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Photography Tips

Photography Tips: Learning ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed

Entry level and amateur photographers learning their first DSLR camera are instantly confronted with the big three: ISO, aperture and shutter speed. And speaking from experience it can be terrifying. These three settings are the make or break functions to every photograph. While the combinations of the three are near infinite it does not mean it is impossible to gain a solid grasp on the concept of each as the learning progresses. With a base level understanding of ISO (film speed), Aperture (light), and the Shutter Speed (amount of time the shutter is open) photographic skills grow.

ISO

On any modern DSLR there is a setting either on the hard body or on the LED display that says "ISO". Under the ISO or to the side are numbers that range from 100 all the way up to 36000 (on higher end professional models). The ISO setting is the digital equivalent of using different film speeds in old 35mm cameras. Film speed, or ISO, is used to help achieve the proper light balance upon taking the shot. A great beginner tip for using ISO is the brighter the light the lower the ISO should be. For example, if you are shooting an indoor birthday party under low light, the ISO should be set at 400-600 (your mileage may vary). If shooting under intense sunlight the ISO is generally dropped to 100 (or even 50).

Here's an example of a quick shot using a higher ISO because I wasn't on a tripod in this lower light. This is ISO 800 at f4.

Very often during sunrise photography I leave the ISO at a flat 100 because I'm using a tripod. I generally try to keep it set to 100 in most situations. The higher the ISO the more noise you'll get on your photos. If you want a nice beginner e-book on improving your photos check out Trey Ratcliff's '10 Principal's of Beautiful Photography'

Shutter Speed

This is a setting I didn't even know existed until I had to tackle photographing a kids birthday party. You can read that full post here. The bottom line is that you need to switch to Manual mode to take advanatage of shutter speed. You can do it other ways but Manual mode gives you total control. 

Try to remember that shutter speeds double with every crank of the wheel. So you’ll usually have the options for the following shutter speeds – 1/500, 1/250, 1/125, 1/60, 1/30, 1/15, 1/8 etc. The idea of ‘doubling’ is useful because you're basically doubling the amount of light you let in each time you increase the shutter speed.  So when you up the shutter speed you'll want to drop the f-stop to compensate for the new night. 

To grab fast moving objects you'll want a faster shutter speed. This is definitely true when you're shooting kids, sports. etc.

 

Aperture

In a nutshell, the Aperture controls the size of the opening for the digital sensor and it's more commonly called f-stop. The more open, the more light comes in. Aperture use controls the focus on the subject and background. A good rule of thumb to use is the lower the Aperture setting, the crisper the focal point will be but the less in focus the background will be. So f/2.8 will get a nice portrait with a blurry background. The opposite also holds true; the smaller the opening, the crisper the background becomes. 

One simple tool to remember f-stop is to think about this: f/2.8 will probably only let you focus on 2 people while f22 will let you focus on 22 people. So imagine a large group shot of 22 people. It's a stupid little memory tool that helps me. I also learned a really dirty way of remembering this but there's no way I'll tell you unless I meet you for beers someday.

In many cameras, the F-stop are the same as Aperture, while in other DSLR cameras there is a dedicated F-Stop setting. F-Stop helps control the amount of light as well as the focal point in the camera. F-Stop, when used with the ISO, makes for tremendous range and artistic expression. As a good rule, especially with the DSLR cameras, adjust the F-stop in half-step increments and look at the photo taken to see the focus differences on the subject. When the desired setting is achieved, snap away and becomes the next Ansel Adams!

 

3 Best Camera Lenses for Beginners

Even though the camera doesn't make the photographer, the lens can make the camera and careful consideration should be given for deciding which lens you should use. The best lenses for beginners depend on what the novice photographer will be shooting. For example, if you want a versatile lens that you can whip out for any occasion; consider the normal 50mm lens. The wide-angle lens is the ideal choice for landscape photography while macro lenses work best for extreme close-up nature photography. Once you figure out what you plan on doing with your camera, you can decide which lens is the best choice for your situation.

 

For the longest time I only owned one lens and that's a good thing. It's good because technique is more important that what lens is on the camera. But pretty soon I realized there was simply no way of getting those sweeping landscape shots that I aspired to without changing my lenses. I quickly started learning the best lenses for beginners. Here are three great ones. 

 

 

Normal 50mm Lenses

 

 

 

All photographers -- no matter what their level of experience -- should own a fast 50mm lens. The 50mm lens has a depth of field that most mimics that of the human eye and is the ideal go-to lens that can work for just about any situation. Also called standard 50mm lenses, this lens produces clean, sharp images and is one of the more affordable lenses on the market. The Nikon 50mm f/1.8G AF-S Nikkor Lens, Nikon 50mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor lens and Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II are three good choices for beginners.

