THEPHOTOGUIDESGUIDETOPHOTOGRAPHY
BYASHDAVIES
CHAPTER1
Cameras101Thedigitalcameraisabeautifullysimplepieceoftechnology.Everycamera,beitfilmordigital,worksinthesamebasicway.Lightfromthescenebeamsthroughyourcamera’slens,throughtheaperture,throughtheshutterandontoyourcamera’sfilmorsensor.Thislightpaintsourphotograph.
POINTANDSHOOTCAMERAS
PointandShootcamerasarecameraswithfixed,noninterchangeablelenses.Pointand
Shootcamerasaregenerallycompactandautomated.Thecameramanageseverythingfor
youautomatically,leavingyoutojustpointthecameraatthesceneandshootthephoto.
PointandShootcamerasarebecomingmorecapable,buttheywillnevermatchthe
overallimagequalityofanSLR.
SLR
SLRstandsforSingle-LensReflex.SLRsarethelarger,more‘professional’looking
camerasthatallowyoutochangelensesanddelvedeepintothesettings.ThenameSLR
explainsthemirrorandviewfindersystemwithinthecamera.Lightcomesthroughthe
lens,bouncesoffaseriesofmirrorsandcanthenbeseenthroughtheviewfinder.By
changinglensesyoucanexplorenewrealmsofphotography,frommacrotozoom,from
wideangletotiltshift.SLRsarewonderfullyexpandable,incrediblycapablecameras.
MEGAPIXELS
Everydigitalcameracontainsadigitalsensorthatcaptureslightandcreatesyourphotograph.Yourphotographismadeupofmillionsofdotsoflight.Eachtinydotoflightiscalledapixel,soyourcamera’sMegapixelspecificationdenotesthesizeandresolutionofyourphotos.Moremegapixelswillallowyoutoprintyourphotographsinalargersizeorzoominfurtheronacomputer.Becarefulthoughwhenlookingatcameras.Moremegapixelsdoesn’talwaysmeanabetterqualityphoto.Somecheap,highmegapixelcamerascanproducenoisy,lowqualityimages.Megapixelsareanimportantcharacteristicofacamera,buttheydon’tmeaneverything.
CHAPTER2
TheDialMostcamerashaveadialthatallowsyoutoeasilyswitchbetweendifferentmodes.Whilstmanufacturersnowoffermanydifferentscenemodes,alldialshavethesamefivebasicfunctions.Pleasenotealltermsareexplainedlaterinthebook.
AUTOMODE
OnAutomodeyourcameradoeseverythingforyou.Itcontrolsallofthesettingstoprovideyouwithacorrectlyexposedphoto.ISO,shutterspeed,whitebalanceandapertureareallautomaticallyselectedsothatyouonlyneedtopresstheshutterbutton.
PROGRAMMABLEMODE(P)
ProgramablemodeisthenextstepupfromAutomode.Thecamerawillstillcontrolyourshutterspeedandaperturetoensureyourphotoiscorrectlyexposed,butitwillgiveyoufullcontroloverISO,whitebalanceandmanyotheroptions.MostphotographersneveruseAutomodeanduseProgramablemodeinsteadbecauseit’ssimpleandautomated,butoffersagreatdealofflexibility.OnPmodeyoucancontrolthecoloursandstyleofyourphotowithouthavingtoadjustyourexposureaftereveryshot.
SHUTTERSPEEDPRIORITYMODE(S)
Thismodewillprovideyouwiththeabilitytomanuallyconfigureyourcamera’sshutterspeed.Usingaseparatedialyouwillbeabletoincreaseordecreasethetimetheshutterisopenfor,whilstyourcameraautomaticallyselectsyouraperturetoensureyourphotoiscorrectlyexposed.Furthermore,yourwhitebalanceandISOwillbefullyadjustable.Thismodeisperfectforwhenyouwanttocapturemotionorforwhenyouwanttostopafastmovingoptionrightinitstracks.
APERTUREPRIORITYMODE(A)
AperturePrioritymodewillallowyoutomanuallycontrolyourcamera’saperturewhilstthecameraautomaticallyselectstheshutterspeed.Aperturereferstothesizeoftheopeningwithinthelens,andbyusingaseparatedialtocontrolthisapertureyoucanincreaseordecreasetheamountoflightthatcanpassthroughthelens.Thismodegivesyoucontroloverlightinganddepthoffieldwithouthavingtoworryaboutexposure.
