the original question referred to "simple thing" and "regular folks" which suggested to me that learning to use flash, which while perfectly feasible and richly rewarding, would not be appropriate because the outlay required in time and equipment would not likely be available.
In the darkroom, get a larger trashcan and remove the words "good enough" from your vocabulary....
... what he ^^^ said.Jon you always ask great questions.
hey tedr1! i say go for it !
learn to use a flash, it's not too hard
places like "strobist" ( i think that is what its called )
nail it make it ez, even have "kits" they sell through
a retailer, that are wicked-affordable .. ez and fun
or.. one can always get a thyristor ( or is it thymaster )
and just use the pre-set fstops and color combinations
==
lots of great tips in this thread !
john
there you go !
Unfortunately it doesn't meet the criterion of simple, the entry level gear list is
digital camera with manual controls (those things that are described in the user instructions with lots of jargon and weird symbols)
off-camera flash
umbrella
stand for umbrella
flash remote trigger
There are alternatives that ARE simple, forget flash, shoot available light. If need be learn to use a tripod to manage camera shake, that's what I call simple.
using a flash can be as simple as can be
it just takes using a flash and knowing how to .. adjust the settings
it doesn't require a digital camera just a pc or hot shoe ...
[== snip ==]
2) Understand what you are looking at. What you are seeing.
You are actually looking at a 2-dimensional image (inside the viewfinder). Treat what you see in the vf as if you were looking at a photograph.
Too many times we mix feelings and 3-dimensional imaging into what we are looking at (a 2-Dimensional image) and it creates a distortion between what we see and what we think we are seeing.
So there it is: realize that what you are seeing is not what you think you are seeing.
And suddenly there you are, understanding what you’re shooting.
Composition, composition, composition. A drawing teacher I once had always shouted this at us.
Shoot in stereo, then you don't have to understand that you're looking at a 2-D image.No, seriously! I got a Stereo Realist in early summer 2018. It was designed for slower slide films like Kodachrome, but I tend to shoot color negative in it, that way I end up with stereo prints, or stereographs. One particular picture I shot with it looked absolutely terrible as a 2-D photograph. It was far too busy. It was so busy I almost didn't make the pair of images into a stereograph. I'm glad I did though, because as a stereograph, viewed through a 118-year-old Holmes stereoscope that belonged to my grandparents, the image just sung!
Except when you should^ Do NOT put the face(s) of primary interest smack dab in the CENTER of the frame (bulls-eye placement of the subject)
Learning new stuff is great, many people love to play with gear. Flash has its uses. On-camera automatic flash is one of the worst.
That would be good, if using a Phone Cam was always simple. They can be extremely sophisticated and add-on apps can open upIf your watchword is "simple"...use your phone.
That would be good, if using a Phone Cam was always simple. They can be extremely sophisticated and add-on apps can open up
new and mindblowing possibilities. Usually phones have a fixed shutterspeed and iso and focus spot, but there are ways now
of making even 9second exposures, adjusting iso values, selectively focusing or having absolutely everything in focus &c
its no longer the box camera of now, if one doesn't want it to be.
LOLPeople who are growing up with these infernal devices find their "mindblowing possibilities" simple. The box camera of yore was the box camera I started with cc 1951 (that film scans beautifully).
LOLOne simple thing that you can do to make your photographs better is to employ John's car window filter!
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