Blogging Tools

What you see there backwards is obviously me but also my camera. I've been getting a bunch of questions lately on photography and what camera and software etc I use when I blog so I though I'd show you.

My main camera is the Canon EOS 400D aka the Digital Rebel XTi. I've had it for 15 months now and it's my buddy.

I started out taking photos with an analog Canon T50 many years ago and even took a semester of photography classes after I left IKEA back in the late 80's. I never really got the hang of the technical stuff like aperture and shutter speed though so when I went digital I got point and shoots with some semi manual options. I quickly realized that with the cameras being digital the whole tech stuff got so much easier because you could see right away if you made a mess or succeeded in taking a decent photo so after a few years of pointing, shooting, and trial and error on semi manual mode I decided it was time for a DSLR.

 
I usually use the Av setting which means I choose the aperture and the camera helps choose the shutter speed. I mainly shoot still life and occasionally portrait and I like being in charge of the depth of the photo which is what the AV setting lets me do.

The biggest difference I noticed when I got my Rebel was that I was suddenly able to shoot in much darker circumstances without the photos getting super grainy than with the point and shoots. Very handy being in darkness so many months over here. 

My Rebel came with an 18-55mm kit lens which is perfect for starting out as there's some zoom which is both fun and useful. I still use this lens for most tutorials and all the photos on my blog and on Flickr from November 08 through October 09 were shot with that lens.

I got a tip in an online photography class I took to get a 50mm lens too which I did in October. It's the lens I use to shoot my 365 project. I love it! It allows me to shoot at even smaller depth which creates dreamier shots with much more focus on the subject than the background.

If you are looking for a simpler camera and are not yet ready for a DSLR I have two recommendations for you. One is the point and shoot I used for a year prior to buying the Rebel. It's again a Canon, for some reason that brand just works for me. The model I had was Canon Power Shot A720IS and I loved it! I still love it but it's been demoted (sorry!) to my "in the garage doing DIY" camera. If you want samples of the photos I took with it they are basically all the one's I started out with on Flickr from October 07 through Nov 08 and here on the blog too from the start.

The other camera in the shot above is Martin and Wille's Pentax Optio W30. The W stands for Waterproof and it's what they bring when they travel. It's been in the sea in Greece two years in a row, on the slopes of Zakopane, Poland and outside in the rain. Martin is VERY challenged when it comes to buttons on cameras and he strongly recommend this one for other non-techies who like to snorkel.

This pretty cool fish video was shot by Wille in Greece last summer in Siphnos with that very Pentax Optio W30.

So that was the hardware bit. Now to the soft.

I have to mention rule number one first. NEVER use the flash when taking photos! Wait for better light, get a tripod or lean against a wall or rest your elbows on a table but I repeat NEVER use a flash (unless of course you're a pro and know what you're doing). Flash photos are almost always flat and harsh looking.

So with that out of the way I'll just quickly tell you about what I do to the photos after I've uploaded them.

I hardly ever crop my photos. I like to compose them right there in the view finder. Sometimes a shot gets wonky though and I need to align it by rotating it a few degrees and then of course I crop the now slanted photo. I use Photoshop CS for this.

I only fairly recently started using Photoshop. I took an on-line class and learned the basics so now I know how to lighten a photo and how to turn a color shot into black and white and do some simple editing with layers. I also use Photoshop for adding the overlays on my 365 project photos.

There are other much cheaper options to edit photos though such as Picnic via Flickr so you don't have to get Photoshop. There's also a simpler less expensive Photoshop version called Elements.

When I'm too lazy to open up Photoshop or want a quick fix in a hurry I simply open the photo in Windows Photo Gallery which came with my lap top and either just choose "automatic edit" which compensates for bad exposure etc with a single click. Windows Photo Gallery also has other options to edit photos which are super straightforward if the automatic click was too drastic (it sometimes turns the photos a bit "blue"). There's also a crop tool and a couple of other things you can do. Before I started using Photoshop it's what I relied on.

