Why I Chose the Nikon D7000

Yesterday, over on my main page, I shared with you the newest member of our family, the Nikon D7000...

It's a thing of beauty.

Actually, it's really good at capturing images of things of beauty.

And I love it.

But I didn't dive headlong into a relationship with this camera (because that is what you do, you know, with a new camera of this magnitude... you commit to a relationship with it... you end up spending many hours together) I did quite a bit of research.

First of all, I weighed my options of going with Nikon vs. Canon. I think anyone who knows anything about photography will tell you that both Nikon and Canon make excellent cameras, so for me, all it really boiled down to was my familiarity with Nikon. Since I've owned a D70 for the last six or seven years, I've spent quite a bit of time getting to know how Nikon's cameras are set up (because, as I said, it truly is a relationship), and I ultimately decided to stick with Nikon for this very reason.

Then it was time to consider which Nikon was right for me. My biggest parameter was, quite frankly, the price range. I knew that I definitely wanted something better than my old D70. I did not want to make a lateral move in terms of camera capability; I definitely wanted a step up. However, I also couldn't justify purchasing something like the Nikon D3X, which runs around $8000, just for the camera body.

Someday I might live in a time where a D3X is a reality for me. Here and now, in 2012, is not that time.

I narrowed down my options to the D7000, and the D700. Here's the confusing part... The D700 (smaller number) is actually more expensive than the D7000. Okay, maybe it's not that confusing, but it's a little confusing.

If I only wanted the camera for personal use, I may have not even considered the D700. (The better, more expensive camera.) However, since I'm planning on using the camera for future business use as well, I wanted to consider, and ultimately invest in, what was going to be the best option for me.

On the other hand, the camera was also very much going to be used for personal, family-type things, and this is what helped me make my decision in the end. The deciding factor was this: Even though the D700 is a better camera, definitely more of a 'professional' camera, it didn't have video capability, and the D7000 does. Mr. Blue Eyes and I really wanted to be able to capture our kiddos on video, as we've never had a video camera (and have relied on the 'YouCam' on our computer... it doesn't work well to carry your laptop around and point it at your kids... let me just tell you), so that was really important.

Thus, I landed on the D7000. It is definitely a 'good enough' camera -- actually, an excellent camera -- for my current needs, and the video capability is a huge bonus. The other thing that was important to me was having a little money leftover to spend on lenses that I specifically wanted, and because the D7000 is significantly less than the D700, I will be able to do that.

If you want to read more about it (and compare it to other Nikon cameras), you can visit Nikon's site here. If you want to read more about how I hemmed and hawed about actually making the purchase, until a twist of fate plopped a D7000 in my lap, you can read here.

Up next I'll share with you which snazzy lens I will be purchasing to go with it.

Five Things I Learned About Wedding Photography

Last weekend my nephew got married, and about a week before the big event, his fiance emailed me and asked if I wouldn't mind snapping photos. She said her uncle was planning on being the photographer, but he was a landscape photographer, and was a little worried about doing wedding photos, so wanted me to take some as well.

I said, "Sure," thinking she would just want me to take some candid shots.

Besides, I probably would've done that anyway, even if she hadn't requested it.

It's kind of what I do.

However, the day before the wedding, when we discussed the photography situation, I said, "You just want me to capture candid shots?" and the bride replied, "Yes, and could you do some of the formal photos too?"

I said, "Sure," but this made me a little nervous. However, they weren't too uptight about the photos, so I decided I wouldn't be either.

I'd have to say the photos went pretty well...

I was happy with the end results...

BUT...

I learned some things about wedding photography...

1. Wedding photography is NOT EASY!

It takes a combination of creativity, being quick on your feet, listening to the suggestions of twenty people around you, adjusting your camera every ten seconds to varying light conditions, and having a steady hand.

2. Wedding photography is EXHAUSTING!

I was buzzing around like a bee, trying to find good spots for photos, organizing people, trying to capture both posed and candid shots, and everything in between.

3. Wedding photography requires oodles of CREATIVITY.

Despite the logistical side of just taking photos, you need to have an eye for interesting backgrounds and special details.

4. Wedding photography requires PREPARATION.

Since I really didn't have time to prepare, and since my little girl was one of the flower girls, the whole thing was 'on the fly'. I just happened to notice a really beautiful area of flowers at the resort where the wedding was held, so we started there, and went where the inspiration took us. However, in the moment I kept thinking about how great it would have been if I could have scoped out the venue beforehand and come up with some really great locations and poses for the photos.

5. Wedding photography is FUN!

I was one wooped puppy after about two hours of pictures, but the creative challenge was a blast!

I ♥ Faces - Silhouette

I was over at I ♥ Faces perusing all the silhouette photos this week, and almost forgot that I had one of my own to share!

I have to confess, though, I feel inferior to all the awesome submissions this week. There are so many wonderful photographers out there in the world. It is definitely worth your while to check them out!

I used this photo in a post about our Minnesota farm country about a month back. If you'd like to read and see more farming photos, click here!

 

Tutorial Tuesday - Burning the Edges

Today I'm going to share with you a little trick that a lot of photographers use in their photo editing. I call it 'burning the edges' of the photo. And no, I do not whip out my Bic to accomplish this, especially since this photo exists only on my computer and not in print form.

