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| Corina Scoggins "Good Morning Saturday" 22 Feb 2014 |
Good
Morning Fellow Photography Classmates and Faculty!
I’m
excited to be back in a photography course this term and as expected I have
been shooting my little heart out. I recently purchased the Canon 100mm Macro
USM lens and I have been trying to achieve the awesome macro shots we have all
come to see in macro photography. Below is a mystery rainbow that appeared on my living room ceiling yesterday morning. I'm still wondering what caused the prism to appear, but I used the macro lens to capture the image. It must be noted that my home faces North and South, and the light coming into my home was defused by window blinds. Maybe it was a fore shadow to brighten my day because as you read on, you will see that my day didn't pan out so well.
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| Corina Scoggins "Magic House Rainbow" 25 Feb 2014 |
Yesterday
while out shooting for the upcoming assignment I had a moment in which shut down
the use of my camera. I had been shooting for three hours when I started to
notice spots in the images. I do a lot of outside shooting and from moment to
moment I tend to switch out lenses constantly. My biggest worry has always been
dust getting on the sensor or on the lens.
I
recently read a thread in a local photography group about this very issue. The
recommendation was to change the lens and take a shot. If the spots were gone,
then the spots are coming from the previous lens. If the spots were still in
the image, then chances are something is on the sensor. Luck was not on my
side; the spots continued to appear on the images. This forced me to have to
wrap everything up, and head for home.
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| Corina Scoggins "Hawk at Happy Hollow" 25 Feb 2014 |
Knowing
our little town doesn’t have anyone who specializes in cameras, I knew I would
have to solve the issue myself. With the
Internet at my fingertips, I started the search for recommendations. If the Internet
wasn’t available, the best recommendation would be to pull out the book, but I
simply searched Canon sensor cleaning to find the help page on Canon.com.
Majority
of DSLR cameras have a built in sensor cleaning. I knew my camera had built in
sensor cleaning and if I simply would have turned off the camera; the camera
would have commenced to clean the sensor. Of course during the moment, my
concern was getting home to solve the issue. Little did I know the issue was
solved upon turning off the camera. With the looming deadline for the
assignment, my mind was not focused. Not having a backup camera, my fear was
the assignment would not be complete with the images shot on Sunday and Monday.
So I continued to read on to figure out how to fix a problem that had
self-fixed.
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| Corina Scoggins "MP Memorial Grove" 25 Feb 2014 |
If
the initial sensor cleaning had not corrected the issue, Canon recommends two
methods. The first recommendation was to use the rubber air blower technique.
The second recommendation would be to take the camera to a Canon Service
Center. I followed the instructions for the first recommendation and proceeded
to use the rubber air blower bulb I had purchased many moons ago and glad I had
it available. Other options are talked about on the help page but are NOT
recommended by Canon, yet they do write about these options.
Thankfully the
issue was resolved and I will be bearing the frigid temperatures to finish
shooting for the assignment due. I’m glad the camera didn’t have to be sent to
Canon, but the Girl Scout in me has me thinking if I should purchase a backup
camera. Nothing new, something used but most importantly a camera that could be
used just in case. Additionally, I really need to better plan for desired shots
that will limit the changing out of lenses. Below I have included the links to
both the Canon and Nikon self help in regards to sensor cleaning. Hopefully you
will never have this issue, but just in case, it’s best to “BE PREPARED”.
Alright, why didn't I share the images with the spots? I could simply state that I had NO images with spots! Yes it's true, I freaked out about something that didn't exist. Here is the portion of the story in which I left out above. Everything written is exactly what occurred, and the spots I seen had nothing to do with my camera sensor or lens. The spots I was seeing all of a sudden was on the viewfinder! Now I do have to assume that the spots appeared while I had walked away to my vehicle and left the camera on the tripod. I say this because I had not noticed these spots until I walked back to the camera and started to shoot landscape. After everything was said and done, my mood was a little tempered for making such a rookie mistake. Today I can admit that it's a comical moment, and why not share with everyone on PSPN. Punishment for seeing spots and jumping to conclusion...temperatures in the teens.
Well I hope today's blog will be a guidance in how to deal with spots? Even if spots had appeared in the images, chances are you wouldn't noticed them until you imported the images. If your seeing spots, clean the viewfinder first. Import the images to confirm if the spots are truly an issue on the images. Then proceed with the instructions to fully resolve any issues.
Question of the Day
Have you ever jumped to conclusions while out on a shoot?
Share your comments, suggestions, and stories below
You're Wacky Wednesday Student Ambassador
Corina
