By Ian Magnuson
Executive Photos Editor
As the photographer of the Prospector, I will be posting photos each Wednesday night and explaining exactly how I captured the photograph for the aspiring photographer. (Note) I will try to water down the technical aspects, but this blog is directed towards people who have a basic understanding of cameras and how to compose a picture.
‘The Music Man’
This photograph was taken with a 18-55mm /3.5-5.6 during the JEA Trip to Minneapolis.
Photo Stats: Shutter speed of 1/25 sec, F-Stop of f/5.3, ISO speed of 1600, and no flash.
The Camera: I shot this photo with my Nikon D7000.
The Lens: 18-55mm, which is a cheaper lens, with a plastic mount, unlike the 50mm used in the last two weeks. In my experience, metal mounts are obviously more durable, but the lenses are more expensive.
I chose this lens because it was the only one at my disposal during the trip to Minneapolis. (My favorite lens is the 50mm beacause it is fast and sharp, but the 18-55 got the job done.)
Pre-Shooting: I had an idea of what I wanted the shot to look like, with the bell facing towards the viewer but the Music Man’s face still visible, which would introduce feeling into the photograph.
Shooting: When shooting, you want to look for the perfect angle that is both original and tells the full story. You should make sure the subject is completely in the photo.
Shoot often, but shoot smart.
I was using manual focus because i wanted the bell sharper and the Music Man’s face to be softer, but still visible.
Post Shooting: HDR is something one can do in Photoshop by either two things.
1. Taking three photos with different exposures. (Light, dark and regular)
or
2. (The easier option) Going into “HDR Toning” in the “Mode” option under “Image”.
This makes a cool photo awesome, but it does not work for everything. Some photos look very bad in HDR.
Like carvign designs into a banaster, HDR-ing a photo adds a great load of detail.
“Seventy-six trombones led the big parade / with a hundred and ten cornets close at hand / They were followed by rows and rows of the finest virtuosos / the cream of every famous band!”
