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Photography
1st Edition
By Shuvo
Photography
Photography is the process, activity and art of creating still or moving pictures by
recording radiation on a radiation-sensitive medium, such as a photographic film, or an
electronic sensor. Light patterns reflected or
emitted from objects activate a sensitive chemical
or electronic sensor during a timed exposure,
usually through a photographic lens in a device
known as a camera that also stores the resulting
information chemically or electronically.
Photography has many uses for business, science,
art, and pleasure.
A historic
camera: the
Contax S of 1949
the first
pentaprism SLR.
Nikon F of 1959
the first 35mm film system camera.
The word "photograph" was coined in 1839 by Sir John Herschel and is based on the
Greek (photos) "light" and (graph) "representation by means of lines" or
"drawing", together meaning "drawing with light".[1] Traditionally, the products of
photography have been called negatives and photographs, commonly shortened to
photos.
Function
The camera or camera obscura is the image-forming device, and photographic film or a
silicon electronic image sensor is the sensing medium. The respective recording medium
can be the film itself, or a digital electronic or magnetic memory.
Photographers control the camera and lens to "expose" the light recording material (such
as film) to the required amount of light to form a "latent image" (on film) or "raw file" (in
digital cameras) which, after appropriate processing, is converted to a usable image.
Digital cameras use an electronic image sensor based on light-sensitive electronics such
as charge-coupled device (CCD) or complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS)
technology. The resulting digital image is stored electronically, but can be reproduced on
paper or film.
The movie camera is a type of photographic camera which takes a rapid sequence of
photographs on strips of film. In contrast to a still camera, which captures a single
snapshot at a time, the movie camera takes a series of images, each called a "frame". This
is accomplished through an intermittent mechanism. The frames are later played back in a
movie projector at a specific speed, called the "frame rate" (number of frames per
second). While viewing, a person's eyes and brain merge the separate pictures together to
create the illusion of motion.
In all but certain specialized cameras, the process of obtaining a usable exposure must
involve the use, manually or automatically, of a few controls to ensure the photograph is
clear, sharp and well illuminated. The controls usually include but are not limited to the
following:
Control Description
Focus The adjustment to place the sharpest focus where it is desired on the subject.
Adjustment of the lens opening, measured as f-number, which controls the
amount of light passing through the lens. Aperture also has an effect on
depth of field and diffraction the higher the f-number, the smaller the
Aperture
opening, the less light, the greater the depth of field, and the more the
diffraction blur. The focal length divided by the f-number gives the effective
aperture diameter.
Adjustment of the speed (often expressed either as fractions of seconds or as
an angle, with mechanical shutters) of the shutter to control the amount of
time during which the imaging medium is exposed to light for each
Shutter
exposure. Shutter speed may be used to control the amount of light striking
speed
the image plane; 'faster' shutter speeds (that is, those of shorter duration)
decrease both the amount of light and the amount of image blurring from
motion of the subject and/or camera.
On digital cameras, electronic compensation for the color temperature
White
associated with a given set of lighting conditions, ensuring that white light is
balance
registered as such on the imaging chip and therefore that the colors in the
Many other elements of the imaging device itself may have a pronounced effect on the
quality and/or aesthetic effect of a given photograph; among them are:
Focal length and type of lens (telephoto or "long" lens, macro, wide angle,
fisheye, or zoom)
Filters placed between the subject and the light recording material, either in front
of or behind the lens
Inherent sensitivity of the medium to light intensity and color/wavelengths.
The nature of the light recording material, for example its resolution as
measured in pixels or grains of silver halide.
Camera controls are inter-related. The total amount of light reaching the film plane (the
"exposure") changes with the duration of exposure, aperture of the lens, and on the
effective focal length of the lens (which in variable focal length lenses, can force a
change in aperture as the lens is zoomed). Changing any of these controls can alter the
exposure. Many cameras may be set to adjust most or all of these controls automatically.
This automatic functionality is useful for occasional photographers in many situations.
The duration of an exposure is referred to as shutter speed, often even in cameras that
don't have a physical shutter, and is typically measured in fractions of a second. Aperture
is expressed by an f-number or f-stop (derived from focal ratio), which is proportional to
the ratio of the focal length to the diameter of the aperture. If the f-number is decreased
by a factor of , the aperture diameter is increased by the same factor, and its area is
increased by a factor of 2. The f-stops that might be found on a typical lens include 2.8, 4,
5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32, where going up "one stop" (using lower f-stop numbers) doubles
the amount of light reaching the film, and stopping down one stop halves the amount of
light.
Image capture can be achieved through various combinations of shutter speed, aperture,
and film or sensor speed. Different (but related) settings of aperture and shutter speed
enable photographs to be taken under various conditions of film or sensor speed, lighting
and motion of subjects and/or camera, and desired depth of field. A slower speed film
will exhibit less "grain", and a slower speed setting on an electronic sensor will exhibit
less "noise", while higher film and sensor speeds allow for a faster shutter speed, which
reduces motion blur or allows the use of a smaller aperture to increase the depth of field.
For example, a wider aperture is used for lower light and a lower aperture for more light.
If a subject is in motion, then a high shutter speed may be needed. A tripod can also be
helpful in that it enables a slower shutter speed to be used.
Image capture is only part of the image forming process. Regardless of material, some
process must be employed to render the latent image captured by the camera into a
viewable image. With slide film, the developed film is just mounted for projection. Print
film requires the developed film negative to be printed onto photographic paper or
transparency. Digital images may be uploaded to an image server (e.g., a photo-sharing
web site), viewed on a television, or transferred to a computer or digital photo frame.
Prior to the rendering of a viewable image, modifications can be made using several
controls. Many of these controls are similar to controls during image capture, while some
are exclusive to the rendering process. Most printing controls have equivalent digital
concepts, but some create different effects. For example, dodging and burning controls
are different between digital and film processes. Other printing modifications include:
Uses
Photography gained the interest of many scientists and artists from its inception.
Scientists have used photography to record and study movements, such as Eadweard
Muybridge's study of human and animal locomotion in 1887. Artists are equally
interested by these aspects but also try to explore avenues other than the photo-
mechanical representation of reality, such as the pictorialist movement. Military, police,
and security forces use photography for surveillance, recognition and data storage.
Photography is used by amateurs to preserve memories of favorite times, to capture
special moments, to tell stories, to send messages, and as a source of entertainment.
History
Photography is the result of combining several technical discoveries. Long before the
first photographs were made, Chinese philosopher Mo Di described a pinhole camera in
the 5th century B.C.E., Byzantine mathematician Anthemius of Tralles used a type of
camera obscura in his experiments, Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen) (9651040) studied the
camera obscura and pinhole camera, Albertus Magnus (11931280) discovered silver
nitrate, and Georges Fabricius (15161571) discovered silver chloride.[citation needed] Daniel
Barbaro described a diaphragm in 1568.[citation needed] Wilhelm Homberg described how
light darkened some chemicals (photochemical effect) in 1694.[citation needed] The fiction
book Giphantie, published in 1760, by French author Tiphaigne de la Roche, described
what can be interpreted as photography.
Invented in the first decades of the nineteenth century, photography (by way of the
camera) seemed able to capture more detail and information than traditional mediums,
such as painting and sculpting. Photography as a usable process goes back to the 1820s
with the development of chemical photography. The first permanent photoetching was an
image produced in 1822 by the French inventor Nicphore Nipce, but it was destroyed
by a later attempt to duplicate it. Nipce was successful again in 1825. He made the first
permanent photograph from nature with a camera obscura in 1826. However, because his
photographs took so long to expose (8 hours), he sought to find a new process. Working
in conjunction with Louis Daguerre, they experimented with silver compounds based on
a Johann Heinrich Schultz discovery in 1724 that a silver and chalk mixture darkens
when exposed to light. Nipce died in 1833, but Daguerre continued the work, eventually
culminating with the development of the daguerreotype in 1837. Daguerre took the first
ever photo of a person in 1839 when, while taking a daguerreotype of a Paris street, a
pedestrian stopped for a shoe shine, long enough to be captured by the long exposure
(several minutes). Eventually, France agreed to pay Daguerre a pension for his formula,
in exchange for his promise to announce his discovery to the world as the gift of France,
which he did in 1839.
Mid 19th century "Brady stand" photo model's armrest table, meant to keep portrait
models more still during long exposure times (studio equipment nicknamed after the
famed US photographer, Mathew Brady).
