Exploring this new camera and editing stuff.

I got my new camera like four months ago (see my last post) and have been dragging ass with it. I’ve been busy with life things and not going to as many shows, and one thing I really want to do with this camera is take live show pictures without a flash. This is my first Sony and there are SO many settings. I was taking pictures at show like a month after I got it and somehow turned on bracketing. I didn’t know how to turn it off! No harm was done, but I needed to wait until I got home to figure out what was going on and how to turn it off. It just made me realize I need to spend more time trying new things with it and learn where all the settings are.

I am able to turn up my ISO much higher on this camera than any camera I’ve had, and it still looks good. However, I realize this camera still struggles when bands play under only red or blue lights and the lighting is low. Editing is a challenge, even if I make the photo black and white, which usually looks better than color in this situation. So now I am circling back to another thing I need to upgrade if I was to navigate this issue: photo editing software. I mentioned this in my last post, but I am still using Adobe Photoshop 7.0, which is from 2002. I believe that is the year my dad gave me a copy, taught me basic skills, and I learned the rest on my own. It’s so terribly outdated. I’ve considered upgrading but unsure what program I want to try.

Another thing, I haven’t shot in RAW before. That’s pretty funny considering all the photography I’ve done. I’ve tried to open them in Adobe Photoshop 7.0 before and was unsuccessful, so I just blew it off. But I think what I have been needing to do it upgrade photo editing software, shoot in RAW, and see what editing looks like that way. I think I can produce better photos if I get out of the stone age. It might help me with the low lighting issue.

I took some pictures at a show last night and had it in RAW + jpeg setting. I confirmed I can’t open RAW in Adobe Photoshop 7.0, so I am going to look into other software. I’ll update soon!