Michael Paton gave a talk this evening on behalf of The Confucius Institute and the City of Sydney Chinese New Year Committee, entitled "Fengshui: A continuation of the art of swindlers?"
My Canon 400D was set to P, with the ISO at 1600 and the AWB on Fluorescent. As mentioned before, I only have a 18-55mm lens, so many of the shots I have are similar to the smaller shot of the map of China. After the talk, when I was down taking shots as he chatted, the light was very challenging, with the fluorescents in the room and the light from the overhead projector behind him resulting in a lot of camera shake even though I was quite close to him. I will put these shakey images at the end of this post.
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What do you think I should have done to avoid this blurring? Would you have used flash? I don't like the colour of flash and I really don't like to intrude flashing everywhere. I am not in the least a flashy person ...
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6 comments:
I like the one you chose. I'm impressed you got such clarity with 1600 hand held, you must have a very steady hand. I can't do that. I suspect that flash may have reflected off the white surfaces.
See I thought I was protected from shake. I thought I had the settings right for the situation. I thought that going right down there in close would avoid the shake. Now I realise that just the ISO up high results in shake no matter how close I am.
I did not particularly try to hold the camera still and to my chest ... but now I know better.
There is nothing that says I cannot reuse one of my Hundred Stranger images on Sydney Eye is there? What do you think - is it ethical? I could use an image that I have not even posted on HS ... I want to do a post about the ideas that this chap discussed in the lecture. I was fascinated ...
Can't see why not. Peter has done it with one of his beach photos I think. You had permission to take the photo. He'd probably be flattered.
Need to get my act together and take some more. What with the weather and trying to get some hours up, I'm not going out at lunchtime at the moment.
When is Peter back?
Yes, I forgot about the chap at the beach with the hat. Yes, all the permissions were as per normal. The guy was very approachable.
I like the weather at the moment as it is challenging my use of settings. Bit of a bugger when it is actually raining, granted. You are still okay until near the end of next week, aren't you. I now have two I can prepare. Just went for a coffee and found a chap selling Big Issue. My hours are enormous at the moment - grant submission season.
Not sure when Peter is back: think he said a week. I would kill for a week at Seal Rocks. Have not been up to the North Coast for donkey's-years ...
Having worked in China with the odd Fengshui master, (very odd in one case) I'd have been enthralled by the topic as well! Might even have asked an intelligent question, but will keep my views for another day!
I think your fear of flash is becoming irrational! Well maybe not irrational, but something like that. After the lecture, I don't see any problem with going into "pappa" mode.
I am of course being hypocritical here, as I lose more shots like this than I keep because I never fire the flash and get a soft or even blurry result. Wedding photographers don't make that mistake, ever.
I'm tending the other way with this project, trying to get used to using it often (unless it will intrude), and I have to say it seems to be working.
I can't read the exif, presumably you took it at 1/25 or something like that? There's a rule of thumb that goes something like: the minimum shutter speed you can safely use is 1/ (2 x the focal length of the lens) ie if you have a 50mm lens 1/(2 x 50 ) = 1/100sec.
Of course we've all taken successful shots at slower speeds, but that's why we lose them as well.
Lovely picture of the bloke though.
I really like the third shot - with the map behind him and the lecturn.
It gives him context.
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