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ography-basics/

1.Camera Modes
Advanced Camera Modes

letter modes –

M (Manual), Manual allows the photographer to change every single

setting;

P (Programmed Auto- is similar to Auto mode –

the shutter and aperture settings are determined by the camera,

you can adjust the shooting and image-recording functions, white balance,
ISO, focusing and metering

two semi-automatic modes:

AV (Aperture-Priority)- set the aperture value and the camera automatically

sets the correct shutter speed;-selects the aperture and the camera
determines the shutter speed. Aperture Priority allows the user to control
the depth-of-field

TV or S (Shutter-Priority- choose the shutter speed first (for example when

shooting sports) and the camera automatically sets the correct aperture.
- the user sets the shutter speed and the camera determines the aperture.
Shutter Priority allows the user to control how “the action” is captured.

capture a shot fast.

AUTO MODE
PORTRAIT M
NIGHT PORTRAIT M.
MACRO M.
LANDSCAPE M.
SPORT M.

2.Metering Modes
The first thing you need to master with your camera – besides how to load the memory card – is
how to measure the light on the subject that you are photographing.
DSLRs have a built-in TTL (Through-The-Lens) light meter, which measures the ambient or
reflective light on the subject.
So you can accurately represent the image by capturing all the exciting details, colors, shadows
and textures. I’m sure by now that you’ve taken an improperly exposed photograph while
“experimenting” with your camera (who hasn’t?), and have seen the loss of image information in
the highlights.

Center-Weighted Metering
a portrait, your sleeping cat

Spot Metering Mode

This setting is ideal for when the subject is small within the frame or the lighting on background
objects competes with the main subject and you need to zero in on what has captured your eye.
Many cameras allow the user to choose which mark is the spot

Partial Metering Mode

You can think of Partial Metering as “expanded” spot metering, because the area that is
metered is specific, but not tiny (roughly 10% of the viewfinder versus 2.3% of the viewfinder for
spot metering mode). Partial metering is best used when your subject is overly backlit and you
want to get a quality exposure of the subject. Partial metering will enable correct exposure of
your subject, however the background will be over-exposed. Partial metering will enable you to
more specifically control the exposure in a particular region of the photograph.
Multi-Zone Metering Mode
(also called Matrix, Evaluative metering) is the generic default setting in which the TTL meter
uses light from all points in the frame and then the camera makes an approximation as to what’s
most important when calculating the exposure value. The effectiveness of the matrix in question
has a lot to do with the internal computer and how many matrix points are present (for example
6-point or 9-point matrix). This basic setting is the most non-discriminating and therefore is most
useful in situations where the lighting is most uniform – like a landscape – and there aren’t any
excessive highlights or dark pockets that could “trick” the sensor.

Recommended Settings
First examine the picture through the viewfinder. If it looks evenly lit, use the evaluative
metering mode. If the person or subject to be photographed has a bright light source
like the sun behind them, use center-weighted average metering mode. If your subject
is the most significant part of the picture, use spot metering mode – also referred to as
‘partial mode’. Just ensure that you aim the metering mode icon in the center of your
camera’s viewfinder- at your subject.

3.White Balance
Auto – The Auto setting helps in adjusting the white balance automatically according to
the different lighting conditions, but you can try other modes to get better results.

Tungsten – This mode is used for light under a little bulb like tungsten, and it is often
used while shooting indoors. The tungsten setting of the digital camera cools down the
color temperature in photos.

Fluorescent – This mode is used for getting brighter and warmer shots while
compensating for cool shade of fluorescent light.

Daylight – This mode is for the normal day light setting, while shooting outdoors. Many
cameras do not have the Daylight mode.

Cloudy – This mode is ideal for while shooting on a cloudy day. This is because it
warms up the subject and surroundings and allows you to capture better shots.

Flash – The flash mode is required when there is inadequate lighting available. This
mode helps pick the right White Balance under low light conditions.
Shade – A shaded location generally produces cooler or bluer pictures, hence you need
to warm up the surroundings while shooting shaded objects.

Manual White Balance

first point your camera at a pure white object, set the exposure and focus. Now, activate the
white balance on the object by pressing the button. It may take few seconds for the camera to
perceive the shot, but it will this color setting until the next white balance is performed.

