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Monday, March 7, 2011

101 Essential DSLR Photography Tips: F8 and Be There

I have stop taking photos since I came back from my Hanoi Trip. Somehow I realized the more I know about the theory of photography, the less I am able to compose or capture a frame. I am totally lost…

Everyday I crave to have new lenses, more advance body, searching for the best setting for my camera and shooting. But the more I do, the more I am lost and confused. Today, in my quest to find more rules and guidelines, I came across this simple rule…

F8 AND BE THERE

At first, I was thinking using aperture F8 as the optimum aperture to shoot all of my photos. As I know F8 is a nice aperture with decent depth of field that makes your subject likely to be in focus and F8 is also the sweet spot of most lenses that ensure the sharpness of your photos. But wait a second, while I am right about this Aperture F8, this rule has further meanings…

The rule has two parts : ‘F8’ and ‘Be There’. The essence of this rule is ‘Be There’. It is not about having the most advance DSLR camera body, or the most expensive lenses, or knowing all the theories, the guidelines and the rules of photography. The point is you must ‘Be There’ and it is just as simple as that. Being at the right place, at the right time and clicking your shutter! Don't worry too much about the camera setting like ISO, white balance, etc. or the type of lenses you are using. Just get out there and shoot. Photography requires lots of practice and practice will surely make you photo perfect or perhaps nearly perfect.

A picture speaks a thousand words but photography can be as simple as this four words; 'F8 and Be There'. Many of us may not know who Allen Hopkins is but his quote ‘F8 and be there’ has made a huge impact on me. If you are a photo ethusiast, don’t just sit in front of your TV or hook to your computer all day long. Be there! Take your DSLR camera, regardless rain or shine, night or day and there’s always a moment out there worth to capture.

F8 and BE THERE!

I was not using F8 but I was certainly 'Be There' to capture this lovely moment 
(Nikkor 18-200mm, 1/1000sec, f/5.6, ISO 200)
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6 comments:

  1. Joshua GreenMarch 26, 2011 at 5:16 PM

    Hi!

    I'm an amateur photographer, and finally I will buy a DSLR this month. My cousin suggested a 60D camera to me. She said it is good for beginners like me. What do you think about 60D? Is it suited for amateurs like me?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Rachel n ChongMarch 28, 2011 at 9:10 AM

    Joshua, CANON 60D indeed is a very good camera, high speed, high resolution with a interesting vari angle wide LCD. If budget allow, CANON 60D is a very good choice for amateur. You can consider also the new CANON 600D with less features but smaller, lighter & slightly cheaper.

    For a beginner, I suggest don't spend so much on a camera body but buy better lens instead. Digital camera body will obsolete in 2-3 years but good lens last forever...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Joshua GreenMarch 31, 2011 at 7:33 PM

    Thanks Rachel! But I'm a bit confused right now in using digital or manual. Do you think I should start with the manual SLR, rather than the DSLR?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Rachel n ChongApril 3, 2011 at 8:08 PM

    Hi! Joshua, I can see you are confuse now : ) Are you refering to those old days manual SLR that use film to caputure photos or perhaps the Automatic & Manual mode in your DSLR? Please elaborate...I'll try to answer :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. SuzApril 25, 2011 at 4:48 PM

    Hi Rachel,

    Thanks for visiting my blog, madamkwong.com. Didn't realize you are also a food blogger. Great "meeting" you!

    Suz
    madamkwong.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Rachel n ChongApril 25, 2011 at 9:49 PM

    Hi Suz,
    I really enjoy reading your blogs and love the pictures that you took. I'm just an amateur in baking and cooking but enjoy spending my time on it. Let's keep blogging !! :)

    ReplyDelete