snpsht

Hello, could you please tell me what is the best way to clean my dslr's lens? Should I use the same kind of cloth that I use to clean my glasses? or should I use something else?

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:02:00 +0100

I actually use a fine microfibre cloth (same as glasses-cleaning) to clean the filter. Make it damp if you need to.

It is advisable to put a UV/Haze filter over any lens you have and leave it there at all times. It does not have to be expensive and you do not have to be too cautious cleaning it. You can even use your finger or blow dust off. Large particles of dust might show of as large dark dots on the photos you take.

Because: Be careful about the lens’ original surface! It has a shimmering hard film on top that you should never scratch. Also, breathing upon the surface to moisten it is supposed to corrode it.

Hi Mareen! What do you recommend me for cleaning a DSLR Camera. Any special brush or mini-vacuum? Thanks! :)

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 11:23:27 +0100

Hi José,

A lot of people have been asking this.

I clearly recommend not messing with the sensor. The first thing I turn off is the automatic sensor clean. It shakes the sensor, but at the same time, it can become staticy and attract more dust!

When I am aware of one big fuzzy thing on my sensor, I usually use air, as carefully as possible, but not from a container because it sometimes freezes.

I would never (again) touch the sensor myself with a cleaning device and alcohol. Because doing that, I have scratched a sensor before with a piece of dust that I was trying to remove.

So what I do is spend the extra money to get it done professionally by a camera store/dealer. Those Euros are saved when it takes much less time to retouch a photo because there are no dark spots in the image!

photojojo: Wanna see what an iPhone 4S camera looks like...

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 08:41:26 +0200

photojojo:

Wanna see what an iPhone 4S camera looks like *naked*? (omg rated R!)

It looks like this! Don’t you just wanna put a miniature camera body around it and throw it on your keychain?

This is What an iPhone 4S Camera Looks Like Under the Case

via Engadget

Hi Mareen,

(Oops, just posted this as a submission accidentally - sorry!)

Yes, I saw your blog post in McD and wondered: What are your preferred tools and method for cleaning a dSLR sensor and how nervous should I be about doing it (for the first time)?

(Love the blog, your work, and the nice "share and help people" attitude, by the way!)

Thanks - from Scott

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 16:38:34 +0200

Scott,

of course we were not cleaning the sensor there! I have a company (Calumet) do that every so often because I am aware and afraid of scratching the sensor.

What we did was put in a frame with lines, we attached it to the mirror, so that when I look through, I can take straight photos.

Thank you for your message and liking my work. If you want, you can become a facebook fan here: http://www.facebook.com/mareenfischinger

Have a good day :)

Mareen

What’s the ISO of an eye? It ranges between 25 and 60,000. The...

Tue, 17 May 2011 14:32:53 +0200

What’s the ISO of an eye? It ranges between 25 and 60,000.

The Difference Between Your Eyes and a Camera

photojojo: LEFT: Normal photo RIGHT: HDR-enhanced with iOS...

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:38:48 +0200

photojojo:

LEFT: Normal photo RIGHT: HDR-enhanced with iOS 4.1

Yesterday Apple introduced iPod Nanos that look like Shuffles, iPod Shuffles that look like pocket change, iTunes that looks like Facebook, and best of all…

HDR in the iPhone camera app.

Basically, when you’ve got bright light in part of your shot that would results in blown our highlights, you turn on HDR. The camera takes 3 shots instead of one, and combines them to preserve details in dark ares and bright areas.

From these early demo shots, Apple’s implementation looks to be subtle and well-done.

First look: HDR photos with Apple’s iOS 4.1 (AppleInsider)

Good Morning Mareen!
Could you tell me what is the best or your favorite lens for portraits?
Thank you!

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 08:32:15 +0200

24-70 mm on a full-format.

Using a disposable camera

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 08:59:55 +0200

I am not a professional, But i have found that using a disposable camera and then scanning the photos in gives them a cool feel and old/vintage effect. I put some of mine i took with a disposable camera on my tumblr.

submitted by FRUTESCENT.

Blending multiple exposures

Mon, 31 May 2010 12:25:26 +0200

stefantueshaus responding to this question by Richard Marks:

»I have been attempting to blend multiple exposures lately, but I have not been able to find a suitable tutorial or explanation online. Could you possibly explain how to create an image of multiple exposures, such as this one by pattpoom on flickr?«

The easiest way of putting several, different exposures together to one picture is using Photoshop’s HDR-tool. You just open Photoshop click File > Automate > Merge to HDR (maybe it is called a little different, I’m just translating from the German version).

Now you can choose the folder with your differently exposed pictures (RAW files only!) and Photoshop will put them together automatically. In the next step you have a little preview of what the picture will look like and the different pictures it’s built from on the left side. By clicking the little box next to the pictures you can choose which ones should be part of the result, you can see the changes in the preview window. Some tweaks are possible.

+ Read a tutorial about another way to do this on Photoshop Support.

i just got myself a 50/f1.8 prime,i have been shooting a lot of things with it, from people to food and even building,i totally love it. Is there any tips or advise you can give so i can improve my utilization on the lens?

secondly, i want to shoot a person with the sky/cloud as the background, i always end up either able to only see the background&the subject is dark OR white sky/cloud&able to see the subject. how i can i get both?

