MASTER

YOUR DSLR CAMERA

IN UNDER 15 MINUTES!

James Carren

2015 Sender Publishing

For more books by this author, please visit:

www.photographybooks.us

>> LEARN HOW YOU CAN GET PAID TODAY TO TAKE PHOTOS! <<
 Table of Contents:

Introduction

Chapter 1: Understanding Modes for Aperture

and Shutter Speed

Chapter 2: Understanding Focus Modes

Chapter 3: Understanding Metering Modes

Chapter 4: Why White Balance is Important

Chapter 5: Shooting for Quality, Not Quantity

Chapter 6: Move Around

Chapter 7: Practice Does Make Perfect

Chapter 8: Putting Together a Portfolio

Chapter 9: Assign Yourself a Project

Conclusion
 Copyright 2015 by Sender Publishing - All rights reserved.

This document is geared towards providing exact and reliable information in

regards to the topic and issue covered. The publication is sold with the idea
that the publisher is not required to render accounting, officially permitted, or
otherwise, qualified services. If advice is necessary, legal or professional, a
practiced individual in the profession should be ordered.

From a Declaration of Principles which was accepted and approved equally by a

Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and
Associations.

In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this docu-

ment in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publica-
tion is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed un-
less with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

The information provided herein is stated to be truthful and consistent, in that

any liability, in terms of inattention or otherwise, by any usage or abuse of any
policies, processes, or directions contained within is the solitary and utter re-
sponsibility of the recipient reader. Under no circumstances will any legal re-
sponsibility or blame be held against the publisher for any reparation, dam-
ages, or monetary loss due to the information herein, either directly or indi-
rectly.

Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

The information herein is offered for informational purposes solely, and is uni-
versal as so. The presentation of the information is without contract or any
type of guarantee assurance.

The trademarks that are used are without any consent, and the publication of
the trademark is without permission or backing by the trademark owner. All
trademarks and brands within this book are for clarifying purposes only and are
owned by the owners themselves, not affiliated with this document.
 Introduction

Because of the prevalence of photographic imagery in the world today, a lot of

people are under the impression that anyone can be a good photographer. While
it is true that anyone can make a great photo, often, these are one-off flukes. In
order to truly become a great photographer, you have to work at it. Just as with
any other artistic craft, it requires patience, perseverance, and a finely honed
knowledge of your tools and rules.

So, it is true that anyone can become a good photographer, but it wont happen
over night. Just as is true of computers, cameras only do what you tell them to.
They arent smart enough yet to be able to weed out a good command from a bad
one. Its up to you to learn the proper commands to give your camera, and then
itll do most of the technical work for you.

The first half of this short book will teach you about many of the modes your
camera has available, what they do, and when to use them. The second half will
explain the more artistic side, and why, in order to truly be good, you have to
push yourself. Also remember that we learn by doing. Be sure to practice, prac-
tice, practice, and try each of the modes or techniques mentioned after reading a
chapter.

So whether you just got your camera or youve had it around for a while, go pick it
up and lets get started!
 Chapter 1:
Understanding Modes for
Aperture and Shutter Speed

Modes for aperture and shutter speed are located on the top dial or display of
your camera. These are the myriad familiar symbols we all know: the mountain,
the face in profile, the lightning bolt representing flash. But have you ever con-
sidered the modes that are represented by letters?

My four favorite modes are called P or Program Shift, Av or Aperture Priority, Tv

or Shutter Priority, and M or manual mode. Video mode, if your camera has it, is
useful too, if youre interested in exploring the world of video.

So what does each of these modes do? Well first off, they are what are referred to
as semi-automatic modes, all except Manual, of course. Semi-auto modes are like
a stepping stone between automatic and manual modes. A few weeks or months
of practicing with these, and you might be able to switch over to the utmost con-
trol of Manual mode, though of course this mode can take years to truly master.

Dont be daunted by a semi-auto mode. As long as you have a rudimentary un-

derstanding of what aperture and shutter speed are and how they work together
to achieve a good exposure, youll be fine. In case you dont know, heres a quick
rundown.

