Chap. 2 (1/2 of 2) Aperture (pages 36-51)

[mom to 4]

Here we go gang!!! Chapter 2, Aperture. We are going to work on 1/2 of chapter 2 this week. From page 36 through 51. The other thread will still be available for those of you who (like me) may have stuff to still complete. If you need to post back there, you may want to just post a note here saying you posted there....

I should still have 2 good weather days here ..... lots to catch up on!!!

Congratulations to all of you who mastered the first chapter. Helpful???????

Good luck with chapter 2!

EDIT: Oct 25, 2007

Here is the link for chapter 1

http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com...ad.php?t=29371


Here is the link for Chapter 2 (second half)

http://www.photoshopelementsuser.com...ad.php?t=30434

[bayhli]

I experimented with presetting the depth of field, just using the settings in Bryan's examples. (page 39). I can sure see this being useful for landscapes on a tripod.

It states that "the focal length will determine which distance you choose". Edmund or Lee, could you elaborate on how you figure out the distance you need to set in relation to the aperature (DOF) being used?

As an example, wanting everything sharp Bryan used a 2 foot distance setting on his lens, with a f/22 DOF aperture; focal length was 20mm - how did he come up with that distance setting?



The depth of field preview button is a little frustrating but I was finally able to see the difference. Will take some practice to feel comfortable with this feature - not sure that I want to even use it.

Thanks.

[gsansoucie]

Originally Posted by bayhli

Wanting everything sharp, Bryan used a 2 foot distance setting on his lens, with a f/22 DOF aperture - how did he come up with that distance setting?

At f/22, make sure your lens and sensor are clean and free of dust. . .

It is that sharp.

[bayhli]

Hi gsansoucie,

Yup, that's good advice; my landscapes usually need some level of cleaning up dust spots after-the-fact.

[LeeOtsubo]

Originally Posted by bayhli

...It states that "the focal length will determine which distance you choose". Edmund or Lee, could you elaborate on how you figure out the distance you need to set in relation to the aperature (DOF) being used? ...

This is where you need either a DoF calculator or a hyperfocal distance (Hd) chart. Actually, it's good to have both.

For example, if you're using a Canon 17-40/4L at 40mm, f22 and the closest object you want in focus is 5ft away, my DoF/Hd calculator tells me 12.4ft is the closest I can focus to get infinity but my near distance is only 6.18ft. Focusing any closer reduces my far distance from infinity and focusing farther increases my near distance. IOW, I can't get there from here. So, if you want to include an object that's 5ft away, you can back up but what if there's a cliff behind you? You can change focal length to 35mm and now, you can focus from 4.75ft to infinity. But, what if that ruins your composition? You can change aperture to f32 and that allows you to shoot at 40mm focused at 8.95ft and your near distance is 4.4ft.

You can use the DoF control on your 30D but I find those things to be a pain, especially when you're trying to take a shot in early morning or late afternoon light. That's why I always recommend DOFMaster loaded onto a Palm Pilot to quickly calculate these things in the field.

If all this sounds like gibberish, I'll set up a short Webcast for you so I can demonstrate how DOFMaster works on their site.

[bayhli]

Hi Lee, thanks for responding.

Your explanation is nice and clear as always.

I am familiar with the DOF Master, probably from your workshop, but haven't attempted to use it. I have a palm and thought I downloaded it but don't see it on my system. So, this is the type of thing you use it for.

I'll do a refresher at the website and then come back to you. Thanks for offering a short webcast if needed, very generous of you.

[bayhli]

I experimented with presetting DOF again, but again only using Bryan's settings and composing within that. The exposure itself is not good as the lighting was too uneven and the result is a shadowed shoreline and a washed-out sky.

As far as the preset for DOF I didn't do a good job of that either but I'm not surprised as it was so experimental. I should be able to attain better sharpness near-to-far. However, I decided to share it anyway and will keep on practicing. Settings were on Manual, f/22, 1/250, ISO 250, 20mm, lens distance to 2 feet

Up to this point I've only ever used "focusing one-third into the scene" for landscapes.

Lee, I did download the DOFMaster for both the palm and Windows and read through their instructions. A short webcast on it's use would be beneficial as there were a couple of confusing spots - IF and WHENEVER you have a few minutes to spare; there is certainly no hurry.

My companion is "Maggie", a friend's very sweet dog.

[bayhli]

Wondering what people's thoughts are about what we've just read; any thoughts, questions, discussion to get us talking ....?

I'm having trouble finding/recognizing a suitable story-telling scene to photograph - one that has a simple beginning, middle and end and that is photo-worthy.

[nkeevers]

I'm having trouble finding the right "story-telling" photo too so don't feel bad! But I have learned a lot in the first chapter. Now I know how to set my aperatures and and able to set the right shutter speeds for a "correct" exposure. I actually went to a car show yesterday and all my pictures came out sharp...and that was using manual. I put one of them as my main image in my gallery.

Of course, I didn't use the new lesson's DOF techniques...I'm still having trouble understanding somewhat. I have a DOF button on my camera but I don't always see the changes. I'm reading it again for the 3rd time.

So...I blurred the background in the gallery picture...I cheated!

[bayhli]

Norma, what a great shade of pink that car is! The image certainly does look nice and sharp - curious to know what settings you used for aperture and shutter speed etc if you have that info available to you.

Glad to hear you learned all that already! I think it's only me who has a problem relating to Bryan's style of writing.

I don't see myself using the DOF preview button much, at least at this stage. I had to first see something blurred before I could see it sharp using the preview and now that I have that's good for that!