Transcript Basic Principles of DSLR Photography

Photography Basics – Your Camera
Techniques to Becoming a Better Photographer
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“Since the creation
of the world God’s
invisible qualities—
His eternal power
and divine nature—
have been clearly
seen, being
understood from
what has been made,
so that men are
without excuse.”
Romans 1:20
God created the world and everything in it. It is His
masterpiece giving us a glimpse of His eternal glory,
power and majesty. For this reason I am intrigued at
capturing light that reflects His creativity.
Photography is a study, practice and art of capturing
light and displaying it as an image.
No light = No image or darkness
Camera Types
Two Common Types of Cameras
DSLR
Point & Shoot
A Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera uses a mechanical
mirror system to direct light through the lens opening to an
optical viewfinder on the back of the camera.
A Point-and-Shoot (P/S) generally provides the user with a digital
image preview on an LCD screen on the back of the camera.
Types of Photography
Action
Aerial
Animal/Pet
Architecture
Artistic
Astrophotography
Black & White
Camera Phone
Commercial
Digiscoping
Documentary
Event
HDR (High Dynamic Range)
Infrared
Large Format
Macro
Medical
Microscopic
Modeling
Nature
Night
Panoramic
People
Scenic
Sports
Travel
Underwater
Urban/Street
How to
Hold Your
Camera
How to Hold Your Camera
How you hold your digital camera is one of the key elements that
determine how sharp and in focus the photos you take are.
The most common reason for blurry images is camera shake and
the most common reason for camera shake is the fact that the
camera is not held still enough while the shutter is pressed.
Camera shake is more pronounced while taking shots at low light
conditions with slow shutter speeds when the shutter is held open
for longer periods.
How to Hold Your Camera
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Hold the camera with both hands.
Tuck your elbows into your sides.
Slightly spread your legs to improve stability.
Hold the camera close to you.
Make sure you’re not covering the lens or the flash.
Control your breathing.
Look for added support (tree, furniture, etc.)
How to Hold Your Camera
Using a monopod or tripod will also help steady your shots.
How to Hold Your Camera
Using a shutter release cable or infrared remote shutter control
with a tripod really ensures crisp photos.
The
Exposure
Triangle
The Exposure Triangle
Exposure means the
amount of light that
falls onto the sensor of
your digital camera. It
is affected by:
Shutter Speed
ISO
Aperture
ISO
ISO = International Standards Organization
ISO measures the sensitivity of the image sensor to light. If you
have a lot of light on your subject then the image sensor can be
set for 100.
The less light you have the more sensitive you need to set your
ISO. For instance, shooting at a concert, indoor sporting event, or
inside a church may require you to set your ISO higher, like 800,
where there is less light on your subject.
100
400
800
1200
1600
Aperture
Aperture is the size of the opening in the lens when a picture is
taken.
A large opening permits more light to come in.
A smaller opening permits less light to come in.
Measured in f/stops. The larger openings have smaller numbers
and the smaller openings have larger numbers.
Shutter Speed
Shutter Speed is simply the amount of
time that the shutter is open.
The longer the shutter is open then the
more light will flood in.
The less time the shutter is open then the
less light will be allowed to hit the image
sensor.
Shutter speed is measured in seconds.
Shutter Speed
A shutter speed of 1/1000s is much faster
than one set for 1/30s. And obviously 1/30s
is way faster than 30s (which is the limit
for most camera shutter speeds without
manually holding it open longer).
On sunny days, you will want faster shutter
speeds. On cloudy days or in a dark room
you will need longer shutter speeds to
allow the same amount of light to reach the
image sensor for a good exposure.
Putting It All Together
The shutter operates like your eyelid, except starting in the closed
position. The longer you keep your eyelid open the more light that
comes in.
The aperture is like your iris (the colorful part of your eye) which
controls the amount of light that comes in… expanding and
contracting depending on the amount of light needed – narrowing in
bright light and opening fully in a dark room.
Putting It All Together
The lens of the camera is similar to the lens in the eye in that it has
the job of focusing the available light onto the retina at the back of
the eye.
