Sunday, November 05, 2006
Please feel free to send me your questions ...
Simply click on the "comments" link near the bottom of this post or any other post in the blog. I'll do my best to get you an answer quickly. Don't forget to put your email address in the comment so I can send you an update when the answer is ready.
Future Topics Coming Soon ...
- How Aperature, Shutter Speed, and ISO Interact
- White Balance
- Auto Focus Modes and AF Point Selection Method
- Focus Lock and Re-compose
- Exposure Lock and Re-compose
- Exposure Compensation
- Using On-Board Flash
- Using Attachable Flash Units
- Using Studio Flash Systems
- Taking Great Sports Photos
- Taking Great Portraits
- Taking Great Vacation Photos
- Different Lenses for Different Situtations
- Using a Flash Meter, a Reflective Meter, and a Incident Meter
- Cleaning Your Sensor
- Post Processing Tools (PaintShop Pro vs Adobe Photoshop)
- Post Processing : Cropping
- Post Processing : White Balance Correction
- Post Processing : Noise Reduction
- Post Processing : Color Manipulation
- Post Processing : Selection Tools
- Post Processing : Layers
- White Balance
- Auto Focus Modes and AF Point Selection Method
- Focus Lock and Re-compose
- Exposure Lock and Re-compose
- Exposure Compensation
- Using On-Board Flash
- Using Attachable Flash Units
- Using Studio Flash Systems
- Taking Great Sports Photos
- Taking Great Portraits
- Taking Great Vacation Photos
- Different Lenses for Different Situtations
- Using a Flash Meter, a Reflective Meter, and a Incident Meter
- Cleaning Your Sensor
- Post Processing Tools (PaintShop Pro vs Adobe Photoshop)
- Post Processing : Cropping
- Post Processing : White Balance Correction
- Post Processing : Noise Reduction
- Post Processing : Color Manipulation
- Post Processing : Selection Tools
- Post Processing : Layers
Metering Mode - What is it, and how does it affect my photos?
Metering Mode - The method your camera uses to measure available light and make an assessment as to Aperature and/or Shutter Speed for each exposure.
Many high end cameras allow you to select from several different metering modes. Depending on which mode you choose, your pictures may or may not come out the way you expected.
Example modes are as follows:
Spot Metering - Uses a very small amount of the scene (as shown through the viewfinder) in the very center of the image.
Center Weighted - Uses a larger area out of the center of your scene, and then averages the remainder of the scene.
Average Weighted - Uses the entire scene.
There are other methods not listed here, and some manufacturers may use terms slightly different than these. In each method, the camera is taking a Reflective Meter reading from the scene, and the only real difference between the methods is how much of the scene to use and what weight to give different parts of the scene.
By "reflective meter reading", I mean that the camera actually measures the amount of light being reflected from your subject and/or scene back through the lens of the camera. The reflective characteristics of different parts of your scene can have a dramatic impact on the final image and whether or not your camera guesses right about how much light is really in the scene.
As an example, imagine two photographs taken at the same time of the day in the same area outside your home. It's a sunny day, and your subjects (let's say your son and your daughter) are sitting on a chair facing the sun. You are standing in front of them with the sun at your back. Your son is wearing his favorite AC/DC concert t-shirt which is pure black. Your daughter is wearing a white lace tank top. If you are using Spot Metering and point your camera at their body, in one case your photo will come out over-exposed, and in the other it will come out under-exposed. That's because the light sample is being taken from a very small area of the scene around the middle of the viewfinder. In this example, it might be better to take your reading from the entire scene instead, and so you would use Average Weighted for more consistent results from shot to shot.
On the other hand let's say that you are taking a picture of your daughter with her back to the sun (i.e. you are shooting into the sun). This might be a better use for Spot Metering so that you get a good reading on the light coming from your subject's body, and not the very bright light coming from behind in this back-lit situation. Of course the area around your subject will probably be over-exposed, but at least your main area of concern (your daughter) will be properly exposed.
Many high end cameras allow you to select from several different metering modes. Depending on which mode you choose, your pictures may or may not come out the way you expected.
Example modes are as follows:
Spot Metering - Uses a very small amount of the scene (as shown through the viewfinder) in the very center of the image.
