Simply taking snapshots is just the tip of the iceberg; there are so many wonderful technical and artistic aspects to photography, enough to last an entire lifetime. Indeed many who develop an interest in photography will find it grows in to a passion that will truly last as long as they live. Photography is an art, a magic, a science, a result of which there are of course many different facets to photography. For the sake of simplicity these can be broadly grouped in to three categories. All photographers will themselves a mix of these but will usually lean more in one of these directions. Technical: The science of photography, the hows and whys of light, the camera and the subject. Technical photographers are often like scientists; meticulously experimenting with what can be achieved Creative: The art of photography; possessed of a love of composition and armed with the photographers eye these individuals often live in the moment catching the right image on instinct Equipment: There are many out there who act as collectors of interesting photographic equipment. Over the history of photography there have been a great number of fascinating cameras and there are always new innovations being made every year Whatever your interest, whatever your aims in photography this course will provide you with the groundwork you will need to go out there and capture whatever you want. By the end you will have a solid understanding of fundamental photographic techniques, as well as a number of useful creative techniques for creating eye catching photos that stand out from the crowd.
Types of camera There are several different kinds of camera found on the market today. What kind you choose depends on budget and what you want to achieve with your photos. SLR The higher end of the hobbyist spectrum, the SLR offers the greastest creative freedom and versatility due to its interchangeable lenses. SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex, the system by which the viewfinder works. This is explained in greater detail on the next page SLRs are available in both digital and 35mm film formats. Film SLRs are much cheaper but over time the running cost of buying film makes it more expensive. Digital SLRs have a very high initial cost but potentially zero running costs. PRO: Versatile, More Creative Control, CON: Bulky, Expensive, Complex Bridge Camera As the name suggests these cameras bridge the gap between Compact and SLR. Bridge cameras offer manual control allowing for greater freedom than most compacts however they have a noninterchangeable fixed zoom lens. To make up for this most have a digital zoom however don t be fooled: this is actually just a cropped, forcibly enlarged version of the optical image. PRO: Cheaper than a SLR, More versatile than a Compact CON: Not as portable as a Compact, Not as versatile as SLR Compact Camera The classic point and shoot camera, the compact makes up the majority of the photography market. Designed to be taken anywhere these cameras are lightweight and very easy to use, literally being a case of pointing it at the subject and letting the camera do the rest. In recent years compact cameras have advanced by leaps and bounds with some specs to rival SLRs. While most continue to be point and shoot an increasing number are offering manual control. PRO: Relatively cheap, convenient and easy to use CON: Limited creative freedom. Designed for point & shoot Tutor s Tips Film SLRs are an excellent gateway in to photography. Offering all the versatility of a DSLR but due to their age and falling out of favour they can be purchased fully functional on ebay or in charity shops for the price of a restaurant dinner. Many places such as Jessops still offer developing, or alternatively we offer a course in film shooting & developing where you can learn the skills to to develop & scan your film from the comfort of your home.
HOW THE CAMERA WORKS For the examples below we are using a film SLR, however it must be noted that these same principles work on every camera with only minor variations. The sensor is light sensative; when hit by reflected light from objects the camera records the intensity and colour of the light and records a digital image from these values. Setting have to be used to allow in the correct amount of light: too much of too little will produce no image. This is called exposure. The first diagram shows the various components of the camera. Note the position of the sensor/film in relation to the shutter and mirror. Below we see how an exposure is obatained Before: The light is reflected by the mirror to the viewfinder, allowing the photographer to see exactly what is being captured. No light reaches the sensor at the time After: The mirror flips up and the light travels straight to the shutter covering the sensor. This shutter opens for a predermined timeto allow light to expose on the sensor.
