A Beginner s Guide To DSLR Photog raphy How To Create Brilli ant Digital Photog raphy Like A Pro
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1 – WHAT IS A DSLR CAMERA? CHAPTER 2 – CRITICAL POINTS CHAPTER 3 – GETTING A PHOTO READY CHAPTER 4 – GETTING OBJECTS SHARP CHAPTER 6 - AN ATOMY OF A VIEWFINDER CHAPTER 7 - POST PR OCESSING AND IMAGE EDITING CHAPTER 8 - MEMORY CARDS CHAPTER 9 - WHY UPGRADE? CHAPTER 10 – HOW TO CHOOSE A MODEL CHAPTER 11 – REMOTE CONTROLS CHAPTER 12 - MODES CHAPTER 13 - UNDERSTANDING DIGITAL SLR CHAPTER 14 - QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN TAKING A PHOTO CHAPTER 15 - ACCESSORIES CONCLUSION BONUS: GET FREE BOOKS
Introduction I want to thank you and congratulate you for downloading the book “A Beginners Guide To DSLR Photography.” This book contains proven steps and strategies on how to take photos the right way with your digital camera. You'll learn about all sorts of amazing points that relate to these cameras. These are fascinating cameras in that they come with a variety of features. You can take a look at many points in this book including how photos are to be taken, how you can create nice looks and how to make your images stable as you take them. You will also learn about common mistakes that people make and whether or not you might be at risk of creating a photo that isn't as sharp as you want it to be. You can also learn about the use of software to edit photos from a camera and the many aspects that come with different kinds of cameras. You might be amazed at just how interesting the world of photography is when you see how such a camera may be used. Thanks again for downloadin g this book; I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 1 – W hat Is a DSLR Ca mer a? Alrig ht, so fir st things fi rst, what is a DSLR camer a? You must have heard from people wanting to buy a DSLR camera and to just get started on this beautiful journey called photography. Now, to put in simple words, DSLR is a Digital Single-Lens Reflex camera. It is basically your eyes, which makes everything lo ok so beautiful. A DSLR has got reflex mirrors which helps in showing you the exact scene which you are going to shoot in your viewfinder. All this is done with the help of a focusing screen, condenser lens and a prism wall. So basically a DSLR is a digital camera that works on mirrors and interchangeable lenses. Now you must have seen those big nozzles photographers attach in front of their cameras right; yes, that’s a lens. That is what gives you the required output for shooting images. There are various types of lenses available and the best part about DSLRs is the flexibility to attach these lenses. Here are so me commo n types of lenses: Macro lens: This is used for close object photography subjects like flowers, plants and insects. Tilt and shift lens: A s the name sug gests, it is used f or tilt and shift photog raphy. You must have seen those long perspective building shots that professionals like to take; this is what they use. Wide Angle lenses: Perfect for landscape photography. Standard prime and zoom lens: This is a standard tool used to take pictures in weddings, events, photo journalism events and more. It is also ideal for portraits. Telephoto prime and zoom lenses: This one is for action, sports and wildlife photography.
Other Features Now apart from its transformer-like ability to change lenses, what really defines a DSLR is the quality and speed that comes with it. The imaging sensors in this camera are much larger in a DSLR when compared with any compact digital camera. It works on “bigger the better” logic: the bigger the imag ing sensor, the better the imag e quality.
Another awesome thing about DSLR is the speed. It can capture images with a speed of 4fps [Frames per second]. No com pact digital camera can beat that. Image sensor s ar e basically what create noise in your photogr aphs. These sens or s are responsible for maintaining the quality of the image and since point and shoot cameras or compact digital cameras have smaller imag e sensor s, they lose quality when the sensitivity is incr eased. Also, DSLR cameras are pretty solid when it comes to exposing the image sensors to light. Most point and shoot cameras have settings where you can keep the exposure to mostly just up to 1 minute but a DSLR allows you to do that for as long as you want. Sometimes a good shot needs an exposure for around 5 long minutes and only a DSLR will allow you to do that. So now you know what a DSLR is and what it can do. Once you get your hands on such a camera and start explor ing, it will become like a Lego toy set. You can attach external flashes, var ious l enses, lens filters which affect colors and contrast and more. Also, you can also upgrade the battery life for longer photography sessions. It is not a camera for your selfies and party clicks; use your smartphone for that. This is for great quality photographs and an amazing photography experience with limitless capabilities.
Debunking Myths The following are some photography myths so you don’t get disappointed just yet:
1.
Taking photographs outdoors in good daylight is something which can be easily done
with any camera so don’t feel disappointed if you friend challenges you with his point and shoot camera. There is a lot more you can do which he can’t.
2.
Indoor photography in sub-par light is a challenging task. So if you don’t get a good
output, don’t blame the camera. Learn the tec hniques and you will g et a perfect photog raph.
3. Clicking pict ures o f mo ving o bjects is difficult : a moving car, your dog, yo ur kids. This is especially when it’s indoors or when the lighting is not adequate. It is extremely difficult for any camera and all photogr aphers may strug gle to maste r this art.
4. If you are spending money to buy a top notch camera from brands like Nikon, Cannon, Olympus then make sure you buy lenses o f the same br and to get the best out put.
5.
Lastly, the most important myth is about megapixels. Don’t fall for it. Many salesmen
mislead customers to buy cameras with higher megapixels. The truth is that any camera over 4 megapixels is good enough to print an image as big as 2x3 feet in size. It’s all about your photog raphy skills.
Tips for Getting Started 1.
Try to give a unique name to each photo because most of the cameras have this default
naming system where it starts with DSC_0001 and the series goes on. So if you shoot 10 photographs, it will be a series of DSC_0001 to DSC_0010. Now if you take out your memo ry car d and r einser t it, it will ag ain start the DSC_0001 seri es instead of DSC_00 11. So, make sure your name is properly adjusted if you don’t want to accidentally overwrite old photographs. 2. You are still far from learning everything about photography. There are way too many buttons and settings on your DSLR. Don’t get confused with it, just play around with some default settings or switch to auto mode. Get some hands on experience; feel comfortable before you start getting technical. 3.
Your camera is now your everyday companion; try to take it with you wherever you go.
You never know when a great photography opportunity might come up. Remember that quote “Cool things always happen when you don’t have a camera.” So make sure you don’t miss out on anything. And taking care of your camera is also important; don’t keep it in extreme hot and cold co nditions. Keep it in a cover ed space. 4.
Setting up the date and time in your camera will help you when you try to sort your
photographs. It is a digital camera and since you have so much memory you would not think twice befo re clicking a picture; it is li ke getting a g un with unlimited ammo. But when you tr y to sort it later, it might a pain. Setting up the date and time accurately will help you with details like when was the picture taken and what the time was. It is a very minor detail but it can add value to yo ur photog raphs.
A Few More Points These are so me basic tips to use to make sure you g et a go od photogr aph. 1.
Cleaning:
The lens and sensor always have to stay clean for the camera to work right. Cleaning them will prevent unwanted dots and dust particles from appearing in your beauty shot. Get a lens cloth and use it only to clean the lens. Always clean the lens in a circular motion. While changing the lens, make sure you are in a safe environment; it helps in keeping the sensor clean or else dir t can easily attack the sensor as it is exposed. Keep the camer a off while doing the transition. Most DSLRs have auto sensor cleaning o ptions. 2. Lock the targ et:
Always lock your target before clicking a picture. It is about good composition and perfect order. You target can be your friends, a tourist group or maybe just some fruits on the table. Move them right/left, position it correctly and only shoot when you are satisfied and see a proper frame. 3.
Frame your shots:
Framing is what makes photographs appear rich and high in quality. To become a good photographer, you must have an eye to frame your shots. Place your target properly and make sure you leave some headroom. It is not necessary to keep your target directly in the center of the frame. Do some experiments and study some photographs in magazines. You will get an idea of what wor ks best. 4. Lighting makes a difference: Proper lighting helps in defining the mood of the photograph. Play around with internal flash settings and check out how it works in various environments. Soon you will get an idea of what settings are best for each type of shot. You can also attach external flash units for advanced photog raphy. A go od lig hting s et up can change fr om night to day. 5. Contro lled Exposur e: You need to learn how to manually control the exposure level on your camera. Auto exposure is good in some photographs but if you want to take professional photographs then you will need to master this art. Controlled exposure will help you take pictures with more focus on your subjects. Exposure is directly related to the shutter. Manual controls will give you the best results. For example, if you try to take a picture of a cloudy sky then the auto exposure feature will focus on all the white clouds in the sky while you might just want to focus on one beautiful cloud. The iris will be closed to focus on all the white clouds and it can lead to an underexposed phot o o r a dark photo. 6. Depth of Field: Ever seen those photographs where you see an object in focus in front and the background is blurred? That is the depth of field. Once you learn the basics of this, your creativity will expand beyond limits. This can really add professionalism to your photographs. This works best with a Macro lens fo r clos e up photog raphy. You can set the focus o n the exact targ et.
Chapter 2 – C ri tic al Points Aperture Aperture is a critical part of DSLR photography. ISO and shutter speed are the other two. Needless to mention, aperture is as vital to photography as ISO and shutter speed are hence popular to talk about. What aperture does is one of two things: the background of an image is either blurred or in what may appear as wizardr y, the backgr ound and the for egr ound object s ar e bro ught to focus. A simplistic definition of an aperture would be a lens with a hole in it for light to travel into the body of the camera. A lens on a camera can be comparable to the human eye. The underlying concept behind all cameras of this day and age is the human eye. The cor nea of a human eye is compar able to the front portion of a lens through which external light passes to reach the iris. How much the iris would expand or contract is directly related to and indeed dependent on how much external light is available which in turn r egulates the pupil’ s size as well, thus letting lig ht enter the eye even fur ther. In photog raphy, parlance pupil is compar able to aper ture. A look at how much light would pass thro ugh to the r etina is comparable to th e sensor of a camera depen ds on how lar ge o r small the pupil is. Hence, an aperture of a camera resembles and is indeed similar to the pupil of a human eye. The ir is is commo nly refer red to in the ph otogr aphy wor ld as a diaphragm. Wh at the diaphrag m does is prevent light from passing or entering; the exception being those lights that enter through the aperture. They aren’t blocked by the diaphragm.