Meanwhile, Hercules Florence had already created a very similar process in 1832,
naming it Photographie, and William Fox Talbot had earlier discovered another means to
fix a silver process image but had kept it secret. After reading about Daguerre's invention,
Talbot refined his process so that portraits were made readily available to the masses. By
1840, Talbot had invented the calotype process, which creates negative images. John
Herschel made many contributions to the new methods. He invented the cyanotype
process, now familiar as the "blueprint". He was the first to use the terms "photography",
"negative" and "positive". He discovered sodium thiosulphate solution to be a solvent of
silver halides in 1819, and informed Talbot and Daguerre of his discovery in 1839 that it
could be used to "fix" pictures and make them permanent. He made the first glass
negative in late 1839.
In March 1851, Frederick Scott Archer published his findings in "The Chemist" on the
wet plate collodion process. This became the most widely used process between 1852 and
the late 1880s when the dry plate was introduced. There are three subsets to the Collodion
process; the Ambrotype (positive image on glass), the Ferrotype or Tintype (positive
image on metal) and the negative which was printed on Albumen or Salt paper.
Many advances in photographic glass plates and printing were made in through the
nineteenth century. In 1884, George Eastman developed the technology of film to replace
photographic plates, leading to the technology used by film cameras today.
In 1908 Gabriel Lippmann won the Nobel Laureate in Physics for his method of
reproducing colors photographically based on the phenomenon of interference, also
known as the Lippmann plate.
Processes
Black-and-white
"classic" photographic look. It is important to note that some monochromatic pictures are
not always pure blacks and whites, but also contain other hues depending on the process.
The cyanotype process produces an image of blue and white for example. The albumen
process, first used more than 150 years ago, produces brown tones.
Many photographers continue to produce some monochrome images. Some full color
digital images are processed using a variety of techniques to create black and whites, and
some manufacturers produce digital cameras that exclusively shoot monochrome.
Color
Color photography was explored beginning in the mid 1800s. Early experiments in color
could not fix the photograph and prevent the color from fading. The first permanent color
photo was taken in 1861 by the physicist James Clerk Maxwell.
Practical application of the technique was held back by the very limited color response of
early film; however, in the early 1900s, following the work of photo-chemists such as H.
W. Vogel, emulsions with adequate sensitivity to green and red light at last became
available.
The first commercially successful color process, the Autochrome, invented by the French
Lumire brothers, reached the market in 1907. It was based on a 'screen-plate' filter made
of dyed grains of potato starch, and was one of many additive color screen products
available between the 1890s and the 1950s. A later example of the additive screen
process was the German Agfacolor introduced in 1932. In 1935, American Kodak
introduced the first modern ('integrated tri-pack') color film which was developed by two
musicians Leopold Mannes and Leopold Godowsky ("Man" and "God") working with the
Kodak Research Labs. It was Kodachrome, based on multiple layered silver gelatin
emulsions that were each sensitized to one of the three additive colorsred, green, and
blue. The cyan, magenta, and yellow dyes were created in those layers by adding color
couplers during processing. This was followed in 1936 by Agfa's Agfacolor Neu. Unlike
the Kodachrome tri-pack process, the color couplers in Agfacolor Neu were incorporated
into the emulsion layers during manufacture, which greatly simplified the film
processing. Most modern color films, except Kodachrome, use such incorporated-coupler
techniques, though since the 1970s nearly all have used a technique developed by Kodak
to accomplish this, rather than the original Agfa method. Instant color film was
introduced by Polaroid in 1963.
Color photography may form images as a positive transparency, intended for use in a
slide projector, or as color negatives intended for use in creating positive color
enlargements on specially coated paper. The latter is now the most common form of film
(non-digital) color photography owing to the introduction of automated photoprinting
equipment.
Ultraviolet and infrared films have been available for many decades and employed in a
variety of photographic avenues since the 1960s. New technological trends in digital
photography have opened a new direction in full spectrum photography, where careful
filtering choices across the ultraviolet, visible and infrared lead to new artistic visions.
Modified digital cameras can detect some ultraviolet, all of the visible and much of the
near infrared spectrum, as most digital imaging sensors are sensitive from about 350 nm
to 1000 nm. An off-the-shelf digital camera contains an infrared hot mirror filter that
blocks most of the infrared and a bit of the ultraviolet that would otherwise be detected
by the sensor, narrowing the accepted range from about 400 nm to 700 nm. Replacing a
hot mirror or infrared blocking filter with an infrared pass or a wide spectrally
transmitting filter allows the camera to detect the wider spectrum light at greater
sensitivity. Without the hot-mirror, the red, green and blue (or cyan, yellow and magenta)
colored micro-filters placed over the sensor elements pass varying amounts of ultraviolet
(blue window) and infrared (primarily red, and somewhat lesser the green and blue
micro-filters).
Uses of full spectrum photography are for fine art photography, geology, forensics & law
enforcement, and even some claimed use in ghost hunting.
Digital photography
A handheld
digital
camera,
Canon Ixus
class.
Nikon DSLR
and scanner,
which converts film images to digital
Sony Ericsson
K800i camera
phone.
Manual
shutter control and exposure settings can achieve
unusual results.
Main article: Digital photography
See also: Digital versus film photography
Digital imaging uses an electronic image sensor to record the image as a set of electronic
data rather than as chemical changes on film. The primary difference between digital and
chemical photography is that chemical photography resists manipulation because it
involves film and photographic paper, while digital imaging is a highly manipulative
medium. This difference allows for a degree of image post-processing that is
comparatively difficult in film-based photography and permits different communicative
potentials and applications.
According to the U.S. survey results, more than two-thirds (68 percent) of professional
photographers prefer the results of film to those of digital for certain applications
including:
Digital imaging has raised many ethical concerns because of the ease of manipulating
digital photographs in post processing. Many photojournalists have declared they will not
crop their pictures, or are forbidden from combining elements of multiple photos to make
"illustrations," passing them as real photographs. Today's technology has made picture
editing relatively simple for even the novice photographer. However, recent changes of
in-camera processing allows digital fingerprinting of RAW photos to verify against
tampering of digital photos for forensics use.
Camera phones, combined with sites like Flickr, have led to a new kind of social
photography.
Modes of production
Amateur
An amateur photographer is one who practices photography as a hobby and not for profit.
The quality of some amateur work is comparable or superior to that of many
professionals and may be highly specialized or eclectic in its choice of subjects. Amateur
photography is often pre-eminent in photographic subjects which have little prospect of
commercial use or reward.
Commercial
Commercial photography is probably best defined as any photography for which the
photographer is paid for images rather than works of art. In this light money could be
paid for the subject of the photograph or the photograph itself. Wholesale, retail, and
professional uses of photography would fall under this definition. The commercial
photographic world could include:
The market for photographic services demonstrates the aphorism "A picture is worth a
thousand words", which has an interesting basis in the history of photography. Magazines
and newspapers, companies putting up Web sites, advertising agencies and other groups
pay for photography.
Art
Clive Bell in his classic essay Art states that only "significant form" can distinguish art
from what is not art.
There must be some one quality without which a work of art cannot exist; possessing
which, in the least degree, no work is altogether worthless. What is this quality? What
quality is shared by all objects that provoke our aesthetic emotions? What quality is
common to Sta. Sophia and the windows at Chartres, Mexican sculpture, a Persian bowl,
Chinese carpets, Giotto's frescoes at Padua, and the masterpieces of Poussin, Piero della
Francesca, and Cezanne? Only one answer seems possible - significant form. In each,
lines and colors combined in a particular way, certain forms and relations of forms, stir
our aesthetic emotions.
On February 14, 2006 Sothebys London sold the 2001 photograph "99 Cent II
Diptychon" for an unprecedented $3,346,456 to an anonymous bidder making it the most
expensive of all time.
Conceptual photography
Photography that turns a concept or idea into a photograph. Even though what is
depicted in the photographs are real objects, the subject is strictly abstract.
Original Tay Bridge from the north showing structure based on towers built from cast
iron columns. When enlarged this plate shows a key design flaw in the bridge: the smaller
surviving towers were supported by a continuous girder at their tops, while the fallen
towers lack this essential reinforcing element.
bridge was "badly designed, badly built and badly maintained". The methods used in
analysing old photographs are collectively known as forensic photography.
Between 1846 and 1852 Charles Brooke invented a technology for the automatic
registration of instruments by photography. These instruments included barometers,
thermometers, psychrometers, and magnetometers, which recorded their readings by
means of an automated photographic process.
Modern photography has raised a number of concerns on its impact on society. In Alfred
Hitchcock's Rear Window (1954), the camera is presented as a promoter of voyeuristic
inhibitions. 'Although the camera is an observation station, the act of photographing is
more than passive observing'. Michal Powell's Peeping Tom (1960) portrays the camera
as both sexual and sadistically violent technology that literally kills in this picture and at
the same time captures images of the pain and anguish evident on the faces of the female
victims.[citation needed]
"The camera doesn't rape or even possess, though it may presume, intrude, trespass,
distort, exploit, and, at the farthest reach of metaphor, assassinate - all activities that,
unlike the sexual push and shove, can be conducted from a distance, and with some
detachment."
