PhotoNetCast #43 – ISO, Panormas, Fine Art papers, Books On-Demand, Kit lenses, and how long will it take until the birds start coming?

Catch-up episode on listener questions: we cover ISO, panoramas, Fine Art papers, printing books on-demand, kit lenses, Lightroom and bird photography.

In the past weeks we have been getting some questions from our listeners, which are very much appreciated. Unfortunately we did not have the time to dedicate the time to them as they deserve, so #43 is a catch-up on those unanswered questions.

A wide variety of topics came up, from ISO to stitching panoramas, assembling and printing books on-demand, comparing kit lenses to more expensive ones, Lightroom and bird photography.

To help us with the task, we invited Aggie Villanueva and Joan Hunt to join us on the call. Thanks gals, it was a pleasure.

And here are the questions that we’ve tried to answer:

  • Daniel Roberts: Hi photonetcasters. I know that one of the settings in my camera allows it to select an ISO value, for a certain aperture and shutter speed. Somehow this feels like giving up too much control. Are there any benefits or disadvantages for using this setting?
  • Isabella Campbell: When I shoot several images from one location intending to stitch them together for a panorama, I get the usual distortion on the sides. What is best, to compensate for the distortion on PS or shoot from different locations trying to get all the frames "front facing"?

  • William Watson: Hello photonetcast crew and listeners. I’ve noticed that you don’t approach too much the subject of printing on the show. It would be good to dedicate one show to the topic as I’m sure many listeners would like to know more about it. The question i have for you is, for fine art prints, what paper do you use/recommend? Is there a main brand you use? What about whitening substances, do they affect the outcome of the print?

  • Barton Ebanez: Hi guys. I want to print a coffee table style book with some of my work. Is there any service you recommend for this? I don’t want any mass production or anything like that, just a copy or two. Still on the topic, is there any process to help me select what images to include? I have way to many that I’d like to see included. Thanks and keep up the great work.
  • Rob Rega: I’m thinking about purchasing lightroom and have a few questions: 1) Can I selectively change exposure of one area of the photo (i.e., assume I have a backlit shot with the main subject underexposed)?; 2) does it include traditional photo editing functions like selecting objects, cloning, removal, etc.?; and 3) does the educational version support raw files from a Canon 40D?
  • Mateo Walburn: I just upgraded from a small camera to a dslr and one of the advices the salesman gave me was to invest in some good lenses since the kit one is usually bad. Is this true? And if     so, if you had only one lens that you could buy which one would that be?
  • Joseph Miller: Hello. I’m interested in wildlife photography, in particular bird photography. I’ve been reading online that one of the best ways to photograph smaller birds is to assemble a bird feeder and photograph the birds while their approaching or standing nearby. Any of you have any experience doing this? I mean, how long will it take until the birds start coming? I know this is a weird question, but any insight is appreciated.

 

Show Notes

 

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PhotoNetCast #34 – Street Photography

In this episode approach Street Photography: from legal issues to equipment and also a touch on the creative side, we try to give an overview of what is capturing “living moments” on the street.

Street Photography

 

Probably one of the most enticing types of photography happens on the streets. Capturing that unique moment that not only represents the instant but is capable of transmitting emotion requires not only a huge amount of practice but also an extraordinary eye for detail and proficiency in composition.

In this episode we start approaching this topic and we’ll probably expand it with the help of some guests in a future show. From legal issues to equipment and also a touch on the creative side, we try to give an overview of what is capturing "living moments" on the street.

As always, your comments of the topic are truly appreciated. Share your experiences with us.

 

Show Notes

 

News

Street Photography

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PhotoNetCast #32 – Questions from our listeners

A full episode dedicated to listeners’ questions. We cover tripods, assignments, Lightroom and much more.

Questions from our listeners: tripods, assignments, Lightroom and much more…

 

In the past weeks we have been receiving some questions from our listeners but, usually due to time constrains, we have not been able to provide suitable answers. So, #32 was reserved just for that.

If you have any photography related questions, please feel free to drop them on a comment, contact us using our contact form, email us directly using photonetcast ((at)) photonetcast.com or, why not, follow the show on twitter and send your questions there (can you do it in 140 characters or less?).

Here is the list of questions we answer today:

Jonas Hakins

"I’ve recently upgraded from a P&S to a dSLR. I’ve read much about using tripods to increase sharpness in photos and I was thinking about getting me one. Any advice? Carbon or normal? And what about the heads? Ballhead or plate? Help!!!

Also, I’m thinking that going around always carrying a tripod might not be the best solution. Just the idea of for every photo having to setup the tripod is enough to put me off. What do you guys think about this? Do you always use tripods?

And keep up the great work with the podcast. Cheers."

Fiona Brooks

"Hi. I’m specializing in interior decoration photography and I was interested on your thoughts about giving up your rights on assignments. In the past months I was contacted by at least 3 publishers that wanted me to do some assignment work for them, mostly decoration products and furniture, but on the condition that all the copyrights revert to them on payment. It bugs me that some of these photos could, later on, be sold as stock to other companies. What is the standard nowadays?"

Rolf Kalrsson

"I group my photos per year when importing to Lightroom (and on the PC). I let Lightroom create a folder with the date the photo was taken when importing. Lightroom has created two folders named 2009. On the PC there is only one. When I drag a folder, say 2009-01-01 from one of the 2009 folders to the other, Lightroom says that it already exists. How can I correct this problem without removing the photos and re-importing them. I have already adjusted the photos so I don’t want to re-do that. I would be grateful for your help. Many thanks in advance. /Rolf"

Dave Hook

"I’m not sure if you’ve ever mentioned it or not on one of your earlier shows, but now that you’ve reached the one year anniversary, I was wondering how did the four of you start getting together? It appears that you are all from different locations.

Thanks,
Dave"

Michael

"It would be informative if, at the beginning of each podcast, each of you discussed the last shoot you’d done."

Peter Perez

"Hi guys. First of all I want to congratulate you on your first year of PhotoNetCast. It’s one of the photo podcasts I never find boring. I have a question that you might help me with: I’m thinking about getting one of those Wacom tablets for precision editing inside LR or PS. Although not overly expensive, I’m still in doubt if the money would not be better employed on some other gear like a new lens. Have you used one, and if so, do you recommend it? Looking forward to get many more episodes of PNC."

Mary Jones

"Quick question that you might answer on the show. I’ve upgraded from Adobe bridge to Lightroom (in part due to your recommendations) and now I have the option of storing my files as raw data, tiff or dng. While tiff or dng may sound like a good idea, the amount of storage needed for these huge files makes it almost colossal. Are they really needed or should I just go with the old jpeg? Thanks for your nice conversations"

Makingpixels

"I have a tendency of rejecting a lot of images that others like. How do you stop from being so critical of your own work."

Many thanks to everyone who contributed to this show.

Do you like the show and think that we provide some value?  Write a small review on the iTunes store. If you do, please come back and write us a comment so that we can properly credit you on the show. Thanks.

 

 

Show Notes

 

Tripods and Heads: The Ultimate Ballhead Guide

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