MANUALMODE(M)
Manualmodegivesyoufullcontrol.Onthissettingyoucanadjusteveryelementofyourphoto.ShutterspeedandApertureareindependentlyadjustable,andyoualsohavecontroloverwhitebalance,ISOandeveryothersettingofyourcamera.Thismodedemandsthegreatestamountofthoughtandshouldn’tbeusedallthetime.Manualmodeisperfectforwhenyouwantyourphototohaveacertainfeel.Forexamplewhenyou’rephotographingalandscapeatnight,ManualModeisperfectasitallowsyoutoadjusteveryelementofyourcameratocaptureallofthelight.UsingManualmodeisalsoagreatwaytolearnaboutyourcamera.Thereisnodoubtthatplayingwiththismodewillgiveyouagreaterunderstandingofhoweachelementaffectsaphotograph,andthisunderstandingislikelytoimproveyourphotography.
SCENEMODES
MostdigitalcamerascomewithaselectionofSceneModes.Thesemodesaretypicallyselectableviathedial.ThesescenemodesgenerallyincludeaPortraitmode,aLandscapemode,aNightmodeandaSportsmode.Thesescenemodessimplyautomateyourcamera’ssettingstoprovideyouwiththebestphoto.Forexample,onSportsModeafastershutterspeedwillbeselectedtocapturetheaction.OnPortraitModealoweraperturewillbeselectedtocreateashallowdepthoffield,whichisaconventionthattendstocreatethenicestportraitphotographs.LandscapemodewillselectahigheraperturetocreatealargerdepthoffieldandNightmodewilladjustthesettingstoensureyoucaptureallofthelightinthedarkconditions.Scenemodesarelikecheatsheetsfordifferentphotographysituations.Everythingtheydocanbecontrolledthroughtheothermodes,butScenemodessetyourcameraupwithoutrequiringyoutothink.
CHAPTER3
ApertureWhenyou’reinadarkroom,thepupilsinyoureyeswilldilatetoletasmuchlightinaspossible.Switchthelightonandyou’llfindthatyoureyesinstantlycontractsothatyou’renotblinded.Onacamera,theapertureworksinaverysimilarway.Itexpandstoletinmorelightwhenit’sneeded,andinbrightersituationsitshrinkstoensureyourphotoisn’toverexposed.
Bycontrollingyourcamera’sapertureyouarecontrollingtheamountoflightthatentersthelens.ApertureiscontrollablebyameasureknownasF-Stops.EachF-stoprepresentsadifferentlevelofexpansionorcontraction.AsmallerF-Stop,suchasF2.8representsalargerapertureandawideropening.AlargerF-Stophowever,suchasF22denotesasmallerapertureandsmalleropening.
AperturecanbecontrolledbyswitchingyourcameratoAperturePrioritymode(A)ortoManualmode(M).Thereyou’llhavetheabilitytoadjusttheApertureinsetincrements.Camerasgenerallyhavearound10apertureincrementstochoosefrom.
Bychangingyourapertureyouhavetheabilitytomanipulatetheexposureofyourphoto,aswellasyourphoto’sDepthofField.Thisissomethingwewilldiscussinthenextsection.
Thebestwaytolearnaboutapertureistoplayaroundwithit.SwitchyourcameraintoAperturePriorityorManualmodeandlookattheeffectchangingyouraperturehasonyourphoto,aswellasonyourothersettings.
CHAPTER4
DepthofFieldTheDepthofField(DOF)referstotherangeofin-focusvisibilityoftheshot,or,inotherwords,howfaryoucanclearlysee.
Inphotoswherethesubjectisinfocusandthebackgroundandforegroundareblurredout,justlikeintheimageontheright,thiseffectisaresultofDepthofField.Inthiscasewesaythephotographhasashallowdepthoffield.Alternatively,wecanclearlyseeasignificantdistance,wesayithasadeepdepthoffield.
ManipulatingtheDepthofFieldisverystraightforward.Awiderorlargeraperture(suchasF2.8)willgiveyouashallowerdepthoffield,andasmalleraperture(suchasF22)willresultinadeeperDOFandgiveyouagreaterviewingdistance.Thesmallertheaperture,thegreatertherangeofvisibilityinyourshotwillbe.
Ashallowdepthoffieldworkswellwhenyou’rephotographingpeople.Anicelyblurredbackgroundwillhelptoseparatethepersonfromtheirsurroundings.Ifyourcamerahasa‘Portrait’mode,thenthisautomaticallyuseswideraperturestocreatetheshallowestdepthoffieldpossible.
