Alaska photos

[skrufy]

I bought my wife a Canon 60D, I think about a year and a half ago. To this day she has never used it. It has gone on a couple of cruises but never saw the light of day. We are going to Alaska for two weeks in September and she promisis to use it. This is her dream cruise and I want her to get the best photos shes ever gotten.The question I have for you experienced photographers is. What camera setting do you use for overcast days and what settings for bright days in port and at a glacier? Her outfit has a 58mm and a 200mm lens and all the basic filters and lens hood. I know nothing about real photography, just point and shoot with a small digital. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

[JimAOk1945]

Probably the easiest setting for her is auto since she has no experience with the camera and equipment. Maybe the experts here can offer some advice.

 

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[framer]

Not to be a smart A## but a camera does not make a photographer. She might be intimidated by it and feels uncomfortable using it. If this is the case consider a simpler camera. I bought my wife a Nikon D3200 and it sits in its bag, she uses her iphone 6.

 

framer

[bUU]

I used to have a nice camera (I'm taking decades ago) and after the novelty wore off I never used it again. Few people have the esoteric interest in technical photography. Most of us just want a quick and easy way to take nice photos. I suspect Auto is the most popular setting on the cameras that have it, by far.

 

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[TruckerDave]

You have a few months, take it out and play with it. The last thing you want to do is try to use it for the first time on a dream vacation only to realize you have no clue what you are doing. There are plenty of youtube videos to get you started (if that is your thing.)

[Multi-Cruiser]

If you aren't comfortable with the camera's full Manual mode, you might want to play around with the Priority modes (shutter & aperture). These allow you to determine how fast you want the shutter to work what size you want the aperture to be and the camera chooses the other settings. You have time so I would suggest searching YouTube for video tutorials on using a DSLR, there are many such videos and practice, practice, practice. Have fun!

 

 

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[JimAOk1945]

My wife has a very nice camera. It's a Nikon D5100. She has 4 different lens. She was very excited when she first got it and spent hours doing research and trying it out before taking it on a cruise.

 

When she started taking that camera on our cruises, she discovered that in most cases, there wasn't time to compose a shot or fiddle with different settings. She takes nearly all shots with the Auto setting and they usually turn out fine.

 

Occasionally she does some editing before uploading them to her website, but most of the time she is satisfied with the outcome.

 

Have a great cruise!

[havoc315]

Sorry, there are no shortcuts that will answer your question. You can resort to auto, and you'll get to half-decent shots.

In terms of more specific settings, it depends on exactly how much light there is, and then checking your histogram, checking your image, and adjusting the settings as necessary. It depends on the focal length of the lens being use. It depends on the apertures available from the lens, and then the aperture you want to use to maximize sharpness and to select your depth of field.

 

For example.... at the "glacier" day.. I took hundreds of photos, with lots and lots of different settings, depending what I was trying to achieve. I took ultrawide shots, I took telephoto shots, I took HDR shots, I underexposed to preserve highlights, I manipulated depth of field.

 

There is no 1 line answer of, "push the glacier button on the camera when near the glaciers"

 

Tracy Arm Glacier, Alaska by Adam Brown, on Flickr

 

Tracy Arm Glacier by Adam Brown, on Flickr

 

Disney Wonder at Tracy Arm Alaska by Adam Brown, on Flickr

 

alaska-749_DxO.jpg by Adam Brown, on Flickr][/url]alaska-648.jpg by Adam Brown, on Flickr

[Herfnerd]

Taking pictures with the DSLR on auto mode will still give better pictures than the iPhone

[Cruisingthesuitelife]

Sorry, there are no shortcuts that will answer your question. You can resort to auto, and you'll get to half-decent shots.

In terms of more specific settings, it depends on exactly how much light there is, and then checking your histogram, checking your image, and adjusting the settings as necessary. It depends on the focal length of the lens being use. It depends on the apertures available from the lens, and then the aperture you want to use to maximize sharpness and to select your depth of field.

 

For example.... at the "glacier" day.. I took hundreds of photos, with lots and lots of different settings, depending what I was trying to achieve. I took ultrawide shots, I took telephoto shots, I took HDR shots, I underexposed to preserve highlights, I manipulated depth of field.

 

There is no 1 line answer of, "push the glacier button on the camera when near the glaciers"

 

Tracy Arm Glacier, Alaska by Adam Brown, on Flickr

 

Tracy Arm Glacier by Adam Brown, on Flickr

 

Disney Wonder at Tracy Arm Alaska by Adam Brown, on Flickr

 

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/747/23061962190_2efc69f820_b.jpg' alt='23061962190_2efc69f820_b.jpg'>alaska-749_DxO.jpg by Adam Brown, on Flickr]alaska-648.jpg by Adam Brown, on Flickr

 

Just WOW!

