# Not sure if I'm posting in the right place...



## PatchesOfInk (Apr 9, 2012)

So I'm not sure if I'm posting this in the right place or not, if I've got it wrong can someone let me know where to move this post to please.
Anyways here are some shots of my animals that I regularly take pictures of because they fascinate me so, they're so expressive in their movements and with their faces that I think a lot of people don't really notice them enough to really get the fully effect of them and just to enjoy them. 




Title: Stand Tall and Proud
Model:Willow


Title: Easter Gecko
Model: Tara


Title: Photographer Boy
Model: Ezra


Title: Country Bumpkin'
Model:Bailey


Title: Pretty Little Girl
Model: Bailey

All pictures taken using my Canon EOS 400D with 18-55mm kit lens and edited in Light Room 3. 
Let me know what you think?


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## cgipson1 (Apr 9, 2012)

Just for fun is fine for posting.. unless you want C&C! This is basically a non C&C thread.. although it happens occasionally!  Cute, but all are a little soft.... too bad, nice subjects!


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## PatchesOfInk (Apr 9, 2012)

cgipson1 said:
			
		

> Just for fun is fine for posting.. unless you want C&C! This is basically a non C&C thread.. although it happens occasionally!  Cute, but all are a little soft.... too bad, nice subjects!



What do you mean by 'a little soft'? Sorry, I'm new and I don't know all the terms. I'm still learning.


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## cgipson1 (Apr 9, 2012)

PatchesOfInk said:


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They aren't as sharp as they should be... could be a number of things. Web compression, lack of sharpening in post, too slow a shutter speed.. and my #1 suspect... a LARGE APERTURE (with the resulting minimal DOF "depth of field")!


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## PatchesOfInk (Apr 9, 2012)

Ah I see! Yeah I had to have a large aperture and slow shutter speed as with the exception of Pretty Little Girl all of these pictures were taken in my bedroom which has very poor lighting.


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## cgipson1 (Apr 9, 2012)

PatchesOfInk said:


> Ah I see! Yeah I had to have a large aperture and slow shutter speed as with the exception of Pretty Little Girl all of these pictures were taken in my bedroom which has very poor lighting.



Even a pop-up flash can be useful! And it will make CRYSTAL sharp photos..... you should try it.. especially on small subjects like these!


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## PatchesOfInk (Apr 9, 2012)

Wait...just making sure I understand things here so please excuse my stupidity. A large aperture is where I let more light in right? :s


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## cgipson1 (Apr 9, 2012)

PatchesOfInk said:


> Wait...just making sure I understand things here so please excuse my stupidity. A large aperture is where I let more light in right? :s



Yes.. it lets in more light.. but is also decreases the depth of field (range of sharp focus)...

What did you shoot these at: Shutter: Aperture: ISO ?


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## PatchesOfInk (Apr 9, 2012)

cgipson1 said:
			
		

> Yes.. it lets in more light.. but is also decreases the depth of field (range of sharp focus)...
> 
> What did you shoot these at: Shutter: Aperture: ISO ?



I'm not sure to be honest. If you can give me 15ish minutes I'll be able to tell you cos I'll be back at my computer. I'm on my phone at present.


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## cgipson1 (Apr 9, 2012)

PatchesOfInk said:


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Sure! These actually look like a combination of too slow a shutter speed for handholding (bit of camera blur on some) and the shallow DOF from the aperture... Look forward to seeing your settings!


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## PatchesOfInk (Apr 9, 2012)

Right then...
Stand Tall and Proud. 
Shutter: 1/4
Apeture: f/5.6
ISO: 1600

Easter Gecko
Shutter: 1/4
Apeture: f/5.6
ISO: 1600

Photographer Boy
Shutter: 1/4
Apeture: f/4.5
ISO: 1600

Country Bumpkin'
Shutter: 1/60
Apeture: f/5.6
ISO: 400

Pretty Little Girl
Shutter: 1/160
Apeture: f/5.6
ISO: 200

Hope that helps.


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## cgipson1 (Apr 9, 2012)

PatchesOfInk said:


> Right then...
> Stand Tall and Proud.
> Shutter: 1/4
> Apeture: f/5.6
> ...



Yes, it does!  1/4 of a second on some.. were these handheld? Should never shoot that slow without a tripod! F5.6 is probably enough aperture... but if your lens is a kit lens, I can guarantee it is soft (not sharp) when wide open.... many lenses are. I don't know the Canon lineup at all... so can't really help you there.

You may find this useful also...  Online Depth of Field Calculator


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## PatchesOfInk (Apr 9, 2012)

Yeah they were handheld. Only reason they were handheld though is cos my light box was set on the floor so I had to lie on my stomach to get to the right level. I'm going to order a smaller light box for my geckos so I can set it up on a table and use my tripod but at the moment I've only got my big light box that's 80"x80".


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## cgipson1 (Apr 9, 2012)

PatchesOfInk said:


> Yeah they were handheld. Only reason they were handheld though is cos my light box was set on the floor so I had to lie on my stomach to get to the right level. I'm going to order a smaller light box for my geckos so I can set it up on a table and use my tripod but at the moment I've only got my big light box that's 80"x80".



Try flash..  you might like it! A single flash can be fast (1/2000 of a second or more).. that will freeze anything in total sharpness. And that is at a reasonable shutter speed, and with a smaller aperture (say F8 or so).. no more blur!

You have some beautiful subjects.. do them justice!


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## PatchesOfInk (Apr 9, 2012)

cgipson1 said:
			
		

> Try flash..  you might like it! A single flash can be fast (1/2000 of a second or more).. that will freeze anything in total sharpness. And that is at a reasonable shutter speed, and with a smaller aperture (say F8 or so).. no more blur!
> 
> You have some beautiful subjects.. do them justice!



Thanks doe the tip. I'll give it a try. My only problem with flash when it comes to my animals is with Ezra, my male leopard gecko. He has albino in him so he's very sensitive to light, poor boy. Someone said to try using a diffuser but I'd need to buy a separate flash for that right? To my knowledge there aren't diffusers for the pop up flash on cameras. Am I wrong?


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## flowness (Apr 9, 2012)

They do sell them but I didn't want to buy something .... I made a diffuser for my pop-up from an old milk jug. Works great  (at least to my standards)


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## cgipson1 (Apr 9, 2012)

PatchesOfInk said:


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You can cut a whole in a ping pong ball.. so it will slide over the flash, that helps! Still small, but better than nothing...
This is on_e _of the better ones available: Amazon.com: Lumiquest Soft Screen, a Diffusion Sheet for On-Camera Pop-up Flashes.: Camera & Photo and it wouldn't be hard to make something similar. You want it fairly large compared to the size of the flash..  about like the lumiquest is.


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## PatchesOfInk (Apr 10, 2012)

cgipson1 said:
			
		

> You can cut a whole in a ping pong ball.. so it will slide over the flash, that helps! Still small, but better than nothing...
> This is one of the better ones available: Amazon.com: Lumiquest Soft Screen, a Diffusion Sheet for On-Camera Pop-up Flashes.: Camera & Photo and it wouldn't be hard to make something similar. You want it fairly large compared to the size of the flash..  about like the lumiquest is.



Awesome, cheers for that! It's not all that expensive so I might ask my girl to order one for me for when I go see her in the summer (she lives in Texas) LOL


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