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Photography a basic 'how to' guide
Preface
Purely for the benefit of those who don't already know, I'm not a professional photographer, just a amateur with many years of experience using manual and semi-automatic film cameras, mainly a Nikon™ FM and a Nikon™ FE prior to my introduction to digital cameras around 6 - 7 years ago. Having a technical background gives me a distinct advantage when it comes to sifting through the techno babble which invariably accompanies any new technology and there's plenty of that with digital cameras.
Nowadays I tend to be more interested in the method or technique than I am in the resulting photo and often amuse myself by trying to achieve the best possible results or special effects without the use of sophisticated ( read expensive ) equipment.
The advent of cheap digital compact and "pretend-SLR" cameras has essentially brought photography to the masses like never before. This of course means that there are legions of casual photographers ( frequently referred to as the "point-and-shoot-on-auto" brigade ) whose interest in minor chromatic aberrations and precise geometric accuracy ( and other nit picking details ) is matched only by their lack of desire to invest a lot of time and money pursuing technical photographic excellence.
I'm quite sure that the vast majority of today's photographers are mainly interested in capturing "here we are in ..." or family event photos as keep-sakes and it is exactly these people who ( I hope ) will benefit from a bit of basic, plain English guidance towards taking better photos thereby enhancing their enjoyment, perhaps even encourage some to look at photography as a hobby and not just a means of recording memories.
Before getting into things properly, I should explain that I'm inclined to use my own terminology quite often so terms like "scenic", "subjective" and "it just looks right" will crop up quite often whereas "chromatic aberration" and such will be rare :-)
I'll be adding more to this page as time permits so check back periodically, KenG
Nowadays I tend to be more interested in the method or technique than I am in the resulting photo and often amuse myself by trying to achieve the best possible results or special effects without the use of sophisticated ( read expensive ) equipment.
The advent of cheap digital compact and "pretend-SLR" cameras has essentially brought photography to the masses like never before. This of course means that there are legions of casual photographers ( frequently referred to as the "point-and-shoot-on-auto" brigade ) whose interest in minor chromatic aberrations and precise geometric accuracy ( and other nit picking details ) is matched only by their lack of desire to invest a lot of time and money pursuing technical photographic excellence.
I'm quite sure that the vast majority of today's photographers are mainly interested in capturing "here we are in ..." or family event photos as keep-sakes and it is exactly these people who ( I hope ) will benefit from a bit of basic, plain English guidance towards taking better photos thereby enhancing their enjoyment, perhaps even encourage some to look at photography as a hobby and not just a means of recording memories.
Before getting into things properly, I should explain that I'm inclined to use my own terminology quite often so terms like "scenic", "subjective" and "it just looks right" will crop up quite often whereas "chromatic aberration" and such will be rare :-)
I'll be adding more to this page as time permits so check back periodically, KenG
Practicalities
Choosing a new camera
Camera selection can be a tricky business especially if you launch yourself into it without a bit of forethought and at least some basic knowledge of the "in's and out's" of digital cameras. There's dozens of manufacturers, hundreds of different models and a myriad of technical specifications.At the very least you should have a basic understanding of the jargon used to describe digital cameras, eg 3X zoom, megapixels, etc. So what is there to think about ?
Make and Model
In terms of a particular make and model, my only advice is stick to a leading brand which has some history with digital cameras, examples of such brands are ( in alphabetical order only ) Canon, Nikon, Olympus and Sony.Note: I've only mentioned these 4 as examples, there's no implication that other brands are inferior or anything else. Just that these are brand names you will find it impossible to avoid and it's very likely that you would find a camera which is to your liking within the range offered under these brands.
Personal Needs
Even if you don't have a clue about technicalities, at least consider any special requirements you might have beyond ( say ) casual family snap shots, eg. taking photos of sporting events, a camera which will easily fit into your pocket, etc AND how much of your hard earned you are willing to part with.Do you already own some accessories used with an older camera which are still in good condition, eg. flash gun, batteries, or lenses from an SLR film camera, will these be compatible with your intended purchase ?
SLR or compact
Modern digital cameras are "officially" categorised as compact or SLR*, according to me "compacts" are split into compact and "pretend SLR", ( the latter look similar to digital SLR's but are generally cheaper and lack some of the features/facilities of SLR's ).From a non-geek's point of view, within the various categories there's little ( if any ) discernable image quality difference between similarly R.R.P. priced cameras from any of the top brand names within the ( 3 according to me :-) ) categories. So in the absence of any particular brand loyalty or existing accessories, once you've assessed your particular needs and decided how much you want to spend, it's time to look for the best deal you can get.