EXPOSURE MODE DIAL The exposure mode dial is perhaps the most important thing to look at for any photographer looking to get the most out of their camera. This dial controls how many camera settings the photographer has access to. These can be broken down in to 3 categories: Fully Automatic: The camera has full control over the vast majority of camera settings Semi Automatic: The photographer has control over selected settings (e.g shutter speed, aperture) but the camera still controls the exposure. Manual: The photographer has full control over all settings. Below I have detailed some of the most common settings and when you might use them. FULLY AUTOMATIC Green Mode/Full Auto: In the full auto made the camera is only concerned with producing an exposure: it doesn t care about the creative settings. As a result the flash will often fire in auto mode regardless of how dark the environment is. Flash can be problematic so this is best avoided. Scene Modes: A step up from fully auto, these settings allow the photographer to select the type of subject infront of them. The problem is these modes fail to capture the huge variety of subjects, and types of photos of said subjects, that the camera can provide. SEMI AUTOMATIC Program Auto: The simplest of the semi-automatic modes, the camera still controls the exposure settings but the photographer has access to many other useful settings such as white balance, focus, drive mode, ISO and a great many more. Settings programmed in P mode will carry over to shutter/aperture priority. Shutter Priority: Gives the photographer full control over the shutter speed, one of the three key exposure settings. Shutter priority is best used when photographing moving subjects, as your choice of shutter speed will effect how the image turns out. Aperture Priority: Gives the photographer full control of the aperture, one of the three key exposure settings. Aperture priority is best used when distance is an issue, whether blurring out the background in a portrait or ensuring that a landscape stays sharp. MANUAL Manual Mode: In manual mode the photographer has full control over all camera settings. This unleashes the full creative poential of the camera but comes as a cost: the photographer is responsible for all settings, so an error in any one of these can produce a flawed image or possibly even no image at all. Manual is something to aspire to, however it is not recommended to attempt to use it until you are fully versed in the features of your camera.
FOCUS POINT The focus point is where the shot begins: When we half press the button the camera s autofocus responds and picks an area to focus on. This happens so automatically we may not even think about it, we just hear the beep and see the red dot appear. However this is an essential part of your photograph, and incorrect focus is one of the most common errors people face when starting out in photography. The focal point is a key part of selecting what part of your image is in focus so we must ensure it is correct. Half Press your shutter The focal point appears as a red dot in the viewfinder. Set your focal point to the centre. (see manual for instructions) This ensures any time we half-press the shutter, the object in the centre is focused on. So long as you always point your camera straight at your subject this will keep it in focus Sometimes we may want to have our subject off-centre, so we need a new technique to do this. Once you have focused on the subject in the centre, do the following: Engage the focus lock. Half press and hold the shutter. While still half pressing the shutter turn your camera. Be careful not to lift your finger Fully press the shutter to take the picture The focus lock will hold your subject in focus even as you move the camera, allowing you to recompose your shot
DRIVE MODE Now that our subject is in focus we want to take the picture. When we fully press the shutter a variety of different things can happen: This is controlled by the drive or release mode in your camera. When you open the drive mode menu you should find several symbols greeting you. NOTE: In some cameras the drive mode is a switch on the body rather than a menu SINGLE FRAME The default mode for your camera. Every time you press the shutter it takes a single picture. This grants you the maximum control over every picture you take CONTINUOUS SHOOTING In continuous mode the camera continues taking pictures for as long as the shutter remains held down. How quickly this happens is referred to as the FPS, or frames per second. SELF TIMER This creates a slight delay between the shutter being pressed and the picture being taken. This delay can vary between 2-12 seconds. A common use for the self timer is to avoid shake caused by pressing the shutter when using a tripod REMOTE CONTROL NOTE: Not all cameras will have this feature If your camera possesses an infrared receiver then you can trigger the camera remotely using an infrared trigger. Useful for completely hands free photography
COMMON CAMERA SETTINGS White Balance: Your camera doesn t see colour the same way that you do. While our brains can filter out the many different colours of light sources that exist in the world, your camera will only do this if set up correctly. Incorrect use of white balance can lead to strangely-coloured images as seen below. This can be used creatively to tone your images, but the easiest method is to let the camera correct the colours for you. Locate the WB or White Balance option on your camera and open the menu. Once there you will have several preset options: the one you are looking for is labelled AWB or Auto White Balance. Selecting this will allow the camera to set the white balance for you every time. Exposure Compensation In any semi or fully automatic mode the camera is responsible for selecting the exposure, i.e. letting in the correct amount of light to produce a good picture. In most situations this works well, but there are many situations in which the camera will struggle (e.g sunsets). In these cases we can compensate for the exposure errors. Locate the camera s EV/Exposure compensation button (see left) and press it to open the menu. Once there you will be faced with a grid (see below). At 0 the camera is trusting its own settings. As you change to -1, -2 etc you tell the camera to make the image darker. +1, +2 etc will make the image brighter.
