Digital Photography Academy

How to make a crack and peel face

2009-09-04T22:50:00.002+08:00

Here is a tutorial that show you how to make a crack and peel face.

This tutorial is created by kuschelirmel

How to manage exposure using your camera

2009-08-26T15:40:00.001+08:00

Some of us might have wondered why some of our shot turned out quite bad such as overexposed skin tone or the underexposed sky. While there are a number of factors affecting, it will be good to know some of the camera limitation as well as the type of function that the camera offered in order to get a well exposed picture.

Limitation
Unlike our human eyes, a camera can take a certain amount of dynamic range. A dynamic range refers to the range between the highest and the lowest value in a single frame. Dynamic range in digital camera is captured by individual photosite that makes up the sensor and has a value from 0 -255. Think of this individual photosite as a bucket. When the amount is full, it overflows. Hence details are lost. When the value has exceeded, then the user has to decide which part of the scene should have the right exposure. You can’t have the best of both worlds unless you take a series of shot and use a technique call high dynamic range imaging to achieve it. Dynamic range can be reflected in histogram to tell you the range brightness and darkness area in the scene. Most cameras are calibrated to 18% gray tone. So no matter which type of metering you are using, it will always be given the standard 18% gray reference point in any shooting scenario. You can override them by switching your camera to manual mode and select the shutter speed and aperture that can give you an accurate exposure.

Having explaining the dynamic range and metering, you probably might wonder what the link between these two. The histogram contains a range of brightness and darkness value. Divide the histogram into half, and you will have you will have your dark area at the left side of the histogram and the bright value at the right side of the histogram. If you overexposed it, then the histogram will be biased towards the right side. If you underexposed it, the histogram will be on the left side. The thinking part of the camera will either controlled by the camera or manipulated by the user. You can use photo manipulating software to help you correct the dynamic range.

The camera’s functions
When you purchased your camera, you are not sure by the unfamiliar logo found on your camera. I shall touch on some of the common functions that are related to exposure.

1. Metering
There are different types of metering available on the camera. Spot/partial metering allows you to meter a small area of the scene. The difference between these two is the amount of area metered. Partial metering has a slightly larger area compared to spot metering. This form of metering is useful when you have a contrast scene such as a back lit subject or dark skin tone subject and a white wall. Centre-weighted metering takes reading on the centre of the frame while ignoring the surrounding bright and dark area. This is useful if you are interested in metering the centre of the frame while not including the edges of the frame. Evaluative metering divides the scene into different segment and then compute the metering based on the selected segment using the camera’s intelligence. While this metering is sufficient for most cases, due to the unpredictable selection, your shot either come out overexposed or underexposed. Hence it should not be used in area where there are a lot different exposure values.

2. Exposure lock
This function allows you to lock a specific exposure value when you want to expose a specific area of the scene. Depending on the brand of camera you are using, different manufacturers may assign different logo to indicate exposure lock.

3. Exposure compensation
This comes in the form of +/-EV in your camera. This allows you to deliberately overexpose or underexpose a selected scene. Usually this form is only available in most scene mode except in manual mode.

4. Histogram
After you have taken your shot, it is time to take a look at your histogram to determine whether your shot has been properly exposed. Unless you know which area to be exposed, a well exposed scene generally should have a range of brightness and darkness contained in the histogram.

5. Exposure bracketing
Exposure bracketing allows you to take a series of different exposure shots: underexposed normal and overexposed. You use that function if you are unsure of what values are needed to get a well exposed picture. You can also use it to create a series of shot that allows you to achieve high dynamic range imaging which can be done in photoshop.

6. Manual selection of aperture and shutter speed
Some cameras offer manual selection. To know whether your picture is properly exposed before you press your button, there should be an indicator usually in the form of +/-EV bar. If the slider is at the left side of the bar, your picture will be underexposed or vice versa. You can ignore the bar and choose the settings you think will be the correct exposure.

So now that you knew that there are so many ways to manipulate your exposure, why can’t I set auto in my camera and let the camera’s intelligence to decide. That is because no system is foolproof!! No matter how advanced the technology is, there is always a loophole in everything. It is a matter of how to overcome its weakness so as to maximize it strength. While auto mode works fine in most scenarios, there are certain situations which will fool the camera. Here are some of the scenarios:

1. Taking under a bright sunlight will certainly leave some shadow at certain part of the object. This will give the camera a range of brightness and darkness value which the camera has to decide which area should be chosen to give a correct reading. If you leave your camera in auto mode, you may get some good result. In this case, you can use fill-in flash to take away the shadow.

2. If there is too much white in the scene the camera will either underexposed the scene. The camera will then be fooled into thinking there is a lot of light in the scene. Hence, it thinks that underexposing the scene will give a good exposed picture. The reverse is also true when there is a lot of dark area. In this case, switch to manual mode to manipulate your camera setting.

3. If the contrast is high for a particular scene, the camera will unable to decide which area to be properly exposed. For example, if you have an area with a lot of white area and an area with a lot of dark area, most likely the dark area will lose a lot of details. In this case, you can use a spot metering to meter the dark area or you can shift your object to a less contrast area.

I have written most of the stuff that you need to know to manage your exposure. Hopefully it can help you to understand better.

Introduction to Colour theory

2009-08-26T15:01:00.003+08:00

White colour is composed of three primary colours: red, green and blue. These primary colour are known as additive colour, make out the entire colour that we see in the TV and computer monitor. Subtract any one of these colour and you have the remaining colour which consists of cyan, magenta and yellow. The combination of these three colour will make up black. CMK is normally found in dyes or pigment in our inks on our white paper. Below is an example of the RGB and CMY colour. Take note at the overlapped section of RGB which are cyan, magenta and yellow. The same is goes for CMK.

