Deborah Sandidge is a professional photographer and Nikon Ambassador specializing in world travel and artistic imagery. As an author and instructor, Deborah encourages others to connect with the fascinating people, beautiful places, and diverse subjects that surround us.
Photos are not dead, just the platforms that display them may change. Keep taking pictures regardless of the platform. Transcript: "Instagram says that photos are dead. But that may be true for Instagram. I don't believe that photos are dead in any way, shape, or form. I think platforms change. We think about Google Plus and how many people that were so involved in that. And then it went away. But photos are still here. So I wouldn't worry too much about the platform. The different platforms are going to change. But photography stills are as rich and beautiful and engaging as ever. So don't worry about the platform. Just keep shooting."
In my camera bag, I brought my Nikon z-9 and a smaller camera, the easy 30. I also brought the 14-24 wide angle lens, the 24-70 mid range zoom lens, the 100-400mm lens with a 2x teleconverter, a 50mm lens, lots of memory cards, a l bracket, and lots of batteries and microfiber cloth. Transcript: "The question is, what's in your camera bag? I just got back from Boulder and Rocky Mountain National Park, which is absolutely beautiful. So with me I brought my favorite camera the Nikon z-9. So this is my primary camera so I like to bring that with me everywhere. On all my trips, a smaller camera that I like to bring with me is easy 30. So this is a smaller more discreet camera. This is great for like, social Gatherings and that kind of thing. So it's also very easy to put in your Your camera bag or a messenger bag, that is a nice alternate camera lenses. My very favorite is the 14 to 24. This is my wide angle lens. So I use this for vast Landscapes and also for a treetop. So it's a lot of uses for a wide-angle lens. I do like the 24 to 70. This is a mid-range Zoom. So I like to use this for. Let's see, I'm going on a hike and I want to bring just one lunch. This is a nice lens to be able to do The cityscape or landscape. I also brought a 100 to 400 millimeter lens, so this is fantastic. It's not too heavy. I can bring this on on short hikes and this is easy to use. I do like that range of 100 to 400 MM. And I do use a teleconverter so as a 2x teleconverter so that works great with that particular lens. So, on this trip, I bought a 50 millimeter lens. So this is a great lens to bring with you pretty much anywhere. We're cityscapes Landscapes, it's a really great lens to use, I used a prism with it in Boulder. So I went down on Pearl Street and shot all this cityscapes lights, and it was all glittery and pretty. So, prism makes it pretty magical. So, that's one of the lenses that I brought with me. I also brought lots of memory cards, so this is from think tank. This is amazing. So, I put all memory cards in this little container. I also like to bring a l bracket, so L bracket keeps my camera, super steady? And of course lots of batteries and lots of microfiber cloth. So that was what was in my camera back on my last trip."
Use a tripod, remote release or cable release, and check your ISO to ensure sharpness in low-light photography. Transcript: "The best tips for low-light photography. The first tip would be to use a form of stabilization, use a tripod. So tripods come in, many shapes and sizes. But traditional tripod, three-legged tripod is super helpful. In some situations, you can get away with very short tripod as called a platter pod. Basically there's a tripod, head screwed into a flat Mount tripod. That is super helpful for cityscapes and that type of shooting another Consideration, would be to he's a remote release or a cable release that way. As you're pressing the shutter, you're not shaking the camera that will also help. And the last tip I would say, is to check the iso. So, if you're going to be shooting handheld, make sure your ISO matches, your capabilities of hand, holding the camera, otherwise use the tripod, that will give you the sharpest shots."
To set up for a long exposure shot, put your camera on a tripod, find your composition, use an app to calculate the correct shutter speed with a filter attached, use a cable release to trigger the shutter, and use vibration reduction if necessary. The shutter speed will often be in the 4-6 minute range. Transcript: "How do I set up for a long exposure shot? I absolutely love to work with long, exposures. It's one of my favorite ways to shoot. So the first thing I will do is put my camera on a tripod and I will find my composition and the second thing will be to do an establishing shot. So I have an idea of what I'm shooting. Is everything in the composition correctly and what I also showed her speed and that I'll be using so I do use an app to calculate exposures for me. It's called Dandy time where there's a lot of them out there, but that will take your base, shutter speed, and calculate it. Once you add a filter on there. So this is the 15 stop neutral density filter. So this once you put it on, it's really really hard to see through the camera, but if you increase the iso you could do it. Temporarily however, so 15 stop neutral density, filter camera, has the foundation kit on it. So I use this, it holds two different filters. So, Once I'm all set up to make the shot, I will put the filter right into this lot right here all the way down. So there are many to shoot a long, exposure shot, if I need to or want to, I can place. This is a reverse graduated neutral, density filter. I can also place that in so I will make this make the shot and make sure that the camera is on that. Right? Vibration reduction is off since it's on a tripod. I won't need that feature. I will use a cable I will release to be able to trigger the shutter. So once I determine what my shutter speed will be based on the iso, it will often go into the four to six minute range. So, once the cameras all set up, it will shoot this filter on and make a shot that ends up in the four to six minute realm. So this is how you do it. It's not terribly complicated. It's amazing. What happens over time so that's the most expressive thing about long exposure photography. if you're showing your illustrating what happens over time, in a single image,"
My favorite filter to use on my camera lens is the 15-stop neutral density filter. It allows me to control light and illustrate the passage of time in my photographs. Transcript: "What is my favorite filter to use on my camera lens? My absolute favorite is the 15. Stop neutral density. Filter that is in my filter pack. I have several filters that range from a three-stop 6. Stop at 10, stop a grand but the 15 stop. That is my absolute favorite. And the reason is because I can control light, I can illustrate the passage of time in my photographs and that's one of my very favorite things to be able to do. So I beautiful Cloud structures, I'll go out shoot with my 14, to 24, mm lens, get the vast sky, and have the clouds moving through the sky and illustrate the passage of time by using a 15, stop neutral density filter,"
Yes, weather conditions other than the sun can be used to improve a photograph. Examples include clouds, rain and snow, which can be used to enhance the mood and drama of an image and provide opportunities for long exposure or time lapse photography. Transcript: "Can you use weather conditions other than the sun to improve a photograph? Absolutely. So if you look behind me right now, the clouds are amazing. So I'm not worried about the Sun. The clouds really make the seam, so if I didn't have to leave in a few moments, I'd be out on that balcony. Shooting I love the confirmation. That gives me a lot of opportunities with long exposure or time lapse. So there's a lot of different things that you can do rain is beautiful. Snow is gorgeous. So weather conditions. In general, really enhance a photograph and it gives you a way to change the mood and the drama and the feeling of an image."