The retina is made up of millions of cells that are sensitive to light.
The retina takes the light the eye receives and changes it into nerve
signals so the brain can understand what the eye is seeing. The retina
is like the image sensor in the camera that sends data to the camera’s
processor (brain) so that it can translate light into an image.
Putting It All Together
The tricky part is ISO. Remember that this is a measure of sensitivity
to light. So, if you are outside and your eyes become adjusted to
bright light (ISO 100), then you walk into a dimly lit room, before
your eyes can adjust everything appears dark. Likewise, if you do not
change the ISO when you go into a dimly lit situation your images
will be under-exposed or too dark.
Putting It All Together
If you move from a dimly lit room (ISO 800) to the outside you find
yourself squinting because your eyes are overly sensitive to this new
level of light. They were previously set to ISO 800 but now need to
be re-adjusted to ISO 100. Your images will also come out overexposed or too light in this same scenario if ISO is not corrected (of
course, this being true only if the shutter speed and aperture go
unchanged).
Putting It All Together
The exposure triangle shows that each of these three (ISO, Shutter
Speed, Aperture) are interconnected. Changes to any one of these
three functions of exposure require that you (or the camera) adjust
the other two in order to capture a clear image.
The three work in harmony with each other. Except for a fully
Manual mode, if you intentionally change one element your camera
will generally automatically set the other two to the best of its ability.
Primary and Secondary Affects
Function
ISO
Primary
Affect
Sensitivity
Secondary Affect
Sharp image => Grainy image
Shutter Speed Time
Stops action => Blurs action
Aperture
Depth of field (small area or large
area in focus)
Limits light
ISO
It is important to remember that your best results will be in the
lower range, 100-400, but if you want to capture that graduation
photo or birthday party moment in places where light is limited
then you may be forced to shoot between 800-1600 ISO where
your image sensor is most
sensitive to light but the image
could look “grainy.”
1/200s, f/10.0, ISO 100
1/250s, f/1.8, ISO 800
Primary and Secondary Affects
Function
ISO
Primary
Affect
Sensitivity
Secondary Affect
Sharp image => Grainy image
Shutter Speed Time
Stops action => Blurs action
Aperture
Depth of field (small area or large
area in focus)
Limits light
Shutter Speed
Shutter speed can stop action in place for that brief moment in
time or give you a blurry image if you hold the shutter open
longer. Below is an example of a bear running at full speed. The
shutter opened and closed at 1/2000 of a second. The image
captures that split-moment in time. The silky-looking water was
achieved by setting the shutter speed for ¼ second.
1/2000s, f/6.3, ISO 1250
1/4s, f/22.0, ISO 100
Shutter Speed
Here are two more examples of how shutter speed can stop action
of blur it creatively. 1/250s is normally the speed to stop most
action. After that, if an object is in motion there will probably be
a little blur.
1/250s, f/8.0, ISO 500
15s, f/16.0, ISO 400
Primary and Secondary Affects
Function
ISO
Primary
Affect
Sensitivity
Secondary Affect
Sharp image => Grainy image
Shutter Speed Time
Stops action => Blurs action
Aperture
Depth of field (small area or large
area in focus)
Limits light
Aperture
While aperture limits the amount of light that comes into the
camera when the shutter is open, it also sets the depth-of-field or
DOF. Depth of field determines the amount of the picture that is
in focus. The lower the f-stop number, the more light that is
allowed in and the smaller the range within the photo that is in
focus. The larger the f-stop number, the more scene that is in
focus. The out-of-focus area is called “bokeh.”
1/100s, f/5.6, ISO 100
1/400s, f/13.0, ISO 400
Aperture & Focal Length
Aperture settings are not the only thing that affect bokeh. The
length of your camera lens and its relative distance to the object
being photographed will also produce similar results.
1/640s, f/10.0, ISO 400, 250mm
Common Photo Zones
Common BASIC Zones
BASIC ZONE
Fully Automatic
The camera has complete control over exposure, including shutter
speed, ISO, aperture, white balance and flash. This is point-andshoot mode. It will produce decent photos 80% of the time.
