Free Photography Lessons

Photography Lesson 5 – Lenses

jabennett — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 12:49:40 +0000

The time has come that I have to talk a little about lenses before I move on. It is important to understand the attributes of your lenses in order to fully grasp the next couple of lessons. In the next few moments, I will discuss the different types of lenses, focal length and aperture.

TYPES OF LENSES

There are two major types of lenses in the camera world, primes and zooms. Both have there pros and cons. There are also several specialty lenses, however, I will save those for later discussions.

Primes
A prime lens is one that does not change the focal length. For example, a prime lens is one with a fixed focal length such as the Canon 50mm lens. The best way to possibly describe this, is that the photographer moves to frame the picture before snapping the shutter. They usually have the advantage of being bright because of lower aperture (more on this later) and are usually a very high quality. A disadvantage of course is that you have to have many lenses for different focal lengths or be stuck running around trying to fill the frame.

Zooms
A zoom lens is one that does allow the photographer to change the focal length of the lens without changing the lens. A good example of this, is the Canon 24-70 mm zoom lens. In this case, the camera can have a wide angle view (24mm) or a standard view (70mm). The photographer in this case does not have move in order to fill the frame. He or she can stay in one place and change the view of the picture by “zooming” (changing the focal length) the lens. The advantages of the zoom are that they are useful where you require a range of focal lengths but want the convenience of a single lens, whether for weight (only carrying one lens), always being ready to take the picture or shooting in a dusty environment and you want to keep dust from entering the camera to a minimum. The disadvantages are that zooms are usually slower than prime lenses (higher apertures) and are therefore darker. The picture quality from zoom lenses are sometime questionable depending on the lens. This is an area where one really gets what he or she pays for. …more to follow shortly…this lesson is incomplete.

Photography Lesson 4 – What does ISO mean?

jabennett — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 03:08:26 +0000

ISO followed by a number (ex. ISO 100) is a measurement of how sensitive to light a film or digital sensor is. In the older days of film it was called ASA. Your camera probably has a setting that will allow you to change the ISO that you are using. In the next few minutes I will explain the uses of ISO.

Generally speaking, without getting super technical, the lower the ISO the more light is needed to expose a photograph. In turn, the greater the ISO, the less light is needed to make the picture. In the old film days, this was called the ASA or speed of the film. For instance, if one was going to be shooting in bright sunlight, he or she would buy Kodak ASA 100. If one was going to shoot sports or be in lower light, one might choose Kodak ASA 400. For really dark photography one may choose ASA 800 or ASA 1600.

I bring up these numbers because it will help you understand the relationship between ASA and ISO. It will also demonstrate the similarities of “grain” and “noise”. Generally speaking, the lower the ASA in film, the smoother the photograph looked. So, for a portrait the photographer would generally use a ASA 50 or 100 for that dreamy smooth look. Back in the day if one used an ASA 800, the photograph would have “specks” in it and not be that smooth, dreamy look.

ISO works the same way, but, instead of “grain” you get digital “noise”. Digital noise is is the random variation of brightness or color information in images produced by the sensor and circuitry of a scanner or digital camera. I will show in momentarily what I am talking about, but it shows up in little colored specks on your digital photograph. Since I believe in the power of pictures, lets look at these two examples.

Crossed Swords of Victory

at 100%

The above photo was taken in Iraq with an ISO 200. Notice how smooth the image looks.
The crop underneath the main photo is a portion of the photo at 100%

Tsavo Lions

at 100%

These are the actual Tsavo Lions that were the real-life man-eaters that the movie “Ghost in the Darkness” depicted. They are on display at the Chicago Field Museum. This photo was shot behind glass in a very dark environment. The only way I could get this photograph was to shoot at an ISO 3200. Notice all of the noise in the picture. Not the grandest photo but I was able to capture that little moment in time.

Ok, now that you kinda see the results of different ISO lets talk about how to apply them in your picture taking experience. Doubling the ISO number of the film doubles its sensitivity to light. ISO 100 needs twice the light to take the same picture as ISO 200. ISO 400 film needs a quarter of the light that ISO 100 needs. This means, you could capture a low-light scene with a shutter speed of 1/15 second with ISO 100 film, or 1/60 second with ISO 400. That’s the difference between getting a blurry mess and a sharp photo.

