Helpful Hints

I know I have always had trouble remembering some things about my camera that always seem to come back to haunt me. I have since found some ways to never forget these important things!

Most of the time my biggest problem is forgetting to put the memory card back in the camera after I put them on my computer. I have bought multiple memory cards, so if I do forget I will always have extra. That is until I forget to put all of them back in the camera bag, which has happened more than once before.

Another thing I forget to do often is to charge the battery. In the early stages of having my DSLR, I learned that I need two batteries as well. I make it a point to charge each battery the day before I know there is an event. While one is charging the other is always in the bag so if I forget to grab it before I go I’ll still have a back up.

The third and final thing I always seem to forget is leaving the lens cap on after I start taking pictures. Now, I make sure it’s off before I even check to make sure I have a memory card in the camera.

I hope you are not faced with any of these horrible habits, but they are quite easy to break! Always check if you have a memory card, battery, and lens cap off and you will be able to capture great things! 

Camera Terminology From A-Z

People buy cameras and often times don't know what the terms or abbreviations mean. In this entry, I will explain those terms and take away all of the confusion.

Here we go!

A-    Aperture: The size of the opening in the lens that captures the light that comes into the camera sensor.

B-    Buffer: the temporary storage space in your camera where the image data is written before it is processed and written to the memory card.

C-    Compact Flash: A type of memory card that stores digital images and other data

D-   DSLR: DSLR is an acronym for Digital Single Lens Reflex. This allows you to see in the viewfinder the same image that you will capture.

E-    Exposure: The amount of light that hits the DSLR sensor. Exposure is controlled by the size of the aperture and the shutter speed.

F-    F-stop: Can also be known as f-number. The measure used to determine the relative aperture size of a lens. Divide the diameter of the aperture opening by the focal length of the lens.

G-    Gamma: The setting on your computers monitor that determines the brightness of the image

H-   Histogram: The bar chart on the Levels control.

I-     Image editing software: Software used to edit pictures after it’s on your computer. The most popular is Adobe Photoshop. You can find tutorials on everything dealing with Photoshop on YouTube. Many Community Educations programs also offer sessions to learn Photoshop.

J-     JPEG: JPEG is the type of file the photo is. It stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group and is the most common file format because of its compression format that keeps the sizes relatively small.

K-   Key light: The main light used for the photo session, which can also cause predominant shadows.

L-    Lens Cap: If you can’t figure out why you can’t see out of the view finder, look and see if your lens cap is still on!

M-  Megapixel: The standard unit of measurement for DSLR camera resolution.

N-   Noise: The appearance of unwanted color artifacts in digital images. Noise increases with both temperature and sensitivity.

O-   None L

P-    Pixel: Thousands and thousands of pixels make up a digital photograph

Q-   None L

R-    RAW: An unprocessed digital image. They take up more space on a memory card and take longer to write on the memory card.

S-    SD card: short for Secure Digital, the basic memory card for any digital camera or phone.

T-    Thumbnail: a small version of a photo so you can see all of your photos at once

U-   USB Cord: abbreviation for Universal Serial Bus. The easiest way to connect your camera to your computer

V-    Vignetting: Term for when the barrel of a zoom lens becomes part of the image creating dark corners.

W-  White Balance: A reference point in order to render all other colors naturally.

X-    None L

Y-    None L

Z-    Zoom Lens: a variable focal length lens that makes the subject appear closer than it is.

Of course there are tons of terms out there, but these are just some of the more important ones! I hope these terms help you in your future photographs and while your using your camera! Thanks to Digital SLR Glossary for helping with some of the definitions!

- Katie :)

Sports Photography

We’ve all seen those pictures on ESPN or in Sports Illustrated that blow our minds. How can one camera capture such great sports pictures? I will give you some tips I have learned and also show you some of my favorite sport pictures I have captured.

First, lets talk focus. I usually use autofocus on all sports. Some say for more fast paced sports such as hockey and soccer to use manual, but it’s less of a hassle if you leave your camera in autofocus the whole game. Another thing that could affect the focus on your camera is the orientation of your camera. Virtually all sports can be shot vertically, but is that always the way to go; not necessarily because your autofocus sensors will not be in line with what you are shooting.

Secondly, you can only photograph things you can see. For football, my preference is to stay in front of the ball so if there is an awesome catch or touchdown you will be closer to the action. During basketball games, I try and stay on the end sidelines so I can get the underneath shots. Hockey is pretty tough because there are seats all along the edges, but I try to stay on the side that the team is shooting at and off to one of the corners of that side. When taking pictures of players hitting during baseball or softball games I try to be on the side they aren’t batting from so you can see they’re bat go all the way through the hitting zone.

Thirdly, sport photography is mainly based off of being at the right place at the right time to get the best shot. Try to anticipate what will happen next with the plays. I often have my shutter speed set to about 1/125 to ensure that I will get enough time before, during, and after the play.

The most important part of shooting sports is knowing your sports and players.  Each sport is a different speed and style. Understanding basics of the sport you are shooting, the coaching style of the coach, and the characteristics of the players. All of these things will help get better shots during games. Baseball, softball, hockey, and soccer, are all sports that are ultimately unpredictable. This implies that knowing your sport and playing techniques will help you get the shots you want.

I hope all of these tips will help you get the awesome sports shots you want! Sports photography is my favorite and is the reason I got the camera I have.  Here are some of my favorite sports shots that I’ve gotten over the past years!

-- Katie J

Red Rock Central Football

St. Cloud State University's men's hockey team, coaches, and staff with the MacNaughton Cup!

Red Rock Central Basketball

Husky Productions's Alec Ausmus interviewing SCSU's head coach Bob Motzko as the cup heads to the locker room

Red Rock Central Basketball

St. Cloud State University Men's Hockey

Red Rock Central Football

St. Cloud State University Men's Hockey during the MacNaughton Cup Presentation

Red Rock Central Basketball

St. Cloud State University Men's Hockey

Canon verses Nikon

We all know that when you are trying to buy a new camera there are many choices of size, color, and brand. The two most common brands of DSLR cameras are Canon and Nikon. Both have cameras of reasonable prices and different features that the other doesn’t offer.

The cameras always come with a lens that is compatible with other types camera bodies. Canon’s most basic camera on the market right now is an EOS Rebel T3. Nikon’s most basic camera body is a D3100. Both have autofocus, LCD screens, and can shoot video as well as pictures. Of course there are other more advanced and high-powered bodies, but for people’s most basic needs of a camera, these are the simplest options.

Any lens you own for a Canon camera will be compatible with a Canon camera body. Most Nikon lenses will work too, as long as they are made after 1997.

Personally, I own a Canon 50D camera body with a EF 28-135mm lens. I use my camera mostly for shooting sports and school events. Everything seems to work great!

Now, the question remains, Canon or Nikon? If you are planning on using the camera for a creative purpose, I would choose Nikon. They tend to work better with manual focus rather than autofocus. If you are looking for a basic camera that will be used for multiple purposes, try each brand out. Look through the viewfinder, play with the lens, and see which one feels most comfortable for you.

I hope some of my tips will help you in choosing your next camera and feel free to comment on what you choose!

--Katie :)