Image from Mark Boulton
Colour wheel
By putting all these six colours together, you will have a colour wheel. Red, green and blue are found at 120^o apart. The same goes for cyan, yellow and magenta. In colour correction, you use the opposite colour to cancel each other out. For example, if you have more blue on the picture, you may want to eliminate by adding more yellow to cancel the effect of blue.

What do we need to know colour?
The human eye and brain will adjust our perception of white whatever the colour quality of the illuminating light source is. To the eyes, a white paper will appear white whether we are reading them in the daylight or in tungsten light source. Digital cameras do not have such ability to tell accurately, therefore you will need to manually set the camera or manipulate the colour in the photoshop. There are preset white balances to handle some common lighting scenario. However, they can only handle from warm (red) to cool (blue). Fortunately, any unwanted colour cast such as green, magenta can be corrected either by using the colour correction filters or to use the saturation/hue in the Photoshop. This will help you to render your colour to be as true colour as possible. Knowing the colour wheels helps us to manipulate light and to filter any incorrect colour cast result from a mixture of light source. You can either choose to remove any unwanted colour cast in the images or you can add in colour like magenta to create a funky image.

How to create animated GIF in 5 steps!!

2009-08-22T22:33:00.001+08:00

*Click to enlarge the image

Types of lighting position

2009-08-16T17:17:00.003+08:00

There are different ways to position your main light. This section will explore the basic positioning of the light and some examples that each will achieve.

Frontlight
Basically frontlight means the light that will light up the subject in front of you. Frontlight has the ability to illuminate evenly your subject and it is considered one of the easiest kinds of lighting to work with. It can make your portraits flattering and enhance the beauty of the landscape and cityscape composition.

Image by robster16

Overhead lighting
Overhead light provides illumination almost directly above the objects. It can produce a clean and attractive tonal contrast between the subject (highlights above, shadows below) and the background (light below, dark above).

Image by leprechaun947

Sidelight /Rim lighting
If you want to add depth and shadow, you should use side light to help you to achieve it. Side light is place at the sides of the subject to create a three dimensional effects. When the side light is being moved back, it can be turned into rim light. This technique is quite effective if the edge or rim of the subject is shot against a dark background.

Image by picsynel

Image by Maggie's World
Backlight
Backlight means the light is at the back of the subject and hit the front of the photographer. When encountering this lighting, there are two ways where you can shoot: Either you can meter the underexposed area and get a overexposed background and properly exposed foreground (usually in portrait) or meter for the overexposed area to get a properly exposed background and underexposed foreground (silhouette).

Image by Enzo D.

How to manage your white balance

2009-08-16T15:22:00.002+08:00

If you want to know more about white balance, you can refer to the article on Introduction to white balance. Most lighting condition has a colour temperature, ranging from warm where the colour cast is orange to cool where the colour cast is blue. Our eyes are well adapted to the lighting condition and we do not notice the difference in colour but for the camera, because the camera in-built intelligence may not be able to accurate tell the different lighting condition, thus you will have to choose the preset white balance or you will have to set manually the correct white balance. Most people will use auto white balance as it is convenient to let the camera set the white balance used. However, there are downsides where the auto white balance will fail.

Camera preset white balance and their approximate colour temperature
1. Your auto white balance will fail if it does not know where the light source is. This is because most light are reflected by the light source and the light source may not even be in the scene. The camera does not know what colour the light source in order to select the best colour temperature to compensate the light source.

2. If the light source is mixed (e.g tungsten and fluorescent), the camera will not be able to tell which colour will render accurately and may take both lighting into account and average it. In this case, you may want to choose different white balance to see which white balance will determine the correct colour.

3. When the subject’s unique properties will fool the camera’s intelligence into thinking it has abundance of warmness or coolness in it.

There are ways to correct if your auto white balance fails to choose the correct white balance. These are the following methods available:

1. Use preset white balance
There is a lot of preset white balance available in a digital camera. For example, if you encounter tungsten lighting, you will need to set your white balance to tungsten to compensate for the orange that tungsten is giving.

2. Shoot in RAW
Shooting in RAW will allow you to adjust your white balance in photoshop as RAW preserves the settings from the raw data. In this way, you do not need to worry about what white balance you set in your camera as you have the luxury to manually set your white balance when you work with your pictures in the photoshop.

3. Customise your white balance
If your camera allows you to customise your white balance, you can use it to set the lighting condition used in the shoot. Customising your white balance will allow you to either compromise and go for the overall average white balance, in which individual near-neutral colours may be askew, but the overall impression seems balanced to the eyes or select which colour in frame you want to make neutral, and allow the other colours to shift accordingly.

Note: The left one was shoot at auto white balance setting and the right one was shot at daylight setting. Notice how different white balance can affect the mood as well as the colour of the picture.

Hope this article in showing you how to correct your pictures using the appropriate white balance.

11 Tips to improve your macro shot

2009-07-29T16:56:00.007+08:00

Shooting small objects such as insects can be fun and fascinating as you are curious by how they look like. You would like to share the pictures that you have taken to your friends and get them interested in the world of small things. Shooting small things has its challenges too. For example, you only want your viewers to be interested in the subject and not the background. Sharpness is important as you want to bring out as much detail as possible. The important thing you want to achieve in the end is a clean, neat and sharp pictures to tell the viewers how the object looks like. This article will introduce some tips to help you improve your macro shot.

