I took these photos with my new “nifty fifty” lens and I am very displeased with how they turned out as I am obviously doing something wrong…but I thought what the heck and I’m sharing today’s outfit anyway…
See how fuzzy they are? The color had to be significantly adjusted too! If you have this lens and have any tips, please leave them in the comments below!
Blouse & Cardigan- Express; Skirt & Belt- J.Crew; Tights- Target;
Shoes- Kate Spade; Necklace- Regina Pierallani; Watch- Michael Kors
Shoes- Kate Spade; Necklace- Regina Pierallani; Watch- Michael Kors
Wishing everyone a wonderful rest of your week!
xoxo,
Veronika.
V- I have a Nikon and you have to hit the button on the remote once to get it to focus and then hold it down to take the photo. Your manual should tell you how to fix it.
thanks so much ๐
I actually like the pictures and don't find them to be too out of focus. Then again, you've seen my pictures ๐
Love your style. We have a lot of similar wardrobe pieces. You really inspired me to wear my J Crew Neon Azalea skirt today in a similar fashion to how you have paired it. It is the type of skirt that has strangers approaching you to make a comment!
Replied to your email! ๐
I don't have any tips on the photos, but I love your blouse. It's so pretty and feminine.
Hey V – I like the pics ๐ But you can check out Running on Happiness latest blog post maybe that helps you a bit ๐
xoxo- Natalia
thanks so much natalia! I love her blog—going to read now ๐
Try adjusting your aperture. The higher number= a lower aperture but puts more of the picture in focus. I know that lens has an aperture can go to a 1.8 try 7 and see if that helps. The aperture is the setting with the f in front of it. Hope that helps
I LOVE LOVE LOVE that blouse!
https://www.andrea-clare.blogspot.com/
Looks like your aperture is set too wide. Try narrowing it down.
I don't really like my 50mm; it just sits in my camera bag most of the time. I know plenty of people love it though. I prefer the Sigma 30mm.
Cute outfit!
I think the photos look great…and so does your outfit!! ๐
Love the blouse! die for polka dots ๐
Probably need to adjust your aperture. Are you shooting on manual? If you google dslr tips infographic there are some great primers.
I think these photos look awesome!
Love your outfit and the last picture.
You're so pretty!
Love the style, specially the blouse!
Try white balancing your photos!
That blouse is great! I need to by more tops that pair well with pencil skirts!
I recently got a 50mm so I did a lot of research on it. It's cheaper because its uses are very limited. The point of it is that it only has a very small area of focus, and blurs the rest out. so using it with a remote is not ideal, because you don't choose where it's focused and where it blurs. It is best used for macro type photos, and for bokeh! Bokeh is really cool and I mastered it over Christmas time with all the lights around. here is a tutorial: https://www.diyphotography.net/diy_create_your_own_bokeh the lens is worth it just for that effect alone!
Oh you got a nifty fifty amazing Veronika ^^d
Even though the focus is a bit soft in your photos, the bokeh (blurry background) really puts more emphasis on the subject matter now (in this case yourself).
Like the folks above have mentioned you are going to want to decrease the aperture, size of opening, by increasing the f number ^^; At f/1.8 when it's wide open, it doesn't need much light to take a picture (think about how big the irises of your eyes get when it's dark), but for this lens it's a bit soft when it's that open. Every lens has a "sweet spot" of settings.
It's time to use the Av (and eventually the M) dial settings on your camera! ๐ Try Av mode and setting it to f/2.8 and trying those shots again. When in Av mode you can adjust the f number by spinning the dial / mousewheelish thing by the shutter button.
You may have to stay still a hair longer at f/2.8, but it should be more focused. Getting fancy V!
Like others said, you need to look at your f-stop value. You want it at at least 4 for these photos. Also, your photo is pretty backlit – you have that big, lovely chandelier. Backlit photos can be tricky, especially indoors.
Sorry that should read more "sharp" at 2.8 (or f/4+ as mentioned above), not more "focused" as that is the wrong thing to say. This is why I'm terrible at explaining things. -__-
Good points anon poster. I think she really wanted to include the shiny new chandelier in background of the shot! ๐ Even if it was at the expense of having her poorly lit and having to cope with the tricky backlighting.
I looked at your exif data on the photo.
You used Auto exposure, Not Defined, 1/64 sec, f/2, ISO 1600
The 1/64 second shutter is way too slow esp for a person – try to up the iso to 3200 so you can allow for a quicker shutter – this does open you up to some more noise. If your camera does not go above 1600 try to go somewhere with more light. Consider maybe setting up a floor lamp for your photos in the evening.
Also try setting your canon to AV mode – and read more about the aperture priority mode – hope this helps. F 2 is way to shallow for you to be using for your OOTD – try going to maybe f4 and upping the iso so you can get a shutter around 1/150 to so you don't have any movement.
