September Olive

[JayMorr]

SS 1/500
ISO 800
F/3.5

Taken @ JayMorr's Lab




JayMorr

[FishOn!]

what size was it approximately?

[chanceb]

I don't know anything about the camera specs, but they're nice pics!

[wildnative]

That's speautiful man!

I'm assuming female since it doesn't have the large orange, rusty eyes?

If I see a good hatch of those going, with fish feeding, I'll turn from my hoppers and fish that hatch.

[BugEye]

SS 1/500
ISO 800
F/3.5

Taken @ JayMorr's Lab




JayMorr

Cool stuff JM. Sharp!

If you're giving readings though I'd say looks like you coulda' gone 1/125 @ f/3.5. Auto exposure doesn't recognize what white looks like so it gives you gray instead. You can work around it and brighten up shots like these by either setting the exposure compensation on your camera to +2 when you're shooting in auto mode on white. Or simply shoot in manual mode, look at your screen and histogram, and adjust your settings to taste. (I personally NEVER shoot in auto or program.) Otherwise, as we say, fix it in post.

Hope this helps.

-Bug

[JayMorr]

Cool stuff JM. Sharp!

If you're giving readings though I'd say looks like you coulda' gone 1/125 @ f/3.5. Auto exposure doesn't recognize what white looks like so it gives you gray instead. You can work around it and brighten up shots like these by either setting the exposure compensation on your camera to +2 when you're shooting in auto mode on white. Or simply shoot in manual mode, look at your screen and histogram, and adjust your settings to taste. (I personally NEVER shoot in auto or program.) Otherwise, as we say, fix it in post.

Hope this helps.

-Bug

Awesome! Thanks for the comment. I haven't played with the Exposure Compensation yet. I thought I took this in TV mode and was just messing with the ISO and SS settings. I still have a bunch of questions and just ordered "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson off Amazon. I hope it will clarify some things and help me better understand camera exposure! I appreciate your comments.


JayMorr

[MickG]

WHOA!!!! Bugeye we speak english on this site.

[jdubya]

Cool stuff JM. Sharp!

If you're giving readings though I'd say looks like you coulda' gone 1/125 @ f/3.5. Auto exposure doesn't recognize what white looks like so it gives you gray instead. You can work around it and brighten up shots like these by either setting the exposure compensation on your camera to +2 when you're shooting in auto mode on white. Or simply shoot in manual mode, look at your screen and histogram, and adjust your settings to taste. (I personally NEVER shoot in auto or program.) Otherwise, as we say, fix it in post.

Hope this helps.

-Bug

So how do you use the histogram in designing an exposure setting? I look at them after the shot but don't know how to interpret them. I have a D50.

[Lonnie]

Jay,

Check to see if your camera has a "bracketed" exposure setting. It will take 3 pics at once, +1, 0 and -1. It's an extensive storage hog, but useful for taking macro and still lifes.

[Foamy8]

For those interested, you'll see a similar speciment to that in the parachute swap....I love those little things.

[JayMorr]

Jay,

Check to see if your camera has a "bracketed" exposure setting. It will take 3 pics at once, +1, 0 and -1. It's an extensive storage hog, but useful for taking macro and still lifes.

I will look into that setting. I have noticed it. It would be really nice to have the compensation do that on some shots.

So how do you use the histogram in designing an exposure setting? I look at them after the shot but don't know how to interpret them. I have a D50.

Jdub to answer your question:

Using the histogram in your camera's image viewing LCD will guarantee you a much higher percentage of well exposed images. The histogram basically is a graph that represents the maximum range of light values your camera can capture. In the middle of the histogram are the mid-range values that represent middle colors like grays, light browns, and greens.

The actual histogram graph looks like a mountain peak, or a series of peaks. The more of a particular color, the taller the peak. In some cases the graph will be rounder on top, or flattened. The left side of the histogram represents the maximum dark values that your camera can record. The right side represents the maximum white values your camera can capture. On either end of the histogram the light values contain no detail. They are either completely black, or completely white. The top of the histogram (top of mountain peak) represents the number of different colors, a value you cannot control, so it is for your information only. You should mostly be concerned with the left and right side values of the histogram, since you do have much control over those. (Dark vs. Light)

So, basically, the histogram's left to right directions are related to the darkness and lightness of the image, while the up and down directions of the histogram (valleys and peaks) have to do with color information. I repeated this for emphasis! The left (dark) to right (light) directions are VERY important for your image making. If the image is too dark, the histogram will show that by clipping off the light values on the left, or, if too light, by clipping on the right. This becomes easier to understand when looking at well exposed and poorly exposed images.

