1. Learn to shoot in manual mode. In doing so you will force yourself to learn the basics of aperture, shutter speed and ISO, if that all sounds like Russian to you then make a point of learning it. The internet is your friend and you can get all the basics down for free. Although working in manual may seem slow and cumbersome at first it will help you better understand your camera and light even if you do eventually choose to shoot in more automated modes.
2. The higher the ISO the noisier your images. Your digital camera produces some unfortunate artifacts called "Noise". Now we should understand ISO and how it correlates to exposure, if you don't get googling and learn it! ISO however is not a free ticket to increased low light performance, as with everything it comes with a price. That price is noise. The higher your ISO the more noise your photos will contain, Make a point of being aware of your ISO and use the lowest speed you can for any given situation. In doing so you will ensure your files are cleaner, less grainy and generally more pleasing. Now there are other factors to consider such as shutter speed and aperture but we'll get to that next.
3. Flutter, umm, it rhymes with shutter. In deciding upon your shutter speed one essential principle for sharp hand held photos is to shoot with a shutter speed at least as fast as 1/focal length. Arghhh! I hear you scream. Don't fret, it's really easy to grasp and isn't as mathematical as it looks! Essentially if you were to use a 30mm lens the general slowest shutter speed should be 1/30th of a sec. Likewise on a 100mm lens it would be 1/100th of a sec. This is a recommended minimum shutter speed to provide shake free images. If using a tripod there is no need to worry about this rule as the camera will be held steady, you will however still have to consider subject movement and use a shutter speed fast enough to freeze them.
4. Depth of what? Depth of field, or the amount focus extends beyond and in front of the focal point can be used to great effect, as such it is a concept worth your learning. Lets say we are shooting a landscape and we want the viewer to feel like they can look into the scene. We may wish to use a large DOF so that the entire image from foreground to background is in focus. In such a case you would use a small aperture. Small aperture = large f stop number, e.g. f22. On the other hand having an entire scene in focus in a portrait shot may be distracting and steal the viewers eye from the subject. In this case you could reduce the DOF by shooting with a large aperture, or small f-stop number. E.g. f2. I strongly suggest you read further about DOF and experiment with it's role in photography.
5. Fill flash, your best friend on a sunny day. If photographing people outdoors in harsh sunlight the common issue that leads to amateur looking pictures is strong shadows beneath the brow, this renders eyes as dark and detail-less voids. Sure you could take your subject into the shade but this is not always possible. In such a situation on camera flash set to approx 1 stop below ambient will fill in the shadows whilst avoiding both harsh shadows and the flat on camera flash look.
The basics of photography really aren't that hard to get your head around, you do however need to make a point of learning them rather than reverting to simply picking up your camera and shooting away blindly letting it make all your decisions. Take the time to learn and your photographs will thank you.
2. The higher the ISO the noisier your images. Your digital camera produces some unfortunate artifacts called "Noise". Now we should understand ISO and how it correlates to exposure, if you don't get googling and learn it! ISO however is not a free ticket to increased low light performance, as with everything it comes with a price. That price is noise. The higher your ISO the more noise your photos will contain, Make a point of being aware of your ISO and use the lowest speed you can for any given situation. In doing so you will ensure your files are cleaner, less grainy and generally more pleasing. Now there are other factors to consider such as shutter speed and aperture but we'll get to that next.
3. Flutter, umm, it rhymes with shutter. In deciding upon your shutter speed one essential principle for sharp hand held photos is to shoot with a shutter speed at least as fast as 1/focal length. Arghhh! I hear you scream. Don't fret, it's really easy to grasp and isn't as mathematical as it looks! Essentially if you were to use a 30mm lens the general slowest shutter speed should be 1/30th of a sec. Likewise on a 100mm lens it would be 1/100th of a sec. This is a recommended minimum shutter speed to provide shake free images. If using a tripod there is no need to worry about this rule as the camera will be held steady, you will however still have to consider subject movement and use a shutter speed fast enough to freeze them.
4. Depth of what? Depth of field, or the amount focus extends beyond and in front of the focal point can be used to great effect, as such it is a concept worth your learning. Lets say we are shooting a landscape and we want the viewer to feel like they can look into the scene. We may wish to use a large DOF so that the entire image from foreground to background is in focus. In such a case you would use a small aperture. Small aperture = large f stop number, e.g. f22. On the other hand having an entire scene in focus in a portrait shot may be distracting and steal the viewers eye from the subject. In this case you could reduce the DOF by shooting with a large aperture, or small f-stop number. E.g. f2. I strongly suggest you read further about DOF and experiment with it's role in photography.
5. Fill flash, your best friend on a sunny day. If photographing people outdoors in harsh sunlight the common issue that leads to amateur looking pictures is strong shadows beneath the brow, this renders eyes as dark and detail-less voids. Sure you could take your subject into the shade but this is not always possible. In such a situation on camera flash set to approx 1 stop below ambient will fill in the shadows whilst avoiding both harsh shadows and the flat on camera flash look.
The basics of photography really aren't that hard to get your head around, you do however need to make a point of learning them rather than reverting to simply picking up your camera and shooting away blindly letting it make all your decisions. Take the time to learn and your photographs will thank you.
About the Author:
If you would like to learn more from Sydney wedding photographer Samuel Burns stop by his site, check out his wedding photography Sydney and his photographic tips and tutorials.
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