From January 2011, here is the original text by Bob_71 (not sure where this went to in the FAQs, some of part II is there) --------------------------------------------- Camera settings for butterfly photography One of the finest pieces of marketing, ever, has been the coining of the phrase "Point-and-shoot" camera. In three simple words it promises the ease of operation of an old Kodak Brownie and that you will be able to produce National Geographic quality photographs. Few of us ever produce pictures of such high quality...but we could! The new digital cameras have capabilities beyond our imagination! Unfortunately, the operator's manuals are written by the brilliant young engineers who have grown up with the technology and the language that surrounds it. They fail to understand that many buyers of cameras received their education somewhere around the middle of the last century...many (most?) of the terms in the manual did not even exist at that time. The language discourages these readers so the manual gets lightly scanned, or ignored. When this happens, the camera is used poorly and often with the wrong settings. This mini-tutorial is my attempt at simplifying the language while suggesting the "tweaks" that I use to customize my camera. My goal is to be able to walk outside, observe the weather conditions, make one setting adjustment to compensate for the existing weather and then to "point-and-shoot" all day with reasonable expectations of high quality photos. The camera manufacturer has to produce a camera that is set up to take average pictures in almost any area but it is NOT set up to take OUTSTANDING pictures of anything. Whether the customer will be using it for architecture, landscapes, sports, portraits, or for butterflies, the many settings will have to be set for that purpose. When all the settings are correctly tweaked, the digital camera becomes capable of coping with the special requirements in a simple and straight-forward manner. There are two settings that are paramount in achieving quality, regardless of the subject matter. The first of these, and the most critical, is usually referred to as the IMAGE RECORDING QUALITY. In my opinion, it is a setting of the past that has outlived it's time. When digital cameras first came out, storage capacity (same as number of shots on a roll of film)was quite low. For example, the memory space within your camera might allow only twenty-five high quality pictures before running out. To boost that, they added software that would allow you to increase the number of shots that your camera could store up to a hundred shots. The trade-off was that in order to do so, they had to reduce the size of the file for each picture which, in turn, reduced the quality drastically. You ended up with 100 lousy pictures. The high quality that your camera (and you) had shot is gone forever...you can not get it back! Regardless of whether you shoot landscapes or butterflies...this one is a no-brainer, select the option for the HIGHEST QUALITY SETTING available. Set it now and never, ever change it, regardless of what you are shooting. The second setting actually occurs within your editing software. It is a setting that is also designed to allow for smaller picture files (read lousy quality pictures) to reduce memory space usage on your hard drive. This option is based on the same as above...smaller files require less storage space...smaller files equate to reduced quality. Most of us utilize some form of post-camera software to edit our photos before we SAVE them. After you have completed the editing and wish to close and save this file to a folder, it will query you to select the quality level at which you would like it SAVED. No-brainer time again...save at highest quality offered. I have all my photos, at the highest level of quality stored on the same hard drive that I have used for the last four years and that houses everything from my computer. According to my pie-chart of available space, I still have room for over 40,000 photos! Summarizing these two critical options, choose the highest quality for IMAGE RECORDING QUALITY...choose the highest quality when SAVING from your editing software. If you select less than that, you can never get it back! The below montage shows the quality difference that occurs as a result of the above two options. These two photos were shot with a camera on a tripod and with all but two settings identical. The photo on the left was shot with IMAGE RECORDING QUALITY at it's lowest quality option and it was SAVED in editing to it's lowest quality option. The photo on the right was shot with both options at the highest level. (coins image intended for here) Now for the settings that will customize your camera for shooting butterflies. We need to determine the characteristics of butterfly photography that are problematic. They are tiny creatures that rarely fill the frame of the camera...they are defensive in nature which causes them to "spook" as we approach...they can fly...and they are cold-blooded which means that most photos will be taken in full sunlight rather than in easier to handle lighting situations. In my opinion, the qualities that cause a photo to be less than good are poor focus (includes motion blur) and poor exposure. FOCUS:Most