Reply To: My mom loves my work, but that concerns me.

[MeriLeighPhoto]

Invest in a few filters. The biggies for nature work are the UV Haze filter, Circular polarize, and a set of ND filters. A split ND wouldn’t do you wrong either. Since you shoot a lot more wide angle, buy filters a little bigger than your lens and get a step down ring so that the edges of the filter stack won’t vignette the image. The CPL filter is probably most important for the work you do.

 

I have used filters on my lens for everything posted from Spring in her Step to present. The Autumn 2012 album utilized a circular polarizer, and the Ascension Convention album utilized a UV filter.  What are ND filters? What is a CPL filter? I always use the lens hood that came with the lens – should I take it off? (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/734700-REG/Nikon_4960_HB_53_Bayonet_Lens_Hood.html).

 

I recently realized that I need to crop my photographs for 8×10 rather than “whatever looks best” so that my work will look good in print and not just on the computer.

 

I learned photography 15 years ago on an SLR, using film and the darkroom. I miss that sometimes, if only because of the immersive experience – in order to be successful, I could not multitask, but rather I had to go to a location that had the proper facilities, and I would work on the photographs until they were perfect, regardless of how long it took. I could not work on other tasks there because the required light would ruin the photographs. * wistful sigh*

 

Thank you ALL for the feedback – I will refer back to your suggestions when I start editing the photographs I will take tonight. I was asked to capture the baptisms at my church tonight (anabaptists = not babies, full immersion), so I first need to recalibrate my lens (see link on my FB timeline), and then I will keep your tips in mind while I capture the moments.