F-Numbers The expression of aperture in photography is in f-numbers or stops. This is an indication of how lar ge o r small the aperture is. If t he f-stop is small , it indicates that the aperture i s lar ge. Conver sely, a large f-stop would mean the aperture is small. The logic behind such a relationship is skewed. Generally large numbers are associated with large values and vice versa but this is indeed an exception. F/1.4 is larg er than f/2.0 and so o n. With a high f-number, f/32 for example, the aperture is small. With a small f-number, all objects in the foreground and background will be brought to focus. Conversely with a low f-number, f/1.4 for example, the foreground would be in focus while the background would be out of focus, thereby isolating the foreground objects from the objects in the background. It is to make the objects in the for egr ound loo k r elatively sharper than the objects in the backgr ound which would loo k blurr ed.
There is a limit that every lens has in relation to the size of the aperture. The specifications of any lens would mention the maximum and minimum apertures, in other words the lowest and highest fnumbers. The maximum aperture of a lens is mor e relevant than the minimum as it shows how fast or slow the lens is. A lens with an aperture of f/1.2 or f/1.4 as the maximum is a fast lens as more light can pass through whereas a lens with a maximum aperture o f f/4.0 is a slow lens since com paratively less lig ht can pass through. Hence for photography in low light, a slow lens would be ideal. Almost all lenses these days have a minimum aperture of f/16 which isn’t extraordinary but sufficient for normal photography requirements.
Lenses Lenses are of two types: fixed or prime and zoom. A zoom lens is flexible as it can be used to zoom in or out. Point and shoot cameras have zoom lenses and therefore it is not necessary to be physically near or far fr om the subject. Fixed or prime lenses on the other hand only have a single focal length. The optical design of zoom lenses is complex; hence most lenses for consumers are equipped with variable apertures. What this means is that based on whether the user is zooming in or out, the f-number of the aperture would increase to a maximum o r decrease to a minimum accor dingly.
Exposure Exposure in photography has to do with how light or dark an image is after it is captured. To a great extent, photography is about intuition and tinkering with the exposure triangle would gradually and eventually turn a ro okie photogr apher into a pro . Attaining just the right exposure has similarities with accumulating rain water in a bucket. Even though rainfall cannot be controlled, what can be controlled when you are taking a picture, for comparison's sake, is the size of the bucket, how long the bucket is left in the rain and how much rain water accumulates. Keep the exposur e right so the picture looks its best. The underlying concept of combining width, time and quantity variables in as many different combinations as possible aims at achieving just the right exposure. A bucket which is wide enough would be full in no time whereas a bucket that is not as wide would not be full even if it were to be left in the rain for the same length of time. Natural light for a photographer is just like rainfall: Both cannot be controlled.
Shutter Speed Apart from ISO and Aperture, Shutter Speed is the other pillar on which the entire essence of
photog raphy is predicated. It relates to how well the camera can get a photo t aken. This is a par t of DSLR cameras that cannot be ignor ed. The sensor of a camera has a curtain in the front. This is the camera shutter which remains closed until the camera shoots. The moment the camera shoots, the curtain or the shutter opens instantly and the sensor is exposed to enable light to pass through the aperture of the lens. As soon as the sensor captures the light, the shutter shuts down instantaneously, thereby preventing the light reaching the sensor . The button that trigg ers the camera to shoo t is known as the shutter button. Shutter speed, or exposure time, means the duration the shutter of a camera is open to expose the sensor to lig ht. A fast shutter speed would r esult in fro zen action. A slow shutter speed would result in an effect known as motion blur where objects look blurred as they are in motion in a certain direction. Motion blur is widely used in car and motorbike advertisements to convey the notion of motion and speed by blurring the wheels that are in motion or the surr ounding s of that vehicle. Photographs of thunder and lightning or low light photography that are achieved through mounting the camera on a tripod are examples of shots where the shutter speed is slow. Photographers who take photographs of landscapes that have rivers and waterfalls maintain slow shutter speeds to accentuate and convey a sense of motion and speed and yet keep all else in focus. Action can be frozen with a high s hutter speed. With a slow shutter speed, an artificial sense of motio n can be cr eated. A fraction of a second is all it takes to measure shutter speed. Most state-of-the-art DSLRs with cutting-edge technology are equipped with shutter speeds from 1/4000th of a second to 1/8000th of a second and even faster. The shutter speed on almost all DSLRs is typically 30 seconds (which is the longest). A shutter speed of more than one second is considered a long shutter speed and a tripod is recommende d for low-light p hotogr aphy at night or for motion phot og raphy. Shutter speeds and aperture are set by most cameras automatically with the auto mode feature. If aperture priority mode is selected then the lens aperture can be selected and the shutter speed can also be automatically set by th e camer a. Manually, the shutter speed can be set by selecting the shutter priority mode where the shutter speed can be set and the apertur e is automatically selected by t he camer a. Shutter speed can be found by lo oking on the viewfinder. Ther e should be a number on the bottom left corner of the screen. On most DSLRs, the shutter speed would not be represented as a fraction of a second but rather as a number. If the shutter speed still cannot be ascertained, the camera should be set to aperture priority mode and
by looking through the viewfinder; the camera should be positioned in the direction of an area that is dark. The display will have number s which should be no ted.
Manual Mode After practicing on aperture priority mode and shutter priority mode in terms of which mode is better, there isn’t a unanimous opinion, good or bad, for either of the two modes. The fact is they are both available for a definite purpose and can be used according to the demands of a situation. As they say, practice makes perfect. Playing around with different shooting modes would instill a style in photography to ascertain which mode is best to be used in a particular situation. For instance, if the background needs to be blurred or if everything should be in focus then aperture priority should be used. On the other hand, if the speed at which the image is captured is more important then shutter priority mode should be used. Anyone who's an exper t in these particular modes will have a much easier time with the manual mo de feature on the camera. Shooting in manual mode is possible by turning the dial on the top part of the camera to M. You can check the manual with your camera for information on what shutter speed and aperture to use while you are on manual mode. Being familiar with what aperture priority and shutter priority to use can help you to quickly set your preferences in terms of shutter speeds and apertures. Care should be taken on exposure while the shutter speed and aperture are reconfigured. An ideal setting for an exposure would be zero. For brighter pictures though, an expo sure setting anywhere between 0 and 1 would be ideal.
Inbuilt Flas h Every camera has an inbuilt flash. The computer of the camera ascertains whether or not flash is required in relation to exposure, focus and zoom level. The activation of the inbuilt flash in compact cameras is synchronized with the shutter speed. The difficult part though is controlling how intense the flash would be and at what exac t time the flash would trig ger. As a result, pictures could appear washed-out. Pop-up flashes are also available on DSLRs and the pop-up flash and the shutter speed used at a given time can be synchronized. How intense the flash would be would depend on the gener al lig ht of the shot and may be t weaked accor dingly. The flash o n DSLR cameras can be used in a manner that is ar tistic and so othing to the eye.
Chapter 3 – Getting a Photo Ready Now we can start talking about getting a photo ready the right way. Here are a few points to figure out.
Fast and Slow Speeds The name itself is suggestive of the speed at which the curtain of the shutter in front of the sensor opens and closes. In other wor ds, it is how fast or slow the curtain of the shutter opens and closes, thereby enabling an exposure as light passes through to the sensor. How much light would enter the camera depends on the aperture’s size which translates to a hole in the lens. Shutter speed commands the duration o f the sensor ’s exposur e to lig ht. The shutter speed is visible at the bottom o f the viewfinder and o n the LCD screen as well. Fast shutter speeds typically have high number s. For instance, 8000 means it only tak es a fr action of a second, 1/8000 to be precise, for the shutter to open and close. Low number s are indicative of slo w shutter speeds: 1.6 represents 1.6 seconds, 500 represents 1/500 of a second so on and so forth. A certain level of exposure can be maintained consistently when the shutter speed and aperture are in sync. Shutter speed and aperture have an inverse relationship. With an increase in the shutter speed, there would be a decrease in aperture and vice versa. Apertures that are relatively smaller restrict light from entering the camera, necessitating the shutter speed to be slow. The purpose of a slow shutter speed is to ensure that the sensor is exposed for a little longer than with a fast shutter speed. If the aperture is wide it means there is plenty of light comi ng into the imag e. With this, shutter speed needs to be fast and t herefor e there would be less time for the snapshot. In automatic and semi-automatic modes, the camera will automatically adjust to a proper speed. However, on manual mode th e adjustment has to be done on your own. How fast or slow the shutter speed would be is li mited by the apertur e of the lens set to maximum.
How to Focus An image will be formed when light passes through a convex lens. What the image will look like depends on the path that light travels on to enter the lens. Which path light will take depends on two vital factors; one is the angle at which the beam of light enters the lens and the other being what the lens is made of.
The angle at which light enters the lens can vary with the proximity of the object in relation to the lens. The light beam regardless of how it enters is bent by the lens to a certain degree. Hence, light beams with a shar p angle o f entry would have a blunt an gle of exit and vice versa. The bending angle o n the lens remains constant at any specific point. Light beams within pro ximity of the lens can converge at a distance while light beams from a point that is far away from the lens converge at a nearer spot. The crux of the matter is that the actual image of an object that is closer is formed at a distance whereas the actual image from a distant object is formed nearer. This phenomenon could be observed by lighting a candle in the dark with a magnifying glass held between the candle and the wall. The image of the candle can be seen upside down on the wall. If the candle’s imag e cannot be seen on the wall then it would appear a little b lur red. That’s because the light beams emanating from a certain point are yet to converge. To bring the image of the candle in focus, the magnifying glass should be moved nearer or kept at a distance from the candle. This i s exactly what is done by turning the camer a lens to fo cus it – essentially what is do ne is the lens is nearer or at a distance from the surface of the film. As the lens moves, the actual focused image is aligned so that it rests on the surface of the film.