4.ISO Sensitivity
ISO is actually an acronym, which stands for International Standards Organization, and the ISO
rating along with the shutter speed and aperture setting are the three elements that determine
the final exposure of the photographic image. The ISO rating, which ranges in value from 25 to
6400 (or beyond), indicates the specific light sensitivity. The lower the number, the less
sensitive to light the film stock or image sensor is. Conversely, a higher number indicates a
higher sensitivity to light, thereby allowing that film or image sensor to work better in low light
conditions.

ISO Speed vs. Motion Blur

So with the higher ISOs, you can use faster shutter speeds to eliminate motion blur and/or
camera shake. In the event that you want to use motion blur creatively, then decreasing the ISO
is simple, and you can then decrease the shutter speed (less than 1/30s) to achieve the desired
motion blur and still have smooth, noise-less images.

Image sensor size is the actual physical dimensions of the sensor, for most of the history of
digital photography the image sensor has been smaller than a 35mm film frame. On point and
shoot cameras, the sensor was quite small, and on most DSLR cameras, the image sensor has
been the size of APC film (23x15mm). Smaller image sensors produce much more digital noise
at higher ISOs (like 800) mainly because the high pixel count means that more pixels are being
packed into a smaller area, thus producing more grain at all but the lowest ISO. Currently, many
DSLR manufacturers produce image sensors the same size as a 35mm film frame (called Full
Frame). The larger Full Frame sensor allows for more and larger pixels to be packed onto the
image sensor, thus allowing for smoother, grain-free images at ISO setting of even 1600 (in
some cases). On Full Frame sensors, the larger pixels are individually more sensitive to light, so
the electronic energy required to mimic ISO 800 doesn’t create the same amount of digital noise
as with a smaller image sensor. The Full Frame cameras enable you to capture dynamic and
effective images in a variety of challenging or low light conditions without extraneous digital
noise.

5.Exposure
Understanding Exposure - ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed

ISO ratings determine the image sensor’s sensitivity to light, each value of the rating represents
a “stop” of light, and each incremental ISO number (up or down) represents a doubling or
halving of the sensor’s sensitivity to light.

The Aperture controls the lens’ diaphragm, which controls the amount of light traveling
through the lens to the film plane. The aperture setting is indicated by the f-number,
whereas each f-number represents a “stop” of light.

The Shutter Speed indicates the speed in which the curtain opens then closes, and
each shutter speed value also represents a “stop” of light. The shutter speed is
measured in fractions of a second.

When these three elements are combined, they represent a given exposure value (EV) for a
given setting. if you increase the f-stop, you decrease the size of the lens’ diaphragm thus
reducing the amount of light hitting the image sensor, but also increasing the DOF (depth of
field) in the final image. Reducing the shutter speed affects how motion is captured, in that this
can cause the background or subject to become blurry. However, reducing shutter speed
(keeping the shutter open longer) also increases the amount of light hitting the image sensor, so
everything is brighter. Increasing the ISO, allows for shooting in lower light situations, but you
increase the amount of digital noise inherent in the photo.
A lens’s aperture is the opening in the diaphragm that determines the amount of focused light
passing through the lens. At a small f-stop, say f/2, a tremendous amount of light passes
through, even at a fraction of a second; but at f/22, when the diaphragm is perhaps at its
smallest, only a tiny amount of light is let in (even at longer shutter speeds). An interesting thing
about the aperture and the f-numbers is that it doesn’t matter the focal length of the lens as long
as the f-number is held constant. This is because the arithmetical equation that determines the
f-number indicates that the same amount of light passes through the lens on a 35mm lens as on
a 100mm lens, with a shutter speed of 1/125s. The size of the diaphragm is unquestionably
different, but the amount of light passing through is the same.
Shutter speed is measured in fractions of a second, and indicates how fast the curtains at the
film plane open and close. The shutter speed controls how long light enters the lens and hits the
image sensor or film plane. The shutter speed enables you to capture the world in split seconds,
but it can also absorb the world at speeds upwards of three and four seconds (or remain
continually open up until the photographer wants to close the curtain). Snapping the shutter in a
fraction of a second, also gives you control on how motion is recorded. If the shutter speed is
faster than the object or background, then the image will be tack sharp. If the shutter speed is
slower, then you’ll get blurred objects. Think about the rain in a rainstorm, how fast is that water
falling? Well, at 1/30th the raindrops are streaks of undistinguishable white. But at 1/250th, the
raindrops hover in mid air and you can see the full swell of each water drop.
Auto Bracketing is an exposure technique whereby you can ensure that you have the optimal
exposure by taking at least three (3) exposures of the exact same composition with one at the
metered EV, one at 1/3 of a stop below the metered EV and one at 1/3 of a stop above the
metered EV. So “Auto Bracketing” is a function in which you set the EV value then release the
shutter and the camera automatically makes the necessary up and down adjustments to the EV
to give you the bracketed exposures. Then you can review the three (or more) exposures, see
the subtle but critical differences in the images, and decide which one is the best image for your
purposes. In the three images on the right, you might prefer the overexposed (by 2 stops) image
because the setting sun is most brilliant. Bracketing was a technique that was popularized from
shooting slide film, due to the limited ability to correct the image in the darkroom. Many
photographers still use the technique today, so they have the exposure that they want. Having
the three bracketed images lowers the amount of post-processing time that they might have to
spend.