cameras have an option for operating in the AUTO focus mode or the MANUAL focus mode. I strongly urge you to opt for the AUTO focus...it is faster, refocuses for each shot and, try as I might, I can not better it's accuracy or consistency. When you select AUTO focus, there are usually about three options from which you must select one. The first is a setting based on shooting still subjects. The second option is for shooting moving subjects and the third is a combination of the two. I get my best results when the "still subjects" option is selected. The butterflies are usually perched when photographed. With my Canon, this option is called ONE SHOT AF. I set it here right after I bought it when I did the initial camera settings and have left it there. EXPOSURE:The amount of light that reaches the sensor of your camera is based on the size of the opening that lets in the light (the aperture) and the amount of time that the light is allowed to come in (the shutter speed). When operating in FULL MANUAL, the operator must select and set both the aperture and the shutter speed. This requires lots of experience and/or a metering device if it is to be accurate. This is NOT my preferred operational mode! On some rare occasions, manual is the best but only rarely! Neither is FULL AUTO my preferred mode. There are two other modes that offer equally accurate exposure but allow for better control of other factors such as stopping movement and depth-of-field. These are called APERTURE PRIORITY or SHUTTER PRIORITY. They are based on the operator selecting either one of these controls and allowing the cameras software to select the other. Without getting into the technical aspects (they are tutorials of their own) the size of the aperture controls depth-of-field (the portion of the photo that is in sharp focus) while the speed of the shutter can "stop" the blurring effects of motion. Thusly, for me, when I go outside to shoot, if the breezes are blowing I select SHUTTER PRIORITY, set the shutter speed at 1/400 second (which is usually enough to eliminate the movement of the flowers that the butterflies are on) and make no further changes unless the wind goes away. If the wind is not a concern, I select APERTURE PRIORITY and select f/5.6 or higher so I get an acceptable depth-of-field. One of the toughest things to overcome in butterfly photography is the required meter readings for proper exposure. The difficulty arises due to the cameras desire to measure the full frame area while the area occupied by the butterfly is only a small fraction of that area. The skittishness of butterflies has taught us to shoot our first pictures when we get to about six feet away. We can ease in further and sometimes we will be allowed to get quite close but we are usually faced with a small bug in a big garden. This requires that we "tweak" the metering settings to conform with reality. With most cameras the metering settings consist of three or more options that serve as choices which control the parts of the image area that will be considered when setting exposures. The first is usually from nine to more than forty somewhat evenly spaced points that are "read" and averaged to arrive at the exposure. This is essentially useless for any small subjects. The second option is called "center weighted" and uses a circle around the center that comprises about 30% of the image area for the metering...better than the first option but still not the best. The final option is the best choice for butterflies...it is called SPOT. It is based on about 3%-4% of the area in a circle right around the middle of which our butterfly is a prominent part. This is how I keep my camera at all times regardless of what I am shooting. It is my belief that this setting is used to influence the auto focus function even though the manual does not specifically state this. One of the main settings for me is one called EXPOSURE VALUE or EV. The person(s) who wrote the software for your camera had to, at some point, make a decision as to what constituted the "correct" exposure. It will approximate the middle-of-the-road point that is not too dark and not too bright. It can vary slightly from camera maker to camera maker since it is a judgmental call. They have all set up an EV adjustment (usually as a slider)that is graduated in 1/3 f/stop increments from -2 full stops to +2 full stops. The camera comes out of the box set to shoot with the exposures that yield a photo that would come with shooting at 0 adjustment. When you adjust to the left or right of zero, you are altering the aim point to either an overall darker image or an overall lighter image. Your camera will still do it's superior job of metering and setting exposures...it's just that you have told it "I like what you are doing but I would like it a little better if your results were just a tad darker". My personal results fit my taste better with -2 increments (-2/3 f/stops).One of the reasons that I select a slightly darker image is that most of my shots are in full sun and the chance of overexposure is great with the vivid colors of the flowers that they nectar on. The second reason is that editing software can correct for considerable underexposure but a picture that is overexposed is mainly lost