FOCAL LENGTH The focal length of a lens is the term used to describe the angle of view a lens offers. This measurement is given in mm and is always found on the front or side of the lens. There are three common terms used to describe how focal length, these are provided below with their mm range. Another thing to keep in mind when considering focal length is the effect that altering the focal length has on the perception of size and distance within the frame. The images below show the same image taken at varying focal lengths. Standard: Our natural view of the world. No distortion distance Telephoto: Compresses distance Wide angle: Exaggerates distance and distorts size. Standard (50mm) Telephoto (300mm) Wide Angle (18mm)
ISO ISO is your camera s sensitivity to light. Changing your ISO settings changes how much light your camera requires to produce an image. A lower ISO (e.g 100) will require more light, whereas a higher ISO (e.g 3200) will require less light. This is particularly useful in lower light situations, such as shootings indoors or at night. We can change the ISO to suit our environment, ensuring we have a useable exposure. Incorrect use of ISO can result in pictures that are completely underexposed (black) or overexposed (white). I have summarised a few useful situations below and where you might want to use certain ISO settings. ISO 100-200: Outdoors on a sunny day ISO 400-800: Outdoors on an overcast day ISO 1600-3200: Indoors in a bright room ISO 6400+: Indoors in a poorly lit room Tutor s Tips ISO is the least creative of the three exposure settings, so if noise is not a concern (See below) it can be set to automatic with minimal issue. This may change as you advance in your photographic ability. All cameras will have an auto ISO feature, normally found in the ISO menu. If you cannot find this consult your manual. NOISE As you change your ISO settings you may notice a slight change in the quality of your images. A grainy texture will appear more as your ISO gets higher. In the days of film this was known as film grain, but in the digital age it is known as noise. Close up at ISO 100. Low noise The higher your ISO the more obvious noise will become. To find noise you normally have to zoom in on the image however and at your cameras maximum ISO it should be quite obvious. At a hobbyist level noise is not much of an issue unless you do either of the following: Edit your photos (e.g using Photoshop, Picasa, Lightroom etc) Print your photos at a large size (A4 and above) Close up at ISO 6400. High noise If you do either of these it can be advisable to avoid your camera s highest ISO settings.
