Your Questions, My Answers | photo-editing edition

Welcome to part two of the epic me-answering-your-questions-in-a-fashionably-late-manner. Actually, forget the fashionable part. I think I've passed that stage.

Moving right along, though - If you missed part one, head on over here. If you don't fall asleep before you finish it, you can come back on over here and digest part two - all about photo-editing. This is actually the shortest section, so you might be actually be able to do it. ;)

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Black and white or sepia?

Oh, fun question!  I go in phases...and right now I'm in black and white mode.  But really, it depends on the photo.  Sometimes it's just begging for some sepia, you know? 

Or maybe that's just me.

How long would you spend on editing a shot, if any time?

Once again - depends on the photo. Unless I'm doing a bunch of different edits or am working on a particularly difficult case, then I'd like to say about three minutes (this includes Picnik's uber-duber-slow uploading system, which does not agree with the high quality images my camera produces, at all.)  I should time myself sometime!

Do you have any "basic" or "standard" steps that you take when you edit photos --i.e., you do this for pretty much each and every photo that you edit?

Well, I edit my photos in you-know-what. So, unfortunately, editing photos for me does not mean messing with layers and actions. Basically, the routine goes like this:

-fall asleep while Picnik uploads my photo (okay, fine, I'm exaggerating)
-do basic editing: exposure/contrast, color, cropping or rotating if necessary, etc.
-then, analyze things: is it good to go or does it need something more?
-if I go with "something more", I'll then move into create and experiment. my go-to items are Black and White, Sepia, Cross Process, Texture, and Curves Adjustments. (that sounded like a really strange bunch, but it's true.) If it's a portrait, I generally do eye-brighten and some other things too. it just all depends, you know, on the photo.
-and, most of the time, I'll add my watermark sometime before I leave

Ta-da. Gotta love Picnik. (Or not.)

Are you a BIG editor (meaning you edit a lot of your photos)?

I edit just about all of the photos I post on my blog and then some. I don't edit as many photos as I'd like to, mainly because of, you know, Picnik's uploading system. And because of my lack of time to spend in front of the computer editing pictures that I don't have anything to do with at the moment. So, I'm not exactly sure if I'm a "big editor" or not - kind of sort of maybe is the only answer that my mind is currently generating.

Sorry! It malfunctions a lot.

Do you plan on making more "Picnik Recipes" in the future?

Oh, I'm so glad you found those helpful. Yes, I think I will be sharing some more recipes soon. Hopefully I'll get a post together within the next few weeks or so.

Or, actually, while I'm at it, here's a renovation of my original "Black,White, and Wonderful" recipe (I've simiplified the original a bit and have been using it all the time):

(Here are the other recipes I made a while back.)

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Once again, if you have a photo-editing-related question that I didn't answer, you can test my knowledge below and I'll get back to you (also in the section below).

Part three - about me and my photography, as well as some misc. questions - will be up shortly, along with photo challenge finalists!  You still have some time to enter if you haven't already (click here).

Love,
Hannah

Your Questions, My Answers | camera edition

Remember a few centuries ago when I put up the "ask me anything" post?  Remember how I said I'd get my answers up within the next week?  And remember how I never did?

Yikes, guys...I feel really bad about that.  I've had a draft going for quite awhile (you know, like a few centuries ;) but never exactly finished it.  So to make up for things, I'm going to answer you in a few posts, and you use your questions as more like posting prompts.  Here's edition one, covering the camera-related questions I got.

I received an abundance of these - what camera, what lenses, which do you recommend?  Hopefully those of you who asked me these have gotten a chance to look at my camera bag page where you can see all of my (super-minimal at the moment) equipment.  But just to summarize things:

-I have a Canon Rebel T2i, which yes, is an DSLR camera.  I'll also occasionally use my Canon Powershot.

-It does change lenses, although (I hang my head as visions of me as miss-lens-junkie slip from your mind) I only have one right now, an 18-135mm.  It wasn't exactly a kit lens, but it came in a separate "camera package" at the store I was buying it from.  The one thing that I don't particularly like about it is that it has variable aperture, which means that the its aperture abilities change depending on how far it is zoomed.  (As in, at 135mm the lowest it can go is f/5.6, but it can get down to f/4.0 when at 18, etc.) 

-In the near future, I'd like to get a telephoto and 50mm.  By the "near future", I mean as soon as I have a couple hundred dollars on my hands.