Adeeperdepthoffieldismoreeffectiveinlandscapephotography.Ahigherrangeoffocusisperfectforcapturingthosefinerdetails.The‘Landscape’modeonyourcamerawillchoosesmalleraperturestoautomaticallycreateadeepdepthoffield.
ThebestwaytolearnaboutDepthofFieldistoplayaroundwithit.PickanobjecttofocusonandseehowyourDOFchangeswhenyoumanipulateyouraperture.
CHAPTER5
ShutterSpeedEverytimeyoutakeaphoto,yourcamera’sshutteropensandclosestoletlightthroughtothesensor.ThetimethattheshutterspendsopenisknownasitsShutterSpeed,andyourabilitytomanipulateitgivesyouagreatdealofpotential.
ShutterSpeedisoneofthemostversatilefeaturesonyourcamera.Itcanusuallybeadjustedfrom1/4000thofasecondrightthroughto30seconds.Thisbroadrangeallowsyoutoeffectivelymanageyourexposure,butitalsoallowsyoutocapturemotionorfreezeliferightinitstracks.
TheeffectonexposureisoneofthemostprominentinfluencesofShutterSpeed.Alongershutterspeedlike5secondswillallowmorelighttoreachthesensor,thusresultinginabrighterphoto.Conversely,afastershutterspeedsuchas1/1000thofasecondwillonlyallowasmallamountoflighttoreachthesensorcausingyourphototobedarker.
ShutterSpeed’seffectonmotionandblurisalsosignificant.Havingtheshutteropenforalongerperiodoftimewillallowthecameratocapturethemovementofanobject.Thiscanbeastunningeffectwhenphotographingwaterfallsortrackingmovingobjects.Alternativelyyoucanchooseafastshutterspeedsuchas1/2000thofasecondwhichwillallowyoutocaptureeventhefastestofobjectsinstilllife.
Manycamerashaveashutterspeedsettingcalled‘Bulb’.ThisisoftendenotedbytheletterBandcanusuallybefoundbyscrollingbeyondthe30secondshutterspeedsetting.Bulbmodemeansthatthecamera’sshutterwillopenwhenyoupresstheshutterbuttonandthenclosewhenyoureleasethebutton.Thisprovidesyouwithfullcontroloveryourcamera’sexposureandallowsyoutocaptureexposuresfromafewsecondsthroughtoafewminutes.Bulbmodeisperfectforstarphotographyorsomenighttimephotography.Ifyou’reinterestedinthissettingtherearealsoremoteswhichallowyoutolockthebuttondownforendlessexposures.
Understandingshutterspeedwillprovideyouwithabroadrangeofphotographicskills,allowingyoutomanageyourexposureandcapturethemotionofthesceneaswell.
CHAPTER6
WhiteBalanceWhiteBalanceisusedtoadjustthewayyourcamerareadscolourssothatobjectsthatarewhiteinpersonalsoappearwhiteinyourphoto.
MostcamerashaveatleastfivedifferentwhitebalancesettingsincludingAuto,Daylight,Shade,TungstenandFluorescent.Eachsettingwilltellthecamerawhatlightingconditionsyouareshootinginsoitcanadjustitscoloursaccordingly.Bychangingyourwhitebalanceindifferentlightingconditionsyou’llfindthatthecoloursinyourphotographaremoreaccurateandfarmorevibrant.
Butwhydoweneedtodothis?Whenwelookoutsideandseeeverythinglitbythewhiteglowofthesun,thiswhitelightcanbesplitupintoallthedifferentcoloursofthespectrum(thecoloursoftherainbow).Thisisthetypeofwhitelightyourdigitalcameraisdesignedtosee.Whenyoutakeaphotothat’slitbyartificiallight,suchasafluorescentlightbulb,eventhoughthislightappearswhite,thespectrumofcoloursthatmakethiswhitearedifferenttothoseofthesun.Inthesesituations,WhiteBalanceneedstobeadjustedtorecalibratethecoloursyourcamerareads.
Ifyouphotographwiththewrongwhitebalancesettingthecoloursinyourphotowillbenoticeablyincorrect.PhotographingwiththeTungstensettingindaylightconditionsforinstancewillresultinabluetingedphoto,asthissettingisusedtocompensateforthewarmcolourscastfromhouseholdlighting.
