How to Understand the Histogram on Your Camera

One of the great aspects of DSLRs is the histogram feature that can be set to appear each time you take a photograph. Most people either do not know about this feature, or do not understand what the information presented means, but for one who does know, it can present very useful knowledge as to how your photo has been taken. If you know how to read a histogram, you will instantly be able to know whether the image you have has been under exposed, over exposed or is at the correct exposure. The first thing you should do is to set your camera up to display the histogram. The way you do this varies on camera to camera, so if you don't know how to set it, refer to your user manual. It'll quickly tell you how. Once you have the histogram set, you're ready to go, so go ahead and take a photo. Look at the photo and then look at the histogram displayed. For a perfectly exposed image, you should generally have a spiked graph with the majority of the information in the middle and tapering out towards the sides. No two histograms will look alike, but generally, if your histogram is similar to described, it means all the information has been captured and your image should be good. The set up of the histogram has the first third dedicated to dark tones, the center third to mid tones, and the right side to high tones. If your image is under exposed, then the majority of your graph will tend towards the left of the graph. Furthermore, it will appear that the start of the graph does not begin at zero on the y axis (the vertical axis), and this means that not all the information in the image has been captured. This is known as clipping, and means your dark areas are far too dark for your camera to pick up the information. Therefore you should recompose and consider increasing the aperture, the ISO slowing your shutter speed down. Similarly, if your graph tends towards the right, then you have overexposed, and you have a lot of pure white in your image. Again, clipping will occur if on the y axis, the graph does not start at zero. So you should recompose the image, decrease shutter speed, ISO or reduce the aperture size so not so much light is coming in. While the histogram is not perfect, it can give you a really good indication of how your image is, and enable you to understand if you need to reshoot. Your LCD preview will give you an idea of how your image came out, but the histogram tells you more precisely any potential problems. Once you get used to the histogram and the information it displays, you'll quickly be able to correct on the spot any exposure problems you have and reshoot instantly. Like What you Read? Try our Free Photography Secrets Take amazing photos with these little known tips and techniques. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7296959

Composition Tips For Outstanding Photography

You don't need a top of the range DSLR camera to take great and interesting shots. A Canon Powershot SD1400 IS can be all you need to take great shots. What you do need is an understanding of some basic composition and an eye for the unusual. These two elements can help you begin to understand and gain insight into what makes a great image. Using a point and shoot like the Powershot, was a good way for me to get started and to understand important features in composition. The first thing you need to do when seeking to take a photo is to ask a simple question; why? Why do you want this shot? Why does it appeal to you? Focusing on this question will help you to visualize and to concentrate on this aspect that first attracted your attention. Before you continue, you should already be aware of basic compositional principles. They are the rule of thirds where you place your focus point a third of the way into your frame, whether horizontally or vertically; keeping your frame square and any horizon completely level; and finally to keep the image in focus and as sharp as you can. With these basic techniques in mind, you are ready to go to the next phase, establishing a vantage point. If your subject is a popular tourist building, consider thinking outside the box a little and trying to take it from another view. Perhaps focus on one part of it. Remember, there's already millions of photos out there, with the majority probably very similar. So try to think of something someone else hasn't thought of (difficult, I know). Look at your scene, and try to see if there are any lines in the composition. These lines could be physical (perhaps a road, telegraph poles or lines), or they could be implied, perhaps a small child looking across at something. Remember your rule of thirds, and try to focus on the why of the image with regards any storytelling you may want to do. Maybe take someone down a road towards the main focal point, a building or something. Consider the three types of symmetry you have available to you. You have perfect symmetry where one side matches the other identically, then you asymmetry where the left and right don't match, but still balance out, and then you have radial symmetry where the focus starts in the middle and works its way out. All three symmetries when understood well can all help impact your photo positively. When out and about with your camera, always be mindful, and consider your environment well. You never know what you may come across or see. Above all, look up, because many things are above us that we may never have considered looking around at our current hight. Like What you Read? Try our Free Photography Secrets Take amazing photos with these little known tips and techniques. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7296968