Photography is one of the new media forms that changes perception and changes the
structure of society. Further unease has been caused around cameras in regards to
desensitization. Fears that disturbing or explicit images are widely accessible to children
and society at large have been raised. Particularly, photos of war and pornography are
causing a stir. Sontag is concerned that "to photograph is to turn people into objects that
can be symbolically possessed." Desensitization discussion goes hand in hand with
debates about censored images. Sontag writes of her concern that the ability to censor
pictures means the photographer has the ability to construct reality.
One of the practices through which photography constitutes society is tourism. Tourism
and photography combine to create a "tourist gaze" in which local inhabitants are
positioned and defined by the camera lens. However, it has also been argued that there
exists a "reverse gaze" through which indigenous photographees can position the tourist
photographer as a shallow consumer of images.
Law
Photography is both restricted and protected by the law in many jurisdictions. Protection
of photographs is typically achieved through the granting of copyright or moral rights to
the photographer. In the UK a recent law (Counter-Terrorism Act 2008) increases the
power of the police to prevent people, even press photographers, from taking pictures in
public places.
Photographers keep facing more and more questions and charges for breaking the
law, making it important now so more than ever to understand your rights and
responsibilities as a photographer. In this article, well go over such rights, as well as
Model Releases.
First a quick note, your rights and the laws surrounding photography vary from country
to country and even from state to state, so always make sure what laws are in force in
your area.
restrooms or people entering their code at the ATM machine photographing at these
places counts as invading a persons privacy.
So to summarize, here are some examples of things you can photograph, if youre in a
public space you can photograph adults, children, law enforcement officers, accidents,
criminal activities, celebrities, airports and train stations.
There is a good chance that somewhere along the way in your photography experience,
someone is going to confront you. Everything from regular citizens to security personal
and law enforcement officers might question your activity and ask you to stop
photographing. They might say its for security reason and refer to acts like terrorism,
this is not a valid reason for them to ask you to stop what you are doing. As long as
youre in a public space you have the right to photograph.
First of all, act politely and stay as calm as possible. You do not need to explain why
you are there or what you are photographing. In most cases you do not need to disclose
your identity (depending on your country/state you might need to do so if its a law
enforcement officer that is requesting).
You do not need to give them your camera/memory card nor do you need to delete
the images. Unless they have a court order or are arresting you (again, depending on
your location) they have no right to take your equipment.
If you are asked to delete photographs or asked to hand over your equipment ask for their
identity and who they work for. Also ask what legal reason they cite for doing this to you.
If this happens to you, you might want to consider taking legal action or contact your
local newspaper.
Okay, so you have the right to photograph mostly anything, but are you allowed to do
whatever you want with the photographs you took? The short answer is: No, there are
rules and laws surrounding how you publish and distribute your photographs.
Once again, I cannot stress this enough, the laws are not the same all around the world so
make sure you know what the laws says in your area before you do something you will
later regret. A wrong decision can end up costing you a lot of money, not to mention your
reputation as a respectable photographer.
In most areas the main difference in your rights is depending on if the photograph is
used commercially or not. If your photograph is not commercial, i.e. considered art, you
have much more rights to publish and use your photograph. For example, in most
countries you are allowed to publish and sell photographs that are considered art without
a legal release from the model/person in the photo. This means that you can go around
the city photographing people in everyday situations and sell the prints or have a show at
a gallery without notifying the people you photograph.
However if you intend to use the photograph in any commercial situation you will need a
model release from the model. An important note is that if you sell the photograph to a
commercial agency they are responsible for getting the model release from both the
model and you as the photographer. If they publish your photograph without a model
release you are not to blame however all serious agencies requires a model release for
every photograph they buy.
There is one gray spot though, photographers portfolios. They are used to display your
work, just like commercials, but in most countries they are considered art and you do not
need a model release to publish a photo on your portfolio.
News photographs, even though they can be used to sell newspapers, do not require a
model release to be published and sold.
As you can see this is a rather complex issue, and I havent even talked about how
different it is from country to country, so its important that you check this yourself
before doing a job.
Model release
Ive talked quite a lot about model release, which is a form of a legal document that
basically states that you as a photographer holds the rights to the photograph and can do
what you want with it. These legal releases can be made very simple or they can be quite
detailed; in most cases a simple one will do just fine. Before doing a large-scale job,
contacting a lawyer will be well worth the money to avoid any legal problems later on.
I have designed two different samples of model releases, which could be used as a guide
to what you might need/want. These samples are not intended for actual use, they are
supplied as guides and should be used as such.
The first one is a standard model release to be used when photographing a model for
commercial use. It gives the photographer complete rights to the photographs.
The second one is a specific model release for a type of modeling that is becoming more
and more common, Time-For-Print. Time-For-Print is the idea that the model gives you
his/her time and for that they receive an agreed upon amount of prints for compensation.
This is common for models starting out and wanting to build up a portfolio and for
photographers doing the same thing. This model release is more flexible and gives
options on what compensation the model is expected to receive.
If youre doing a planned photography session with people; models, weddings, children
etc. always have them sign a model release. Its for your own safety! Do not just throw
the paper on the counter and force them to sign it, its important that they understand
what they are signing and explain what it is. They are signing away their rights to the
photograph of themselves or their children; its understandably that they might have some
questions or concerns so you should be thorough.
DISCLAIMER
I am not a lawyer and this text should not be seen as legal advice. If you need legal
advice contact a local lawyer whom have knowledge in this field.
Laws are different from country to country and even state-to-state, so contact a lawyer or
local law enforcement office for specific laws in your area. Another good advice is to
contact a local newspaper, they often have good knowledge what photography related
laws are in place in the area they work in.
Running into problems when taking photographs over, and over again? Heres a handy
guide that will help you troubleshoot your problems, and improve your shots all at once!
Rather than stretch this out over several articles, it seemed like a good idea to
provide solutions to common problems in Photography all in one informative list.
Please be sure to ask any questions if youre having problems not mentioned here!
For more information about this topic, you may like to read our tutorial on Proven Ways
to Reduce Camera Shake.
The sensor is not able to pick up the whole spectrum of light and
expose it correctly in some situations. Unless you want to manipulate your photographs
in post-production (such as HDR) you have two options: either select the part of the
scene that is most important to expose correctly, or use a graduated ND filter to get the
entire scene exposed correctly (primarily used in landscape photography).
Heres a good article that shows how to Correct Lighting and Contrast Problems in
Photoshop.
A lens flare is created when the lens picks up stray light. The best
way to block out this unwanted light is to use a lens hood. Different lenses create
different lens flares cheaper lenses usually create uglier flares than high-end lenses,
but even with a high-end lens one should always use a hood to minimize the risk.
Underexposure
Not enough light reached the sensor, you need to change the
exposure settings to get a correctly exposed photograph. Either
a slower shutter speed, a larger aperture or higher ISO or all of them combined.
Overexposure
Vignette are dark corners in a photograph, which occur when the light is not evenly
distributed on the sensor or when the flash just lights up the
center of a shot.
Lens distortion
Skewed horizon
You were either holding the camera skewed or the tripod was
set up uneven. Some DSLR cameras have the ability to change
the focusing screen and install one that has guidelines. This is
rather easily fixed in post-production by rotating the image, but you will loose some of
the edges.
Red eyes
This effect occurs when the flash is located close to the lens and is a common problem
with our modern point-and-shoot-cameras due to their placement of the flash. To prevent
red eyes, do not use the cameras internal flash if your camera has one. Use an external
flash that you can bounce on a wall or on the ceiling.
Most likely due to a high ISO setting, but can also be caused by
long exposures. To prevent noise, use a low ISO setting. If you
have photographs with much noise you can always use a
software to remove it, such as Photoshop or Noise Ninja, though
some detail will be lost of course.
You can learn more about ISO, Aperture, and other essential
subjects in our Photography Basics article.
These photographs look very cold and are most likely due
to a miscalculation by the camera and just like the previous
problem discussed, you can fix it the same way. Another reason why a photograph can
get a blue tint is because of large amounts of UV-light, to reduce this problem use a UV-
filter that prevents the UV-light to reach the sensor without affecting the overall quality
of the photograph. (Not a problem for most digital SLR cameras.)
The flash doesnt sync correctly with the camera (shutter). This
problem was more predominant before the digital era, but old
flashes can still cause problems with newer technology. Either
buy a new flash or learn which shutter speeds work best
1/125 and 1/60 are usually good.
Chromatic aberration
Sensor Dust
These gray spots are usually caused by sensor dust. The best
way to get rid of this problem is to keep your gear clean and
dust free. The sensor is very sensitive and cleaning it will mean
that you expose it to further risks. Some photographers send
their cameras to be cleaned while others clean the sensor
themselves. Choose which option you like best.