*Note: SLR is an acronym for Single Lens Reflex which simply refers to a camera which doesn't have a separate viewfinder lens. When you look into the viewfinder eyepiece you are looking out through the same lens that takes the picture. As many compact digital cameras work this way, they are in a sense SLR's too :-). The term "SLR" is used colloquially nowadays to describe digital cameras which have interchangeable lenses and prices which start where compacts leave off, around AU$700.
Viewfinders
Many modern compact cameras don't have an optical viewfinder/eyepiece just an LCD preview screen which also serves as an information display.Optical Viewfinder
Note the small lens circled on the camera at left, the much newer model at right has no such lens and hence no optical viewfinder. Quite a few current generation compact cameras have optical viewfinders in addition to an LCD preview screen, both alternatives have pros and cons and should be considered as part of your selection criteria.
The camera at left is some years old, newer models with optical viewfinders have "full size" LCD's.
The camera at left is some years old, newer models with optical viewfinders have "full size" LCD's.
LCD "Viewfinder"
A conventional eyepiece viewfinder has the advantage of providing a highly visible preview in any lighting conditions so keep this in mind if you're going to take a lot of photos outdoors. The advantage of an LCD "viewfinder" screen is that you're not limited to keeping the camera right up to your eye.
Photographic Retailers
Buy your camera from a specialised photographic retailer face to face, this does not include large retailers who "specialise" in everything from furniture to home theatre systems. That might sound unfair but the fact is that when it comes to the actual purchase, particularly if you're a still a bit "iffy" about the selection you've made the staff at specialised photographic retailers will have in-depth product knowledge, are typically experienced enthusiasts themselves and you'll find their advice invaluable. Even the asking price is a few dollars higher ( and it'll almost certainly only be a few ) you'll be doing yourself a favour, trust me on this. Explain why you've selected a particular camera or can't decide between a couple and don't be afraid to ask if there are any "stand-outs" either good or bad, don't just walk in and ask for their recommendation!Terminology
There's really no getting away from at least some basic photographic terms and it's worthwhile being familiar a few of them.Zoom
Expressed as a multiplication factor, eg. 3X, 5X, etc. Zoom refers to how wide ( or narrow ) the lens' viewing angle is, the larger the number, the greater the focal length and hence the narrower the viewing angle, in other words how much "close" there is in close-up :-)
Eg. Here's a picture of a 3X zoom lens. Note the focal length is 6.3 - 18.9mm and 18.9 is 3 times 6.3 !
Focal Length
Also applies to lenses, is expressed in millimetres(mm) and relates to the magnification factor or how close the subject will appear in the photo, eg. 4.7mm, 6.3mm, etc., the larger the number, the closer the subject will appear.Sounds simple enough doesn't it ... well, there's a bit more to it when it comes to comparing different cameras. If you read the specifications for a digital camera the focal length figures along with those for the actual lens there will usually be a 35mm ( film SLR ) camera equivalent and it's best to use this equivalent figure to properly gauge any comparison.
If you are looking at ( what I call ) compact cameras go for one that has a minimum of 27 - 28 mm equivalent. This gives a good wide angle view for landscapes and with even 3X zoom the ability to take close-up shots of smiling faces.
Megapixels
A pixel is a single Picture Element. An "x" is used to indicate a plural and mega is a prefix meaning 1 million. So for example an 8 megapixel ( 8MP or 8MPx ) camera will have an image sensor with 8,000,000 elements, each element making up 1 pixel.It's an indication of the amount of detail a camera can capture, commonly referred to as resolution, the more megapixels the higher the resolution ( in theory anyway ). Basically the more megapixels the better, but as always there's a bit more to it. If your mainly interested in printing your photos "things" get a little more "interesting" :-)
Staying with the 8MPx example, if you're wanting to print a photo even as large as ( say ) A4 then 8MPx is enough to produce a high quality picture. It follows therefore that anything over this will be more than enough. It is worth noting that ( all else being equal ) the difference in the results achieved by 10MPx and 12MPx cameras is negligible and this should not be used as a make or break criterion.
This is especially true if you're mostly interested in viewing your photos on a monitor ( even a very big monitor ) or a digital photo frame.
more to come ...
Buzz Words
Digital camera marketing has given rise to a lot of "gee whiz" terms for the various in-built features/functions of modern cameras. I'll do my best to decipher some of these later ....Photography Basics
Scenic Photos
"Scenic" by my definition refers to a picture in which the scene itself is the subject rather than any particular feature or object, typically landscapes / seascapes.It is of course a common and good practice to have some focal point, for example a building, a boat or prominent geographical feature. These photos were taken at Selsey Bill on the South coast of England looking towards the Isle of Wight.
