Fuji X-E2, 55-200mm, ISO 400, ƒ/7.1, 1/600 [3 images stitched together in PhotoShop CS6] Handheld
It is a Night and Day difference between these photos. Maybe we need to remember that saying next time we travel.
I find that few photos from the middle of the day stand up to dusk and nighttime photos.
Fuji X-E2, 55-200mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/11, 1/5 seconds [I stitched three images together, and the photo was shot on a tripod with a 2-second delay to eliminate camera shake]
There is a significant difference to me between the two photos.
Here are a couple of quick tips for shooting the nighttime shot.
Use Tripod
Use a cable release or shoot on delay [I used a 2-second delay]
Shooting ƒ/22 will give you a star effect around the lights. I shot at ƒ/11
Also, this is a great way to eliminate many of those pesty power lines
Rembrandt is generally considered one of the greatest painters. An illuminated triangle characterizes Rembrandt lighting under the eye of the subject on the less bright side of the face.
If you want to learn more about achieving this look, read my earlier blog post where I show some of the student’s work from a workshop I did in Kona, Hawaii, with the School of Photography at Youth With A Mission here.
Create Triangle with Off-Camera Flash
Another triangle used by professional photographers is the triangle created between the camera, subject, and flash.
Here you can see the simple setup I used for the photo above. The sun was behind the clouds. I caught this photo just in between showers. The flash also helped give that needed pop on an overcast day.
Create Triangle with Subject
Another way to use the triangle in photography is subject placement within a frame. For example, putting subjects in a group photo in triangles creates a pleasing composition.
Create Triangle with Gear
To make your camera stable, we also use a triangle. Three legs to our tripods and light stands create a stable platform for our camera and light stands.
May the triangle be present in your photographs: from lighting, composition, and support.
One of the things many people decide to leave at home when traveling is their tripod. However, this is one of the most valuable tools for traveling for this photo. I could stop down the lens to an aperture of ƒ/22 to create a star effect from the lights.
Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/2.8, 1/35
The lower photograph doesn’t have the star effect due to the shallow DOF [Depth-of-field].
One of my favorite things in new locations is to shoot sunrises and sunsets. Just as fun is those photos just after the sunsets like the ones here where you can still see some blue sky.
Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 6400, ƒ/2.8, 1/30
You can see some in our group using the tripod to get their shot. I recommend carrying a cable release or using about a second delay timer to trip the shutter, so you do not introduce any camera movement when firing the camera.
Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 200, ƒ/3.2, 1/5
Here the shutter speed is 1/5 of a second, making the people in the train station in Lisbon, Portugal blur. In this situation, I put the camera on a column to keep the camera perfectly still.
I recommend finding a tripod that folds up very small yet will go up pretty high to around eye level when standing. They make light carbon fiber tripods that are light and just as good but not entirely light as some aluminum-made tripods.
Christmas trees and cameras do better with tripods that support and hold them steady.
I have been testing the Fujifilm X-E2 camera for the past few weeks. Lately, I have been taking Christmas tree ornaments and enjoying using the Wi-Fi to upload the JPEGs quickly through my iPad using the Camera App, which you can download.
I also took portraits, which I posted on the blog earlier. I immediately noticed that my pictures were not as sharp with the Christmas tree ornaments as those in the studio. Of course, the ƒ-stop was greater, but the sharpness issue was with camera motion.
Sure the Fuji camera has vibration reduction, but even when this is flawless a camera on a tripod cannot be beaten.
ISO 6400, ƒ/4, 1/35
Once I started taking photos with a good tripod, the images looked much better. It wasn’t a camera error; it was operator error that was causing my photos to appear less sharp.
Christmas season photos
[X-E2, XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 6400, 1/10, ƒ/7.1, (35mm = 76)]
By shooting on a tripod, I could also vary my depth of field since the camera movement at a slower ƒ-stop didn’t affect the sharpness of the photos.
Christmas season photos
[X-E2, XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 6400, 1/9, ƒ/7.1, (35mm = 83)]
While the photos were sharper, composition is another benefit of shooting on a tripod.
Christmas season photos
[X-E2, XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 6400, 1/13, ƒ/7.1, (35mm = 83)]
While these photos don’t win a Pulitzer for composition, I kept the camera still, which is hard to do when focusing as close as the camera allows on such small ornaments.
Christmas season photos
[X-E2, XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 6400, 1/7, ƒ/10, (35mm = 83)]
Some of the ornaments, like those of Snow White, were tricky to shoot if you shot them wide open, and that would be ƒ/4 on this camera and lens. I stopped the lens down to ƒ/10. How did I know that was what I wanted?
Fuji X E2 Feature Bonus
On the Fuji X E2 when you push the shutter release half way down the camera aperture closes to the setting you have and the viewfinder automatically adjusts in brightness so you can see your depth-of-field as it will look when you take the photo. On a traditional DSLR you have to wait for your eye to adjust to see the DOF. This is one of the really cool things about this new camera.
Christmas season photos [X-E2, XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 6400, 1/20, ƒ/4.5, (35mm = 83)]
Now, all these photos use the existing light in the room, primarily the lights on the tree. By getting so close to all the ornaments, the depth of the field was pretty shallow, helping to pop them out from the tree. The background was cleaned up in the process.
Christmas season photos
[X-E2, XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 5000, 1/60, ƒ/4, (35mm = 83)]
My suggestion for any photographer with a Christmas tree and a tripod is to record some of your ornaments and maybe post them to your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest account. I have gotten more comments about these than on many other posts.
Maybe the reason is something many of us collect and don’t understand.
Christmas season photos
[X-E2, XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 6400, 1/40, ƒ/4, (35mm = 83)]
At our house, you are just as likely to see The Citadel ornaments, photography ornaments, and what the season is all about, those that remind us of Jesus.
Christmas season photos
[X-E2, XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS, Mode = Aperture Priority, ISO 6400, 1/25, ƒ/4, (35mm = 83)]
Get your tripod and let it slow you down this season so you can remember the reason for the season.
I always try to have a tripod with me. Finding a sturdy tripod was pretty easy. However, you will quickly look for something much lighter once you fly and carry your tripod through airports worldwide.
Carbon fiber’s high tensile strength, low weight, and low thermal expansion make it a perfect solution for making tripods strong, durable, and lightweight. So, a few years ago, I researched and tried a few tripods before buying my Gitzo GT-0531 Mountaineer 6X Carbon Fiber tripod.
Weighing only 1.6 lbs, it is 20.9” tall folded, extends to 51.6″, and can go as low as 10.6” with legs spread.
Folded
When looking for a tripod, the smaller it is folded, combined with a really tall height when expanded, will make a tripod cost more. Carbon fiber cuts the weight by 1/3 compared to a similar tripod made of metal.
Manfrotto 492 Micro Ball Head
This tripod doesn’t come with a head. I liked ball heads and needed something small yet strong again, so I bought the Manfrotto 492 Micro Ball Head.
This combination fits in a small carry-on bag and keeps my camera steady when needed.
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