Talent

When I got my D7000, my photography definitely improved in some areas. Shallow depth of field portraits, for instance, were suddenly at my command.

Longer exposures, that was a big one for me, too. My PowerShots had only been capable of a 15 second exposure, so if I needed the shutter open longer, I was SOL.

I still haven't figured out how to use some of those features entirely. 'Bulb' exposures, where I can put it mirror-up and leave the shutter open as long as I like, well, how long should I leave it open?

And then there's the extended ISO range. Part of why I bought a D7000 new instead of a used full frame DSLR (I could have scored an old Nikon D2 for the same money or maybe less) was the lower noise at high ISO settings.

A situation like the school talent show is one where I was always frustrated with my pocket cameras. But even with the ISO cranked to 6400, I still find these shoots troublesome.

The only shots I got of my daughter, the highlights are blown out and the detail looks less than crisp or real. I did get some stop-action shots of other acts I never could have scored with the PowerShot.




And I suspect some of the not-getting-the-shot business has to do with me not really knowing how to use my camera.