SHUTTER SPEED The shutter speed controls the length of time it takes for the camera to take a photo. In order to control the shutter speed your camera must be set on Shutter Priority, labelled as S/TV on the camera s mode dial. On most SLR cameras this can be set anywhere between 1/4000s and 30 seconds. The wide range of settings make shutter speed the most versatile of the 3 exposure settings. Your choice of shutter speed can have a dramatic creative impact on your images. Below are a few common examples of things to watch out for. Camera Shake: The camera records any movement that occurs while the shutter is open: this includes the movement of the camera itself. If you camera is mounted on a tripod then your shots will look fine, however when hand holding the camera even the slightest movement can produce camera shake. Camera shake ruins photos as it causes blur across the entire image. To avoid camera shake reduce the length of time you need to hold the camera steady by changing your shutter speed. A shutter speed of 1/60s or shorter should be fine for most basic images. Motion Blur: Blur can also be used creatively to show motion in an image. Anybody looking at an image and seeing blur will know it is the result of movement. Blur occurs whenever anything moves while the shutter is open, so varying the shutter speed will change the way a subject looks in the final image. This can be used for a wide variety of creative purposes, even on the same subject. Case Study - The Waterfall Waterfalls are perfect for experimenting with shutter speed as the water is constantly moving in a regular way. By adjusting the shutter speed we can completely alter the way the water appears. Short Shutter (e.g 1/1000th second): Using a very short shutter speed can result in eliminating all blur even in the fastest moving subjects. This technique, known as freezing the moment, captures the subject in sharp detail. Notice how you can see every droplet of water in the top image. Long Shutter (e.g 2 seconds): Using a long shutter speed gives the subject plenty of time to move, even up to several seconds. Subjects blur as they move, and longer shutter speeds will produce even more blur. Notice how all the water blurs together to produce this smooth, smoky effect. This is very popular in landscape photography.
APERTURE An aperture is the size of the opening in the lens, commonly referred to as the F-number of F-Stop. When in aperture priority mode, labelled as Av or A, you can control this setting. It is important to be aware that the aperture is a fraction. At this stage it is easier to consider it as the fraction of the lens letting in light. E.g F4 = 1/4 of the lens, F16 = 1/16 Depth of Field We ll all have seen photos where the subject is in focus and the background is out of focus: this is most commonly achieved using the aperture. The aperture controls what is known as depth of field: the amount of the picture that is in focus. The subject itself will likely be in focus (see focussing above) however we can decide where viewers will look in the final photo by deciding what they can see. The examples below show how different apertures can produce a noticable change in the area in focus. Shallow depth of field Less in focus - Wider Aperture (e.g F4) Wide depth of field More in focus - Narrower Aperture (e.g F16) Aperture can often be confusing, so the chart below has been created to hopefully serve as a reference guide and clarify some of the common issues.
COMPOSITIONAL RULES RULE OF THIRDS Perhaps the simplest yet most beneficial of compositional rules, the rule of thirds is the most important rule to remember. The grid can be found in all SLRs, usually in the viewfinder. In the case of live view cameras there will be a digital grid overview option in the settings. Placing important aspects of the composition along the lines found on the grid will provide a stronger picture. Placing an object at a crossing point of two lines will strengthen an image even further. For individual portriats and in landscape photography it is often a good idea to try and have your subject placed at one of these crossing points. CLEANER COMPOSITION In every image you should have a clear idea of what your subject is. Any elements that support the subject or interact with it should be included: anything else should be excluded if at all possible. As you frame the image think to yourself: what doesn t need to be there. Then consider ways you can keep them out the shot Eg. Hide it behind the subject Move round the subject to a clearer background Wait for the distraction to pass
FILL THE FRAME One of the most common errors in composition is the amount of the frame taken up by the subject. Your subject should fill as much of the frame as possible so that only what you want to see is in the photo and you crop out unneccessary surroundings. Zoom lenses make this process even easier as you can adjust the focal length until the framing is perfect. Without a zoom you can walk back and forward until this framing is correct. As a last resort the image can be cropped in computer afterwards NEGATIVE SPACE Not every picture needs to be filled: many subjects such as landscape and portraiture benefit from offering a little breathing room to the image. Negative space leaves part of the image empty, creating a very calm style of photo. When considering negative space ensure the area is clear or out of focus: a busy area will just serve as a distraction. Blue skies, plain walls and other neautral subjects serve well. LINES & FOREGROUND INTEREST When studying an image western observers look in the style of reading: left to right. You can strengthen a composition by having the lines of the image guide the observor through the image. Find natural lines: paths, hills, clouds, streets etc Diagonal lines make for more dynamic images, horizontal lines for more static image You can also guide the observor by having an article of interest in the foreground: eg a rock on the edge of a lake
