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by Lee Duguid

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Please feel free to ask Lee anything about cameras, photography his courses, prints, anything really.

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Here are questions Lee has answered previously:
  1. What is your best photography tips for an action shots?? Thanks Amy
  2. Hi Lee, I'm looking to purchase an entry level digital SLR and I'm stuck deciding between the Nikon D3100 or the Canon EOS 500D. I'd love your thoughts on which one to go for. Thanks Ali
  3. I wanted to ask what you thought of the Nikon D90 (its for our daughter who is a semi-beginner). Here are some of her questions: Budget-around 1000ish. Purpose-primarily to photograph people Nikon D90 or a Canon EOS? Video quality is not a big issue. However if i went with Nikon, I am confused whether to get the Nikon D90 or Nikon D7000. I have tried to find information on if there is a nikon d90 'upgrade' but it is really information overload on the internet. This will be my first dSLR. Regards Stuart
  4. Dear Lee. I never seem to be able to quite get *everything* in crisp focus for my landscape photos using my full frame DSLR. I don't want to stop down to F16 or beyond to avoid diffration softening and have tried everything, including focus blending the foreground and background. How do you get your photographs perfectly sharp from foreground to background for large, beautiful prints? Regards, Confused, Auckland.
  5. Hi Lee. I spend a bit of time on your site for inspiration and while looking I was wondering how you manage to get your foregrounds so perfectly exposed and bright, whilst also having the sky and distant land in the shot exposed correctly too? Do you do much in post processing? I currently shoot with a 5D and a 17-40mm f/4L and use a Cokin Grad ND filter but i still can't seem to get the foreground to expose enough. Any tips would be much appreciated. Cheers. Geoff.
  6. Hi Lee, having just bought my first DSLR (Canon 550D) and done a course to learn the basics I'm keen on learning techniques. I was just wondering how you get the 'misty' effect on photos (such as "Turimetta Northern Beaches Sydney NSW Australia III" in your seascape gallery)? Is this a product of slow shutter speed, or am I completely out of whack!? Do you mind me asking what settings you used on this photo? If I can learn to take photographs half as gorgeous as yours I will be extremely happy! Thanks, Jenn. :o)
  7. thanks for the wisdom lee. on the same line of thought, have you had any experience with hi-tech or singh-ray nd grad filters? any thoughts on them? cheers. geoff-bang.
  8. Hi Lee, do you ever have to get permission or pay to use certian locations; such as The Opera House, because I am modelling photography and have only ever used on site scenes?
  9. Hi Lee I'm looking to buy a Benro tripod like the one you reviewed. My only concern is that it does not seem to have any form of head levelling mechanism (eg spirit level). Just interested in how you go with panoramas without such. Cheers, GB
  10. Hi Lee, I was wondering what you do/use to calibrate your monitor(s). Cheers, J.A.
  11. Hi Lee, I was hoping you would give me an insight into the Pentax K5. I've looked at the specs and they seem to be well above the 5D and on par with the 5D mk II, but significantly cheaper. I'm assuming there is a downside (as not many pro's use them), and was hoping you could explain it to me. Cheers champion, Brian "Brinosuarous" Betts.
  12. Hi Lee, I am a watercolour artist, about to have my first solo exhibition in Sydney, and I wanted to get photos taken of the work, then photoshop one image in particular that I would like to enlarge. I have done this before with a friendly photography shop owner in Qld, who scanned & then cleaned up an enlarged image for me. This turned out really well when it was printed on canvas. I don't know where to go to get this kind of service in Sydney. It is really the interim step that I am stuck with. Photographing the art well and then manipulating or cleaning up the images to send to a printer in the format they require.. Is this something you, or someone you could recommend would be able to do? Thank you for any advice you are able to give me. Cheers Sally Simpson M.0433 187 518 Email: sallyannsimpson@bigpond.com
  13. hey there, i stress all the time to people that you dont need the best of the best gear to make great images. All of this gear did not happen over night. I started shooting at 13 with one film body a Nikon N90s and a 80-200 F2.8 two touch, all of which I purchased with money I saved. I knew glass was important thus why I started with that lens. The gear you see on the table came from hard work and trading in good glass for better and reinvesting in my gear. good luck!!!
  14. Hi Lee, I am developing my landscape photos in lightroom 4 and the pics are coming up great. My problem is that I cant get them past a 5 x 7 size without them pixelating. I have just started shooting in raw and think maybe one of my settings may be off? Im on a tripod, AP around F18 on AV ISO 100 single shot with a 2 second delay. Any suggestions? I really want to blow up a couple of shots.. Cheers Lauren
Questions & Answers

  1. What is your best photography tips for an action shots?? Thanks Amy

    Hi Amy, thanks for the question. For action shots you generally want to freeze the action. To do this you need a fast shutter speed. Skip to the end for the simple answer, for a detailed answer please read on.