Aperture is represented by f/stops. F/stops tell you how wide your aperture is,
which is directly correlated to how much light is being let into the camera. You
can use wide apertures in low light situations, or to achieve a shallow depth of
field. Narrower apertures allow for more depth of field, but also less light. You
might be tempted to think that the wider the aperture, the bigger the number in-
dicating it, right? Youd be wrong. Wide apertures are represented by smaller
numbers, and the numbers get bigger as the aperture closes down. So for exam-
ple, an f/stop of 8 lets in much more light and is shallower than f/16.

So for shutter speed, the representations are in fractions, indicating how fast it
opens and closes. A shutter speed of 1/3o is going to be much slower than that of
1/500. Think of it this way: One 30th of a second is more than one 500th of a sec-
ond. By combining the aperture and shutter speeds correctly, you can produce a
well exposed photograph.

There are also things called equivalent exposures, which are differing combina-
tions of aperture and shutter speed that produce the same exposure. You may be
thinking, Why would I need to do that? Different combinations of aperture and
shutter speed produce different aesthetic results, some allowing more blur in the
photo, others more sharpness or more depth of field. What combination you use
is entirely up to you, as long as the proper exposure is being worked with.

Now that you have a basic understanding of aperture and shutter speed, lets get
into these modes, starting with Program Shift Mode. Program Shift Mode works
with equivalent exposures. What it does is to first work exactly like Auto, by de-
termining the aperture and shutter speed combination it thinks the scene needs
based on the amount of light coming into the lens. Where the shift comes in is
that you can then shift to an equivalent exposure, based on your own aesthetic
needs.

Next are the priority modes, also semi-automatic. Theres aperture and shutter
priority, and whichever one you use sets that value as the priority, which means
you get to set it, and the camera provides the other value. So if you select Av, for
example, that means your aperture is your priority. You select that value. Say you
choose f/22. The internal meter will then determine how much light is coming
into your lens and calculate your shutter speed for you. If you choose to use Tv
Mode, it works exactly the same, but in reverse.

Lastly is manual mode, and of course, this mode is fully selected by you, meaning
that you need to have the knowledge of being able to look at a scene and know a
ballpark figure for both values. Of course you can always take another shot if the
first is just under or over, but if you are consistently grossly off then youll just
end up getting frustrated. Think about using the modes in the order Ive listed as
you learn, and before you know it, youll be able to confidently use manual, al-
though the other modes Ive mentioned can still be very convenient at times.

If youre in a hurry, or are out somewhere on vacation just casually taking photos,
its perfectly fine to just use a preset. Just be aware that the exposure may be a
little bit off, and that the camera doesnt really have the smarts to pick the com-
bination of depth of field and motion blur (or lack of it) that you would. If youre
a person that likes to have more control, Id again go back to suggesting use of
Program Shift Mode in a pinch.
 Chapter 2:
Understanding Focus Modes

Focus modes can be found in your camera settings or on your keypad and they
change how the camera focuses when you take a photo. There are typically three
modes: one called AI servo, one called AI focus and one called one shot.

One shot is typically what your camera is set on focusing every time you take an-
other shot. Say your subject is standing in front of you, and you take a shot. After
you remove your finger from the shutter button, your camera will know that you
are done taking the shot and refocus. This is good for situations like portrait ses-
sions or landscape shoots, where you need time between shots to think about
your next composition.

The second mode is called AI Servo. What AI Servo does is allow you to take pic-
tures across different depths of field. If you are walking somewhere and you want
to take continuous photos rather than having your camera refocus each time this
can be good for you. Its also very useful for events such as marathons, pageants,
or horse races, where there is movement involved by the subject you are trying to
shoot and you still want to get crystal clear photos. Of course, the movement of
the subject will vary so not every shot will be perfectly crisp, but it certainly does
a better job than trying to figure it all out manually. As you are shooting, if the
depth of field changes, such as your subject moving closer or farther away, your
camera will refocus to make sure that the focal length is correct over that differ-
ence.