1. Aperture
Control your depth of field using aperture. This is done by selecting a large aperture value such as f/8 and above to gain image sharpness. Setting a large aperture value will require you to have a longer exposure time. So use flash to help you freeze the subject. Do not get afraid to increase depth of field.

2. Focusing
Focusing is another important aspect in macro photography. You want to let your viewers to see the interesting aspect of your subject such as the insect’s eyes and not the surrounding background. If your camera has the ability to do a manual focus, use it!! Doing so will allow you to select the point of interest which will add punch to the overall image.

3. Fill up the frame
This is one of the rules of composition in photography. Filling up the frame with subject minimize any distracting background and guide your viewers to the interesting part of your subject. If you find that there is a distracting element in the background, determine if you can take them out of the background or you can shift yourself.

Image by Glenn Scott

4. Flash
There are times whereby nature does not provide you with enough sunlight. This depends on the time of day and the condition of the weather. When you do insect photography, you can use flash to provide you with extra light but mount a diffuser on top to diffuse part of light to prevent overblown picture. For other types of macro work such as product, using a flash is a must as you will need to get a well exposed picture.

5. Tripod
The need of using a tripod is important as you will need to consider subject movement. Macro photography magnifies the subject and this gives it a high chance of getting a blur image. If you have a tripod in your hand, you can mount your camera to stabilize your camera.

6. If no tripod available… …
If you are the type who do not like to use tripod, then you can use other settings to pump up your shutter speed. Use manual mode which offers you the control of both shutter speed and aperture. If your flash offers you the ability to control its power, adjust its power accordingly to get a well exposed picture. Experiment with different variable to see what works.

Image by Greg 50

7. Get a dedicated macro len
If you are a serious macro shooter, invest in a good macro len. There are many macro lens available in the market such as Tamron, Sigma, Tokina or first party lens. Depending on what type of macro work you are interested in, there is a range of different focal length for macro len. If you are shooting insect photography, it will be wise to invest in more than 100mm macro lens as this gives you a longer focusing distance. If you are doing a product shoot such as jewellery, you may want to get a shorter focal length len.

8. Experiment with other macro equipment
There are many different equipment to shoot macro. You can use a telephoto len mounted with close up filter, a len attached with extension tube or a reverse macro ring to help magnify the subject. Take note that these three approaches have its cons. You may not be able to get a good quality images when you are using close up filter and you will need to put them on and off when you want to shoot normally. For an extension tube, the length of the tube is important as the longer it is, there is a high risk of light loss thus the need for using large aperture. Lastly you can choose to use reverse macro ring method. The downside of using that is your rear end of your len will be exposed to dust and you will need to clean it immediately after you finished using it. Experiment with what works and you will be on your way to shooting macro.

9. Be patient
When you take photograph of small insects and bugs, you have to be patient! Approach them slowly and try not to alert them. You do not want them to fly off as a result of making unnecessary movement. If they fly off, wait for a while to see if they return before moving off to the next location.

Image by Spendruleziya

10. Eliminate Distracting Backgrounds
Background is another important aspect in macro photography. You do not want your viewers to be distracted by what is in the background but rather the main point of interest. If you are doing insect photography, you can try to add some colour card behind your subject if you find the background is distracting or you can shift your position such that you can find a clean background.

11. Use self timer or cable release to control your camera
If your camera has a self timer or you happen to have a cable release, use it. You use them is because you want to minimize camera shake. As mentioned earlier on, macro photography magnifies subject and hence, increasing the risk of image blur if there is a slight movement.

I have listed so many tips on how to improve your macro shoot. If you have any tips that you want to add on, feel free to comment on it.

Inspirational Photo

2009-07-29T11:43:00.002+08:00

Here are links that will lead to some of the photo that will inspire you.

16 Inspirational Portrait Photography Techniques
29 Amazing Long Exposure Pictures
25 Beautiful Macro Photography Shots

Macro Photography

2009-07-28T23:49:00.004+08:00

By definition, macro photography is producing an image such that your object taken in your image sensor is 1:1. Anything less than that is termed as close up photography. There are many different types of accessories available in the market that enables you to do macro photography. While some of these accessories may not offer you the ability to do 1:1 image but they cost less than a dedicated macro len. You should consider getting them if you wish to try out macro photography.

Close up filter

Close up filters are some magnifying glasses which you can mount on the front element of the len. They came in different rating such as +1, +2, +4, +10 and can be bought cheaply. They can be stacked together to provide more magnification.

Extension tube
Extension tubes are mounted before the len so as to move the len further away from the film plane. This allows increased magnification and the higher the extension, the closer you will be able to focus. There is always a limit as to how much focusing you can get. This is because all lens have minimum focusing distance. If you use a wider angle, you probably would not be able to take a picture since the front len is closer to the object.

Reverse macro ring
Reverse macro ring is an adaptor that mounts the front element of lens in order to achieve close up ability. Reverse macro ring is another cheap alternative you can consider but you will risk exposing your rear end of your lens to unfavourable dust particles. There are couple of articles available on the Net that will teach people how to do-it-yourself.

How to expose skin colour correctly in portrait

2009-07-27T21:02:00.002+08:00

It is always nice to take picture of your family members and your loved one for memory sake. Sometime after a picture is taken, you are puzzled why some of the people are not properly exposed. Below are some videos that will teach you how can you improve the skin tone using some camera features as well as simple photoshop.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

9 ways to take candid

2009-07-27T17:10:00.004+08:00

Candid photography is very popular. The pictures taken using candid style are different from the normal style. Your subjects are unaware of your presence and their poses are unplanned as compared to the normal style where your subject s look at your camera and smile. It can be quite difficult to take candid photography as it happens very fast. Below are some tips that can help you to get a good candid shot.