Wide Angle Lenses

For beginners focusing on environmental, landscapes and architectural photography, choose a wide-angle lens. However, how wide is wide enough? A 20mm to 28mm lens should provide a good focal length for most situations. The extremely wide lenses -- such as 14mm or 16mm -- are available, but are generally too expensive and not necessary for beginner photographers. Nikon 20mm f/2.8D AF Nikkor lens and Canon EF 20mm f/2.8 USM wide angle lens are two good choices for beginners looking for a wide-angle lens. For more advanced landscape folks you'll want to try the 14-24mm Nikor lens, it's big and beautiful. 

Macro Lenses

50mm Prime Lens

Defined as photography at 1x magnification and above, macro photography is most often used for extremely close up pictures of insects and flowers. These specialty lenses are not necessary if you are planning on limiting your pictures to portraits or landscapes. However, if you want to get up close and personal with nature, consider the macro lens. There are several macro lenses available on the market and trying to find which one is best for beginners can be a difficult task. When choosing the lens, consider the working distance and focal length. Macro lenses range between 50mm to 200mm. The short focal length lenses are ideal for object photography while the longer focal lengths work better for insect photography. Furthermore, the longer the focal length, the more camera shake you will have to deal with. If you plan on hand shooting the camera via handholding, consider a 100mm macro lens for insect photography. However, if you will be using a tripod, consider a 150mm to 200mm lens.

 

Just start somewhere and grab the 50mm lens for a few portrait shots. Once you see the beautiful depth of field you'll never go back.

Night Photography: How to Take Great Pictures in the Dark

Photographs taken at night produce beautiful images. I have to admit that I when I first started getting serious about photography I was too scared to come out at night! It seemed overwhelming with too many variables. But the truth is it's no less overwhelming than shooting during the day.

Night Shot: My Son Window Gazing

Whether you are taking pictures of the holiday lights throughout the neighborhood or photographs of the city's night skyline, there is definitely something magical about night shots. In order to snap quality images after dark, it is important to understand the role of camera settings, as well as how to set up shots in order to ensure the lighting is spot on and your shots are steady. Here are some basic tips that I've started using that will allow you to shoot quality night time images each and every time.

Camera Mode

Images that appear too dark are the result of the camera's mode. When a camera is in automatic mode, the camera will often automatically use a setting that is much too dark, which result in a dark photo. This is quite common when taking photos of holiday lights, and the end result tends to be a darkened photograph where the only images that stand out are the outline of the lights. This takes away from the additional subjects in the photo, which often include home exteriors and outdoor trees. This can easily be adjusted for any type of night time photography where outdoor lighting is prevalent by setting the camera mode to manual mode, and then choosing the a shutter speed of at least 1 second in order to capture the lights.

Keep the Camera Steady

When photographing in the dark, if your camera experiences any kind of vibration when shooting the photos, you risk light trails and flashes appearing in your photographs. You can ensure the steadiness of your camera by setting up a tripod, but if you are simply taking photos on the fly you may not have a tripod handy. If that is the case, simply use your camera's self timer and back away a bit when taking your shot. I've even rested my camera on a stone wall or fence to get a better shot. But I wouldn't even think of taking night shots without a tripod. 

Check Your Focus

If your camera is having trouble focusing in the dark, this can easily be remedied by switching the camera lens settings to manual, and then keep the camera focused on the lights in the scene. If the lights are far away, you will want to set the camera lens to the infinity setting.

Perfect Night Shots

You never know what can happen at night, which makes city streets, parks, and even suburban neighborhood a wonderful canvas for photographers. By knowing the basics when it comes to camera settings and planning your shots, you can produce some truly amazing night images. Spend some time playing with Manual Mode and don't be scared of it, it could become your favorite setting. 

 

How To: Moving from Hobbiest to Pro Photographer

Have you ever wanted to know what it takes to become a pro photographer? Of course you do!

Well I was thrilled to be a part of a whole discussion about that very topic on Trey's Variety Hour. I tried to play the role of curious observer because there are so many questions I know folks have about this subject and it's rare that you'd get such a great group of pro's together to discuss it!

I was joined by: Host Trey Ratcliff, Alfie Goodrich (pro), Nicole S. Young (pro), Scott Jarvie (pro), Gino Barasa (raconteur, gun advocate, and accomplished photographer) and Melvin Little (pro-curious). We had a ton of fun.

 

 

I am joined by Clayton Morris from Fox News, Alfie Goodrich (who wrote the article below), Nicole S. Young (pro), Scott Jarvie (studly pro), Gino Barasa (no qualifications whatsoever) and Melvin Little (pro-curious). We have a discussion about how and why to move from a being a Hobbyist to a Pro Photographer then show off some of our latest photos!