Auto Exposure Lock is a camera setting in which the EV is locked in (when you’re shooting one
of the semi-automatic or fully automatic modes, i.e. Shutter-priority), so that now matter what
changes there are to the lighting in the scene, the camera locks in the ISO, Shutter and/or
Aperture settings, so you can continually achieve the same EV without having to re-meter the
scene.

6.Resolution
Pixels Per Inch or PPI.
Obviously a 12 megapixel camera is overkill for images that are going to be posted to social
network sites on the web. And a 300 dpi printer might not be adequate if you’re looking to make
Fine Art quality photo prints. Also, it’s not a “safe bet” to get as much resolution as you can
afford, because you might never truly use it and therefore your dollars can be spent better
elsewhere (like on a better lens, which you should NEVER skimp on).
Resolution can be identified by the measurement of pixels in dimensions of height and width.
For example, a camera manufacturer can describe the resolution of the camera as 3904×2598
(W x H) pixels, which again can be termed as 3904×2598=10,142,592 pixels. If this number is
divided by 1 million, the figure thus attained will come out to be 10.1 megapixels (one megapixel
is equivalent to one million pixels). Hence, the resolution of the image can also be described as
10.1 megapixels, or 10.1 MP.
A scanner is the critical link between non-digital and digital formats. Any analog image can be
turned into digital form using a scanner. The question is how sharp is that image going to be? A
scanner’s resolution is measured by a pair of numbers, such as 300×300 ppi, 600×600 ppi, or
2400×4800 ppi. To scan photo prints, you need at least 300 ppi and 600 ppi is recommended
for scanning line art documents at original size.
Computer monitors are diagonally measured in inches.This resolution is normally described in
the pair of numbers, such as 2560 x 1440. This means, the computer screen is 2560 pixels wide
and 1440 pixels tall.
The printer resolution
The resolution is measured in Dots (of ink) Per Inch or DPI
Your typical laser desktop printer has a resolution of 600 ppi, while inkjet printers can have a
resolution of 2400 dpi or higher. This is why inkjets are used for photographic printing, because
the high resolution easily allows for continuous-tone images with accurate reproduction of the
colors, the shadow and highlight detail, and the overall image detail. Inkjet printers have 4 to 10
colors, which can be used for printing (at least CMYK and up to multiple Black inks for better,
smoother, heavier Black reproduction).
If you try to enlarge an image beyond its resolution by using a high dpi printer, all you achieve
is a photo with pixels that have gotten bigger, not denser.

7 Image File Formats

the various image file formats that are available to you differ in how much actual photographic
information (this includes metadata) you wish to “store” within in each image file, and how much
is thrown away.
JPEG (which stands for Joint Photographic Expert Group)
TIFF (which stands for Tagged Image File Format) is considered the standard photographic file
format, because it is a highly flexible format that uses a lossless compression algorithm, so
there’s no image degradation during compression. This ability to store image information in a
lossless format makes a TIFF file very useful for archiving images. Unlike a JPEG, a TIFF file
may be edited and re-saved without losing any image quality. In addition, when using a third
party image processor like Adobe’s Photoshop, you retain access to the individual layers of an
edited and saved image, so you can revisit them in the future. There are two types of TIFF
configurations – 16-bit and 8-bit; 16-bit provides you with more information to manipulate the
final image in the digital darkroom (i.e. color saturation changes, color balance changes,
brightness & contrast changes, etc.), and 8-bit (best for archiving and printing), which retains all
the “work” you’ve done on the photo (the layers), but saves to a relatively smaller size. In
general, TIFF files can be quite large… easily ranging up to 48MB per image. But this added file
size allows for very large blow-ups with no digital artifacts in the print. The one downside of TIFF
is that the majority of cameras do not shoot in a dedicated TIFF file format.

