14位和RAW的力量以及GPS的D700情况新更新

尼康的最新相机，比如D700等的照片变成14位（缺省还是12位），我想D3和D3X应该更加好一些，这个已经是非常大的进步了，相当于全部动态范围增加了4倍，相对于D200等相机在HDR时需要连续曝光，然后找专门软件根据每张照片曝光情况做出HDR照片，使用14位只要是正常曝光，使用RAW文件进行调整就可以得到HDR效果的照片，如下图。

发件人 HDR

RAW文件确实非常强大，使用Photoshop插件CameraRAW，经过调整几乎完全能够实现自己想要的色彩、曝光、色温等，真是神奇，为啥以前没有使用。

用了D700发现LOCR不能写入GPS信息了，得到JPG文件头文件全部不能读了，但照片可以正常显示，试了若干次，实在没有办法发给EMail给LOCR的开发者。不错很快就回信了，说LOCR对尼康相机支持很差，没有办法，同时也推荐了一个德国公司软件GeoSetter。马上下载解压（完全绿色的），基本没有问题了，对于D700的JPG文件支持很好，坐标等信息全部写入，同时也写入了NEF文件，唯一遗憾是NEF文件中不能写入高度。不过已经很满足了。

新升级

发件人 Equipment

今天我非常激动，因为最近花完了本年度的发烧的预算，用阿香的话，就是败家完了，但同时也发现Raw文件的巨大好处和新镜头的巨好了。稍微总结一下两三年发烧历程，也在此向近年来帮助我发烧和败家的同志们表示感谢。

1 感谢的是帮助我跌入泥坑的大龙，让我知道了什么叫做单反和摄影的快乐。其中D200快门数28，000，照片26，000，影像居多。18-200的旅游头也是我的最爱，照片指数也是最高的。走得路也比较多，其它比较难拿的头，最远也不多方圆30km。

2 经过了一段时间，发现基本配置已经不能满足要求，特别是把手册和Thom Hogan's Complete Guide to the Nikon D200看完以后，虽然还是木头，但是有冲动，正好小侯同志，日本归来，问我带点啥，正好吗，镜头，网上查了又查，没有感觉，想了想，不能买贵的太奢侈，也不能最便宜，也没有转换系数概念，选来选去，85 F1.8的和灯神SB800，到手，高兴，但不知道怎么用，特别是SB800，全部日文说明书，晕菜。后来就就付付在IT168上面找了扫描的说明书，看了，又在美国Nikon找了英文的，台湾繁体的，终于可以使用了，尽管很简单，但是一直也没有得心应手，经常忘记了该做的事情，特别是和老白同志去照HOPG，竟然忘记了怎样解除锁定，丢人啊。现在好了，自从出了SB900，闪光灯说明书也可以从尼康官网下载了。85 F1.8在我这里就是鸡肋，很少使用，一直想出了，但第一个定焦头，用了几次照片比想象的好，也就将就留着了。

3 下面闪亮出场的就是Further WU同志，在香港不是白呆的，帮我完成了两个让我爱不释手东东，每次都必须使用的乐摄宝的Primus AW北极纪念版的摄影包，价格不菲，但皮实方便，自从购买几乎就是相机的家园。当然美中不足是，很难携带超过200的头，也不能放电脑，上面格挡用处不大。还有一个我的所爱，105 F2.8 Macro，百微，买了是冬季，在家也照相，TINA养花，可以照，右手咖啡可以照，真是兴奋啊。随后春暖花开，运河两岸金属所内，这个百微简直就变成挂头啊。当然大宁等，也用了，人头也非常不错。

4 这个时间当然也有其他小的斩获，因为看了色影无忌上面说了近摄镜，国内大自然就很好，所以请Onlighting到淘宝上买了一堆，不同放大倍数和直径以及偏光镜，近摄镜好像作用不大，但影响测光，所以搁置，偏光镜加上竟然有四个暗角，不用。好在不算太贵，有时偶尔用用，或者拿出来玩玩。

5 下面就是比较有经历的事情了，这里要感谢阿香和京阳了。我和onlighting骑车去鸟岛看到若干野鸭，200已经不足够了，筹划买400，这个时候京阳说一个哥们是老鸟可以请教，去了建议70-200F2.8+TC2，回来上网一查竟然超过16000，算了吧。再到网上逛逛，发现尼康还有80-400带VR，虽然I代VR，应该不错，价格不到1W，请阿香日本帮忙，也行便宜一些吧。回来就用。发现还是老鸟对，这个镜头缺点比优点多。菜鸟的感觉不行。超过400怎么办，泥坑的400，500，600超级远摄价格是老白同志三辆汽车的价格，不敢想啊。但心中还是痒痒，在网上查了又查，找了又找，正好看到肯高出了800F8.0的折返头，呵呵，暗下心思，请阿香看看，价格不贵，可以接受，买了带回来，发现竟然没有转接环，不能用，我衰。只好再次求阿香了，希望不久就可以打鸟了。