I also wanted to add the color is off since you are taking this at home using your homes light – those tend to be yellow or cyan if you use an inside light try always to use natural light and adjust your white balance that way. You could have your camera white balance set incorrectly as well – i suggest reading the manual.
Here's a really good cheat sheet for the manual settings on your camera. I have a canon 60D, with several lenses including the nifty fifty. If you have enough light in the shot, then you can have a higher fstop setting and have more of the picture in focus.
https://community.digitalmediaacademy.org/tag/using-a-dslr-camera
This is a website I used to learn to take photos (it uses food as the subject, and since I'm a food blogger that worked for me – but the concepts are the same even if you're doing fashion & beauty).
https://whiteonricecouple.com/photography-tips/principles-photography-aperture-controlling-depth-field/
I also find that I take my best photos using the manual focus while wearing either my contacts or glasses. My eyesight isn't that bad but when I take photos without corrective lenses I do notice a little difference. I'm not that fimiliar with that lens but if you could manually focus its before the photo is taken it may turn out a little better. Just my two cents.
I wish I had some tips for you! I just think you look plain lovely in front of that chandelier! ๐
Aww well, at least you still look gorgeous and I love your outfit!
You've gotten lots of great advice already about how to take better photos with your 50mm, but honestly, that is really not the best lens for you to be using for your OOTD shots. It's a great lens for taking close ups of your accent pieces, a head shot or pics of LuLu. I'd go back to your kit lens for OOTD until you can upgrade to something else.
Anon- I got this lens for outfit photos because it was so highly recommended. It's not a cost issue. So what's the best lens for outfit photos?! Thank you!
Well, there are a lot of lenses that would be suitable for your OOTD posts so what you should actually buy would depend on what type of photos you like to take (other than OOTD pics). Prime lenses (fixed focus) are generally sharper and faster, but you definitely have to know how to use them (as evidenced by your out of focus 50mm shots). I think one of the big problems with using a 50mm for your OOTD shots is that you're obviously having to stand very far away from your camera/tripod in order to get your whole body in the frame. A lot of that is because you're using a 50mm on a crop frame sensor (nothing wrong with that at all, but it's just going to give you a tight space in your viewfinder). If you want to stick with prime, you might want to consider the Canon 28mm or 35mm…but if you look at those, you're going to need to be ready to spend a significant amount (i.e. the 28mm runs about $750). You can also look outside of Canon and look at other brands that are really good too, like Sigma. Sigma makes a 30mm for around $450 that would give you a much wider angle. Again, just do your research before you buy because there are SO many different options and the worse thing you can do is buy a lens you don't end up liking. Lastly, I recommend renting a lens for a week to see if you like it for your shots before you actually buy one. Photo Rental Source in Houston is great for that!
@anon–thanks these are great tips. I really don't want to spend money on a $750 lens since the camera itself cost just a little more than that but the other one you mentioned is closer to what I'm willing to spend. I am going to work on the settings of my 50mm lens and if that doesn't work I will go back to the kit lens ๐
thank you!
It's already been mentioned – but I'd TOTALLY recommend the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 over the 50mm f/1.8 for your camera. I cried when I had to get rid of mine because it doesnt fit on the Canon 5D. I'd also get the camera off of auto, and at LEAST use Av mode like another user suggested. However, it will be tricky with backlit photos and so you'll want to learn how to compensate for that. If you're shooting at f/1.8 (which is great for indoors)…your depth of field is very shallow. Which really makes YOU stand out in the photos. However, you'll miss focus alot too by using a remote. I'd at least go up to f/2.8 and even then I'd try to pre-focus by setting something in your place or focusing on something the same distance away prior to you stepping into the shot.
Manual Mode.
Up the shutter speed…increase your aperture a tad (2.8 + ) and up the ISO just a little.
And yes, the Sigma 30mm is amazing. I love that lens, even though it's a crop sensor lens. It's a great great lens.
Amazing suggestions here. Photography is so tricky. It really is fun but also, needs to be studied.
xo
The Fashionable ESQ
https://www.thefashionableesq.blogspot.com/
Veronika-
Cute outfit! I love to see the black tights with the black shoes that you wear often…I wish I could pull it off (I feel that it shortens me).
About the photos…to be honest, it's so frustrating for me to read all the comments above about how you should get new or different equipment because I absolutely DO NOT believe that you should. You can get great pictures by just changing a few things!
The NUMBER ONE thing to consider in photography for clear, sharp, and nicely covered photos is
LIGHT, LIGHT, LIGHT!!
Natural light is best (especially since it won't come from above, it will enter the entire room via the window). See those big windows behind you?? OPEN THEM! ๐
Then, face the light and set your camera up right next to the window. I GUARANTEE your photos will look better. You can even leave the current settings you are using (however, I would recommend a shutter speed of at least 1/125 for clarity). You will find that you are able to lower your ISO as well, which will get rid of some of your grain.
I'd be happy to help you with any questions you have about getting the best photo and would love to see how the photos improve when you open your windows and face them! ๐
xo
-W.