TAKING GREAT PICTURES A Modest Introduction
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT CAMERA EQUIPMENT
WE ARE NOW LIVING THROUGH THE GOLDEN AGE OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Rapid innovation gives us much better cameras and photo software... every year! You and I can now do things that Ansel Adams couldn t even dream of. BUT... it takes a real effort to keep up with all this and take full advantage of these amazing tools.
THE REALLY CONFUSING CAMERA MARKET Hundreds of models are now available Canon alone has 47 models 35 compacts and 12 DSLRs The names make no sense... an alphanumeric jungle It s almost impossible to compare sensor sizes A key factor in image quality
SENSOR SIZE
CAMERA CATEGORIES Phone cameras Basic pocket cameras Advanced pocket cameras Advanced compact cameras Micro 4/3 cameras DSLR cameras
CATEGORIES I PREFER Phone cameras Basic pocket cameras Advanced pocket cameras Advanced compact cameras Micro 4/3 cameras DSLR cameras
KEY TRADE OFFS Phone Advanced Pocket DSLR Small & Light In Between Big & Heavy Least expensive In Between Most expensive Easiest to use In Between Most creativity Limited zoom In Between As much as needed LCD In Between Through the lens Fewest controls In Between Most controls Worst lens In Between Best lens Worst flash In Between Best flash Smaller Chip In Between Bigger Chip Least quality In Between Most quality
MY RECOMMENDATION YOU SHOULD HAVE 3 CAMERAS : ADVANCED PHONE CAMERA You ll always have it ADVANCED POCKET CAMERA Good quality in your pocket DSLR CAMERA When quality really matters
POCKET CAMERA RECOMMENDATIONS Make Model Features Price Sensor Area MP Zoom Size Apple iphone 5s f2.2 IS Dual Flash $200 17.9 8.0 4.9x2.3x.3 4.0 oz Canon SX280 HS f3.5 $250 28.1 12.1 20x 25-500 4.2x2.5x1.3 8.2 oz Canon S120 IS RAW f1.8 $450 41.5 12.1 5x 24-120 3.9x2.3x1.1 7.6 oz Sony RX100 II RAW f1.8 $750 116.2 20.2 3.6x 28-100 4.0x2.3x1.5 9.9 oz
DSLR RECOMMENDATIONS Make Model Price MP Sensor Area Body Only Weight Features Nikon D5200 $700 Body 24.1 373 1.22 lbs HD Video Self Clean Nikon D7100 $1150 Body 24.1 373 1.49 lbs HD Video Self Clean Nikon D600 $1900 Body 24.3 862 1.67 lbs HD Video Self Clean
MY PERSONAL RECOMMENDATION 3 CAMERAS : Nikon 7100, Canon S120, iphone 5s 2 CAMERAS : Nikon 7100, iphone 5s 1 CAMERA : Sony RX100 II
EQUIPMENT NEEDED Snapshooter Photographer Pro Photographer Two 4 GB Memory Cards Two 8+ GB Memory Cards Several 16+ GB Memory Cards 1 or 2 lenses with DSLR Extra lenses with DSLR Tripod Tripod & Monopod External Flash & Reflector External Flashes & Reflectors UV & Polarizer Filters More Filters USB Card Reader Computer USB Card Reader Computer USB Multi-format Card Reader Laptop & Desktop Computers Basic Photo Software Advanced Photo Software Pro Photo Software
CHOOSING LENSES : MY CONCLUSIONS Get maximum Optical Zoom (Forget Digital Zoom) Get Image Stabilization. It works great Wide angle is more important than telephoto You can always crop to get more zoom But you lose pixels with crop or digital zoom
DSLR LENS RECOMMENDATIONS Make Model Zoom 35 mm Zoom Equivalent Maximum Aperture Price Nikon AF-S DX VR 18-55 mm 27-72 mm f/3.5-5.6 $197 Nikon AF-S DX VR 55-200 mm 72-300 mm f/4-5.6 $247 Nikon AF-S DX VR II 18-200 mm 27-300 mm f/3.5-5.6 $847 Nikon AF-S DX VR 18-300 mm 27-450 mm f/3.5-5.6 $1000 Canon EF-S IS II 18-55 mm 27-72 mm f/3.5-5.6 $199 Canon EF-S IS II 55-250 mm 72-375 mm f/4-5.6 $299 Canon EF-S IS 18-200 mm 27-300 mm f/3.5-5.6 $699
UNDERSTANDING YOUR CAMERA SETTINGS
HOW DIGITAL IS DIFFERENT Film is free and rolls are huge. Shoot much more. Immediate feedback on your picture. Review and correct. Crop after the fact. Just get it all in. Correct settings later. Use auto settings more.
