What is your best photo tip?

[John Wetter]

My tips (some already mentioned):
-Get close, shoot wide
-Know how to use your camera blindfolded (no amount of 'skill' will make up for screwing up a setting on your camera
-stick to a 'day' ISO and 'night' iso. Noise suppression has gotten better, but it's still way better to shoot with a tripod and slow it down on the ISO side. For me, I shoot 200 ISO all day and 800 at night. Then tripod and use longer exposures. It's sometimes tough to get a perfect focus when you're running a million miles an hour, so not having to deal with focus and depth of field and ISO issues is nice.
-Use a tripod. Just use it. If you're finding that you are 'always needing to shoot while mobile' then you need to re-think how you chase. I understand this isn't always possible but it should be possible most of the time.
-Get quick release mounts for the above mentioned tripod, and don't skimp. Go Manfrotto or equal.
-Shoot in RAW

 

[Joshua Nall]

Using a tripod has been mentioned plenty of times, but does anyone use the window clamp mounts? I use two of these with quick release mechanisms on them and they are much faster than getting out of the truck. Repositioning the truck is a bit of a problem sometimes, but this way I can stay inside. Most of the time when I'm shooting lightning, my goal is to put myself as close as possible at the very edge of the rain and I'm shooting with my sigma 10-20mm.

I'm sure my photos don't look as professional as some, but I'm very happy with what I get and I hardly over spend much time with them. I use the editing software that came with my XT and really all I ever do is sharpen a little and tweak the contrast and the brightness. I never shoot in raw. What I'm saying is for those of you who are just starting it's not that complicated once you understand the basics of ISO, shutter speed, etc... on your camera.

 

[Drew.Gardonia]

Do any of you merge a couple of shots using different exposures(not HDR)...ie: land/sky or simple EComp? It is very possible in Photoshop, even if hand held. My greatest aggrevation is the difference in exposures. Often the sky is 2-3 stops different & I very much dislike using ND filters. I have tried everything including using the DOF preview and still miss my mark often + I spend allot of time fiddling with their alignment, even the soft edge/graduated. Although getting sort of out of date, I sometimes use a grey card with good success when the contrast is up there.

absolutely. I don't think there's any way to get a perfectly exposed photograph when you have a background that is overexposed, and your subject in the foreground that is perfectly exposed without using photoshop to layer and mask, but even though you dislike using the ND filters, they work if you get the right ones. you may not have strong enough ND filters, or they may be too strong. i haven't had much experience with them, but Jeremy Holmes would know or you could call and ask any photographer in your area by going through the yellow pages or looking on google for photographers that are well established with their own shops.

grey cards are excellent to use! I have one and try to use it frequently. 17% grey is what you should have for custom white balance when you take the photo of your grey card.

 

[MG Jennings]

Thanks for all the great ideas....Drew: After spot metering, I usually end up using a 2-3 stop ND. They are great with many landscape photographers but not me....not the ND fault but mine! I might try more merging shots using exposure comp. this season. Not to mention, my Photoshop skills lack. Sometimes I wish I could go back to slides because I get discouraged about my digital photos. It's obvious many of the beautiful photos are done more with computers than cameras.