The last mode is called AI Focus and it does a little bit of both of the above
modes. That way if you want to take one shot, and then a second later you need a
continuous shot you are able to do so. This could be useful for a situation where
your subject is stopping and then moving.

Whenever you are getting ready to shoot, consider your subject matter and de-
termine which focus mode will be best for you. This will help take out the frustra-
tion of having photos that are too blurry to be useful.
If you have never used different shooting modes before, access them by pressing
the AF button that is on your keypad or finding them in your menu. Practice be-
fore if you have a shoot coming up to see what each mode looks like and in which
situations you find it useful. This way you will be more prepared and confident
when doing your official shoot.
 Chapter 3:
Understanding Metering Modes

Metering modes are how you change the amount and area of light your camera
measures when you focus and are getting ready to take a shot. Of course, meter-
ing is already involved in determining your exposure, but it is important to select
how you want your metering to be calculated. In order to do so there are four me-
tering modes your camera provides for you to choose from. They are: evaluative,
partial, spot, and center weighted average.

Your camera defaults to evaluative metering mode. This mode takes into account
the whole of the scene, but puts its focus on your point of focus. So if youre trying
to focus on someones face, the camera determines that this section needs the
most accurate reading and adjusts the background accordingly. What this means
is that the background may be over or under exposed as compared to your focus
point, but its usually only off by a stop or so.

Partial and spot metering modes do essentially the same thing, except that partial
metering mode measures more of the frame than spot does. Think of it like this;
in analog photography, in order to get the correct exposure for your subject, you
meter only for your subject. This is especially useful if the scene is an overall gray
but your object is black, because it will expose properly for the black object as op-
posed to metering an entire average. This is exactly what spot metering does, ex-
cept in the digital realm, and partial metering is like spot metering with a little bit
of averaging around the subject thrown in.

The last metering mode is called center weighted average. I never use this mode
and I would suggest that in most circumstances you dont either. The camera ba-
sically takes in all the light coming into the lens and determines the average, with
no regard to your focus point. This means that your focus point will likely be very
under or over exposed.

Using metering modes is a great way to make sure you get the most out of your
light.
 Chapter 4:
Why White Balance is Important

White balance is one of the most important tools your camera possesses, and yet
its grossly underutilized. White balance controls the color casts on an image.
Color cast refers to the hue a photo can pick up when photographed under fluo-
rescent lights, or with a built in camera flash. Weve all seen them. They can make
your picture appear unnecessarily blue, or orange or green, too cool or too warm.
You know that wasnt what the scene looked like in real life, so why does it look
like that on camera?

The answer is that, while the human brain is really very good at telling the eye
what color something is, the camera isnt that smart (although its getting there).
As you may know, the sun has a different light temperature than a regular old in-
door light bulb, which in turn is different from fluorescent light and tungsten
light. Scientifically, all these types of light operate on differing wavelengths,
which in turn makes them give off different colors.

Most of the time, we only notice these changes in light color when moving from
one light source to another, such as entering a room lit with tungsten from out-
side. Another easy way to understand this is by placing a gel on a white light and
watching how your subject changes color subtly.

Because light gives off different wavelengths, and thus, different colors, the cam-
era tries its best to adjust. Typically, unless youve lit a scene to achieve a specific
color cast, you want your colors to look balanced, or normal as they do in real
life. To do this, you have to tell your camera what your current white balance sit-
uation is. The choices are pretty self-explanatory, but if you dont know which one
to use or youre just curious to see how each would affect your picture, scroll
through them. You can also use white balance settings to correct a color cast that
is noticeable to life. Say that youre with your friends in a bar where light is decid-
edly blue. You can take the picture and then adjust accordingly to make it look
less blue. If you want to do the opposite and add a color cast to a photo, you can
also do that.
If you do mess up and forget to set your white balance, if youve been shooting in
RAW format, you can fix it in Camera RAW. There are also white balance and
color balance functions in Lightroom and Photoshop where you can adjust in
post. As with every good habit though, Id recommend trying to do it in camera,
so youll have less editing to do later on.

As a reference, here are some of the white balance options available on digital
cameras. I am referencing an older Canon model. Settings on my camera include:
Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten, White Fluorescent, Flash, and Custom.

