Some Nighttime Playing Around

It was too cold to stay out for long, but last night I took a few pictures. I'm working right now on getting more of an instinctive feel for the relationships between aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Nothing particularly interesting here, but I enjoyed taking them. Everything was shot with the 50mm/1.8.

F1.8, 1/30, 800



F4.0, 1/6, 800



F1.8, 1/40, 800

First 50mm Pics and Flickr

So I rushed home tonight to give the 50mm prime a try. Aside from not being able to zoom, the lens is much faster than the kit lens I've been using, and as such can get a much shallower depth of field. I'm used to using the macro mode on a P&S camera for the kinds of food pictures I normally take, so it's going to take me a while to get used to this new setup. nothing here is particularly artistic, I know, but it's a start.

I've also started a Flickr stream.

Getting Started

When I decided to jump into the world of d-slr photography, I spent a lot of time reading and asking people whose opinions I trusted about what I should get right away and what I could probably hold off on. First, I knew I'd need a camera. I already knew that the body I chose was going to be a little dependent on what lens system I wanted. While there are other companies that make SLRs and lenses, I decided early on that I wanted to stick with either Canon or Nikon, since I wanted as much flexibility as possible as far as lenses down the road. Initially I was leaning towards the Nikon D40, mostly because it was the cheapest offering by either company and I'd hoped it would be a good starter camera. I ended up choosing the Canon because of the Nikon's lack of an AF (autofocus) motor in the body. This meant that many of Nikon's lenses wouldn't have the ability to autofocus. Manual focus certainly has its place, but not having the ability at all with many of Nikon's lenses ended up being a big factor for me.

So, I chose the Canon Rebel XS, Canon's entry-level offering. I considered buying a used 20D body instead, but I didn't for a few reasons. One, I liked the idea of getting a kit lens - I'm still learning, and from what I've read the 18-55 IS lens that comes in the XS kit is a decent all-around lens to learn on. It would probably have been one of the choices I'd be looking at if I'd bought just the 20D body, and buying it separately would have added to the price. I could have bought that used, too, of course. I also don't know anything about buying used cameras - what should I be careful of, for instance? I'm all for buying used in general, but I liked the idea of getting this new, since I could be confident everything worked fine out of the box. Lastly, the XS is a little smaller and lighter, and I'm planning on using this camera to take pictures when I'm out at restaurants, and that makes it easier to carry with me. This was the least important to me, as I think the build quality and other advantages of the 20D would have more than made up for the XS's size advantage.

So the XS with the kit lens was a good start, but I knew that a camera's only as good as its lenses, but I really had no idea where to begin picking out any others. What would I really need? After a little Googling, I ended up at this page, which was plainly-written and very informative. I wanted to keep my initial foray into photography as inexpensive as possible, but it seemed to me that the 50mm/1.8 Prime lens from Canon would serve me well right from the get go. It's fast and sharp, even in low light which is where I do a lot of picture taking of food. It's also pretty cheap when it comes to camera lenses, and seemed to be a really great value.

Of course, that's no the only lens I want, just the only one I've bought so far. Photography has instantly appealed to my gadget geek side - there are already a good dozen lenses I've read about that I'd love to own, totaling more than a few thousands of dollars. Add in bags, filters, flashes, etc, and the hobby quickly enters the realm of "money sink," not unlike guitar playing.

For now, I'm going to stick with the kit lens and the 50mm and see how far it takes me. I imagine I'll want a good telephoto lens at some point, as well as something wider than I have. I'll also probably want a better general-purpose zoom lens as well.

As for books, I bought three, only one of which I've had time to actually go through. All came pretty highly recommended by people whose opinions I trust, and I'm hoping they'll serve as a good introduction to the art. The first, and the only one I've read so far, is The Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby. This is less a book on theory than a "here's a bunch of really good tips and tricks" book. The author doesn't spent much, if any, time telling you why something works, just that it does. For a more thorough background, I ordered Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson and The Camera by Ansel Adams.

I already had a tripod from my days as a wannabe filmmaker in junior high and high school, so that's one expense I was able to avoid. I picked up a 4GB SD card for $9 as well. I'm still waiting on a camera bag and filters, though I imagine I'll be getting some of that soon. It's just too tempting.

How I Make Photo?

One of the things I've enjoyed most about writing Clinton Hill Foodie over the last year or so has been taking pictures of food. Now, I readily admit I don't have much idea what I'm doing, but it's been a lot of fun and is probably the most commented on aspect of the blog. A week ago when taking pictures of a pumpkin chocolate cheesecake, my trusty little Canon SD1000 bit it - the outer lens ring snapped off. It still works, but it's going to need some fixing before it's back to 100%.

I took the opportunity to purchase a Canon Rebel XS D-SLR so I could start taking photography a little bit more seriously. I'm starting this blog to catalog my picture taking, amateur as it may be. This is mostly for my own benefit, as I've found with the food blog that having a venue for presenting my work to others has helped to keep me producing as well as try and continually raise the level of what I do. It's been fun with food, and I'm hoping it will be so with photography. This blog will chronicle my personal journey as a photographer, we'll see whether it bears any fruit.

To begin, here's my setup so far, meager as it is:

Canon Rebel XS (1000D)
Canon EF-S 18-55mm 3.5-5/6 IS Lens (included in the kit)
Canon EF 50mm 1.8 II

The 50mm just showed up today, so I haven't had a chance to use it yet. I imagine it will be the lens I'll shoot food with most often, as I'm hoping it will perform will in the low-light environment of my kitchen.

Anyway, here I go. It's always fun to start a new hobby. Also, I'm aware that it's kind of silly to post in a photography blog without any photographs, but I'm still getting used to the new camera. I'll do my best to make sure this is one of, if not the, last posts without any pictures whatsoever.