Photography - Working With a DSLR Camera's RAW Format

If you own and shoot using a DSLR then you should be shooting in RAW. RAW is the native format that your camera stores information as. Even if you shoot in JPEG mode, your camera will still shoot in RAW, convert to JPEG and then discard the information left over. This means that a RAW image can be up to four times the size of a JPEG image, but that extra information can be priceless. Since I began shooting in RAW, the results of my photos have been outstanding. I'm not one to boast, but I am very proud of several photos I have taken, all because I was able to manipulate the RAW image in the post processing stage. Once you are hooked on shooting in RAW, you'll need to get a bigger hard drive and SD card. Prices of these are quite low compared to what they used to be, and this makes RAW an even more attractive format to shoot in. Your camera is likely to have come with some software, including a RAW editor. If you're lucky and have any of Adobe's design suites or stand alone Photoshop, then you'll find that it has a RAW editor called Adobe RAW. This is normally accessed from the Adobe Bridge software, which is a brilliant image management system. When you open a RAW image, you have several tabs you can look through, and each plays a specific role in the post processing stage of your image (yes, all your good images should always be post processed, just as with a film camera). Even if you only focus on the main tab to begin with, then you'll find it useful enough to really spruce up your shots well. Out of all the controls, my favorite is the clarity slider. It works as a sharpness control, and can really make your shots stand out, or if you slide it back, to create low contrast and more atmospheric shots. It really depends on what you want to achieve. This main tab also allows you to correct under or over exposure if your image is too dark or light. It can also allow you to change the temperature, so if you've taken an outdoor shot with a tungsten white balance setting on your camera, you can fix this by bringing more warmth into the image. It also allows you to boost or put back dark areas, and also control your bright areas too. Once you've played with it for a while and seen the results, you'll never go back to saving your images as JPEGS on your camera. One final benefit of RAW, the file format is lossless, therefore the image will never degrade, and you can also go back and undo any changes you've made at a later date because the changes aren't actually made onto the RAW image, moreover a separate file is created with the information of changes made. In all, shooting in RAW gives you so much more power and control. The main disadvantages with it are the large size, and the fact you have to use Bridge to view the images (you can't get previews in Windows Explorer), but the benefits for outweigh these minor drawbacks. So shoot in RAW, take a spare SD card. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7296963

The Three Factors of Light in Photography

If you have just bought a DSLR camera, then it is likely you are more serious about your photography than most others. To get the most out of your camera, it is very useful to know and understand the basic physics behind it, what affects certain settings of your camera have and so on. Photography is a rewarding hobby and profession, but it is difficult to master, and only with plenty of practice and no how will you get anywhere with it. So, the first thing you should have bought with your DSLR is an SD card, a skylight filter for your lens (for protection), and a spare battery. There are three very important principles that you must understand, and these are common to every digital camera. These principles are essential to allowing light into your camera for capture of your shot, and used incorrectly will lead to some very wild results. Therefore, even for a beginner, I would suggest ignoring all automatic and help settings on your camera, and jumping at the deep end and setting it to M, for manual. It's involved at first, but in the long run you will learn and understand how your camera works much quicker. The three factors affecting light into your camera are: 1. ISO In old film cameras, this dealt with the speed of the film. For bright sunny days, you would want to use 100 ISO film. For inside photography, you would need 400 ISO. It is similar in a digital camera, but it now determines the sensitivity to light of the sensor (which has replaced the film). In basic terms, if you are shooting outside on a bright day, you should set your ISO to 100. If shooting inside, again a higher ISO is needed, but this can go well beyond 400 ISO, most cameras allow up to 1600 ISO, but some newer ones go beyond even this. This eliminates the need for flash in many situations, and although the results can be grainier, modern technology is even eliminating this. 2. Aperture The aperture is essentially the window into your camera. It is a hole that can be increased or decreased depending on what conditions you are shooting in and the amount of light. It controls the amount of light entering the camera. Basically, if you are shooting a landscape, you will need a small hole (high f stop number), because there will be a lot of light. If shooting a portrait, then a large hole (small f stop number) is needed. Aperture also controls depth of field. 3. Shutter Speed The third and final way to control light entering the camera is through the shutter. This is the length of time the shutter is open. In basic terms, if you want to freeze action crisply and cleanly, then use a very fast shutter speed. If you want to show motion and blur, then a slower shutter speed should be used (with the aid of a tripod). All three affect each other, and for a properly exposed photo, if you change one, you must change the other. Practice and taking note of your settings will help you to understand this better. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7296866

