Photography Techniques continued

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Mastering Your "Flash" Part 1 - Shooting with Flash / Strobe
A flash is an essential tool for photographers when more light than is provided by the sun or artificial light is required to capture a correctly exposed photograph. Flash photography isn't simple and can be quite confusing, however with a little knowledge and some practice it can become second nature as well as fun and rewarding. In future articles in this series we will look at some techniques that will help you to capture quality photographs in situations where the lighting levels around your subject are less than ideal. We will consider: 1. Fill Flash 2. Bounce Flash 3. Red Eye Reduction 4. Slow Shutter Sync 5. Front Shutter Sync 6. Rear Shutter Sync 7. Manual Flash 8. Auto/TTL Flash (incl A-TTL & E-TTL) However, before . . . keep reading

Mastering Your DSLR Part 7 - Shooting RAW
Your DSLR provides you with a number of modes with which to set the recording quality of your photos and most of these modes record the image in the widely used JPEG (or JPG) format. Most DSLRs also provide you with the opportunity to record the image in RAW which will require you to subsequently process it with some software on your computer. So what is RAW and how does it differ from JPEG? A raw image contains minimally processed data from an image sensor within your DSLR. The name comes from the fact that these files have not been processed - i.e. they are raw. Some people refer to them as digital negatives as they fulfill a similar role to that of negatives in film photography - i.e. the negative is not usable as an image but it contains all of the information required to create an image. JPEG however is the result of the processing carried out within the camera on the raw data captured by the sensor during the act of shooting a scene. This processing is based on a number of predetermined camera settings such as white balance, contrast, color grading and sharpness that are either determined automatically by the camera or selected by the photographer. Once the data is processed, the raw image is deleted as it is no longer required. However, most DSLRs do provide the opportunity to select a recording quality mode that retains the raw image as well as processing a copy of it to provide a JPEG image as well - i.e. you obtain a raw file and a JPEG file. An inherent problem with in-camera processing is that . . . keep reading

Mastering Your DSLR Part 6 - Accurate Focusing
Your DSLR camera will autofocus very well in most situations as the technology today is very accurate but it will let you down on some occasions. Hence you need to know in advance when that is likely to occur so that you can take charge and adjust accordingly. Most DSLR cameras obtain focus when the shutter button is pressed half way down and confirmation of the focusing is provided by either a beeping noise and/or a green or red light seen through the viewfinder. When the button is pressed fully down the photo is then taken. Digital cameras collect focus information in various ways and then evaluate it to produce the correct focus. The image will be in sharp focus at the position of highest contrast between the differing parts of the image. DSLRs have a number of points of focus (focal points), with the actual number depending on the model and make of the digital SLR camera. Most DSLRs will allow you to change the focus point manually to any of the predetermined focus points in the viewfinder. It is generally best to start with the centre focus point (the central sensor and the most sensitive) within the viewfinder as your default position and then move to another focus point to suit the subject you are shooting. This way you won't forget where your focus point is located and not wonder later why your photos are out of focus. If the image in the viewfinder doesn't look as sharp as you would expect then first check if the viewfinder diopter (under the eyecup) needs adjustment to suit your eye. One way . . . keep reading

Mastering Your DSLR Part 5 - Creative Photography Using Manual Exposure
To obtain the most creative photographs, take control of your DSLR and manage it manually. Taking photos using either shutter priority or aperture priority as discussed in Parts 2 & 3 respectively of this article series should give you some good results, however it will always result in an exposure that the camera selects. You will remember from Parts 2 & 3 of this series that whilst you select either the shutter speed or the aperture, the camera will automatically select either the correct aperture or shutter speed as the case may be to match the camera's light meter. The same results however, can be obtained using the Manual exposure setting on your camera (usually designated by an "M" on the mode selection dial of your camera) by adjusting the shutter speed and aperture such that the light meter indicates that . . . keep reading

Mastering Your SLR Part 4 - ISO -The Third Point Of The Photography Exposure Triangle
In this article series we reviewed Shutter Priority mode in Part 2 and Aperture Priority mode in Part 3, which are two of the three parts of the photography exposure triangle. The third point of the triangle is the ISO settings. In low light situations you can adjust the aperture and shutter speed of your camera but this may not be enough to capture that perfect photograph - you may also need to adjust the ISO setting. What is ISO? It is an acronym that stands for the International Standards Organization and it is a measure of a camera sensor's sensitivity to light when the camera's shutter is opened. It used to be referred to as ASA, an acronym for the American Standards Association, being a measure of the speed of film used in cameras. The lower the ASA or ISO number . . . keep reading

