photography tips
DESCRIPTION
A compilation of articles from DPS (http://digital-photography-school.com/)TRANSCRIPT
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Exposure Triangle – What
Shape is Yours?
The exposure triangle is the most important consideration you will make
when controlling your camera to shoot in manual
If you‟re already there and a pro with the triangle or just starting out, let‟s
talk about it! Of the three settings for perfect exposure – aperture, ISO and
shutter speed – what do you personally feel is the most essential and
important one to you? When you start to dial in your settings, which do you
always think of first?
I‟d say for me, control of ISO is probably the most important first step in my
exposure triangle. I hate shooting at high ISOs (I‟m a pixel peeper) so the
most important thing to me is keeping that as low as possible.
After that, I consider shutter speed. Because I mostly shoot kids – and kids
move fast – I have to keep my shutter speed above 100.
And this leaves me with aperture. Unless I‟m purposefully going for a certain
look which requires me to pay special consideration to my aperture, this
usually ends up being whatever it needs to be to complete a perfect exposure.
What about you? What order do you dial in your triangle?
So we probably all know about the exposure triangle by now. Pretty basic
stuff you learn when you‟re first getting into manual. And if you‟re just
learning, you may be wondering what the point is in obsessing over your ISO,
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aperture and shutter speed. So indulge me as I explain the triangle sub-
headings:
{Aperture – Depth of Field} When I learned that there were lenses that were
„faster‟ than others (meaning the aperture can open widely), and that this was
required for good photos in low-light situations, I thought „great! problem
solved!‟ Well…problem NOT solved. Why? Because opening your 50mm
f/1.4 right up to 1.4 now causes issues with very shallow DOF (depth of
field). So if you‟re shooting a wedding, perhaps, and your plan is to just open
your aperture up, you better have a plan B. Because at some point, the groom
will be a smidge in front of the bride or the bride will be holding her boquet
in front of her and the focus will fall on the wrong thing. So simply opening
your aperture isn‟t going to be enough to leave you other settings as they
are. Point? When adjusting aperture, don’t just think ‘more light’, also
think ‘depth of field’.
{Shutter Speed – Sharpness} When first learning about the exposure
triangle, every setting was explained to me in terms of how it dealt with light:
aperture lets in more or less light, shutter speed lets it in longer or shorter,
and ISO is how sensitive the sensor is to light. But like in the example above,
there are other factors when considering your settings. With shutter speed, it
isn‟t only the length of time the shutter is open that you have to think about.
Particularly in low-light situations, using a too-slow shutter can cause camera
shake from your shaky hands or motion blur from moving subjects. And this
all leads to blurry photos, soft edges and no sharpness in sight. Inside, use as
fast a shutter as possible while still being slow enough to fit into your triangle.
And if you can, invest in lenses with IS (image stabilising) because this helps
you to create sharper photos when shooting at slower shutter speeds or long
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focal lengths (far zoom) when your hands may be shaking. The short of it?
Shutter speed = sharpness.
{ISO – Grain} ISO can be your best friend or your worst enemy. It‟s the
setting I compromise on last and not if I can help it. I really hate noise. I‟m
learning not to pixel peep and LR3 is so much better at handling noise than
LR2 ever was. That said, just know that ISO isn‟t a magic triangle-balancing
number. You can‟t just whack it up to 3000 and forget about the rest. You
should know that higher ISO equals increasingly more noise/grain. And some
photographers add grain on purpose, particularly when shooting or editing in
B&W. Basically? High ISO = grain
Hopefully, expounding upon these other factors to think about when
choosing your manual settings will help you make more informed choices
and better photographs.
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Introduction to Aperture in
Digital Photography
What is Aperture?
Put most simply – Aperture is „the size of the opening in the lens when a picture
is taken.‟
When you hit the shutter release button of your camera a hole opens up that
allows your cameras image sensor to catch a glimpse of the scene you want to
capture. The aperture that you set impacts the size of that hole. The larger the
hole, the more light that gets in – the smaller the hole, the less light.
Aperture is measured in „f-stops‟. You‟ll often see them referred to here at Digital
Photography School as f/number – for example f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6,f/8,f/22 etc.
Moving from one f-stop to the next doubles or halves the size of the amount of
opening in your lens (and the amount of light getting through). Keep in mind that
a change in shutter speed from one stop to the next doubles or halves the amount
of light that gets in also – this means if you increase one and decrease the other
you let the same amount of light in – very handy to keep in mind).
One thing that causes a lot of new photographers confusion is that large apertures
(where lots of light gets through) are given f/stop smaller numbers and smaller
apertures (where less light gets through) have larger f-stop numbers. So f/2.8 is in
fact a much larger aperture than f/22. It seems the wrong way around when you
first hear it but you‟ll get the hang of it.
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Depth of Field and Aperture
There are a number of results of changing the aperture of your shots that you‟ll
want to keep in mind as you consider your setting but the most noticeable one
will be the depth of field that your shot will have.
Depth of Field (DOF) is that amount of your shot that will be in focus. Large
depth of field means that most of your image will be in focus whether it‟s close
to your camera or far away (like the picture to the left where both the foreground
and background are largely in focus – taken with an aperture of f/22).
Small (or shallow) depth of field means that only part of the image will be in
focus and the rest will be fuzzy (like in the flower at the top of this post (click to
enlarge). You‟ll see in it that the tips of the yellow stems are in focus but even
though they are only 1cm or so behind them that the petals are out of focus. This
is a very shallow depth of field and was taken with an aperture of f/4.5).
Aperture has a big impact upon depth of field. Large aperture (remember it‟s a
smaller number) will decrease depth of field while small aperture (larger numbers)
will give you larger depth of field.
It can be a little confusing at first but the way I remember it is that small numbers
mean small DOF and large numbers mean large DOF.
Let me illustrate this with two pictures I took earlier this week in my garden of
two flowers.
The first picture below (click them to enlarge) on the left was taken with an
aperture of f/22 and the second one was taken with an aperture of f/2.8. The
difference is quite obvious. The f/22 picture has both the flower and the bud in
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focus and you‟re able to make out the shape of the fence and leaves in the
background.
The f/2.8 shot (2nd one) has the left flower in focus (or parts of it) but the depth
of field is very shallow and the background is thrown out of focus and the bud to
the right of the flower is also less in focus due to it being slightly further away
from the camera when the shot was taken.
The best way to get your head around aperture is to get your camera out and do
some experimenting. Go outside and find a spot where you‟ve got items close to
you as well as far away and take a series of shots with different aperture settings
from the smallest setting to the largest. You‟ll quickly see the impact that it can
have and the usefulness of being able to control aperture.
Some styles of photography require large depths of field (and small Apertures)
For example in most landscape photography you‟ll see small aperture settings
(large numbers) selected by photographers. This ensures that from the foreground
to the horizon is relatively in focus.
On the other hand in portrait photography it can be very handy to have your
subject perfectly in focus but to have a nice blurry background in order to ensure
that your subject is the main focal point and that other elements in the shot are not
distracting. In this case you‟d choose a large aperture (small number) to ensure a
shallow depth of field.
Macro photographers tend to be big users of large apertures to ensure that the
element of their subject that they are focusing in on totally captures the attention
of the viewer of their images while the rest of the image is completely thrown out
of focus.
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Introduction to Shutter Speed
in Digital Photography
What is Shutter Speed?
As I‟ve written elsewhere, defined most basically – shutter speed is ‘the
amount of time that the shutter is open’.
In film photography it was the length of time that the film was exposed to the
scene you‟re photographing and similarly in digital photography shutter speed is
the length of time that your image sensor „sees‟ the scene you‟re attempting to
capture.
Let me attempt to break down the topic of “Shutter Speed” into some bite sized
pieces that should help digital camera owners trying to get their head around
shutter speed:
Shutter speed is measured in seconds – or in most cases fractions of seconds.
The bigger the denominator the faster the speed (ie 1/1000 is much faster than
1/30).
In most cases you’ll probably be using shutter speeds of 1/60th of a second
or faster. This is because anything slower than this is very difficult to use
without getting camera shake. Camera shake is when your camera is moving
while the shutter is open and results in blur in your photos.
If you’re using a slow shutter speed (anything slower than 1/60) you will
need to either use a tripod or some some type of image stabilization (more and
more cameras are coming with this built in).
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Shutter speeds available to you on your camera will usually double
(approximately) with each setting. As a result you‟ll usually have the options
for the following shutter speeds – 1/500, 1/250, 1/125, 1/60, 1/30, 1/15, 1/8 etc.
This „doubling‟ is handy to keep in mind as aperture settings also double the
amount of light that is let in – as a result increasing shutter speed by one stop and
decreasing aperture by one stop should give you similar exposure levels (but
we‟ll talk more about this in a future post).
Some cameras also give you the option for very slow shutter speeds that are
not fractions of seconds but are measured in seconds (for example 1 second, 10
seconds, 30 seconds etc). These are used in very low light situations, when you‟re
going after special effects and/or when you‟re trying to capture a lot of movement
in a shot. Some cameras also give you the option to shoot in „B‟ (or „Bulb‟) mode.
Bulb mode lets you keep the shutter open for as long as you hold it down.
When considering what shutter speed to use in an image you should always
ask yourself whether anything in your scene is moving and how you‟d like to
capture that movement. If there is movement in your scene you have the choice
of either freezing the movement (so it looks still) or letting the moving object
intentionally blur (giving it a sense of movement).
To freeze movement in an image (like in the surfing shot above) you‟ll want to
choose a faster shutter speed and to let the movement blur you‟ll want to choose a
slower shutter speed. The actual speeds you should choose will vary depending
upon the speed of the subject in your shot and how much you want it to be
blurred.
Motion is not always bad. I spoke to one digital camera owner last week
who told me that he always used fast shutter speeds and couldn‟t
understand why anyone would want motion in their images. There are
times when motion is good. For example when you‟re taking a photo of a
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waterfall and want to show how fast the water is flowing, or when you‟re
taking a shot of a racing car and want to give it a feeling of speed, or when
you‟re taking a shot of a star scape and want to show how the stars move
over a longer period of time. In all of these instances choosing a longer
shutter speed will be the way to go. However in all of these cases you need
to use a tripod or you‟ll run the risk of ruining the shots by adding camera
movement (a different type of blur than motion blur).
Focal Length and Shutter Speed - another thing to consider when
choosing shutter speed is the focal length of the lens you‟re using. Longer
focal lengths will accentuate the amount of camera shake you have and so
you‟ll need to choose a faster shutter speed (unless you have image
stabilization in your lens or camera). The „rule‟ of thumb to use with focal
length in non image stabilized situations) is to choose a shutter speed with a
denominator that is larger than the focal length of the lens. For example if
you have a lens that is 50mm 1/60th is probably ok but if you have a
200mm lens you‟ll probably want to shoot at around 1/250.
Shutter Speed – Bringing it Together
Remember that thinking about Shutter Speed in isolation from the other two
elements of the Exposure Triangle (aperture and ISO) is not really a good idea.
As you change shutter speed you‟ll need to change one or both of the other
elements to compensate for it.
For example if you speed up your shutter speed one stop (for example from
1/125th to 1/250th) you‟re effectively letting half as much light into your camera.
To compensate for this you‟ll probably need to increase your aperture one stop
(for example from f16 to f11). The other alternative would be to choose a faster
ISO rating (you might want to move from ISO 100 to ISO 400 for example).
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ISO Settings in Digital
Photography
What is ISO?
In traditional (film) photography ISO (or ASA) was the indication of how
sensitive a film was to light. It was measured in numbers (you‟ve probably
seen them on films – 100, 200, 400, 800 etc). The lower the number the lower
the sensitivity of the film and the finer the grain in the shots you‟re taking.
In Digital Photography ISO measures the sensitivity of the image sensor.
The same principles apply as in film photography – the lower the number the
less sensitive your camera is to light and the finer the grain.
Higher ISO settings are generally used in darker situations to get faster
shutter speeds. For example an indoor sports event when you want to freeze
the action in lower light. However the higher the ISO you choose the noisier
shots you will get. I‟ll illustrate this below with two enlargements of shots
that I just took – the one on the left is taken at 100 ISO and the one of the
right at 3200 ISO (click to enlarge to see the full effect).
100 ISO is generally accepted as „normal‟ and will give you lovely crisp
shots (little noise/grain).
Most people tend to keep their digital cameras in „Auto Mode‟ where the
camera selects the appropriate ISO setting depending upon the conditions
you‟re shooting in (it will try to keep it as low as possible) but most cameras
also give you the opportunity to select your own ISO also.
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When you do override your camera and choose a specific ISO you‟ll notice
that it impacts the aperture and shutter speed needed for a well exposed shot.
For example – if you bumped your ISO up from 100 to 400 you‟ll notice that
you can shoot at higher shutter speeds and/or smaller apertures.
Questions to Ask When Choosing ISO
When choosing the ISO setting I generally ask myself the following four
questions:
1. Light – Is the subject well lit?
2. Grain – Do I want a grainy shot or one without noise?
3. Tripod – Am I using a tripod?
4. Moving Subject – Is my subject moving or stationary?
If there is plenty of light, I want little grain, I‟m using a tripod and my subject
is stationary I will generally use a pretty low ISO rating.
If it‟s dark, I purposely want grain, I don‟t have a tripod and/or my subject is
moving I might consider increasing the ISO as it will enable me to shoot with
a faster shutter speed and still expose the shot well.
Of course the trade off of this increase in ISO will be noisier shots.
Situations where you might need to push ISO to higher settings include:
Indoor Sports Events – where your subject is moving fast yet you may have
limited light available.
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Concerts – also low in light and often „no-flash‟ zones
Art Galleries, Churches etc- many galleries have rules against using a flash
and of course being indoors are not well lit.
Birthday Parties – blowing out the candles in a dark room can give you a
nice moody shot which would be ruined by a bright flash. Increasing the ISO
can help capture the scene.
