Mark W. Decker Photography Advice

Author: Michael Russell
In almost every industry there is a need to capture records and moments. Are you interested in taking better pictures or becoming a serious photographer? There are things you want to understand before you get too serious. The fundamentals of photography aren’t just mere rules, but are foundations which determine how your photos will turn out.

Photography is the process of making pictures by using light. Light is one of the most important aspects of this art, because it determines color, brightness and shutter speed. The distance from the lens to the focal point is called the focal length. These lengths are measured in millimeters and will help in your choice of lens in the future. Longer focal lengths allow greater magnifications. If you want to take a picture of an object that is 40 feet away then you will need a large focal length. 50mm lenses see things normally and can be considered the view from your eyes. If the focal length is above 50mm it is known as a telephoto lens, while a focal length less than 50mm is a wide angle lens.

Focal length divided by the diameter of the aperture is called an F stop. This has an impact on how much light reaches your negative. If you are dealing with digital then you won’t have a negative, but the same rules apply here. F stops range from 1.4 -22 and vary on cameras. The cameras that offer the highest ranges offer more flexibility and options. These are usually pro models. Lower numbers have wider apertures and produce more light.

Shutter speeds are the length of the exposure or how long the shutter stays open. Once again this is a very important part of how light will be recorded. Shorter shutter speeds are needed for photos taken in bright sunlight, while longer shutter speeds are needed for night photos. Shutter speeds usually can be kept at around 1/250 of a second and will need to be adjusted accordingly. When deciding to take night photos you will need a tripod. Tripods are made in different sizes and vary in quality. A very sturdy tripod will be needed that can support your camera.

The resolution is digital cameras is measured in pixels. Although not found on film cameras, there is no need to worry because the image quality will be the same or greater. Digital cameras can be found with at least 12 megapixels today, but pixels that high would be on Pro models. Never buy a camera based on its pixel count, because that isn’t the deciding factor on the quality. Quality is determined by lens, sensor size, pixel count and quality of the camera itself.

Understanding these basic fundamentals will allow you to make better choices when taking photos in the future. When in doubt simply turn on your camera and take many pictures. Practice may not make perfect, but in photography the time you put into it will show. Just remember that when there isn’t enough light adjust your camera, which is the rule of thumb.

Author: Lonnie Kunkel

Create better pictures with these simple photography basics. Creating that extraordinary picture will become second nature. But remember that every rule has an exception, so if you are wowed by a scene or a subject, don’t be afraid to shoot! Enjoy!

The Pause. Before pressing the button stop to look through the view finder to make sure you cannot improve on the shot. Check to make sure everything is in the shot you want and there is not too much clutter.

Remove Clutter. When shooting a person make sure that no objects are behind or around the subject’s head. For example look for anything like a lamp that is behind the subject’s head, which will distract from the person.

Point of View. Shooting from different angles not just straight on can create a unique point of view. Stand on a chair, or even lie on your back. Turn the camera 90 degrees and take a vertical shot. This technique works great with any subject.

Steady the Camera. Time lag is necessary between pressing the shutter release and the exposure, because the camera needs a to adjust for pre-shot calibration and balance colors. Use a tripod.

Manual Focus. If you’re going to take a lot of action shots or be shooting through glass override the auto focus. Even if your camera has a buffer, the auto focus may not react fast enough to give you sharp pictures if you shoot too quickly or the light is too low.

White Balance. The default white balance setting for digital cameras is auto, which is fine for most snapshots, but tends to be a bit on the “cool” side.

Outdoor portraits and sunny landscapes require that you change the white balance setting from auto to cloudy. That’s right, cloudy. Why? This adjustment is like putting a mild warming filter on your camera. It increases the reds and yellows resulting in richer, warmer pictures.

Author: Dan Feildman

Why modify this digital camera setting? Experiments in exposure time can produce dramatic effects. For example: Take a photograph of a roaring waterfall in a well-lit area and adjust your digital camera’s exposure speed to take pictures as quickly as possible. In great lighting, and with some modern digital cameras, you may be able to see the individual drops of water falling!

If the histogram is weighted towards the right side with vary little if any curvature near the left, your photo will most likely be overexposed (too light). Use your exposure compensation tool to darken the image. Consider a faster shutter speed to force less light to enter the camera lens. Exceptions can occur. Are you taking photos of a bright sunrise? Then your photo will come out bright and your histogram will shift towards the right. And that will be OK.

What do you do when you leave your tripod at home and you see an awesome shot? There are several things you can do, its not the end of the world. If you are using autofocus mode, your digital camera may have a shutter button that requires you to press halfway down to focus, then fully down to take the picture. If you are experiencing camera shake, get the camera to focus on the subject by pressing the button down half-way, then press the button down fully and keep your finger pressed on the button until the camera has taken the picture.

While sunrise and sunset photos are nice, unless the scene contains spectacular colors, huge clouds, or fast-rolling waves (at a beach), too many of these photos can be bland. Try to add a silhouette, such as: A person or people; An animal, such as a bird or a dog; A sailboat or other watercraft; Trees or shrubs; An expansive bridge To get certain subjects into your photo may require patience, but they help add depth and perspective to your photos.

If you have a good optical zoom, here is an experiment you can do while taking digital camera photographs. When taking pictures of homes, skyscrapers, cabins, etc., zoom in on individual pieces of architecture. Take a minute to really look at your subject, and you may be able to find individual engravings, sections of paneling, or dents and scars in the wood of a cabin that may result in interesting pictures. The trick to taking better photos is to really observe a subject and see it from all angles. Go downtown, find some office buildings, and really take a minute or two to study them. You may find engravings or sculptures on or around the buildings that you have never noticed before.

Don’t damage your digital camera equipment, or yourself, when traveling on double-decker buses! Some tour buses in large towns use double-decker buses for large groups. That way, those who want to take photos can do so without having to shoot through the glass of windows. While this offers a good opportunity for photographers, especially if there is ample light to take fast pictures to offset the speed of the vehicle, be careful with yourself and your equipment! Some of these buses may pass very close to low-hanging trees or stoplights. Thus, you should never stand up taking photographs while the vehicle is moving, no matter how incredible the subject. If you are not paying attention and stand up at the wrong time, a limb or other object could knock your camera right out of your hand, or worse, something can knock you in the head!

While you should always try to take digital photos at nighttime that avoid the blurred results of ‘camera-shake’ due to long exposures with an unstable digital camera, realize that blur is not always undesirable. Some blurring can be used creatively, such as that created by cars driving on an interstate at nighttime. This effect is best performed if the roadway is next to a lit skyscraper or cityscape. Frame a photo containing the cityscape and roadway, and take an exposure of half a second or longer as necessary (use a tripod!). The skyscrapers should look clear and crisp, and the roadways will turn into streams of light.