Trouble with splash photography?
I'm trying to do flash photography for fun but it ends up being so fustrating!
I've done it before and I took about 1000 shots and only got like 3 really good shots.
But this time it's the most fustrating. First I used soda cans so today I brought fruit because I thought it would be lighter and would be less blurry.
I have a Nikon D5000, Black backdrop, to lamp like flashes on the side (always on, not a flash), fishtank full of water, clicker button thing for release mode.
My settings are
ISO 3200
Manual (M)
Shutter speed 1/500
Everything is good but its so hard for the camera to STAY on focus. I'll focus it by hand then when i walk away and press the clicker, it would focus again or maybe take the picture. (If only there was like a lock button that could hold the focus?). Another thing is when I hold down the clicker thing, it takes a whole bunch of pictures like I want it to but then sometimes it would be slower than others.
This is so fustrating! If anyone could just tell me the settings for Nikon D5000 for splash photography that would be great! I'm tired of trying so many things.
Also I would like to know how to make the shutter speed to be really fast so that the fruit and water is not blurry when it splashes but not make it dark at the same time. Everytime I make the sutter speed higher, its too dark.
Please help me I'm loosing my mind!
Added (1). I'm also using a NIKKOR 70 - 300mm
Thanks for your answers but how do you change the apeture? I know its a dumb question but I'm so confused.
I haven't tried splash photography before… But I do know that you can switch your lens to 'manual' focus, instead of auto;) Also why do you have the ISO up that high? High ISO will make your photos 'noisy'/ grainy looking. Bringing it down, I keep mine at 200 and adjust as needed if it's too dark. What do you have your aperture set at, you could bring that down and increase the speed. Or move your set up to where there's better light. You might want to check out flickr, for splash photography and check out other peoples settings;) Good luck!
From your message, I suspect you may not be fully familiar with shooting in manual. You mention shutter speed and ISO, but not your aperture. Be certain you coordinate all of those factors using your camera's light meter before trying to take your shots. If you are not fully familiar with manual, try shutter priority mode. You can set the shutter speed and the camera will pick the ISO and aperture.
I would recommend that you use your camera's auto focus. There's a big difference between manual exposure mode and manual focus.
You should also take time to read your camera owners manual. That will tell you the proper way to shoot in burst mode on your particular camera.
Edit based on additional details: All camera models have different controls. To learn how to change the aperture on your model, you need to look in the owners manual.
I would recommend that you put aside this current project for a while. Instead, get a copy of the book "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. Also get out your camera and its owners manual as you go through the first few chapters. Use the concepts you learn in the book to take some basic photos. After you become proficient in that you can return to your more complex project with more confidence, and the knowledge necessary to get your shot.