ISO is an important aspect of digital photography to have an understanding
of if you want to gain more control of your digital camera. Experiment with
different settings and how they impact your images today – particularly learn
more about Aperture and Shutter Speed which with ISO are a part of the
Exposure Triangle.
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How to Control Aperture and
Shutter Speed on an Entry
Level Point and Shoot Digital
Camera
Darren, thanks for your recent articles on aperture and shutter speed, they
were really interesting. My problem is that I have a point and shoot camera
that doesn’t have the ability to change aperture and shutter speed manually. I
would especially like to have more control of aperture and depth of field – is
there any way I can do this without upgrading my camera? Submitted by
Susan.
Good question Susan – it‟s one I‟ve had a few times of late so you‟re not
alone as a Point and Shoot user wanting more control over your settings.
Really you have two main options.
1. Upgrade your camera
The first of these options is probably ideal if you want real control over the
settings your camera uses for aperture and shutter speed. While you can do a
few things to „trick‟ your camera (see below) you‟ll be limited in the
exactness in the settings it will choose.
If you‟re looking to upgrade you‟ve got two main choices – a DSLR or
another point and shoot with more manual control (read this tutorial on
making the choice between DSLR and Point and Shoot cameras).
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Probably the best bet if you‟re after complete control (in more than just
aperture and shutter speed) is to go for a DSLR which will let you add a
variety of lenses, shoot in full manual mode (in most cases) and have lots of
control over other elements such as ISO, white balance, exposure etc.
Alternatively look at a more advanced point and shoot. These days even some
of the more basic point and shoot cameras coming onto the market come with
manual or semi-manual control. If you go for a point and shoot look for
something that at least has aperture priority or shutter priority modes.
Of course this option is going to cost you financially. If you don‟t have the
budget for this – read on.
2. Learn to live with your point and shoot and learn how to ‘trick it’ into
doing what you want.
Ultimately you‟ve got a digital camera that was designed largely to be used in
Auto mode where it makes the decisions about what settings to choose.
Having said this – even the most basic entry level point and shoot digital
cameras these days come with a variety of shooting modes which give you
the photographer the ability to tell the camera what situation you‟re shooting
in and what type of photo you‟re hoping to take.
The most common shooting modes include „sports‟, „portrait‟, „landscape‟,
„macro‟, „movie‟.
Understanding and using these modes gives you a little more control over
settings like Aperture and Shutter Speed as each of them will trigger different
settings in your camera.
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You write in your question that you‟d like more control over Aperture and
Depth of Field. I‟d encourage you to shoot in two modes – „Portrait‟ and
„Landscape‟.
If you’re looking for Shallow Depth of Field (i.e. your foreground and
background blurry) shoot in Portrait mode as this will trigger your camera to
choose a wider aperture.
If you’re looking for a wider depth of field (i.e. everything in focus) shoot
in Landscape mode where the camera selects small apertures in this mode.
If you’re looking for a fast shutter speed choose „Sports‟ mode as in this
mode it‟s assuming you want to freeze fast moving subjects.
If you’re looking for a slow shutter speed you‟ll have more of a challenge
as most cameras don‟t have an automatic mode that naturally chooses this.
You could try shooting in Night mode (if your camera has it) but this mode
will also fire off a flash. Try covering your flash up and you might get the
result you‟re after.
Of course none of these modes allow you to get specific about the settings
your camera chooses but they do give you a bit more control than you might
think you have. If you‟re still thirsting for more control, start saving for your
next digital camera!
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Aperture and Shutter Priority
Modes
A Quick Reviser
We‟re looked at how the three elements of the exposure triangle impact one
another. This is particularly the case when it comes to aperture and shutter
speeds. As you increase the size of your aperture (make the hole that you
shoot through bigger) you let more light into your image sensor. As a result
you will need a shorter shutter speed. In the opposite way if you increase the
length of time your shutter is open you decrease the necessary aperture that
you‟ll need to get a well exposed shot.
Priority Modes
Aperture and Shutter Priority modes are really semi-manual (or semi-
automatic) modes. They give you some control over your settings but also
ensure you have a well exposed image by the camera making some of the
decisions on settings. Let me explain each separately:
Aperture Priority Mode
(often it has a symbol of „A‟ or Av‟ to indicate it‟s selected)
In this mode you as the photographer sets the aperture that you wish to use
and the camera makes a decision about what shutter speed is appropriate in
the conditions that you‟re shooting in.
When would you use Aperture Priority Mode? – if you remember
our tutorial on aperture you‟ll see how the main impact that aperture had on
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images was with regards to Depth of Field (DOF). As a result most people
use Aperture Priority Mode when they are attempting to have some control in
this area. If they want a shallow DOF (for example in the shot to the right
which has the flower in focus but the background nice and blurred) they‟ll
select a large aperture (for example f/1.4 – as in the example to the right) and
let the camera choose an appropriate shutter speed. If they wanted an image
with everything in focus they‟d pick a smaller aperture (for example f/22)
and let the camera choose an appropriate shutter speed (generally a longer
one).
When choosing an Aperture keep in mind that the camera will be choosing
faster or longer shutter speeds and that there comes a point where shutter
speeds get too long to continue to hand hold your camera (usually around
1/60). Once you get much slower than this level you‟ll need to consider using
a tripod. Also if you‟re photographing a moving subject your shutter speed
will impact how it‟s captured and a slow shutter speed will mean your subject
will be blurred).
Shutter Priority Mode
(often has a symbol of Tv or S)
In this mode you as the photographer choose the shutter speed that you wish
to shoot at and let the camera make a decision about what aperture to select to
give a well exposed shot.
When would you use Shutter Priority Mode? – in our tutorial on shutter
speed we talked about how the main impact of different shutter speeds was
how „movement‟ would be captured in your images. As a result most people
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switch to shutter priority mode when they want more control over how to
photograph a moving subject.
For example if they want to photograph a racing car but want to completely
freeze it so there is no motion blur they‟d choose a fast shutter speed (say at
1/2000 like in the first shot below) and the camera would take into
consideration how much light there was available and set an appropriate
aperture. If instead you wanted to photograph the car but have some motion
blur to illustrate how fast the car is moving you might like to choose a slower
shutter speed (like the second shot below which has a shutter speed of 1/125)
and the camera would choose a smaller aperture as a result.
Keep in mind that as the camera chooses different apertures it will impact the
Depth of Field in your image. This means if you choose a fast shutter speed
to freeze your fast moving object that it‟ll have a narrower DOF.
Practice
As you can see – Shutter and Aperture Priority modes do give you more
control over your images but they do take a little practice to get used to.
As you use them you need to not only think about the setting that YOU set
but also keep an eye on the setting that the camera selects for you.
I find that when shooting in Av or Tv modes that it‟s often best to bracket
your shots and shoot a number of images of the same subject (where you
have time) at different settings. This will ensure that you‟re likely to get at
least one shot which meets your need.
The best way to learn about Shutter priority and Aperture Priority modes is to
grab your camera, to head out with it and to experiment. Switch to Av or Tv
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and start playing with the different settings (taking lots of shots as you go).
Particularly watch how the camera makes changes to compensate for your
selections and what impact it has upon the shots that you take.
In Aperture Priority Mode take some shots at the largest aperture you can
(small numbers) and see how it blurs the background (but also increases the
shutter speed) and then head to the other end of the spectrum to take some
shots at the smallest aperture you can (large numbers) to see how it keeps
more of your image in focus.
In Shutter Priority Mode play with fast and slow shutter speeds and see how
that impacts DOF.
Don‟t be frustrated if your initial shots are not what you‟d expect – it takes
practice to get your head around these modes. But keep in mind that when
you do master them you‟ll have a lot more creative control over your shots.
It‟s really worth learning this.
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Introduction to White Balance
White Balance is an aspect of photography that many digital camera owners
don‟t understand or use – but it‟s something well worth learning about as it
can have a real impact upon the shots you take.
So for those of you who have been avoiding White Balance – let me
introduce you to it. I promise to keep it as simple as possible and keep what
follows as useable as I can:
At its simplest – the reason we adjust white balance is to get the colors in
your images as accurate as possible.
Why would you need to get the color right in your shots?
You might have noticed when examining shots after taking them that at times
images can come out with an orange, blue, yellow etc look to them – despite
the fact that to the naked eye the scene looked quite normal. The reason for
this is that images different sources of light have a different „color‟ (or
temperature) to them. Fluorescent lighting adds a bluish cast to photos
whereas tungsten (incandescent/bulbs) lights add a yellowish tinge to photos.
The range in different temperatures ranges from the very cool light of blue
sky through to the very warm light of a candle.
We don‟t generally notice this difference in temperature because our eyes
adjust automatically for it. So unless the temperature of the light is very
extreme a white sheet of paper will generally look white to us. However a
digital camera doesn‟t have the smarts to make these adjustments
automatically and sometimes will need us to tell it how to treat different light.
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So for cooler (blue or green) light you‟ll tell the camera to warm things up
and in warm light you‟ll tell it to cool down.
Adjusting White Balance
Different digital cameras have different ways of adjusting white balance so
ultimately you‟ll need to get out your camera‟s manual out to work out the
specifics of how to make changes. Having said this – many digital cameras
have automatic and semi-automatic modes to help you make the adjustments.
Preset White Balance Settings
Here are some of the basic White Balance settings you‟ll find on cameras:
Auto – this is where the camera makes a best guess on a shot by shot basis.
You‟ll find it works in many situations but it‟s worth venturing out of it for
trickier lighting.
Tungsten – this mode is usually symbolized with a little bulb and is for
shooting indoors, especially under tungsten (incandescent) lighting (such as
bulb lighting). It generally cools down the colors in photos.
Fluorescent – this compensates for the „cool‟ light of fluorescent light and
will warm up your shots.
Daylight/Sunny – not all cameras have this setting because it sets things as
fairly „normal‟ white balance settings.
Cloudy – this setting generally warms things up a touch more than „daylight‟
mode.
Flash – the flash of a camera can be quite a cool light so in Flash WB mode
you‟ll find it warms up your shots a touch.
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Shade – the light in shade is generally cooler (bluer) than shooting in direct
sunlight so this mode will warm things up a little.
Manual White Balance Adjustments
In most cases you can get a pretty accurate result using the above preset
white balance modes – but some digital cameras (most DSLRs and higher
end point and shoots) allow for manual white balance adjustments also.
The way this is used varies a little between models but in essence what you
do is to tell your camera what white looks like in a shot so that it has
something as a reference point for deciding how other colors should look.
You can do this by buying yourself a white (or grey) card which is
specifically designed for this task – or you can find some other appropriately
colored object around you to do the job.
I‟ve done this with the following two shots.
The first shot is one of some books on my wife‟s bookshelf taken in Auto
White Balance mode. The light in my room is from three standard light bulbs
and as a result the image is quite warm or yellow.
After taking this picture I then held up a piece of white paper to my camera to
tell it what color white is. Then I took a second shot with this setting and got
the following result – which you‟ll see is a much truer color cast than the first
image. This manual adjustment is not difficult to do once you find where to
do it in the menu on your camera and it‟s well worth learning how to do it.
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Digital Camera Modes
Automatic Modes
Automatic Mode
I suspect no one will need any introduction to this mode (as it seems most
digital camera owners use it). Auto mode tells your camera to use it‟s best
judgement to select shutter speed, aperture, ISO, white balance, focus and
flash to take the best shot that it can. With some cameras auto mode lets you
override flash or change it to red eye reduction. This mode will give you nice
results in many shooting conditions, however you need to keep in mind that
you‟re not telling your camera any extra information about the type of shot
you‟re taking so it will be „guessing‟ as to what you want. As a result some of
the following modes might be more appropriate to select as they give your
camera a few more hints (without you needing to do anything more).
Portrait Mode
When you switch to portrait mode your camera will automatically select a
large aperture (small number) which helps to keep your background out of
focus (i.e. it sets a narrow depth of field – ensuring your subject is the only
thing in focus and is therefore the centre of attention in the shot). Portrait
mode works best when you‟re photographing a single subject so get in close
enough to your subject (either by zooming in or walking closer) so that your
photographing the head and shoulders of them). Also if you‟re shooting into
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the sun you might want to trigger your flash to add a little light onto their
face.
Macro Mode
Macro mode lets you move closer into your subject to take a close up picture.
It‟s great for shooting flowers, insects or other small objects. Different digital
cameras will have macro modes with different capabilities including different
focusing distances (usually between 2-10cm for point and shoot cameras).
When you use macro mode you‟ll notice that focusing is more difficult as at
short distances the depth of field is very narrow (just millimeters at times).
Keep your camera and the object you‟re photographing parallel if possible or
you‟ll find a lot of it will be out of focus. You‟ll probably also find that you
won‟t want to use your camera‟s built in flash when photographing close up
objects or they‟ll be burnt out. Lastly – a tripod is invaluable in macro shots
as the depth of field is so small that even moving towards or away from your
subject slightly can make your subject out of focus. (I‟ll write a full tutorial
on Macro Photography in the coming weeks).
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Landscape Mode
This mode is almost the exact opposite of portrait mode in that it sets the
camera up with a small aperture (large number) to make sure as much of the
scene you‟re photographing will be in focus as possible (ie it give you a large
depth of field). It‟s therefore ideal for capturing shots of wide scenes,
particularly those with points of interest at different distances from the
camera. At times your camera might also select a slower shutter speed in this
mode (to compensate for the small aperture) so you might want to consider a
tripod or other method of ensuring your camera is still.
Sports Mode
Photographing moving objects is what sports mode (also called „action mode‟
in some cameras) is designed for. It is ideal for photographing any moving
objects including people playing sports, pets, cars, wildlife etc. Sports mode
attempts to freeze the action by increasing the shutter speed. When
photographing fast moving subjects you can also increase your chances of
capturing them with panning of your camera along with the subject and/or by
attempting to pre focus your camera on a spot where the subject will be when
you want to photograph it (this takes practice).
