especially like reading The Pioneer Woman Photography, she has lots of good tips & tricks. I'm always looking for new photography blogs to read, which is how I came across yours. :)
I was so ready to buy the D5000, but 3 people within the last week have tried to convince me to get a Canon - I'm torn! :/
If I decided to get a Canon, I would really like the get the Rebel T2i. I don't mind spending the extra $200-$250, but I do mind the longer wait! :) That's the only reason. I want it now!! lol
But I guess the longer I wait the better camera I can get. :)
Oh, I'm a Christian too. :) I've grown up in a Christian home and have been homeschooled all my life, and I get to go to a wonderful church that I absolutely love. :) And yes, God certainly is amazing. :)
Anyway, thanks so much for being willing to help me, I'd appreciate any advice you can give. :)
Haley
Jonathan, I love your photos! :)
Oh, the Nikon vs. Canon battle :) Yes, this does seem to come down to a choice between the two...lol Honestly, I have had little experiece with Nikon cameras. I have played around with one of their pro-sumer cameras that someone I know has, but that's about it. I owned a Olympus consumer DSLR prior to what I have now. It was a great start to jump from a point and shoot to a DSLR - there wasn't much to it as far as buttons and options. lol I have read that one complaint with Nikon consumer DSLR's is that there are not many options for lenses with many of the lower end cameras - consumer DSLR's. I haven't really looked into that yet, I've just heard that :) So, basically you might be limited in your lens selection. You could do some searching on that topic to see what you can find. I look back to my first purchase of a DSLR, trying to think of some advice to give you, and I think how excited I was to be getting a "BIG CAMERA." It wasn't until down the road that I found out the importance of not only the camera but the lenses! The lenses that came with my first DSLR were not that great! Two years later, I decided it was time to get a nice lens. So I bought one of Olympuses Super High Grade lenses, and it totally changed the look of my pictures! As time passed, I pushed and pushed that camera, but I just couldn't get anything more out of it. It was time to go camera shopping again! I talked to several people about my selections of cameras, and I decided to go with the Mark II. I wouldn't change my selection either! :) Now, don't get me wrong, these two companies are the top! They both have superb cameras and lenses. I think that Canon will give you more options for more lenses which might be better for you in your situation; however, the choice is yours :) lol My brother actually has the T1i and I've been very impressed. I also know a couple of people who have some of the XS series, which are great DSLR's to start out with! I don't know if any of this is helpful! I wish I could be more specific, but I've only used Canon and the people I know use Canon! :)
Well, I'd say that you are well on your way! Now it's just time for the camera. I think it's great that you are searching, studying, and reading blogs to learn as much as you can! I don't know how much you know about some of the technical aspects of how a camera works, but I encourage you to learn as much about the basic functions of a camera! Learn about shutter speed, ISO, aperture, and white balance (which are going to be your main controls, and I'd be more than willing to help you learn about them if you don't already know :) )! Use your camera in manual mode and give yourself complete control of your pictures!Photography is the art of capturing light, so if you learn how a camera captures light and how to control it you will be well on your way to showing your creativity!
I was homeschooled all the way through as well and I'm glad I was! Wouldn't have wanted it any other way! Do you have any siblings?
Jonathan
Thanks Claire!
Thanks so much, Jonathan!
When I first started looking at DSLRs, the only thing I didn't like about the D5000 was that there weren't as many lenses available as for Canon. But I've been looking for lenses, and there are three good ones that would work, that I will be saving up for after I get my camera. They are the 50mm, a 55-200mm, and (maybe?) the 60mm. And down the road (years later) I would like to upgrade - maybe a D700 - and then there would be even more choices.
My aunt has a Rebel - I'm not sure which one - and I got to use it a little bit this summer at my grandparent's wedding anniversary.
I wanted to take it home. :)
I know a bit about white balance and ISO, and it will probably be pretty easy to figure that out on my camera, but I've been worrying that I won't be able to figure out how to adjust the shutter speed. :/ Any tips, or will I be able to figure it out pretty easily from the owners manual?
Are there any books that you would recommend?
I know a lot of people recommend "Understanding Exposure." Have you read it, or any other book that really helped you? Or did you just sort of figure it out as you went along? :)
I'm so glad I've been homeschooled, too. :)
What curriculum did you use?
Yes, I have 5 siblings - two older sisters, and three younger brothers. (Which is why I need to know how to adjust the shutter speed! They are crazy and goofy - in a good way, of course! - and I want to be able to capture all that, and I don't want a bunch of blurry pictures! :) )
My sisters are both graduated & my brothers are 15, 12 & almost 9.
Do you have any siblings?
Thanks so much again for your time & help - I really appreciate it! :)
Well it sounds like you've got it all lined up! I do have this photographers blog that I look at and she uses the D700, she takes some great pictures. It definately sounds as though you've done your research which is good! Yeah, I've a few lenses that I really want to get; they're all prime lenses...and all are quite expensive!!
I don't really have any books that I recommend, I've looked at a few in some stores. I did have this one book by Scott Kelby which was really good. I've recently done this mini course by Kyle Taylor which was great and I recommend it. You can find out about it on his website! Shutter speed can be kinda tricky depending on what kind of lighting situation you're shooting in. Aperture is also important, this function is going to determine your depth of field and how much light the lens will allow throught the lens which will also affect your shutter speed. I love shooting in a narrow depth of field. That's why I love my 50mm f/1.8!! Think of shutter speed this way, the more light you have the faster the shutter speed! The faster something moves the fast the shutter speed you are going to need to capture that image without it turning out blurry! I talked to this one wedding photographer and he told me to think of shutter speed this way. You take a trash can with a lid on it, cut a hole in the top of it, that's your aperture (the amount of light that the lens allows to the sensor). The bigger the hole, the smaller the number, the more light allowed! So, now you need something to pass over that hole which allows a certain amount of time for light to pass through that hole to the sensor where your image is recorded. That's your shutter speed! Then there is ISO which is the sensors sensitivity to light. The higher the number the more sensitive the sensor is to light! That was one interesting way he told me to look at the relationship of shutter speed and aperture! I don't even know if that helps! LOL Sorry I don't have any books that I can really recommend for you, I've just figured most of this out by my own independent studying online and by simply taking pictures!! Maybe I can work on some posts about Shutter speed, aperture, and ISO...and maybe some other things! LOL
Throughout my high school years, I used Abeka for some of my work. It seemed to be the best for me! However, throughout all of my grade school years, and high school, I used several different curricula. Your house sounds about like ours! I have 4 other siblings. I have an older sister, a younger sister, and two younger brothers. We adopted two from China, one in 2005 and the other in 2007. They are 5 and 4! Their pictures on here somewhere :)
I'm glad to help you in any way I can! Let know if you have any questions at all, I'd be glad to answer them as best I can!
Jonathan
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