Choosi ng AF Points Focusing has never been as simple and easy as it is to do these days. All one has to do is use any of the basic zone shooting modes – Full Auto, Portrait or Landscape – and the DSLR camera is fully automated and programmed to work in the background. It’s that simple and easy. The shutter button needs to be feather-touched and more often than not the camera would be in focus within a fraction of a seco nd as the snapshot is r eady to be taken. Every now and then though, there might be photographs that just aren’t sharp enough. The solution lies in the autofocus system and how it actually works. If free rein were to be given, a typical DSLR would use its entire gamut of nine autofocus sensors that are strewn in and around the frame of the image. The AF points are scattered and spread out at different sections of the frame. Sophisticated cameras can have six AF Assist points in addition to the first nine but unlike the first nine, no one can actually select them on a manual basis. Info from all AF points is used in the focusing process. The distance between each object from the camera is calculated and the nearest object is selected and in sync with an AF point and the AF is configured. This is how focusing on the nearest object is achieved but that isn’t the case every time. Close-up
shots or a camera with a telephoto lens attached would reduce the depth of field. This would force the photographer to be as accurate as possible with no real room for error in the process of taking an image.
Chapter 4 – Getting Objects Sharp You can get different objects to look clear with ease with such a fine camera. There are many things that you can do to make your photos look more attractive.
Getting T hings Sharp Tack sharp is a part of photography jargon which means that an image’s clarity is as great as it can be. Focus and co ntrast are two elements th at impact the sharpness o f an imag e. An image is tack sharp when the focus of the image is crisp, has a suitable contrast and is from a pixel level where there isn’t any noticeable blur. The notion that image clarity can be enhanced by a photo editing software program is ill conceived. If the image itself is not tack sharp while the photograph is being taken, editing an image with software isn’t going to rectify and enhance the quality of the image in terms of contrast. Also, software may not work all that well with regards to fine detailing or with trying to remove blur from the image to make it sharp. Hence it is absolutely vital to master the art of capturing tack sharp images directly fr om the sour ce— the camera.
Shutter Speed Shutter speed is a big point to see when you are trying to focus on sharpness. The reasons behind blurred images that aren't sharp come firstly from how the camera may shake as it may be held in hand. The shutter speed may either be slow or not as fast as it should be to capture a subject that is moving. Knowing how to rectify the issues is crucial to capturing images that are tack sharp. What shutter speed should be used would depend on the subject that is being shot, whether the subject is in m otion o r is still and the effect t hat the per son taking the photog raph intends to attain. A salient point to be noted is that the proximity of an object in motion in relation to the person taking the photograph would determine the shutter speed. In other words, if the person is near an object in motion then a fast shut ter speed would cause the action to stop. A rule of thumb in photography is the reciprocal rule which is widely used. What this rule aims at achieving is to find the slowest shutter speed that can be used while the camera is hand held and to also keep the camera from shaking. The rule mentions that while the camera is held by hand, the shutter speed should be faster than the lens’s reciprocal focal length. The rule is controversial and at the same time can be relied upon. It is only meant to be used as a
guideline for setting shutter speeds. This is a big point for photos that need to be as sharp as possible.
Effective Focal Length A good indicator of a lens’s focal length would be the size of a 35mm film roll. If the camera has a full frame digital sensor which is similar in size as a 35mm frame then the effective focal length would be the lens’ marking s. A basic DSLR would have a relatively smaller sensor and the effective focal length has to be calculated manually. If there is a cr op factor then the focal leng th’s recipr ocal has to be multiplied t o ascer tain a minimum shutt er speed.
Multiple Bursts Your chances of capturing tack sharp images while the camera is hand held would increase exponentially if the camera is on a continuous shooting mode where multiple shots are taken back to back. It can be expected that at least one shot out of so many would be tack sharp.
Image Stabilization Shutter speed can be slo w with an imag e stabilizer on the camer a. You can tr y and shoo t at speeds of 2-4 stops if the lens permits. All lenses have their own factors for how they can take stable images so be certain that you will be using the right ideas when getting those images taken correctly.
Tripod A tripod is an essential accessory to keep with a camera still so you can actually get sharp pictures. However, care needs to be taken while purchasing one as there are many different tripods out there to choose f ro m. If a camera with the largest lens attached can rest on a tripod then it will certainly be to your advantage. Also, different weather conditions are a good indicator of whether or not a tripod can support the weight of the camera and not cause the camera to shake or fall with the camera mounted on the tripod. Hence the necessity of a g oo d quality tripo d cannot be emphasized en oug h. There are limitations in terms of the weights of tripods and these weights can be compared with the weight of the camera with the largest lens attached to the camera. If the camera’s weight with the heaviest lens attached is almo st equal to the maximum perm issible weight limit o n that tripo d then it is almost certain that the camera would shake regardless of the weather conditions. It is recommended for lenses with image stabilizer and vibration reduction features that the image stabilizer be turned off while the camera is mounted on a tripod. The logic behind this recommendation is that lenses with IS and VR look for movement or motion and when there is none
the IS/VR lens becom es er ratic. The fact is there are a handful of tripods that can actually keep the camera with the heaviest lens mounted in a stable pattern. The mo re r ecent IS/VR lenses ar e able to detect whether or not the camera with the lens attached is mounted on a tripod. Also, the camera might still shake a little bit due to the split second movement caused by pressing the shutter release. This is all it takes to not have a tack shar p image at slo w shutter speeds. A remote shutter r elease or a self-timer is the solution as that does not require a need for touching the camera.
ISO The lo wer the ISO within 100-200 rang e, the less lig ht the camer a will need. Hence if for example the day is bright and sunny and outdoor shots are being taken, an ideal ISO would be 100. The higher the ISO, the mor e lig ht the camer a would need. For indoor shots without a flash when it’s not well lit up, the ISO ought to be set typically to 800 or higher so that the shutter speed is sufficiently high to allow you to hold your camera with your hand. With a high ISO, pictures may appear grainy which does not look good if the color of the picture is either r ed or or ange. Therefo re, using the lowest ISO possible is advisable .
Chapter 5 - Avoid Common Mistakes Blur Photographs are often blurry because of the shutter speed. The shutter speed should have a denominator which is faster than the fo cal leng th. A slow shutter speed with the camer a mo unted on a tripod and a remote release or a self-timer would be an even better option to eliminate the possibility of the camera shaking. If a tripod isn’t an option then the ISO could be raised or an external flash could be used. For subjects that are moving or are in motion, doing away with blur isn’t as easy. An action mode could be set on the camera or the shutter speed could be manually increased. Another way of reducing blur is to keep shutter lag to a minimum by keeping the trigger pressed halfway until the photographer is prepared to take the snapshot.
Mundane Photos Uniqueness in photography is what matters. A photograph ought to be attractive and a cut above the rest. A reasonably good photograph is expected of anyone but surely there is a difference between a lackluster photograph and one that is exceptional. A photograph is exceptional when it’s taken skillfully. Every photography enthusiast should explore, discover and pursue their unique own styles. A photographer should not shun challenges so as to remain in one's comfort zone. Instead, one should rise up to the occasion and meet the challenge head on. Travel photog raphy go es a long way in creating interesting and unique shots. Inspiration in photography can be found everywhere, near and far and even in one’s backy ard. One has to have an eye for detail.
Post Processing With post processing, complacency sets in as the inclination to be perfect would be to be less than inspired wh ile taking a shot and to rely mor e on post pro cessing to set things r ight. Prio r to taking a shot, appropriate and recommended camera settings should be adhered to. A test photo could be taken to make sure that lighting, composition, white balance and exposure are all perfect for the shot. Lighting in particular needs to be proper as insufficient lighting cannot be fixed by post processing. To save time on post processing, photos need to be analyzed to rectify issues. Correcting mistakes that aren’t critical proactively is a far better option than relying on post processing. By doing so, the composition of photogr aphs would be bet ter and stronger which in turn would impro ve the skills of a photographer.
Poor Lighting Decent lighting is vital to photography. With proper lighting, a reasonably good photograph can become extraordinary. Outdoor photography turns out to be the best in the early morning or late evening as there is light for shots of scenes and portraits alike. Portraits under an overcast sky make for a perfect shot as the light from an overcast sky would create subjects that are lit evenly, thereby having shadows that are negligible. Indoor shots should not be taken using flash. Reliance on natural li ght is advisable.
Contrast A photograph with a lot of contrast would have two extremes of light: the highlighted area and the shadowy spot. Photographs that are taken on a bright and sunny day are the ones where the contrast is quite apparent. The dark areas of the image could be filled in by using flash and the image could be underexpo sed as well to o bserve whether it makes any difference what soever.
Red Eye Even though an image editing software would rectify red eye effects, prevention is better than cure. Light-eyed people are generally prone to red eye due to the reflection of the flash on the retinas of their eyes. Red eye could be prevented by not using the inbuilt flash of the camera as much as you might normally do. Some cameras do have an option of reducing red eye automatically; this is known as the automatic red-eye reduction mode. The alternative to avoiding red-eye is to have the subject not look into the camera so as that there isn’t any refl ection whatsoever. Finally, if the roo m is br ight then that would let light into the pupil of the subject’s eye which would cause them to shrink. However, this may not be a practical solution as it is easier said than done.
Off Colors Off-colo rs, o r color casts as they are also known, are a co mmon issue related t o dig ital photogr aphy. The settings with regar d to white balance could be used to fix the issue. Depending on the scenario, the white balance setting should be chosen. An indoor picture may look orange due to the emission of orange light from the lamp caused by the lamp’s incandescence. By adding blue, which is t he recommended tungsten set ting for such a scenari o; it would essentially be in balance.
Less Is Actually More While the photograph is being framed and composed, the objective and the focus should indeed be on aesthetics and relevance. Usually just a single point of focus is sufficient. If
backgr ound is the point of fo
cus and t he for egr ound has a distraction th
en th e image needs t o
be cropped by zooming in so that the item that is a distraction can be avoided. An image editing software program can do this type of editing work as well. The goal and objective of this exercise is to ensure that the human eye gravitates to the attractiveness of the image.
What If the Subject is Far Off? The purpose of every photograph that is shot is to ensure that the frame has something engaging within in. If for example the subject is at a distance then the desired impact may not be there at all. A telephoto zoom lens would accomplish the task of moving closer to the subject or the image could be cropped later with an image editing software. The image ought to be shot at the highest possible resolution as cropping the image would adversely affect its quality.
