What I first did was to use the “color sampler tool” (I) to select the brightest white and darkest black points in the picture and check the RGB values in the “info” panel. Thereafter go to Image/Adjustment/Levels (CTRL-L) and adjust the values of the white point in each of the RGB channels until they have all the same value (adjusting to the highest readout value). Do the same with the black point values, but this time adjust to the lowest value. This is called the 90% method. It may sound complicated, but once you understand the basic principle this method is quite easy to apply.

A good video tutorial on this method can be found here http://www.photoworkshop.com/adobe/softwarecinema/Eddie_Tapp/index2.html

I’ve often looked at the histogram, but have no idea what it should look like.

This is a nice article on histograms: http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources/guides/digital/histogram_101/index.html

although from a Nikon-based site, it’s universally applicable.

Gary,

I’ve been using Nikon camera’s since 1977 and for a digital camera I use the D2x. My suggestions for your D80:

– don’t use one of the vari-program mode’s, but select either the S (shutter priority) or the M mode for aviation photography;
– check the histogram for correct exposure, otherwise dial in a correction EV factor (e.g. EV +0.7);
– don’t use Auto-area AF, but select either single-area or dynamic-area focus and make sure that you initially have selected the central focus field;
– select either the AF-S or the AF-C focus mode (it shouldn’t normally make a huge difference for these kind of subjects);
– make sure that the lens mode has been set to A or A/M at the lens barrel with AF-S lenses, otherwise autofocus will not function!
– shoot in RAW mode (NEF) to be able to make corrections to exposure, contrast and white-balance in postprocessing).

Good luck!

Example of panning at 1/80 sec.

A Friend with a D50 told me that he views the D40 as a lower-spec camera than the D50 (hence the lower monicker) But I can’t recall what the 2 key features he mentioned that were lacking?

Some of the specs of the D40 are actually better than those of the D50. The most important limiting factor of the D40 is that it only accepts AF-S lenses (with built-in focus motor). See this site for a comparison between the two camera’s. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40/

Jamie,

To start with, your pictures don’t seem bad at all for unprocessed out of camera files. Maybe a tad underexposed. Most D-SLR files require some postprocessing, especially if you’re shooting RAW as I do. I took the liberty to do a little post-processing in photoshop. Nothing very special, just auto levels/autocolor, some lightening of the shadows and a little unsharp mask. What do you think?

The Macaws during a display at RAF Wildenrath in July 1970.

The previous identity of Yale G-BYNF was N55904 and Dutch owned (probably from the late 80’s until 2003). See also this picture taken in 1997 at Gilze-Rijen AFB in the Netherlands http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0966439/L/

My photos below were taken at an airshow at Texel Airport (EHTX) in 1989.