That's basically it. If you've made it this far down in this post I congratulate you. I had no intention for it to get this long. It just happened.

Oh, one more thing, use the view finder to look properly at what you are shooting. Take the background into consideration before pressing the button and remove clutter from the shot. It will make a world of difference if that cable isn't trailing on the floor or that garbage bag isn't siting behind your subject.

Ok. Now I will stop.

Comments

[Natalie]

Very helpful, thanks! :)

[Natalie]

P.S. I don't understand the difference between cameras so I'm nervous about buying one for $800 and wishing I'd bought one that was $400. This is the one I was considering:

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-T1i-Digital-18-55mm-3-5-5-6/dp/B001XURPQS/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3AOHX8WA5S7F9&colid=1O1AYITMW25OM

Do you think it's worth the money, or should I go with the one you have, which is about $200 less?

I think the one I selected comes with a "kit"...though I don't know what that means exactly! lol

Any help would be appreciated :)

[Myblogswedishouse.blogspot.com]

A very informative and helpful post...:D Thank you Benita x

[Eternal*Voyageur @ Venusian*Glow]

A tip: the canon A720IS is not being produced anymore. It´s replaced by the A1100 and A1200 but these are downgrades rather than upgrades (they have no manual control). The camera that can take the place of A720 is the SX120 or the SX200. SX200 has more zoom, and is smaller, but we went for the SX120 because it uses AA batteries and the battery life is much longer than the lithium-ion battery of the SX200

[Robyn]

Great tips! My husband is the amateur photographer in our family, but this has given me food for thought about doing my own professional pics.

Could I ask what online photography course you did?

Thanks!

[Carlos]

Thanks for the info!

[Carlos]

There's a link to the person in the post, but unfortunately her classes are only in Swedish. If heard a lot of good about this class though: http://susannahconway.com/e-courses

[Carlos]

Kit means that you get the 18-55mm lens included. Without the lens you just get the housing and you won't be able to use it alone. A reason for not gettin the kit is if you want an different lens. It's usually more expensive to buy the housing and the lense separate though.

As for the one you're considering it seems to be a newer version of mine. I don't know what new features there are. Anyone else know?

[Carlos]

Can you tell there's no spell check in the comments? I keep mistyping when I'm in a hurry...

[valeria]

I use Picnik and it is super easy!

[Sarah Sarniak]

Thanks for sharing. I'd love to get a camera like that one day. Very cool

[Leslie]

Wonderful post! Funny, I use a point 'n shoot Canon and hubby has the Pentax Optio (non-waterproof). Oh, could the fish be this (it's called a streaked gurnard): http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3178/2937536969_57160bd2ac.jpg?v=0

Benita, do you have a macro lens that allows very close-up shots, like of flowers or insects? Do you ever use a telephoto for far-away shots, like for birds, wildlife, etc? I'm saving money for a nice camera and lenses that will let me do these things. Pricey but I've heard good things about the Eos.

Off topic: Love your hair short!! Do you like it better than the longer hair you had? Mine's long enough now to clip it back out of my face, but it's fine and stringy so I'm thinking I may go short. Do you think you could get Martin or Wille to shoot a side and back view of your haircut to post!?!?! Would love to see it. Thanks!

[Elaine]

Very good info and tips. Do you compress your photos before uploading them to your blog? Some blogs take f-o-r-e-v-e-r to load photos but in your blog all of the photos display very quickly. Thanks!

[Carlos]

I don't have a macro lens but the 18-55mm works pretty well for close encounters with bugs! I have an old tele for the T50 and I've heard you can use it for the DSLR too but you need to manually focus. Will try that sometime!

About the hair, I had an appointment to cut it on Monday but because I was snowed in I had to cancel. The new appointment is a week from today. It's way too long at the back now so keep trying to smooth it down with my hands so it doesn't turn up over my collars. I love it short though, so much easier and I feel relly good in it. Maybe after I cut it I'll sit on a swivel chair and twirl in front of the webcam for you?! :)

[Carlos]

My photos are pretty big, 1-5 MB each but Typepad resizes them for me. That basically means that while it can take some time for me to upload them you can view them right away :)

[CarolineB]

what a helpful and informative bit of info here. thank you.