Simple Ways to Get the Best Trick Photography Photos From Your Human Subject

So you manage to get someone to pose for you so you can practice taking some trick photography shots, what can you do to get the best pose or photos? The key is to make it fun so the pictures don't turn out like portraits with a forced smile. You'll need ways to relax the subject so the smile, pose, or expression you're looking for is the one you get. Here are two simple ways to improve the quality of their pose. Distract them from the camera One way to loosen them up is to distract them from you and the camera. Get them talking about their favorite subject or let them interact with something or someone. Keep them busy and use it to goad them into getting into the pose you want. Be clear about what you're looking for and create a fun game or challenge for them. Remember that you're holding the camera so always be prepared to let the shutter go off when you sense a great shot coming up. Ask them to do a few practice attempts and catch them off-guard. Capture their personality Capturing the personality of your subject can turn your trick photos from good to great. Take levitation photos as an example. Anyone can do levitation photos by jumping high into the air, but everyone jumps in a different manner. Don't dictate where and how every limb should be when they jump and just let them be. A serious person might jump more rigidly than a free-spirited person with limbs flailing everywhere. Encourage them to let loose and be playful. As a photographer you're not just operating the camera, but also using your charm and grace to keep your subjects comfortable and willing to experiment to help you achieve the shots you want. Treat the process as a conversation between you and your subject and you'll be able to bring out the best of them. Jim blogs about trick photography and special effects techniques that people use to create stunning photographs. You can sign up at his Trick Photography site to receive a free report on the top 10 trick photography ideas for travel photos. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7307632

Understanding Aperture In Relation To Photography: For Beginners

One of the hardest things for a new photographer to understand is Aperture. For some reason the numbers and concepts don't always match up for newcomers. I will admit, this was a little confusing for me when I first started as well. Hopefully after reading this article you will have a better idea of what aperture is and how to use it while composing your shots. Aperture is your lens' diaphragm opening. The size of this opening is what determines how much light passes through the lens and onto the digital camera sensor. If using a film camera it passes through the lens and onto the film. Aperture in a lens can be a fixed number for any focal setting, or can have a range of aperture's that can be adjusted. Most consumer lenses have adjustable aperture's. Apertures are expressed in f-numbers or more commonly called f-stops. These are the numbers you see engraved in the side of the lenses you use. The probably look like f/2.8, f/4.0, f/5.6, f/8.0, f/11, f/16, and f/22. These are the most common numbers. Now for the confusing part, what the numbers mean. When referring to a LARGE aperture, you are actually referring to the SMALLER number on the lens. Small apertures mean bigger numbers. Large apertures equal smaller numbers. Small apertures has smaller opening and lets less light in. Large apertures have larger opening in the lens and let more light in. So, a f-stop of 2.8 is a LARGE aperture, and lets in quite a bit of light. An f-stop of f/22 is a small aperture, and lets in less light. There are multiple ways to assist you in remembering this so you eventually you don't have to think about it. Some use the concept that "Big things come in small packages" and that is always good. Meaning: Large apertures come in small numbers and let more light in. Others use the theory that the f-stop is the virtual % of light blocked. Therefore a f-stop of 2.8 only blocks a small percentage of the light coming into the lens. An f-stop of f/22 blocks way more light entering the lens. Aperture controls quite a few features when composing a photograph. These will be discussed in later posts. The most important is depth of field, another fun and very useful concept. This is discussed in my other articles. In the end, the theory or concept that works best for you is the one to use. Everyone has a specific way of learning. Find yours, and don't change it. It will only confuse you even more. If this is your first time learning about aperture, I hope this helped. If you already knew about it, I hope I didn't ruin it for you. Hope you enjoyed the article. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7280773