Common BASIC Zones
BASIC ZONE
Fully Automatic
The camera has complete
control over exposure,
including shutter speed, ISO,
aperture, white balance and
flash. This is point-and-shoot
mode.
Common BASIC Zones
BASIC ZONE
Portrait
The aperture is kept as large as possible (small F-number) to
produce a shallow Depth of Field where the subject is in focus
but the background is blurred.
Common BASIC Zones
BASIC ZONE
Portrait
The aperture is kept as large as
possible (small F-number) to
produce a shallow Depth of
Field where the subject is in
focus but the background is
blurred.
Common BASIC Zones
BASIC ZONE
Landscape
The aperture is kept as small as possible (large F-number) for the
largest Depth of Field so that the entire picture is in focus from
close up to far away. Your flash will not work in this mode.
Common BASIC Zones
BASIC ZONE
Landscape
The aperture is kept as small as possible (large F-number) for the
largest Depth of Field so that the entire picture is in focus from
close up to far away. Your flash will not work in this mode.
Common BASIC Zones
BASIC ZONE
Close-up (Macro)
The aperture is kept to a medium setting to ensure the Depth of
Field is deep enough to keep the subject in focus yet still keep the
background blurred.
Common BASIC Zones
BASIC ZONE
Close-up (Macro)
The aperture is kept to a
medium setting to ensure the
subject Depth of Field is deep
enough to keep the subject in
focus yet still keep the
background blurred.
Common BASIC Zones
BASIC ZONE
Sports
Shutter speed is kept as high as possible to ensure stop-action
capture of fast moving objects. The camera may permit you to
hold down the shutter button for rapid-fire photos.
Common BASIC Zones
BASIC ZONE
Sports
Shutter speed is kept as high as possible to ensure stop-action
capture of fast moving objects. The camera may permit you to
hold down the shutter button for rapid-fire photos.
Common BASIC Zones
BASIC ZONE
Night Scene
Allows for slow shutter speeds combined with flash to illuminate
foreground and background.
Common BASIC Zones
BASIC ZONE
Night Scene
Allows for slow shutter
speeds combined with
flash to illuminate
foreground and
background.
Common BASIC Zones
BASIC ZONE
Flash Off
Disables internal and external flash units for taking automatic
slow exposures.
Common BASIC Zones
BASIC ZONE
Flash Off
Disables internal and external
flash units for taking automatic
slow exposures.
Common CREATIVE Zones
CREATIVE ZONE
Program
Very similar to FULLY AUTOMATIC mode, but you can set the
ISO, and adjust the shutter speed/aperture proportionally by
turning the main dial. (If you slow down shutter speed [allowing for
more light] then the aperture number (F-stop) will be automatically
adjusted up [for less light] and vice versa.)
Common CREATIVE Zones
CREATIVE ZONE
Shutter Priority
In this mode you select the shutter speed and the camera will
automatically calculate and set the aperture. In some cameras you
can adjust from 1/8000s to 30 seconds in 1/3 or 1/2 steps. This
may vary with each camera model.
Common CREATIVE Zones
CREATIVE ZONE
Shutter Priority
In this mode you select the shutter speed and the camera will
automatically calculate and set the aperture. In some cameras you
can adjust from 1/8000s to 30 seconds in 1/3 or 1/2 steps. This
may vary with each camera model.
Common CREATIVE Zones
CREATIVE ZONE
Aperture Priority
In this mode you select the aperture and the camera will
automatically calculate and set the shutter speed. The range of
apertures available will depend on the lens used, but will usually
adjust in 1/3 or 1/2 steps.
Common CREATIVE Zones
CREATIVE ZONE
Aperture Priority
1/6s, f/32.0, ISO 160
In this mode you select the
aperture and the camera will
automatically calculate and set
the shutter speed. The range of
apertures available will depend
on the lens used.
Common CREATIVE Zones
CREATIVE ZONE
Aperture Priority
1/400s, f/5.6, ISO 400
In this mode you select the
aperture and the camera will
automatically calculate and set
the shutter speed. The range of
apertures available will depend
on the lens used.