The Crop Factor is a term that can be heard quite often in the world of digital
photography. What does it mean that a camera has a crop factor of 1.6x and how does it
affect your focal length? We try to untangle this issue and describe it as clearly as
possible.
The subject of crop factors and focal length multiplier can be a bit confusing and hard to
understand at first I will try to explain it as simple as possible but yet informative
enough for you to get the entire picture.
The size of the sensor is what controls the crop factor, and its always compared to a
35mm film size. So when people talk about Full Frame they are talking about cameras
that have a sensor the same size as a 35mm film (2436mm).
As you can see in the illustration above, a body with a crop factor captures only the
center part of the image. The image itself is round because thats what the lens
produces, and the sensor only picks up the light that reaches it. A full frame sensor will
capture edge to edge of what the lens capture.
Its important to know that the crop factor changes the field of view, it doesnt actually
change the focal length, since that is something that is decided by the design of the lens.
The same results could be produced by taking a photograph with a full frame camera and
crop it to only show the center however it would require a camera with a good enough
sensor that such a small crop would still produce a good quality image. These high-end
sensors are currently only found in the top of the line cameras from Nikon and Canon.
What it also means is that the perspective doesnt change with the crop factor, if you
stand on the same spot and take a photograph with a full frame camera with a 50mm lens
and then take another photograph with a 1.6x crop factor camera you will get the exact
same perspective (the 1.6x camera will however not have the same view of field).
When people say that a 50mm lens is the natural focal length they talk about perspective
in relations with the human eye, and as stated above, this is the same even on cropped
bodies, a 50mm lens still produces a natural looking photograph. To test this, use a 50mm
lens and look through the viewfinder with one eye and have your other eye open, you will
notice that the perspective looks the same for both eyes, no matter if youre using a
cropped body or not.
To counter this issue, most lens manufacturers have designed some lenses that are only
meant to be used on cameras with a crop factor (i.e. not on full frame bodies). These
lenses often produces a smaller image circle so if they were used on full frame bodies
they would create a black edge, much like circular fish eye lenses do. Since the problem
with crop factor is mainly negative with wide-angle lenses its almost entirely that focal
range that has designated digital lenses.
Here is a list of the name camera manufacturers call their digital only lenses.
Canon EF-S
Nikon DX
Sony DT
Pentax DA
Sigma DC
Tamron Di-II
One thing to remember is that the crop factor is still in use even on these cameras and you
must multiply the given focal length to get the correct focal length. For example,
Canon has an ultra wide EF-S lens that has a focal length of 10-22mm, on a body with a
1.6x crop factor the focal length corresponds to a 16-35mm. So dont believe that you do
not need to multiply the focal length just because you have a lens designed from cropped
bodies.
There are both positive and negative affects with the crop factor, lets talk about the
positive aspects first.
To get the correct focal length you need to multiply the focal length with the crop
factor. When I say correct I mean the focal length that the lens acts like, not what it truly
is. My camera has a crop factor of 1.6x and that means that a 50mm lens is a 80mm lens
(501.6=80). It also means that a 100-400mm lens is actually a 160-640mm lens. Thats
a very good thing in most situations. You loose 60mm on the short end but gain 240mm
on the long end rather significant. With telephoto lenses the crop factor is often
desirable, since it extends your reach quite a bit.
Another positive affect is that almost all lenses are much sharper in the middle and
softer on the edges. How can this be a good thing? Well with a camera that has a crop
factor you only get the center of what the lens sees (unless its a lens designed for crop
factors as described above). So with a crop factor you only get the center and therefore
the best performance from your lens.
Now over to the not so good aspects of the crop factor. Wide-angle lenses, this is a big
minus on the bodies with smaller sensors. As the example above, the 10-22mm ultra wide
turns into a 16-35mm lens, and for example a 17-40mm lens turns into a 27-64mm lens.
You simply do not get the same wide angles with a crop factor, the edges are cut off and
field of view is more limited.
Another negative affect is that the extra focal length you gain also means that you
increase the risk for blur due to camera shake. The rule that you should have a shutter
speed of 1/focal length is no longer true. For this rule to be true you first need to multiply
your focal length with the crop factor of the body.
Full frame camera often have a larger viewfinder as well. When Im comparing my old
35mm film camera with my 1.6x crop DSLR it actually makes me a little bit sad inside.
The viewfinder on the 35mm camera is so large and bright where as the DSLRs
viewfinder is although bright still very very small.
There is one more thing a smaller sensor affects, but it would be hard to classify it as
either good or bad. Different sizes of sensors change the depth of field. A smaller
sensor will give you greater depth of field (more in focus) and a full frame sensor will
give you a narrower depth of field (less in focus). If this is good or bad is dependent on
what you desire, either you want as much as possible in focus or you want to isolate your
subject as effective as possible.
I hope I didnt confuse you too much. This is an important part of digital photography to
understand, at least the very basics of it.
Filters can add special effects or abilities to your camera lens. Understanding how filters
work will give you an extra arsenal of equipment to create that magical shot youve been
looking for.
Most lenses have the ability to add filters, primarily by screwing them on in front of the
lens while some lenses require the filters to be attached at the rear end of the lens. Filters
are used for several different reasons: increasing contrast, changing the exposure,
capturing invisible light or minimizing reflections are just a few to name.
The use of filters has gone downhill in this age of digital photography. These days its
simply easier to make these changes in post-production instead of using a filter during the
photo shoot.
While that might be true, there are still some things we cant change in post-production,
and filters can become a necessity.
UV Filters
I personally always have a UV filter screwed onto every single one of my lenses, and Ive
had one of my lenses saved thanks to the attached filter. However, if you are going to use
a UV filter, dont buy the cheapest one you can
find. If you have a good lens, buy something
like a high-end B+W filter.
ND Filters
ND filters, or Neutral Density filters, are a great way to take control over exposure time.
These filters are used to reduce the amount of light that reaches the sensor, which makes
it possible for the photographer to use a larger aperture for a longer period of time then
what would be normal under given circumstances.
An example of this would be the ability to photograph a waterfall with a slow shutter
speed during a bright day. Without a ND filter most lenses would not be able to use an
aperture small enough for long exposures but with an ND filter attached the photographer
can mix and match just how he wants it.
Graduated ND Filters
These filters have the same principle as the regular ND filters but with one important
distinction, they do not have the ND effect on the whole glass. The ND effect is gradual
and is perfect if you want to have the sky darkened but not the foreground for example.
These filters have their limits, such as the gradual transition is a straight line, which
might not always be the case with nature oh, and they are also rather expensive. Most
of these filters are rectangular and uses a special holder to place them in.
Polarizing Filters
Another effect the polarizing filter has is that it increases contrast and color saturation
while at the same time reducing haze. This effect can clearly be seen in skies, in which
the sky can be darkened and more colorful but keeping the clouds white.
A quick word of advice though is that a polarizing filter will, depending on brand and
quality, not let 100% light through which will affect the exposure. With most brands
you will loose one full-stop.
Macro Filters
I personally
would
recommend
people look into getting an extension tube instead. Extension tubes change the closest
possible focus length, without affecting the image quality as badly as macro filters do.
The best option is obviously a true macro lens, but an extension tube is much cheaper and
might be a good first step into the world of macro photography, and the extension tube
can be used together with a macro lens to enhance the magnification.
Macro filters have many drawbacks such as softening up the image considerably, and
these filters often produce lacking quality. Use with caution.
Color Filters
IR Filters
that I will dedicate an entire article about IR photography later on instead of writing how
it all works in this one.
To get good photographs you usually have to hold the camera steady. Sometimes a blurry
photograph or one in motion can be desired, but most of the time its unwanted. The most
common equipment to help counter this is the tripod, but I will also give you a few other
tips to reduce camera shake in this article.
Tripod
want out of your tripod is it going to be used in a studio or outdoors, what type of
lenses are you planning on using and how much do they weight, do you want a ball head
or a 3-way pan-tilt head?
If youre only going to use the tripod indoors it doesnt have to be as sturdy and rough as
an outdoors tripod needs to be. The heavier the tripod the more stable it is, and Ive
learned a rule that says for every 100mm focal length the tripod should weigh 1kg
(2.2 lbs). So if you are planning on using a 300mm telephoto lens the tripod should
weigh about 3kg (6.6 lbs). Im not sure how accurate this rule is, but it can work as some
kind of guideline. Do keep in mind though that high-end tripods can be both very stable
and light, but rather expensive.
If you do not need to have the tripod set up at full height, extend the upper parts of the
legs first since the lower parts are thinner and thereby not as stable. Some tripods have
the ability to raise a post in the center to maximize the height even more do not use
this feature unless you truly need to since the center post is more unstable.