Allvisiblelighthasacertaincolourtemperature,measuredinKelvins.Daylighthasatemperatureofapproximately5000Kwhereasanincandescentbulbhasatemperatureofaround3000K.Eachwhitebalanceoptionkeysinatemperatureforthecameratoread.TheoptionmayalsoexisttofinelyadjustthetemperaturemanuallyinKelvins.
Automode,ratherthandetectingthetypeoflightandthenchangingthemodeaccordingly,usesasinglesettingwhichismostaccuratewithabroadrangeoflightingconditions.Automodeisrarelyperfectandcancausecolourstolosetheir‘pop’.
Whitebalanceisbestunderstoodbyexperimenting.Seehowthecoloursofyourphotochangewithdifferentsettings.It’sanincrediblypowerfulsettingtoadjust.
CHAPTER7
ISOAttheheartofalldigitalcamerasisasensor(below)thatcapturesallthelightinformationweseeinourphotos.Asadigitalpieceofequipment,thissensorcanbeprogramedtoholdadifferentsensitivity.ItssensitivitytolightisknownasISO.
ThetermISOwasnotoriginallyintendedfordigitalcameras.Intheworldoffilmphotography,differentfilmsholddifferentsensitivitiestolight.ISO,whichreferstothe‘InternationalOrganizationofStandardization’,isastandardusedtomeasurehowsensitivethisfilmis.AfilmwithahigherISOratingisdeemedmoresensitiveandproducesabrighterphoto.Withthesameexposuresettings,afilmwithalowerISOproducesadarker,lessexposedphoto.
ISOwaslatertranslatedforthedigitalphotographyage.Itmeasuresthesensitivitytolightofyourcamera’ssensor.Yourcamera’sISOcantypicallybeadjustedfromISO100toISO1600withsetincrementsinbetween.Akintofilmphotography,ahigherISOsettingresultsinamoresensitivesensor,andthusabrighterphoto.
ThereisonedownsidetousingahigherISO.Onmostcameras,usingahighISOwillresultinanoisyimage.Noiseisthecolouredpixelationthatappearsonanimage.Anoisyimagewillappeartobegrainyandofpoorquality,andanoisytexturetoaphotocantarnishitsoverallappearance.Indaylightsituationsthisnoisewillbelessnoticeable,but
whenyou’rephotographingdarkersubjectsornightscenesahigherISOwillhaveanobviouseffectonyourphoto.Becauseofthis,it’sbesttokeepyourISObetweenISO200andISO400fornormaluse.
YourISO’simpactonyourphoto’sexposuremakesitaveryusefultooltocontrol.AdjustmentsinISOcanallowyoutousedifferentaperturesordifferentshutterspeedsandstillreceivewellexposedphotos.
CHAPTER8
ExposureExposureisdefinedastheamountoflightthatreachesyourcamera’ssensorinaphoto.Acorrectlyexposedphotoisaphotowiththeintendedlevelofbrightness.Anoverexposedphotowillbetoobrightandanunderexposedphotowillbetoodark.
Therearethreeelementsthataffectyourimage’sexposure.Yourshutterspeed,theapertureofthelensandthecamera’ssensitivitytolight(ISO).Whenyourcameraisonautomodeitwilladjustandbalanceallthreeoftheseelementstotryandkeepyourimagecorrectlyexposed.Thephotograph’sbrightnesswillbetruetothesceneyou’rephotographing.Butwhateffectdoeseachaspecthave?
Yourcamera’sshutterspeedreferstohowfasttheshutterofyourcameraopensandcloses,therebyexposingthesensortolight.Byusingalongershutterspeedsuchas3secondsyouwillletmorelightthroughtothesensor,thusmakingabrighterphoto.Afastershutterspeedthough,suchas1/1000thofasecond,willletlesslightthroughandresultinadarkerphoto.
Apertureisthesmalladjustableopeningthatlightpassesthroughtoreachthelens.BywideningyouraperturetoalowerF-stop,suchasF2.8,morelighthastheabilitytoenterthelensandyourphotowillbebrighter.LikewiseanarroweraperturesuchasF18willallowlesslighttoreachthesensorandthephotowillbedarker.
TheISOofyourcameraisyoursensor’ssensitivitytolight.AhighersensitivitysuchasISO800willresultinabrighterphoto.Similarly,alowersensitivitysuchasISO100willcauseyourphototobedarker.
Allthreeelementscreatewhat’scalled‘TheExposureTriangle’.Thisillustratestherelationshipallofthesefeatureshavewitheachother,andhowamodificationinanyoftheseaspectswillrequireamodificationintheothertwotoensureacorrectlyexposedphoto.Forexample,alowerISOwillrequireawiderapertureorlongershutterspeedtomakeupforthelightlostwiththelowersensitivity.