Center Weighted - Uses a larger area out of the center of your scene, and then averages the remainder of the scene.
Average Weighted - Uses the entire scene.
There are other methods not listed here, and some manufacturers may use terms slightly different than these. In each method, the camera is taking a Reflective Meter reading from the scene, and the only real difference between the methods is how much of the scene to use and what weight to give different parts of the scene.
By "reflective meter reading", I mean that the camera actually measures the amount of light being reflected from your subject and/or scene back through the lens of the camera. The reflective characteristics of different parts of your scene can have a dramatic impact on the final image and whether or not your camera guesses right about how much light is really in the scene.
As an example, imagine two photographs taken at the same time of the day in the same area outside your home. It's a sunny day, and your subjects (let's say your son and your daughter) are sitting on a chair facing the sun. You are standing in front of them with the sun at your back. Your son is wearing his favorite AC/DC concert t-shirt which is pure black. Your daughter is wearing a white lace tank top. If you are using Spot Metering and point your camera at their body, in one case your photo will come out over-exposed, and in the other it will come out under-exposed. That's because the light sample is being taken from a very small area of the scene around the middle of the viewfinder. In this example, it might be better to take your reading from the entire scene instead, and so you would use Average Weighted for more consistent results from shot to shot.
On the other hand let's say that you are taking a picture of your daughter with her back to the sun (i.e. you are shooting into the sun). This might be a better use for Spot Metering so that you get a good reading on the light coming from your subject's body, and not the very bright light coming from behind in this back-lit situation. Of course the area around your subject will probably be over-exposed, but at least your main area of concern (your daughter) will be properly exposed.
ISO - What is it, and how does it affect my photos?
ISO, i.e. Film Speed - The measurement of sensitivity to light. The higher the ISO value, the more sensitive to light your camera will be.
Values of ISO common today are 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, and 3200. Some cameras will let you set your ISO in 1/2 or 1/3 increments, but most photographers think of ISO in the whole values listed here.
Digital cameras use ISO settings, even though there is no actual "film" in the camera. It's a way for the photographer to set an equivalent sensitivity for the CCD and define how the CCD will react to available light during the photo capturing process.
When taking pictures on a sunny day in an outdoor setting, you will generally want to use a low ISO setting, such as 100 or 200. When shooting indoors or in low light scenes, you will most likely want to raise your ISO setting, such as 800 or 1600. In effect, when you raise the ISO setting to higher values, you are able to use a faster shutter speed to obtain a proper exposure.
Like most aspects of photography, there is a trade-off for using higher ISO settings. You might have thought to yourself, why not just use the highest ISO setting possible so I can get the fastest shutter speeds? The downside to higher ISO values is the appearance of "grain" or "noise" in your photos. Also, color saturation is sacrificed to some degree with higher ISO settings.
For better quality colors and image clarity, use the smallest ISO value you can that still yields the minimum necessary shutter speed for the subject matter. Sometimes you can get away with slower shutter speeds (like still-life photography, landscapes, architecture, etc.), and so you won't be too concerned about fast shutter speeds. In these cases, use as low an ISO value as you can. Other times you will want the fastest shutter speed available to you, such as sports photos and low-light scenarios. In these situations, use higher ISO values.
Values of ISO common today are 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, and 3200. Some cameras will let you set your ISO in 1/2 or 1/3 increments, but most photographers think of ISO in the whole values listed here.
Digital cameras use ISO settings, even though there is no actual "film" in the camera. It's a way for the photographer to set an equivalent sensitivity for the CCD and define how the CCD will react to available light during the photo capturing process.
When taking pictures on a sunny day in an outdoor setting, you will generally want to use a low ISO setting, such as 100 or 200. When shooting indoors or in low light scenes, you will most likely want to raise your ISO setting, such as 800 or 1600. In effect, when you raise the ISO setting to higher values, you are able to use a faster shutter speed to obtain a proper exposure.
Like most aspects of photography, there is a trade-off for using higher ISO settings. You might have thought to yourself, why not just use the highest ISO setting possible so I can get the fastest shutter speeds? The downside to higher ISO values is the appearance of "grain" or "noise" in your photos. Also, color saturation is sacrificed to some degree with higher ISO settings.