The choice between a ball head and a 3-way pan-tilt head is simply personal
preferences. With the 3-way pan-tilt head you can easily change just one axes, such as
panning or tilting, without affecting the other axes. The ball head gives you more ability
to move the camera around and is much faster to change, but ball heads are often more
expensive.
A personal tripod recommendation would be the Manfrotto 055XPROB legs with the
488RC2 ball head. I have an earlier version of the legs, but the difference is minimal.
This combination would land somewhere in the mid-range of prices, but the quality is
very high and unless you have very heavy lenses (in which case you might want to look
at Gitzo tripods) this is a perfect solution. This tripod is not the lightest, but its steady
and at a great price.
If youre tall this is also a tripod to consider, since it stand very tall even without the
center post raised.
Monopod
A monopod is a great alternative to tripods and handheld. You cant have a shutter speed
of 1 hour on a monopod like you can on a tripod, you can most likely not even have a
shutter speed of 30 seconds but thats not the target market for monopods. They are a
more mobile tool to help you stabilize your shots without having to carry around a tripod,
and monopods are far more simple and quick to set up.
It can take some time getting use to a monopod, and the most effective way to use it is to
have its foot placed against your back foot. Do not just have the monopod stand in front
of you; this will not give enough stability to help you very much. Try finding a good
posture where you can hold the camera as steady as possible.
Hand held
This is the most common way to take photographs and most of the time it
will do just fine, but there are ways to take advantage of your surrounding
and changing your stance to help you with stability.
Always hold the camera close to you, inhale and hold your breath for the
duration of the shot. Dont just tap the shutter release button you want
to press it down and hold down the finger a short while before lifting it
again to minimize camera shake.
Keeping as low profile as possible is a great way to increase your stability. If possible,
lay flat on your stomach with both your elbows on the ground. Not as stable but another
good stance is with one knee on the ground and the other one at a 90 angle.
Leaning against a
tree or wall is another great way to take the stability of
something else and help it make you more stable. If possible,
place the camera against the tree/wall to maximize the
stability. The same goes for rocks, logs, railings and more or
less everything you can find to rest your camera on. On many
occasions it can be more helpful to rest your camera on a
rock than using a monopod.
One last trick I learned from a friend of mine; take your left hand and place it on your
right shoulder, take your camera in your right hand and place it on your left
elbow/forearm this might take some time getting use to but the result is a very stable
stance that works great with telephoto lenses.
There is a general rule in photography that says that your shutter speed should be at least
equal to your focal length to minimize unwanted camera shakes. This means that if you
use a 100mm telephoto lens the shutter speed should be at least 1/100s, if you use a
300mm lens the shutter speed should be at least 1/320s.
A warning about the previous stated rule is crucial. Most Digital SLR cameras do not
have a sensor with the same dimensions as 35mm film (which was used at the time the
rule was made). In most cases the camera has a crop factor of 1.5 or 1.6, this means that a
100mm leans is actually a 150 or 160mm lens when translated into 35mm film sizes.
If youre using a camera with a crop factor of 1.6 and using a 200mm telephoto lens you
should have a shutter speed of at least 1/320 (200mm * 1.6 = 320)
In case youre looking for a way to imitate Depth of Field in Photoshop (rather than
photography, as this tutorial illustrates), weve got a great tutorial that will teach you how
to enhance your graphics with depth of field in Photoshop here at Tutorial9!
A short depth of field can be very useful when you want to isolate your object from the
background, such as when taking portraits or macro photography. A large depth of field
is great when you photograph landscapes and overall when you want every detail to be
in focus.
There are three variables that affect DOF, the size of the Aperture, the distance to the
object and what lens youre using. (There is a fourth thing that affects the DOF, but thats
the size of the sensor and unless you have two cameras with different sensor sizes this
isnt something to take into account.)
As you can see in the illustration above, a lower f-number equals a shorter depth of field.
A higher f-number will give you focus over a longer distance when youre having a
hard time getting the correct focus it might be a good idea to extend your DOF by
changing the aperture.
The distance between you and the object is also important, the closer you are to the object
the shorter the DOF. If youre photographing a person but needs to have a high f-number
you can still get a very short DOF by keeping the distance between you and the person to
a minimum.
The last thing you can do to affect your DOF is to change the lens. A wide-angle lens has
a much greater DOF than a telephoto lens; the most extreme wide-angle and fish-eye
lenses dont even have to focus because they are so sharp on every aperture for the entire
DOF (making for excellent scenic shots).
Its important to know that the depth of field is greater behind the object than in front of
it. If you want to photograph, lets say 20 kids standing in a line, and you want as many
of them as possible to be in focus, but youre unable to have a small aperture, you should
focus on the 6th-7th kid in line, which would balance the field of focus about right
(depending on your distance to the kids). If you would focus on the 10th kid, that is the
one in the middle, the first few kids would be more out of focus than the kids at the back
of the line.
Unlike some other parts of photography, the depth of field works in your favor almost
every time. If you want to photograph landscapes you usually have a wide-angle lens
the object is far away and you use a high f-number all these things together gives you
a depth to infinity. And if youre photographing macro youre close to the object, you
have a telephoto lens and often a low f-number all these things will give you a very
short depth which will make your object stand out and make the background soft and
non-distracting.
Bokeh
The word Bokeh derives from the Japanese word Boke which means blur or fuzzy,
and thats just what the term refers to in photography. The out of focus areas in the
photograph look very different depending on the depth of field as well as the lens used,
some lenses produces much better bokeh than other lenses. The shape of the aperture is
one of the most important parts together with the quality of the optics when it comes to
how the out of focus areas appear.
The photograph above is meant to illustrate what bokeh is. The lens used was the Canon
50mm f/1.8 which isnt considered to be a good bokeh lens due to its 5 aperture blades.
Exposure
There are 3 parts of exposure that you should understand. The following examples ought
to illustrate how these 3 components of exposure interact with one another.
Example 1
You take a photograph with the following settings: /8, 1/250s and ISO 100
But lets say you want to freeze the object more, which requires a faster shutter speed,
you can either change the ISO or the Aperture. First of all lets change the shutter speed 1
stop faster, 1/500s now only half the amount of light will reach the sensor. To
compensate for this and keep the exposure the same you can change the aperture size 1 f-
stop larger, /5.6.
So /5.6, 1/500s and ISO 100 will give you the same exposure as /8, 1/250s and ISO
100 (but now the shutter speed is faster which allows you to freeze your object in a
different way).
Example 2
Youre indoors with bad light conditions which makes your current setting too slow and
are unable to hold the camera
steady enough. The settings are:
/5.6, 1/60s and ISO 100. Your
lens largest aperture is /4 which
is 1 f-stop larger, changing your
shutter speed 1 stop faster will
result in: /4, 1/125s and ISO 100.
The shutter speed is still too slow
and the result is blurry due to
camera shake. Since you cant
change the aperture anymore you
will have to change the ISO setting,
1 stop will result in ISO 200, you
now have: /4, 1/250s and ISO 200
which should be enough to get a
sharp photograph.
Overexposure
Overexposure happens when the sensor is exposed to more than enough light, resulting in
white images or at least white areas in the images around the light source(s). Sometimes
its impossible to expose the photograph correctly without getting some overexposed
areas. Overexposure can be used as an effect, but most of the time its unwanted and
avoidable.
Underexposure
To Underexpose, or
Overexpose? That is the
question
I personally always underexpose my outdoor photographs 2/3 of an f-stop for this reason,
and have found the results much more pleasing than a correct exposure.
Exposure Lock
Exposure Lock is a great feature thats available on most cameras. Its rather easy to
understand what it does, it locks the exposure so that it doesnt re-calculate the exposure
if you move your camera around. Try to find a neutrally exposed part of your object, not
the light source nor the shadows but something in between, and press the exposure lock
button recompose your photograph and take the picture.
Camera modes
MANUAL MODES:
M Manual mode; this gives you full control over both aperture and shutter
speed.
Av or A Aperture priority; you control the aperture and the camera
calculates the shutter speed for best exposure
Tv or S Shutter priority; you control the shutter speed and the camera
calculates the aperture
P Program mode; a more advanced form of an auto mode. The camera
calculates both the aperture and shutter speed, but doesnt affect settings like ISO
or flash.
AUTOMATIC MODES:
There is no reason what so ever to use the automatic modes. After youve read through
this series of articles about photography you should have enough knowledge to control
the camera on manual modes which will result in better photographs.
The Program mode (P) is fine to use, this way you will have the aperture and shutter
automatic but still be in control over everything else. Most photographers find a mode
that they like and maybe switches between two different modes, this is personal
preferences and let me just tell you that far from every professional photographers uses
only the fully Manual setting.