Low Resolution One advantage of low resolution images is that more images can be stored on a memory card although it’s neither advisable nor recommended. The quality of the image would deteriorate if the image is shot in low resolution. Moreover, large photographs would have noticeable pixels and hence cannot be printed. In addition, every time a jpeg file is saved, the quality of the file will suffer. If the file isn’t big to begin with then there won’t be too many options for editing. Taking high resolution photographs with memory cards that have huge storage capacities may be better to consider than taking photogr aphs on low resolution to save
on memor y stor age.
Exc ess Noise Noise in digital photography and grain on a film are similar to one another. An image could have these specks of what may appear as dust particles to an untrained eye. If the ISO is high there will be mo r e noise. As the image is enlarg ed, mor e noise will appear. Images at night are susceptible to noise as it’s a struggle for the camera to capture detail. Noise can be reduced by selecting the highest setting for image quality. By using the lowest ISO setting, the image would not be blurred as the camera would be mounted on a tripod.
Under expose d Photograp hs
An image that is extremely dar k is underexposed as
the sensor did not r eceive sufficien t light
while the shot was taken. If the LCD display shows the image as being dark, which means the
image is underexposed, then the aperture could be opened to let as much light in as possible. The exposure on a DSLR could be adjusted with the ‘+’ which would add more light. This is nor mally done in increments of 1/2 stop each.
Overexpose d Photograp hs If the photograph happens to be extremely bright and lacks detail then the photograph is overexposed. What this essentially means is that the sensor is exposed to light more than is r equired. When t he day is brig ht, over exposure could be detrimenta l. Overexposure could also be detrimental when the subject is light colored. Overexposure could be r educed by sele cting either /0.5 or -0.1 and obser ving whet her or not th e finer details in the section are intact. Spot metering works best to ensure that the results are accurate. An ar ea wh ich has plent y of gr ay mid-t ones needs to be picked on the image as a g
uideline.
Owner’s Manual Granted, reading the owner’s manual is not like reading a novel. Owner’s manuals are normally written in a way that is cut and dry and there is no beating around the bush. Hence they aren’t userfriendly by any stretch of the imagination. Not that it’s surprising that there are many authors who actually write these manuals on how these cameras ought to be used. Some authors might not have even used the cameras that they ar e actually writing about.
Gear One tool should be right for the job. If pictures of all of the products that need to be used with your camera are be uploaded on a retail site like eBay then the product would be too high-end unless and complicated for use. Normally a point and shoot camera would suffice. If you see too many parts on a product then it may not be the right option for you to use because it would not be all that easy to use and may even be far mo re expensive than what you might be willing to spend o n such a camera.
Reliance on the LCD or Preview Screen Everything appears sharp on a little LCD monitor on the back of a camera but that doesn't mean they will be just as sharp when you are done taking a picture. It’s always a good idea though to open the image on an image editor and view it with the zoom set at 100% so you will get a realistic idea of what the photo will actually lo ok like.
Editing Image on Camera By all means the temptation to edit images o n a camer a should be r esisted. Mor e often than not, a shot could have been taken unintentionally but instead of deleting the image it should be saved on a memor y card and downloaded on a comput er.
Backing Up Images This may sound too obvious but nonetheless it is essential to back up images prior to erasing or
deleting them as once the ima ges ar e erased, t hey are go ne for ever. There ar e file r ecovery pr og rams though that may be able to recover or salvage pictures that may have been erased or deleted but they can’t be relied upon every single time.
Lack of Memory Cards There was a time when memory cards were expensive but those days are far gone. They are much more affordable now more than ever before and can hold more data for less money. Therefore, purchasing as many cards as possible is advisable and recommended. With sufficient memory cards, high resolution pictures can be taken and the best results would be guaranteed even if the pictures were to be cro pped.
Lack of Batteries If there is no power then the camera is nothing but a paper weight. There are some paper weights that are heavier and then there are some that are relatively lighter. Only those cameras that are compatible with AA batteries ar e the ones that are recomm ended. Proprietary batteries are alright also but sufficient spare batteries should be available. A card reader rather than a computer to transf er im ages is advisable because by using this, the battery will have a longer life.
Not Researching On Hardware Prior to purchasing a camera, what needs to be ensured is whether or not the photo editing software that you will be using is compatible with the computer you have. Many cameras these days require high-end computers so they can read and process images. A computer that is outdated would not be able to cope and may even stall. It could very well get the job done but at a much slower pace. In short, you have to take a look at the hardware you need to get when using such a camera so you will know what you will be do ing when getting an imag e taken the r ight way.
Afraid of Making M istake s As they say, failures are the pillars of success. It’s an apt analogy because through mistakes, one learns and progresses and grows as a photographer. To be afraid of failing is tantamount to restricting oneself to explore and thereby not being able to create extraordinary photographs. Picture perfect shots cannot be guaranteed every time and even expert and professional photographers haven’t been consistent with taking exceptional snapsho ts. You should not be afr aid o f no t doing well.
Rule of Thirds Not following the rule of thirds is a problem in digital photography that people constantly get into. The underlying premise of this rule is that the eye of a human being is by nature inclined to focus on points o f intersection that can be seen due t o the imag e being split into three differ ent sections.
The r ule of thirds is in essence tw o imaginary lines ver tically and hor izontally making th ree columns and ro ws and nine sections o n an image. Vital elements of co mposi tion and leading lines ar e put in place on o r in pro ximity fr om the imaginary lines and at in tersection po ints. With the rule of thirds in mind the composition of the photograph is best done in the camera to avoid having to crop later and retain the image as much as possible and to avoid sacrificing quality of photographs as well.
Chapter 6 - A natomy of a View fi nder An LCD viewfinder is a big point of a camera to spot. It can have 65000 to 220000 pixels and a refresh rate of 1/8 and 1/30
th
of a second. They are designed for viewing at an optimum distance
between 8″ and 18″. To compose images, the camera’s eye level viewfinder ideally ought to be used and the LCD viewfinder to set parameters and view the image that has been captured. Even high-resolution LCD viewfinders that the digital cameras are equipped with use the image as a test sample therefore one to one resolution cannot be seen on the viewfinder. Hence they aren’t suitable for focusing in detail or for framing purposes. What’s even worse, LCDs consume a lot of power and moreover if used for protracted periods of time it could lead to dead batteries rather quickly. Yet another significant disadvantage is the proximi ty to a CCD or CMOS imag e sensor .
The ubiquitous viewfinder is incorporated on most digital cameras and there are two types available. One is a clear glass frame; the other is the beam splitter, a swinging mirror in other words. A beam splitter viewfinder, also known as a pellicle mirror, has a fixed angled mirror on the sensor through which 90% of the light enters. The r emaining 10% is r ero uted at an angle of 90-degr ee thro ugh a pent prism to r each the eye of the
photographer. This system has one advantage as the mirror is stationary to eliminate vibration. Its main disadvantage and indeed a flaw that could turn out to be fatal for indoor shots and for photography in poor light is that very little light reaches the eye of the photographer so much so that the photographer may find it difficult to compose and focus properly as the subject may appear dark. Single lens reflex film cameras and pr ofessional digital cameras ar e equipped with swinging mirr or s capable of reflecting 100% of the light to the eye of the photographer while the image is being composed. As soon as the shutter release is pressed, the mirror swings so as not to hinder the viewfinder from being blacked out momentarily until 100% of the light reaches the film or image sensor. Thereafter the mirror swings back in so that the photographer can continue viewing the subject. When shutter speeds are fast, the mirror will be invisible to the photographer. An inexpensive and less complicated viewing solution at eye level is the optical glass viewfinder which most digital cameras are equipped with. Made of clear glass, it may see something but it does not show what the lens sees. Instead it gravitates to the lens’s top or the side. The biggest advantages are that no power is required, there aren’t any moving components and its brightness is unparalleled. The system isn't impacted by inaccuracy as it usually shows quite a bit less than what actually has been captured. St ill, this may lead to elements on the edges o f the photog raph. The cause of parallax is positioning the viewfinder 1″ or 2″ from the lens. Thus the angle from which the viewer sees the subject is a litt le differ ent when compar ed with the lens. This har dly matters while shooting distant shots but for relatively closer shots the difference between the viewer’s angle and the angle from which the shot is actually taken increases. Macro shots are typically within 12″ of the subject or closer; glass viewfin ders ar e practica lly useles s due to the parallax err or being very high. The optical viewfinder is replaced by a far more advanced viewfinder which is the electronic eye level viewfinder equipped with a small high resolution color monitor that consumes minimum power and can be viewed when the camera is held at eye level. Over and above what most electronic viewfinders have to offer in terms of direct and viewing in detail which brings clarity as to whether or not a subject is in fo cus. Electronic viewfinder s display vital sta tistics with regar d to the settings o f the camera including f-stop, shutter speed, flash status, so o n and so fo rth. An electronic eye level viewfinder undeniably is popular but it’s also unpopular in equal measure due to its disadvantage. The technology has not been tried and tested enough in still digital cameras as it has been in camcorders and therefore is in its incubation stage. Hence in terms of brightness, clarity and responsiveness, a traditional optical viewfinder is a far better option.
Chapter 7 - Po st Process ing and Image Editi ng An image editing software program is equipped with tools and features to enhance a photograph. Post processing is about adjusting pictures after they have been taken by opening photographs in an image editing so ftware which is equipped with t oo ls to enhance the pictures appr opr iately. An image editing software program sharpens the photographs automatically to add to its focus. No matter how much the photographs are sharpened by software, if the pictures are blurred then there isn’t much that software can do to remove the blur. Focus and sharpness of a picture begins from the camera. All that a software program does is to further sharpen and improve the picture. Saturation is the process of moving the colors of a photograph either more towards gray which is known as desaturation or to saturate them to make them vibrant. Saturatio n if used effectively could make pictures lifeli ke but at the same time pictures may be lacking in their natural lo ok. Levels control the shadows, mid tones and highlights of a picture. Contrast or lightness or darkness are simple controls that simultaneously adjusts shadows, mid tones and highlights. With levels, each of these features can be controlled separately. With the midtone control, an overall adjustment of an image in t erms o f the image being lighte r or darker can be made . The shadow control incr eases the depth and how shadows are accentuated. Highlights can create contrasts to be higher so the photograph can be aesthetically appealing. There aren’t any preset formulas or rules to use Levels. An imag e may have the wro ng temperature which could be rectified w ith the hue contro l tool. Ther e are categor ies of color s that are warm and then there ar e catego ries o f colo rs that are cold. Reds and yellows a re warm co lor s while gr eens, blues and violets are cold co lor s. If a photograph of a group of people is taken and there is a blue cast due to lighting, the group would lack warmth; hence with hue control, the general color of the photograph would have to be moved towards red and yellow, thereby warming the image.