Thebestwaytounderstandexposureistoswitchyourcameratomanualandfiddle.Adjusteachelement,takeaphoto,andthenseehowtheyaffecteachother.
CHAPTER9
CompositionAphoto’scompositionisarguablyitsmostimportantfeature.Compositionreferstohowthesubjectandotherelementswithinaphotoarelaidoutintheframe.Ifyouhaveaneyeforphotographythenit’slikelytomeanyouhaveaknackforcomposition.Herearetheelementsofcompositionyoushouldconsiderwhentakingaphoto.
FRAMING
Framingreferstotheboundariesofyourphoto.Inmostcasesthiswillbethephysical
edgesofthephoto.Withinthisframeliesthesubjectandalltheotherelementsofyour
photo,andagoodphotographerwillbeabletoeffectivelyandcreativelyutilizethisframe.
Typically,thesubjectshouldbeentirelywithintheframe.Ifedgesofthesubjectarecut
offthenthiswillbenoticeabletotheviewer.Aframecanalsobecreatedwithinthephoto,
likeintheimageontheright.Thewindowwithinthedooractsasagreatframeforthe
train’sworker.
LINES
Lineswithinaphotographguidetheeyeandshapethewaytheviewerlooksataphoto.Creativelyusinglineswithinaphotographcantakethereaderseyeonajourney,orsimplydirectthemwheretolook.Theselinescanbestraight,curvedorcompletelyabstract.Lookforlinesinascene,eveniftheyarenotdistinct,andconsiderhowtheywillchangethewaythephotoisviewed.
SYMMETRYANDPATTERNS
Repeatingpatternsorsymmetrywithinascenecanleadtostrikingcompositions.Lookforpatternsintheworldthataren’toftenseenorcomposeaphotographthatcanbesplitintoamirroredimage.Alternatively,ifyouseeapatternorsymmetry,breakit.Adisruptionwithinapatterncanbeeyecatchingandmakeforasuperbphotograph.
BALANCE
Ifyouputyourphotoonascalewoulditbalanceorleantooneside?Havingalargesubjectoffthecentreofyourphotocancauseittofeelheavyononeside.Itcanbeeasilybalancedthoughbyincludingasubjectoflessimportanceontheotherside.Balancingaphototendstomakeitnicerfortheeye.Youcanhoweverintentionallycreateanunbalancedphototocreatetensionordrawattentiontoasubject.
CHAPTER10
RuleofThirdsTheruleofthirdsisoneofthesimplestandmosteffectivetechniquesthatcanhelpyoucomposeyourimageintheframe.Allyouneedtodoisimaginethatyourcamera’sscreenissplitintonineevensquares,withtwolinesrunningdownandtworunningacross,justlikeinthediagrambelow.
Theideaisforyoutoplaceyoursubjectuponanyoftheselines.Ifyouhaveaspecificsubjectlikeapersonthenyoushouldtrytopositiontheirfaceononeofthe‘GoldenMeans’,whicharethepointswheretheselinesintersect.Ifthere’sahorizoninyourimagethenaimtoplacethisalongoneofthelines.Inmostcases,it’sonthesepointsthatasubjectcanbemostappealing.
Whilstitiscalledthe‘rule’ofthirds,itisofcourseonlyaguideandusingthelinesinflexiblyisapoorwaytomanageyourlayout.Youshouldaimtocomposeyourimageinwhateverwaylooksthebestwhilsttakingtheruleintoconsideration.Manytimesitjustdiscouragescentringyoursubject.
TheRuleofThirdsiswonderfullysimpleandisoneoftheeasiesttechniquestoexecute.It’sdifficulttogetitwrong,andoncetheconcepthasbeenputtopracticeafewtimesyou’llfindyou’reinstinctivelytakingwellcomposedphotographs.
CHAPTER11
MacroMacro,or‘closeup’photographyoffersusanewperspectiveoftheworldandallowsustogetupcloseandseethesmallerworldindetailedwaysthatoureyescannot.
Thesedaysthetermmacroisusedveryloosely.Weregarditwidelyas‘closeup’photography,butbydefinitionmacroreferstophotographywheretheimageisata1:1ratio,asclosetotheactualsizeaspossible,orbigger.