What are the "goods" about Canon Rebel? What are the "bads" about it? Is it worth it?

The "good"...Well, where do I begin?  I don't have any other DSLRs to compare it to, but I really like this camera.  It has wonderful auto modes for some one just wanting to get some nice pictures, then Shutter Speed and Aperture Priority modes for those wanting to do a bit more, and lastly, full Manual where you can play around and control, well, everything (it sounds scary...but, seriously, if I can do it, you can too!). 

I really love how my pictures are turning out - great quality, wonderful bokeh, and I don't have to do as much basic photo-editing (although they tend to load pretty slow on Picnik - gah), etc. Oh! And the shutter makes an awesome clicking noise when I take a picture.  Which, of course, makes a world of difference in and of itself.

The "bad"...I can't think of much I don't like. It's a little heavy/bulky, but I think you'd run into that to some extent with any DSLR camera, and it depends on the lens, too. Sometimes I feel a little odd carrying it around, especially when we're like running errands or something, but I don't mind all that much.

Also, just throwing this out here - The Canon Rebel T2i also had an HD video-recording mode, which is pretty neat and comes in handy (although I'm no video-tographer, or whatever you call them).  I *think* that this is its main difference from the Rebel T1i...So, if you're not interested in having video, you might as well save a bit of cash and go for the T1i instead.

This camera was worth it for me.  It's not up to me to decide whether it will be for you - but do consider it.

 

What made you choose Canon over Nikon (or another brand)?

I've sort of grown up with Canon, you could say. The point-and-shoot cameras I had before my Rebel were Canon (And I had loved them), so it felt sort of "right" to continue with that brand. Probably the biggest reason for choosing Canon was the price, however. When my dad and I were at the camera shop comparing things, The Rebel T2i was on sale and with a better lens than the Nikon I was looking at.  So there ya had it.

But, truth to be told, I love love love Canon now.

I got a lot of "What DSLR camera would you recommend (someone mentioned a budget of $1000:)?"

Wow, I am definitely no camera genius here, and besides my own camera and a lot of recommendations and such from other photographers I seriously don't know a lot about this. Above I rambled a bit about why I like my Canon Rebel, and if that sounds like something you're looking for I definitely recommend it.

I've heard many different philosophies when it comes to camera-upgrading: get the best you can afford, only upgrade to a DSLR if you're going to use it like one, etc. Personally, I don't have a strong opinion on this topic, but I recommend doing a lot of research and comparing before making your final decision.

About the pricing: If I remember correctly, my camera cost about $829 new (with basic lens). I had to pay more, however, because I purchased a the better lens as well as a warranty type thing, which I totally recommend. All in all, it may have cost a little over $1000, but it was totally worth it for me. Keep in mind, however, if you're really interested in photography you'll soon need want many more lenses, filters, a flash....You see, it's kind of an expensive hobby. ;)

I know that there are Nikon DSLR's or comparable (perhaps even better) prices . I'm a Canon gal all the way, but don't think I'm telling you not to look into other brands.

If you're in the market for a DSLR camera, I recommend reading this post. I found it the other day and it was very helpful for me even though it didn't completely apply to myself.

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  Thanks for letting me ramble about this - I'm hoping someone might have found this semi-useful;)Do you have any more camera related questions after reading this?  Drop me a comment and I'll answer it - to the best of my abilities - in the section below.

And...don't forget about my photo challenge!  See here.

Part two - photo-editing edition - coming soon. 

See you then (or before, knowing how I am with these posts:),

-Hannah 

ask me anything :: q&a with hannah

I'm always getting questions about my photography, photo-editing, camera....And always feeling really bad about not getting back to them.  So, I thought I'd give y'all a chance to question me, and actually have your questions be answered.

Any time this week, feel free to fill out the form below with your name (if you wish) and as many questions as you want.  You can ask me what lens I use, how I got interested in photography, or whether I've ever owned a pet hampster.

Which, for the record, I haven't.

Hopefully sometime next week I'll get around to answering everything, in a post or two, depending how many I recieve.  Have fun, dears.  Ask lots.  And if you've left a question on my blog before that I never got back to, feel free to share it again ;)

Love,

Hannah

ps - excuse the, ehhh, not-so-color-coordinated look here at clicked and captured for the time being.  i'm doing some construction at the moment;-)