forever. Burned out highlights are irretrievable. I occasionally shoot a photo that appears a little "off" when I review it on the monitor. When I do, I usually shoot two more photos of the same subject...one that has one increment more than the original and another with one increment less. This is called "bracketing" the exposure. When I edit them, I keep one and trash the other two. A small group of settings that I consider personal taste modifiers include contrast, saturation and brightness. I keep these all at +1...your taste may differ from mine. I do not alter the sharpness setting. I leave it at the manufacturers settings and make any adjustments in my editing software. ISO:These settings serve to modify the sensor's sensitivity to light. Increasing the ISO number allows your camera to arrive at the proper exposure in low-light situations. The trade-off is that you lose quality in proportion to the increase in the ISO number. The reduced quality manifests itself with softer focus, color faults and the introduction of tiny specks of color that increases progressively with the increase in ISO number. Most cameras yield pretty good results up to ISO400...above that can be less than good. I keep my camera at it's lowest ISO setting-ISO 80. When you increase the ISO setting the camera must adjust the aperture or shutter speed. Shooting in full sunlight with high ISO settings can cause your camera to be unable to correct to a proper level of exposure. WHITE BALANCE: This refers to your camera's ability to correct from tainted light sources. Pure sunlight produces shades of yellow, red and other colors at different times of day and based on many other factors. Incandescent and fluorescent lights vary greatly from daylight sources. The internal software of most digital cameras when set on AUTO does a superb job of this. A few years ago, the digital cameras had difficulty with vivid colors like dark red and purple but that is history. The recent cameras capture the toughest colors with ease. If spot-on color is called for, most digitals offer a CUSTOM setting which really works...it is cumbersome but will get the job done. In my experience, improper exposure is more often the cause of poor color than is tainted light sources or improper white balance settings. Recap of Settings: IMAGE RECORDING QUALITY:The highest level available. SAVE QUALITY:The highest level available FOCUS:AUTO with STILL OPTION OPERATING MODE:Aperture Priority if wind is not a problem Shutter Priority if wind is a factor DO NOT SELECT MANUAL EXPOSURE VALUE:(-2) increments=(-2/3) f/stops METERING:Spot WHITE BALANCE:Auto ISO:Lowest number available CONTRAST:(+1) SATURATION:(+1) BRIGHTNESS:(+1) SHARPNESS:Make no change Motion blur appears as a blurry, or improperly focused photo. It is a function of movement that usually is generated at the camera. The best solution that I have found is a good old-fashioned sturdy tripod. Many of today's cameras or lenses have image stabilization capabilities...if your's does, keep the switch ON! It can really help. I sincerely hope that your results give you as much pleasure as mine has given me. Bob

Hey Guys, I've been gone for a while. It looks like I've got a lot of reading to catch up on. Ya'll have been having so much fun; I feel like I've missed out on a lot. My husband came home Monday after 3 weeks being gone and has been keeping me busy. I spent last weekend touring all the gardens of my daylily club members. Boy, do they put my yard to shame. I've only got one of them sized to upload so far. I'll try to get the rest of them done soon so I can share. This is what she called her children's garden. All the plants had names pertaining to kids. All the "candy" series of daylilies were planted around the pole house. Very, very cute. I particularly liked this little statue. Gotta go! Hubby is calling; I managed to sneak away long enough to get one post off anyways. Rox

Hi slemmers, First, congrats on getting away from the abuse. No matter what, that's far more important than anything else. I'm still confused about the holes punched in walls. She dealt with him immediately after punching the hole in the hallway and made him pay for it. If your LL did indeed deal with ex BF, and got $ from him for damage he did as you mention, then you should be off the hook. But then your next sentence is: In response to moonshadow, I am not worried about the punched holes because I know that I am responsible for that and I am going to repair them myself. He was on the lease but I got him to remove himself from the lease before he moved out. I would probably not be able to get repair money from him. I'm more worried about the legality of whether or not she will take my whole damage deposit because there was no move-in inspection. If there are holes left, no matter who did it, the only recourse I see that LL has is for you to pay for it. I'm not sure what to offer you here. Basically there were two parties to a lease, technically both are equally responsible for the condition of the unit. If you are charged for what he did, about the only way I can see that you can argue it would be to go to court and try to prove, with whatever legal evidence you have (police reports, restraining orders) that he was violent and did the damage. It's tricky, and basically a lot depends on how your LL responds at the end of your lease term. Just a tip (and I've had a couple tenants try to use this as a negotiating tool): never assume that because you have made improvements to a place that it somehow negates or offsets any damage. It never does. Holes are not supposed to be there. Holes cost money to fix. Painted cabinets and a new floor will not pay to fix the holes. 