1. Take your camera everywhere
Candid can happen very fast. It is important to be fully aware of your surrounding and capture them whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Image by Spencer Jarvis

2. Use a long zoom
Using a long zoom will enable you to take candid with ease. This is because people are not aware of your presence thus they will be able to act naturally and in a relax manner. Furthermore, using a zoom len enable you to isolate your subject thus blurring the background.

Image by Vincent Wo

3. Blend into the surrounding
The most obvious reason of blending into the surrounding is to get a feel of the surrounding mood and not knowing people that you are the photographer who shoots them. This allows people to think you are like one of them and they will able to act as per normal. When you see a shooting opportunity arrives, bring your camera up and start snapping.

Image by 16WadeSt

4. Know where you stand
Candid photography is all about capturing a prefect shot at the right moment. If you will be able to anticipate what kind of events will happen like how do people interact, where will be the people facing, where is the best place to capture candid, you will be able to save time having yourself to reposition yourself when you are shooting images.

5. Shooting in continuous mode
Since shooting candid happens very quickly, you may want to adjust your camera setting and switch to continuous mode. Shooting in that mode allows you to capture a series of event and enable you to shoot the best shot out of the series. You can also use the series of photo to tell the viewers a story of the actual event happening.

6. Use faster shutter speed
Spontaneity happens in a flash. If you find that your shutter speed is slow, change to a fast aperture len such as f/2.8 or pump up your ISO to increase your shutter speed. This allows you to freeze the moment and prevent you from having a blur shot.

7. Taking people doing things
Taking photographs of people doing things tend to be more interesting than people doing nothing. This adds some elements to the photograph and tells a viewer a story about the event. Timing is essential in capturing them as people are engrossed into what they are doing and will not be able to detect your presence. Wait till the right moment and bring your camera when it arrives.

Image by kevindooley

8. Include images with foreground elements
Doing so will add a feeling of “sneak shot”. You can do that by shooting over the shoulder, or you can try to use a tree branch or pillars as a foreground to capture it.

Image by JR Shot

9. Shoot candid in different perspective
You can take your candid shot to a new level by trying different framing. It is not necessary to take candid through normal means (i.e you follow rules of composition). Break some rules and try shooting candid from low or high angle. You will be surprised to get a different perspective and an amazing shot.

15 tips for portrait photography

2009-07-22T16:54:00.000+08:00

Taking portrait can be quite fun. If you fret over how to take a good portrait shot, read the rest of the article to give you some insight on portrait photography.

1. Use low aperture
If you find a clean background and you want to emphasize more on the people, you can try to use wide aperture len such as f/2.8. Doing so allows you to blur your background while making your subject stays sharp.

Image by BobMacMillan

2. Use longer focal length
You can’t take subject with a wide angle len as wide angle will distort their face. Most portraits are done using 50mm or above. Using longer focal length will produce a nice bokeh. You can try to alter the shape of the bokeh by placing a cut shape cardboard on the front element of the len.

Image by E. B. Sylvester

3. Use reflector if you have any
If you find that you are under the sun, and you want to use it as the backlight, you are bound to have an underexposed subject. If you have a reflector with you, you can use it to direct the sunlight from the background and use it to lit your subject face. Use the reflector if you wish to minimise the amount of shadow on the face such as under the nose and the eyes.

Image by Bahman Farzad

4. Use fill-in flash
If you find that your subject is poorly lit, either they are backlit or there is not enough available light, you can try to use flash to fill in. Fill-in flash is a good way to eliminate shadow on the face and allow you to get a proper exposed picture. Take note not to use a high power flash as this will blow out your picture completely.

Image by tombothetominator

5. Try creating catchlight on the subject eyes
Having a catchlight in the subject eyes can create a powerful impact to any portrait photography. Catchlight is a reflection off the surface of the eyes and comes in all shapes and sizes. You can use various tools to help you create catchlight such as using a reflector, flash, umbrellas, softbox or any available light that you can use.

Image by Bahman Farzad

6. Choose your background carefully
It is always good to choose a good background that you can match with the subject’s personality and clothing. This will enable the subject to stand out from the background. If your background is too messy, the viewers will be distracted by it. Any distracting element such as lines and people passing by should be avoided.

Image by Stefan Tell

7. Try different angle
Most portrait shot are done at eye level. It can be quite boring sometime if you keep shooting the same angle. Try experimenting with different angles such as taking portrait at high level or low level. You will be amazed to get an unexpected result.

Image by !Just_In_Time!

8. Focusing
It is not necessary to get your subject in focus every time. You can focus on the foreground while blurring the subject to create an element of mystery to leave the viewer to wonder how the subject looks.

Image by Cartocci

9. Shoot candid
If you find that your subject is uncomfortable taking pictures, why not ask them to do something? I personally find that the most natural way of taking portrait is when they least expect you to take pictures of them. Try engaging them in conversation and make them relax and when the moment arrives where they are too engrossed, shoot them and you will have a natural portrait shot.

Image by briantmurphy

10. Try different lighting
You can shoot portrait in different lighting condition. Having lighting lit on certain part of the body can create depth, mystery and mood of the picture. Try playing with different light set up and you can get unexpected result.