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Night Mode
This is a really fun mode to play around with and can create some wonderfully
colorful and interesting shots. Night mode (a technique also called „slow shutter
sync‟) is for shooting in low light situations and sets your camera to use a longer
shutter speed to help capture details of the background but it also fires off a flash
to illuminate the foreground (and subject). If you use this mode for a „serious‟ or
well balanced shot you should use a tripod or your background will be blurred –
however it‟s also fun to take shots with this handheld to purposely blur your
backgrounds – especially when there is a situation with lights behind your subject
as it can give a fun and experimental look (great for parties and dance floors with
colored lights).
Movie Mode
This mode extends your digital camera from just capturing still images to capturing
moving ones. Most new digital cameras these days come with a movie mode that
records both video but also sound. The quality is generally not up to video camera
standards but it‟s a handy mode to have when you come across that perfect subject
that just can‟t be captured with a still image. Keep in mind that moving images
take up significantly more space on your memory storage than still images.
Other less common modes that I‟ve seen on digital cameras over the past year
include:
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Panoramic/Stitch Mode – for taking shots of a panoramic scene to be joined
together later as one image.
Snow Mode – to help with tricky bright lighting at the snow
Fireworks Mode - for shooting firework displays
Kids and Pets Mode – fast moving objects can be tricky – this mode seems to
speed up shutter speed and help reduce shutter lag with some pre focussing
Underwater Mode – underwater photography has it‟s own unique set of exposure
requirements
Beach Mode – another bright scene mode
Indoor Mode – helps with setting shutter speed and white balance
Foliage Mode - boosts saturation to give nice bold colors
Semi Automatic Modes
Aperture Priority Mode (A or AV)
This mode is really a semi-automatic (or semi-manual) mode where you choose
the aperture and where your camera chooses the other settings (shutter speed, white
balance, ISO etc) so as to ensure you have a well balanced exposure. Aperture
priority mode is useful when you‟re looking to control the depth of field in a shot
(usually a stationary object where you don‟t need to control shutter speed).
Choosing a larger number aperture means the aperture (or the opening in your
camera when shooting) is smaller and lets less light in. This means you‟ll have a
larger depth of field (more of the scene will be in focus) but that your camera will
choose a slower shutter speed. Small numbers means the opposite (i.e. your
aperture is large, depth of field will be small and your camera will probably choose
a faster shutter speed).
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Shutter Priority Mode (S or TV)
Shutter priority is very similar to aperture priority mode but is the mode where you
select a shutter speed and the camera then chooses all of the other settings. You
would use this mode where you want to control over shutter speed (obviously). For
example when photographing moving subjects (like sports) you might want to
choose a fast shutter speed to freeze the motion. On the flip-side of this you might
want to capture the movement as a blur of a subject like a waterfall and choose a
slow shutter speed. You might also choose a slow shutter speed in lower light
situations.
Program Mode (P)
Some digital cameras have this priority mode in addition to auto mode (in a few
cameras Program mode IS full Auto mode… confusing isn‟t it!). In those cameras
that have both, Program mode is similar to Auto but gives you a little more control
over some other features including flash, white balance, ISO etc. Check your
digital camera‟s manual for how the Program mode differs from Automatic in your
particular model.
Fully Manual Mode
Manual Mode
In this mode you have full control over your camera and need to think about all
settings including shutter speed, aperture, ISO, white balance, flash etc. It gives
you the flexibility to set your shots up as you wish. Of course you also need to
have some idea of what you‟re doing in manual mode so most digital camera
owners that I have anything to do with tend to stick to one of the priority modes.
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Understanding Histograms
I was flicking through my camera’s menu today and came across a little
graph labeled ‘histogram’. What is it and should I take any notice of it? Is
there such a thing as the ideal histogram? What should we be aiming for?” –
Brent
What is a Histogram
Histograms are a topic that we could (and probably should) spend a lot of
time talking about but let me give you a very brief answer to get you through
in the short term.
Histograms are a very useful tool that many cameras offer their users to help
them get a quick summary of the tonal range present in any given image.
It graphs the tones in your image from black (on the left) to white (on the
right).
The higher the graph at any given point the more pixels of that tone that are
present in an image.
So a histogram with lots of dark pixels will be skewed to the left and one
with lots of lighter tones will be skewed to the right.
The beauty of a histogram is that the small LCD display on your camera is
not really big enough to give you an great review of a picture and you can
often get home to find that you‟ve over or under exposed an image. Checking
the histogram can tell you this while you‟re in a position to be able to adjust
your settings and take another shot.
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Some Examples of Histograms
Let‟s look at a couple of examples of histograms on shots I‟ve taken over the
first year of my son‟s life (it‟s his birthday this week so we‟re going through
some shots). Compare these two shots and their corresponding histograms:
The above shot has a lot of light tones – in fact there are parts of the shot that
are quite blown out. As a result on the right hand side of the histogram you
can see a sudden rise. While there are quite a few mid tones – everything is
skewed right and with the extreme values on the right hand side indicate an
over exposed shot.
This second shot has a lot of dark tones. This is partly because of the black and
navy clothes in the shot – but also because it’s slightly underexposed shot. The
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resulting histogram is quite different to the first one – the values are skewed to
the left hand side.
Is there such a thing as a ‘good’ histogram?
As with most aspects of photography, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and
there‟s always a lot of room for personal taste and different ways of expressing
yourself as a photographer.
There is no such thing as the „perfect‟ histogram – different subjects and
photographic styles will produce different results. For example taking a silhouette
shot might produce a histogram with peaks at both ends of the spectrum and
nothing much in the middle of the graph. Taking a shot of someone at the snow
will obviously have a histogram with significant peaks on the right hand side….
etc
Having said this (and to generalize) – in most cases you‟ll probably want a fairly
balanced shot with a nice spread of tones. Most well exposed shots tend to peak
somewhere in the middle and taper off towards the edges.
Using Histograms While Shooting
So now you know what a histogram is – grab your digital camera‟s manual and
work out how to switch it on in playback mode. This will enable you to see both
the picture and the histogram when reviewing shots after taking them.
Keep an eye out for histograms with dramatic spikes to the extreme ends of either
side of the spectrum. This indicates that you have a lot of pixels that are either
pure black or pure white. While this might be what you‟re after remember that
those sections of the image probably have very little detail – this is a hint that
your image could be either over or under exposed.
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The histogram is really just a tool to give you more information about an image
and to help you get the effect that you want. Having your camera set to show you
histograms during the view process will tell you how your image is exposed.
Learning to read them will help you to work out whether you‟re exposing a shot
as you had hoped.
Another Example of a Histogram
Let‟s finish this tutorial by looking at one last example of a histogram:
You can see in this shot a much more even spread of tones. It‟s still not
perfect and I‟d do a little post production work but it‟s a much more evenly
exposed shot and the histogram reflects this.
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Pre-Focus to Combat Shutter
Lag
My first foray into digital photography was with a small Canon point and
shoot camera. I immediately fell in love with the medium due to being able to
take large amounts of shots at no cost, being able to see shots immediately
after taking them and the ease at which I could use the images in different
ways. However there was one aspect of digital photography that I
immediately began to hate – shutter lag.
In the first few shots that I took with my new point and shoot I realized that
pressing down the shutter release didn‟t mean that the scene that I was
looking at would be captured just the way I saw it – there was at least a 1
second delay before the shot was taken.
Most modern day digital cameras have cut down the annoying shutter
delay/lag problems significantly. In fact the only camera that I‟ve tested with
any significant lag has been my new camera phone (the Nokia N95 – which
has a 5 megapixel camera in it – but which is annoyingly slow to use). Most
point and shoot cameras these days will not have a noticeable shutter lag,
however I still get asked about it a lot.
One of the reasons that I suspect many still think they suffer from shutter lag
is that they don‟t allow the camera time to focus. I realized this earlier in the
week when out with a point and shoot user and watching their technique.
They would see a scene – lift the camera to their eye and immediately hit the
shutter in one jerking movement – expecting an instantaneous result.
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Of course the camera needed a moment to focus and the resulting small delay
while it did so was labeled „shutter lag‟ by my friend.
If you want to capture a moment in timed to the smallest delay possible it‟s
worth pre-focusing your camera on the scene – before you want to take the
shot.
The way to do this is to frame the scene and then push your shutter release
down half way. Once you‟ve done this – continue to hold down the shutter
release half way down until the moment you want to capture the scene –
when you‟ll press the shutter the rest of the way.
I showed my friend this simple technique and he was amazed at how exact he
could get the timing on his point and shoot camera. His „shutter lag‟ was
gone – all he needed to do was learn about pre-focusing.
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Using EXIF Data
EXIF stands for „Exchangeable Image File‟ data and it is the information that
your camera stores with you image file that tells you about it. It is stored
when you take images in JPEG format (or TIFF). Almost all camera
manufacturers support EXIF and whether you know it or not your camera is
likely to be recording it with your image file.
Perhaps the best way to talk about it is to show you the EXIF data associated
with a picture I took this morning of my son (any excuse to show him off).
Here‟s the shot:
The EXIF data associated with this picture can be found in a number of ways.
1. Firstly if the image is still stored on a memory card in my camera I can
view it there. On my Canon DSLR I do this by hitting the „info‟ button while
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in preview mode. It will then give me an array of information about the
image including shutter speed, aperture, date and time of shot etc.
2. Another way to look at an image‟s EXIF data is to right click an image file
and clicking „properties‟ (if you‟re on a Mac click „get info‟. Here‟s what I
get when I do that on this image on my Mac:
It doesn‟t show all of the EXIF data but does gives some good basic
information.
3. The last way of viewing EXIF data that we‟ll talk about is via your image
editing software. I‟m using Photoshop Elements 2.0 today (for Mac) so in
this software I go to the „File‟
menu then choose „File Info‟.
This allows me to view two
types of information about the
image „general‟ and „EXIF‟.
When I choose the EXIF
option I get this:
You can now see some of the
information about the image
taken including what camera I
was using, the resolution, the
time and date of the shot, the
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shutter speed, ISO and aperture and if I scroll down it will even tell me what
focal length I was using (105mm).
You will find different cameras and different photo editing programs will
mean that the EXIF data displayed will vary (older cameras stored less
information) but most will give you the basics of your shot.
EXIF data is very useful for a variety of reasons – the main one being that it
allows a photographer to compare shots to find out what I did right and
wrong in them.
For example I might look at the image above and think to myself „gee I wish
I‟d had a larger depth of field and had not only the hand but the face in focus.
I could then look at the aperture f/4.0 and see that next time if I want bigger
depth of field that I should use a smaller aperture (f/5.6 or more). Similarly I
might look at the ISO and think it was too grainy and see it‟s at 400 and
could have perhaps been pulled back to 200.
Using EXIF data is probably not something you‟ll do with every image but
especially when you‟re starting out in digital photography it‟s a worthwhile
feature to play around with and to keep in mind as you seek to improve your
photography.
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Automatic Exposure
Bracketing (AEB)
Have you ever been photographing a subject with tricky lighting or lots of
variation between bright and darker areas but were not sure what exposure
setting to go with?
One way to work in such situations is to manually play around with your
exposure control and take a series of shots – the problem with this is that it
takes time and if you are photographing a changing environment (for
example a sunset which changes from moment to moment) you can lose „the
moment‟ while you get things right.
Most DSLRs (and some more advanced compact cameras) come with a
feature called „Automatic Exposure Bracketing‟ (AEB) which can be
useful to learn how to use in such situations.
By selecting it you can quickly take three shots (usually three) at different
exposures without having to manually change any settings between frames.
When you select Automatic Exposure Bracketing the camera will choose one
exposure (based upon what its metering thinks is right) and then it will take
one other shot on either side of this best guess (one over exposed (as in the
left shot above) and one underexposed (as in the right shot above)).
This way you end up with the three images in a series with exactly the same
composition but at different exposures for you to select the best of later on.
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If you have the camera in burst mode (continuous shooting) the three shots
will be taken if you hold down the shutter for a burst of three shots. If you‟re
in single shot mode the shots will take as you depress the shutter three times.
Each digital camera has a different way of selecting AEB, some like Nikon‟s
D70 have an accessible button on the back (marked BKT) while others (like
Canon) have an AEB setting in their menus.
Check out your manual to see how AEB works on your digital camera. Most
will allow you to change the variation between shots by different „stops‟. For
example you might want a big variation between your three shots and would
select a ‟2 stop‟ gap or you might only want a slight variation and choose a
„half stop‟ gap. I generally start with a ‟1 stop‟ variation and work from there.
PS: to give you a little more control in Automatic Exposure Bracketing mode
you can use it ether in Aperture Priority Mode or Shutter Priority Mode.
Using AEB in Aperture Priority mode will all you to choose the aperture you
want for the shot and telling the camera to make the variations in shots by
varying shutter speed. Alternatively using AEB in shutter priority mode will
keep the shutter speed at the speed you select and tell the camera to vary the
exposure by changing the aperture in your shots.
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How to Hold a Camera
Tripods are the best way to stop camera shake because they have three sturdy
legs that keep things very still – but if you don’t have one then another
simple way to enhance the stability of the camera is to hold onto it with two
hands. While it can be tempting to shoot one handed a two hands will
increase your stillness (like three legs on a tripod being better than one).
Exactly how you should grip your camera will depend upon what type of
digital camera you are using and varies from person to person depending
upon preference. There is no real right or wrong way to do it but here‟s the
technique that I generally use:
1. Use your right hand to grip the right hand end of the camera. Your
forefinger should sit lightly above the shutter release, your other three fingers
curling around the front of the camera. Your right thumb grips onto the back
of the camera. Most cameras these days have some sort of grip and even
impressions for where fingers should go so this should feel natural. Use a
strong grip with your right hand but don‟t grip it so tightly that you end up
shaking the camera. (keep in mind our previous post on shutter technique –
squeeze the shutter don‟t jab at it).
2. The positioning of your left hand will depend upon your camera but in in
general it should support the weight of the camera and will either sit
underneath the camera or under/around a lens if you have a DSLR.