I personally use M and Av most of the time, depending on the situation. Av for the
situations where I dont have enough time to set the correct exposure between every shot
and then M for the rest.
Photography Basics
Ever wonder what it is that actually makes a camera work? This tutorial will cover the
inner workings of a camera, and introduce you into photography basics and the
expansive world of taking better photographs.
To take beautiful photographs you do not need an expensive camera and a bag full of
equipment. What is important is the photographers ability to see his/her surrounding and
use knowledge and personal feel for the subject.
Being the first article in a series, this lesson is meant to only cover the basics of
photography. The idea with this series is to get people more interested in photography,
awaken creativity and hopefully help people enjoy this hobby even more. The community
here at Tutorial9 is an important part of this series and I would love to hear your feedback
and questions.
An introduction to Photography
The illustration to the left shows the path the light travels
from the object to the sensor (or film in non-digital
cameras).
The sensor is a very sensitive plate where the light is absorbed and transformed into
pixels. As you can see on this illustration, the image the sensor picks up is actually upside
down, just like our eyes sees the world, the processor inside the camera then flips it.
Aperture
The aperture sits inside the lens and controls how much light passes through the lens and
onto the sensor. A large aperture lets through very much light and vice versa. Knowing
how the aperture affects the photograph is one of the most important parts of photography
it affects the amount of light, depth of field, lens speed, sharpness and vignetting
among other things. I will talk more about these things in later parts of this series.
F-numbers, a mathematical number that expresses the diameter of the aperture, are an
important part of understanding how the aperture and exposure work. All f-numbers
have a common notation, such as /5.6 for an f-number of 5.6. There are a set numbers of
f-numbers that are used in photography, there are several different scales but the
standard full-stop f-number scale is this:
These are known as full-stop f-numbers. If you decrease the f-number with one full-
stop, like /4 to /2.8, the amount of light that passes through will double. If you increase
the f-number with one full-stop, like /5.6 to /8, only half the amount of light will reach
the sensor.
There can be several f-numbers between the ones above depending on what scale is
being used. The most common one is a 1/3 scale, which means that every third step is a
full-stop, and thus giving you two settings between every full-stop. For example between
/8 and /11 you will find /9 and /10. This can be rather confusing at first, so heres a
short reminder:
Shutter
The shutter is what controls how long the sensor is exposed to the light. The longer the
shutter is open the more light can be captured by the sensor. A fast shutter speed will
result in freezing a moving object and a slow shutter speed will let you capture the
motion of a moving object.
There is a scale of stops for the shutter speeds just like for the aperture, below are the
full-stops.
1/1000 s 1/500 s 1/250 s 1/125 s 1/60 s 1/30 s 1/15 s 1/8 s 1/4 s 1/2 s 1 s
And just as with the aperture, the shutter speed is often on a 1/3 scale, giving your two
steps in between every full-stop. For example between 1/60s and 1/125s you will find
1/80s and 1/100s.
The two primary factors which control exposure are shutter speed and aperture. We will
cover these things in greater detail in other lessons.
ISO
The ISO speed (the name comes from the International Organization for
Standardization) is a measure of the film speed, or its sensitivity to light. With digital
cameras the ISO affects the sensor instead of the film, but the principal is the same. A
low ISO speed requires a longer exposure and is referred to as slow, a high ISO speed
requires less time to give the same exposure and is therefore referred to as fast. One step
in the ISO equals one full-stop, so the ISO is not on a 1/3 scale film can be found with
1/3 ISO speeds, but its uncommon in the digital world. These are the most common ISO
speeds.
On 35mm film, a film with high ISO speed had much more grain than a slower film
but the modern sensors dont create the same grain with high ISO speeds. Instead it
creates noise. The digital noise is not as favorable as the film grain and can destroy a
photo if its too visible (the same goes with the grain, but its effect was more subtle and
often more liked).
If light is no problem, then always use a low ISO number but if youre indoors with bad
light or other conditions when you find the combination of aperture/shutter not to be
enough the ISO speed can be a great asset. New digital sensors are constantly developed
and the noise levels with high ISO speeds are decreasing with every new release.
Camera bags can be one of the most difficult pieces of equipment to choose. No camera
bag is made to fit every occasion so I will here talk about some different types of bags
and cover a few points to consider.
Choosing your next lens or camera is often quite easy, you often know what you want,
but when it comes to choosing a new camera bag at least I can be confused and have a
really hard time deciding. I will talk about different types of bags, and go into some more
detail on a specific model in each category.
Shoulder bags make accessing your gear easy and quick, often a good choice for urban
photographers. They come in all different shapes and sizes, many of them have the great
feature of not looking like a camera bag, which is often appreciated since it attracts less
attention from ill-willing citizens. I would recommend brands like Domke and Crumpler
if this is what youre looking for.
The LowePro Nova 5 AW does not fit the above description, its a rather large bag and
bulky. I personally dislike shoulder bags because Im not an urban photographer. When I
take a bag with me its often because I go on long hikes for several hours and shoulder
bags tend to be tiresome and not the best solution for my style of shooting.
I use the Nova 5 as a storage bag and its a bag that I take with me when Im going to be
shooting on one location and not move around a lot. As you can see it can swallow quite
a large amount of gear, in the picture above I have 6 lenses (1 large, 3 medium and 2
small lenses) as well as my Canon EOS 350D with attached grip. Also stored in the main
compartment are a set of extension tubes and several filters, in the front compartment I
have memory cards, spare batteries, an air blower and other assorted stuff.
If youre looking for a backpack with quick access, look no further, the LowePro
Slingshot 200 AW is perfect for most situations. Its small enough to not be in your way,
and the sling-feature makes accessing your gear easy. How it works is that the bag only
has one shoulder strap and you can flip it from your back to your waist with a single pull.
LowePro also has a series of backpacks that have the same features but uses two shoulder
straps called Fastback (the design is obviously a bit different but the idea is the same).
The Slingshot comes in different sizes, the 200 being the medium model and it is
surprisingly roomy inside. Its easy to rearrange the dividers and design your own
interior, I have it arranged so that I can access all my gear fast and dont need to open the
zipper all the way. In the main compartment in the picture above I have 4 lenses (1 large,
1 medium attached to the camera and 2 small lenses), my 350D with grip and a set of
extension tubes and memory cards. In the small front compartment I have spare batteries
and some filters. In the top compartment I have a pocket book, a notebook, a flashlight
and an air blower.
If you rearrange the dividers Im sure you could be able to fit in 1 or 2 more lenses, but
access might not be as easy that way its all up to you to form your camera bag the
way you want it. The bag also make use of LowePros Slip Lock system which means
that you can attach extra lens cases on the outside of the bag.
A true backpack is a great choice if you go on long hikes or travel between photo
sessions, as well as longer travels such as with airplanes. Its not as accessible and quick
as the other options above, but its far more comfortable and your gear is more safe with
most backpacks (they often have better and more padding) and most backpacks have
room for more equipment as well.
The company Kata that among other things make military armor also makes this
backpack, the Kata R-103. This is a company that knows a thing or two about protection
and how to keep your camera gear safe. And I must
say, I trust that my camera gear is safe when its in
this bag, the design is sturdy as a tank but still rather
lightweight.
opening the whole main compartment. Using this zipper you will also be able to access
the storage pocket that is in the lid, this is where I keep my memory cards and spare
batteries.
The main compartment is not as deep as many other backpacks, which means that most
lenses will have to lay down in this bag, only smaller lenses will be able to stand up so to
speak. This results in a bit smaller main compartment than most other backpacks, so this
bag might not be the best choice if you have several larger lenses. In the picture above I
have 5 lenses (1 large, 2 medium and 2 small), my 350D with grip as well as some filters.
That is the content of my main compartment, in the lid I keep my batteries, memory
cards, rain cover, remote control as well as some other assorted stuff. There are two
smaller pockets on the front of the camera where I keep an air blower, extra quick release
plate for my tripod as well as a flashlight and lens tissues.
On the backside of this bag theres also a compartment for a laptop, up to 15. This is a
great feature that makes it easy to take your photo lab out on the field. When Im not
storing a laptop in this compartment I use it for documents or an extra sweater.
So all in all I think you will find that most, if not all, of your equipment will fit in this
bag. And as I said earlier, it comes with a tripod mount to be attached on either the front
or one of the sides. The R-103 uses Katas EPH system, which means that you can
combine several Kata products and attach to each other to maximize your customizability
and space. This bag is stated to be within the carry-on restrictions for airplanes, but if you
plan on traveling with this bag, make sure about the size restrictions on your airport since
they can vary quite a bit.
I highly recommend this backpack, its one of the best photo related purchases Ive ever
made.
