Shooting pics in Vegas, Grand Canyon and Zion's National Park

nssk

Hi @Moose - I hope you are doing well. I'm an amateur photographer, interested in learning the art of photography. I got a very good deal on a Canon T2i (including lots of lenses) for Thanksgiving and hence bought it.

Since, then I have been experimenting with the different Auto modes of the camera, but I always felt that I can get better pictures if I tried the Av, Tv or manual mode settings. I have been reading various photography books to learn more about those modes, but they all have lengthy explanations. Just yesterday, I saw your webpage and facebook page and read all your posts and learnt a lot more than what I learnt by reading books.

This weekend I’m going to Vegas, Grand Canyon and Zion’s national park. I need some advice from you on camera settings to capture the following types of pictures. Although some these questions were asked by people in previous posts, I would like to try out some manual settings with your advice if possible.

1. Las Vegas: Shooting night life in Vegas, portraits (Night and Day), group pics, moving cars with panning and lights in the background, water fountains, casino interior pics and full view of Vegas city from Stratosphere. Is Panoramic view possible using some camera settings or is post-processing required for a panoramic view effect?

2. Grand Canyon: Landscape and scenic view of Grand Canyon. If possible panoramic view, group pictures with Grand Canyon view in the background, sunrise and sunset, pics with sun in the background.

3. Zion’s national park: Shooting inside domes/caves, near geysers and full view of the park from a mountain top.

I have 18-135mm, 55-250mm, 75-300mm and 50mm lenses, a tripod with me. Thanks and looking forward to hearing from you.

Moose

Howdy @nssk - Sorry I didn't get back to you in time. It sounds like you're on a wonderful adventure. When you get back, let me know how you did and if you have any other questions. Happy shooting! :)

nssk

Hi @Moose - I sure had an adventurous trip. I took lots of pictures (about 20GB in total). I feel I could have done better if I had known how to use my camera more efficiently.

I had trouble capturing landscape, portrait pictures with natural lighting (nighttime in Vegas). Night pictures look grainy, shaky and unnatural.

Please advice on shooting portrait and landscape pictures during nighttime and also on the different subjects/scenes I mentioned in my first comment. Thanks, you give great advice on this website.

Moose

Howdy @nssk - Sounds like a great trip. If you're new to the world of digital photography, it can be extremely hard to successfully capture a wide variety of shots. In the beginning I recommend focusing on one particular type of photography (landscapes, portraits, wildlife, etc...) and honing your skills for that particular subject or scene. When you try to digest too much in the beginning, things can get extremely confusing.

If you're just looking for general photography basics for a wide variety of situations, I recommend you get yourself a copy of Scott Kelby's Digital Photography Book (see here). What I like about his book, is that it doesn't read like a book. Each page is broken down into a specific tip or technique, along with a photo example to make it easier to understand. You can use it like a reference, when you're out in the field.

To give you some direction, I'll give you some settings to start with when it comes to landscapes...

1. Mount your T2i to a tripod and attach your 18-55mm or other wide-angle lens
2. Turn off Image Stabilization if your lens comes equipped with it
3. Enable Aperture priority (Av)
4. Set the aperture f-number between f/8 to f/16
5. Set your ISO to 100
6. Adjust your focus mode to One Shot
7. Enable the Self-timer or use a remote like the Canon RS-60E3 (see here)

With these settings in place, focus on the landscape by half-pressing the shutter. If all looks good, fully press the shutter. With the self-timer enabled (or using a remote), you'll be able to get your hands off the camera...thus preventing any chance of camera shake stealing the sharpness out of your shots.

These settings can be used both during the day and at night to capture super sharp landscapes, with reduced image noise.

If you want to give your landscapes some "pop", I recommend experimenting with HDR. HDR is a process where you take a series of images (of the same scene) at varying levels of exposure. You then merge these images together using HDR software, like Photomatix Pro (see here). This produces an image with a larger range of light or more dynamic range.

That should get you going in the right direction. As always, I recommend reading through past threads for tips and settings on a wide variety of shooting situations. Happy shooting! :)