Macrophotographyishighlydependentonthecapabilitiesofyourcameraandyourlens.Becauseofthis,macrophotographyissomewhatspecializedandcanrequirespecialequipmenttocreate.OnanSLRamacrolensistypicallyrequiredtoallowyoutofocusonsubjectswithinmillimetersofyourlens.
WhenphotographinginMacro,duetotheclosenatureofthesubject,thereareafewthingsyouneedtoconsider.Firstly,ensurethatyourselforyourcameraarenotcastingashadowonyoursubject.Thisissuecanberesolvedbystandingbackandzoomingslightly.Also,ifyouweretouseyourflash,theintenseburstoflightcouldbetoopowerfulforyourclosesubject.Ifyoudorequireaflashsomecamerashavetheabilitytosoftentheflash’spowersuchasto1/64thoftheoriginalintensity.Thislowpoweredflashissuitablefortheclosesubjects.Otherwiseturnyourflashoff.
Anarrowaperturewillgenerallyincurthebestresultswithmacrophotography.DuetotheclosenatureofMacrophotography(1:1)thedepthoffieldishighlyamplified.Ifawideapertureisusedthenthefocalrangewillbejustafewmillimeterslong.Thiscouldcausehalfofyoursubjecttobeoutoffocus.ByusingasmallerapertureofaroundF11forexample,amplelightwillbeallowedintothelensandthewiderdepthoffieldwillallowyoutokeepyourclosesubjectinfocus.
Atripodcanbehandywithmacrophotography,butalarge,talltripodishardlysuitablewhenyou’rephotographingasmallsubjectontheground.Ifyoudorequireatripodthenthereisagreatrangeofsmall,flexibletripodsavailableforSLRsandpointandshootcamerasthatwillhelpyougetclosetotheground.
WithMacrophotography,despitetheserequiredsettings,compositionreallyisking.Remembertheruleofthirdsandothercompositiontipsandbringthemicroscopicworldtolife!
CHAPTER12
FlashAcamera’sflashisusedtoartificiallyfillascenewithlighttoallowforabrighterphotoincertainsituations.Mostcamerasthoughhavemultipleflashmodesthatallowyoutouseyourflashcreatively.
AUTOFLASH
Autoflashwillactivatetheflashifthecamerarequiresadditionallighttocaptureawellexposedphotograph.Autoflashcanbequitelimitingastheburstoflightcandrainthenaturalcoloursofyourphotoandcreateunwantedshadows.It’sbestthentoconsidertheotherflashoptionstoensureyoustillgetthebestoutofyourphoto.
FILLINFLASH
FillInFlashisusefulinbrightdaytimesituationssuchaswhenyou’reoutdoorsandyoursubjectisheavilybacklit.Ifthescene’sambientlightisoverpoweringyoursubjectcausingittoappeardarkandsilhouetted,orifyoursubjectisstuckintheshadowsandyourcameraisn’trespondingtothelackoflightduetothebrightenvironmentbehindit,FillInFlashcanbeusedtothrowlightontoyoursubjecttherebybalancingtheexposuresofyoursubjectandthesurroundinglight.
SLOWSYNCFLASH
SlowSyncFlashisusefulinlowlightsituationswhereyouwanttocaptureyoursubjectbutretainthescenesnaturalcolourandvibrancy.WithSlowSyncFlash,aslowshutterspeedwillstillbeusedbythecamera,butaburstofflashwilltypicallyoccuratthestartofthephototoilluminatethescene.Thisinitialburstofflashwillfreezeyoursubjectinstillform,butbyretainingthelongershutterspeed,backgroundlightingandthetruecoloursofthescenewillstillbecapturedbyyourcamera.SlowSyncFlashisperfectforretainingthecharacterandlifeofashotinlowlightsituations.
REDEYEREDUCTIONFLASH
RedEyeReductionFlashconsistsofaquickburstofflashpriortothephotographtoprepareyoursubjectseyes,followedbyanormalflashduringthephoto.Thishelpstoeliminatethe‘RedEye’effectmostflashescreate.
CHAPTER13
RawandFlashWhenyoutakeaphotoyourcamerawillneedtoprocessallofthephoto’sinformationintoausableimageformat.RAWisanuncompresseddigitalformat.Allofyourphoto’sinformationispackagedwiththephotosothatyoucancontinuetoadjustcamerasettingsafterthephotohasbeentaken.