WHAT DIGITAL CAN T CHANGE Cluttered backgrounds Focus and depth of field The right moment for your subject
CLOCK Be sure your clock setting is accurate Synchronize clocks when using multiple cameras at an event so you can sort all pictures by time taken
QUALITY MODES Number of pixels Picture Size or Image Size Small / Medium / Large Degree of compression JPG Compression ( Basic / Normal / Fine ) RAW - No compression Best Quality : Use max pixels & least compression If files are too big, use normal compression
COLOR MODES Look for Color Mode or Picture Control Choices like Standard Natural/Neutral Vivid Cool/Landscape Warm/Portrait Choice depends on subject & personal taste Reportedly Nikon is more neutral & Canon more vivid With film, Kodachrome = warm and Extachrome = cool
EXPOSURE MODES Manual - For the purist. Not needed as much now. Aperture Priority - To control depth of field Shutter Speed Priority - To deal with motion Program - Best-all around. Simplicity + flexibility. Automatic - Most foolproof for the snapshooter
SCENE MODES Icons for Portrait, Scenery, Sports, Macro etc. Very useful for providing automatic settings that are ideal for the subject of the picture For many uses you can just alternate between Portrait and Scenery settings
MOVIE MODE Useful for movie clips to insert into slide shows Great for kids, sports, music, parades etc. Used to be low quality with pocket cameras Now HD quality with DSLRs Focusing is the biggest problem
METERING MODES Whole Scene - the best choice in most cases Center Weighted Spot - expose subject properly in high contrast light May leave background too bright or too dark
SHOOTING MODES Single Frame - The normal setting Continuous or Burst - To capture the precise moment Timer - To get in the picture yourself
FLASH MODES Automatic Red Eye Reduction Forced Flash Off - for natural, low-light shots Forced Flash On - for fill flash Slow Sync - for combined flash & natural light
FLASH QUALITY Flash pictures vary much more in quality than non-flash pictures. The built-in flash of a DSLR offers much better quality than a pocket camera due to more power and through-the-lens control. An external flash with a DSLR offers much better quality than the built-in flash due to even more power plus the ability to use bounce flash and off-camera flash. Multiple external flashes are even better. iphone 5s offers True Tone flash
ISO MODES ISO is the digital equivalent of film speed The higher the ISO the less time that is needed for a proper exposure, but the more noise that is introduced Auto allows the camera to choose the lowest ISO that gives a proper exposure Or you can set the ISO, usually between 200 and 800, but it can sometimes range from 100 to 6400+
WHITE BALANCE MODES White Balance matches your image to the color temperature of the light that exists Settings include Auto, Sunny, Cloudy, Shade, Flash, Incandescent & Fluorescent With the wrong White Balance the picture has an unnatural color cast Auto usually works fine unless there is a mixture of light or you want a special effect, such as a warmer (more red/yellow) or cooler (more blue/ green) look A pro told me he uses the cloudy setting in sunlight to get warm skin tones
LIGHT AT 7:30 AM
LIGHT AT 9:00 AM
EXPOSURE ADJUSTMENT The camera tries to choose the best exposure but sometimes you need to adjust it based on the subject and your creative intent Exposure Compensation : choose + to brighten the image and - to darken the image Bracketing : Take multiple pictures that vary the exposure up and down from the Auto setting Exposure Compensation and Bracketing are much less important now with better electronics plus software editing
THE TRADEOFFS Size vs. Quality Zoom vs. Crop Natural vs. Flash Aperture vs. Shutter Speed vs. Depth of Field
THE TRADE-OFFS Portrait Scenery Small f-stop Big f-stop Big aperture Small aperture Short shutter speed Long shutter speed Narrow depth of field Wide depth of field
THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS Backlighting Low Light Color Distortion Moving Subject Focusing The Right Moment
BACKLIGHTING OPTIONS Automatic Setting - let the camera decide Exposure Adjustment - lighten the whole image Spot Meter - properly expose the subject Fill Flash - Add artificial light on subject Reflector - Add natural light on subject
LOW LIGHT OPTIONS Use maximum aperture Use fast lens Use vibration reduction Adjust ISO setting Use tripod Use flash
COLOR OPTIONS White balance setting For realism For desired look Color Mode Saturation setting Hue setting
MOVING SUBJECT OPTIONS Camera tracking for sharp subject Camera fixed for blurred subject Autofocus setting Lens setting
FOCUSING OPTIONS Controlling depth of field Choosing auto focus mode Selecting focus point Using continuous auto focus Face detection feature
DEPTH OF FIELD Shallow Depth of Field Deep Depth of Field Aperture Bigger (Smaller f stop) Smaller (Larger f stop) Distance to subject Closer Further Lens focal length Telephoto lens Zoom in Wide angle lens Zoom out
SHALLOW DEPTH OF FIELD
SMOOTH CREAMY BOKEH
THE RIGHT MOMENT Use Burst mode For fast moving subjects For gettings smiles & avoiding blinks Use exposure and focus lock to be ready Anticipate what will happen next
REMEMBER When you adjust a setting to solve a specific problem, such as ISO, white balance, metering or camera mode, be sure to return to the normal setting afterward!
TRAINING YOUR EYE
HOW TO GET GREAT PICTURES Have a clear subject or theme. Simplify. No distractions. Focus attention on the subject. SOURCE : NEW YORK INSTITUTE OF PHOTOGRAPHY
DISTRACTION OPTIONS Remove distractions Change point of view Move subject Use shallow depth of field Control lighting Zoom in and/or crop
HOW TO FOCUS ON YOUR SUBJECT 1 Placement - rule of thirds 2 Relative size! 3 Framing 4 Converging lines 5 Selective lighting 6 Focus 7 Repetition 8 Color SOURCE : NEW YORK INSTITUTE OF PHOTOGRAPHY
PLACEMENT
RELATIVE SIZE
FRAMING
CONVERGING LINES
SELECTIVE LIGHTING
SELECTIVE LIGHTING
FOCUS
FOCUS
REPETITION
COLOR
REMEMBER Improve your composition by : Look at the total scene in the viewfinder when you compose a picture, not just the subject. Don t just put faces in the center. Look for things being chopped off around the edges.
REMEMBER Add drama to your pictures by: Looking for ways to create depth. Shooting from an unexpected angle Getting close up on your subject
CREATE DEPTH
UNUSUAL PERSPECTIVE
GETTING CLOSE
MORE INFORMATION Read your manuals and other photo books Go to www.kiawahphotoclub.com for links Come to more of our Workshops & Lectures Experiment with the lessons learned
TAKING GREAT PICTURES A Modest Introduction