3. If you’re shooting using the view finder to line up your shot you‟ll have the
camera nice and close into your body which will add extra stability but if
you‟re using the LCD make sure you don‟t hold your camera too far away
from you. Tuck your elbows into your sides and lean the camera out a little
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from your face (around 30cm). Alternatively use the viewfinder if it‟s not too
small or difficult to see through (a problem on many point and shoots these
days).
4. Add extra stability by leaning against a solid object like a wall or a tree or by
sitting or kneeling down. If you have to stand and don‟t have anything to lean on
for extra support put your feet shoulder width apart to give yourself a steady
stance. The stiller you can keep your body the stiller the camera will be.
Holding a camera in this way will allow you flexibility of being able to line
up shots quickly but will also help you to hold still for the crucial moment of
your shutter being open.
Another quick bonus tip on how to hold a camera – before you take your
shot take a gentle but deep breath, hold it, then take the shot and exhale. The
other method people use is the exact opposite – exhale and before inhaling
again take the shot. It‟s amazing how much a body rises and falls simply by
breathing – being conscious of it can give you an edge.
Of course each person will have their own little techniques that they are more
comfortable with and ultimately you need to find what works best for you –
but in the early days of familiarizing yourself with your new digital camera
it‟s worth considering your technique.
One last note on how to hold a camera – this post is about „holding a
camera‟ in a way that will help eliminate camera shake. It‟s not rocket
science – but it‟s amazing how many people get it wrong and wonder why
their images are blurry.
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Shutter Release Technique Thanks for your tip on using the Continuous Shooting Darren. I use it on my
DSLR regularly but have one problem – I always end up taking more shots than I
want to. I put my finger down on the shutter button and before I know it I’ve
taken a whole heap of shots. Any suggestions?”
Thanks for the question Harold – unfortunately there‟s no easy answer to this
problem except to use the old adage – „practice makes perfect‟.
I know the problem you have because when I first discovered continuous
shooting mode on my old film SLR I had the same problem and could quite
easily go through a 36 exposure roll very quickly (an expensive problem). The
way I got over it was to practice shooting in burst mode without any film in the
camera. As I did that I learnt how much pressure it took to take one, two, three or
more shots. Of course with a digital camera you can practice as you go without
having to pay for unnecessary shots.
The best advice I can give when taking a shot in continuous mode (or in any
mode for that matter) is to work hard at gently applying pressure to your shutter
button rather than jabbing at it.
Someone once told me that it‟s the same principle with shooting a gun (not that
I‟m too familiar with that). Rather than jabbing at the trigger and pulling yourself
off aim you gentle squeeze it to keep the gun steady.
Using this technique with a camera will give you more control in continuous
shooting mode to take the amount of shots you want and will also have the added
benefit of keeping your camera still and reducing camera shake.
Lastly – don‟t press the shutter with the very tip of your finger – rather use the
flat part of it so that the end section of your finger is almost horizontal at the time
of releasing the shutter (as pictured). This will help you to have as much control
as possible and will also reduce camera shake.
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How to Avoid a Dirty DSLR
Image Sensor
If you‟ve got a DSLR you‟ve probably had the experience of uploading your
photos onto your computer after a long day of photography – only to find that
there are dark „spots‟ and „blotches‟ on your pictures.
These spots and blotches appear on all your shots in exactly the same position.
They might be less noticeable on backgrounds with lots of detail (and more
noticeable on plain backgrounds (like blue skies – especially when you have
a small aperture) – but they‟re there in all your shots (the picture to the left is
one of the worst examples I‟ve seen – and was the result of poor image
sensor cleaning technique).
The reason for these marks is that you‟ve almost certainly got dust on your
camera‟s image sensor.
Cameras are being developed that combat this problem (for example the
Canon EOS 400D/Revel Xti and others) but until we all go out and upgrade
our DSLR we‟re all susceptible to it.
Most DSLR owners do eventually get some on your sensor (unless you never
change your lens) but here are some tips for decreasing the likelihood of it:
Avoid changing lenses in risky environments (where there is wind, water,
dust etc) – pick a lens and try to stick with it.
Turn camera off before changing lenses. On some cameras the sensor has an
electric charge that will actually attract dust to it like a magnet.
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Hold camera upside down (with the opening facing down) when changing
lenses – it‟s impossible for dust to fall into your camera if it‟s upside down
(unless there is wind that blows it up into it).
Have your lens ready when you‟re changing lenses (be prepared and have
your new lens ready to attach so that your camera is open for as short a time
as possible).
Check your lenses for dust before attaching them – have a blower that you
can get any specs off your lens with.
Clean your image sensor with care. There‟s a lot of debate about whether to
do it yourself or whether to get your sensor professionally cleaned (see below
for of some of the DIY approaches to cleaning sensors) If you do tackle it
yourself do so with extreme care – let the picture above be motivation to get
it right!
To test if your image sensor is dirty photograph a white wall with a small
aperture (large number) and you should see it in the images that result if you
have any.
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How should I clean my DSLR’s
lens?
I’ve noticed that my DSLR’s lens has lots of smudges on it that are starting to
impact the quality of my images but I’m too scared to clean it because I’m
worried about scratching it. Do you have any suggestions? – Chris
Cleaning your camera‟s lenses should be a regular (although not too regular) part
of any camera owner‟s maintenance. While you do need to be very careful during
this process it‟s not something to be frightened about. The best time to clean a
lens is when it‟s dirty – don‟t get in the habit of cleaning it off daily or you‟ll do
more damage than good. However when the time comes to clean it here are a few
simple tips:
Use a UV or Skylight filter
Before I get into cleaning techniques let me share a tip that all DSLR users should
consider. For each lens you own you should consider purchasing a UV or
skylight filter. Keep it attached to your lens at all times. In addition to it cutting
out UV light they will protect your lens from scratches or even breakage. It also
means that when you do your cleaning you‟ll just be cleaning the filter instead of
the actual lens (unless dust gets right in). Keep in mind that filters come in
different levels of quality – if you have a high end lens consider investing in a
higher end filter.
Lens hoods can also help protect the end of your lens as do the lens caps for both
the front and back end of your lens that come with it – always use them!
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Lens Cleaning Fluid
In most camera stores you‟ll find an alcohol based lens cleaning fluid that is well
worth having. It will help you to lift off fingerprints and other smudges without
leaving streaks on your lens or filter. Keep in mind that you don‟t need too much
of this fluid at a time – usually just a drop or two wiped in a gentle circular
motion with a cleaning tissue will remove most marks on a lens or filter. Always
apply the fluid to a cloth or tissue rather than the lens itself.
Alternatively – many photographers believe that simply breathing on your lens
and then wiping with a cloth is a safer method for cleaning it – rather than
introducing harsh fluids. My own approach is to start with breath and then use the
fluids for difficult marks to remove.
Cleaning Tissues
To apply the cleaning fluid grab yourself some lens tissues. They are a very thin
paper that will let you wipe your lenses without scratching them. These tissues
are one use tissues and should be thrown away after using. Don‟t use normal
facial tissues – these are too rough and will scratch your lens.
Cleaning Cloth
An alternative to cleaning tissues is the more modern microfiber cleaning cloth.
These washable cloths grab a hold of dust and oils on your lens. The main thing
to be aware of with them is to keep them clean themselves with a regular wash –
alternatively just buy yourself a new one as they are very cheap to buy and that‟ll
negate the risk of wiping something from your wash into your lens.
Before using a cloth always check the lens to make sure you don‟t have any
larger pieces of grit on it. The last thing you want to do is wipe it into your lens
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causing a scratch. Remove any larger gritty dust using a blower or brush before
wiping.
Blowers
Most camera stores sell blowers of different varieties. While I‟d personally advise
being very careful with them on the inside of your camera (you could actually
end up blowing dust into it) they can be great for cleaning the outside of your
camera – including the lens. Before you use a blower make sure you squeeze if a
few times first to get any dust that might be inside it out.
Brushes
If you have a lot of dust on your camera one good tool to get the big stuff off is a
brush. Get one with fine and soft hair (camel hair) to avoid scratching your lens.
Similarly you might like to invest in a lens cleaning pen which has a retractable
brush on one end and a cleaning pad on the other.
Silica Gel
One lost preventative measure before we end. Grab some silica gel sachets to
throw into the bottom of your camera bag. The little sachets will draw any
moisture in your bag to them to save your lenses and DSLR from being impacted
by it. Keep changing over this sachets over time or they‟ll attract too much water
and become useless.
Much of the above cleaning gear is pretty low cost and will be available from a
good camera store (often as a full kit). Don‟t go for the very cheapest gear though
– when you‟re looking after gear that you‟ve paid big dollars for it can be worth
paying a little extra to ensure quality.
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7 Digital Camera Predators
and How to Keep them at Bay
1. Sunscreen and Insect Repellent
It is important to protect yourself from the elements of sun and insect bites
when shooting outdoors, however some of the things that you‟ll use to do it
can cause your camera harm. Sunscreen is generally oily and insect repellent
often contains chemicals that you wouldn‟t want to get in touch with the
more delicate parts of your camera.
The way to limit the impact that these things have on your camera is pretty
obvious and largely involves keeping those parts of your body that come into
contact with these things clean. Wash your hands in fresh water after
applying sunscreen and repellent and you‟ll go a long way to keeping your
camera clean. If you do get your camera greasy make sure you clean it off as
quickly as you can.
Lastly – don‟t fall into the temptation of putting sunscreen and repellent into
your camera bag. I know it‟s tempting so that you don‟t have to carry another
bag – but it‟s really not worth the risk as a leak could end your camera‟s life.
If you do travel with them together make sure you have a sealed bag for the
liquids.
2. Sand
There is nothing that frightens me more than the thought of sand getting into
my camera. Cameras have moving parts and to get something as gritty and
abrasive as sand into them can quickly put your camera out of action or at
least damage it so that you end up with scratches through it.
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Ultimately the only protection against sand is not taking your camera to
sandy places. Of course this is not particularly feasible and you‟ll need to do
what you can to keep sand and your camera separate.
Sealable bags are great to travel with, cleaning brushes to get those stray
grains off your camera can be useful and cleaning clothes are helpful.
Always be particularly aware of your surrounds and things like wind or
people kicking balls or throwing Frisbees when you‟re changing lenses,
memory cards and batteries as these are high risk moments that sand just
loves to swoop in. Also – learn to think ahead about what lens you might
need so that you can change it inside in a more stable environment before
hitting the beach.
3. Dust
Like sand, dust is a natural enemy of the digital camera. It‟s a more subtle
attacker in that it generally won‟t scratch your moving parts – but it is just as
damaging, particularly when it works its way into your camera‟s inner parts
and settles on your image sensor.
Once again – wipe your camera down each day, be careful of when and
where you change lenses and travel with your camera in a sealed bag.
Also if you have a DSLR consider getting it‟s image sensor professionally
cleaned (or learn to do it yourself – with care) every now and again if you do
find marks on your sensor (you‟ll notice them most at small apertures – to
test it, set your camera to its smallest aperture and shoot at a white wall or
ceiling).
4. Moisture/Water
Moisture attacks cameras in numerous ways. At its most extreme it attacks as
water which has the ability to quickly end the life of your camera (I regularly
get emails from digital camera owners who‟ve dropped cameras in all kinds
of liquids including the ocean, baths, rivers and even toilets). Use you
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camera‟s wrist or neck straps to keep your cameras out of water and always
be aware of where you put it and how it can be knocked.
A more subtle attacker when it comes to moisture is condensation.
Particularly noticeable is when you move from one temperature to another
with your camera (for example from air-conditioning to humid ones).
Investing in silica gel packs is one way to help with this as they absorb
moisture in your camera bag. Some people suggest putting it in a sealed
plastic bag when moving between temperatures – this might work well but is
not particularly practical in many situations, especially when you have a large
camera. Ideally you want to warm your camera up naturally and slowly – it‟s
definitely a challenge. Other than that – wipe off your camera regularly when
in humid environments.
5. Salt
While the beach presents photographers with wonderful photographic
opportunities it also can be a dangerous place with many digital camera
predators – not the least of which is salt which has a habit of getting into your
camera and lenses and causing all kinds of problems (including corrosion).
Fight the impact that salt has on your camera by wiping it clean at least once
per day while shooting in salty places.
If you have a DSLR use UV filters on your lenses to give an extra level of
protection and avoid opening your camera up (to change batteries, memory
cards or lenses) as much as possible. When not shooting, keep your camera
safely in your camera bag and be particularly aware of positioning yourself in
sea spray on windy days.
6. Thieves
Another natural predator of expensive photographic equipment is the thief
when you least expect it will swoop in and steal your gear away from you –
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leaving you feeling frustrated, violated and wondering what you did to
deserve it.
Always be aware of where your gear is and how accessible it is to others. Get
yourself a camera bag that doesn‟t scream „I‟ve got a camera in here‟ if you
can (there are some great brands on the market – I use this Crumpler bag for
this reason).
Keep your cameras on your body if in a risky environment, keep your bags
zipped up and well fastened, consider having your bag on your front rather
than your back in high risk situations, insure your gear and try to be selective
and not every travel with too much of it at any one time.
7. Bumps and Drops
The downfall of many cameras comes quite literally when they are dropped
or bumped into other hard objects. While some cameras now come with
shock proof casings the majority of cameras do not and need to be treated as
delicate objects.
Use a padded camera bag or casing (and use it when your camera is not in
use, be aware of where you put your camera, be careful when passing it from
one person to another etc. Also check your house and contents insurance to
see whether it covers accidental damage (many do). It‟s just common sense
really but I‟m quite amazed at how often silly accidents end the lives of
expensive pieces of equipment.
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How To Get Better Digital
Photos In Low Light
Conditions Without Using A
Flash
The flash is the biggest solution to low light digital photography. However
the problem with this is that not all situations can benefit from using the flash.
Not only does it interfere with your “moment” socially and artistically, but
the flash can flatten out your digital images. This is especially true for a flash
that is built-in on digital cameras. The built in flash (and a flash in general)
has the effect of lighting your subject on the front only which compresses the
depth in your digital photos. Compressed depth can really decrease the
beauty of your subject in your digital photography.
