the photoguides guide to photography - ash davies

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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