Protect your Lens
The front surface of a camera lens is a delicate piece of equipment. It is first polished then coated by evaporating metal onto it. The slightest piece of dust can scratch this surface during cleaning. Avoid the problem by using a protective UV filter on your lens at all times.
Better Low light shots.
The key to getting great photos in low light levels is to have your camera absolutely still while taking the shot. A sturdy tripod and cable release will allow tremendous success in available light . The flash is turned off and the shutter speed is lengthened to enable correct exposure with shutter speeds from one second up to minutes.
Deeper colour in your skies
Nothing is more disappointing to the landscape enthusiast than to produce a print with pastel or worse, white skies. This can be helped using a filter on the lens. A circular polarizing filter will cut glare and deepen the colour of sky and foliage. A graduated filter can be used to darken the sky and leave the land unchanged.
More flattering portraits
The problem with today’s camera lenses can be that they are too sharp. Every small detail and fine line shows especially in a portrait. Professionals use a diffuser to soften the result. A diffusion filter is a clear glass filter with a fine pattern or irregularities to prevent the fine details registering. This can also be achieved by placing fingerprints on a standard UV filter or using pieces of sticky tape on a standard filter.
Stunning Fireworks Shots
To take great fireworks shots you need a sturdy tripod and a camera that allows you to hold the shutter open and adjust the aperture. Set up the camera covering the area where the fireworks will be exploding and adjust the aperture and ISO setting to give good colour to the display. Then hold the shutter open as long as the firework trails show.
Ask at the counter for more details.
Natural Party Shots
A few simple techniques allow you to take great party shots with your digital SLR. Select a higher ISO setting that makes your camera more sensitive to light. Then use a slower shutter speed, either with flash to give better background detail or without flash to record the scene the way your eye sees it. If using an external flash it can be bounced off a card or the ceiling to prevent washed out subjects.
Maximum Focus Landscapes
Many landscape photos look great when everything from just in front of the camera to the horizon is in sharp focus. Using the aperture control set to the smallest aperture (eg f16 or f22 or smaller) and the focus set in the lower quarter of the picture, generally the whole picture will be in focus. Using the wide-angle setting on your zoom lens increases the chance of sharp focus. A tripod may be needed to prevent blurred photos due to camera shake.
Blurred sports backgrounds
Sports action can be dramatic when the subject is sharply focused against a softer background. Using a telephoto lens at full or widest open aperture (eg f2.8 or f4) will restrict the depth of field and throw the background out of focus. Using the wider aperture will also assist in giving the fastest shutter speed to help catch the action.
Blurry Portrait backgrounds
Simple camera controls can be used to create stunning portrait effects. Generally a longer focal length lens is used to maintain a normal perspective. The telephoto lens gives more chance of the background being softer with subject still sharp. The aperture is used to control the amount in focus so the eyes and nose remain sharp. The ISO setting can also be changed on digital cameras to vary the aperture available at any given shutter speed.
Movement in Water
The shutter speed can be used to control the look of moving water. A high shutter speed eg 1/1000 of a second can be used to “freeze” water with no apparent movement. A slow shutter speed such as 5 sec combined with a tripod, can allow the water to completely blur and look like a mist. Using a moderate speed such as 1/15 sec can give a pleasant look where the fast moving water is blurred but the slower moving water is still.
Sharper Telephoto shots
The key to sharp telephoto shots is either fast shutter speeds or good support. A simple rule for digital SLRs is to use a shutter speed that is the reciprocal of1.5x the focal length. Therefore using a 300mm lens would require 1/450th second to give good sharpness or use of a tripod or monopod. The faster shutter speed is obtained by opening up the aperture and increasing the ISO setting to get the correct exposure.
Fit more in the photo
Many photographers find they cant get enough in the photo. Using a special wideangle lens or the wider end of the camera’s zoom lens allows more to be included. The downside of fitting more in is that everything becomes smaller. A solution to this is to make larger prints of your favourites so you can see all the details. The picture can be enlarged with the foreground and sky cropped off to make a panorama print for attractive display. This is especially effective with landscapes and seascapes.
Impact in Landscapes
A good way to add impact to landscapes is to use a wide angle lens, and to include an object of interest in the foreground. To take different photos of the same mountain, just move around and include different items in the foreground. The other technique is to take the photographs either very early (perhaps before dawn) or after sunset to capture unusual lighting conditions.
Avoid Dust with Digital
In a film camera, if dust landed on the film it would only show on the one frame. With digital cameras, the dust is attracted to the digital chip and may then appear on every following picture. Do not take the lens off in dusty conditions or leave the lenses or camera body with the lens caps off. Sensors can be cleaned by technicians or by the photographer using a sensor cleaning kit (special care required).
Lessons @Camera House.
For the last eighteen years, Camera House has been helping locals understand their cameras, by running a series of photographic seminars. The two most requested lessons covers the Introduction to Digital Cameras and Advanced Photography for SLR users.
The Digital Camera lesson is generally held on the first and third Thursdays at 6.30pm and covers the main features of the digital camera menu. The Advanced course is held on the first Saturday at 1pm and covers exposure, shutter speeds, apertures, depth of field, focus and lens angles and perspectives. Each lesson costs $60 though new camera buyers often receive bonus tickets with their purchase. Attendees bring their cameras to these hands-on lessons. For more information or bookings phone 4365 2656.