Image by omar

11. Gives your subject some room
When you want to take a person looking at elsewhere, always frame the picture in such a way there is a extra space at the direction they are looking. This makes the viewer curious what is the person looking at.

Image by Jevaun

12. Do selective colorization
Selective colorization simply means getting certain parts of the photo while making the rest of photo black and white. This type of technique is useful when you want to guide the viewers to the point of interest. Selective colorization can be achieved using photoshop.

Image by Furryscaly

13. Try different posing
If your subject has some experience in posing, you can get them to pose whatever you want them to. Try a variety of combination such as different facial expression, positioning of hands, legs and body.

Image by Diego Sierralta

14. Give them prop to play around with
If you find that you have exhausted all the possibility of posing, give your subject a prop and ask them to play with it. By doing so, not only they will be restricted to the posing you required them but the shots that you took will be more candid. Introducing a prop will create a new point of interest which will add on to the theme that you are doing.

Image by evaxebra

15. Conceal part of the subject
Portrait does not mean you must always take the person looking at you or with features of the person seen. Sometime it is good to hide some part of the person features to let viewers have a little imagination to focus on some part of the body that you want them to.

Image by dajiang1999

What have I missed? This should be more than enough for you to play around with. I will continue to add on if I find any pictures to share with.

Some tips to take a beach shot

2009-07-21T23:06:00.000+08:00

Going to the beach is very exciting as you will find lots of shooting opportunities such as sports, people splashing water, nice sunset and sunrise, etc. While these may seem exciting, you will find a lot of challenges when shooting in the beach. Here are some useful tips to help you overcome the challenges.

Image from Bobesh

1. Use spot metering
A spot metering can overcome some exposure problems. Spot metering offers you to take a small area in the frame and this is useful if you want a particular area to be well exposed. You can use spot metering to take a back lit object or you can use it to help you take silhouette. Whichever the case is, you may find spot metering an indispensable feature to be used in beach shot.

2. Try silhouette shot
Due to the bright condition in the beach, you might want to try a silhouette shot. Silhouette creates a sense of mystery, emotion and moody which will leave the viewer to ponder about. You can try doing silhouette by metering the bright area in your scene and recomposing your shot to a different scene.

Image from norcali80

3. Use exposure bracketing
Because in beach there is a lot of bright area, you will find that the pictures taken will be underexposed if you leave your camera in auto mode. If your camera has exposure bracketing function, you will find it extremely useful in taking pictures at the beach. Depending on which area you want to be well exposed, you may try experimenting different set of exposure value.

4. Take some action!!
If you find it bored to take people lying down sun bathing why not try something exciting? Take a moment to look around you or take a stroll along the beach to see if there are any sports or games that people are having. Try framing them at different angle and you might get a few candid shots.

Image from pasma

5. Use waterproof camera
If you have waterproof camera, it will be plus point. Taking a beach shoot will have some form of risks. If you have a waterproof camera, you can bring it to the water area and take a few shots of people playing water games or people doing scuba diving.

6. Use polarizer
Because of bright condition, you may find that the beach may contain a lot of reflective area such as sea which will render your picture to be underexposed or contain a lot of reflective area. Using polariser can greatly reduce the amount of reflection and improve contrast of the picture.

7. Using fill in flash
You might it difficult to take a nice portrait under a bright sunlight in beach. You will get some shadow appearing in the face. If you have a flash, fire them directly at your subject will eliminate the shadow on the face and will give you a well exposed picture. Take note that firing flash at full power will give you a washed out picture. Instead if your camera allows you to manipulate flash power, try to experiment with the flash power.

8. Pay attention to the rule of composition
You should try to stick to the rules of composition as much as possible to achieve better pictures. Try to look for textures such as rock, colour such as the beach tents and etc. Unless you are experienced photographer, you can break the rules and get some unexpected pictures.

Image from WisDoc

Conclusion
Taking beach shot can be quite fun. While there is a lot of attraction that you will find in beach, it is important to take care your camera. You do not want to introduce any unnecessary elements such as sand into your camera or expose your camera to water (if you have waterproof camera, you will have less to worry about). One thing I always do is to bring cleaning equipment along so that I can clean them right away should any dirt get into my camera. This will prevent sand or dust from sticking onto them if you left them for too long. I hope you will find this article useful and try using some of tips mentioned here in your beach shoot.

Few reasons why compact camera over DSLR

2009-07-20T23:21:00.000+08:00

As I have written an article on the reasons why DSLR over compact camera, I will tell you why it is convenient to get a compact camera over DSLR.

1. Small size – Compared to DSLR, compact camera is lighter in weight and this is an advantage to people who wish to carry them all the time taking pictures. DSLR is bulky in term of design and may not be ideal to carry around as they could not allow people to slip into their pocket or in their carrying bag. You may need to purchase a cushion bag to house a DSLR.

2. Image stabiliser capability – Nowadays you can see that compact cameras are equipped with image stabilizing function which allows you to take image blur free pictures. This is not possible in DSLR as you may need to purchase specialized len that comes with image stabilizer and they are expensive.

3. Inexpensive investment
With the digital camera, it is a one-time investment as you only need to purchase the camera plus memory card, LCD protector and camera case. With a DSLR, you will need to pour more money on accessories as well as len and flash and these come with a hefty cost. You will definitely save a lot of money if you know why you need a camera for.

4. It is definitely easier to use for a complete newbie
Compact cameras come with a lot of auto function that helps a newbie with no experience in photography to take a good picture. Thus you will not need to worry about what setting you should use as the camera’s intelligence will help you to determine the correct setting to use.

