#NikonSchool Photography – Part 1 – There was food and fruits all over! But you wouldn’t be eating them until……….

you manage to get the best picture of the “On display” food items and fulfilled with what you have got!

What would you do when it is getting dark and pouring!? I would normally snug myself in a duvet lying on the Sofa, munching few popcorn and probably be watching a movie! (Sounds great!; right? Well, only if the kids are asleep! otherwise, we would usually be building blocks and sticking the glue on a few crafty items)

However, on one such day last week, I was on an adventure with Currys and JoesBloggers. (Well, atleast for me, it WAS!). You are welcome to have a sneak peek here before reading the rest of the post. 

Coming to the adventure part – I headed to the busiest oxford street for some treat to my eyes! Squeezing in the crowd at Oxford Circus station, ignoring the tube strike announcements and challenging the rain and the storm, I stepped into the “Nikon School of Photography“. 

As I entered, I just felt like a kid wanting to be an expert in Photography! and I know, that place can make you a star!

I entered the hall full of lovely bloggers and food, ambiance just perfect for a dinner, but more than anything, there is a sound of magic, the mesmerising sound of camera clicks and my eyes stared at the amazing man on the screen! Wondering what’s the relation between him and photography!? Read on… 

 

What a timing to see that amazing man on the screen #lightscameracurrys @joesbloggers

A photo posted by Rishi (@mummyandcuties) on Nov 18, 2015 at 11:14am PST

I borrowed a stunning Nikon D5500 (Perfectly built and the moment I received it in my hand, I felt like a pro (wish, it comes true!)) and started clicking pictures randomly using almost all the buttons I could see on the camera  –

I was being a kid again.  A kid, gifted with a magnificent toy and wanted to explore everything in just matter of minutes! 

But then, I slowed down and started applying the techniques explained by Mark, the expert at Nikon School. It’s all about getting the RIGHT EXPOSURE controlling the AMOUNT OF LIGHT and there is a magic triangle that decides the quality of pictures.

And the three pillars of the magic triangle are, the Shutter speed, Aperture and the ISO. 

If you are familiar with DSLR, I don’t have to tell you that you can shoot pictures in 4 modes. But if you are not, then here you go. 

• Program Mode – The camera does everything for you.
• Shutter Priority Mode – You choose the Shutter speed and Aperture is automatically selected.
• Aperture Mode –  You choose the Aperture and the appropriate shutter speed is chosen by the camera.
• Manual – The mode that will make you an Expert /Pro – You choose the Shutter speed and Aperture and You be the man controlling the machine.

However, all the modes have to work around the Shutter Speed and Aperture and it is all about choosing them wisely for the best picture – and that’s what we learnt at Nikon School with Currys and other JoesBloggers. 

image courtesy – JoesBloggers and Currys

Shutter Speed 

– IS the most important trick in any DSLR Camera that controls the “Exposure time” – The higher the shutter speed, the more you could freeze a motion of the object. In simple words, it is the length of time the camera shutter sends the light to the Camera Sensor. The faster the shutter speed, the more you get a frozen picture of your subject. So, to get the nail-biting shots of the amazing man – Nadal, you need to have a higher shutter speed and in this case, 1/4000 Sec.

So, though I was a dummy when I clicked the picture of the below Dolphin, looks like I managed to have a fast shutter speed on Panasonic G10 DSLR to freeze him in position.

I honestly can’t remember if I have used the AI / Auto mode. May be, I was smart enough to use a perfect manual settings. Here is the setting on the Camera for the above picture. 

And, when you are taking pictures at night, you better have a slow shutter speed so the sensor takes enough of light to get the best picture and Tripod would be the best friend. Below is an example of a night view of Singapore from Marina Bay Sands.

and, here is the camera settings that I used. (Could have been slightly better but it was taken without a Tripod and I am happy about my steady hands)

Ok, Let’s talk about the Nikon School Session now.

Here is something I have tried on the Pineapple display – Do you see few faces hiding in the Pineapple skin!?

The Shutter speed was 1/2500 Sec and ISO was way high

Two different images of the same display but there is one small variable that helped me to get the sharpness in Picture Number 2 and that’s actually shutter speed (ISO was auto adjusted)

The Shutter Speed was 1/80 Sec and ISO was adjusted to a smaller value

Well, that brings a point of amount of light and ISO for the images! Isn’t it? I know, there is a lot to learn to be a PRO. But, wouldn’t you be thrilled if your pictures are outstanding?

Though I frequently take pictures on my iPhone 6 to share on Social Media, for the blog posts, I think, a picture from a professional DSLR will make a huge difference. My Panasonic is nearly 5 years old and the technology has grown a lot after that and I am sure, it is the time for an upgrade. 

An hour of photography session taught me a lot but there is a still more to explore and is never enough when you want to learn. Hope the post gave you a “little” idea on the best photography techniques and let’s discuss about Aperture and ISO in the next part analysing a  few pictures I have managed to take in the session.

Yes, I did try them at home to capture my “Lamb Liver Curry”, so watch this space to see how I got on!

In the meantime, why don’t you take a few minutes to browse Nikon School to see how you can benefit from the lessons. They do have an online course as well – an iPhone App with all the materials that I have registered myself. 

If a student to a Nikon School can talk this much about Photography to you, Nikon School will surely have a treasure for you dig in.

To Be Continued…………….

Aperture and ISO

In the next post, let’s talk about why Nikon is the Best of Which 2015 and more photography techniques.

 In the meantime, I would love to hear from you about your favourite gadget to take pictures, what’s the one that you most use to take pictures and if you use a DSLR,  do you prefer taking pictures in Program mode and take the guts to play around with other modes?