12.02.2010

lens & light: the how-to

Thank you so much for your sweet comments on my Christmas tree shot last night! Several of you asked how I set up the shot, so I wanted to show a little how-to.

I took this shot this morning in Drew's room:

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My settings were:
AV mode, f/4
SS .6 seconds
ISO 100 (because I was using a tripod)
focal length 70mm
exposure compensation -1/3 stop

And here's a pullback shot so you can see how I set it up. I didn't expose this picture correctly; I wanted to leave it dark, which was exactly how it looked when I took the shot. Also, please excuse the insanely high ISO. I think it was 2500 - yikes! (I would have used my tripod and dialed it down to 100, but you can see my tripod is already in the shot). :-)

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You just use a spare lens (I used my 50mm 1.4) and take off the lens cap and the cap that screws on the back. You will now be able to see through the lens. You can see where my tripod is in the picture. Obviously I'm using my camera to take the pullback shot, but that's where the camera was as well.

The lens will flip the Christmas tree upside down, as it did in my picture last night. That's a whole technical thing, so I'll spare you the details. Just know it's going to be upside down. (Jess, you're dying to explain this aren't you?) :-)

Tip: set up your shot far away from the tree for better bokeh (I was much farther away for the shot I took last night; I would recommend scooting further back than what is pictured here)
Tip: when you take the picture, have your camera very close to the lens you're taking a picture of

I'm going on very little sleep today, so I hope this makes sense - LOL! I apologize in advance that I won't be able to do any blog visiting today. I hope you understand, and I'm soooo not trying to be rude! I just have a very busy next couple of days, so I need to focus on things here at home. Thank you for understanding! Have a wonderful Thursday! :-)

25 comments:

Unknown said...

You ROCK! Just sayin!

Hugs and thanks for showing the full view - I get it!

I will be trying this soon!!!

Blessings on your week!
Love,
Jill
http://fnaphotography.blogspot.com

Sarah Andrews said...

Wowsa lady!! You are just being so crafty and creative! I love this shot - speaks to my heart and I love your how-to! Hope you are well and enjoy your busy next few days!

SarahinSC said...

Very cool! What really impresses me though is how clean the room is and that the bed is made. I don't think either of my sons' rooms have ever, ever been that neat!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for posting this. I will do it when we get the tree up. Hopefully tomorrow.

Jaymi said...

Hey Karli, thanks so much for posting this "how to"! I can't wait to try it myself. (prepare for my list of questions when it all goes wrong!) hehe

Ciera said...

That's awesome & so creative! Thanks for sharing!

Ashley Sisk said...

I'm definitely going to try this - in fact...I might try this this afternoon/evening. You think I can leave work already?

Lori Allberry said...

Karli! I agree with the very first post . . .
You ROCK! You truly, truly do!
Amazing, what a wonderful idea - and a beautiful shot! Wowzers!
Ok, and not only the photographs, but I am insanely jealous of how CLEAN and TIDY that room is! Wowzers!!!
You go girl!
♥Lori

Kari said...

That picture is AMAZING!!! I wish I knew how to use my camera better. I have a P90 and feel like I'm wasting it's time :)

Ciera said...

Not sure if you participate in blog awards, but if so... You have an award on my blog!

Brooke said...

That is soooo cool!! I thought it might have been photoshopped or something. Thanks for the how-to.... I am SO going to try it now :D Hee.

Jess said...

What? Who? Me?

LOL!

Glad you finally found a use for that beautiful 50mm. ;)

Warren Baldwin said...

Great job.

I'm looking for Christmas photos if you have any from last year you could direct me to? Trees, wreaths, gifts under the tree, torn wrapping paper, puppy with a bow, table spread (food and/or decorations). Using them for an article. If you have any. Thanks!

Natalie said...

Thanks for explaining how to do this. I hope to try it when I have some time. I really like this one with the colored lights.

Naomi said...

Such a cool shot--thanks for the tutorial! Now I just need a tree--ha!

Ashley said...

You are awesome. :)

Anonymous said...

I've loved this shot from the moment I saw it. Thanks for sharing the setup, as well.

Brooke said...

Okay - I tried to recreate this shot and I ran into a big problem - when I take my lens off of the camera - the shutter closes up all the way. Is that just a Nikon thing??? So, there was only a teeny-tiny hole to look through and it obviously didn't work well. Boooooo! :(

Sarah said...

Thanks for posting your "how-to"! I'm anxious to try this one out myself. I also have a Nikon and noticed I had the same issue as Brooke with the lens off camera. I wonder if there is a way around this.

Barbara said...

That is such a great shot - and thanks for the tutorial, I'm going to have to try it today!

Amber said...

I am glad Ashley linked to your tutorial. Fun idea and cool shot. Thanks for sharing

Nicolasa @ {My}Perspective said...

Very cool! Thanks for sharing!

DRWphotos said...

Thanks for showing us the set up. This is amazing!

Jamie Alyssa said...

This is super cool! I tried to do it as well, and have the same problem as Sarah and Brooke.. but I have a Sony A800 :(

TidyMom said...

I had the same problem Brooke did with my Nikon! :-(
Such a cool shot!!