5. Video taking function
You can shoot video using a compact camera and this is an added advantage to DSLR. Newer models of DSLR enable you to take video but they are expensive to purchase. With price of compact camera getting cheaper, you can shoot HD video quality which you can then share with your friends.

6. Large LCD screen to compose your picture
Compact camera now comes with a large LCD screen which enables you with ease. You do not need to squint your eyes and make your eyes uncomfortable if you use viewfinder. In the case of DSLR, even though you can take pictures using LCD but you can’t actually focus your object without you bypassing the autofocus system. In order for DSLR to focus properly, the mirror needs to be flipped down for the camera to focus. This will increase the lag time and you will miss a great shooting opportunity.

7. Reduced load
You do not need to carry a lot of stuff as compared to DSLR. All you need is to carry a camera. Depending on the type of shoot, DSLR user will have to carry a lot of equipment such as flash, additional len, few set of batteries, tripod, monopod and etc. This will translate to heavier equipment and you may find it a chore to carry them around.

8. Large zoom
Some compact camera offered long zoom from 7x to 12x which you can purchase. Zoom range from 28mm to 336mm allows you to shoot almost anything. This will free you from having to change len and prevent you to carry additional len for a shoot.

9. Cleaning sensor
While having the advantage of not changing len, you do not need to worry about your sensor getting dirty in compact camera. In DSLR, due to design of the camera, you will need to change len to match different type of shooting conditions. Dust will apparently get into the camera while you are in the midst of changing and it will eventually dirtied the sensor or it may jam your shutter blades.

10. You can try different shooting angles which would otherwise not possible in DSLR
Because small size of compact camera, they are easier to hold in one hand and you can angle them whatever you want. Shoot up, shoot down or you can shoot sneakily without people knowing that you are shooting at them. You may get an unexpected image coming out if you shoot in any angle. With DSLR, because they are bulky, you cannot perform the same “stunt” as it is or you will risk dropping the camera.

Conclusion
Most people have this thinking that if you owned a DSLR, you are able to shoot anything good but a compact camera can also offer you good images. What are important are the skills and experiences of a photographer rather than the specification of the camera. I hope this article is useful in helping you to make a better decision and do take a look at digital camera buying guide.

Few reasons why DSLR over compact camera

2009-07-20T22:47:00.000+08:00

If you are shopping for a camera and fret over between a compact camera and DSLR, I urge you to seriously consider your choice. DSLR is an expensive tool and if you have the passion and interest to go into photography, then a DSLR will be suited to you. If not, you are wasting money over on something that you shouldn’t even need them and probably settle for a lower end camera. I will share with you some advice why you should get a DSLR over compact camera.

1. Larger sensor size
Most compact camera have smaller sensor size. Smaller sensor size is not very sensitive to light, thus it affects the picture quality when you are shooting at night. Try increasing ISO in compact camera and you will find that noise is visible and picture starts to degrade.

2. No shutter lag
When the shutter is half pressed, the camera needs time to focus on the subject and when focus is complete, it takes time to take a picture when the shutter is fully depressed. Shutter lag is common in compact camera as camera will take most of the time focusing an object. With a DSLR, the shutter lag is negligent because of fast auto focus system. This will prevent you from missing a great photo opportunity.

3. Faster start up
Most DSLR has quick start up time. This means if you switch off your camera and you happen to see a great shooting opportunity, you can instantly on your camera and take your picture immediately. With a compact camera, you will need time for it to start up. The reasons are most cameras have retractable lens and you will need time for the retractable len to complete its extension. Even if it does not have retractable len, it still needs to take some time for the camera to “warm up”, most noticeably the appearance of brand in LCD screen.

4. More controls over camera
Although compact camera has manual features but they are restrictive to allow you to control ISO, aperture and shutter speed. You may not be able to control metering, flash power or change file types and etc unlike using DSLR. This gives more option to control your camera and enable you to shoot creatively.

5. Able to change len
Most compact camera has range from 24-60mm. While this range is sufficient for general photography but it may not allow people to shoot far or extremely wide. Compared to DSLR, the ability to change len is a plus point as it can allow them to branch into specific area of photography like macro, sports, portraits, landscape and etc.

6. Able to mount external flash
while some compact camera do allow you to mount an external flash, they are only catered to small percentage to the market. The majority of the people still carry compact camera with in-built flash. Getting a external flash allows you to do a wide application of flash photography such as stroboscopic, second-synchronization flash, etc.

7. More accessories
They are countless list of accessories that you can get from DSLR. Flash, lens, remote controllers, len filters and so on. These accessories can greatly enhance your shooting experience and give you more options to shoot creativity. With a compact camera, your option is limited by the accessories that come along with the model.

8. Cheaper price
With the price of DSLR getting cheaper, more people can own DSLR cameras. Lower ends DSLR are offering at such a cheap price that there is little price difference as compared to compact camera. Even if you still find it expensive, you can try to source them cheaply at used market.

9. Ergonomic
Most compact camera has plastic built which will give you the feeling of fragile or it may break easily. You will feel tired after you hold the small camera for a long period of time. With DSLR, the built are more rugged and some have magnesium casing which will give you the feeling that the DSLR can withstand punishment from any conditions. Moreover, with better grip, you will be able to hold them comfortably.

10. Ability to shoot RAW
Not all compact cameras will allow you to shoot RAW. RAW is an uncompressed image file which can be manipulated in photoshop software. RAW allows you to adjust the image white balance, exposure, colour without losing any image quality. With JPEG that is the standard image format found in compact camera, you will find that there is little control after the image is taken.