Hue adjustment is mor e of a matter of
perception as there ar en’t any guidelines or rules to abide by or follow. White balance of a camer a effectively rectifies color issues as well.
Chapter 8 - Memory Cards A memory card or a flash memory card is a small storage device where different types of data - text, pictures, audio, and vid eo - can be stor ed and used on por table or remo te computers. Other memory cards that are available include the secure digital card, the compact flash card, the smar t media card, the memor y stick, and the multimedia card. These cards are available in various shapes and sizes and with a wide range of storage capacities that impact the price. The CompactFlash card is appr oxim ately the size of a matchb ox while the Multi Media Card and Secure Digital card each are as big or small as a postage stamp. This is important for any camera you use. Most cards that are out there are reliable. There will be absolutely no loss of data due to power snags and there is no need to periodically refresh data either. As memory cards are solid state media with immo vable par ts, they will not have tech nical issues. The cards that are available today are decidedly smaller and consume less power than older options and the storage capacity is much higher on average.
Chapter 9 - Why Upgrade? Quality of image As the image sensors are comparatively larger on DSLRs, the sizes of the pixels on these cameras are larger as well. DSLRs can also be used at faster ISOs which leads to shutter speeds being faster. To illustrate this point, shooting at 1600 ISO on a majority of DSLRs would have comparatively less noise than on point and shoot cameras with t he same ISO. DSLRs are fully integr ated with inbuilt noise-reduction when JPG images are generated.
Ability to Adapt Lenses can be changed on DSLRs which in itself is a window of opportunity for photo enthusiasts. DSLRs in comparison with point and shoot are far more flexible in terms of the range of premium quality lenses that are included from wide angle to super long focal lengths which can be used based on what the photographer is shooting. In addition to the lenses that are available, there is also an entire gamut of accessories, flashes, filters, etc. that are available. Hence DSLRs are adaptable to any situation or cir cumstance. Point to be noted; with reg ard to your choice of lenses, DS LRs have an unparalleled reputation. The qualities of lenses that are used can directly influence the quality of the image.
Speed Normally DSLRs are quite fast cameras in terms of startup, focusing and shutter lag.
Optical Viewfinder As DSLRs are equipped with reflex mirrors they operate based on the WYSWYG, or what you see is what you get, pr inciple.
Large ISO Range What would the ISO range be varies from camera to camera. Generally DSLRs are equipped with an entire g amut of ISO settings which makes it flexible to sho ot in var ied conditions.
Manual Controls There are many point and shoot cameras which are equipped with manual mode of shooting. However, a DSLR’s design is such that the user would be inclined to control settings manually. DSLRs are equipped with auto modes as well but since the manual controls are at a photographer’s fingertips, they are far more accessible than auto modes. Hence it’s far more convenient for a photographer to set the contro ls manually while shoo ting.
Retaining Value
Arguably DSLRs in comparison with point and shoot cameras would be valuable for a long time to come. In all probability there is truth in this speculation. In fact, the lenses that are bought along with the camera are compatible and universal in the sense that as long as one does not change brands, the lenses can be used on other cameras as well. Hence the lenses can be used for a long time to come and the investment is not a waste after all.
Depth of Field In many ways DSLRs are versatile cameras. Depth of field in particular is really referring to extended manual control when you adjust the photos you shoot. DSLR has the flexibility of using varied lenses as well but what makes the camera special is its depth of field which has the ability of taking everything from the foreground and putting them in the background and in focus. Blurred backgr ounds may be cr eated at this point to cr eate an extra effect.
Quality Optics There is no denying that the quality of lenses of DSLRs does vary but generally DSLR lenses in comparison with point and shoot are of a higher standard. There is more glass in these optics, thus making the lenses of high quality. A lot of man hours are spent to manufacture the lenses particularly when the lenses are high end lenses. Nothing but the best quality lenses ought to be purchased. However, if the camer a is a hig h-end model then the lens oug ht to be hig h-end as well.
Chapter 10 – How to Choose a Model Increasingly, D SLR cameras ar e becoming with in r each of no vice or average photog raphers due to a fall in prices caused by user friendly models that are being manufactured in increasing numbers. The big question thoug h is ho w one decides which D SLR camer a would be suitable. One would easily be spoiled for choices as there are many varieties of DSLRs available today. The factors that are to be taken into consideration while deciding and choosing a DSLR camera are as follows:
Price Price o bviously t akes preceden ce over other factor s while looking for a suitable DSLR camera. Some models may be found for thousands of dollars each. Having a budget for a purchase is a wise decision but the budget should not be rigid as there are additional costs involved apart from the cost of the camera. It's par ticularly best to g o with upgr ading lenses than lit lenses. All DSLRs come with a single battery but a spare battery is required for traveling purposes. The memory card that comes with most models does not have enough memory, hence the need for an upgrade of memor y to at least a gig abyte on averag e. A camera bag would be included with the camera but that to a great extent depends on the dealer. Some dealers give camera bags and some don’t. The bag though is not of a high standard as its co mplimentary; to pro tect the DSLR camera, the best qu ality bag sho uld be bought separately from the camera itself. A UV filter is needed for each lens that is purchased. Other types of filters could be considered later on as well. Opinions vary on extended warranties whether they are good or bad but nonetheless they should be considered.
What Would It Work For It is the question that would be asked by mo st sales perso ns in a camer a stor e. The o ther vari ant of the same question that would invariably be asked is what type of photography does the photographer intend to get into. Once the photographer in his or her mind knows the answers to these questions it
would be easier to decide on what type of accessories would be required. Some of the other questions to ask oneself are, will the camera be used as a general purpose camera to photograph life or will it be used for travel photography. Is sports photography the purpose of purchasing t he camera or is macro or low light photog raphy needed? A realistic list should be made of the type of pho togr aphy that the camera would be used fo r.
Size DSLRs are sizable than one of those compact point and shoot cameras but there is a fair amount of size variants as well. Carrying heavy gear for some photographers is not an issue at all but for photography on the go though, travels, bushwalking, etc. lighter models are more convenient.
Previous Gear The best thing about DSLRs is that in most cases they can be used with the existing gear that one may alr eady have. Hence they are compatible. A case in point is with the lenses. More often than not, the lens that is used on a film SLR could be used on a DSLR as well if bo th the lenses ar e made by the same manufacturer. I t would be wr ong to be under the assumption that all lenses would be compatible, older gear in particular. Nonetheless the question should be asked just so that a consider able amo unt could be saved. The memory card of a point and shoot camera can be compatible with a DSLR as well. This in all likelihood would probably not be a major issue as memory cards are quite a bit cheaper than what the price used to be but nonetheless it is a point worth considering.
Resolution Photography enthusiasts and those who aren’t can be are curious about megapixel of a camera. The emphasis on megapixels is perhaps more than is required but nonetheless it’s a point to be taken into consideration as there are a wide array of megapixel ratings on DSLRs. Megapixels have a role to play in deciding how images would be used. If enlargements need to be printed then the more pixels the better. On the contrary, if the size of the image is going to be small then the number of pixels isn't go ing to be muc h of a concer n.
Sensor Size Another question in relation to resolution that needs to be considered is the size of the image sensor. More often than not, ‘crop factor’ is a terminology that linked with image sensor size. Simply put, there ar e advantages of a lag er sensor compared to a smaller o ne.
Future Upgrades
If future upgrades are not a possibility then entry level DSLRs can be affordable but they become obsolete quickly when compared with high end models. Moreover there is the possibility of venturing to purchase a professional camera to suit the needs of a professional photographer. Your level of expertise and your desir e to keep moving on in this field are critical t o your decision for what type of camera you need to use.
Burst Mode This is a feature worth exploring on many cameras. It is the ability to shoot images one after the other in quick succession by keeping the shutter release pressed. This works just fine for sports and action photography. Not all DSLRs can shoot the same number of frames but they can shoot on a per second mode and on burst mode as well. This is where the camera shoots multiple images in a single burst.
Maximum Shutter Speed There would be an acceptable range of speeds on most DSLRs but some DSLRs do have top speeds that are commendable. For sports and action photography alike top speeds are required. You need to think about the types of camer as yo u want to use.
ISO Ratings Like maximum shutter speed, most DSLRs would offer a decent range of ISO settings. There are a few DSLRs though that have advanced features and offer ISO settings for low light photography as well.
LCD Size Even a difference in size of half an inch is a noticeable difference in terms of the LCD screen on a camera. It hardly makes any difference though in the way photos are shot but it would be nice to be able to watch shots even on a slightly bigger screen.
Anti-Shake Anti-shake is a new and emerging technology that has been implemented in newer cameras. While lenses are equipped with ‘image stabilization’ technology, the fact that cameras are being built with anti-shake technology is truly an advancement in leaps and bounds because it protects the camera fr om physical shak es.
Connectivity You have to think about what you are going to do to transmit photos from the camera into a computer or directly onto a printer. A USB port can be used in most cases. Firewire and wireless connectivity options are also o ptions.
Semi -Auto Modes Just like point and shoot cameras, most DSLRs, the low end ones in particular, are equipped with multiple shooting modes like the portrait, sport and night choices. By using these modes on a point and shoot camera, one would know how to use them on a low end DSLR as the high end ones gener ally don’t have these features except on a few may be.
Flash Normally professional level DSLRs aren’t equipped with inbuilt but models for beginners will have it. You might want to think about your flash needs when finding a camer a like this. These are featu res wor th exploring when finding ways to g et your DSLR camera to do mo re for you.
