Every photograph we take tells a story. Most of us have shoeboxes full of faded and torn photos from different stages of our lives. How many times have you looked at one of those photos wishing it were sharper and more vivid? Maybe it’s time for you to step up to a DSLR camera so all of your digital photo stories will always be razor sharp and in bright, vivid color. Believe it or not, I have a lot of photos from the 70’s when I actually had shoulder length hair. Unfortunately, they were not taken with good cameras and most of them are out of focus!
DSLR stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex. When you look through the viewfinder of a DSLR camera, you are actually looking directly through the actual lens. You are actually seeing a more accurate representation of your subject. This also gives you the ability to change lenses between wide angle and telephoto depending on the shooting situation.
Over the past two weeks, I have had the opportunity to use a fabulous DSLR camera from Canon. You see the Canon name on the sidelines of professional sports events and at major news conferences. Canon is the choice of most professional photographers. Their livelihood depends on the quality of their photos so they depend on Canon cameras and lenses.
Today I am going to show you how I was able to capture some really cool stories with the Canon Rebel T5 camera which QVC will feature as a Today’s Special Value beginning midnight ET, Thursday, May 1st.
The Canon Rebel T5 DSLR camera features an effects wheel which allows you to easily “dial up” the right settings for every situation. In the first sequence of shots I used the sports icon for a fast shutter to capture my grandson’s first hit in a tee ball game. Notice how every picture below is razor sharp and blur-free. Even though he was swinging the bat very quickly, the Canon T5 captured every stage of his swing. The “money” shot is where the ball is just leaving his bat. You can actually see the laces on the baseball. I had one chance to capture his first lifetime hit and the Canon Rebel T5 didn’t let me down! I captured this once in a lifetime moment forever in vivid color and razor sharp detail. By the way, the bleachers where I was sitting were about fifty feet away from home plate so I used the 75mm-300mm telephoto lens that is included in our QVC offer to get these amazing close-ups of Cole in action.
The sports mode has a picture of a runner on the wheel and is also great for capturing pets and animals that move quickly. This beautiful horse came running up to the fence when I jumped out of my car to take his picture. The baby goat thought I had food and rushed up to the fence. Finally, my cat, Lacie, never looks at the camera for very long so I had to shoot in rapid fire style to get this great close up that captured her beautiful blue eyes. With my Canon Rebel T5 in sports mode, I was able to capture these amazing close up shots of these beautiful animals.
This camera features a built- in flash and when you have the effects wheel set on the green A (for auto mode) the flash will fire automatically when needed. I am a big fan of natural light so, whenever possible, I capture my memories with the existing light. For extremely fine detail in natural light you need a camera with a high quality lens. The Canon Rebel T5 lenses always deliver the details. QVC is offering this camera with a wide angle (18mm-55mm) and telephoto (75mm-300mm lenses in our Today’s Special Value today, May 1st.
May is national photo month which is why we are offering this awesome camera. With the beginning of vacation season and all the flowering trees and shrubs in full bloom, there are plenty of colorful memories to capture. I used the Macro mode (which has a symbol of a flower on the wheel) to capture these beautiful flowers. I really like the grape hyacinth that is directly in front of our house. Notice that I was fortunate to capture a bumble bee who was visiting these blue bells, my name for the blue flowers not the technical name. Patience is important in photography so when I heard a buzzing sound I just waited for this special visitor to arrive.
While most of us purchase a good camera to photograph our favorite people and animals, I also like to keep an eye out for “artistic treasures.” This old, horse-drawn plow has been sitting by the side of a road by my home for decades. I have never photographed it until last week when I decided that it would make an interesting photo. I shot if from several angles but my favorite is the one where I shot through the wheels. The spokes, the rust and the overgrown grass make this intriguing. The story is up to the beholder. I look at it and wonder how many miles of fields did this plow? When was it used for the very last time? How many stories could this plow tell? Every picture tells a story, but this picture tells many.
I am by no means a professional photographer, but since I purchased my own Canon Rebel DSLR camera several months ago, I’ve not only become a better photographer I’ve had a blast taking photos. I love to experiment with different settings. The great thing about the Canon Rebel T5 is you can start by taking all of your photos in auto mode. The big green A on the effects wheel is your best friend. I think you’ll love the quality of your photos in this mode. When you are ready start “experimenting” with different settings, however, the Canon Rebel T5 will grow with you. I am always experimenting! I’m going to wrap things up to by showing you a dreamy affect that I achieved by shooting directly up from the base of a beautiful white flowering tree in my front yard. I used the 75mm-300mm telephoto and zoomed up for a close up on a flower near the top of the tree. The long zoom and the sunlight pouring through this tree created a magical dream-like effect by throwing everything around the flower out of focus. This is one of my favorite photos and it happened because I tried something new.
My hope is that will you have a lot of fun experimenting with your new camera. More importantly, I hope you will enjoy capturing all your life’s stories in the way you always dreamed of! Feel free to share any photos you take with me on my Facebook page!
Happy National Photography Month!!!
-Dan