In the next section, you will find the reasons why compact camera over DSLR

Light meter

2009-07-17T14:28:00.000+08:00

The function of a light meter is to measure the exposure of the scene and give accurate reading so as to get a properly exposed picture. There are two types of light metering: camera in-built light meter and handheld meter. The former allows you to meter the scene via through-the-len and does not always give you the most accurate reading due to following factors:

1. When there is a len filter (e.g neutral gradient and polariser) mounted on your len, it will reduce the amount of light entering the camera thus affecting the reading.
2. Because this type metering is based on reflected rays, the camera in built metering will be tricked into thinking that the scene has more exposure and will underexpose (i.e if the object has more white) the picture and vice versa (i.e if the object has more black).

The latter allows you to measure the scene in both ways and this makes it popular. You can choose to measure incident ray which is light coming from the light source or reflected ray which is light bounces off from the object. Measuring an incident ray will give you the most accurate reading as it does not be tricked by the object’s reflective qualities and is used by most photographers to get a proper exposed picture.

Some light meters will have the ability of taking multiple reading from different light source thereby enabling you to average out the reading. There is also this feature in some light meter which enables you to measure exposure from your studio strobe by pressing a button to trigger a studio strobe. However take note that the more features the light meter has, the more you will have to pay. There are some web links available that teach you how to use light meter and the pro and cons of camera in-built meter and handheld light meter.

Guide to using a hand-held light meter
Using a Light Meter
In-Camera vs. Handheld Light Meters

Light modifiers

2009-07-16T15:16:00.001+08:00

There are two types of lighting: hard light and soft light. Hard light is generated by small light that will result in a harsh shadow. Soft light is generated by diffusing light using light modifiers to minimise shadow. There are many ways to diffuse light source. These will be discussed as below:

Umbrella
There are many different type of umbrella available in the market. Generally they can be used in two ways. They can be used to “shoot-thru” type which some part of the light is penetrated to the umbrella to the object while the rest is reflected. Or a reflecting type where a piece of cloth is covered on top of the umbrella to bounce most of the light source back to the object. The advantages of using umbrella are:

1. It allows light to be bounced over a large are due to their design but there will be light loss if you are using the “shoot-thru” type.
2. It is cheaper and it is recommended to photographers who want to start up small. You may want to get specially made umbrella that offers “shoot-thru” type or reflecting type.
3. Because of the near circular shape of the umbrella, it can create beautiful catchlight shown in the photo.

However, the only disadvantage of using it is, since it can bounce light over a large area, you will find it hard to control the light. If you want a specific area to be lit, then an umbrella is not recommended.

Softbox
Softbox as the name suggest is box with the interior covered in reflective surface and a piece of white cloth is attached to the front end of the box to soften the light. Softbox offers some advantages over umbrella:
1. You can control the lighting as the light is spread in one direction.
2. You can light up some specific area that you want.

The disadvantages of using softbox are:
1. It is expensive to purchase.
2. Because of the different components needed to assemble the softbox, you may need to handle them with care so as not to miss them.
3. Softbox can create catchlight that are square shape and this will look unnatural in the photo.

To see how the light falls off for both umbrella and softbox, you can refer to Zack Arias website on Umbrella VS Softbox. This will give you some ideas before you made your purchase.

Reflectors
Reflector is used to bounce part of the light to the object. They come in white, silver, gold, black and translucent with various sizes. Reflectors is useful when you want to soften some part of the shadow or you can use it as a fill light by reflecting some part of the main light. You can use reflector to create a catchlight.

Barndoor / Flags
Both flag and barndoor are used to reduce flare resulted from direct light or from large white area. They can be used as a subjective lighting (opposite of reflective lighting), adding shadows to certain part of the subject. Barn door is attached to the lighting such as tungsten, fluorescent and allows you to control the area of light while flag is a black paper attached to a frame which can position anywhere you want to block the light.

Snoots
These modifiers are a funnel like device that restricts the light down to a small focused area of the subject. Their main advantage is to focus light to a small area of the subject. They are mainly used for product photography, but in glamour-style photography they are used to highlight select portions of the body which would otherwise be shadowed without lighting other parts. One advantage to snoots over honeycomb grid is they can be placed closer to the subject from behind angles as the light does not tend to show as easily. One primary disadvantage (can be advantage instead) is the snoot will reduce the light by 2-4 stops.

Honeycomb Grids
These modifiers are a honeycomb like grid that fits in front of the studio lights and are used to restrict the fall of light to the desired subject only. They are not as focused as snoots and come in differing degrees of angle (such as 10, 20, 30 and 40 degree honeycombs) unlike snoots the honeycomb grid does not reduce f-stop (or at least by less then about 1/3 stop), but unlike a snoot can not get as small a spot (example on a particular 20 degree honeycomb will have a minimum of a 7" circle of light at the end of the reflector spreading out from there, while the snoot which also has a 20 degree spread will have about a 2" diameter light so can create a smaller point of light at the subject.

Gels
Gels are useful when you want to change the colour of light in order to create a special effects or mood in the pictures. You can use gels to change the colour temperature of the light if you only have one type of lighting equipment (i.e you have fluorescent and you want to use orange gel to stimulate daylight). Gels come in various colour and is placed on top of your lighting equipment.

Studio Photography

2009-07-16T15:08:00.002+08:00

This section will introduce studio photography. There are many ways to arrange light setup and I find some resources to give you an example on how you can arrange your light configuration.

