he typical photo enthusiast assumes their choice of camera is the number one determinate of picture quality. In reality

the camera is one of the least weighted factors in determining image quality. An inexpensive camera with a good sturdy tripod will take a better picture than an expensive camera without one.

In the quest for better picture quality your tripod and tripod head is your single most important piece of equipment. Once one accepts they need a tripod they usually buy a small, light inexpensive one. In use, the larger and heavier and yes, more expensive the tripod is the better it works. The exception to this rule is the carbon fiber tripods. They are lighter weight for their size yet just as stable.

By using a tripod, slower shutter speeds can be utilized allowing the aperture of the lens to be stopped down increasing depth of field. Also most lenses are sharpest in their middle range of f-stops such as f 8 - f 11. Using a tripod will allow the lowering of the shutter speed so that the sharpest apertures on the lens can be used.

Along with the tripod one must use a cable release, remote or self-timer. The camera must not be touched when the picture is taken.

The third piece of equipment that determines picture quality is the lens. Once the shutter on the camera is open the only thing standing between what you’re photographing and the film is the lens. So if you are considering upgrading equipment to better your image quality, first look at your tripod. Second, make sure that you always use a cable release. Third consider upgrading your lens, and last, once you are satisfied you have maximized performance in your tripod, and lens, consider upgrading your camera.

Our tripods are Gitzo. I use a G326 with a Kirk Enterprises BH-1 ball head, my wife uses a G1227 (carbon fiber), with a Gitzo G1376 ball head. We highly recommend both.

Enjoy,

Mike and Tammy Rice

T

Nikkor 180mm lens, f11-1/15 sec. Use of a tripod allowed for small aperture required for depth of field, and resulting slow shutter speed.

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Exposure f 22 at 1/4 second. Long exposures like this demand a stable tripod.
Most flowers however are constantly moving. Wait for the flower to settle to shoot.

Exposure f 8 at 1/15 second. Without a good tripod the tree would be as blurry as the water.

How To Improve The Image Quality Of Your Camera

Changing the weather

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Converting a Color Image to Black and White

“The magic in this technique is the use of two separate black and white conversions, one for the sky, and one for the trees.”
Creative Controls F-stops & Depth of Field

Another factor that affects depth of field is distance from the camera to the subject. Depth of field decreases as the camera moves closer to the subject.
Digital Film Tools 55mm; Photoshop plug-in review

“The bragging rights for Digital Film Tools is that the means of producing the masks is more intuitive, flexible, and powerful than Photoshop CS.”
Grain Surgery for Photoshop - Review

“the noise is removed, yet the details remain”
How to Improve the Image Quality of your Camera

By using a tripod, slower shutter speeds can be utilized allowing the aperture of the lens to be stopped down increasing depth of field
Lens choices for landscape photography

“The wide-angle perspective ... gives the viewer the impression they could walk into the photo”
Becoming a student of Light and Color- Part 1 - Quaility of Light

“I changed, from a photographer that photographs what he finds, to one that starts with a vision and then goes out to produce an image that matches the vision.”
Becoming a student of Light and Color- Part 2- Light , Color, and Composition

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Long Lens Landscapes

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Canadian North Atlantic Coast

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Nik Color efect Pro - Photoshop Plug-in Review

“Unlike so many other plug-ins for Photoshop, the nik Multimedia Color Efex Pro filters are truly useful.”
Nikon Capture nx-first look

"What is needed is a raw converter with an extensive enough set of imaging tools that a second program like Photoshop is not required."
Photoshop tips and techniques -An introduction to 5 great plug-ins

“It’s all about color...What caught her eye was the contrast between the yellow tree, the glowing red rocks, and the cool blue base.”
Photoshop tips and techniques -A watercolor effect from the unlikely pairing of two third party plug-ins

“I look for subjects that move me emotionally...When I got the slides back however, the magic was missing”

Painting with Light -A Photoshop tutorial

“most images need at least one of their elements to be pure black, meaning black with no detail, and need at least one of their elements to be pure white meaning white with no detail”
Basic Photoshop for photographers - Part 1

"Today we are making images that we could not even have dreamed of making before"
Basic Photoshop for photographers -Part 2

"Always use a separate layer this allows mistakes to be erased at any time"
Segmentis Fo2PiX buZZ review

"The user has control over how much detail is removed. One can choose to remove detail in the highlights, shadows, or both"
The Filters we use and why

"The question I often hear is “do you still use lens filters”. The answer is yes, because there still is no substitute for capturing the image properly."
The Gas Station- The story behind a picture

“I wanted the picture to interact with the viewer, to encourage the viewer to explore”
Waiting for the right light

"Planning for the light means selecting the time of year and the time of day"
Tutorials and Reviews Index