Lens Case
Canon LZ1324
shooting. Another great usage for these cases are when they are attached to either a
camera bag or a harness of some sort (more on this later). Lens cases are also a great way
to keep your lenses safe during travels, but be sure to use a case that fits your lens. There
are so many different sizes and its important to get the best possible fit to avoid having a
lens that rattles around in there.
A vest is a well-used alternative to a bag, it keeps all your equipment within arms reach.
With its large and many pockets you can often fit the same amount of gear that you
would in a small to medium backpack. Another alternative is the harness or belt on which
you can attach several lens cases or smaller bags. This gives you more customizability
than a vest and also keeps your equipment more protected, but a harness is often bulkier
and more expensive.
Vests can be found in most photo stores (dont know any good brand) and harnesses you
should look into are LowePros and Think Tanks.
Weather cover
I would never buy a camera bag that didnt have rain cover, but then again I live in a
country where rain can come any day, anytime of the year. If Im out hiking or taking a
bike ride I dont want to find myself hours from my home/car and nowhere to find cover,
but if youre not in these situations it might not be such an important factor for you.
Choosing a camera bag is all about your needs, your equipment and photographing style.
Carrying a tripod
A tripod can be a real pain to carry with you, and this is the most common reason why so
many photographers leave their tripods at home where they do no good. There are several
good tripod cases and bags, but I myself find these a bit bulky or unnecessary. I do one of
two things, either attach a shoulder strap to the tripod and carry it without a case or attach
it to my backpack. Just remember, a tripod will not help you improve your photos if its
left at home, so find the best solution for you to be able to have it with you every single
time you might need it.
This case study shows how lighting was manipulated to create the perfect environment
for a fashion photoshoot.
Quick Nav:
Materials Needed:
2 Strobes
Shoot Thru Umbrella
Big Octagonal Softbox
Tall Black Gobo (deflector)
Round Silver Reflector
Big Octagonal Softbox
This article in a close look at a project I recently worked on. Together with Stylist Natalie
Svikle, we teamed up to create an fashion story that will be based on the way french
woman dress. We called it LAffaire Parissienne.
She was sweet, nice and most important for our project, she had that French quality, even
though she is not French at all.
She was the one we wanted
Remember that the model is not only a pretty girl. She has to communicate with you very
well too. In order to get desired look/pose, meet her before shooting to make sure that
you are on the same page.
Carefull!
White Shoot Thru Umbrellas used in the way described above will spill on the model,
creating unwanted shine on the side of the subject.
First of all we have to get rid of light spilling on our model from Background Light. To
do this, I used Black Gobo (a kind of flag used to block light) as a Flag and at the same
time it helped me to
deepen the shadow on the
models left side. Creating
nice contrast between the
well lit background and
the models left side, I
gain more focus on the
clothes she is wearing.
Everything seemed to be
ready for shooting. But
shadows created by my
key light, under the chin
and nose, were a bit too
dark.
This post describes some basic tips to improve the quality of wildlife photography.
Anyone interested in capturing more compelling images of animals will find it useful in
furthering the development of their skills.
Quick Nav:
Wildlife is not the easiest subject to capture. It often requires larger, telephoto lenses,
or if your interests lie in the tiny, macro lenses that allow for magnification and close
focusing. Wildlife is most active at dawn and dusktime when light is not always
cooperative. Fast telephoto lenses are an option if you have a nice line of credit
available, but theyre not always necessary. Todays manufacturers have some more
affordable, slower telephotos that can be used to capture great wildlife images.
In this article, I will share with you some of the tips I have collected over the past several
years in capturing beautiful wildlife with my camera.
If you are truly interested in wildlife photography, you will need a digital SLR camera.
Most of the point-and-shoot models simply dont have the reach you will need to safely
photograph wild animals, and ultimately lack quality when it comes to taking a half
decent photograph.
Essentially the same package you get with the Nikon D60, only from
Canon. If youre a Canon person, you may prefer this setup.
The D90 made quite an entrance into the marketplace of Digital SLRs after it was
announced that it included a High Definition (720p), smooth (24fps) video capture
feature. Its a Digital Camera, and Video Camera that performs incredibly well for its
price tag. No lens included.
This isnt the camera you buy unless youre really taking
Photography seriously (and youve probably been doing it
professionally for a while if youre even considering purchasing).
Oh, and it has HD video up to 1080p, though there are some setbacks. More research is
suggested if youre looking into getting this. Lens sold separately.
Animals are inherently more sensitive to the shape and form of an upright human being
than they are to vehicles. You can attribute this to the thousands of years weve spent
hunting them for food. The fear that animals have for humans is well deserved. Many
wildlife photographers use expensive and complicated blinds to hide their presence from
animals. In the right circumstances though, you already have a working blindyour
vehicle.
Some more cautious animals will flee at the sight of a vehicle. Kestrels, for instance, flee
at the sight of a car as much as they do a human being. But many species feel much more
comfortable around them than they do people, especially in national parks where vehicles
are a common sight, such as Rocky Mountain National Park or Yellowstone. I cant tell
you how many times Ive been able to get remarkably close to elk in Rocky Mountain
National Park.
Unfortunately too often, a tourist with a point-and-shoot camera comes along and steps
out of their vehicle and approaches the animals. The elk shy away or bolt into the trees,
and my shoot is over.
Stabilizing your camera inside a car isnt often easy. You can set up some tripods so that
you can shoot from the driver or passenger seat, but some wildlife photographers find the
tripod too constrictive, especially when photographing animals on the move.
In those situations, your window is your friend. Roll up your window to the level at
which you want to set your lens. Buy some cheap pipe insulation with a slit down one
side at any hardware store. Slip this over the edge of the glass of your window and you
can comfortably rest your lens on the edge. I have seen photographers use bean bags for
the same purpose.
Remember the rule of thumb to eliminate camera shake: you should be shooting at a
shutter speed at or above the effective focal length of your lens. That means if you shoot
like I do with a 70-300mm lens on an Olympus body with a 2x sensor crop factor, you
need a shutter speed of at least 1/600th of a second to help ensure that your image will be
as sharp as it can be.
Tripods and the window edge trick can help lower this shutter speed, as well as cameras
or lenses with image stabilization. The kind of blur were talking about isnt always
obvious when you check an image with your LCD. With this rule of thumb, you help
reduce the chances of being disappointed with what you thought were great shots in the
field, but turned out to be blurry or soft when loaded onto your computer. Dont be afraid
to increase your ISO to get the shutter speeds you need. When shooting fast-moving
animals such as birds in flight, you may want a shutter speed as high as 1/1000th of a
second to freeze your subject. And of course, proper technique in stabilizing your camera
can go a long way.
Most photographer recommend that you use at least a 300mm (35mm equivalent)
telephoto for wildlife photography (if you need to learn more about different kinds of
lenses, this article can help) . Any less and you will have difficulty filling the frame with
your subject. But no matter how much reach your longest lens gives you, youll always
be left wanting more. Teleconverters can be used, at the cost of sharpness and f-stops,
but for bird photography involving small subjects, they may be your best option.
Before spending a fortune on a photography expedition to Africa, hone your skills in your
own backyard. My area of Colorado is rife with red-winged blackbirds in the spring.
They can be found around nearly any body of water, and the males are claiming and
protecting territory from nearly every tree branch or cattail. Their focus on competitors
and attracting a mate means that their guard is down more than it would be at other times,
and the cattails they often frequent are conveniently located at eye level.
I have found that red-winged blackbirds are an excellent practice subject to work on
my skills of approach, framing, and general technical work (exposure, focus, and the
general fiddling of knobs and buttons). They are common enough that if you blow an
approach by moving too quickly or loudly, another will most likely present itself shortly.
But they are not so easy to catch. Dark subjects against light backgrounds can be a
technical challenge, and learning to expose the blacks of their feathers along with that red
patch can really hone your skills.
Blackbirds may not be common in your area, but most likely, some form of wildlife
frequents the parks and fields in your area. Find a good practice subject and work on
your basics, so that when you go after bigger, more impressive animals, you will have a
solid foundation in the basic techniques and you will stand a better chance of capturing a
great image.
Get to know your subjects behavior. Read books and talk with hunters or experts on
the species. Your local university may have researchers who special in the animal youre
trying to capture. Politely ask them for tips via emailoften they will be more than
happy to share their expertise, provided youre respectful of the animals.
Some knowledge you will only gain through experience. Ive spent most of the winter
travelling to Rocky Mountain National Park on a weekly basis. Of particular interest in
this park are the herds of wild elk. A large bachelor herd is my favorite subject, but
finding them in time for the good light was not easy at first. Over time, and through trial
and error, I began to understand how weather affected which altitudes the animals could
be found at. Colder weather or snow would push them down into lower elevations where
it they were easier to find and photograph. Also, I learned which park entrances they
were most likely to be near at the time of day I was photographing them. Other
photographers in your area may be able to share this information, but I think if you can
spare the time, its more fulfilling to learn their behavior on your own.