Chapter 11 – Remote Control s Most DSLR cameras have a range of remote control capabilities that we don't even realize exist. If you've ever wanted to take a nice self-portrait, dive into time-lapse photography or just get a different perspective on your images, you can do all of it with a variety of wired and wireless options. Here's how you can control your camera r emotely to expand your photog raphic tool set wit hout spending a bunch of money on accessories you don't need.
What Can Be Done With It? The r easons for remo te contro ls when taking photos ar e gr eat to see. As the camera can be cont rolled remotely, the person taking the photograph could be included in the photograph as well. Whether it’s a group photograph or a beautiful self-portrait, there is no substitute for a remote shutter. As the name sugg ests, the shutter of the camera is activated r emotely without touching the camera. It’s not just that the shutter of the camera is trig ger ed remo tely but a perso n can see his or her self-por trait befor e the shot is taken. Over and above self-portraits, remote controls can also work for time-lapse photos. Traditionally, time-lapse photography is grueling and tedious as well as hard to accomplish without the assistance of a timer. As if this was not enough, there is th e ris k that the camera may be moved fr om its alignment because of the fact that the shutter that is on the camera is activated. With a remote option and automation, the entire procedure is not as prone to errors as it is otherwise. Manual intervention is not required at all. Remotely-controlled and fully automated photography creates an opportunity to move away from the viewfinder and photo composition can be accomplished from an entirely new angle. A domestic photo studio could be set up without having to invest in anything except the camera. Today remote shutters can be used on almost all digital cameras but the specific options that you can use will vary by each model.
Using a Remote A camer a could be control led by the remote itself. If the camer a has an inbuilt
infr ared receiver, a
remote could either be built or bought so that the shutter could be clicked from a distance. Building a remote could be fun on a weekend but there isn’t any cost advantage. It could in fact be a hobby for someone who is a keen and avid electronics expert. A more functional remote could perhaps be made than bought. Most people though would prefer buying a no-frills remote. Clicking the shutter remotely with a twosecond delay is all that these remotes can do but that’s all that is needed anyway.
This is a cheap and simple option for self-portraits, group photography or to get the camera ready and the shutter is pressed from a distance. Remote photography is possible, but all facets of the camera can’t be controlled remotely.
Smartphone Controllers Can Work Smartphones are awesome controllers. Their support is varied and therefore is compatible with all kinds of cameras. A DSLR equipped with an infrared receiver is more compatible with smartphones than with a remote that has been bought for a par ticular mo del.
Infrar ed Controllers are Popular Just like an infrared controller can be built for the smartphone and an application could be used to control the camera, a controller could similarly be bought which would fit into the headphone jack of the smartphone. The camera could be controlled with a sensible application. It could very well be that the smartphone is already equipped with an infrared controller. Once the infrared is set up, an application will be required. All that needs to be done to begin remote shooting is to plug in the infrared transmitter to the smartphone. The camera should be on a remote shoo ting mo de and the application that was downloaded will need to be o pened. From that point onwards, the smartphone should be within 30 feet while pointing in the direction of the camera and the corresponding buttons ought to be pressed for a snapshot. It's simple to use like a hardware remote but the software has more features like high dynamic range, timed exposure and more.
Wi-Fi and Tethered Controllers When applications interact directly with the camera then things can really get exciting. If the camera supports live view mode then what the camera sees can be seen as well from an Android handset. All that is required to do is to purchasing a female USB adapter if the device doesn’t already have a USB port. The camera needs to be hooked up and turned on as the application is launched. If the mobility of a smar tphone o r tablet is no t requir ed then tethering i t to the com puter is the next best option as the camer a can be contro lled a little better.
Chapter 12 - Modes While choo sing a shoo ting mo de, you have to car efully think about which creative aspect which depth of field or motion and which exposure mode would be selected. Decisions related to creativity are best left to the camer a but everything co uld be handled personally as well. The advanced shooting modes ar e as fo llows:
Program Auto (P) Also known as Prog rammed Auto or Pro gr am AE, it is a combinat ion o f advanced auto mode and th e relative ease of a po int-and-shoo t along with the flexible advanced shooting m ode’s flexibility. As the shutter button is pressed halfway, the aperture and shutter speeds of the camera are set automatically. In prog ram auto mo de, the advanced options o f the camer a can be set. In prog ram auto mode the metering mode and drive mode can be changed. The white balance settings could be tweaked as well. Program Auto is ideal for snapshots and flash photography.
Aperture priority (A) In Aperture priority mode, the aperture is set and the shutter speed is ascertained by the camera. Aperture pri or ity mode is used when the depth of field needs to be contro lled. Aperture mode is appropriate for portraits, landscapes, and close-ups. In Aperture Priority or Aperture Value mode as it’s also known by, the requir ed apertur e is set by using the main dial and an appro priate shutter speed is selected automatically acco rding to the lig ht in the area. The pur pose and o bjective of using AV mode is to co ntrol the depth-of -field which is again controlled by the aperture that is selected. The depth of field could be a factor based on how far the subject of the camera is from it. As the lens aperture is shrunken down, you will see larger f numbers. It affects the depth of field as does when the distance between the camera and the subject decreases.
Shutter Priority (S) Also, known as shutter-priority auto or shutter-priority AE (TV), this is where the shutter speed is set manually and the aperture is set by the camera. Shutter priority mode ought to be used when the shutter speed needs to be controlled to either freeze or to blur the action intentionally. Shutter priority mode is appropriate for sports, action and kids’ photography and when one is in motion. Shutter priority is also known as Time Value; hence the abbreviation of TV mode is perfect for taking photographs of subjects that are in motion. Selecting TV on the mode dial of the camera signifies an automatic aperture selection has been made to be in sync with the user’s chosen shutter speed. Unlike program mode, on shutter priority mode it has to be ensured that the aperture range that
is available is enough for the correct exposure at the chosen shutter speed. Most SLRs would provide some sort of indication or signal and if the shutter speed selected is one of the two extremes, either too fast or too slow for sufficient exposure, shutter speed should be different.
Manual In manual mode the aperture, shutter speed and often the ISO are set manually. Normally auto ISO isn’t available in manual mode. Even though the metered standard exposure is displayed on the exposure meter, the exposure could be set however one wants. Manual mode works best for those photographers who seek the freedom of diversion from the recommended exposure. It’s also superb when the settings are unchanged for a series of shots. Manual mode is used by most professional photographers. There are certain lighting situations that are confusing even to the most sophisticated automatic exposure metering system. This is where manual mode is suitable. This mode is meant for experienced photographers. Manual exposure can be exceptional when the contrast in relation to the subject is high and the light in the background is strong. It is also effective to further enhance a certain mood.
Bulb Bulb is a variation of the manual mode with which shutter speed can be lengthened by exceeding the camera’s setup. Bulb mode is a special type of Manual mode that lets you lengthen the shutter speed beyond your camera's built-in limit which normally is 30 seconds. As the shutter button is press ed, the shutter o pens and closes when r eleased. For long shutter speeds, a bulb is ideal. It also works during night time photography or in low light situations. It's equally ideal for shooting storms, lightning, fireworks, etc. Without the B setting on the mode dial, the other alternative is to enter m anual mode and leng then the shutter speed until B or bulb appears.
Mode Dial A mode dial, a setting which is also known as a camera dial, is nothing but a simple dial that is used on dig ital cameras to change the mode o f the camera. Most dig ital cameras, including DSLR and SLR cameras, support modes selected either by a dial or from a menu. On point-and-shoot cameras that support modes, a veritable range of scene types is available. On DSLR and SLR cameras alike, manual settings can be accessed normally by mode dials. The point-and-shoot cameras which are comparatively more compact and cameras that offer a lot of modes often don't have these dials as they use menus instead. There are a few SLR lenses that can control aperture to reduce the need for suppor t fro m modes in the body of the camera. The mode dial on most DSLRs and SLR bridge cameras can be found on the top of the camera on one
side of the flash or viewfinder. On point-and-shoot cameras, the mode dial does not have a standard location. The mode dial on most models can be found on top as it is found on DSLRs as well. On point-andshoots with thin bodies in particular, the dial can be found on the back of the camera often along with a menu-navig ation button. A few thin camer as can also use a sli de switch instead of a dial. Most DSLRs have only a few manual settings and a small sampling of automatic modes. Most SLR cameras also have manual modes and multiple automatic scene modes. All manual controls on pointand-shoot cameras could be compressed into one mode known as aperture shutter priority or could be absent. Compact cameras show a wide array of scene modes. Point-and-shoot and SLR digital cameras normally have movie modes for capturing videos and modern DSLRs these days support movie modes as well.
Automatic Scene Modes In automatic modes, all aspects of exposure can be determined by the camera by selecting exposure parameters based on the application within the limits of proper exposure through the camera's aperture, focusing, light metering, white balance, and equivalent sensitivity. In portrait mode for example, the camera would be using a broader aperture so that the background is out of focus and would look for and focus on the face of a human rather than extraneous content on the image. In a similar lig ht condition, a smaller aper ture is required fo r landscape photogr aphy and focus would not be enabled to recognize faces. There are cameras that have innumerable modes and show only the majority in the menu instead of on the dial. It’s not documented as what the modes do but to understand how they work it is often best to experiment with them.
Metering Modes in DSLR Photography There are various metering modes that can be set on the camera in order to facilitate the light meter of the camera to wor k at its optimum capacity and thereby ensure that the exposur e is near ly per fect. A light meter’s main function is measuring the amount of light that enters the camera. Apart from that, more specifically what it measures is the light that reflects from various objects that are an integr al par t of a scene. The question though is ho w is it determined what would be the right exposur e when there are different subjects in the scene with each reflecting unique shot and often times certain amounts of lights can compete with each other. This is exactly the juncture where the metering modes of DSLRs can come into play. Each of the
metering modes o f the camera would deal with t he scene in a unique w ay and the photog rapher g ets to decide the “best” mode to use in r elation to the scene. What would be the best exposure can be found out by setting the digital SLR to a specific metering mode out of the 3 or 4 unique metering modes (the actual number that you will have to use will depends on the manufact urer of the camera that you have). With that in mind, let's take a look at a few of these critical metering models to get an idea of what you can expect out of your digital camera.