    For landscape photography I usually shoot fully manual but for action I switch to Tv mode.

    Tv mode: Shutter priority, set the shutter speed and the camera will adjusts the apperture automatically to correctly expose the scene.

    This will allow you to shoot the action without worrying about the camera settings and missing the shot. Once in Tv mode set the shutter speed to 1/640th of a second or faster. Of course the speed depends on how fast the action is you are shooting. As a result of the fast shutter speed you may need to increase the ISO (camera sensors sensitivity to light) in your digital camera settings to about 800 (or auto if it has it). The camera won't take a photo if this is set too low and the apperture will blink in the display.

    Set the focus to auto and choose a focus point around the centre or where the action is likely to be.

    The 'action' mode on most cameras, even point and shoots will do all of this but you don't have control of the shutter speed and the action may not be completely frozen and sharp.

    The Simple Answer:
    Use Tv, set to the shutter speed to 1/650th of a second, increase the ISO to 800 and use auto focus on a single focus point.

  2. Hi Lee, I'm looking to purchase an entry level digital SLR and I'm stuck deciding between the Nikon D3100 or the Canon EOS 500D. I'd love your thoughts on which one to go for. Thanks Ali

    Hi Ali,
    I would go for the Canon. The two cameras are very similar in specs but to me, Canon cameras seem to be more intuitive to operate over the Nikons. I can never seem to find the things I need with the Nikon as they are often buried in sub menus. I'm sure a Nikon photog would disagree. Either one will give you great results, go to the shop and see which you prefer the feel of and how easy it is to navigation etc. Invest in some lenses, they are what make the major difference. Good luck!

  3. I wanted to ask what you thought of the Nikon D90 (its for our daughter who is a semi-beginner). Here are some of her questions: Budget-around 1000ish. Purpose-primarily to photograph people Nikon D90 or a Canon EOS? Video quality is not a big issue. However if i went with Nikon, I am confused whether to get the Nikon D90 or Nikon D7000. I have tried to find information on if there is a nikon d90 'upgrade' but it is really information overload on the internet. This will be my first dSLR. Regards Stuart

    Hello Stuart,
    The prefered choice would be the D7000 only because it's newer technology and it has some extra features. However it seems to be about $1600 so way over budget. I've heard good reports for the D90 and you can pick them up for about $700. I suggest your daughter goes to a shop and plays with both Nikon and Canon cameras seeing which she prefers. They are both very similar. I would buy a cheapy 50mm F1.8 lens as well (only $120) which are really great for photographing people.

    Thanks
    Lee

  4. Dear Lee. I never seem to be able to quite get *everything* in crisp focus for my landscape photos using my full frame DSLR. I don't want to stop down to F16 or beyond to avoid diffration softening and have tried everything, including focus blending the foreground and background. How do you get your photographs perfectly sharp from foreground to background for large, beautiful prints? Regards, Confused, Auckland.

    Hello Confused,
    Sounds like you know your stuff...I wonder who this could be? If you aren't getting sharp results even with focus blending then it could be possible that the lens isn't up to it. Remember that generally speaking lenses are at their sharpest two stops down from wide open. So, if you are focus stacking at this aperture or even using the hyperfocal distance and still getting soft results then either buy better glass, calibrate the cameras focus system, use only prime lenses, or give up. I hope this helps!

    Cheers
    Lee

  5. Hi Lee. I spend a bit of time on your site for inspiration and while looking I was wondering how you manage to get your foregrounds so perfectly exposed and bright, whilst also having the sky and distant land in the shot exposed correctly too? Do you do much in post processing? I currently shoot with a 5D and a 17-40mm f/4L and use a Cokin Grad ND filter but i still can't seem to get the foreground to expose enough. Any tips would be much appreciated. Cheers. Geoff.

    Hi Geoff,
    Thanks for your question. A lot of the images on my website are taken with Canon's 5D and 17-40mm lens. I still use the 17-40mm but have recently upgraded to the 5DMkII.

    To maximise the dynamic range of my images I use graduated ND filters, mostly double stacking them to get 5 stops of difference. I then pull out more detail in Adobe RAW and Photoshop. I suggest getting some Lee filters as the Cokin's give a horrible colour cast. If you are still struggling I do 2 hour sunset shoots around the Sydney area where I can show you how to get the most out of your camera.

    Cheers
    Lee

  6. Hi Lee, having just bought my first DSLR (Canon 550D) and done a course to learn the basics I'm keen on learning techniques. I was just wondering how you get the 'misty' effect on photos (such as "Turimetta Northern Beaches Sydney NSW Australia III" in your seascape gallery)? Is this a product of slow shutter speed, or am I completely out of whack!? Do you mind me asking what settings you used on this photo? If I can learn to take photographs half as gorgeous as yours I will be extremely happy! Thanks, Jenn. :o)

    Hi Jenn,
    Thanks for your question. You got it, the misty effect is the result of a shutter speed of about 30 seconds. I shot this with an aperture of about F18, ISO 100 and well after sunset to achieve the long exposure. You can also use ND filters to further extend the time regardless of the amount of light available. I hope this helps, good luck!