This can be avoided to a certain degree, depending on your subject and by
watching how your light falls. Learn how to see how the light falls on your
surroundings and your mind will become adept at knowing what works and
what doesn‟t with the flash
Really, a good way to combat the problem in low light you can try using a
higher ISO. Your ISO simply means the amount of sensitivity of light falling
on your sensor. For example take traditional photography as a comparison to
digital photography. Traditional photography ISO will be film sensitivity.
(ISO in traditional terms works with film speed as well.)
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The only set back in digital photography ISO is noise. If your ISO is perfect
for the photo yet there is a significant increase in noise you can use software
to sharpen up your digital photo. There are two good noise reduction software
programs called “Noise Ninja” or “Neat Image”. If you don‟t push the ISO
higher you may find the problem with camera shake if a tripod is not in hand.
By adjusting the ISO you will find that noise is better than camera shake. In
digital photography noise will always be something to consider.
In digital photography, a higher ISO allows you to take photos in low light
situations. In traditional photography you‟d have to change your roll of film
from. In digital photography ISO give you the opportunity to adjust a setting,
rather than fiddle with changing film. This is advantageous if the subject is
not going to stay around or you yourself are unable to stay for an extended
length of time.
I‟ll use another example. Let‟s take for example you are taking dome digital
shots indoors, like someone speaking, or playing an instrument. Perhaps the
flash is not appropriate in this situation. In this case (which happens a lot in
digital photography) you would simply adjust the ISO to a higher setting. If
you set the camera on “ISO Auto” your digital camera will then detect that a
higher ISO is necessary. Alternatively you can set the ISO yourself. This
higher sensitivity can give you the opportunity of gaining the right exposure
for the shot.
If you find that‟s still not right, because your digital photo now has camera
shake and you don‟t have a tripod, you can in fact decide on the next top ISO
which will then enable you to select a faster shutter speed.
Update – DPS reader BayTamper emailed in a continuation of this post with
an extra tip:
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As someone who shoots a ton of low light, no flash concert photography, I
feel you hit on two key points, but left out a THIRD KEY POINT, which is
FAST LENSES!!! For me, when I‟m absolutely desperate for light without a
flash, I use this technique:
1. Crank ISO as high as it will go
2. Shoot RAW if possible
3. Use aperture-priority with the lowest f-stop on the fastest lens I have (f1.8
or lower if you can).
4. If that still causes my shutter speeds to be too low to hand-hold, then I
might even set exposure compensation down a stop, which will increase the
speed a little, and then I‟ll push the exposure in post (preferably in RAW).
5. Lastly, I‟ll use various forms of noise reduction to help on the grain/noise
front.
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How to Take Sharp Images
Getting your digital images perfectly sharp is something that most
photographers want – however clean, crisp, sharp images can be difficult to
achieve.
Perhaps before we start exploring how to improve sharpness it would be good
to talk about the main causes for lack of sharpness:
Poor Focus – the most obvious way to get images that are „un-sharp‟ is
through having them out of focus. This might be a result of focusing upon the
wrong part of the image, being too close to your subject for the camera to
focus, selecting an aperture that generates a very narrow depth of field or
taking an image too quickly without checking it is in focus.
Subject Movement - another type of „blur‟ in shots is the result of your
subject moving – this is generally related to shutter speed being too slow.
Camera Shake – similarly you can get blur if you as the photographer
generate movement while taking the image – this often relates to either
shutter speed and/or the stillness of your camera.
Noise – „noisy‟ shots are ones that are pixelated and look like they have lots
of little dots over them (get up close to your TV and you‟ll get the same
impact).
Here‟s a list of 10 basic things to think about when shooting to get sharp
images (note – there‟s also a lot you can do in Photoshop after taking you
images – learn more about that in Photoshop Tutorials):
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1. Hold Your Camera Well
A lot of blur in the photos that I see is a direct result of camera shake (the
movement of your camera for that split second when your shutter is open).
While the best way to tackle camera shake is to use a Tripod (see below)
there are many times when using one is impractical and you‟ll need to shoot
while holding your camera. I‟ve written a tutorial previously on how to hold
a digital camera but in brief – use both hands, keep the camera close to your
body, support yourself with a wall, tree or some other solid object etc.
2. Tripods
Regular readers of this site will have seen my recent series on tripods and
know that I‟m a big fan of them as a way to reduce (and even eliminate)
camera shake. While not always practical, the result you‟ll get when you do
go to the effort of hauling one around can be well worth it.
3. Shutter Speed
Perhaps one of the first things to think about in your quest for sharp images is
the shutter speed that you select. Obviously – the faster your shutter speed the
less impact camera shake will have and the more you‟ll freeze any movement
in your shots. As a result you reduce the likelihood of two of the main types
of blur in one go (subject movement and camera movement). Remember the
„rule‟ for handheld shutter speeds: Choose a shutter speed with a
denominator that is larger than the focal length of the lens.
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So:
if you have a lens that is 50 mm in length don‟t shoot any slower than 1/60th of a
second
if you have a lens with a 100 mm focal length shoot at 1/125th of a second or faster
if you are shooting with a lens of 200mm shoot at 1/250th of a second or faster
Keep in mind that the faster your shutter speed is the larger you‟ll need to make your
Aperture to compensate – this will mean you have a smaller depth of field which
makes focusing more of a challenge (read more on Shutter Speed).
4. Aperture
Aperture impacts the depth of field (the zone that is in focus) in your images.
Decreasing your aperture (increasing the number – say up to f/20) will increase
the depth of field meaning that the zone that is in focus will include both close
and distant objects. Do the opposite (for example moving to f/4) and the
foreground and background of your images will be more out of focus and you‟ll
need to be more exact with what you focus your camera upon. Keep in mind that
the smaller your aperture the longer your shutter speed will need to be – which of
course makes moving subjects more difficult to keep sharp.
5. ISO
The third element of the exposure triangle is ISO which has a direct impact upon
the noisiness of your shots. Choose a larger ISO and you‟ll be able to use faster
shutter speed and smaller aperture (which as we‟ve seen help with sharpness) but
you‟ll suffer by increasing the noise of your shots. Depending upon your camera
(and how large you want to enlarge your images) you can probably get away with
using ISO of up to 400 (or even 800 on some cameras) without too much noise
but for pin sharp images keep it as low as possible).Read more on ISO.
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6. Image Stabilization
Many cameras and lenses are now being released with different forms of image
stabilization (IS) which won‟t eliminate camera shake – but can definitely help
reduce its impact. I find that using IS lenses that it will give me an extra two or
three stops (ie I can use slower shutter speeds but 2-3 stops) when hand holding
my camera. Keep in mind that IS helps with camera movement but not subject
movement as it allows you to use slower shutter speeds (not good for moving
subjects).
7. Focus
Perhaps the most obvious technique to work on when aiming for sharp lenses is
focusing. Most of us use „Auto Focusing‟ with our cameras but don‟t assume that
the camera will always get it right. Always visually check what part of the image
is in focus before hitting the shutter and if it‟s not right try again or switch to
manual focus mode. This is particularly important if you‟re shooting with a large
aperture (small depth of field) where even being slightly out can result in your
subject being noticeably out of focus.
8. Good lenses
This one is for DSLR owners – if you have the budget for it invest in good
quality lenses as they can have a major impact upon the sharpness of your images.
For example shortly after buying my DSLR I was in the market for a everyday
zoom lens that would give me the ability to have both wide (ish) and telephoto
zoom capabilities. I bought a Canon EF 28-135mm lens. It was a good lens (and
reasonably priced) but it wasn‟t as sharp as some of my other lenses. A few
months later I borrowed a Canon EF 24-105mm „L series‟ (the professional series
of lenses from Canon) lens from a friend and was amazed by the difference in
sharpness between the lenses. While the first lens was good for what I paid for it I
ended up going for an upgrade and the new lens is now almost permanently
attached to my camera.
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9. Get your Eyes Checked
Since I was young I‟ve worn glasses but in recent years I‟ve been a little slack in
getting my eyes checked. Recently I got them tested for the first time in a number
of years and was surprised to find that they‟d deteriorated significantly. Getting
new glasses improved a number of areas of my life, one of which was my
photography. Also connected with this is checking the „diopter‟ on your camera
(if it has one. The diopter is a little adjustment that you can make to how your
viewfinder works – it‟s particularly useful for people with poor eye sight – it‟s
usually a little wheel next to your viewfinder.
10. Clean equipment
Recently my wife and I went on a window cleaning frenzy at our place. Over the
previous months the grime on our windows had gradually built up without us
really noticing it. When we did clean them though we were amazed at how much
more light got through and how much better the view outside was. The same can
be true for your camera‟s lens. Keep it clean and you‟ll eliminate the smudges,
dust and grime that can impact your shots. Similarly – a clean image sensor is a
wonderful thing if you have a DSLR as getting dust on it can produce noticeable
blotches in your end images.
Update
11. Lens Sweet Spot
Lenses have spots in their aperture ranges that are sharper than others. In many
cases this „sweet spot‟ is one or two stops from the maximum aperture. So instead
of shooting with your lens wide open (ie where the numbers are smallest) pull it
back a stop or two and you might find you get a little more clarity in your shots.
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How to Use Focal Lock
It‟s a very simple technique and something that virtually every digital camera
(and most film cameras) has the ability to do. Here‟s what you do:
Pose your subject.
When framing your subject put the central point of your frame on the point that
you want to focus upon (the face of a person is generally the best point).
With the subject‟s face in the centre of your image half press down on the shutter
button (not fully). This will tell the camera to focus on that point.
Without letting go of the shutter (it should still be half depressed) move your
camera to frame your shot as you want it (i.e. the person‟s face doesn‟t need to be
centered now).
Once you‟ve got the framing right press the shutter the rest of the way and the
shot will be taken with the right focusing even though the centre of your image
might not be the person‟s face.
This technique is not just useful for taking photos of people when they‟re not
central in your shots but can also be used in many other types of photography.
For example in Macro shots when you want to place the insect or flower that
you‟re photographing off centre (using the rule of thirds) you might want to use
focal lock. Similarly if you were taking a landscape shot but wanted to focus
upon a house in the foreground that was off centre rather than the horizon you‟d
use this technique.
This technique is one that most people know but it‟s something that beginners
should master in the early days of their photography as it‟s something you‟ll use
constantly. It might take a little practice but after a while it will become second
nature to you.
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Shooting with an In Camera
Flash
My preference with flash photography is to have dedicated flash that is either on
a hotshoe, flash bracket or off camera – however there are plenty of times when
all you‟ve got at your disposal is the in camera flash. 99% of all cameras have
them – so perhaps it‟s time we thought about how to get the best results from
them.
Here are a few tips:
1. Get In Close
The main limitation of built in flash units is their power. Whereas external flash
units have their own dedicated power source and can be quite large – a built in
flash shares its power with your camera‟s other components and it‟s generally
quite a bit smaller.
Knowing this should drive you to get in close enough to your subject for the flash
to have some impact (usually within 2-3 meters). If you can‟t get in close (for
example if you‟re at a rock concert and are sitting in the back row) you‟ll
probably achieve better results by turning your flash off and bumping up the ISO
setting.
2. Try Slow Sync Flash
Another limitation within built flash units is that they can produce quite harsh
results that mean any other ambient light in a scene is lost. This is partly because
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the light they produce is unable to be directed/bounced indirectly onto your
subject.
One way around this is to use Slow Sync Flash. You can read about this
technique in our tutorial on the topic – but in short it involves choosing a slower
shutter speed and firing the flash while the shutter is open.
3. Diffuse or Direct Your Flash DIY style
I‟ve already alluded to the problem of not being able to diffuse the light produced
by a fixed flash unit – however one technique that some inventive photographers
use is to take a Do It Yourself approach and create their own diffusers.
Some photographers I know always have a roll of semi-opaque adhesive tape in
their camera bag to put over their flash. This doesn‟t stop the flash‟s light but
diffuses it.
Other friends take a little piece of white card with them which they put in front of
their flash to bounce it up or sideways.
Using these techniques might mean you need to play with exposure
compensation (you‟ll probably want to increase exposure by a stop or two) as
your camera won‟t be aware that you‟re taking some of the power out of it‟s light.
4. Fill-in Flash
Don‟t just use your flash when it‟s dark. Often when shooting outdoors a flash
can really lift an image up a notch – particularly when photographing a subject
with strong backlighting or one with harsh downward light. A fill in flash lights
up shadowy areas
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Using Fill Flash
I was chatting with a new digital camera owner on the weekend about their
camera and they were telling me about how they didn‟t think they‟d ever use
anything but fully automatic mode on their great new Canon DSLR.
They told me that „auto‟ mode would produce the perfect shot in every
scenario – so why would they ever need to use anything else.
I asked them to show me some of the shots that they‟d taken on their camera
and they allowed me to flick through some shots until I came to this one:
It was taken at a wedding that they attended where the bride, groom and
celebrant (I was actually the celebrant – like my pink tie?) were positioned in
a fairly dark gothic-like hall in front of a number of large windows.
The Problem
The problem with the shots was that there was so much light coming in the
windows that the super little camera that my friend was using in Auto mode
thought that the scene had enough light. As a result the window and what you
can see through it is reasonably well exposed – but the main subject matter of
the picture (the happy couple) is well under exposed. Some of the other shots
taken this day were much worse and had the bride and groom as silhouettes.
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Obviously the issue with this shot is that there is just not enough light from
the front of the subjects to light up the subject with the shutter speed being
used.
The Solution
There are a number of possible solutions to this problem but one of the
easiest is to override the camera and force it to shoot with a flash – a
technique often called „fill flash‟. Fill Flash is used to supplement existing
light in a scene – it‟s generally not the primary light source (as a flash often is
at night) but fills in light where natural light doesn‟t go.
In addition to helping with backlit subjects fill flash helps in more subtle
ways also by helping to eliminate shadows cast by facial features (under eyes,
noses, chins) or under hats – especially when light is shining down from
above. It also might just add a special little sparkle to the eye of the person
you‟re photographing.