[kristen]

benita, your haircut is fabulous.

[Messy@Bungalow'56]

I use the Canon rebel as well and have been using the AV setting as well. It is so easy to get great shots with this. I too just fiddle with the amount of light I need. I had a friend show me in about ten minutes and it has made a world of difference. It's made me lazy though, as I haven't felt the need to learn any more. Maybe it's time. I simple use my Mac's iphoto feature and I have all the photo improvement I need. I am very happy with the kit lens, my project 365 is proof in the pudding.
Thanks for the post Benita,
Loving my Canon Rebel,
Dana

[Lori]

Ack! I asked Benita about her camera the other day, and she said her point-and-shoot was the A720IS. I noticed it wasn't available, so I ordered the A1100IS. It hasn't even arrived yet, and I already have a downgrade ;-)

I think it will work for me, since I was just looking for a good compact camera I can carry in a small purse. (My bigger-and-better Canon doesn't get used as much as it should because I don't want to haul it around.)

[Messy@Bungalow'56]

My link above wasn't working in the comment above, but if you want to check out some photos from the Rebel from someone who only started three months ago this link should work.

[Sweetchic Events]

Wow, I didn't realize the Canon Rebel is so compact! I always pictured it to be bigger and clunkier. May need to invest in one of those soon...

And I looove your pictures!

[Messy]

So, did you ever find out what the type of fish was? ;-)
One question to Will or Martin if I may: how deep can that camera go? I'm going to do a lot of scuba diving (max. 18 m deep) in the near future and would love an underwater camera that doesn't break the bank, and it seems too good to be true, but if this one can go below a few meters, I'd be over the moon...

[urban flea]

cool! thanks so much for sharing your little tools with all of us! hope your week is going well my dear!

xo urban flea :)
http://www.urbanfleadesign.net

[Carlos]

They did find out!

The optio we have only goes down 3 meters (almost 10ft) but there are newer version like the W60 (4 meters/13 feet) and the W80 (6 meter/19ft).

[karen]

The fish is a flying gurnard
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dactylopteridae

[Natalie]

Thanks for the help! :)

[Cussot]

I have the Canon A720IS, but my photos are still rotten! Oh well - at least all it takes is battery power to practise!

[dede]

Off topic, your haircut looks really cute :)

[Marianne.]

I own a point and shoot. A Panasonic DMC FZ-28. I am very happy with it.
I used to own a analog slr. I kept buying lenses and had to carry around a big bag. I don't want that anymore, so I bought the Panasonic. Maybe when the Panasonic is old and I can keep myself from buying additional lenses I will buys a dslr

[Steph/seenonflickr]

Hooray for Canon! I loved my original PowerShot A510 and was so sad when it died. (I bought another Canon.)

All my shots are from my point-and-click Canon: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sfc/sets/

[Gosia]

Thank you for sharing these tips.

[Polly]

Thanks that was helpful! :)
I really want to get a waterproof camera or maybe just a special waterproof case you can get for some cameras for when I go on holiday. That fish video by Wille is pretty cool!
By the way... really random question but how do you pronounce the name Wille? I have been wondering for a while! Is it like Will or Willy or Will-aiy? Just wondering because I've never seen it before! :)
xx

[Carlos]

His name is actally William but over here it's pronounced Vill-ijam. We never ever call him that though. I've tried several times to find something that rhymes to how we pronounce Wille but I can't. I think the closest is probably Vill-EH.

[Polly]

Oh cool! Nice name. thanks for answering my random question!

[Jennifer]

I think Willie's fish is a goby. Which of the many varieties of goby? That I don't know.

[Caroline]

I once saw you talk about a flash cover/screen. Where can I find that again, please?
Love your blog

[Carlos]

I think you mean the Lightscoop. Here it is: http://chezlarsson.com/myblog/2012/01/lightscoop-love.html