I hope that helps.

JayMorr

[BugEye]

Basically, with most shots, keep your "mountain peaks" in the middle and not bunched up against the sides of the histogram. Check this link:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/understanding-histograms.shtml

Read it, learn it, LIVE it!

-bE

[JayMorr]

Here is another example attached:

BTW, Bugeye I love luminous landscape. That site has shown me a lot.



JayMorr

[jdubya]

Jdub to answer your question:

Using the histogram in your camera's image viewing LCD will guarantee you a much higher percentage of well exposed images. The histogram basically is a graph that represents the maximum range of light values your camera can capture. In the middle of the histogram are the mid-range values that represent middle colors like grays, light browns, and greens.

The actual histogram graph looks like a mountain peak, or a series of peaks. The more of a particular color, the taller the peak. In some cases the graph will be rounder on top, or flattened. The left side of the histogram represents the maximum dark values that your camera can record. The right side represents the maximum white values your camera can capture. On either end of the histogram the light values contain no detail. They are either completely black, or completely white. The top of the histogram (top of mountain peak) represents the number of different colors, a value you cannot control, so it is for your information only. You should mostly be concerned with the left and right side values of the histogram, since you do have much control over those. (Dark vs. Light)

So, basically, the histogram's left to right directions are related to the darkness and lightness of the image, while the up and down directions of the histogram (valleys and peaks) have to do with color information. I repeated this for emphasis! The left (dark) to right (light) directions are VERY important for your image making. If the image is too dark, the histogram will show that by clipping off the light values on the left, or, if too light, by clipping on the right. This becomes easier to understand when looking at well exposed and poorly exposed images.

I hope that helps.

JayMorr

Basically, with most shots, keep your "mountain peaks" in the middle and not bunched up against the sides of the histogram. Check this link:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/understanding-histograms.shtml

Read it, learn it, LIVE it!

-bE


Thanks guys. That is really a cool site. I'll have to play around and see what I can learn.

[UtahFlyGuy]

Here is mine.............no clue on what its set either. Just point and shoot. Taken close to a ditch on California ave.

http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h14/p111562/?action=view&current=DSC00551.jpg

[JayMorr]

Nice shot Pat! I have found that my Olympus point and shoot works really well on macro shots. That is a really nice photo! I have these bugs coming off strong here in Bountiful.


JayMorr

[Cary]

I caught a katydid two days ago.

[UtahFlyGuy]

Nice shot Pat! I have found that my Olympus point and shoot works really well on macro shots. That is a really nice photo! I have these bugs coming off strong here in Bountiful.


JayMorr

Thanks Jay,

The camera that I used on that shot is a Sony Cyber-shot 1.3 Mega pixels. Suprising enough it does really well on the Macro shots. I've had it for years and its taken a beating where ever I take it. Your photos look great as well Jay.

[Taxon]

Hi Pat-

Pretty photo. Rather than a BWO, I believe it to be a female Callibaetis imago. Please forgive me for asking this, but were the body and tails really so blue in color?

[styan]

I'm posting a picture of my crabs....be right back....

[UtahFlyGuy]

Hi Pat-

Pretty photo. Rather than a BWO, I believe it to be a female Callibaetis imago. Please forgive me for asking this, but were the body and tails really so blue in color?

Yes they were. Is there something special to this mayfly?

[Taxon]

Yes they were. Is there something special to this mayfly?
Probably not, Pat. I simply had never before seen a Callibaetis that appeared to have a bluish cast like that. However, you have numerous Callibaetis species in Utah, each of which can have fairly wide color variation, not to mention the tricks that lighting, reflected color, etc. can have on color perception.

[UtahFlyGuy]

As far as I know the camera was set on anything special. Next week when I get back to work I will find another and take a picture of it in the sun. Maybe that will shine some light on the issue...........no pun intended.

[Taxon]

Sounds like a plan, Pat.