(Spoiler alert! Next week we're going to use this same photo to produce a very nice black and white photo. Same photo. Same burned edge effect. Same bat time. Same bat channel. Only in black and white. Are you, like, so totally excited?)

Here we have the original photo...

Baaaaaahhh!

Am I the only one who feels compelled to bah when they see sheep?

I know, I know... A couple weeks back I joked around about editing a photo of sheep butts. But this week I'm serious. We're going to edit a photo of a sheep. I am a 'farmer' gal, afterall. Just be thankful that we're working on this end of her body.

So, first thing... We need a little cropping. I really like the detail in the wool, but the body of that sheep on the right is kind of distracting. Also, there is this thing called 'The Rule of Thirds' in photography, that recommends you keep the subject of your photo somewhere along the lines, and in particular, the intersections of the lines, that divide your photo into nine equal pieces. So I decided to crop this photo (at 525px by 350px) as such...

Baaaaahhh!

Sorry. I just can't stop myself.

So, as you can see, I've positioned her head along the one line, with her forehead and muzzle on each of the intersections. I kind of like to keep this rule in mind when I'm cropping, but in all honesty, I usually crop things in a way that feels good to me. I don't utilize a grid.

Maybe I should.

I'm just telling you... Thus far, I don't.

So, cropping is done. Now, it's time to spiffy things up before we do the burned edges. Miss Sheep here needs a little somethin' somethin' to perk her up. Clicking on the little black and white circle under the layers tab, I'm going to select 'Brightness/Contrast' and set the brightness to -5 and the contrast to +40, giving me this...

A little better. But I'd like just a bit more 'ooomph', and also a bit less of the red glow that this photo seems to have. So, again clicking on the little black and white circle under the layers tab, I'm now going to select 'Hue/Saturation'. For the saturation, with the 'Master' selected, I'm going to go with a value of +10. Then, clicking on the little box that says 'Master', I'm going to select 'Reds' instead, and change this value to -15. And now we have this...

Not a huge change, but just enough for me to feel like the colors are more balanced. Let's put those last two edits side-by-side...

Super, super, SUPER subtle. But when I look at the first one, that slight pinkish glow turns me off a bit. Just toning down the reds a little puts my eyes more at ease.

But that's just me. Maybe you like the pinkish glow! Do what feels right for you.

I'm okay, you're okay.

Now let's hold hands and sing If You're Happy and You Know It...

No?

That usually works with my kids.

Let's just continue on with the photo editing. Finally, I feel like I'm ready to go ahead with my burned edge effect. I pretty much always save this until the end of my editing process. The first thing you'll want to do is select your 'Rectangular Marquee Tool'. It looks like this...

With this tool selected, drag a rectangle around the perimeter of your photo. On mine, my rectangle looks like this...

Note that it is slightly off-center. This is because, with my burned edges, I am attempting to draw in the viewer's eye to the face of the sheep. Depending on the photo, you can adjust your rectangle in different ways to draw your viewer's eye where you want it to go. But let's keep going so you can see what I mean.

Next, with your box area selected, click on 'Select' on the top toolbar, then click on 'Inverse'. Now your box will look like this...

See how it has selected the area outside your original box, instead of the inside? If this isn't obvious now, it will be easier to understand after we complete this next step. Clicking on the little black and white circle under the layers tab, select 'Solid Color'. When the color box pops up, select black. You don't have to select black (and please have fun doing this with other colors!) but I almost always do.

How's that for encouragement... You do it! Have fun! But it's not for me. Sorry. I just would never want to stifle your photographic aspirations. And Lord knows that my way is not the best way. But all I can do is tell you how I go about these things.

I am what I am.

Okay, so when you do this, your photo will now look like this...

Only one more step and we'll have some burned edges! Alrighty... Next, up in your top toolbar, click on 'Filters', then click on 'Blur', then click on 'Gaussian Blur'. For this photo, I'm going to go with a value of +50.

Now we have this...

Burned edges! Cool effect, huh?

But it is a little bit too strong for my taste, so I'm going to grab onto the opacity slider (under the layers tab) and set it at 80%, giving me this...

Yep. I like this better. Now, when you apply the gaussian blur edit, as we just did a couple steps back, you can set your value to higher -- +100 or higher -- and it will fizzle out the dark edges so that they are not quite so stark as well. However, when you do this, it sends the darkness farther into the photo more, taking away the brightness and clarity of your photo subject. So I don't like to do this. I like to set my gaussian blur with edges where I like them, then adjust the opacity after. It just works for me.

Let's compare the original with the final, shall we?

We shall.

Baaaahhhhh!!!

I think I've gotten it out of my system now. So tune in next week when we work on a nice black and white effect! I promise I won't make any farm animal noises at you.

Maybe.

And I'll tell you something else... All black and white photos are NOT created equal. Next week I'll tell you why!

Photo of the Week - Glory

Yesterday morning, we awoke to darkness, with just a hint of deep red on the horizon. As I walked by our large, eastern-facing picture window, I thought, "Hmmm. Sunrise looks like it could be a good one. Better keep an eye on that."

Then I sat down at the computer for a few minutes and completely forgot about it. Luckily, my yearning for coffee prompted me to wander toward the kitchen, and when I passed by the window again, I saw this...

Wow.

I gasped.

I really did. I gasped.

It took my breath away.

Thank you, Lord, for an eastern facing window! I love the sunrises you give me. But this one... This one will go down in the record books.

Amen.