Speaking of parks, the local rangers and park staff are an excellent resource for learning
the activities and whereabouts of great subjects. I often swing into the pay station later in
the morning to chat with the rangers about how things have been inside the park. As
amateur photographers, were not able to spend all of our time out there, but the rangers
do, and they excellent resources at your disposal.
Capture Action!
Starting out, I was content to capture any animal in focus, properly exposed, and decently
composed. I didnt care so much what they were doing in the image, so long as I got
them in the shot and they werent just a speck in the distance. As you develop your other
skills, however, you will find that the most compelling and successful images are one that
capture an animal in action. Its common sense, but often, we forget in the excitement of
just being near the animal that that closeness is not easily conveyed through still
photography.
Capturing action requires more patience than just getting the animals in the frame.
Its nearly impossible to approach an animal without impacting its behavior somewhat.
They will often be rattled or cautious in your presence. It takes time for the animal to
settle back into its routine, to forget that youre watching.
One last tip for capturing action with birds of prey was recently shared with me by
wildlife photographer Vic Schendel. In his years of wildlife photography, hes
discovered that raptors often defecate shortly before taking flight. When you have the
bird in your frame, and you see this happen, starting firing off shots, because you are
likely to catch a much more impressive image of the bird taking flight than if you had
taken a shot while it rested on a tree branch or telephone wire.
Batteries
temperatures your camera will drain the battery faster so always stack up on some
extra batteries when your out in the cold.
Dont buy cheap batteries, it will only come back to haunt you in the end. In most cases
its best to buy the official battery for the camera. For instance I have both Canon and
non-brand batteries for my Canon EOS 350D; my Canon batteries will last for
approximately 5000 photographs (using a vertical grip with 2 batteries) while the non-
brand batteries will last somewhere around 200-400 photographs (under the same
conditions). This is a huge difference, and I can only say that Ive learned from my
mistake.
Unless you really need it, turn off the LCD. The LCD drains the battery like nothing
else, just lowering the brightness of the display will add some extra hundred
photographs per charge. The auto display feature should be used with care, if you really
need it to be on, at least lower the time the photograph is displayed to the minimal time
you need.
Changing lenses will leave the interior of your camera body exposed to the outside world.
Its important to realize that you should be very careful when changing lenses. Have
your back faced towards the wind to minimize dust getting inside and try to avoid
changing lenses in the most dust filled areas. If possible, only change your lens in areas
that are relative dust free, such as indoors or in a car.
When you change lenses, do the following to minimize the risk of dust getting inside the
camera:
If you get dust on the sensor, be careful its very sensitive equipment. Some people
choose to send their cameras in for a sensor cleaning while others clean the sensor
themselves, choose which solution you think is best for you.
I personally clean the sensor myself. I use an air blower to clean the sensor, but its also
perfect for cleaning your lenses and filters. I keep one in each of my camera bags.
If youre using an air blower, dont place the tip inside the camera body always have
the tip outside of the camera body. If the mirror would flip down the air blower might
otherwise get hit and scratch the sensor.
Ive never used anything directly on the sensor, just blown air onto it, but there are other
methods I guess I wouldnt trust myself with most of them.
Lens Hood
The lens hoods can also be used for protection. With a hood on youre less likely to
accidentally touch the optics. If youre photographing kids or animals at close range this
will also help you from getting unwanted smudges on the lens, because we all know how
much kids and animals love shiny things. Using a lens hood when shooting macro is a
perfect way to keep your distance to the object and minimize the risk of accidentally
bumping into it.
If you drop your lens the hood will most likely take most of the damage (but interior
mechanics of the lens might still be damage from a fall, a hood will not protect against
that) and hopefully save the lens.
There is one occasion when you should not use a hood, and thats when you are using a
flash. The lens hood can cast a shadow on the object, which is most unwanted. You can
angle your flash to bounce on another neutral surface to avoid this shadow if you still
want to use the hood.
You will have to test your equipment and see if your lens/flash combo will cast a shadow
or not.
Extra Memory
Just like with batteries, always take more memory than you
think youll need. You never want to find yourself in a situation
where you are unable to photograph due to the fact that your
memory card is full. I would also advice against deleting any
photograph directly from the camera. No matter how large or
bright the LCD is, it will not show you what the photograph
really looks like (sharpness and such fine detail). If a photo is a
complete failure, such as just black/white, you can usually make the decision to delete it
right there and then, but if you for example think that the photograph looks blurry I
would strongly advice against deleting such a photograph. Better safe than sorry so
bring extra memory!
Another quick note when it comes to memory cards, if youre in extreme environments
deserts, north of the Arctic Circle etc you should spend the extra bucks on a
SanDisk Extreme III-IV card. Not only are they faster but they are constructed to
withstand more abuse and have a greater range of working temperatures. (Obviously
these cards are faster even under normal circumstances, so it could be worth the money
just for the speed alone depending on your set-up.)
Photography is the art of capturing light, IR photography on the other hand is the art of
capturing invisible light but the challenge comes with its benefits, IR photographs can
be really attention grabbing and otherworldly.
Different lenses handles IR photography differently, and in this case its not necessarily
decided by the price of the lens these lenses are not designed for IR photography and
therefore some of them just doesnt work very well in this field.
What do I photograph?
First and foremost, you need to understand the concept of capturing invisible light,
invisible to the human eye that is. The world looks totally different in Infrared, and there
are a few things to think about.
A blue sky will appear black, or very dark, while foliage will get a distinct white
color. This creates amazing contrast in the image that makes the photo pop. Due to the
long exposure time, portraits and other non-static sceneries can be hard to capture, this is
one of the reasons why most IR photographs are landscape shots.
You need to test and see what you can come up with; it can take a long time before you
fully grasp the idea of capturing and composing with infrared light.
How to photograph
I would like to say something like and now to the fun part but in this case the photo
shoot itself can be rather annoying and/or time consuming. Dont get me wrong, IR
photography is fun, but the way you have to shoot when youre using an unmodified D-
SLR camera is far from an optimal solution.
When the filter is attached to the lens you will most likely see nothing in the
viewfinder. The filter is designed to block visible light and it does so quite well. This
will result in two hassles you cannot see whats in frame and whats not, nor can you
see whats in focus. The best way to solve the first problem is to set up your tripod and
find a good composition before attaching the IR filter.
The focus distance is not the same for IR light as it is for visible light, so you will have to
re-focus after the IR filter is attached. This can be really troublesome since you wont
see anything in the viewfinder, older lenses might have a special IR focus distance listed,
but modern Auto Focus (AF) lenses does not have this. The best solution is to have the
camera auto focus with the IR filter on, or step down the aperture enough to get focus the
entire distance.
Now youre set to go, but your cameras exposure meter isnt working correctly so you
will have to use manual exposure. Most IR photographs Ive taken have had an
exposure time between 10-30 seconds. With these long exposure times we not only risk
getting motion blur but also heavy noise levels. The longer the exposure the more noise
will be created, thats not specific for IR photography but a general rule in photography.
Use the lowest ISO setting to try and keep the noise level as low as possible.
Post-production
What the outcome will look like depends on what filter you used and how the camera
handles IR light.
If you use a filter like the Hoya R72 that I use your result will be heavily red/magenta
tinted images. This is whats called false colors, and it can be fixed in Photoshop,
which is what I will show in this part of the article.
Open your IR photo in Photoshop. The first thing we want to do is to use a feature called
Channel Mixer. Create a new adjustment layer and select Channel Mixer. You can now
control the channels RED, GREEN and BLUE. What we want to do is switch the Red
and the Blue channel.
Select Red and drag the Red setting to 0% and drag the Blue setting to 100%
Select Blue and drag the Blue setting to 0% and drag the Red setting to 100%
You can also experiment with changing the Green channel or such as well, find a good
mix for every scenery.
You should now have removed that heavily tinted red/magenta color from your
photograph, but the current look might not be much better either.
What you want to do now is play around with the Levels and Curve settings, if youre
new to these adjustment tools you can always hit Auto and see if you like the outcome.
This was a very quick guide on how to change that false color in Photoshop, but there
isnt any magic number that works for all photographs you will just have to test and
see. Then again, thats basically what IR is all about in the beginning, this is a technique
that takes some time getting used to and it will involve a lot of not so perfect shots.
Dont give up the results can be astonishing!
(Im by no means talented in IR photography, these examples are very basic but
hopefully they give you a feel for this style.)
Thanks:
1. http://.tutorial9.net
2. http://en.wikipedia.org
3. http://google.com
4. Microsoft Corp.
5. Adobe Corp.
6. EWU Lab
7. PC.
8. My Brain.
Hi I am Shuvo saha, make this for you. Be a photographer and enjoy your life.