TheRAWformatisperfectfortheseriousphotographerlookingtogetthebestoutoftheircamera.Thisformathasagreatdealofeditingpotentialandwillleaveyouwithahigherqualityresult.TodecidewhethertheRAWformatisbestforyouthough,ithelpstounderstandthealternatives.
ThemostcommonandversatileimageformatisknownasJPEG.Thisformatholdsafairlybasicamountofimageinformation,butit’sthemostusableformat.InJPEGmode,acamerawilltakeaphotoandthendiscardallofthebackgroundinformationwecan’tseetoleaveuswithasmallerphoto.Thesephotosaretakenbyalldigitalcamerasandareperfectforprinting,sharingandanyothergeneraluse.Furthermoretheirsmallfilesizemeansyoucanfitasignificantnumberonamemorycardandtheytakealotlesstimetosave.
RAWphotographyisuncompressedandretainsalloftheinformationthatyourcamera’ssensordetects.Withthisformatyourphoto’swhitebalance,contrast,brightness,sharpnessandotherdetailscanallbemanipulatedafteryourphotohasbeentakenwithoutanylosstoyourimage’squality.Duetotheuncompressednature,RAWfilesaresignificantlylargerinsizeandcantakelongertosave.Furthermore,eachcameramanufacturerusestheirownRAWformatsospecialsoftwareisrequiredtoedittheseRAWphotographs.ManufacturersdobundleRAWeditingsoftwarewiththeircamerasthough,andPhotoshopcanmanagemostRAWformats.
It’sageneralrulethattheseriousphotographershouldshootinRAWallthetime.Personally,IbelievethatthereisatimeandaplaceforRAW.Thecapabilitiesoftheformataren’trequiredinallsituations.Ifhoweveryou’relikelytoedityourphotooryou’relookingtomakeahighqualityprint,switchovertoRAWandseewhatitcanofferyou.
CHAPTER14
LensesThelensisarguablythemostimportantpartofyourcamera.Ahighqualitypieceofglasswillgiveyouacrisperclearerimagewithastunningdepthoffield.Whereascamerasareconstantlychanging,thelensisthetraditionalitemthatalmostneverdates.AgoodlensforyourSLRisastronginvestment.Here’swhattolookoutfor.
FOCALLENGTH
Focallengthreferstothedistancebetweenthefrontofyourlensandyourcamera’ssensor.Thisisahugelyimportantaspectofyourlensasitdefinesyourlensescapabilities.Ashortfocallengthsuchas18mmwillresultinawideanglephotographwhereyoucancapturemoreintheframe.Contrastingly,alargefocallengthsuchas200mmwillresultinahighlyzoomedinphoto.
FOCALRANGE
Whenyouzoominoroutwithyourcamerayouareadjustingthefocallength.TheFocalRangeindicatesthezoomcapabilitiesofalens.ThediagramontherightshowsalenswithaFocalRangeof18-45mm.Thislensisregardedasawideanglelensandissuitableforphotographywhereyou’restandingwithinafewmetersofyoursubject.Alenswithafocalrangeof45-200mmwouldberegardedasazoomlensasthisrangeofhighfocallengthscatersforextensivelyzoomedinphotographs.Therearelensesavailablethatcaterforwideangleandzoomphotography,suchasan18-200mmlens,whichcanbeperfectforphotographerssearchingforversatility.
Somelenseshaveafixedfocallength.Theselensesareknownas‘Prime’lensesandtheydon’thavetheabilitytozoom.Whilsttheinabilitytozoommayseemtobeadisadvantage,theselensesproduceasharper,crisperphotoandhavesmallerapertureswhichcanhelpyoutoachieveanastonishingdepthoffieldorphotographindarkerconditions.Asaphotographeryoureallyhavetodecideifyouwanttheseadvantagesovertheabilitytozoom.
TheFocalRangeisoneofthemostimportantaspecttoconsiderwhenpurchasingalens.Tomaketherightdecisionyouneedtoconsiderwhatphotosyou’llbetaking.
APERTURERANGE
DifferentlenseshavedifferentAperturecapabilities.TheApertureRangeofalensisusuallyindicatedonthelens.ThelensbelowhasanApertureRangeof1:3,5-5,6.ThismeansthatwhenthelensiszoomedoutitswidestapertureisF3.5andwhenitiszoomedinitswidestapertureisF5.6.Theminimumapertureachievablewillincreaseasthefocallengthisincreased.Lenseswithsmallerminimumaperturesareperceivedtobebetterduetotheirgreaterabilitiesinlowlightsituationsandthestunninglyshallowdepthoffieldstheycanproduce.