In the same way it is also very useful in other styles of photography including
in nature and macro photography for lighting up subjects in much the same
way as when you‟re photographing people.
Most cameras have a way of doing this that doesn‟t mean that you have to go
into a full manual mode – in fact my point and shoot digital camera allows
me to force the flash to fire IN automatic mode. Check out your digital
camera‟s owner‟s manual to work out how to do this on your digital camera
but in most point and shoot cameras the main button to look for will be the
one with the lightning bolt (flash) on or near it. Press this multiple times and
it will cycle you through the different options for flash (on, off, automatic,
red eye reduction are the main four). Some point and shoot cameras even
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have a „fill flash‟ option that ramps back the strength of the flash a little
which is ideal.
Some more advanced digital cameras will allow you to experiment with the
strength of the flash you use. This will enable you to tailor your flash to the
situation you‟re in. Most DSLRs will let you pull back your flash output in
1/2 or even 1/3 stops. I find that at the start of a photographic shoot if I shoot
off a few shots at different exposure levels and check them on my LCD that I
quickly find out what‟s working and can stick to that level in the shots that
follow.
Keep in mind that Fill Flash can be overdone. If you beef up the flash too
much your shots can look artificial and overexposed. Aim for subtlety when
using a flash and you‟ll really lift your shots.
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11 Tips for Beginner
Photographers
1. Don’t go crazy buying the most expensive equipment right away.
It‟s possible to get very nice photos with an inexpensive point and shoot. The
more photos you take, the more you‟ll know about what kind of camera to get
when it‟s time to upgrade.
2. Consider a tripod.
On the other hand, an inexpensive tripod is worth getting, especially if you
have shaky hands like mine. When I got a tripod, my satisfaction with my
shots skyrocketed. For even more stability, use your camera‟s timer function
with a tripod.
3. Keep your camera with you all the time.
Photo ops often come when you least expect it. If you can keep your
equipment relatively simple – just a small camera bag and a tripod – you
might be able to take advantage of some of those unexpected opportunities.
Or, if your phone has a camera, use it to take “notes” on scenes you‟d like to
return to with your regular camera.
4. Make a list of shots you’d like to get.
For those times you can‟t carry your camera around, keep a small notebook
to jot down places you‟d like to come back and photograph. Make sure to
note any important details, like the lighting, so you can come back at the
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same time of day or when the weather‟s right. If you don‟t want to carry a
notebook, send yourself an email using your cell phone with Jott.com.
5. Don’t overlook mundane subjects for photography.
You might not see anything interesting to photograph in your living room or
your backyard, but try looking at familiar surroundings with fresh eyes. You
might catch an interesting trick of the light or find some unexpected
wildflowers in your yard. Often a simple subject makes the best shot.
6. Enjoy the learning process.
The best part of having a hobby like photography is never running out of
things to learn. Inspiration is all around you. Look at everything with the eyes
of a photographer and you‟ll see opportunities you never noticed before.
7. Take advantage of free resources to learn.
Browse through Flickr or websites like the Digital Photography School
Forum for inspiration and tips. Also, your local library probably has a wealth
of books on all types of photography. If you‟re interested in learning about
post-processing, give free software like the GIMP a try.
8. Experiment with your camera’s settings.
Your point and shoot may be more flexible and powerful than you know.
Read the manual for help deciphering all those little symbols. As you explore,
try shooting your subjects with multiple settings to learn what effects you like.
When you‟re looking at your photos on a computer, you can check the EXIF
data (usually in the file‟s properties) to recall the settings you used.
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9. Learn the basic rules.
The amount of information about photography online can be overwhelming.
Start with a few articles on composition. Be open to what more experienced
photographers have to say about technique. You have to know the rules
before you can break them.
10. Take photos regularly.
Try to photograph something every day. If you can‟t do that, make sure you
take time to practice regularly, so you don‟t forget what you‟ve learned. An
excellent way to motivate yourself is by doing the weekly assignments in the
DPS Forum.
11. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
If you‟re using a digital camera, the cost of errors is free. Go crazy – you
might end up with something you like. You‟ll certainly learn a lot in the
process.
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10 Questions to Ask When
Taking a Digital Photo
1. What story am I telling?
This is an important question and one that should help you to make any
number of decisions in terms of composition, framing, exposure etc. In
essence what you‟re asking is „why am I taking this shot? What is its purpose
and what am I trying to convey?‟ Is it purely a way to keep a record of a
moment, are you trying to capture the emotion of a moment, is it possibly a
shot to give to someone, is it part of a larger series of shots or will it be the
only shot to commemorate the moment etc.
2. What is the visual focal point of this shot?
What will viewers of this picture naturally have their eye drawn to in this
scene? Once you‟ve identified this focal point you can think about where to
place it in the frame (consider the rule of thirds for example).
The basic principle behind the rule of thirds is to imagine breaking an image
down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that you have 9 parts.
As follows.
As you‟re taking an image you would have done this in your mind through
your viewfinder or in the LCD display that you use to frame your shot.
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With this grid in mind the „rule of thirds‟ now identifies four important parts
of the image that you should consider placing points of interest in as you
frame your image.
Not only this – but it also gives you four „lines‟ that are also useful positions
for elements in your photo.
The theory is that if you place points of interest in the intersections or along
the lines that your photo becomes more balanced and will enable a viewer of
the image to interact with it more naturally. Studies have shown that when
viewing images that people‟s eyes usually go to one of the intersection points
most naturally rather than the center of the shot – using the rule of thirds
works with this natural way of viewing an image rather than working against
it.
3. What competing focal points are there?
Once you‟ve identified what you do want your viewers‟ eyes to be drawn
towards and have placed it in the frame – scan your eyes over the shot and
see if there are any competing focal points and ask yourself whether they add
to or take away from the image. Secondary focal points can add depth to
shots but they can also be very distracting and so you might need to
reposition yourself or adjust your focal length and/or depth of field to
accommodate or remove them from your shots. Also keep in mind that if
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your shot has more than one focal point that it might be worth taking two
shots, one of each focal point, in order to keep things simple.
6 Techniques to Enhance the Focal Point in an Image
A focal point can be virtually anything ranging from a person, to a building,
to a mountain, to a flower etc. Obviously the more interesting the focal point
the better – but there are other things you can do to enhance its power
including:
Position – Place it in a prominent position – you might want to start with
the rule of thirds for some ideas.
Focus – Learn to use Depth of Field to blur out other aspects in front or
behind your focal point.
Blur – If you really want to get tricky you might want to play with slower
shutter speeds if your main subject is still and things around it are moving.
Size – making your focal point large is not the only way to make it prominent
– but it definitely can help.
Color – using contrasting colors can also be a way of setting your point of
interest apart from its surroundings.
Shape – similarly contrasting shapes and textures can make a subject stand
out – especially patterns that are repeated around a subject.
Keep in mind that a combination of above elements can work well together.
Lastly – don‟t confuse the viewer with too many competing focal points
which might overwhelm the main focal point. Secondary points of interest
can be helpful to lead the eye but too many strong ones will just clutter and
confuse.
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4. What is in the background and foreground?
One of most common places for distractions in digital photography is the
background of your shots. Run your eyes over the space behind your subject
to see what else is in the image (do the same for the foreground). Consider
whether you want the background in focus or nice and blurry.
9 Strategies for Dealing with Distracting Backgrounds
a. Check your Background Before Hitting the Shutter Release
Ok – this strategy isn‟t rocket science, in fact you‟d think it almost goes
without saying – but unfortunately it doesn‟t and many of the mistakes that I
see in photographs could have been avoided simply by checking the
background before taking the shot and taking some sort of evasive action.
Always scan the background of your shots before taking a shot. Look for
colors that don‟t fit with the rest of the image, bright patches that might
distract the eye, lines that clash, people that don‟t belong etc.
b. Move Your Subject
This is once again a fairly simple technique but is probably the first thing you
should consider. Quite often asking a portrait subject to take a step to the left
or right will fix things either by putting the distraction behind them or by
putting it out of frame.
c. Change your Shooting Angle
If you have distracting elements in the background of a shot but can‟t move
your subject another strategy is to move yourself and shoot from a new angle.
This might mean rotating around your subject but could also include getting
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down low to make the sky the background or even getting up high and
shooting down onto your subject to make the background the ground.
d. Using Aperture to Blur Backgrounds
One of the most useful things to learn as a way to combat distractions in
backgrounds (and foregrounds) is to use the power of your lens to throw the
background out of focus using depth of field. What you‟re trying to achieve
with this technique is a nice blurred background where you can‟t really make
out what‟s going on there.
The easiest way to do this is to use a wide aperture (the smaller the number
the wider the aperture). The wider your aperture the more blurry your
background should become.
The quickest way to see the impact of this strategy is to switch your camera
into aperture priority mode and to take a number of shots at different
apertures. Start with an aperture of f/20 and work your way down – one stop
at a time. Once you get down to under f/4 you‟ll start seeing the background
in your shots getting blurrier and blurrier.
e. Using Focal Length to Blur Backgrounds
Another way to help get your backgrounds nice and blurry is to use a lens
with a long focal length. Longer tele-photo do help a little to get narrower
depth of field (although the amount is less than many think). In actual fact the
impact is smaller than it seems and the main reason for the change is that
with a longer focal length the subject actually takes up more space in the
frame.
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f. Place Subjects In front of Open Spaces
Placing your subject a long way in front of other objects will also help to
make those objects more blurry. For example if you have the choice between
shooting your subject standing right in front of a brick wall or standing in
front of an open field – the open field shot will have a much more blurred
background simply because the brick wall is just centimeters from your
subject and inside the focal range whereas an open field stretches off into the
distance where everything will be out of focus.
g. Fill your frame with your subject
One of the most effective ways of removing distractions from backgrounds is
to remove the background altogether by totally filling the frame with your
subject. Get up close and/or use your zoom lens to tightly frame the shot and
you‟ll not only remove distractions but could end up with a high impact shot
as well.
h. Make your Own Background
Sometimes there just isn‟t any suitable background and so you might want to
consider making your own. This could range from buying a purpose built
studio background or simply buying some cloth to do the job for you.
I know of one keep photographer who goes out shooting photographic
portraits and carries large colored sheets of card with him to put up on walls
to act as a background.
The other thing to keep in mind is that in many instances you can move
things around in the background of your shots (especially if you‟re shooting
indoors). For example I was recently photographed in my home for a
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newspaper and the photographer had me move a number of pieces of
furniture during the shoot because they were distracting in the shots. It took a
little effort but the impact in the shots was quite incredible.
i. Post Processing
I‟m no expert in using photo editing software but there are numerous ways of
editing a shot after you‟ve taken it to get rid of distracting elements. These
can include blurring techniques, actual removing of elements and replacing
them and techniques such as selective coloring (ie making your subject stand
out by making your background black and white (or at least sucking some of
the color out of it).
5. Am I close enough?
Another common mistake in digital photography is taking shots where your
subject is too small in the frame. Shots that fill the frame with your subject tend to
be much more dynamic and show a lot more detail of your subject. To get this
effect you have the option of moving yourself closer, moving your subject closer
or using a longer focal length to give the effect of closeness.
So how do you fill your frame? You‟ve largely got three options:
1. Use your Optical Zoom – most point and shoot digital cameras these days come
with a zoom lens and all DSLRs are able to be fitted with one. Use them.
2. Use your Legs – most photographers have a built in zoom in the form of their legs.
Don‟t just rely upon your cameras zoom but actually position yourself effectively
for close in shots.
3. Crop your Shots – the other option is to zoom in manually at home after you‟ve
taken your shots. This is a handy option to have but I personally prefer to use one
of the first two options where I can because cropping shots later means if you want
a large image that you‟ll find that it becomes more pixelated. This is a good option
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if you‟re just trimming shots but any major cropping will result in a loss of quality
of your image.
Digital Zooms – Another option that many digital camera owners use is to utilize
their „digital zoom‟. Most digital cameras these days have boast about having
digital zooms but don‟t tell you that to use them will decrease the quality of your
shots in a similar way that cropping your shots can. In essence a digital zoom fills
your frame by increasing the size of pixels in your shots when can leave you with a
grainy impact. I would highly recommend switching off your digital zoom feature
and relying upon option 1 and 2 above. If you still need to get in closer you can
always crop your shots and achieve the same results as using your digital zoom.
6. What is the main source of light?
Always give consideration to how your subject is lit. Without light you‟ll lose
detail and clarity in your image and your camera will have to compensate by doing
things like increasing ISO and lengthening shutter speeds (which could lead to
noisy and blurred images). What is the main source of light, where is it coming
from, is there enough light, do you need artificial light sources (flash etc), do you
need to stabilize your camera on a tripod to stop camera shake due to low light etc.
Flash Diffusers
There are many techniques for overcoming these problems including using bounce
flash techniques and controlling the flash output from your camera (we‟ll cover
these in the future) but one simple tip is to soften the light from your flash using a
diffuser.
Diffusers help eliminate harsh light and shadows and can help leave your photos
looking more natural.
Diffusers come in all shapes and sizes depending upon the type of flash you‟re
using.
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Some external flash units come with one built in (see a picture of my Canon
Speedlight‟s sliding diffuser below – it is not in use in the one on the left and IS in
use on the right).
Other external flashes don‟t come with them and need some sort of external
diffuser like the one pictured to the right. In addition to these professionally
designed diffusers there are all manner of DIY diffusers that I‟ve seen digital
camera owners trying.
These range from simply placing a piece of semi-opaque sticky tape over
your flash (I‟ve done this with some success on my point and shoot, to using
pieces of plastic from takeout containers through to more involved
contraptions involving tissue paper, cellophane and a variety of other types of
opaque everyday items.
Flash Reflectors
In addition to this there are a variety of „reflectors‟
available to purchase (or make) for your flashes also
(for example see the one pictured to the left).