3. Regarding the rent, I said that rent is due by 12 AM on the 1st - what I mean is that rent is due on the first of the month and it can be paid up until 12 AM, no its not due on the 31st rent is always due on the first of the month. I don't know how to explain it any better. But I'll try. ;-) The last minute of any day is 11:59PM. The very next minute that immediately follows that, 12:00 AM (midnight), is the beginning of a whole new day. If you stand at your LLs door with rent check in hand at 11:59PM on the 31st, you're not late. If clock rolls one minute to 12AM (midnight) you're precisely on time. If clock rolls one more minute, to 12:01AM and you haven't handed it over then technically it's one minute late. If you're still standing there an hour later, 1AM the rent is 1 hour late. If you stand there all night, into the morning, through the next day and into the evening, 6PM rolls around, technically you are 18 hours late. Does that make sense? Either way, it is a cheque and the cheque doesn't get cleared until about 4 days after I give it to her, so why does it matter if it's paid at 3 pm or 6 pm. There was no reason to call as I have never paid my rent late, this was the first time she called about this and it was odd to me. So it was paid after banking hours, that doesn't concern me - the cheques probably have to be sent out to the property management company. Doesn't matter when the check clears, doesn't matter whose hands in lands in once it leaves yours. The only part of the deal you have to uphold is to pay it on time, anything else beyond that is not relevant. And it should concern you it was paid after banking hours on the 1st. By then it's late. Because it was due at Midnight before 3PM or 6PM. Not the Midnight after 3PM or 6PM. The Midnight that comes after 3PM or 6PM is the beginning minute of the 2nd day of the month. (Gawd that's splitting hours, but I don't know how else to get it across! ;-) And I'm betting she called because you're getting on thin ice with her and she's running out of tolerance and cracking down (because of all issues combined). 4. I'll agree, LL should not have yelled at friend. But she did, and it's done. If it makes her scary, so be it. But it doesn't change the pets clause. I have lived here for 2 years, yet she sometimes doesn't even know who I am...I am not a problem tenant. Guarantee after sending written noise complaints with threat of eviction, having damage (holes) done, having to call you for the rent and catching a visitor trying to enter with a dog, she knows exactly who you are and is watching very closely. Since we don't do anything wrong... I'm not being snarky, but you have done things wrong. And you signed a legally binding agreement that you would not do those things. Forget about personality differences, appliance delivery and tidiness. There's this: 1)two written noise complaints with threat of eviction if a 3rd occurs 2)significant damage done 3)had to call for rent 4)friend is caught bring in banned animal. Each of those things stand by themselves as a lease infraction. Add them all together and it absolutely does spell "Problem Tenant" to your LL. Because on the flip side, in two years there are other tenants who have never had to be served with written notice for anything, have never had to be called for the rent, have never had banned animals in, and have never had holes punched in walls or doors. So from where your LL sits, all kinds of red flags are being sent up to her, and they are coming from the direction of your unit. I'm going to encourage you to stop worrying about her personality, and for your own good follow every last rule to the letter. It's time to lay low and stop drawing attention to yourself. Because if these things continue it's not going to turn out good for you.

No idea, I'm afraid. Does the noise bother you? Do you want them to stop making it? If that's the case, then go upstairs while the noise is happening and ask them nicely to please stop making it. Or only do it earlier in the day, or whatever solution will work for you. "I don't know what you are doing, but that noise I mentioned last week? It's happening now. Could you please figure out what is causing it and stop it? Thank you." Bear in mind that in some apartment buildings, noise travels strangely. What seems to be directly overhead might actually be on one side, or upstairs and over one unit, something like that. But if you go up while the noise is happening, you will be able to hear if it is coming from that unit or not. Or you could just live with it. Once I had upstairs neighbors who apparently dropped a bowling ball on their living room floor every night about 10 pm. Big thud of something falling, followed by a rolling noise. I never did figure out what it was, but it wasn't annoying enough to bother with trying to get it stopped.