2013 Photographic Goals

jonnyapple

This is a traditional end-of-year thread on NRF. Do you have any photography-related goals for the coming year?

I'd like to do some more with time lapses this year. I haven't done anything serious with them yet.

Also, I need to finish a fanciful 360 degree panorama that we'll use as a horizon overlay in my department's planetarium. I have taken all the shots of our surrounding mountains etc., I just need to stitch them all.

Ironheart

Buy a D400? Just kidding. I also would like to work on time lapse, I bought an apurture intervalometer specifically for this purpose as the built-in ones only go to 999 or 9999 photos. I also want to do some more star trails which are sort of a time lapse compressed into a single frame. I would also like to get a solar filter and image our closest star.

Symphotic

I have two:

Photograph comet ISON and take my son's UCLA graduation portrait.

mk2pop

i would really like to improve my bird photography, seeing so many greats on PAD every day inspires me 

but mainly i would just like to get more time shooting, ive spent all year working on my parents house and my own that ive barely shot anything this year 

Tiger

I'd like to do some serious clair obscur photography with any subject, portrait, landscape, or else. But I haven't really found the proper information on the net so far. If anyone can suggest a couple of web sites that could help me learn the technique I shall appreciate that.

As for the equipment, I'm happy with my D300 and glass, but I'd like some nice wide angle lens for my Nikon 1 V1.

A happy New Year to all admin and posters !

TheRidgeback

 I would also like to get a solar filter and image our closest star.

Ironheart, just google baader solar film and make your own, thats all i use.

I just want to get out and get some sunny photos, but we need all of this rain to stop overhere in good old Blighty. I'd also like to try and get some more sunsets and sunrises.

Mac.

Msmoto

@ ;Ironheart 

I use a Thousand Oaks glass filter for the front of my 400mm f/2.8.  It blocks about 99.999% of the light.  Cost is around $100 for an eight inch or so.  In shooting the sun, I was told one needs to filter the front as an internal filter (52mm drop in) for the large lenses allows way too much heat build up in the lens.

Now, my goals for 2013.  First is a continuation of creating images of the homeless and other street people.  Second, assist with getting some of the NRF members together and exploring the interaction.  And, third, more Nikon equipment,

studio460

1. Shoot a portfolio.

2. Shoot more paid gigs.

3. Buy a variable ND filter.

JJ_SO

Next year I want to do more macro and focus-stacks ”in the wild", since I now have the equipment (CamRanger and an LED ring light for the micro-Nikkors) I waited so long for. Didn't want to buy a laptop just for that.

Also, I want to travel to a place in Russia where my mother grew up 80 years ago, had to move at the end of WW II and see what I find there. I already have some imagination how it could look like. I'm a bit scared because I neither speak the language nor can read the Cyrillic words and it'll be not only a photo-challenge to me.

Doing more portraits and dance, but this will happen anyway and is a question of doing more and getting more experience. Even after +20 years of dance photography it sometimes is a miracle how a shot can grow together without purpose and without being able to plan it. Sometimes I focus a couple and in just one moment the autofocus is distracted and went to bystanders, watching the moment with big eyes )

jonnyapple

I'd like to do some serious clair obscur photography with any subject, portrait, landscape, or else. But I haven't really found the proper information on the net so far. If anyone can suggest a couple of web sites that could help me learn the technique I shall appreciate that.

As for the equipment, I'm happy with my D300 and glass, but I'd like some nice wide angle lens for my Nikon 1 V1.

A happy New Year to all admin and posters !

You'd probably have better luck with the search term chiaroscuro, Tiger. But I think you really want strobist.blogspot.com They have awesome stuff. Here's a good place to start:

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html

Here's a sample from earlier this month: 

shawnino

Strengthen my weak hand to improve my technique.

Tiger

You'd probably have better luck with the search term chiaroscuro, Tiger. But I think you really want strobist.blogspot.com They have awesome stuff. Here's a good place to start:

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html

Here's a sample from earlier this month: 

Many thanks Jonnyapple ! This is great stuff. I realize I have to work hard to get what I want, but it's all fun

Golf007sd

My goal this year is to shoot more video's using my gear. I'm sure at first lots of you will be laughing you asses off at me but, what the hell, if one cannot laugh at themselves, then they are the ones that lack self-esteem. As they say: "lights, camera, Action!" 

PB_PM

I have to basic goals for this year, get out and shoot more, second connect with more potential clients.

Golf007sd

jonnyapple  That was an amazing video/story. My hats off to those guys! 

framer

I'm hoping to get back to Alaska in June or July this year.  It's in the planning stages maybe I'll get to take a photo of Bulwinkle or Yogi.  No cruise this year maybe a motorhome or rent a car and B&B it.

framer

 

spraynpray

My goal this year is to shoot more video's using my gear. I'm sure at first lots of you will be laughing you asses off at me but, what the hell, if one cannot laugh at themselves, then they are the ones that lack self-esteem. As they say: "lights, camera, Action!" 

Good man Golf.  I applaud that sentiment and echo it.

lora12fan

My goals are to use more PSAM  settings and take camera off of manual.... i know i know kind of amatureish but i get so scared.... i feel i have got my positioning and all that in check now its time to take the next step.... wish i had this camera when i took the Photography Classes at Ivy tech!!

 

Msmoto

@ ;lora12fan

If you are using manual, then you can do about anything you want.  In DOF thinking, A mode, in action stopping motion, S mode, or A with minimum shutter speed.  But M mode is the way to go so often with Auto ISO.  No need to be scared, just shoot and make a lot of errors, then decide what you want to change to improve.

chrisjakes

my goal is to learn more about photography and all the different things you can adjust to capture the image you want.

Its nice to know the basics but the technical talk can get a bit confusing haha

spraynpray

The problem is people start with cameras that can 'do it for them'.

Back in the old days (tremble in voice), you could choose from full manual or not shooting so you had to learn what everything did from the ground up.  I am convinced that learning that way give a better grounding than trying to learn backwards from one of those blasted automatic modes!

chrisjakes

The problem is people start with cameras that can 'do it for them'.

Back in the old days (tremble in voice), you could choose from full manual or not shooting so you had to learn what everything did from the ground up.  I am convinced that learning that way give a better grounding than trying to learn backwards from one of those blasted automatic modes!

Yeah thats the idea.  I'm not one to put it on "auto" and fire away.  I'd rather know what i'm doing and why.... Its a challenging hobby and why it interests me

ChromiumPrime

• Master Lightroom 3/Photoshop CS5
• Assemble a DIY macro flash setup
• Shoot for hire

Ironheart

Why 3/5? Why not go LR4/CS6 if you are going to invest the time? 3/5 will be EOL by the time you master them :-)

ChromiumPrime

Cause 3/5 are what I'm stuck with

ChromiumPrime

@lora12fan

It really isn't all that scary to venture into PSAM territory.

P is almost exactly like auto except you have control over ISO and flash but the camera will still do the rest. It will give you control over shutter/aperture combinations if you want but you don't have to worry about that at first. Really great to learn about ISO.

S/A are just a step above P. You will have to set ISO and either shutter or aperture and the camera will set the remaning parameter. Obviously, you still have control over flash.

M will only takes it to the next and final step where you basically control all parameters; ISO, shutter, aperture and flash.

For some very easy and quick lesson, next time you take a photo try and take another photo immediately afterwards but set the camera to P this time and try to recreate the same exposure from the first photo. If the second photo comes out too dark or too bright, try to fiddle with the ISO a bit until you get a similar exposure.