While a diffuser sits directly over your flash a reflector
is usually some kind of white object (card, paper or
plastic) that you bounce your flash into to in order to
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spread the effects of the flash wider through a room and to make the flash a
little less direct.
Once again they help to eliminate direct, harsh light and shadows and soften
the light a little.
If you‟re going to make your own diffuser or reflector make sure that you use
white, non tinted materials. Otherwise you‟ll end up throwing colored light
onto the scenes you‟ve photographing which will leave them with tinges of
that color.
Umbrella Reflectors
Lastly, the pros use umbrella reflectors to fire
flashes into to reflect light evenly onto their subjects from a wide area.
7. Is my Framing Straight?
It‟s amazing how many otherwise good photos are spoiled by framing that is
slightly offline. Sloping horizons and slightly leaning people or buildings
should always be in the back of your mind to check.
Also related to this question is that of „Am I holding my Camera correctly?‟
Many people don‟t and as a result suffer from camera shake and framing
mistakes.
8. What other perspectives could I capture this subject from?
Put 10 digital camera owners in front of a scene and most of them will take
exactly the same shot from the same position. Make your images stand out
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from the crowd by challenging yourself to not only take the standard shots
that everyone else will get but to find creative and fresh angles and
perspectives to shoot from.
10 Ways to Add Variety to Your Digital Photography.
a. Shoot your subject at different focal lengths – using the zoom on your
photos will not only change how close your subject appears but it will also
change the depth of field (ie the blurring of the background). It also allows
you to shoot from different distances which can really impact how relaxed
your subject is (there‟s nothing better than a photographer in your face to
make you tense up!)
b. Shoot your subject from different angles – it‟s amazing how much you
can change a shot by getting on your knees or taking a few steps to the side!
c. Shoot using different formats – there are different ways to grip a digital
camera. The two main ones are horizontally or vertically but you can also get
into all kinds of diagonal ways to do it. Mix it up.
d. Avoid the Group Shot Blink – When photographing people try to take
multiple shots, especially group photos when someone is always bound to be
blinking.
e. Use continuous exposure modes – most digital cameras these days will
have a mode that allows you to shoot multiple frames quickly. So instead of
taking one shot at a time you can take multiple ones by simply holding the
shutter longer. This can be very effective at capturing people in that second
after they post (quite often when they are looking a little more themselves).
f. Move your Subject around – If it‟s appropriate move your subject around.
The pictures at the top of this post are from a session of photo I took of my
brother. I love the series because it puts him in a variety of poses in quick
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succession (we shot 50 or so shots all in 10 minutes). They make a great
series.
g. Try Exposure Bracketing – this is a technique that Pro photographers use
to make sure they get the perfect exposure. Some cameras have a built in
bracketing function but with others you‟ll need to do it manually. The basic
principle of it is to take numerous shots in a row and purposely shooting them
at a variety of exposures. Start with under exposing them and gradually dial
up your exposure levels until your last shot is over exposed. I‟ll write a
tutorial on this at some point in the future but in the mean time hit your
digital camera‟s instruction book to see if they have a way to do it
automatically.
h. Experiment with different ‘modes’ – even the most basic point and shoot
cameras have different „shooting modes‟. These are usually things like
„portrait‟, „landscape‟, „sports‟, „night‟ etc. Sometimes it‟s worth flicking
through these to take shots at different settings. What these modes do is
simply change the basic settings (like aperture, shutter speed, ISO) – all
things that can change the look and feel of your shot considerably
i. Play with your Flash - try turning your flash off or forcing it to fire in
shots. Sometimes adding flash to a scene where there‟s lots of light behind
your subject is essential (even though your camera might not think it needs it).
This stops those silhouette shots where it looks like you‟re trying to hide the
identity of your subject.
j. Tell a story - rather than trying to sum up a whole occasion in one shot
think of the shots you take as an opportunity to tell a story. I sometimes have
the sequence of shots in mind as I‟m doing a shoot – look for a beginning
shot, a middle shot and an end one. It‟s almost like a movie but with still
shots.
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One last tip: when it comes to shooting lots of images – take note of what
you‟re doing. One of the problems with shooting lots of shots at different
exposures and in different modes and settings is that you get home to your
computer and find a brilliant shot but can‟t remember how you did it. Many
cameras will store your settings in the images for you to look at later but I
find it is sometimes helpful to even jot down what I do as I take images or at
least to make a special mental note of what I‟m doing as I go so that I can
reproduce the types of shots in future.
9. How would holding the camera in the other format change this shot?
Many photographers get into the habit of always holding their camera the
same way (horizontally/landscape or vertically/portrait). While it‟s OK to
have a preference one way or the other it‟s also worth remembering that
changing the format can drastically change the impact of the shot. Don‟t
forget you can also hold your camera at an angle for an effective result too.
10. How will the eye travel through this image?
This is related to asking about focal points but gets in touch with the fact that
while you‟re photographing a still image your viewers eyes don‟t remain still
as they look at an image. People tend to follow lines and are attracted to
shapes and colors so considering all of these different visual elements and
cues can help improve your shots considerably.
Of course you probably won‟t remember all the questions and you‟re unlikely
to go through each of them with every shot you take – however next time you
head out with your digital camera concentrate on asking yourself at least one
or two of them as you take your shots. As you do you‟ll find that they
become more automatic and in time you‟ll naturally take digital photography
shots that take into account all of these elements.
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7 Strategies for Avoiding Flash
Blow Out
The problem that point and shoot camera owners face when it comes to using
flash to light a scene is that many point and shoot cameras offer a photographer
much less control over how powerful the flash is and what direction the light is
pointed (in comparison to a DSLR with a dedicated flash unit that can be
bounced in different directions at different levels).
However don‟t resign yourself to flash dominated shots – all is not lost. Below
are 7 tips for point and shoot users (and DSLR users wanting to use their
camera‟s flash).
Learn to See Your Flash as a Secondary Light Source
Before I give some specific tips on decreasing the impact of your flash on your
shots let me share a tip that a more experienced and wise photographer once gave
me.
A flash should only ever be thought of as a secondary light source. In almost
every situation that you will want to photograph there will be some level of
existing ambient light. This light is important as it is the natural light of the scene
you‟re trying to capture. Your flash should be used to supplement existing light
rather than as the primary way of lighting a scene. If you use a flash as the
primary source of light it will look artificial.
As a result of knowing this you‟ll find that most of the following strategies are
about making the flash more subtle or making the natural light more noticeable.
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OK – so let‟s get on with some strategies and techniques for Avoiding Flash
Blow Out:
1. Take a Step Back
One of the simplest ways to decrease the impact of the light coming from your
flash is to put a little more distance between you and your subject. While I
generally advise people to get in close to their subject and fill the frame – this can
often make the effect of a flash even brighter. Many of the blown out flash shots
that I see are simply because the photographer is too close to their subject.
Stepping back further away from your subject doesn‟t mean that you can‟t fill the
frame. You could use your camera‟s zoom lens (although this can increase the
effect of camera shake) or simply crop the shot later on your computer.
2. Diffuse It
If your digital camera doesn‟t allow you to have any control over how much light
it outputs (see below for more on this) you might want to consider manually
making some changes that limit or diffuse the light coming out of your digital
camera. This is something that users of dedicated flash units can do by using
specifically made flash diffusers – but point and shoot owners may need to get a
little more creative and hack their own solution.
One of the most effective ways of doing this is simply to find some semi opaque
material to place over your flash. I‟ve seen some point and shoot owners stick a
little white tissue paper over their flash and others do this with a little piece of
cello tape (the semi-opaque kind). Just remember that the color of the material
that you use will impact the color of the light that comes out of your flash (and
therefore the color cast on the scene) – so white tape or tissue paper will give a
more natural light than red or blue!
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3. Redirect it
Another strategy that dedicated flash users will often use is to redirect or
bouncing the light coming out of their flash off another surface. They are able to
do this because these flash units are able to be swiveled and shot into different
directions.
Point and Shoot users obviously can‟t change the direction that their flash points
– but might want to try „hacking‟ their camera in this way also. I‟ve seen a few
photographers do this simply by taking a small piece of white card and putting it
at an angle in front of the flash so that the flash is redirected up onto the ceiling of
the room (or even sideways onto a wall). This little hack will need some
experimentation to get the angle of the card right and the results will vary quite a
bit depending upon the situation that you‟re photographing (distance to your
subject, how high the ceiling is, how much ambient light there is etc). Again, the
color of the card you use, as well as the ceiling or wall that you‟re bouncing the
light off, will impact the color cast in the shot.
4. Night Mode
Most point and shoot digital cameras have a fun little option on their mode dial
called night mode. This mode tells the camera to use a technique called „slow
sync flash„. It means taking a shot with a slower shutter speed while still shooting
the flash. This means that you get a little more ambient light from the scene while
still freezing the action with the flash (like the shot to the left). The shots taken in
this mode won‟t give you pin point sharp images – but they can be fun and very
effective (particularly if there is some nice colored lights in the room).
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5. Decrease Flash Output
Some point and shoot cameras have the ability to tell the camera just how much
flash you want it to use. This won‟t be something you all have at your finger tips
but check your camera‟s manual to see if you have it. If you do, dial back your
flash output by a stop or two to see what impact it has. It might take a little
experimentation to get the setting just right but it can help you end up with much
more natural shots.
6. Add Light
This one could get you kicked out of the party – but getting a little more light on
the scene is another pretty obvious way to help the situation. At an extreme level
this might mean turning on all the lights in the room (and potentially destroying
the mode) or it could mean moving your subjects to a better lit position near a
lamp or light. I‟ve done this in photographing wedding receptions – simply
positioning myself in front of an open door that leads into a better lit room where
the light spills in lighting up the faces of guests on the dance floor.
Another way to increase the impact of ambient light on a subject is to think about
reflective light. For example photographing someone standing next to a white
wall as opposed to a black wall will mean that any ambient light in the room will
be bounced onto them (this is similar to having your own reflector).
7. ISO, Shutter Speeds and Aperture
One last way to decrease the impact has on a scene is to tweak some of your
camera‟s exposure settings – particularly those that impact how the camera treats
light like ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed.
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This isn‟t the place for a detailed explanation of the basics of exposure, but if
your camera allows you to change any of these settings they could be helpful. In
brief:
ISO – increase the ISO setting and you increase the camera‟s sensitivity to light.
This means the ambient light in the room will have more effect and you‟ll have
less need for flash. Keep in mind that increasing ISO also increases the grain or
noise in your shots.
Aperture – as you increase the aperture of your camera you increase the size of
the hole in your lens and more light is able to get in quickly. So increasing
aperture (this means decreasing the f/number) can be something to experiment
with. Keep in mind that this means you also decrease the depth of field in your
shot meaning you need to get your focus spot on and that not everything in your
shot might be in focus.
Shutter Speed – lengthening the amount of time that your shutter is open
increases the amount of light hitting your image sensor. This is another factor in
exposure that you might like to experiment with. Keep in mind that if there is
movement in your scene (even small movements) that the longer the shutter is
open the more blur you‟ll get in your shot.
Please note – not all point and shoot digital cameras have the ability impact all (or
any) of these settings. Check your manual – particularly to see if your camera
has Aperture or Shutter Speed Priority Modes. I‟d personally start with increasing
ISO and then switching to a larger Aperture before playing with Shutter Speed
(unless it was part of a Slow Sync Flash strategy).
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Macro Photography Tips for
Point and Shoot Digital
Cameras
Select Macro Mode – this is a fairly obvious first step but I‟m always
surprised by how many digital camera owners haven‟t explored the shooting
modes that their camera has. Macro mode is generally symbolized with a
little flower and when selected it will tell your camera that you want to focus
on a subject closer to your lens than normal (the minimum distance allowed
will vary from camera to camera – consult your instruction manual to find
yours). Macro mode will also usually tell your camera to choose a large
aperture so that your subject is in focus but the background is not.
Use a Tripod – in macro photography a tripod can be particularly useful,
even if you‟re just shooting with a compact camera. Keeping your camera
still not only improves your shots (getting rid of camera shake) but it allows
you to play around with different settings without losing your composition.
Aperture – once in macro mode some cameras will not allow you to make
many other adjustments but if you are able to play with your aperture settings
it can be well worthwhile to do so. As we‟ve covered in our Aperture
tutorials, the main thing that aperture impacts is the depth of field of your
shots. Choose a small aperture (big number) if you want a large depth of field
with everything in focus or a large aperture if you just want your main
subject in focus. In macro photography you‟ll probably want a shallow depth
of field so select the largest aperture available.
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Focusing – I find that in macro photography it is helpful to have full control
over focusing – especially when you have shallow depth of fields where it is
all the more important to make sure the right part of your shot is in focus. If
your camera allows manual focusing select this option and manually focus on
the part of our subject that is the main point of interest.
Composition – remember some of the basic rules of composition like the
Rule of Thirds. Make sure your image has a main point of interest and place
that focal point in a smart position in your image in order to draw the eye of
your viewer. Try to select a non cluttered or simple background for your
main subject so as it doesn‟t compete with it visually.
Flash – in many macro shots having some artificial light is important. The
challenge with compact cameras is that most give you limited control of your
flash. As a result choosing a good time of day when there is plenty of
available light is probably your best bet. If you do need more light check to
see if your camera allows you to pull back the level that your flash fires at.
Alternatively you might like to try diffusing it in some way (tissue paper or
cellotape over the flash for example). Another option might be to use some
other source of artificial light or to invest in a reflector to help make the most
of available light. Experiment with different methods of lighting your subject.
Take Your Shot - once you have your shot lined up and in focus take your
shot. Make sure once you‟ve taken it to take a good look at it on your LCD,
zooming in to make sure that your focusing is sharp. Try shooting at slightly
different apertures, with different compositions and focusing on different
points of your subject to see what works best.
Macro Lens Attachments – some compact cameras actually have
accessories available to help with macro/close up photography. These will
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enable you to enlarge your subject and/or decrease your minimum focal
length. These might be worth investing in if you intend on doing a lot of
macro work.