Common CREATIVE Zones
Natural Light Settings
CREATIVE ZONE
f/16 – bright sunny days
Aperture Priority
f/11 – overcast / some sun
f/8 – overcast / no shadows
f/5.6 – completely overcast or
twilight
The Golden Hours
1 hour after sunrise, and
1 hour before sunset
In this mode you select the
aperture and the camera will
automatically calculate and set
the shutter speed. The range of
apertures available will depend
on the lens used.
Common CREATIVE Zones
CREATIVE ZONE
Full Manual
In this mode you select the aperture and shutter speed. This mode
requires a very good understanding of how the two work
together, but offers a great deal more options for creative
photography.
Common CREATIVE Zones
CREATIVE ZONE
Full Manual
1/20s, f/10.0, ISO:100, manual focus
In this mode you select
the aperture and shutter
speed.
Common CREATIVE Zones
CREATIVE ZONE
Automatic Depth of
Field
In this mode the camera automatically controls the depth of field
through the aperture to ensure that all the subjects covered by the
focus points, close and far away, remain sharply defined.
Common CREATIVE Zones
CREATIVE ZONE
Automatic Depth of
Field
In this mode the camera automatically controls the depth of field
through the aperture to ensure that all the subjects covered by the
focus points, close and far away, remain sharply defined.
White Balance
White Balance
Light may appear invisible to human beings but it is composed of
a rainbow of colors – literally. You see this when light is refracted
through raindrops or a prism. Your photograph will be influenced
by the type of light that is present.
Cool colors in PM
Warm colors in AM
White Balance
When taking pictures inside, flourescent lights put off a color that
is misinterpreted by your camera and can be corrected in postprocessing, but you can also set your camera’s white balance to
adjust for these and other conditions before snapping your photo.
Before
After
White Balance
Most DSLR cameras have the following settings to correct for
white balance. There is also a custom white balance setting where
you can set the temperature in Kelvin degrees.
Note: At best, your camera wants
you to take an average picture.
Image Size and
Quality
Image Size and Quality
You can choose the size, type and quality of the images that will
be captured.
* JPG or RAW formats
* Small, Medium or Large sizes
* More pixels of less pixels
For most people, JPEG files are fine
for printing in sizes ranging from
wallets to 8”x10”.
RAW files contain way more data and take up more space on
your memory card and hard drive, but offer more options during
post-processing in the event your photo was too dark or the white
balance was off or you want to create very large poster-size
images.
Focal Points and
Metering
Metering
Focal points help you choose the subject(s) that you want to be in
focus.
Using Evaluative Metering, a
camera will use the light from the
entire scene to calculate exposure.
Using Center Weighted Metering,
the camera still uses light from the
entire scene but with greater
emphasis placed toward the center.
Spot Metering determines the
correct exposure based on the one
point that appears at the center of the
screen.
Focal Points and Metering
Focal points help you choose the subject or subjects that you
want to be in focus.
Focal Points
Focal points help you choose the subject or subjects that you
want to be in focus.
Lenses and Filters
Choose lens and filters based on the type of photography that you
enjoy. Purchasing one of every kind can be expensive!
Types of Lenses
The Standard lens for a camera is 50mm. Great for portraits.
Under 50mm and a lens is considered to be Wide Angled. This
lens is great for landscapes.
Telephoto lenses are greater than 50mm and are for bringing far
away objects up close. Great for wildlife photos.
Zoom lenses let you change the focal
length from a wide angled view to a
telephoto view.
Macro lenses let you get
very close to an object.
Types of Filters
UV – absorbs ultraviolet rays, gives cleaner picture with less
haze, and serves as a permanent lens protector.
Polarizer – essential for outdoor photography on sunny days. It
deeps blue skies and reduces glare.
Neutral Density – reduces the amount of light without affecting
color. Great for longer exposures (like waterfalls).
Close-up – magnifies your subject
(the cheaper way to do macro)
Others – soft screen, star effects,
infrared, colored, fluorescent
Questions