L lenses are nice , but they are not desireable just for optical
quality , as other "lesser" lenses come close. Generally the 1st
requirement for a photo is to be in focus , and in focus is a
"loose" term , as if you do a 100% crop on a 21" monitor the pic
might not be razor sharp , yet this might not be critical for
normal viewing etc, You normally find L lenses are a little sharper
than others , especially wide open. They also have other atributes
like being a little more ergonomical , less color casts ,
weatherproofing , build quality , smoothness of controls , faster
AF etc. You pay a lot for this too. So essentailly , the price of a
L lens is not directly related to optical quality. They do have a
special quality but nothing that will transform a pic from a lesser
lens , all things being equal , into a dramatic "WOW" pic. So don't
worry too much about them , they are often indulgences anyway. I
own a few L lenses and plenty NON L ones and dont feel my non L
lenses are a limiting factor.
The main thing about photography is visualization , you need to
know how your camera and lens will represent a certain lighting
situation and scene , your eye does not see what the camera sees ,
once you know this it's easy to visualize an outcome and you can
use the camera and lens as a creative tool to manipulate this to
achieve the desred effect.
There are various "rules" for composition and exposure and it
helps to have a "cheat" list when taking a photo and practice
following these rules till they become second nature , then go
break them
Photography can be a "capture the moment" thing , but often the
"sponteneity" is the result of a lot of thinking and pre
preperation. Going out and snapping away a million shots cos
digital film is cheap is actualy a little self defeating cos if you
KNEW a shot was gonna cost you , you might plan it better. You
might be lucky and get 10 keepers out of a 100 and one WOW shot ,
but if your shots are planned you will get a higher ratio. Having
said that , the best way to learn about the camera and the "rules"
is to go out and shoot a zillion shots.
Take the time to check things like the correct ISO , WB , camera
settings etc so that they are appropriate to shooting conditions ,
find alternate angles , check foregrounds and backgrounds for
distracting elements , get up close , use a monopod/tripod, shoot
when the light is good , bracket your shots and so forth. there are
a million internet resources as to photographic technique , read up
and set a target of perfecting em one by one.
When you dont have your camera with you train your eye to "frame"
shots , Ie when driving along look at the details around you and
view them as "wow" pics , think how you would frame them , settings
, lens etc.
Plan a day out to a venue , dont take the whole kit with , just
enough and use what you got , like go to the firestation one
morning and learn how shiny reflective stuff acts , how to do fill
in flash portraiture of the firemen in training , how to use close
up abstract detail on the machines etc etc.
Set yourself a realistic target when going shooting , 5 keepers and
one stunner perhaps?
In terms of processing As a start try a little more shaprening etc
in your camera , the 10D is conservative , set your parameters on
the high side and see if you like what you get out of the camera ,
try 1/3 to 1/2 a stop + exposure compensation , exposing for the
highlights is technically correct , but doesnt produce pretty pics
and a very mildly blown highlight with well lit midtones most folk
can live with. Do a manual WB for different lighting conditions ,
even outside. shooting RAW is the answer , but it does require more
post processing and doesn't let you learn that much about what your
camera is doing with its own algorithms. IMHO the worst thing one
can do is oversharpen in the digital darkroom using poor sharpening
strategies, so be conservative on that side.
Cull you shots ruthlessly , dump OOf ones , dont try make a silk
purse out of a sows ear , if it doesnt look good on previewing it
or out th camera, it's most likely not going to get a ton better
after post processing - at least not aesthetics wise. the less
postprocessing one has to do to get final output , the better -
generally , it's a real schlep having to dredge thru 150 pics and
having to process each one as to WB etc etc , get boring , takes a
ton of shooting time and so forth.
Iv'e been in photograpy for 28 years on and off , and I still class
myself as a newbie and am still learning. It's a wonderful world ,
combining the creative with the technological.
Rodney Gold
The nicest thing about smacking your head against the the wall
is.......The feeling you get when you stop