Self Timer – (this point was added as a result of comments below – thanks
team!) when using my DSLR for Macro work I tend to use a shutter cable
release and tripod to make sure my shots are completely still (to eliminate the
small amount of camera shake from pressing the shutter). Most compact
cameras don‟t have cable releases but a simple way around this is to use your
camera‟s self timer on it‟s shortest time setting which will similarly mean
you have no movement of your camera when taking your shot (if you‟re
taking notice of the „use a tripod‟ tip above).
PS: I‟ve used the term „macro photography fairly loosely here. Technically
„macro photography‟ is actually when you produce an image where your
subject is captured on your image sensor at life size (or bigger) with a 1:1
ratio.
In the case of most (all?) compact cameras this is not achieved and in fact
„close up‟ photography would be a better description. However as most
manufacturers call their close up mode „macro mode‟ I‟ve used the term for
the purposes of this article.
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How to Get Shallow Depth of
Field in Your Digital Photos
There are a number of things you might like to try. I‟ll start with the easy ones:
Positioning of Subject
One of the easiest things you can do is position the subject you want to
photograph as far away from any objects behind them as possible. If they are
standing right in front of a wall you‟ll probably end up with it in focus no matter
what else you do – but if they‟re standing 100 meters in front of that same wall
it‟s going to be a lot more blurry. Of course this will only get you so far – you‟ll
need to do some of what‟s coming next as well.
Portrait Mode
The Canon EOS 20D has a little wheel on top of it (on the left) with lots of little
icons on it. One of those icons is a little head. This icon is the symbol for portrait
mode and if you‟re not confident with changing apertures (we‟ll discuss this
below) it‟s a good mode to switch to as it will do some of the work for you.
Portrait mode chooses a large aperture (a small „f‟ number) which will make the
depth of field (the amount of your shot in focus) smaller.
Aperture Priority Mode
If you‟re feeling a little more adventurous switch the wheel to „A‟ which is
Aperture Priority Mode (go on, you can do it). I‟ve written on this mode before
but to recap – this mode lets you choose the Aperture (the size of the hole in your
lens) and tells the camera to choose all the other settings. This semi-auto mode is
a great way to control depth of field as it will ensure your images are well
exposed. For shallow depth of field and nice blurry backgrounds choose a large
Aperture (the smaller the number the larger the aperture). Try taking a few shots
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at different apertures and see how it affects the background of your shots – this is
the best way to learn how to get more creative control in your shots.
Zoom Lenses
I‟m not sure what lens you have on your 20D but if you‟re like most people these
days it will be a zoom lens with different focal lengths. Many zooms will have
different maximum apertures at different points along the focal length spectrum.
For example if it‟s an 18-55mm kit lens it will have a maximum aperture of f3.5
at 18mm and a maximum aperture of f5.6 at 55mm. Many see the bigger aperture
at the 18mm end of the range and think that that would be the best focal length
for blurry backgrounds. The problem with this is that 18mm is a very wide angle
and for portraits it can mean you need to get in really close to your subject and it
could distort their facial features (not really desirable).
Instead I find that shooting at the 55mm end of the lens is best. This means you
can stand further back (making your subject more at ease and pushing your
background even further away from your camera). You‟ll probably still get nice
blurry backgrounds if you use the fastest aperture available. The other good thing
about zooms is that they enable you to really fill up your frame with your subject
which can give it more prominence and your background less.
Get a New Lens
This is an „easy‟ solution in some ways, but hard if you don‟t have the budget.
Different lenses have different maximum apertures. Those with larger ones are
called „faster‟ and one of the impacts of having a fast lens is that you can make
your depth of field smaller (another is that you can shoot in lower light situations
without needing the flash). A good option for Canon DSLRs is the Canon 50mm
f/1.8 lens. It‟s very fast, it‟s a good focal length for portraits and it is one of the
most affordable lenses Canon make.
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How to Reduce Camera Shake
– 6 Techniques
1. Elbows In
As often as possible pull your elbows in to your body and exhale completely
before depressing the shutter. When you‟re working with a wide aperture or low
shutter speed (or both), even a breath can introduce shake. Pulling your elbows
tight to your body can really help keep you steady. I also press my elbows firmly
into my chest for even greater stability.
2. Raise Your Left Shoulder….
I am definitely a right eyed photographer, but this tip that I learned from “The
Moment It Clicks” by Joe McNally, requires that I shift for a moment to my left
eye. What I‟m doing here is raising my left shoulder, and bracing my left elbow
into my rib-cage (no arrow for this one). For further stability, you can pull your
right elbow in to your chest. As always, exhale completely before depressing the
shutter to avoid introducing shake.
3. Create a Tripod With Your Knee
You can create your own tripod by resting your elbow on your knee while in a
seated position. Again, bring that other elbow in for greater support.
4. Lay Down
These two images illustrate perhaps the most obvious way to avoid shake without
a tripod. Lie flat and let the lens sit directly on the ground. The problem with this
is that you‟re likely to have quite a downward tilt to the lens and unless you‟re
aiming to photograph the pavement, you probably won‟t end up with the shot
you‟re hoping for. In the first image you‟ll notice that I placed my hand flat
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against the cement and balanced the lens on top of it to give myself some height.
In the second image you‟ll see that I created a fist with my hand to give myself
even greater height.
5. The Machine Gun Hold
This next technique is sometimes referred to as the machine gun hold. I rarely use
this technique as I find it awkward and difficult to maintain for more than a
second or two. Just because it doesn‟t work for me, doesn‟t mean it won‟t for
you. . . give it a try.
6. Cradle It
In this next image you‟ll see that I created a sort of cradle for the lens between
my shoulder and my wrist. I also stabilized the hold by balancing my elbow on
my knee.
Well there you have it. That‟s how I avoid “The Shake” (I‟ve named him that
because he‟s like an evil monster who comes in and ruins my otherwise perfectly
delicious images).
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10 Ways to Take Stunning
Portraits
1. Alter Your Perspective
Most portraits are taken with the camera at (or around) the eye level of the subject.
While this is good common sense – completely changing the angle that you shoot
from can give your portrait a real WOW factor.
Get up high and shoot down on your subject or get as close to the ground as you
can and shoot up. Either way you‟ll be seeing your subject from an angle that is
bound to create interest.
2. Play with Eye Contact
It is amazing how much the direction of your subject‟s eyes can impact an image.
Most portraits have the subject looking down the lens – something that can create
a real sense of connection between a subject and those viewing the image. But
there are a couple of other things to try:
A. Looking off camera – have your subject focus their attention on something
unseen and outside the field of view of your camera. This can create a feeling of
candidness and also create a little intrigue and interest as the viewer of the shot
wonders what they are looking at. This intrigue is particularly drawn about when
the subject is showing some kind of emotion (ie „what‟s making them laugh?‟ or
„what is making them look surprised?‟). Just be aware that when you have a
subject looking out of frame that you can also draw the eye of the viewer of the
shot to the edge of the image also – taking them away from the point of interest in
your shot – the subject.
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B. Looking within the frame – alternatively you could have your subject
looking at something (or someone) within the frame. A child looking at a ball, a
woman looking at her new baby, a man looking hungrily at a big plate of pasta….
When you give your subject something to look at that is inside the frame you
create a second point of interest and a relationship between it and your primary
subject. It also helps create „story‟ within the image.
3. Break the Rules of Composition
There are a lot of „rules‟ out there when it comes to composition and I‟ve always
had a love hate relationship with them. My theory is that while they are useful to
know and employ that they are also useful to know so you can purposely break
them – as this can lead to eye catching results.
The Rule of Thirds is one that can be effective to break – placing your subject
either dead centre can sometimes create a powerful image – or even creative
placement with your subject right on the edge of a shot can sometimes create
interesting images.
Another „rule‟ that we often talk about in portrait photography is to give your
subject room to look into. This can work really well – but again, sometimes rules
are made to be broken.
4. Experiment with Lighting
Another element of randomness that you can introduce to your portraits is the
way that you light them. There are almost unlimited possibilities when it comes
to using light in portraits.
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Side-lighting can create mood, backlighting and silhouetting your subject to hide
their features can be powerful. Using techniques like slow synch flash can create
an impressive wow factor.
Low Light Photography Options
When shooting with a subject in low light situations you generally have two
options; either to shoot with a flash or to shoot with a slow shutter speed.
1. Flash – When shooting in low light with a flash in auto mode your camera will
choose a relatively fast shutter speed. This means that your subject will be well lit
and that if it is moving it will be frozen and as a result will be sharp. The problem
with this is that it can also leave your subject lit up too brightly and can leave it‟s
background looking very dark as there is not enough time for the camera to
collect any ambient light.
2. Slow Shutter Speed – The other option is to turn your flash off and shoot with
a longer shutter speed in order to collect enough available light from the image to
get a well exposed shot. This can be an effective technique if you‟re shooting
landscape or environmental shots where everything is nice and still – however if
you‟re shooting a moving subject it means you‟ll get motion blur which could
ruin your shot.
Both of the above options are legitimate technique but both have their
weaknesses. Another options to consider is slow sync flash.
What is Slow Sync Flash?
Slow Sync Flash is a function found on many cameras that tells your camera to
shoot with both a longer shutter speed as well as firing the flash. This means you
get the best of both worlds above and can both get a relatively sharp shot of your
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main subject as well as get some ambient light from the background and
foreground.
Some cameras allow you to access slow sync flash manually and set exposure
length and flash strength but on many compact cameras there is a little less
control given and it‟s presented as an automatic shooting mode, often called
„night mode‟ or even „party mode‟ where the camera selects the slower shutter
speed and flash strength for you.
Rear and Front Curtain Sync
If your camera gives you some manual control when it comes to slow sync flash
you might find yourself presented with two options called „rear curtain sync‟ and
„front curtain sync‟.
These two modes sound a little technical but to put it most simply they are the
way in which you choose when to fire your flash during the longer exposure.
Rear Curtain Sync – this tells your camera to fire the flash at the end of the
exposure. i.e. when you press the shutter your lens opens up and starts collecting
light and just before it closes the flash will fire to light up and freeze your main
subject (see the card shot to the left for an example where you‟ll see the card trail
ending in a nice crisp shot of the card).
Front Curtain Sync – this tells your camera to fire the flash at the start of the
exposure. i.e. when you press the shutter, the flash will fire immediately and the
shutter will remain open afterwards capturing ambient light.
You might not think there‟s much difference between these modes but when
you‟re photographing a moving subject it can have a real impact. You‟ll find
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many action/sports photographers will use Rear Curtain Sync when shooting with
a panning technique.
Tripod or Handheld?
When using either slow synch in either mode (or in the automatic „night mode‟
you will want to consider whether or not to use a tripod. Traditionally when
shooting with longer shutter speeds it is accepted that a tripod is essential in order
to stop any camera movement. Even the steadiest of hands will not be able to stop
a camera moving over even a 1 or 2 second exposure. So if you want to eliminate
blur from your cameras movement definitely use a tripod (and consider a shutter
release cable).
However in some circumstances hand holding your camera while using slow
sync flash can lead to some wonderful effects. For example if you‟re at a
wedding or party and are out on the dance floor the results can be great at
capturing the mood of a night with those you‟re photographing largely frozen by
the flash but the lights on the dance floor blurred from you moving your camera
during the shot.
Of course hand held techniques won‟t work with every situation so experiment
with both methods at different shutter speeds and by using both rear and front
curtain sync and find the best methods for your particular situation.
5. Move Your Subject Out of their Comfort Zone
I was chatting with a photographer recently who told me about a corporate
portrait shoot that he had done with a business man at his home. They‟d taken a
lot of head and shoulder shots, shots at his desk, shots in front of framed degrees
and other „corporate‟ type images. They had all turned out fairly standard – but
there was nothing that really stood out from the crowd.
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The photographer and the subject agreed that there were plenty of useable shots
but they wanted to create something „special‟ and out of the box. The
photographer suggested they try some „jumping‟ shots. The subject was a little
hesitant at first but stepped out into the uncomfortable zone and dressed in his suit
and tie started jumping!
The shots were amazing, surprising and quite funny. The shoot culminated with
the subject jumping in his pool for one last image!
While this might all sound a little „silly‟ the shots ended up being featured in a
magazine spread about the subject. It was the series of out of the box images that
convinced the magazine he was someone that they‟d want to feature.
6. Shoot Candidly
Sometimes posed shots can look somewhat…. posed. Some people don‟t look
good in a posed environment and so switching to a candid type approach can
work.
Photograph your subject at work, with family or doing something that they love.
This will put them more at ease and you can end up getting some special shots
with them reacting naturally to the situation that they are in. You might even want
to grab a longer zoom lens to take you out of their immediate zone and get really
paparazzi with them.
I find that this can particularly work when photographing children.
7. Introduce a Prop
Add a prop of some kind into your shots and you create another point of interest
that can enhance your shot.
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Yes you might run the risk of taking too much focus away from your main
subject but you could also really add a sense of story and place to the image that
takes it in a new direction and gives the person you‟re photographing an extra
layer of depth that they wouldn‟t have had without the prop.
8. Focus upon One Body Part – Get Close Up
Get a lens with a long focal length attached to your camera – or get right in close
so that you can just photograph a part of your subject. Photographing a person‟s
hands, eyes, mouth or even just their lower body… can leave a lot to the
imagination of the viewer of an image.
Sometimes it‟s what is left out of an image that says more than what is included.
9. Obscure Part of your Subject
A variation on the idea of zooming in on one part of the body is to obscure parts
of your portrait subject‟s face or body. You can do this with clothing, objects,
their hands or just by framing part of them out of the image.
Doing this means that you leave a little to the imagination of the image‟s viewer
but also focus their attention on parts of your subject that you want them to be
focused upon.
10. Take a Series of Shots
Switch your camera into „burst‟ or „continuous shooting‟ mode and fire off more
than one shot at a time. In doing this you create a series of images that could be
presented together instead of just one static image. This technique can work very
well when you‟re photographing children – or really any active subject that is
changing their position or pose in quick succession.