For better quality colors and image clarity, use the smallest ISO value you can that still yields the minimum necessary shutter speed for the subject matter. Sometimes you can get away with slower shutter speeds (like still-life photography, landscapes, architecture, etc.), and so you won't be too concerned about fast shutter speeds. In these cases, use as low an ISO value as you can. Other times you will want the fastest shutter speed available to you, such as sports photos and low-light scenarios. In these situations, use higher ISO values.
Aperature - What is it, and how does it affect my photos?
Aperature - The measurement of the circular opening by which light comes from the front of the lens through to the image recording surface (i.e. 35mm negative film, or a digital camera's CCD). Aperature is measured in "F Stops".
Unfortunately, this gets a little confusing because the larger the measurement, the smaller the diameter (i.e. the less light that comes through). For example, an aperature setting of f/2.8 is a much larger size diameter than is f/16.
The F Stop values for aperature are f/1, f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22, f/32, f/45, f/64, f/90, f/128, etc. Some cameras will let you set the aperature in 1/2 stops or 1/3 stops. On a camera that allows 1/3 stop settings, for example, you might see a series of values between f/5.6 and f/8 as f/5.6, f/6.3, f/7.1, f/8.
Aperature has it's biggest impact on what's known as Depth of Field. This is the vertical distance in front of the camera that will appear in focus in the final image. As a general rule, the larger the opening for light (i.e. the smaller the F Stop value you use), the less of your scene that will be in focus. If you want to isolate your primary subject in a photo by having them clear, but everything else in front of and behind them out of focus, then set your aperature value to a very low F Stop. This blur effect is known as "Bokeh". A lens is said to have good bokeh if it can smoothly blur the background of a shot when using low F Stop value for the exposure.
The other consideration for Aperature is how it affects your shutter speed. In sports photography or low light situations, you will often want to get your shutter speed as high as possible. The lower you set your aperature F Stop value, the more shutter speed you will be able to get as a result. Of course the trade-off is that your background will be more blurred the lower you set your aperature, but getting a higher shutter speed is often worth the trade-off.
Unfortunately, this gets a little confusing because the larger the measurement, the smaller the diameter (i.e. the less light that comes through). For example, an aperature setting of f/2.8 is a much larger size diameter than is f/16.
The F Stop values for aperature are f/1, f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22, f/32, f/45, f/64, f/90, f/128, etc. Some cameras will let you set the aperature in 1/2 stops or 1/3 stops. On a camera that allows 1/3 stop settings, for example, you might see a series of values between f/5.6 and f/8 as f/5.6, f/6.3, f/7.1, f/8.
Aperature has it's biggest impact on what's known as Depth of Field. This is the vertical distance in front of the camera that will appear in focus in the final image. As a general rule, the larger the opening for light (i.e. the smaller the F Stop value you use), the less of your scene that will be in focus. If you want to isolate your primary subject in a photo by having them clear, but everything else in front of and behind them out of focus, then set your aperature value to a very low F Stop. This blur effect is known as "Bokeh". A lens is said to have good bokeh if it can smoothly blur the background of a shot when using low F Stop value for the exposure.
The other consideration for Aperature is how it affects your shutter speed. In sports photography or low light situations, you will often want to get your shutter speed as high as possible. The lower you set your aperature F Stop value, the more shutter speed you will be able to get as a result. Of course the trade-off is that your background will be more blurred the lower you set your aperature, but getting a higher shutter speed is often worth the trade-off.
Friday, November 03, 2006
Photo Tip - Using the flash as "fill" in manual mode
I like to use my Canon 580EX Speedlight to give a little extra pop when photographing people, especially on cloudy days or backlit situations.
Meter for the actual available light in your scene, then set your flash compensation to (-1) to (-2 1/3) stops. This will give you a well exposed photo of the full scene, but will put a little extra clean/white light on your subject's face.
Meter for the actual available light in your scene, then set your flash compensation to (-1) to (-2 1/3) stops. This will give you a well exposed photo of the full scene, but will put a little extra clean/white light on your subject's face.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
