#2 Squirrel!! Fire!! Treat!!

My Mom called me today.

She said: "I don't understand why you are wasting your time with this?"

I said: "I want to learn to take better pictures. I need a project to do that. This is perfect for me, since it's only one, maybe two pictures a week. Plus, it's about time that fat cat started earning his keep."

She said: "Well, I don't understand what the big deal about that girl's blog is? What's her name? Deuce? I looked at her blog...Your blog is WAY better than hers."

Aren't Moms the best:)

So, here is The Daily Chuck for today. (I would post them here, but she could like, sue me...so I'm just linking:/)

I figured out that my camera has a setting for multiple pictures with one click...which is good, because sticking things on my cat's head, is NOT easy...

Put it on his head...He looks down...plop...
Put it on his head...He looks down...plop...
Put it on his head...He looks down...plop...

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Right now, it's all about light source. Unfortunately for me, I live in Chicago. There is a reason why they film the Batman series here. There. Is. No. Light Here.

No light=Gotham City.

If I was a vampire...I would live in Chicago. 'Nuff said.

Right now, my biggest hurdle is focusing. It seems my camera does not want to focus on Smokey. Is he too dark? Do I need to light him up? I gotta get a grip on focus...perhaps it's my lens....

Oh to be one of the chosen ones with a light source up my arse...Heather (I'm calling you Heather...we're friends...right *shaking head no*) why is it you have the light source and I don't? I'll get it girl...I'll get it;)

22 comments

  1. Getting better!

    Have you tried just shining a light on him (maybe take the shade off a lamp and pointing it at him)? That way you can use your camera's semi-auto light metering.

    Also...when taking many many pictures at the same time, try to stay as steady as possible. I'm not sure if yours is a focus issue, or a stability issue.

    If your light really is that bad, your shutter speed may be too slow (needed to let in more light) and that could be causing the blur.

    Tripod? Or, use a shelf and see if your camera has a self timer continuous shutter feature. Even just leaning yourself against a wall, or your arm against a table can make a world of difference.

    Err after all that I looked again, and your foreground (the bed frame) is in focus. Hmmmmmmm

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  2. Right...I feel like it won't focus on him:/ It definitely focused on the bed. I tried to get it to focus on the box...wouldn't go for that:P

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  3. Do you have the auto focus set up to take the whole frame into account? You can change that. Here's what I'm talking about.
    http://www.photoported.com/af-frame-definition/
    Here's a list of AF settings for different Nikons. I forget which one you have. Basically you can change which part of your viewfinder the AF "points" to.

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  4. http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/af-settings.htm
    Opps, here's that link.

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  5. I did not know that. My Nikon is a D100. I know it's not the best...but it's pretty good.

    I had no idea I could set up the auto focus...guess I need to explore that like, now...

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  6. also try to put some distance between you and your subject and see if that helps a bit, sometimes just taking a step back and moving those feet will help your cause.

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  7. I thought stepping back might help...unfortunately, Mr Smokey was not cooperating:P

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  8. Do I dare admit that I totally recognize that block on Smokey's head?? Also, I like all the vibrant red around him. You're getting better already! =>

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  9. Have one of the kiddie shine a small flahlight in smokey's face! It gives a nice effect! (after you change your AF as suggested above).

    Loving this series!!

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  10. Keep in mind that you also have ISO settings you can adjust. When light is low, you can boost the camera's ISO setting as high as 1600 - although things can get 'noisy' at that ISO setting. Typical ISO setting would be around 200. 400 and 800 will get you through most 'low light' situations.

    The trick is to play with the camera. Take the same shot at different settings - see what the camera does - see what happens to the shot. THAT'S how you will learn to use that tool well.

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  11. To chime in on LceeL's comment...we used to do this in class. Just play with the different settings. But always writing down what we did for each so when we found a photo that worked really well we had notes to recreate.

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  12. Good advice Lou. What I try to do (only just beginning) is take a few shots without the stuff on the head. When I find what I think is good (don't know yet) then I put the prop on.

    I will take other pics. This project just forces me to work it into my day a few times a week:)

    Amber, taking notes is a good ides:)

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  13. Does your camera have the option of turning off your auto-focus? I have to do that sometimes and manually focus when the object I want to shoot is too small to 'lack' onto.

    The ISO setting, like Lou said, can make a big difference in low light, but is grainy if too high... but that can sometimes give the shot a cool effect.

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  14. For what it's worth, I'm far more impressed with this than with the Daily Chuck; as any cat owner knows, getting a cat to sit for a decent photo, let alone with a block on his head (!), is a feat nothing short of miraculous. Well played!

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  15. Legally Blonde Mel, you said it. Cat's don't like when you put stuff on their head. Smokey is not at all happy with this project:/

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  16. Does Smokey get tuna after a photo shoot?

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  17. Mom is awesome! I love that phone call! And the picture is too cute. I am beyond impressed you can get the cat to pose with the block on his head. Simply amazing. Can you teach that to my kids? ;)

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  18. Oh I have so much to learn when it comes to my DSLR... I love Pioneer Woman's tutorials. And now I"m going to have to stalk Lou's site to see what else he has to say about photography!

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  19. you know I support this project right? I love your kitty shots. :) keep at it. you can get there.

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  20. I don't know jack about taking good pictures, but I am going to enjoy your learning curve with Smokey!

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  21. I love what your mom said that is awesome!

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  22. Now I'm going through all of the Smokey Chuck shots. This is such a fabulous project. I already love your mom.

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