While turning the knob up on ISO may sound like the savior to all bad pictures, there is a price to pay for jacking it way up. The price is noise like you saw in the lion pictures above. That’s the decision you have to make….get a noisy picture or no picture. While I will not be making millions selling the above lions, I have captured a moment in time that I will be able to tell stories about for years to come. Coffee and storytime anyone?

Here are some basic rules of thumb for ISO adjustment…

Use the lowest setting possible that allows you to get a non-blurry picture.
In daylight with bright sunlight, use ISO 100 or 200
On an overcast day, use ISO 400
Inside or no flash ISO 800, 1600

These are general guidelines and each camera varies greatly on the quality of each ISO setting.

Homework Assignment

Pull out that camera manual and figure out how to adjust your ISO
Take at least 5 photos at each setting for comparison
Compare the noise levels in each photo
Take note of how fast your shutter clicks (shutterspeed) at each ISO

FAQ #1 – What camera equipment do you use?

jabennett — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 03:14:00 +0000

Personally, I chose to use the Canon camera system. I currently use the following:

Bodies:

Canon EOS 5D Mk II Canon Digital Rebel XT

Lenses:

Canon 24-70 mm L f2.8 Canon 70-200 mm L f4.0 Canon 300 mm L f4.0 Canon 100 mm Macro f2.8 Canon 1.4 X converter

Flash:

Canon EX 580

Filters:

B&W UV B&W Circular Polarizer . . . → Read More: FAQ #1 – What camera equipment do you use?

Photography Lesson 3 – The Rule of Thirds

jabennett — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 04:26:21 +0000

This free photography lesson will improve your photographs almost instantly!

Have you ever heard, “You have a good eye”? Maybe you have heard, “That picture is composed so well.” And, like most of us at some point in our photography journey, you think, “What the heck are they talking about?” Today’s lesson will discuss the Rule of Thirds and how it applies to the composition, or layout, of a photograph.

This concept is really simple to understand. Two important elements of good composition is finding the right subject, and then placing it in the proper spot on the photograph. The Rule of Thirds helps us do that. The main idea when using the rule, which is really a guideline, is to place the subject off center away from the middle of the frame. Doing this usually brings character and action to the photograph making them much more interesting.

Horizontal Rule of Thirds

Vertical Rule of Thirds

Here’s how it works. You have to look through your viewfinder and mentally (some cameras now have guides to help you) divide the frame in to nine parts. Look at the example on the left.

Notice that there are two horizontal and two vertical lines that trisect the image creating four crosshairs for you to place your subject. Place your subject where the lines intersect instead of in the middle of the frame.

For a vertical picture, look at the example on the right.

Here are some general guidelines to subject placement.

When shooting landscapes, place the horizon on either the top or bottom line of the horizontal frame indicated above.
Place the eyes of animals and people along the top lines or either frame shown above.
Always give movement a place to go. For example, if you take a photo of some one running from left to right, place the subject (the runner) on one of the left crosshairs.

Let’s look at some examples.

Center Weighted Bird

Rule of Thirds Used

The photograph on the left is shot the way many beginner photographers shoot a subject. The subject is centered and it appears that it is nearly looking off the picture.

The photograph on the right is applying the rule of thirds. The subject is placed on the left vertical line. The birds’ eyes are centered on the top horizontal line. Notice now, it does not appear the bird is looking off the picture like the center weighted one. This is a much more pleasing photograph. What do you think?

More Examples

Las Vegas, Nevada

I took this picture while traveling in Las Vegas, Nevada. By the way, Las Vegas numerous photography opportunities. I am kind of a country boy so I look for nature to explore and I found Red Rock Canyon about 25 minutes north of Las Vegas. The photo was taken at the entrance of the park. I simply placed the main subject on the right vertical line. This gave the photograph a dramatic look.

Life Guard Station

This photograph was taken in Pensacola, Florida. Beaches always have the potential to make beautiful photographs. Look at the rule of third components used to compose this picture. First, the main subject (the lifeguard station) is placed on the left vertical line. The secondary subject (the umbrella) was placed on the right vertical line. And finally, the horizon was placed on the top horizontal line. All of these considerations made a very dramatic picture that is very pleasing to the eye.

As you can easily see, learning this free photography lesson, The Rule of Thirds, can quickly improve your photography skills.