Learn Photography With These Easy Photography Tips On Preparation

Take a few minutes before your photo shoot at the site to observe your environment. Essentially you will want to learn photography tips to help you prepare mentally before your shoot. Here are some focus points you should implement a few minutes before your photo shoot: * How will you portray your feeling in the photos? * How will you compose your photo? * Where will you set up your camera and what are some of the factors that will help you make that decision? * Get your creative juices flowing to help you come up with unique ways of showing off your style in your photography. * What will be the subject of your photograph? * How will you shoot? * What may be some details in a shoot that you might otherwise overlook? * Soak in the feeling that you get from being at your shoot's location. * Be like a fly on the wall and blend into your shoot's site. * Observe the lighting and think about how to use it to your best advantage. By implementing these photography tips a few minutes before your photo shoot you will find the importance in preparation since it will pay off by showing up in your work by making it look more unique. You will learn photography skills much easier. I suppose it is similar to what some actors do before they are to read or perform a script. They sometimes take an outside in approach by reading a script first and then manifesting the feeling from reading it to bring out the character. To translate this into the topic of photography, a good photographer can also use an outside in approach by observing the environment first, "The Script", and then soaking in the feeling that comes from it the way an actor does after reading a script to breathe life into the words that he or she will say. By using this approach the photographer will breathe more life into his or her work. On the other hand, as a good photographer, you could also take the inside out approach to where you create the feeling first by having a vision of the type of work you want to display. Actors sometimes do this too, when they meditate on what type of character they want to portray. They would then use that feeling to breathe life into their performance in order for their audience to have a high belief level in the characters they were seeing on a television show or in a film. The importance of these photography tips of preparing before a photo shot can't be stressed enough. A good photographer will plan their work and work their plan. As they say, if you fail to plan you plan to fail. Implement and learn photography planning tips described here to help you have more fun while planning your work. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7276648

Composition Tips For Outstanding Photography

You don't need a top of the range DSLR camera to take great and interesting shots. A Canon Powershot SD1400 IS can be all you need to take great shots. What you do need is an understanding of some basic composition and an eye for the unusual. These two elements can help you begin to understand and gain insight into what makes a great image. Using a point and shoot like the Powershot, was a good way for me to get started and to understand important features in composition. The first thing you need to do when seeking to take a photo is to ask a simple question; why? Why do you want this shot? Why does it appeal to you? Focusing on this question will help you to visualize and to concentrate on this aspect that first attracted your attention. Before you continue, you should already be aware of basic compositional principles. They are the rule of thirds where you place your focus point a third of the way into your frame, whether horizontally or vertically; keeping your frame square and any horizon completely level; and finally to keep the image in focus and as sharp as you can. With these basic techniques in mind, you are ready to go to the next phase, establishing a vantage point. If your subject is a popular tourist building, consider thinking outside the box a little and trying to take it from another view. Perhaps focus on one part of it. Remember, there's already millions of photos out there, with the majority probably very similar. So try to think of something someone else hasn't thought of (difficult, I know). Look at your scene, and try to see if there are any lines in the composition. These lines could be physical (perhaps a road, telegraph poles or lines), or they could be implied, perhaps a small child looking across at something. Remember your rule of thirds, and try to focus on the why of the image with regards any storytelling you may want to do. Maybe take someone down a road towards the main focal point, a building or something. Consider the three types of symmetry you have available to you. You have perfect symmetry where one side matches the other identically, then you asymmetry where the left and right don't match, but still balance out, and then you have radial symmetry where the focus starts in the middle and works its way out. All three symmetries when understood well can all help impact your photo positively. When out and about with your camera, always be mindful, and consider your environment well. You never know what you may come across or see. Above all, look up, because many things are above us that we may never have considered looking around at our current hight. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7296968