Evaluative (Matrix) Metering Mode Evaluative Metering or Matrix Metering is known by quite a few other names like segment metering, multi zone metering and multi pattern metering but their functions are all same. What this metering mode does is it splits the entire scene into tiny zones or grids on a matrix and each zone or grid is individually measured. By averaging the matrix as a whole, the best exposure which is a combination of shutter speed and aperture is determined. With the increasing sophistication of DSLR cameras, there are many that in addition to measuring the amount of light in this mode will take into account tone distribution, color, composition and even distance. This is normally the “default” setting in almost all digital SLR cameras and results in the exposure being good for most scenes.
Center-Weighted Average Metering Mode Center-Weighted Average Metering or Center-Weighted Metering also makes an attempt to measure the scene in its entirety. The only difference is that the average that is ascertained would have the viewfinder with more weight placed on the center rather than on the rest of the scene. Hence approximately 70% of the metering is accomplished on or around the center of the viewfinder. This metering mode presumes that the crucial portion of the scene is towards the center of the viewfinder with the exception being while compo sing a pictur e.
Partial Metering Mode Approximately 9% of the viewfinder is covered by the partial metering mode and is extremely effective with a background that is brighter than the subject. Due to its emphasis, specifically on the center of the viewfinder, this metering mode is extremely effective when the edges of the viewfinder or scene are considerably lighter or darker than the center to such an extent that the edges could exert an influence on the exposure of the main subject. The downside of this metering mode is that it emphasizes the cen ter o f the viewfinder above all par ts.
Spot Metering Mode
With the spot metering mode, an emphasis will be placed on the control that you have to work with. There is control over where light for exposure is measured as only about 4% of the viewfinder is covered. This happens to be the smallest area among all metering modes. The biggest advantage of spot metering is that “the spot” could be rooted on any one of many autofocusing points within the viewfinder and therefore the flexibility is greater with regards to the point of the scene that is to be metered. With spot metering, a specific area can be metered to highlight as much detail as possible. Hence it is ideal for portraits where reflection from the subject’s face is directly metered.
When To Use Each of the Metering Modes? It’s a dilemma in terms of selecting the metering mode to use out of so many. A bigger dilemma perhaps is to know when to use i t. In the end, it actually boi ls down to a matter of personal pr efer ence. In the final analysis it hardly matters which metering mode one uses. It is far more important that consistency is gained for a better understanding of how metering is dealt with by a DSLR. Exposure compensation and bracketing is a much more important concept than metering, for instance. Regardless of which mode is used, ultimately adjustments through exposure compensation or bracketing could very well be made for any kind of subject you are targeting. For beginners, Evaluative/Matrix Metering is recommended and sticking to that for a while. This may work at least until you can get a foolproof understanding of how the camera deals with exposure in various environments and adjustments through exposure compensation and bracketing.
Chapter 13 - Understanding Digi tal SLR DSLRs were pricey when they were introduced. Professional photographers were the proud owners of DSLR cameras for the most part. Over the years the price of DSLRs has fallen gradually and is now within reach of the masses. As DSLRs have become more affordable the general public is purchasing digital SLRs without having any knowledge of its functions or what they are doing when they are using their cameras in particular. If you want to use a DSLR then you need to be aware o f what you ar e doi ng when getting photos taken the rig ht way. Here's a lo ok at what you can do in par ticular.
Look for a Subject Photographs can be taken with a wide array of settings. Therefore it's vital that photographs of anything dark aren’t taken. The human eye is able to perceive light intensities whose range is wider than the sensor of a digital camera referred to as the dynamic range. By looking through a window, what is inside can be seen even though the light conditions inside could be completely different from the light conditions outside. Cameras and digital cameras in particular cannot do the same. While viewing through a camera, only the outside can be seen unlike the human eye. This point ought to be considered when subjects are chosen.
Steady Your Ca me ra A tripod to mount the camera would keep the camera steady. If a solid surface to rest the camera on can be found then by a ll means that is exactly what needs to be done. Tripods ar guably ar e required. There is more hype around tripods but they may be useful. To make a note of the effects of different camera settings it would be great to have multiple shots of exactly the same subject. For relatively slower shutter speeds, tripods can be quite useful. There are many pictures that worsen due to a camera's shakes. If the lens is equipped with an automatic stabilizer then you should significantly consider using it.
Use Autom atic Mode On some cameras there is an auto-ISO sensitivity mode which needs to be set separately so that the camera can choose that automatically. There is a switch on some cameras or lenses with which manual focus and or one or mor e auto-fo cus modes can b e chosen. Normally aut o-fo cus mode along with single shot mode are required prior to taking a picture. Manual focus is ideal for low light and other conditions where the auto-focus is of no use. The shutter button is partially depressed to keep the delay from being prominent when taking a photo. This has a great effect on sports photography and other fast-moving subjects.
Play With ISO Speed This is a camer a setting that can be experi mented and tinkered with. It can be set on the camer a's mai n menu. On most cameras this can be changed with a few button presses as well. ISO measures the sensitivity to lig ht within the sensor on the camer a. The lower the number, the less sensitive t he sensor is, and conversely the higher the ISO number the more sensitive the sensor is to light. ISO speed and shutter speed are directly related. A slow ISO speed would cause the shutter speed to slow down as well. Conversely, a photo taken with the faster ISO speed would have used a faster shutter speed as well. Due to the noticeable difference between the two it could very well be heard. With a faster shutter speed though, motion or movement could be frozen and camera shake avoided in poor light than with a slower one. Photographs taken with a slower ISO speed would have less noise as well represented by random discolored pixels. Digital SLRs with their large sensors have a significantly greater ISO performance than what the compact point-and-shoot digital cameras have. Hence, there is always a trade-off in terms of quality of the image and usability in low-light conditions. The minimum ISO speed would have a corresponding shutter speed, generally 1/focal length for handheld pictures which would be in sync with a shutter speed which normally is between 1/focal length for handheld pictures and with image stabilization one or two stops slower, for action faster such as 1/250 for action or sports and an extremely small aperture to have all vital elements such as people acco mmo dated within the depth of fiel d. This m or e often than not will have quit e a hig h ISO. A few discolored pixels scattered here and there is far better than a defocus or motion blur that smears the image or chunks of it across innumerable pixels. If the ISO is reasonable then some cameras can automatically pick up. The camera could be set t o aperture-pr ior ity mode mo mentarily. The lens’ aperture is also known as diaphragm. This could be a dial on the lens with numbers one after the other anywhere between appro ximately 1.4 and 22 on m ost lenses. The diaph rag m lets more o r less allows light in to the sens or thro ugh an opening tow ards the fro nt of the lens. The diaphragm’s size is best expressed as a ratio of focal length to aperture size. Therefore they are r eferr ed to as, for example, f/5.6 among many other numbers. An aperture that is small will have less light that could potentially get onto the sensor; this is expressed by a greater number. By taking two photographs, one whose aperture is large and then by stopping down and taking the one with a smaller aperture, you can see just how much of an impact this can make. The backg round o f the subject isn’t as shar p when the aper ture is lar ge as it is when the apertur e is smal l. This is what is known as the depth of field thro ugh which a subject could be iso lated
fr om the backgr ound. The background could be blurred by using a large aperture; even more elements of the scene could be brought to focus and last but not the least a smaller aperture could be used. There are pairs of lines on some lenses that would fit into different distances on the focusing scales of the lenses to reveal the range that would be sharp enough at a preset aperture. The area that is not within that range would be blurry the more it is outside but comparatively less blurred when the aperture is small than when it is large. It is the angle that the defocus relies upon at which rays of light diverge in relation to the object to make an entry into the lens. The intensity increases rapidly as something is in close proximity to the lens. When the aperture is small at f/16, for example, the background and foreground of a picture’s focus would be sharp. At bigger apertures like f/1.8, the pictures would be blurred. When the camera is in automatic mode, it will adjust one of two things: either the aperture or the shutter speed. This is to let an adequate amo unt of lig ht onto the sensor ; What the AV mode do es place an emphasis on the aperture so the shutter speed would only be adjusted by the camera. What this in essence means is that the effect of the changed aperture on AV mode can’t be seen on the exposure as the camera in all likelihood may have compensated. On full manual mode, the effect of the aperture in relation to light can be seen. Therefore, both the depth of f ield and low lig ht perfor mance can’t be had. To have one, o ne has to let go o f the other. The choice is between a wide open aperture, which would give a negligible depth of field but a lot of light would be added onto the sensor. A smaller one would do exactly the opposite. There are issues with effects of diffraction which steals sharpness at tiny apertures; as a rule of thumb, it is advisable not to use apertu res smaller than f/8 or f/11 unless of you r eally nee d a gr eater depth of field.
Set to Manual Mode By setting the camera to fully manual mode, the camera knows to relinquish control of trying to expose the pictures pr oper ly. Most of the time it won’t be necessary to use this as the ex posur e contro l is there for a reason but there is a need to do this anyhow so that the effects of shutter speed can be demonstrated.