Lens Basics
Shorter focal length lenses provide a wider field of view, but offer less magnification.
Conversely, longer focal lengths offer a shorter field of view, but provide greater magnification.
On DSLRs, the interchangeable lens’ focal length is measured in millimeters.
When you look upon the front end of your lens barrel, you’ll see a ratio number (1:2.8, 1:2.8-4,
1:3. The aperture determines how much light the lens transmits to the image sensor.5-5.6, etc),
which is the maximum aperture of the lens.
A lens with a low f-number (wide maximum aperture), is a better quality lens, and allows
you to do more with it. For example, such a lens is “brighter”, allowing you to take
photos in low ambient light conditions, yet still register a quality exposure. In addition
these bright lenses allow you to achieve a very shallow depth of field.

It is to be noted that any lens that is f/2.8 or lower is considered to be a professional

lens, and will have a correspondingly higher price tag.

The standard lens has a fixed focal length (50mm, 85mm, 100mm), and reproduces
fairly accurately what the human eye sees – in terms of perspective and angle of view.
For a 35mm film camera or a full-frame DSLR, the 50mm lens is considered standard.
At higher focal lengths (85mm or 100mm) you have an ideal lens for portraiture,
because when coupled with a wide aperture they thoroughly soften any background
detail, thus making it less likely to distract from the main subject.

A wide-angle has a shorter focal length (10 thru 42mm) when compared to a standard
lens. A wide-angle lens is a natural choice for capturing outdoor landscapes and group
portraits. In fact, wide angle can be the only way to capture the complete setting without
omitting any important elements in the image. In this manner, you can use wide-angle
lenses to capture a deep DOF.

Telephoto lenses (100mm – 800mm) can provide you with a narrow field of view.
These long lenses enable you to compress a distance (and compress the sense of
depth, as well) and pick out specific objects from far off. Telephoto lenses are great for
wildlife, portrait, sports, and documentary types of photography.

Zoom lenses have variable focal lengths, and are extremely useful. Some can range
between a wide-angle and a telephoto (i.e. 24 to 300mm) so you have extensive
versatility for composition. they have a limited ability to open up and allow in light. So
unless you’re prepared to outlay a lot of money, you will give up lens speed.

A fisheye lens is a specialized, wide-angle lens that provides extremely wide images
by changing straight lines into curves. It can sometimes produce circular, convex, or
oval images by distorting the perspective and creating a 180° image. The range of focal
length varies between 7~16mm in a fish-eye lens.

Macro lenses are used for close-up or “macro” photography. They range in focal
lengths of between 50-200mm.

The Tilt-Shift lens enables you to manipulate the vanishing points, so when you’re
shooting buildings you can alter the perspective of an image so the parallel lines don’t
converge, thus eliminating the distorting quality of the lens. The tilt-shift lens also
enables you to selectively focus an image; where only specific portions of the image are
in focus and out of focus within the same plane.
Focusing Basics
Understanding Depth of Field in Photography

Depth of Field (DOF)

With any DOF zone, there is a Point of Optimum focus in which the object is most
sharp.

There are two ways to describe the qualities of depth of field – shallow DOF or deep
DOF. Shallow is when the included focus range is very narrow, a few inches to several
feet. Deep is when the included range is a couple of yards to infinity. In both cases DOF
is measured in front of the focus point and behind the focus point.

DOF is determined by three factors – aperture size, distance from the lens, and the
focal length of the lens. Let’s look at how each one works.

The aperture

is the opening at the rear of the lens that determines how much light travels through the
lens and falls on the image sensor.

he size of the aperture’s opening is measured in f-stops – one of two sets of numbers
on the lens barrel (the other being the focusing distance). The f-stops work as inverse
values, such that a small f/number (say f/2.8) corresponds to a larger or wider aperture
size, which results in a shallow depth of field; conversely a large f/number (say f/16)
results in a smaller or narrower aperture size and therefore a deeper depth of field.

To achieve a deep, rich and expansive DOF, you’ll want to set the f-stop to around f/11
or higher. You may have seen this principle demonstrated when you look at photos
taken outside during the brightest time of the day. In such a case, the camera is
typically set at f/16 or higher (that Sunny 16 Rule) and the Depth of Field is quite deep –
perhaps several yards in front of and nearly to infinity beyond the exact focus point.

