Digital Photography 101 Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR) This camera is named for the reflexing mirror that allows you to frame the image through the lens prior to capturing the image. As light passes through the DSLR camera's lens, it falls onto a reflexing mirror and then passes through a prism to the viewfinder. The viewfinder image corresponds to the actual image area. When the picture is taken, the mirror reflexes, or moves up and out of the way, allowing the open shutter to expose the digital image sensor, which captures the image. Most features on a DSLR are adjustable, allowing for greater control over the captured image. Most DSLR cameras also allow the use of interchangeable lenses, meaning you can swap lenses of different focal lengths on the same camera body. Viewfinder Prism (shows the actual image frame) Digital image sensor Miror Reflexing mirtor (swung open) Exposure: Exposure is the amount of light collected by the sensor in your camera during a single picture. If the shot is exposed too long the photograph will be washed out. If the shot is exposed too short the photograph will appear too dark. Almost all cameras today have light meters which measure the light in the given shot and set an ideal exposure.The Exposure Triangle SO (you've probably seen them on films — 100, 200, 400, 800 etc) EXPOSURE variables Shutter Speed Aperture Shutter speed is measured in fractions of seconds. Aperture is measured in The bigger the denominator the faster the speed ‘stops’. for example (1/1000 is much faster than 1/60). 112.8, 1/4, f/5.6,118,f122 etc. 1. ISO — the measure of a digital camera sensor's sensitivity to light 2. Aperture — the size of the opening in the lens when a picture is taken 3. Shutter Speed — the amount of time that the shutter is open Itis at the intersection of these three elements that an image's exposure is worked out. Most importantly — a change in one of the elements will impact the others. This means that you can never really isolate just one of the elements alone. Aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. Each major step exactly doubled or halved the amount of light entering the camera (12.8, f/4, f/5.6, #18, f/11, 116) ISO Shutter speed is a common term used to discuss exposure time, the effective length of time a camera's shutter is open. 100 200 400 800 1600 3200 Each major step exactly doubled or halved the amount of light entering the camera *1/1000s *1/500s *1/250s “1125s *1/60s *1/30s “115s "118s “14s ISO system is used to measure the sensitivity of digital imaging systems. Each major step exactly doubled or halved the amount of light needed for the exposure.Oo | ll ih Woo Vi Vil VI IX x The Zones The Zone System provides photographers with a systematic method of precisely defining the relationship between the way they visualize the photographic subject and the final results. Although it originated with black-and-white sheet film, the Zone System is also applicable to roll film, both black-and-white and color, negative and reversal, and to digital photography. The Zone System assigns numbers from 0 through 10 to different brightness values, with 0 representing black, 5 middle gray, and 10 pure white; these values are known as zones. Each zone differs from the preceding or following zone by a factor of two, so that a Zone | exposure is twice that of Zone 0, and so forth. A one-zone change is equal to one stop, corresponding to standard aperture and shutter controls on a Metering Modes Multi-Zone Metering or Matrix In this mode the camera attempts to take into consideration everything in your frame. Most cameras will have numerous metering zones around the frame (for example the Canon EOS 5D has 36 points that it takes into consideration). It assesses overall lighting from all these zones and takes a best guess by averaging them to decide on how to expose the shot. This mode is the most commonly used and gives great results. However, at times the camera guesses wrong and it's useful to know how to use other metering modes to give your camera a little more information about what you're trying to achieve.Center-Weighted The meter concentrates between 60 to 80 percent of the sensitivity towards the central part of the viewfinder. The balance is then "feathered" out towards the edges. Some cameras will allow the user to adjust the weight/balance of the central portion to the peripheral one. One advantage of this method is that it is less influenced by small areas that vary greatly in brightness at the edges of the viewfinder; as many subjects are in the central part of the frame. Spot Metering With spot metering, the camera will only measure a very small area of the scene (between 1-5% of the viewfinder area). This will typically be the very center of the scene, but some cameras allow the user to select a different off-center spot, or to recompose by moving the camera after metering. This is a very useful mode for tricky lighting conditions where the whole scene is either darker or lighter than the point that you want to be exposed correctly.Single Area AF Focusing a DSLR When you focus on a subject, you're not focusing on a POINT in space, but a PLANE. However, if you take a picture of a cylinder and you focus on the center then the sides may not be in focus, since they are behind the plane of focus. To bring a plane into focus, you've got two main options: you can focus the lens manually (by twisting a ring on the front of the lens) or you can leverage the autofocus system in your camera/lens. If you go with autofocus, you're really working with TWO mechanisms: the one in the lens and the one in the camera. The SPEED of an autofocus (AF) system is the result of a partnership between camera and lens. For example, if you stick a lens with a slow AF on a fast camera, the performance of the AF will be reduced. Conversely, if you stick a lens with a fast AF on a moderately fast camera, the AF performance will Focusing Modes also known as “AF-S” in the Nikon world or “One shot AF” in the Canon world When you half-press the shutter or press a dedicated AF button (if you have one), the