LENSDIAMETER
Thediameterofalensisoftenindicatedonthefrontofthelens.Thelensbelowhasadiameterof58mmasnotedbythe‘ø58’marking.Thelensdiameterisimportanttoconsiderwhenpurchasingfiltersasthepurchasedfilterwillneedtohavethesamediameterinordertofit.
CHAPTER15
FiltersFiltersareadditionalpiecesofglassorplasticthatareplacedoverthelenstoachievecertaineffectsormodifythelightenteringthelens.Herearethethreemostcommontypesoffilters.
ULTRAVIOLETFILTERS
AUVfilterwillblockultravioletlightfromenteringthelens.Ultravioletlightisnotvisibletothehumaneye,butcancauseaslighthazeinyourphotosinbrightconditions.TheeffectofaUVfilterisbarelynoticeablethough,andtheuseofalowqualityUVfiltermayharmyourphoto’scontrast,increaselensflairoraddaslightcolourtint.UsingaMulticoatedUVfilteristhebestwaytoavoidreductioninimagequality.Aboveall,UVfiltersaremainlyusedtoprotectyourlens.HavingaUVfilteroveryourlensisagreatwaytokeepitscratchfree.
POLARIZEDFILTERS
Polarizedfiltersusepolarizedglasstoeliminateglareandreflectedlight.Theresultisacrisperphotowithhighercoloursaturation,sharpercoloursand,mostprominentofall,adeeperblueofthesky.Apolarizedfilterisanessentialtoolforalandscapeoroutdoorphotographerduetothevibrancyitaddstoaphoto.Ifyou’reinterested,besuretogetacircularpolarizedfilterasalinearfilterwon’tworkonamoderndigitalcamera.Apolarizedfilterisoneofthebestthingsyoucanbuyforyourcamera.
NEUTRALDENSITYFILTERS
ANeutralDensityorNDfiltereffectivelyactslikeapairofsunglassesforyourcamera.They’reusedtoreducetheamountoflightpassingthroughyourlens.Thismeansyoucanuselongerexposuresindaylightconditions.AnNDfilterwillallowyoutocapturesilkysmoothwater,useashallowdepthoffieldorcapturethemotionofanobject,eveninbrightconditions.TherearemanydifferentlevelsofNDfiltersallofwhichholdadifferentlevelofdarkness.Typically,thetitleofthefilterwilldenotethefractionoflightallowedthroughbythefilter.Forexample,anND64filterisastrong,darkfilterthanallowsjust1/64thofthelightthrough.AnND4filterhoweverisaweakerfilterthatcutsoutallbut1/4ofthethelight.VariableNDfiltersarealsoavailableallowingyoutoinfinitelyadjustthefractionoflightyou’recuttingwithatwistofthefilter.NDfiltersareagreattoolforthephotographerwholikestophotographwaterfalls,landscapesorcaptureotherformsofmotion.
CHAPTER16
HistogramsHistogramsareagraphicrepresentationofthelevelsoflightinyourphoto.Toseejusthowhistogramsdisplaycolourandlightinformationwewilldissectthehistogrambelowwhichrepresentsthelighttonesoftheimagetotheright.
Themostcommontypeofhistogramillustratesblackandwhitetones,butitisnot
uncommontoseeahistogramthatseparatesanimageintoit’scorecoloursaswell.To
understandtheblackandwhitehistogramabovewemustfirstimaginethattheimageto
therightisdesaturatedandpresentedinblackandwhite.
Thehorizontalaxisrepresentsthedarkandlighttonesandtheverticalaxesshowswhatportionoftheimageholdsthatparticulartone.Theimagetotherightisevidentlydarkandthetopandbottomoftheimageholdalotofblackshadows.Onthehistogramwecanseethatthereisapeakonthefarleftwhichindicatesthatthoseshadowsandblacktonesarethemostprominenttonesintheimage.Onthefarrightofthehistogramwecanseethatthereareminimalhighlights.Thisagaincanbeseeninthephotographastherearenosignificantwhitepoints.
Duetoit’sprominentshadowsthephotographtotherightwouldberegardedasunderexposed.Acorrectlyexposedphotowillhavethemajorityofthehistograminthe‘Midtones’sectionandbeevenlyspreadthroughoutthegraph.
Histogramscanbehandywhenyou’retryingtobalancetheexposureofaphoto.Justrememberthatitshouldonlybeusedasaguide.Sometimestheeyeisabetterjudge.
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