Homework Assignment

Take several pictures using the left vertical line of each template above.
Take several pictures using the right vertical line of each template above.
Take several pictures using the top horizontal line of each template above.
Take several pictures using the bottom horizontal line of each template above.
Compare each photo and post how you think this lesson helped you in the comments

Photography Lesson 2 – Optical vs Digital Zoom

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:08:53 +0000

When one sees a photograph that has that “wow” effect that immediately catch’s your attention it is usually composed very well with a subject that fills the majority of the picture. This is accomplished either by moving yourself close to the subject or by adjusting your camera lens (zoom) to fill the frame of your camera. Today, we will discuss the differences between optical and digital zoom so you will be able to make an informed decision on which to use to produce the better photograph.

OPTICAL ZOOM

If you have ever used a 35mm camera in the past, you have experienced optical zoom. Optical zoom occurs by adjusting the cameras lenses to project the image onto the sensor or film.. Optical zoom lenses physically extend to magnify your subject. This is a true zoom.

DIGITAL ZOOM

Digital zoom is not a true zoom. When using digital zoom, the camera crops your image and then magnifies the cropping. The digital zoom then guesses and makes up pixels to add to the image, in order to fill the empty spaces of the cropped and enlarged image. Nearly always, this produces a less than stellar result in your image. You will see it as blur or lack of sharpness in your image.

CONCLUSION

Always use optical zoom! Turn the digital zoom off for the best image results.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT

Find how to operate your zoom in your camera manual
Find a stationary subject (anything still will work)
Take several pictures using your digital zoom feature on your camera
Compose and take the same pictures using your optical zoom and getting closer to the subject.
Compare the digital pictures to the optical pictures. You should see a better result with the optical ones.
Review the last photography lesson and then read then move on to the next photography lesson.

Until next time, happy picture taking.

NOTE: If you have a slr camera with exchangeable lenses, you will not have a digital zoom feature.

Photography Lesson 1 – Types of Cameras

admin — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 20:24:16 +0000

Let’s begin by rebuking the theory that you must have the latest, most expensive camera on the market to produce quality pictures. This is simply not true, as many camera platforms produce quality photographs. What is important, is that you know type of camera you have and what its limitations are. This lesson will be brief as I am not going to cover the types of cameras in great detail so as not to bore you with technical jargon. I just want you to have a general idea of what’s out there on the market. Following, are the pros and cons of each camera we will discuss today.

The first type of camera we will discuss is the point and shoot. The point and shoot cameras of today are certainly much better than the film pointers of yesteryear. Most of them are now digital and pack a fairly powerful punch and some will down right astonish you.

Pros

Usually small and lightweight
Low to moderately priced
Preset picture modes

Cons

Slower speeds
Less individual control
Usually limited ISO
Generally more noise in photos

Another type of camera we see often is the Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR). This is the camera you normally see on the sidelines at sporting events, weddings, and in the hands of the amateur who wants more control over his or her photographs. One of the biggest differences with the DSLR over the point and shoot is the ability to change the lenses to suit a particular photographic need.

Another major difference is how the camera operates. In the point and shoot, the image through the lens sits directly on the digital sensor in the camera. This is why you are able to use the display screen on the back of the camera to focus. With the DSLR, the image hits a mirror and then reflects into the viewfinder on the camera for focusing and framing your picture. When you push the shutter button on the camera, the mirror raises and allows the image to make contact with the digital sensor or film, thus allowing a photograph to be created. The pros and cons of the DSLR are as follows:

Pros

Much more control over your photography
Faster speeds to shoot with
Greater range of ISO (speed of the film)
Usually less noise due to larger sensors

Cons

Moderate to high pricing
Heavier, not as easy to carry around
Camera kit can become quite large
Requires more time to master (but oh so worth it)

The market is now also producing what I call a hybrid camera. The hybrid camera contains features of both cameras mentioned above and can certainly have some uses for those of us who need something in between. I will not spend alot of time on the hybrid simply because the most important thing for you to learn is your camera and what it will do. With that said, here’s the first homework assignment.

Homework Assignment:

Locate your camera manual and familiarize yourself with it.
Determine if it is a point and shoot, a DSLR or a hybrid.
Use your manual to determine the location of and how to change the following:

ISO
Shutter Speed
Aperture
How to change from RAW format to jpg or tiff (depends on the camera) if applicable

Do not worry. If you don’t understand some of the language above or below, I will cover most of these topics in detail later.

Once you have completed the homework assignment come back for another free photography lesson.