camera will snap into focus once and if your subject moves, it won't reacquire focus even if you continue half-pressing the button. However the focus remains “locked”. Continuous/AF-C “Continuous/AF-C” (Nikon) or “Al Servo" (Canon). This mode is used for tracking moving subjects and it is a must for shooting sports, wildlife and other non- stationary subjects. The nice thing about the Continuous mode, is that it will automatically readjust focus if you or the subject move.Rules of Composition RULE OF THIRDS The rule of thirds has been used through the centuries and is probably the most recognized rule. The rule of thirds directs that the frame can be divided into three vertical sections and three horizontal sections. Wherever the separating lines connect is an ideal spot for a subject or point of interest. By positioning your main subject at any of the four intersection points, you are giving your subject more emphasis than if it is right in the middle of the photo. The intersection points can also work if there is more than one main subject in a photo. Most famous photographs and paintings have the rule of thirds applied to them in some way or another. te - »FRAMING The framing rule directs that using natural surroundings mindfully can add more meaning and focus to your subject. The surroundings could be anything such as bushes, windows, trees or even a doorway. When using this rule be sure to focus on the main subject and not on the surroundings that are framing it. It is also a good idea to use a narrow aperture (high f/stop) when using this rule in order to create a high depth-of-field. LEADING LINES The leading lines rule can be used to direct the eye deeper into a photo and commonly to the main subject. Leading lines can lure the eye to a subject by leading to it from any side or depth of the photo. Leading lines could be roads, rivers, tree branches or even bridges.SHAPE, FORM, PATTERN AND TEXTURE Shape — a two dimensional outline of an object or its representation in an image. Form — a distinguishable three dimensional image of the subject matter Texture — the visible surface quality of an object adding character to your picture. Texture can be smooth and shiny like a new car or rough and edgy as in the tree bark or cobble walkway. Pattern — the regular repetition of several objects; shapes or colors in an ordered or random manner.Filling the Frame There's an old adage in photography that says if you want to improve your photographs 100 percent, move closer. It's true. The one sure way to keep from including too much extraneous information in a photograph is to fill the frame with your subject and nothing but your subject. Filling the frame from edge to edge leaves little doubt about what your intended target was. There are two ways to get closer: Use a telephoto lens or put some more wear on your walking shoes. The simple act of making your subject bigger in the frame involves the viewer at a much more intense level. A chin-to-forehead portrait of an interesting face, for example, immediately puts the viewer eye-to-eye with your subject. A very tight shot of a bear—even if you made it with a long lens at the zoo—creates breathless drama.Follow the movement This rule speaks of what is happening in the picture. For example if you make a photo of someone running, you can leave space in front of him, it seems that the scene is below. When you do a portrait of someone can put space in front of your eyes relax your eyes and providing continuity.Color Wheel and Photography Color determines the mood of a picture. As a digital photographer, you can manipulate color, both when shooting and when working with image-editing software after you've captured the image. While shooting, simply by moving around and changing your angle of view, you may be able to combine colors to better express the story you want your image to tell. When framing your shot note where colored objects are located. Bright patches of color in less important parts of the scene will draw the viewer's attention there. Don't overload your images with colorful objects; the result can be a busy image that leaves the viewer feeling slightly uneasy. Cool Palette Warm Palette Warm and Cool Colors Color determines the mood of a picture. When the predominant colors are warm ones, such as yellow or red, the mood is bright and cheerful. Cooler blues, lavenders, and greens can convey a calm and tranquil mood, suggestive of a mountain brook or a leafy glade. Contrasting colors create drama, while dark grays and black evoke a somber mood.You can choose to effectively combine many colors in your image, use a controlled palette of just one or two colors, or utilize just a splash of lively color for impact. Another way to use color in photography is to compose your picture to include a brightly colored object against a subdued background. The color will draw the viewer's eye to the bright item and make it a focal point, even though it may be relatively small in size. Color versus Black and White Some photographers will need black and white pictures on a regular basis for newsletters or publications. Black and white is very different from color and involves only shades of gray. Don't assume that a good color picture will work in black and white. Experienced photographers learn to see the world in color or black and white depending on the need. Some cameras will let you see the picture in black and white on the LCD viewfinder.Light Quantity & Quality Light Quantity The quantity of light needed for a well exposed photograph is relative, it will depend if the subject is moving and you have a tripod with you. The amount of light needed becomes second priority since the aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings are there for you to use them. Whether the light source is right next to the subject or at 100 feet away, you can produce a properly exposed image by compensating with your camera. If you want to become a good photographer, You must understand this concept. It's not the amount of light, it's Light Quality Hard and Soft Light Light that comes from a single point source, such as a