Auto usually does a good job guessing, but can use a little tweaking in post from
time to time. Daylight is good for bright, brilliant sunny days. Shade also works
on those bright days, but predictably, in the shade. The shade setting may also
work well around dusk, before it gets completely dark. Cloudy is for overcast
days, and Tungsten and White fluorescent are pretty self-explanatory. Flash
refers to use with your cameras built in flash, and Custom allows you to set white
balance yourself. I would not recommend using this regularly as a new photogra-
pher.
 Chapter 5:
Shooting for Quality, Not Quantity

In my time as a photographer, Ive heard a lot of different theories as to how to

learn to get the best pictures. Watching a photography video today, the instructor
said something along the lines of: it doesnt matter how many pictures you take!
If you dont like it, you can delete it! With DSLR, which is our focus here, this is
very true, but that doesnt make it good advice.

When you fall into the expectation and the habit of just being able to delete, you
lose focus, because in the back of your head, youre thinking, Well just as long as
I get one I like Im okay. And then during post, you have to wade through hun-
dreds of exposures that range from terrible to okay. There isnt much thought in
this method, and its a lot of wasted energy.

To me, this is one of the things that separates a professional photographer from
an amateur. A true professional takes their time to look around themselves, and
notice the composition that they like, before making the picture. At the beginning
of the learning process, this may take you some time and effort to do. But as you
grow in your understanding of composition and what it is you like to shoot, youll
begin to be able to take good pictures without seeming to think about it.

There is only one genre which I would recommend just shooting as much as you
can, and that is documentary. Documentary means you are literally documenting
life. Since your subject can tend to be spontaneous, shooting a higher quantity is
permissible. You dont want to miss anything your subject might do. However, its
still important to be looking at how the imagined frame is composed.

Try this method, rather than just shooting and shooting and shooting. Youll find
that you have less pictures to go through, and that more of the pictures are truly
good. You may even find yourself having to think about which is the strongest,
which is altogether a better dilemma to have than, Which one of these is the
least bad?
 Chapter 6:
Move Around

If you find yourself getting bored with the things youre shooting, move around.
The first type of moving around that you can do is to physically move your body
from your typical standing height. The second type of moving around is to travel,
although I want to talk about the benefits of shooting familiar things too.

Shooting from your typical standing height is fine as a starting point, but if thats
the only height you shoot at, youre missing out on two thirds of the world. Being
observant as a photographer means looking up, down, and around yourself.
Think of it as a game. What would the world look like if I were smaller, or taller?

Dont be afraid to bend or crouch or stand on tiptoe. Use your surroundings to

your benefit. If there are stairs, go down them and shoot up. Then go up them
and shoot down. Also try shooting at some of the middle stair heights.

If youre in a studio, or out in the field with no structure to alter your height, con-
sider a crate or stool. You can bring it with you on photo shoots and use it when
you need to. Dont forget to get creative. What, aside from stairs, can be used to
elevate yourself or to get lower? Always be careful, though, especially if youre go-
ing to climb a tree ;)

You can also move around by traveling, although I always recommend starting
with the familiar. Too often, people get so excited about shooting new, and in
some cases, exotic photos that they forget to look in their own metaphorical back
yard. Starting here can often be the key to making truly personal pictures. Dis-
covering what is around you and how it has affected you is a form of introspec-
tion, and theres a saying that, the more specific pictures are to you, the more
universal they become. No one wants to look at pictures that started out as uni-
versal. There is nothing that speaks to curiosity there, so aside from maybe being
beautiful, it falls flat.

That is not to say that you shouldnt travel, because you definitely should. But in-
forming yourself about what has shaped you in your current environment will
help you recognize patterns in what it is you look for elsewhere.
Travel not only to common attractions, but also to places that are out of the way.
There is no telling what may be there that is an excellent picture. Sometimes its
even good to travel with no destination in mind. This technique is especially use-
ful if youre trying to work out an idea for a new body of work, whether you al-
ready have a concept or its just budding. Sometimes you just have to go and look,
and shoot until you figure out what your idea is.
 Chapter 7:
Practice Does Make Perfect

A lot of novice photographers fall into the habit of just visiting a place once.
While it may be possible to get a great photograph from one visit, youre cutting
yourself short if you dont go more than once. It may well be that your best photo
is the first one taken the first time you visit. But how will you know if you dont go
back again?