[CantSwim63]

I bought my wife a Canon 60D, I think about a year and a half ago. To this day she has never used it. It has gone on a couple of cruises but never saw the light of day. We are going to Alaska for two weeks in September and she promisis to use it. This is her dream cruise and I want her to get the best photos shes ever gotten.The question I have for you experienced photographers is. What camera setting do you use for overcast days and what settings for bright days in port and at a glacier? Her outfit has a 58mm and a 200mm lens and all the basic filters and lens hood. I know nothing about real photography, just point and shoot with a small digital. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

 

Agree with no shortcuts other than taking the camera out for a few "spins".

 

A starting point might be these how to videos:

 

 

 

Cheers!

Roehl

[Dan_K]

I have a somewhat contrarian view on this matter. Although I never use my cameras in fully auto mode, I have no problem recommending this setting for a beginner. You will get a perfectly usable photo almost every time. You may not get the optimum depth of field, or stop the action of a moving target, at least the photo will almost always be properly exposed. Modern cameras are really, really smart. I dare say that the camera on auto will likely choose better settings than a beginner fumbling around in manual mode. A modern DSLR in auto mode will give you a usable photo. A beginner dialing in the wrong settings may not.

[mskaufman]

On the 60D you can shoot in "P". Press the button on the back and you can set the AWB (white balance) for cloudy or sunlight. You can also set the ISO. I see this as the next step from auto.

[skrufy]

Thanks to everyone who gave me helpful answers. My wife is not intimidated by the camera, just used her other digital camera.

[pengu1n]

Maybe pessimistic, but if she hasn't been interested in using the camera in a year and a half, maybe you/she should trade it in on something she would use, like an upgrade to the other camera. Or a point-n-shoot like the panasonic fz80 or sony HX 350 or RX10, that have very long zoom range. They have reach of 1200mm, 1200mm and 600mm respectively. The extra reach can be a benefit in Alaska. Most people who are not photographers or hobbyists will not see a big difference in the pictures, and you'll definitely get more keepers from a camera you use than one that sits in the box.

[havoc315]

I have a somewhat contrarian view on this matter. Although I never use my cameras in fully auto mode, I have no problem recommending this setting for a beginner. You will get a perfectly usable photo almost every time. You may not get the optimum depth of field, or stop the action of a moving target, at least the photo will almost always be properly exposed. Modern cameras are really, really smart. I dare say that the camera on auto will likely choose better settings than a beginner fumbling around in manual mode. A modern DSLR in auto mode will give you a usable photo. A beginner dialing in the wrong settings may not.

 

Not contrarian at all... I'll even go further.

Unless you're really going to learn photography... stick to auto. An educated photographer is much much smarter than the camera.

But the auto setting really isn't bad... and you're not going to learn to get effectively off auto in 5 minutes.

 

And my step further -- today's best smart phones are BETTER than consumer kit dslrs in auto settings, except if you absolutely need zoom or very large prints. 3 years ago, I would have said a dSLR in auto is still an improvement over a smart phone. I can't say that anymore -- today's best smart phones are simply smarter than auto-kit-consumer-dslrs. The dslrs still have more potential -- but out of the box, kit lens, set to auto... my iPhone 7 is better.

[muzteach]

See if there is any classes at a local community college or camera store.

 

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[pierces]

Full auto on a camera like the 60D will do better than anything a couple of community center classes will give you in the time allotted. Manufacturers have invested billions in putting 150 years of photographic knowledge into the tiny supercomputer crammed into a modern camera.The only control you may want to explore is the +/- exposure control and the one that resets all your settings to zero in case something is set by accident. (Also good to do at the beginning of the day if you are going to be on full auto).

 

Also:

 

Before the day comes to pull the camera out of the bag, charge the battery, pop in a memory card and try to capture something as big and pretty as Alaska, take a road trip to a local scenic spot and shoot a bunch of photos. Take another to something like a revived downtown area and shoot the sights. Go out into your garden and shoot flowers, birds, bees, or whatever. Use it!

 

Practice may not make perfect in three or four months, but at least you won't be standing on the deck on Glacier Day, flipping through the manual to find the on button! :)

 

Dave

 

P.S. Here's a link to the Tracy Arm gallery from our last trip to Alaska. It will give you an idea what to expect: http://galleries.pptphoto.com/p31591721

[ski ww]

Love your shots of Tracy Arm Glacier. We'll be there in a month. Hoping for nice clear blue sky.

Allan

[skrufy]

Thanks agan to all of you.

[JimAOk1945]

Alaska is a photographer's paradise in every direction. Have a great cruise!

 

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