naked bulb, and falls directly on the subject from one direction without being reflected off another surface, is known as hard light. It generally casts dark shadows and produces high contrast pictures with deep blacks and bright highlights. The shadows also generally have a very distinct or hard edge, so that the outline of the object closely reflects the shape of the shadow. Soft light, as the name suggests, is the opposite of hard light. It means that the light that falls on the subject comes from multiple sources from multiple directions. Another example is a single large light source quite close to the subject or a cloudy sky since the sun light is being diffused. Soft light does not cast deep shadows, and where it does, it has a soft edge rather than an abrupt transition from dark to light.SMALL LIGHT SOURCE Hard light coming from a single point, small in size “relative to the distance from the illuminated subject”, is best used to show texture. MEDIUM LIGHT SOURCE Amixture of hard and soft light coming from multiple or single point medium in size “relative to the distance from the illuminated subject’, is a flattering light best used in portraiture.LARGE LIGHT SOURCE Soft light coming from multiple points or a large point, “relative to the distance from the illuminated subject’, is best used to illuminate shiny subjects.File Processing and Printing Asunset image has a natural color cast, on the other hand, some photos demand a neutral tonality with no color cast at all. Camera Raw and Lightroom lets you do both. White Balance. You can choose from a number of white-balance presets to jump from one overall color to another to remove, add or preserve a color cast. White Balance Tool. This tool will change your cursor to an adjustment tool. Click on something white, gray or black in the photo and it will adjust the color cast. You always can go back to your earlier "as shot" Temperature. The Temperature slider allows you to tweak the image by adding warmth (moving the slider to the right) or adding coolness (moving the slider to the left). Tint. This is a magenta/green scale that adds green to the photo as the slider is moved to the left and magenta as it's moved to the right. Unless you're after some special effects, it's rare to use large amounts for this adjustment. Saturation. A little addition of saturation (the intensity of a color) goes a long way. A common mistake of many photographers is to increase saturation too much so that the image doesn't reproduce properly outside the software. A slight addition of saturation of 5 to 13 points is best, use caution. Sharpness. Sharpness should be set to zero or a slight addition. Luminance Smoothing. This affects the general noise that comes from a sensor and may be seen in smooth tones. Color Noise Reduction. This affects color noise that often comes in dark parts of an image, especially when that image is underexposed. To use noise-reduction settings, greatly enlarge your image so you can see any noise. Save Your Work. The default for Photoshop is to automatically update your adjusted RAW files. This isn't a permanent change, only the instructions about processing this file have been changed so that it will reopen in Camera Raw with these settings. At the bottom right of the Camera Raw interface is the “Save” button and is recommended to save your adjustments.Printing Settings. To make a print, you need to set up both your image-processing software and your printer software (called the printer driver). You need to let both know what size to print your image, how to handle proportions and how to deal with color. Dealing with color is critical. You have two choices—the printer can manage color or the program can manage color using profiles. The program option is recommended. Be sure both the program and printer driver are set appropriately. If the program is managing color, then color management in the printer driver must be turned off. You'll usually do your finishing work in Photoshop. Raw converters don't let you work selectively on an image, so you must use Photoshop for final tweaking unless you are working in Lightroom. Profiles for your printer manufacturer's papers were installed with your printer driver, and you simply scroll down a list to find the one that matches your paper. You often can use these profiles for other brands of papers (for example, glossy is often quite similar), but most paper manufacturers include paper profiles on their website, along with instructions on how to install them. You must tell the printer the size of the paper you're using, the type of paper surface (or ‘media type’—glossy, matte, etc.) and the quality of printing to employ (or resolution). It's important that you tell the printer what kind of paper surface because it will lay down ink differently for different surfaces. Print, a test print to determine further adjustments needed to make a better print. Lightroom and Aperture make it easy to adjust a print and still keep your original file by doing a new virtual copy and adjusting it for the next print. Calibrate your monitor. Calibrate your monitor before any adjustment! Simple brightness, contrast and color improvements can be made without hardware calibration, and these are better than nothing, but the peace of mind that comes from knowing that your picture actually does look like what you think it looks like....that's invaluable. It means that when you print your image, the print will look like the image in the monitor, and when you send an image file to someone else who's working on their ‘own calibrated monitor, you're both looking at the same image. You could work to lighten a dark image that's actually perfectly exposed, or perhaps you would think every image you shoot is too red, when in fact it's your monitor that simply glows a little warm and makes every picture appear too red. The point is, a simple and affordable hardware device that reads the brightness and color values output by your display, and then creates a monitor profile that accurately corrects for the biases built into a screen, is the best way to get your color calibration on track.