  7. thanks for the wisdom lee. on the same line of thought, have you had any experience with hi-tech or singh-ray nd grad filters? any thoughts on them? cheers. geoff-bang.

    Hi Geoff,
    I own Lee filters, Singh Ray are too expensive and really don't offer anything better quality wise. Lee all the way if you have the pennies! I also own Hi Tech (formatt) filters, and for the most part these have been ok. They are 100 times better than Cokin but still give a magenta colour cast. Here is some more info worth a read: Filters, Filter holders and vignetting

  8. Hi Lee, do you ever have to get permission or pay to use certian locations; such as The Opera House, because I am modelling photography and have only ever used on site scenes?

    Hello, thanks for the question. The Opera house is a funny one, it is privately owned but on public property. I'm not an expert but here is a great resource for photographers in NSW: http://www.4020.net/words/photorights.php read the section specifically about the Opera House and Harbour area.

    Regards Lee

  9. Hi Lee I'm looking to buy a Benro tripod like the one you reviewed. My only concern is that it does not seem to have any form of head levelling mechanism (eg spirit level). Just interested in how you go with panoramas without such. Cheers, GB

    Hi GB,
    Very true it doesn't have anything, should probably note that in the review. For me it's not an issue as I use a Really Right Stuff Pano kit which has a spirit level built in.

    Cheers
    Lee

  10. Hi Lee, I was wondering what you do/use to calibrate your monitor(s). Cheers, J.A.

    Hello Josie,
    Thanks for your question. I previously used a ColorVision Spyder on my PC, now I have an iMac it doesn't work so well with the glossy screen. Looking back at my old photos I know the colours are pretty close to correct on the iMac so I haven't bothered. When I can afford it I'll probably by a ColorMunki that can calibrate printers (also need to buy) as well as screens.

    Cheers
    Lee

  11. Hi Lee, I was hoping you would give me an insight into the Pentax K5. I've looked at the specs and they seem to be well above the 5D and on par with the 5D mk II, but significantly cheaper. I'm assuming there is a downside (as not many pro's use them), and was hoping you could explain it to me. Cheers champion, Brian "Brinosuarous" Betts.

    Hello Brian,
    Thanks for your question. I think the price point difference is probably due to the fact that it is a cropped sensor camera rather than full frame. This means that you can't get that really nice shallow depth of field like you can with a full frame camera and the noise performance isn't quite as good. You will need to decide if it is worth spending a bit more to get the 5DMkII. I would personally buy a good condition second hand 5DMkII and some nice L series glass. I hope that helps Brinosuarous!

  12. Hi Lee, I am a watercolour artist, about to have my first solo exhibition in Sydney, and I wanted to get photos taken of the work, then photoshop one image in particular that I would like to enlarge. I have done this before with a friendly photography shop owner in Qld, who scanned & then cleaned up an enlarged image for me. This turned out really well when it was printed on canvas. I don't know where to go to get this kind of service in Sydney. It is really the interim step that I am stuck with. Photographing the art well and then manipulating or cleaning up the images to send to a printer in the format they require.. Is this something you, or someone you could recommend would be able to do? Thank you for any advice you are able to give me. Cheers Sally Simpson M.0433 187 518 Email: sallyannsimpson@bigpond.com

    Hello Sally,
    I do happen to know the exact person you need to speak to, David at Digital Masters (www.digitalmasters.com.au). He does this service for Katherine Longhurst an amazing artist here in Sydney and also all of my printing. I hope it goes well, good luck with the exhibition.

    Lee

  13. hey there, i stress all the time to people that you dont need the best of the best gear to make great images. All of this gear did not happen over night. I started shooting at 13 with one film body a Nikon N90s and a 80-200 F2.8 two touch, all of which I purchased with money I saved. I knew glass was important thus why I started with that lens. The gear you see on the table came from hard work and trading in good glass for better and reinvesting in my gear. good luck!!!

    Hello Wayne,
    Thanks for your comment. I completely agree, I've had my two L Series lenses now for several years. I always recommend to go for quality rather than buying intermediate equipment however photography is an expensive hobby so we can't all do it.

    Cheers

  14. Hi Lee, I am developing my landscape photos in lightroom 4 and the pics are coming up great. My problem is that I cant get them past a 5 x 7 size without them pixelating. I have just started shooting in raw and think maybe one of my settings may be off? Im on a tripod, AP around F18 on AV ISO 100 single shot with a 2 second delay. Any suggestions? I really want to blow up a couple of shots.. Cheers Lauren

    Hi Lauren,
    It could be a number of things, first how are you determining that a 5x7 is pixellating? It could be that you need to process your images at 300dpi.
    Cheers
    Lee