6 因为经常更换镜头，所以低通滤光片会出现灰尘，正常，因此需要购买清洁套装，开始是Petex的果冻笔，随后是粘附刷，小物件，阿香日本网上购物，请成老师带回来的，不容易啊。

7 雷同志需要微距，把我的微距组合带过去了，发现效果满意，同时雷同志为了获得更大放大比，专门购买了皮囊来，但精深太小了，没有办法，不过便宜了我，我可以使用皮囊了。呵呵，原来帮人时候，图谋不轨啊。小插曲，为了给阿杜同志进行表面张力测定，其实简单得很，就是微距照相，但接连发生了两件认识的进步事情，为了减少按快门对于照片影响去购买了永国的快门线，淘宝搞得，买了快门线阿杜同志竟然不用了，真是善变啊。更加令人不能原谅的是，再次看了说明书，发现竟然不用快门线也能够解决的方法，可以定时照相。真是欲哭无泪啊，好在不算贵，今后还能用，如买了原厂的，不跳楼也得跳河啊。雷同志还有一个50F1.8的标头，这个是泥坑中最便宜的镜头，感觉很水，虽然长期占着，很少用，直到第二次儿童摄影，发现了标头的好处。大光圈有大光圈的道理啊。

8 Further WU同志还完成了SONY GPS CS-1，这个东西是偶然看见的五折跳楼价，所以买了，但sony做得太烂，可用但不好用。所以看见介绍长天的GPS，就请Macro在北京拿下，查了一下那个长天GPS芯片，好像很生猛，但用起来绵羊级的。

最近是在ET帮助下升级的，还有TINA一贯支持。正好今天是女人节，对于TINA的不问只闻，更加应该感谢。

闲话少说，还是看片是主要的，更蓝的南湖，几乎每周六日落时分都在那里逡巡，现在weather网站相当不错，查天气预报，也预报日出和日落，当然懒人日出很难了，但日落还是可以的。日落的意思太阳在地平线下，只要提前20min赶到南湖没有问题看到夕阳。每次都有新感觉啊。

发件人 更深的蓝

冰河

    现在东北北国冰封万里尽雪，上个周六和onlight出去照相，天降大雪，雪中骑车除了路滑，景色也别有风味。雪大路滑，行慢，路近，到了王家湾水坝不走了，照相。冰封浑河行，走至河心岛野鸭飞，兴奋、幸福，挥之即飞即远，大喊Onlighting，继续搜索，听见遥远的Onlighting大喊我在冰中，原来进到冰河之中。哎，可怕可急，疾跑过去，无恙。太冷啊，急回。没有心情了，回家。不过onlighting没有心里障碍，元旦一日租了婚纱，请我和大龙为他们照北国冰雪婚纱。呵呵，真是美丽冻人之举。这次有去落水之地，好在本次没有意外。呵呵。到了湿地，更多人在滑冰，看着我们冻人，真是兴奋啊。不知道Onlighting是否愿意把他婚纱给大家看看，小伙子很精神很潇洒，大姑娘很冻人很可爱。呵呵，感觉真是不错。不过经验不足，很多照片感觉没有想象，照人和照物，最大区别是，给人照相需要双方（婚纱是三个人）很好沟通，我想今后会更好一些吧。呵呵，也谢谢Onlighting。

20 Quick Street Photography Tips从 How to Photograph Fireworks Displays 作者：Darren

I was going through an old ‘Digital Photographer’ magazine this afternoon and came across a good Top 20 list of tips for those wanting to get into Street Photography.