Mon, 31 May 2010 09:24:00 +0200

Nice!

The lens is at it’s full bright potential when you open the aperture almost all the way. This means you should set your camera to AV and open it to f/2 or even f/1.8 and let the shutter time be adjusted to that.

About your second question, read below, I have already talked about fill flash.

Hi! I was the one who asked about the RAW viewer. Unfortunately, I'm not a Mac user. :( I'm using Windows Vista.

Mon, 31 May 2010 09:05:16 +0200

Oh, sorry!

Maybe you should try Microsoft Expression Media.
Microsoft bought iView and renamed it.

Is there anyway for me to view RAW photos without opening a software (Like Nikon's software, Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom)? If yes, can you tell me how or what to download? Thank you.

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:51:00 +0100

Well, my MacOSX Finder and Preview can show them as well as iView. Make sure all camera drivers are installed on your computer.

I'm doing a unit in university on photography. We are using 35mm SLR's are they easy to use? Do you have any brands that you reccomend or what is a reasonable price?
Thanks heaps

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:56:00 +0100

Maybe you can borrow a camera from a friend, father or grandfather. Sometimes dealers have old second-hand models for a cheap price. The manual cameras are the best to learn and fiddle around with!

photo by peter-rabbit on flickr.

how can we create vignettes? i heard there a hundreds of way of achieving it, lets say i have a 50mm/f1.8 lens,how can i get vignettes with it? stacking filters? widest aperture? thank you in advance

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:54:00 +0100

Maybe if you have a narrow lens hood maybe you can get one?

But before you start stacking filters: There are the post-pro ways of using the RAW program or your photo editing software and adding the vignette of your desires, soft or strong.

This has been bothering me since this came up on this site: How do you get RAW mode on your camera? I have a Canon Powershot camera that is supposed to have a RAW mode.

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:51:00 +0100

RTFM ;)

Maybe you should check the manual!

Pheelmore says: Another way to get RAW in canon cameras that usually dont support it is http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK

I agree on the importance of a good make-up artist. But I find it rather difficult to locate one. Then there is the (unknown) price tag. Especially as a beginner and for non-commercial projects the budget is small. I'd love to hear your thoughts and tips on this topic.

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:32:05 +0100

Oh ha! If you find someone who is interested in trying out new ideas with you for their and your portfolio, you won’t have to have money involved. I do a lot of photo shoots where no actual cash is flowing. We call it test shoots.
There are network websites like model-kartei.de or model mayhem etc. where you can probably find people (make-up/hair, stylists, models — everyone is desperate for good photos!) if you have no personal friends who are interested in starting off with you.

Best of luck, Martin!

I want to learn how to shoot products. I will start by shooting foods,begins with a cup of hot chocolate, and I am only going to use kit lens to shoot it. The question is, how can i begin? what is the appropriate place/time of the day to do so, is there any suggestions in terms of equipment or anything else?

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:16:00 +0100

Food is hard! The colors can quickly look bad, but give it a try.
I recommend you start by a window, with daylight.
Use colorful textures (tablecloth, food) and interesting china and silverware, decorate nicely and make sure the light touches everything in an amazing way.

And also, this great (casual) food photographer from California comes to mind… I know him from the good old flickr days: Matt Armendariz
Check out his work, maybe he will inspire you.

What's the best way to shoot photos in the snow? Shoot in RAW and modify white balance afterwards? Overexpose? It seems like pure white snow always looks blue when I shoot it :(

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:58:33 +0100

With a WB at around 5200 K and -4 (green/magenta) you should be okay, but shoot in RAW!

I found the following article for you: http://www.digicamhelp.com/how-to/nature/snow/ — you can read about exposure, measuring etc.; but like the first comments say, the thing is: if you have a lot of dark areas, you might want to underexpose: in order to get your snow some texture and not have it blown out.
If you overexpose, it will be white and soft (possibly without texture), and people or other dark subjects will be lighter too.

What are the most important things to look for when buying beginner studio lighting equipment?

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 09:27:00 +0100

I would go practical and buy a mobile set at first. (That’s what I did and everybody I recommend this to likes the idea and its execution.)

There are mobile studio sets like 2 Elinchrom D-Lite (200Ws or 400Ws or mixed) with stands, softboxes, cables. I would do 400Ws, it is worth the extra amount.
I know that also other manufacturers make it, but it seems they have the best value-for-money ratio.
If you want to stock up, but a second set of two or add a lamp.

Then there are umbrellas, which are always good to have and the umbrella pole hole is a standardized size and should fit any. I buy my umbrellas at Calumet Photographic, by the house brand.

Even if you decide to aquire immobile equipment in a couple of years, you can always carry around this set in the future.

Can you give some editing tips on how you make your model's skin look flawless?

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:05:53 +0100

Well, first of all, the model should have good skin, I prefer to have met her or him before we do anything where a close-up is coming up. Then, the make-up artist’s work is important.
These two first factors are often forgotten, especially by beginning photographers. (Same for hair!)

After that, I use Photoshop (the Healing Brush, »J« tool) to find and clean undesired marks etc. Sometimes I mark certain areas that I soften.

That’s all! Don’t overdo it.