Play With Your Shutter Speed Shutter speeds are nothing but numbers in a sequence that go up and doubles each time and are usually represented in fractions of a second; i.e. 1 second, 1/2, 1/4, 1/16, 1/25, and so on and so forth with each one no rmally being called a stop. By taking two pictures at shutter speeds a f ew stops apart, what has been observed is that the photo with the fast shutter speed is darker. Depending on lighting conditions this can either be a good or bad thing,
A slow shutter speed could result in motion blur if the camera is hand held. Even if the camera were to be mounted on a tripod at slow shutter speeds of half a second or more, such as the one used at night, there might be some blur due to camera shake. Hence, in very dark conditions a slow shutter speed is recommended but slow shutter speeds could cause motio n blur as well. In brig hter conditions, a faster shutter speed is r equired which will have t he effect of freezing motion. This can be a good thing or a bad thing. For a longer exposure during the daytime, an ND filter could be used. In terms of light three settings can be adjusted and they are aperture, ISO speed or shutter speed as compensation for varying degrees of strengths of light. If either one of them is adjusted anyone of them would have a po sitive or negative effect on the image. Fixed lenses of various sizes have different focal lengths; zoom lenses have a variable focal length. The fo cal leng th could be defined as the distance in mm betw een the elements of a lens and the film o r sensor. The viewpoints are unique for each focal length. The standard 50mm lens is almost similar to the sharp central field of view of the human eye. This is especially if pairing is done with 35mm film or a full-frame sensor. However, most digital SLR sensors are smaller than regular 35mm film. The refo re, the effective focal lengths are multiplied by about 1.5 on mo st digital SLRs for what is called FOV cro pping. Wide-angle lenses are 28mm lenses and can be useful as they will have a lot of room to help you fit a lot of the shot onto the sensor. The view of a wide angle lens will have an impression that is created by a wide angle lens that the object is being looked at from a distance. It is therefore ideal for taking pictures of small rooms as they look bigger, landscapes, etc. Substances on the edge of the frame would appear elongated. When subjects are very close to a wide angle lens they would look big but the background area still looks vast. When the background in general has a sweeping view then a wide angle l ens is better. A telephoto lens is normally 80mm or longer and can bring things closer. Hence, a telephoto lens is ideal for portraits as it compels the photographer to be farther away from the subject. However, for the same amount of light to pass through a telephoto lens as it passes through a smaller lens, the telephoto lens has to be a lot bigger. An extreme 200-500mm f/2.8 zoom lens can weigh nearly 35 pounds and is still nearly twice as slow as the 50mm lenses o f 30 years ag o. In addition, most consumer rated telephoto l enses tend to be slo w which means its aperture in relation to the focal length is relatively small in comparison with a smaller lens which leads to using longer shutter speeds if in a low-light situation. This can be compensated with faster ISO speeds. Wide aperture lenses are expensive and are heavy.
More often than not it's actually bet ter to buy the cheaper variety which will be attached to the camera even if that means it is a little bit noisier and you will have to bear with a high ISO setting. The cheap ones ar e equipped with apertures that are 5.6 or smaller which are nor mally required fo r a noticea ble depth of field. If the depth of field is shallow, an expensive wide-aperture lens could be used, or simply a longer-focus moderate-aperture lens can be added provided that you move back. These choices could be used until the subject is the same size. Zoom lenses could have distortions of such proportions that it is capable of making straight lines loo k cro oked or typically c urved at the highest zoom level in parti cular. Some cameras ar e capable of automatically altering the imag es to com pensate. A flash can be used in many ways. SLRs generall y automatically contro l the output of inbuilt flash, or an external flash with maximum power, to spread light evenly across a subject. A flash is at reduced power by applying negative flash exposure compensation in sunlight to soften but not remove shadows that define shape. Flash can be used in dim light to make the scene brighter. A flash can be bounced off the ceiling with the help of an external unit that would softly light a big area. The part of an exposure coming from a flash is very brief; therefore, aperture and ISO setting basically determine the exposure but not shutter speed which is no rmally limi ted to 1/250 o r even slower due to the way a focal plane shutt ers. A slow shutter speed is the cause of loss of ambiance in the scene and it makes the ambient light conspicuous by its absence. As a result, the scene is blurred due to the camera shakes or the subject being in motion. In other words there is noticeable subject movement on a long exposure.
A Polariz ing Filte r A circular polarizer is compatible with autofocus lenses and is useful under the sun as it reduces glare and makes colors bright by reducing the effects of reflected sunlight to make the sky dark blue. By rotating it in its mount, a maximum effect can be derived. Cheap ones are fine but it needs to be verified as to whether or not they are coated or even multi-coated to reduce the image’s reflection spots. The threads should be cut to a high standard as anything short of high quality could damage the threads in the lens more so if the filter threads in the lens are made of plastic. The camera may need to process JPEG images in addition to the semi-processed raw files. Part of the processing setup for the raw images requires the images to be adjusted for colors so that the brightest, fully reflective objects seem white instead whether they are being lit by an artificial light or if they are being taken under a clear and bright open sky. Everything else may appear to have the proper mix of colors under sunlight or to a naked eye. The white balance setting does just that. Automatic white balance (AWB) more often than not isn’t
effective enough. It is a setting for the type of light that is dominant in the scene. Some cameras can automatically adjust to any color of light.
Chapter 14 - Q uestions to A sk When Ta ki ng a Photo What is the story that is being told? This is the all-important question that is supposed to help a photographer to make as many photos as they want to make in terms of composition, framing, exposure, etc. Essentially what is being asked is 'why is this shot being taken?' The purpose of the shot and what is being conveyed must be considered. Is it a way of recording a moment, is the emotion of the moment that the photographer is after, could it be that the shot would be given to someo ne or is it pa rt of a bigg er ser ies of shots, or is the shot the only shot to hono r the moment, etc.
What Competing Foc al Points are There? Once it has been identified what is it that a photographer wants the viewer’s eyes to gravitate towards and it has been placed in the frame, it should be ascertained as to whether or not competing focal points add to or take from the image. The fact is that secondary focal points can indeed add depth to shots but at the same time can be distracting and therefore repositioning or adjusting focal length and or depth of field to keep or remo ve them fro m shots.
What Back ground and For eground Things Are There? Distractions mainly occur in the background of shots in digital photography. The space behind the subject if seen intently could include many unwanted elements in addition to the subject which is the focus of the image. For the foreground as well, the same observation can be made. Based on the observation it has to be decided whether the background should be in focus or blurred.
How Close Are You? Yet another mistake in digital photography involves shots being taken where the subject in the frame is too small. When the subject is the main focus of the shot and the frame is filled with the subject, in other words the subject occupies all the space in the frame; those are dynamic shots with as much detail of the subject as possible. To have this effect, the photographer needs to move closer, move the subject closer or use a focal length long enough fo r the desired effect of closeness.
What is the Main Sour ce of Light? Light is of utmost importance in photography and therefore it has to be considered as to whether the subject is well lit or not. Detail and clarity of an image is often lost due to a lack of light. The camera compensates by increasing ISO and lengthening shutter speeds which could lead to noisy and blurred images. The main source of light, whether or not there is there enough light, any artificial light
sources in a spot, the flash required, whether the camera needs to be stable on a tripod to prevent camera shake due to insufficient light and many others are some of the questions that needs to be asked and answered satisfactorily prior to taking a shot.
Chapter 15 - Acce ssori es Out of the multitude of accessories that are out there, some are a necessity while others are simply occupying space in the camera bag.
Neck Strap Neck straps that come with cameras typically do not have pads and are made of fabric that is irritating. Hence an upgrade of the neck-strap is essential. Neoprene is the raw material that the strap can be made from and it works like a shock absorber while carrying a DSLR which would more than likely have a long lens. A fabric that does not slip can be kept on the underside which would keep the camera in place when slung around the shoulder.
Camera Bag A camera bag with padding is an absolute necessity when carrying a DSLR as the bag is a protection for the camera which is an investment that needs to be protected. There is enough room for extra lenses and other accessories and paraphernalia which can all be kept in the bag.
Dust Blowe r Tiny dust particles accumulate on lenses and on camera’s sensor. Hence a dust removal kit is a necessity for quality photos. Air in air tight cans is effective but is pricey and too heavy to carry. A dust blower ought to be durable, powerful, and easy to use. All it takes is a few blasts and dust would fly in the air. An upright position and air valve may be used to keep dust from getting in. It may also be battery power ed to ensur e that you do n't have to plug i t into anything in particular.
Polarizer Filter A polar izer is an appropr iate solution to help you r educe r eflections o n glass and o ther shiny object s while further deepening blue skies simultaneously and intensifying color saturation. Quality polarizers would have coatings on the glass so that reflection is reduced. This can also keep dirt and scratches at bay.
Tripod and Ball head While taking shots in low light, a tripod is an absolute necessity. It is equally necessary for tack sharp focus. In terms of specifications and configuration, there are many options out there for you to choose from. However, tripods made of carbon fiber are sturdy and at the same time do not weigh much. The icing on the cake is a multi-adjustable ball head and a rig that comes with it. The ball head ensures that the camera is secured and firmly mounted and attached to the tripod with almost infinite
adjustability o ptions.
Audio Adapter for Video With the emerging high definition video capability on some DSLRs, videos and stills can be shot as a bundled package. As DSLRs have so many lenses it is possible to shoot video as well. It’s the best of both worlds that is being offered. The on-camera audio could perhaps be more flexible in a few cases. The limitation on DSLRs is that they are often limited to using an internal mike or an external one as well through a mini-plug. DSLRs may experience swings in the audio level and an occasional background hiss which are both purg ed with the DXA-5Da. For best results, nothing less than high-sensitivity micr opho nes would do.
White-Balance Lens Cap It can be a challenge to achieve the correct white balance on a DSLR. Everyone does not take a white balance reading off o f a gr ey card eit her. A white balance lens cap seems to be the solution to this commonplace issue. Correcting white balance on innumerable photographs could get tedious. By taking the lens cap off of the lens, the white balance lens cap should be popped onto the lens and the camera should be set to custom white balance mode. A shot could be fired off, resulting in a WB profile which is warmer and photos that are mor e vivid. As an incentive, it does not have to be taken off o f the camera and used as a lens cap. This is an advantage as one less item needs to be carried. Prices can vary according to the diameter of the lens.
Low Light Capable Lens Taking photos in natural light produces stunning results, more so in low light. Many standard “kit” zoo m lenses that are often packaged with DSLRs are incapable of handing low light situations and moments very well. As an alternative a lens of f/1.8 aperture or an even more light-capable f/1.4 aperture would be better suited. Most manufacturers offer fixed lenses in these aperture ranges. A majority of these options are relatively inexpensive.
External Hard Drive After painstakingly and passionately taking pictures anyone would want to protect them which is crucial. What needs to be do ne at this juncture is to create backups with an external dr ive. Backing the data up on a dual drive works as two drives are involved. Both drives will receive the same data online in real-time. Hence there are essentially two backup copies of the same information as a preventive measure in case anyone of the drives fails.
Conclusion Thank you again for downloading this book! I hope this book was able to help you to see how DSLR cameras work and how they can be used for your general needs. You can see how these cameras may be used for a variety of different types of needs and how you can t ake your cameras r eady for all sor ts o f particula r needs. The next step is to take a look at the different kinds of cameras that you can find today. If you go to any technology store then you'll find plenty of DSLR options to call your own. Thank you and goo d luck!
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