Photography by Carlo Nicora

Here’s their headings an a few thoughts on each one from me:

1. Photography by Carlo Nicora

   Less is More

   - don’t take too much equipment and travel light. It’ll make you less obtrusive and you will be able to move around for the best shot quickly.
2. Off the Beaten Track - don’t just go to all the touristy shots - try to get ‘behind the scenes’ and ‘real life’ scenes.
3. Stolen Moments - anticipate moments between people before they happen.
4. True Colours - black and white is often where it’s at with street photography but at times colourful situations arise and can really make a shot - be on the look out for these.
5. In the Background - what’s goign on behind your subject can actually ‘make’ the shot. Billboards, signs, graffiti and other visual elements can really make a statement in a shot.
6. Dare to Go Diagonal - don’t just hold your camera horizontally - experiment with angles. Street photography is a less formal medium - make the most of it.
7. Opposites Attract - shots which challenge the ‘norm’ in terms of composition and story/subject matter can be powerful. Look out for ’surprising’ subject matter and composition.
8. What a Performance - street performers, parades and other street entertainment can be great subject matter on the street.
9. Off the Streets - other places where people gather in number can lead to great shots in this genre - zoos, fairs, shows, parks, sporting events etc all can be worth trying.
10. New Angle - find ways to get up high or down low - these new perspectives on subjects that are familiar can lead to eye catching shots.
11. Practice makes Perfect - over time and with practice your photography will improve. You’ll not only get better at technique but also spotting the things to focus upon on the street.
12. Fortune Favors the Brave - sometimes the best thing you can do is to get close to your subject - this can be a little confronting but will produce powerful images
13. Fun in the Sun - often we try to avoid shooting into the sun and the shadows that direct sunlight can produce - in street photography breaking these ‘rules’ can lead to great shots.
14. Ready to Pounce - have your camera out and ready to shoot at all times. Things can move quickly on the street so if you’re not ready you’ll miss lots of opportunities.
15. Revise the Revisit - street photography is not all about spontaneity - if you see a scene with potential don’t be afraid to keep coming back to it until you get the shot.
16. Frozen Motion - the street is a place of movement - to capture it and still get sharp shots make sure your shutter speed is fast enough. 1/125 or more with an ISO of 400 is what this article recommended as a base. I also think it can be fun to experiment with slower shutter speeds on the street - capture the movement as blur.
17. Street Wallpaper - blend in with the scene - shoot unobtrusively and unnoticed.
18. Life Through a Lens - ‘exaggerating perspective will help set your subject in context and provide a more forgiving depth of field’ - use a wide angle lens (or even a fisheye).
19. Expect the Expected - people can be suspicious of street photographers so shoot in places where people expect to see people doing photography. Smile, be polite and be willing to delete images if people protest.
20. Location, Location, Location - really this is what it is all about. Choose places where people interact with one another and times when they are present.

What would you add (or subtract) from this list of Street Photography Tips?

How to Photograph Children 从 How to Photograph Fireworks Displays 作者：Darren

How should I photograph my children? This was the question that I was asked over the weekend and one that I posted as a community discussion on the topic (thanks to everyone for submitting your child photography tips).

Below are a few of my own tips (in two parts - ’settings’ and ‘the shoot’) - keep in mind that it reflects how I photograph children and by no means do I have a monopoly on the only way to do it - feel free to add your own tips in comments below.

Photograph by thejbird

Photographing Children - Settings:

Lets start by looking at some tips on how to set your camera up when photographing children.

• Aperture Priority Mode- I’d start by switching your camera into Aperture Priority mode. This will let you have some creative control over depth of field which can be an important factor in portraits. Learn more about Aperture Priority Mode. If your camera doesn’t have aperture priority mode - it might have a ‘portrait’ mode which can be worth shooting in to get those nice fuzzy backgrounds.
• Aperture - I’d set my aperture at f5.6 to start with (you can adjust it up and down as you start shooting). This will throw the background out of focus (unless your kids are right up against a wall) but will give you enough depth of field that their whole face will be in focus.
• ISO - Depending where you are shooting (inside or out) and what the light is like - set your ISO to 200 (lower is better if you have lots of light). If it is too dark and this makes your shutter speeds too long you can pump it up - but try to keep it under 800 or you’ll start getting lots of pixelation).
• Shutter Speed - Keep an eye on the shutter speed that your camera is choosing. Try to keep it 1/200th of a second or faster if you can (if your kids are running around - to up to 1/500th or more). Like I say - if it’s too dark you can increase your ISO or even push your Aperture up a little. If you’re not confident with shutter speeds and your photos are coming out blurry because your children are moving too fast - you might try setting your camera to ’sports mode’.
• Focus Mode - Set your Auto focus to single point focussing. You could leave it on the multipoint focusing mode but I find with kids that move around a lot that you want to know exactly where your camera is focusing quite precisely (this could just be me though).
• RAW - If you have time (and the ability) to do some post production work on your images later try shooting in RAW. This will give you more license to edit your shots later. If you’re under the pump for time and/or don’t have the ability to edit your work - JPEG will do.
• Flash/Lighting - I’m not sure if you have a flash unit or not that you can use but my preference is to limit the use of your camera’s built in flash. If you do have an external flash and you’re shooting inside - bounce it off a roof/wall (if they are white) or use a diffuser to give indirect light. Otherwise try to find situations that are well lit with natural light - this is my preferred situation - if you can do it in natural light you’re putting yourself in the position to not have to worry too much about your flash. If you’re shooting into the sun though - consider using your flash to give a little fill flash light.
• Lens - I like to take a couple of approaches when it comes to lenses. The main approach I take is to use a lens with some real zoom capability. I love to get my 70-200mm lens out which enables me to shoot from a distance and yet still fill the frame with the child I’m photographing (this lens also has the advantage of being fast (f2.8) and having image stabilization) - even my 24-105mm lens gives good range at the 105mm end. The other approach that can be fun is to shoot at the other end of the spectrum and shoot with a wide angle perspective. Getting in nice and close with a wide lens can give all kinds of fun distortion (which when used creatively can lead to some wonderful shots). If shooting indoors or in poor lighting you might also want to go with the fastest lens in your bag.