The aperture range identifies the widest to smallest range of lens openings, i.e. f/1.4 (on a
super-fast lens) to f/32, with incremental “stops” in between (f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16,
and f/22).
Each f-number is represents one “stop” of light, a stop is a mathematical equation (which is the
focal length of the lens divided by the diameter of the aperture opening) that determines how
much light that enters the lens regardless of the length of the lens. Such that an f/4 on a 50mm
has smaller opening than an f/4 on a 200mm, but an equivalent amount of light travels through
both lenses to reach the image sensor thus providing the same exposure. Each movement up
the range (say f/2 to f.2.8) reduces the amount of light by one-half and each movement down
the range (say f/11 to f/8) doubles the amount of light passing through the lens.
Basically, when you change the aperture size one stop, you have to shift the shutter speed one
stop in the opposite direction to maintain a consistent exposure
the distance of the subject from the lens – you can adjust the DOF by changing that
distance.
A shorter focal length lens (say 27mm) focused at 5 meters, set at f/4 has a deeper DOF
(perhaps from 3 meters in front and 20 meters behind) than a longer focal length (say 300mm),
also set at f/4 focused at 5 meters. The 300mm lens has a remarkably shallow depth of field.
Manipulation of depth of field is a good way to modify the characteristics of your photo, and
manipulating the aperture is the ideal way to do this because it has little or no effect on
composition. You simply need to change the shutter speed (or change the light sensitivity –
ISO) to compensate for the changes in the exposure from the adjustments to the f-number.

Focusing Modes
Understanding Autofocus Modes

The four primary focus modes (Continuous, Single, Automatic and Manual) give you a
tremendous amount of flexibility to capture exactly what you want.
Continuous Focusing Mode
AI Servo AF (Canon)/AF-C (Nikon) stands for Continuous Focus and this mode is most useful
for keeping moving objects sharp within the viewfinder as you track the object. As soon as you
begin to depress the shutter release, the camera goes into action and begins to focus. In
Continuous focusing mode, the camera detects the subject’s movements and refocuses
accordingly to keep the object sharp as a tack. This mode uses a lot of battery power because it
is continuously focusing and refocusing. In addition, the autofocus technology might not
accuratly predict the direction in which a chaotic, fast-moving subject is going to move… so you
might still get a blur.

One Shot Focusing Mode

Next we have One-Shot AF (Canon)/AF-S (Nikon), which represent single-focus capability. In
this mode, when you depress the shutter release halfway, the camera focuses on the subject
just once – there’s no continuous adjustment. This mode saves battery power, and is ideal for
subjects that aren’t moving. However, this mode falls short when you’re trying to capture
something that’s changing positions. So unless you’re trying to get a quick shot of a deer in the
early morning or hoping to immortalize Tony Romo getting tackled, then One Shot mode is
probably your best bet.

Automatic Autofocus Mode

The last autofocus mode is AI Focus AF (Canon)/AF-A (Nikon), which stands for Automatic
Autofocus. This is a relatively new feature which has turned out to be quite useful. In this mode
the camera’s focusing computer jumps back and forth between AF-C and AF-S (Nikon)/One-
Shot AF and AI Servo AF (Canon) depending on the situation. This is the default autofocus
mode on cameras that have this feature. You have to remember that photography can be an art,
and in art you have to go with what’s in your mind’s eye. You never know what’s going to
happen next or what’s going to catch your eye, so it’s useful to have the camera make quick
focus adjustments. This feature maintains focus if you change subjects or the subject moves.

Manual Focusing Mode

Manually focusing the camera is perhaps the most frustrating barrier between good and great
photography. Achieving perfect focus requires using the distance measurements on the lens
barrel and even perhaps measuring the distance from the lens to the subject with a tape
measure; high-end photographers shoot products this way, and so do fine art photographers
who are using medium format cameras. This will give you the most accurate focus point. What if
you can’t take a tape measure up to a subject? Well, you have to rely on your internal sense of
sharpness and know the critical focus zone that you have at the specified aperture. There is a
diopter adjustment on most DSLRs (it’s right next to the viewfinder) that lets you make minute
adjusts to the focusing capacity based upon any irregularities in your individual eyesight. You
can also use the Depth of Field preview button to help determine focus, but this is a more
advanced technique. Manual focus is important when you focus on a non-traditional subject, for
example, a subject that is in the background when the foreground is busy and dominating.

Lens Filters
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