Learning the Nikon D5000 – Knowledge is King! |
2010.03.03 |
This post isn’t going to have anything in the way of pictures, really… however it will hopefully lead to much better pictures in the future!
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I’ve recently found a cool podcast called “DTOWN TV” that is put on by Scott Kelby (a pretty well known Nikon photographer). The first 30ish episodes are Nikon specific. Afterward, they start to open up to all DSLR cameras and equipment. It’s been a big eye opener for me yet many of the things they cover are basic.
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A couple new things I’ve learned just from watching DTOWN TV episodes:
- Enabling the Grid Display in the Viewfinder – One of my bigger issues in photography is lining my shots up and balancing the image properly. Specifically, I tend to take slightly crooked pictures because I don’t think about composition alignment very well. One of the biggest things to master in photography that will give the best photos is composition (or so I’ve read). I’m hoping this will help me.
- Time Lapse Photography - I always knew it was able to be done, I just never thought through it. It’s quite simple. Nikon camera’s also provide a way to assemble a stop motion video. I’ve found mine to do a low-resolution stop motion but I haven’t played with the settings.
- RAW photo editing in Capture NX2 - The big thing here is that you have to be using Nikon’s Capture NX2 software. There are some REALLY sweet tips on how to develop RAW images to their full potential using Capture NX2. Now I’m a fan of lesser edited photography. I want to take amazing images without it touching a computer. I do, however, understand that sometimes a few computer things are necessary to fix up the aspects a photographer may have JUST missed.
- Lense Reviews - Well, I really like my lenses. That said, I’ve learned a lot about lens lust. They have a 5 part series dealing with different lenses and different scenarios in which you would use certain lenses. Needless to say, my next 5 lenses are pre-mapped out for me. Now if only I could convince my wife!
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There are many more things I’ve learned that didn’t feel so monumental yet will improve my photography with time (hopefully). Well, I’ve learned a bunch and shared some with you. I highly recommend the podcast (look it up in itunes). Great for basics and some advanced stuff as well!