OK - so we’ve talked camera settings - lets move on to the shoot itself.

Image by darkmatter

Photographing Children - The Shoot

Before I give some specific tips about the shoot, I think it’s worth saying that you want to get the children that you are photographing as comfortable with you and the camera as possible. Showing kids photos after you’ve taken them, letting the child look through the viewfinder and even take a few shots (if they’re old enough), spending time with the kids before taking shots - all of these things can help set the child at ease. The more relaxed they are the better.

Location - Where you shoot will depend a lot on your situation - but try to think of a 2-3 scenes/settings that you could go to before you start shooting. If you have a few hours - pick at least one outside (a park perhaps), one inside (in their bedroom or play room perhaps) and try to find a spot where you have a fairly simple background (something with color can be good) for a few posed shots. Choose places where your kids have fun, where you can show them in their natural playful environment. If you’ve got the time go to the zoo, beach or some other fun place.

Photo by Brian Hathcock

Candid Approach - I try to shoot candidly with kids as much as possible. Get them doing something that they enjoy and just start snapping. You might ask them to stop/pause what they are doing every now and again and to look at you (at the top of a slide for instance) but over time you’ll find lots of moments in the normal run of their ‘play’.

Image by Jeff Kubina

‘Posing’ - With older kids you might find that they respond better to ‘posing’ moments. I find with little kids that they don’t often have the attention span for this (and they tend to pull the cheesiest smiles they can).

Photography by Larryboi90

Get down on their level - You’ve got young children so unless they’re very unusual they’ll be half your height. Shooting from an adult’s perspective looking down on kids will leave you with average looking shots. Get on their level, make the camera level with their eyes (or even slightly below) - do this and you’ll get much more intimate shots.

Photograph by carf

Alter Your Perspective - Having said that - sometimes you can get a really great shot by breaking this ‘get on their level’ rule. Shooting from directly above or below can also give a great result!

Picture by bass nroll

Photography by ToniVC

Get close/Zoom - you’ve got a lens with reasonable focal length (I’d probably prefer something a little longer myself) but you’ll want to get in reasonably close in order to fill your frame with your kids. At times it’ll be good to zoom out or step back in order to get their context - but your parents want to see your kids faces - so make sure they dominate the shot rather than their environment.

Photograph by thejbird

Focus Upon the Eyes - Pay particular attention to your kids eyes. If you’ve got the single zone focusing switched on - choose eyes as the focus point. You can get away with other facial features a little fuzzy but the viewer of an image always is drawn to the eyes of the subject.

Photograph by Herve Kerneis

Backgrounds - pay a lot of attention to the backgrounds of your images. A background can give context to your shots but also can be a real distraction. Before you start shooting clean up any distracting items. Make at least one of your locations a place with a fairly undestracting background. I like to try to find a colorful wall or even to set up a sheet/background for a few more posed shots with the child just standing there in front of it. Alternatively light your subject in such a way that there is no background.

Photograph by carf

Get Abstract - mix your shots up with a few more abstract shots. For instance take a picture of their shoes, zoom right in on their hands or eye lashes, get them framed so only part of their head is in shot. These more playful shots can be a lot of fun and will add variety to the end results of your shoot.

Image by melinkita

Photograph by mpisti

Clothes - my motto with clothes is to choose some that the child feels comfortable in and that reflects their personality. If you put them in their Sunday best but they can’t move freely - your shots will look stilted. The only other advice on clothes is that sometimes bold, plain colors can work well. Perhaps have a couple of outfits on hand that you change them into between locations.