If youre a documentary photographer, this is a tactic youll get well used to. Get-
ting to know subjects that are also people takes a lot more time, because you have
to build up a repertoire of trust.

Even with a stationary, inanimate subject though, remember that differing light-
ing, weather, and seasons are going to affect how it looks, and thus how it affects
the viewer. Even if you know what mood you have in mind, shoot in other condi-
tions that create other moods. It may be even better than what you expected.

Finally, dont worry if you create a near perfect photo the first go around, and
then cant get it perfect subsequently. Sometimes, things just cant be recreated,
and the little quirks make it stand out anyway.

This little adage also applies to developing concepts for your work. Often, con-
cepts start out as little fluttery breaths of ideas that slowly form into something
concrete. Youll likely still have to do some legwork on your idea even after you
know what you want to do. No matter the genre you prefer, youll have to scout
out locations and models well in advance to the date of the shoot.

If youre working with a model, sketching out what poses and lighting you want is
a very good idea, so that you can draw up a list of everything that you need. If you
have to get a rental on any of the equipment that you need, make sure you know
exactly how long youre going to need it for, so you dont have to pay more money
than is necessary, either by renting too early or by incurring a late fee.

Its a lot to remember, but be easy on yourself as youre learning. Every technical,
aesthetic, and logistical element in photography takes years to truly master.
 Chapter 8:
Putting Together a Portfolio

If youve been doing this for a little while, you probably have quite a collection of
imagery. Often, when people first get a camera, theyll get really excited and shoot
a ton of photos. They then upload that ton of photos to Facebook without going
through them, and all of their friends like the album and say what good photos
they are, even though maybe two thirds are out of focus, blurred, overexposed, or
any other number of issues.

Unfortunately, this is also how amateur photographers put together their portfo-
lios. I think it really has a lot to do with excitement, but, reiterating an earlier
chapter, quality is much better than quantity.

In order to have a professional looking portfolio, you need to be hard on yourself.

Pull up whatever catalogue of images youre working with, and immediately get
rid of anything that is blurred or out of focus, unless its intentional. Even if it is
intentional, make sure it looks like it is. Next, go through and take out any images
that are grossly overexposed or underexposed. If the error is only a stop or two in
either direction of being correct, it can be saved as long as the original file format
was RAW, DNG, or TIFF. Correct those exposures that you can, and trash the
rest.

As you move through your portfolio, its going to get harder and harder to sort
images. This is good. It means youre being critical, and by being so, strengthen-
ing your portfolio.

The next element to consider is composition. Are the pictures you have left eye-
catching? Do they hold interest beyond being eye catching? Does your eye move
around the frame to the subject and back again? Make sure to consider whether
the composition is balanced, whether it roughly follows the rule of thirds. If you
still have any images that are roughly dead center, I would suggest vetoing those
too. If you still have close to one hundred images left, go through them again,
starting with the first step, and be even more critical.
Now its time to turn away from the fully technical aspects of whether or not the
photo is good. Consider your concept, your theme. It can be as simple or complex
as you want it to be as long as its understandable to an outside audience. Howev-
er, just saying flowers doesnt constitute a theme. What about those flowers
draws you to them? What are you thinking of as you shoot? If any photo, no mat-
ter how pretty, doesnt fit the concept you are aiming for, get rid of it. If you really
do have a ton of photos, remember that you can always make multiple portfolios.
Make each one as cohesive as possible. Once youve pared down to just the im-
ages that stick to your concept, you may only have about thirty or forty photos.
This is okay, because most complete portfolios will have about three concepts in
them with about seven photos per concept. That way the person who happens to
be reviewing your portfolio doesnt get overwhelmed.