3 Simple Tips For Photography Beginners

There is one product that is given away as a gift more often than any other product and that is a digital camera. The hardest part about receiving a gift like this is learning how to use it. Photography classes are the best way to learn how to properly use a digital camera but here are a few basic tips to get started. 1. Choosing the Correct Setting The easiest mode to learn in is the Auto Mode. In this mode the camera decides the shutter speed, ISO, white balance, focus and flash for you. The other modes which are fairly simple to use include: Portrait Mode-the camera will automatically focus on one object, Macro Mode-for up close objects such as a flower, Landscape Mode-this is just the opposite of Portrait Mode and focuses on the whole scene, Action Mode-the camera will attempt to freeze an object during its motion and Night Mode-this mode is for low light situations. Manual or semi-automatic modes require the user to set all the functions and it is best to take some photography classes to learn about these settings. 2. Focusing the Camera When learning on how to focus on a shot it is important to keep in mind what the points of interest are and where these points should be placed in the photo. One of the first lessons learned in photography classes is known as the "rule of thirds" for well-balanced photos. Imagine breaking the view finder into thirds both horizontally and vertically leaving nine imaginary squares. By placing your points of interest at the intersection of these lines the photo will be natural and well-balanced. 3. Taking the Shot When the subject is focused in and the shot is ready to be taken one of the most common problems occur "camera shake" which leads to blurry photos. The easiest way to avoid this is by leaning up against a solid object or kneeling down. It is also amazing how much just taking a breath of air can shake a camera. To eliminate this take a deep breathe, exhale and take the shot before inhaling again. When pressing on the shutter just apply gently pressure. A shutter button does not require a lot of force and by pressing hard the camera is actually moving. Never press the shutter with the tip of a finger either, always use the flat part of the finger instead. This keeps the finger horizontal to the camera which helps in controlling the camera and it stops the camera from shaking. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7278370

What Is A Neutral Density Camera Filter?

Neutral density or ND filters have the sole purpose of cutting down the amount of light as a whole. A perfect neutral density filter would transmit all wavelengths of light equally, so there would be no color change. Though not actually perfect, it can be used equally well in both color photography or black and white photography. It is made in a wide variety of densities. Depends on the manufacturer, there are currently two rating systems commonly used to designate the density of neutral density filters. 1. A straightforward system of whole numbers whereby an ND-1 indicates a need for a 1-stop exposure increase; ND-2 is two stops; ND-3 is three stops; and so on. 2. In the other, which is scientifically oriented, the decimal number .3 indicates a 1-stop exposure increase need; .6 is for two stops; .9 is for three stops; and so on. Some of the typical usage of neutral density filters is shown below, 1. To Blur Action - Sometimes it is desirable to use a relatively slow shutter speed, to indicate movement or to show its path. If a fast film is in use in bright light, or if a wide aperture is needed to limit depth of field, the correct exposure might ordinarily require an undesirably high shutter speed. An appropriate neutral density filter makes any desired shutter speed possible. 2. To Reduce the Effect of Transitory Events - Long time exposures can "remove" all moving objects from a picture. That is, if you are photographing a building or site under circumstances where passing automobiles, pedestrians, or site workmen might be unwanted picture elements, the use of a long exposure will delete such transitory presences; they will not be in one place long enough to record on the film. (In long time exposures an allowance must be made for reciprocity failure. 3. To Reduce Depth of Field - By keeping the shutter speed unaltered when neutral density filters are introduced, the lens aperture can be opened to reduce the depth of field in the image. The use of shallow depth of field, remember, tends to visually isolate the subject, because everything not in the principal plane of focus will appear not sharp. 4. To Prevent Overexposure of Fast Film - In very bright light, you may find it impossible to avoid overexposing a very fast film, especially with the very large and relatively slow shutters found on view camera lenses. (These frequently limit fast speeds to no more than 1 125th or 1 250th of a second.) Occasionally, you might find yourself with only one type of film remaining unused at the end of a day and then be faced with a situation that requires slower films. By reducing the amount of light entering the camera, neutral density filters allow greater exposure flexibility.