ISO NOISE APPEARENCE: The picture appears grainy and unclear CAUSE: Noise is caused by sensor distortion when the ISO is set too high SOLUTION: Lower the ISO APERTURE INADEQUATE DEPTH OF FIELD APPEARENCE: Only part of the subject is in focus CAUSE: The aperture is too wide, creating too narrow a depth of field SOLUTION: Narrow the aperture to increase the depth of field. Alternatively you can move further away from the subject as this will increase the DoF (NOTE: different lenses can also effect this) FOCUS ERROR APPEARENCE: The subject is out of focus but the background is CAUSE: The focus point has been set on the background and there is not enough depth of field to reach the subject SOLUTION: There are 2 solutions to this 1) Adjust the focus to the focal point is the subject 2) Narrow the aperture to allow for a larger depth of field
OVER EXPOSURE APPEARENCE: Colours are washed out and the brightest points of the image have lost all details and turned purely white CAUSE: Too much light SOLUTION: Reduce the exposure by Narrowing the aperture Reducing ISO Sensativity Shorter Shutter duration UNDER EXPOSURE APPEARENCE: Underexposed image: The image is too dark, with much of the shadows being purely black and the rest of the image harder to see CAUSE: Not enough light SOLUTION: Increase the exposure by Opening the aperture Increasing ISO Sensativity Longer Shutter duration SHUTTER SPEED CAMERA SHAKE APPEARENCE: On close inspection subject has slight blurring around the edges CAUSE: The natural shaking of the photographers hand causes the image to shake during longer exposures. SOLUTION: Keep to shorter exposure. The following guide will allow you to know the limites of exposure to aviod camera shake Shutter speed > Focal length MOTION BLUR APPEARENCE: Objects appear as blurs or ghosts within the image CAUSE: The object is moving faster than the shutter speed, SOLUTION: Keep to shorter exposure. The shutter speed required depends on the speed of the object, and its distance from the photographer. For example: Human running: 1/125s Car driving: 1/500s Droplet of water: 1/4000s
FINAL NOTES These notes should serve as a guide for everything that was covered over the half day course. That said here is no better learning tool than practice: many of the concepts of this course are difficult to understand in theory but through trial and error you will find they come to be second nature very quickly, allowing you to focus your attention away from the How of taking pictures to What you want to focus on. Despite the wealth of knowledge presented over these four hours the topics covered are barely scratching the surface of the wonder that is photography. Whatever your interests there will be many fascinating photographic possabilities related to them. The technicalities of light and cameras, the artistic potential of new genres and areas of interest and the endless array of new equipment being produced all result in a near endless well of possabilities for what you can achieve Photography can also be a social experience and with the popularity of photography it s very easy to find communities who will share your interests and with whom you can exchange ideas. Below are a few suggestions of these: Camera clubs: Most cities and large towns will have one of more of these institutions. Engaging in regular meetings they offer lectures, competitions and an enjoyable social atmosphere Online forums: Nearly endless in number it takes only a quick google search to find these. Facebook also offers a huge range of photography groups. Try narrowing down to your area of interest, location, camera manufacturer or other common ground. Portfolio Websites: A place to upload your favourite images and show them off to the world, most of these sites also offer community and feedback aspects. Some examples of these sites are: Flickr, DeviantArt, Smugmug, Model Mayhem Also be sure to keep in mind that the end of the course doesn t mean your chances to learn are over. If you are stuck on any matters and want advice or just want feedback on your images then please feel free to get in touch and I ll be happy to help out. You can reach me on the e-mail address at the bottom of the page. For those thirsting for more in depth knowledge, offers a wide range of additional courses. Our course progression system creates a guided path from beginner to expert photographer. For full details of all our courses please visit the website. Next Classroom Course Intro to photography A 4 week course teaching techniques in composition & camera settings. Next Practical Course Walking Course - Day A chance to learn and experiment while photographing local landmarks Thanks to all who attended, I hope you have enjoyed the course. - Stuart Dreghorn