Keep in mind that a portfolio is slightly different from a series, though they both
follow the same editing process Im describing. A series can be made up of as
many photographs as you would like, as long as they all relate. A portfolio shows
a reviewer or potential client a little taste of all of your (typically most recent}
work.

Now youll want to put all of your images in order. If the series themselves
havent yet been put in the order you would like them to be viewed, that needs to
be done first. If there arent any chronological specifications to consider, then
look at form and see how the series flows via line and color, or light. Be sure to
begin and end the series with your strongest images, and sandwich your weaker
images in the middle. At this point, though, even weaker images should still be
strong.

Once all of your series have been put in order, consider which series are the most
recent, and of those, which are the strongest. Pick about three. Of these series,
you must then pick about ten to twenty images. No potential employer or review-
er will want to see more than this. Youll also make a stronger impression this
way.

When presenting your portfolio, you can choose either an online or traditional
print format. If you choose to go the online route, make sure you have a personal
device that is fully charged to display them on. If you go with traditional prints,
pick a size that is at once easy to carry but that also displays the spirit and intent
of your work.
You can show your prints out of a portfolio or an archival print box. I would sug-
gest the latter unless you have unique prints that need to be protected and not
touched.

Armed with these techniques, youll be well on your way to a stronger portfolio,
which should get stronger with time as you shoot. Remember that your portfolio
will need to periodically be gone through and updated to maintain an accurate
representation of your aesthetic and skills.
 Chapter 9:
Assign Yourself a Project

Even after your portfolio is complete (for now), you should continue to work and
try to push yourself as a photographer. The best way to do this is to pretend like
youre in school for it, and assign yourself a project. Dont think of it as an as-
signment or a chore though. Pick a new skill within the world of photography that
youd like to master. The possibilities are nearly endless.

Your project could focus on acquiring new skills in post, such as how to retouch
skin. Or you could learn theory, about the zone system. Try a new kind of camera,
such as the Lytro, which utilizes plenoptics to be able to alter focal points after
the fact, or a large format camera (the ones you see in period movies where the
photographers put their heads under a cloth), which still to this day are the high-
est resolution cameras available. If you usually shoot in studio, shoot a location
instead, and vice versa.

Alternatively, you could just choose to focus on a new concept, or on the continu-
ation of a previous project. There are also many popular photo challenges to
choose from. Though you can find some of them on Facebook, focus on making
them as original and professional as you can. Challenges such as this can include:
the Thirty Day Challenge, in which you take a photo of something different that
relates to your personality for a month, or the 365 project, in which you challenge
yourself to take at least one photo each day for one year.

A project you assign yourself can be anything you want it to be. Make sure you
enjoy it, and that youve set some minimal goals or schedule for yourself to
achieve whatever you set out to do.
 Conclusion

Understanding your camera is essential to being able to make a good photograph.

Even if you only consider yourself an amateur, a working understanding can help
you to differentiate your pictures from the pack and wow your friends. Youll
surely feel a sense of pride when it comes to posting or showing around your pic-
tures, and you may even be able to show your friends a thing or two.

Having more control is going to help you be able to bridge the gap between ama-
teur and professional, although it may take a few years to develop your own per-
sonal aesthetic. Take your time, shoot whats important to you, and remember
that practice and perseverance are key.

Once you begin building your portfolio, you will be able to understand the pat-
terns of what draws you to certain things, identify them, and develop a cohesive
aesthetic.

Dont get stuck in a rut though. Its important, especially if you dont want to al-
ways be considered an amateur, to keep pushing yourself to learn new things.
Dont think that a new project only has to last a week or two, though. Rushing is
what produces less than quality work. Take your time on your projects and re-
member that they can take as long as you need, whether that takes two weeks or
two decades.

By following and continually improving on the skills and techniques in this short
book, you will find yourself enjoying the world of photography and the art of be-
ginning to understand how to make the pictures you want to make.

Additionally, if you want to take things to the next level, I strongly recommend
checking out this course below. It will take your photoshop, photography, and
overall post-production skills to new levels very quickly.

>> CHECK OUT THE COURSE HERE <<

THANK YOU!