Photography by Wazari

Shoot in burst mode - for at least part of your shoot switch your camera into burst mode (where the camera shoots a lot of shots fast). I actually usually shoot a whole shoot in this mode - but particularly when shooting outside or at a park where your kids are on the move it can be very useful. Look for ’series’ of shots that might go together in a multiple image frame on a wall OR which you could put together into one image with photoshop (a child running, sliding down a slide, on a swing, doing a dance, riding a bike…) - these can be a lot of fun.

Images by Diyosa

Photography by Glenn Loss-Austin

Include other People - one good way to help relax a child if they’re a little tense and to give an image a little more context/story is to add another person into the image. Whether it be a sibling, parent, friend - adding a second person into a shot adds another point of interest and introduces the idea of ‘relationship’ into your image. It can also distract the child from you and help them to be a little more relaxed.

Image by dlemieux

Speaking of fun - do your best to make the shoot as much fun as possible. Show the children some of the shots you take, ask them to do funny things, be funny yourself - all of this will bring energy to your shoot, help the child to relax and capture some of their spirit. The more fun they have the more genuine and engaging the shots will be.

Photo by Todd Baker

These are just some of my tips for Photographing Children - what would you add? Got some great kids portraits already? Share them with us in the Share Your Shots section of our forum.

3 Books for Further Reading on Photographing Children

1. Photographing Children Photo Workshop: Develop Your Digital Photography Talent
2. The Art of Children’s Portrait Photography
3. The Sandy Puc’ Guide to Children’s Portrait Photography (Sandy Puc Guide)

7 Travel Photography Tips 从 How to Photograph Fireworks Displays 作者：Darren

Travel Photography is a lot of fun but presents some real challenges. Today Christina Nicholeshares 7 tips to help you on your next trip.

I once heard travel photography described as one of the most important mediums of photographic communication. As the photographer, you are literally creating an entire culture for an audience of people who may never be able to visit that place. Of course, this privilege carries a heavy responsibility. You must be able to present a culture in a way that informs, educates, and entertains.

So, what do you look for? Here are seven tips that will guide you in your photographic travels…

1. Look for “the big picture”. Give your audience a bird’s eye view of the location you have traveled to – full of color and vibrancy. Here, I have taken this shot on one of the highest peaks of Quito, Ecuador to overlook the city.

2. Capture things that are “out of the ordinary”. What is distinctly different from your culture? These are things that your audience will find interesting.

3. Find shapes. Other cultures use shapes, curves, and lines in architecture very differently. Be constantly on the alert for buildings, fences, and paths that are unique to your culture.

4. Seek the light. Make any image stunning with some dynamic lighting. Inside cathedrals and churches facilitate beautiful lighting with stained glass windows and skylights. Wait until mid morning or afternoon to capture high sidelight that will pour through the windows and hit the floor.

5. Look for contrast. Whether contrast in light tones verses dark tones, or contrast as in textures and locations, this will keep your images varied.

6. Third world countries especially have extreme diversity of textures, colors, patterns, andcontent. As a photographer, you have to unify all the different elements to an image that will “make sense” visually.

7. Photograph that which captures your soul. A poor child? A destitute village? A tropical landscape? A busy city center? Take pictures of things that matter to you, and you will come away with visually gripping images no matter where your travels may take you.

上周，沈阳是极度寒冷和极度大雪的一周。天太冷，以至于Onlighting不再发光了，只好一个人骑车出去。郊外，雪未扫，真是万里人踪少啊。路极滑，不敢骑车，骑骑走走，本来平常一个小时的路，大约需要2个小时，所以本周GPS纪录的里程只有30km。虽然路程短，回家感到疲顿之极。

发件人 雪客冰侠

发件人 冰歌

本周也是感受北国风光千里雪飘万里冰封的最佳时刻，尽管真是天寒地冻。到了王家湾水坝，发现太阳也被冻住了，光芒不再了，也只经济不景气，发光也部高了。拿着相机对这太阳照了唯一一张，据说这是极为恐怖的行为，能够破坏相机的CCD，CCD害怕强光。不过好像看起来问题不大。呵呵。浑河在不同时间冰冻形成的图案是不同，有着明显的记号。加上风雪图案也就多种多样，虽然极冷，但依然有在唱歌的流水，我称之谓冰歌。
本周不大爽快的事情，发现CCD巨脏，在照片右上角有个灰尘，抬起反光板多次吹好像作用不大，果冻笔黏啊黏啊，终于旧的去新的来，费了三四张粘纸在F20以前看不见灰尘了，幸运啊。