Tips and Tricks

5 Things I Learned From Shooting A Beauty Pageant

by Victor Augusteo on October 17, 2011

So last Friday, I went to “Miss Melbourne Chinese Pageant”. It was the first time I ever attended a beauty pageant. I didn’t really know what to expect.
My girlfriend was one of the contestant, so of course I got to go there to support her.

She’s the one in pink.

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Without further ado:
1. High ISO performance is really important.

Just like music concert or any classy entertainment events, the lighting is very moody dim. With my D700 body, I was able to nail shoots at 6400 ISO. My old D80 wouldn’t be able to do anything in situation like that.

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2. Zoom lens is good.

The performers are always on the move. You need a good zoom to keep following their movement. I use 80-200mm f2.8.

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3. Shoot RAW and post process later

There are several reason to shoot RAW here.
- Ever changing lighting color makes white balance a bitch
- You need good dynamic range as the stage uses quite a lot of spot lighting. The performers are usually really brightly lit while the rest of the stage is very dark. This can be balanced later with Camera Raw. JPG will die here.
- You will be using semi-auto mode most of the time. With so many variable changing outside of your control, you won’t have the time to go full manual here. semi-auto is aperture or shutter priority mode. I even go auto-ISO. It nails the exposure most of the time, but you will still get a bad exposure. RAW makes this salvageable.

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4. Cheap seat is sometimes better than VIP seat

I got the cheapest seating arrangement for $30 on the second level of the hall. It was a vantage point that will make any sniper have orgasm. I have a perfect view of the stage.

The VIP seats was ~$168 located just in front of the stage. They were seated behind the judges (on elevated platform). Yes you are closer to the stage and might feel more of the atmosphere, but it is harder to take photos from there.

This is a pano pic taken with my cellphone.

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5. Be BOLD

My seat wasn’t originally on the perfect spot. My ticket stated that I had to sit on the 5th row back and 45 degree to the left. It wasn’t a very good spot.

Then I saw empty seats on the best vantage point. I just rushed there and seat beside some people I don’t know. They gave me some weird look, but who cares.

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Post image for Top 5 Tips to Shoot Fireworks

Top 5 Tips to Shoot Fireworks

by Victor Augusteo on December 31, 2010

Tonight there will be fireworks everywhere around the earth, and I’m sure you will have one where you live as well. Here are some quick tips.

1. Use a Tripod

Always always use a tripod, there is nobody on earth who can hold a camera steady for 5 second or more.

2. Use Manual Mode

If your camera doesn’t have manual mode, it most probably will have ‘night scenery’ or ‘fireworks’ mode.

On your manual mode, set the shutter around 5-10 second and aperture around f11-f15 with the lowest ISO you can get (e.g ISO 100-200)

3. Get Information and Arrive early

Research the time and location of the firework launchers. Look for vantage point where you can capture good scenery around the fireworks.

Arrive early to reserve the best location.

4. Trigger Happy

Just take many shoots of one particular fireworks explosion, you will increase your chance of getting good ones.

5. Use remote control/cable release/self timer

To reduce (eliminate) camera shakes from finger jabbing the shutter button.

Other tips:

http://www.worldstart.com/how-to-shoot-fireworks/

http://www.betterphoto.com/exploring/fireworks.asp

http://cameras.about.com/od/photographytips/a/fireworks_photography_tips.htm

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/how-to-photograph-fireworks

and… good luck.

photo source

Post image for Everything You Needed To Know About Long Exposure Photography

Everything You Needed To Know About Long Exposure Photography

by Victor Augusteo on November 17, 2010

Couple of months ago I published an interview with the talented Tasmanian photographer Alex Wise.

Recently Alex just posted a very good series on showing the setups that he did, complete with a tutorial he wrote for this.

Links: Photo Setups and the complete tutorials.

D80 Vs D700 Speed Test (3 fps Vs 8 fps)

comments really encouraged

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7 Tips on Learning Lighting With a Single Flash

Photo source: Flickr Many people – including me – tends to think that you need expensive studio lighting equipments to learn how to light. I was once supporter of that notion. My opinion changed when I watched the “One Light” DVD by Zack Arias. Zack discussed many techniques he uses to produce magnificent photograph using [...]

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15 Photos & 5 Lessons from Melbourne Zoo

Today I went to the Melbourne Zoo for the first time. We have around thirty something people with varying skill level. Some people have crazy DSLR with 70-200mm with extension tube, some people bring their humble entry levels, some came with compacts, and some come empty handed – they just wanted to enjoy the day. [...]

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So What Lens should you buy next?

Photo by ‘csaveanu‘ on flickr Recently, I have several friends of mine asking my advice on their next lens purchase. All of them are beginner DSLR owner with varying skill level that are still not sure what they should specialize into. My advice is always the same. Find the style that you are most passionate [...]

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How To Transform Your Bedroom to A Photography Studio

Last week I did an experiment with Candice to try and do a strobist test shoot in my bedroom using my red wooden sliding door as the backdrop. This is the result. Beside the stunningly beautiful model, and anyone can take good picture of her, I’m still proud of my lighting, haha. This is my [...]

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9 Zoo Photography Tips & Tutorial

Monash Photography Club recently asked me to teach a workshop about ‘Zoo photography’ because they are organising a zoo trip next week to the Melbourne Zoo. If anybody wants to come, feel free to contact them: Monash Photography Club Zoo Trip here goes: 1. Use Long Zoom Lenses There are just some animal you can’t [...]

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Lighting Modifier Cheat Sheet Free Download

I didn’t make this. I find this guide at: DIY photography website They have written a very comprehensive article on this. Read it, you won’t regret it.

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Do you really need the new camera?

Yes, that is the question we usually ask our-self. My friend Brandon Eu made a nice reflection post on this. ‘Made to Advance’ Every time there’s a new camera announced by Nikon, I’ve always find myself wanting to buy it. Now unlike Brandon, I didn’t get my info about gears from magazines. Heck, I don’t [...]

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7 tips for better portrait photography

1. Talk to your model. Can’t stress this enough. If you are not communicating to them and directing their poses, they will feel very uncomfortable. Just try having a friend keep snapping you for 5 minutes without saying anything, see if you feel the pressure. Small talk is better than deafening silence. 2. Use wide [...]

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