Mastering Your DSLR - Part 2 - Freeze or Blur Movement Using Shutter Priority
Shutter Priority is a semi-automatic photographic shooting mode that is usually in the creative range of all SLR cameras and bridges between the fully automatic and manual exposure settings. It is often annotated on the mode selection dial of your camera as 'S' or 'Tv' and it enables you to select a shutter speed of your choice to suit the photo opportunity, and then the camera automatically selects the correct aperture to match the light meter of the camera. This is a marvellous function for sports and action photographers who want to freeze fast moving objects or to engage in the creative use of 'blur' to demonstrate movement. The shutter speed controls the length of time the shutter is open to allow light to reach the camera's sensor and therefore controls the extent of movement that is recorded in the photo of your subject. . . . keep reading

Mastering Your SLR Part 1 - Practice Makes Perfect
Knowing what all the various wheels, buttons and gizmos on your SLR are able to do is one thing but it is another to be able to adjust them quickly when a photo opportunity presents itself to get that great or perfect shot. The old saying of 'practice makes perfect' is surely true in using a SLR camera. The key to getting the most out of your SLR is knowing how it will perform in different circumstances and being able to quickly adjust the settings to get the results you desire. . . . keep reading

Photographing Kids Technique 4 - Shoot From Kid Height
Most photographs are taken from around 1.5 metres above the earth because this is the average height of most people's faces. And most photographs are somewhat uninteresting because they are all taken from the same height. . . . keep reading

Photographing Kids Technique 3 - Use a Wide Aperture
Most cameras when switched to Program mode select a middle aperture - such as f5.6 or f8. This aperture is selected because it is likely to keep most of what you are photographing in sharp focus. However, if you are photographing a single subject, or perhaps two if they are sitting side by side, a wider aperture (which means a smaller aperture number such as f2.8, f2 or even f1.4) produces a fantastic effect for child portraiture. . . . keep reading

Photographing Kids Technique 2 - Choose Your Lens Carefully
There are no hard and fast rules for the best lens for child portraiture. The photo above used a 35mm wide-angle lens, the photo on the bottom right a telephoto 85mm lens and the photo on the bottom left uses a 14mm ultra wide-angle lens. . . . keep reading

Photographing Kids Technique 1 - Go With The Flow
Children are like pets. I know we don't treat them as well as we look after our pets, but when you pull out your camera, they rarely do exactly what you want them to. And if you discover them in a beautiful pose, as soon as you point the camera at them they will move. Landscapes and buildings are much easier subjects than children... . . . keep reading

Cloudy Day Photography: Taking Advantage of Nature's Diffused Lighting
Cloudy days can present many opportunities for great photographs. In fact, once you discover how easy it is to get great results, you'll look forward to a cloudy day as much, if not more, than a sunny day. . . . keep reading

Jargon Buster
Ever wondered what 'aliasing' really is? Or what about 'Gamma'? Here's an A to Z glossary of digital photography jargon to help you! . . . keep reading

Photographing Fish: 5 Tips For Frustrated Beginners
Photographing pets can often be a difficult proposition. Add water, glass reflections and the low lighting of an aquarium environment, and you've got the recipe for one extremely difficult photo shoot. . . . keep reading

Photographing Flowers
Flower photography is one of the most popular forms of photography. You can photograph flowers growing in the wild, flowers that are cultivated in greenhouses and gardens, or photograph cut flowers and arrangements indoors,in a studio setting. . . . keep reading

Night Photos
When the sun goes down there is no need to pack up and go home. Most modern digital cameras are quite capable of dealing successfully with low light conditions. . . . keep reading

Lighting Problem Solver
Use these tips to help solve some common lighting problems. . . . keep reading

Effects With Shallow Depth of Field
Use the following techniques to blur foreground and background details so that the eye concentrates more on the subject. . . . keep reading

4 Top Tips for Photographing Kids & Pets
1. Organise the technical details first Technical considerations can distract you from your mission. Set as many of these as you can beforehand, preferably as a specific User Setting or Favourite, if this is a feature of the camera. This then leaves you free to concentrate on the subject without worrying about camera settings. . . . keep reading

Gearing Up for Kids and Pets
At Photography Business Guide we suggest the following essentials for your kids/pets shooting kitbag. . . . keep reading

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