The layout of this photo is quite conventional with the horizon roughly 1/3rd from the bottom. The imposing clouds dominate and combined with the sea wall and beach tapering into the distance giving an illusion of depth ( often referred to as perspective ).
The weather, sea and wall have an obvious association and the gloominess gives a realistic impression of conditions at the time.
The weather, sea and wall have an obvious association and the gloominess gives a realistic impression of conditions at the time.
This photo is badly "framed", the omission of the sea wall really spoils it plus the horizon is a tad high so there's too little sky. Also without the sea wall tapering in from the side, just having the beach tapering back doesn't quite do the job ..... it just doesn't look right :-)
Click anywhere to close
Click anywhere to close
Subjective Photos
"Subjective" of course means quite the opposite to "scenic". Subjective photos include formal portraiture, architectural, pictures of the kids, the dog, etc .... basically anything where the background is obscured or at least largely insignificant, advertising being a good example of the use of subjective photos.
The photo at right was taken in Little Houghton, Northamptonshire. Another conventional layout with a pseudo isometric view again to give an impression of depth and also looking slightly upwards to emphasise the imposing nature of a church built on elevated ground right in the middle of town. There wasn't much I could do about the shadows, it was mid morning and no time to hang around. In these situations you either have to "deal with it" or not take the photo, the 2nd option isn't really an option at all :-)
This picture is .... err ... how shall I put this politely ..... bloody awful. The exact same church, even though you'd hardly know it. The big Black band of shadow across the bottom is bad enough, I won't comment on the rest :-) The thing to always remember is that shadows don't influence what you see with your own eyes any where near as much as what a camera "sees" and records.
Click anywhere to close
Click anywhere to close
It just looks right
When it comes to composition or the layout of a photo, my "take" on this is if it looks right, it probably is. As an aid to creating a pleasing layout, the conventional wisdom is the rule of 3rd's. Imagine your picture divided into 9 equal areas and don't put the main subject or prominent feature into the centre, this is a common guideline and a good one but it isn't "set in stone", that said, more often than not, following the rule of 3rds will equate to "it just looks right".A good friend of mine mentioned that another aspect of a picture's layout which is often taken into account is the notion of keeping the corners different. This may not be possible in many cases so as with "3rds" you don't have to be a nut about it.
Hover your mouse pointer over the 1st pic at right and you'll see a 3 X 3 grid, some cameras have an option to show this grid in the viewfinder and/or on the LCD. The overall layout of a picture can be a real maker or breaker so it's important to consider this aspect carefully.
If you struggle with this, try taking the photo at a wider angle than you really want and experiment by cropping it differently until you're happy with the way it looks. Following the rule of 3rd's or different corners won't always give the best overall result, bearing mind that "best" is a very personal opinion.
Hover your mouse pointer over the 2nd pic at right and you'll see an alternate layout, this is a good example of why the layout of a photo is so important and why sticking to the rule of 3rds isn't mandatory. I prefer the boat centred because that's how it looked at the time, so to me "it just looks right".
In this case with the boat offset to the right the tow path is too prominent for my liking and I was more interested in the overall location than just the boat sitting on the canal. If you're not familiar with cropping don't panic, I'll cover it later.
Click anywhere to close
Click anywhere to close
Getting the Shot
All too often it's just not possible to take a photo when the light's just right or you can't get the right angle, the bloody subject won't stay still, etc, etc.In these cases it's best to get as good a shot as you can, even a not-so-good photo is better than none at all particularly if you're travelling and not likely to return or you'd have to wait 'till the same time/day next year! Sometimes following this advice requires you to "think outside the box" if you're going to conjour up a half decent photo and with that in mind I went for a wander down to our local creek early the other morning.
As it's Spring here there's a bit more "life" in the creek and it's surroundings than at other times. I wanted to get a shot of some of the bushland on the steep bank of the creek, no problem, I'll just find a suitable spot on the opposite bank, take a few shots and the job's done. No such luck, the area I want to photograph is a lot lower than the best spot to shoot from, I could have waded into the hip deep creek and stood slowly sinking into the mud whilst madly shooting off as many bracketed frames as possible and then tossed the camera onto the bank right before I called the Rescue Squad to come and get me out.
So what'd I do ? .... simple, if all else fails, cheat :-) I found a spot on the bank where I could look down at the water and took a photo of the reflection of the area I wanted, at home I opened the image file in irfanview, clicked vertical flip then horizontal flip and saved the file, see the result here.
Not the greatest photo I've ever taken ( understatement ) but a LOT better than no photo at all. It was virtually impossible to get the exposure right, at this time of year at 7:00am on a fine morning the Sun is blindingly bright and being at such a low angle it creates very deep shadows and equally bright highlights.
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