Introduction to Studio Photography
Type of Lighting used in Studio Photography
Light modifiers
Light meter
Setting up studio lighting
Types of lighting position

One light set up
One light set up using Canon 550EX and umbrella
Dramatic 1 Light Studio Portrait
One light set up outdoor
One light studio set up using white cards
1 light studio set up with reflector and foam core

Two light set up
Softbox on a boom
Beauty headshot
Lighting a model at the beach
2 light studio set up using striplights
Two light studio setup with reflector as fill

Three light set up
Mood lighting
Three light tutorial - Dramatic lighting
Three Light set up - Sexy cow girl
Photo lighting - 3 light set up
Studio lighting three light set up - lingerie model
Key lighting on a female model
Three point set up with defuser panel

Four light set up
Photography tutorial using four light
Four light set up using alien bees
Photo lighting a car and model tutorial

Six light set up
Advanced Fashion Portrait tutorial
Six light set up - Advanced lighting tutorial

Eight light set up
Super advanced eight light studio set up
Advanced photography eight light set up

Type of Lighting used in Studio Photography

2009-07-16T14:15:00.000+08:00

The choice of lighting used in studio photography is very important as it will affect your overall pictures. No matter how good the camera and the len are used, the quality of picture will be good if the lighting is right. This section will introduce the two different lightings used in studio photography: continuous and flash.

Continuous light

Continuous light refers to tungsten, fluorescent and metal halide iodide which burns continuously. They are sometimes termed as hot light because of the amount of heat they produced continuously over a long period of time. Tungsten lighting produced warm colour that are in the range of 3200K – 3400K. They are useful if you want to imitate the effect of a sun shining to an object. Fluorescent and metal halide iodide are used if you want to have a daylight white balance. The advantages of using them are:

1. You do not need to take a shot unlike the flash to determine where the light falls. What you see is what you get.
2. You can get them at a relatively cheap price and it is good for those photographers who wish to start up at a small budget.

The disadvantages of using them are:

1. Tungsten especially produces more heat than light. They will make the model very uncomfortable if it is used directly to them.
2. Tungsten poses a high risk of fire due to the amount of heat produced.
3. Since the amount of light produced is limited, they are less ideal for using slow shutter speed or small aperture if depth of field are used.
4. It is difficult to mount light modifiers such as filter gels, softbox or umbrella as they may burn them. Even if they can be mounted due to the ability to withstand heat, care must be taken to dismount them as the tungsten lamp will still be hot after you switch off.

Flash light/strobe

Flash light are sometimes referred to as cold light because they do not generate as much heat as continuous light. Flash and strobe are used interchangeably and do not refer to any specific unit. Most will refer flash used in studio as strobe. Flash light can differentiated into two categories:

Hotshoe camera flash unit and built in camera flash: These are “intelligent” flash that enable communication between the flash and the camera such as firing pre-flashes to help camera to focus as well as determine the correct exposure which normally occurred in the poorly lit environment.

Studio flash unit: They do not possess the necessary intelligent as the above mention flash. They are more powerful than the normal flash. Studio flash needs light meter to determine the correct exposure.

Studio flash comes in two configurations: power pack and monolights.

Power pack

Power pack has all the adjustments compacted into a box and what is left is to attach the flash head to the box via cable. The flash head contains a flash bulb, modeling lamp and maybe a cooling fan. Some power pack allows power to be distributed evenly (i.e if you have a power pack of 2400 watts and if you attached two flash heads, the power will be distributed equally to them), while others allows power to be unevenly distributed (i.e you can have a flash head of 1800watts while the other to have 600 watts). The advantage of using power pack is that you need to make most adjustments in the box rather than on the flash head.

Monolight

Monolight has most of the adjustments contained in the flash head. This made them heavier as compared to the flash head used in the power pack. They are ideal for location work as they need less cables running around.Flash strobe has some advantages over continuous light:
1. They are termed as cold light as they do not generate too much heat. They are triggered either sync cord or radio trigger unlike continuous light where the light is on continuously. Thus they have a low risk of fire.
2. They can be used together with light modifiers such as softbox and umbrella because they do not produce as much heat.
3. They produced consistent lighting over continuous light as the light used in continuous lighting will degrade over time (i.e lamp used in continuous lighting is on over a long time and this affect the quality of light over time).

The disadvantages of using them are:

1. They are expensive to start with. This is due to the fact you need to purchase many accessories as well as flash heads in order to achieve good result.
2. You probably need a few shots to get the result you want as you do not know how the light falls. Some flash heads come with a modelling lamp which allows you to know where the light falls but they are often expensive.
3. They have a lot of cables running around and you will need to proceed with care as you may trip them.

Introduction to Studio Photography

2009-07-15T23:02:00.000+08:00

You must have heard of this from your friends, through the Internet or photo magazines you have subscribed. You are quite impressed with the photo produced from lighting equipment used in studio photography and wanted to know how it is being achieved. There are many applications that involved studio photography. For example, you can use it to help you take portrait shots of your loved one, take a product so that you can sell it in some websites or take a picture of delicious dishes. You can also take pictures under natural lighting but, there are times when nature doesn’t provide us with enough light prevent you to have good images. That is where you might need to find more lights to properly expose your photo or use it creatively to get what you want.

Why Studio?

1. Studio photography allows you to have more control over light used in studio that nature does. How you want your lighting to be depend very much on your creativity. Lighting involved such as tungsten, fluorescent, strobe lighting will be explained later.

2. You can control the type of background you want in studio photography. You can do this type of controlling when you are in a studio room or you can do it even in your room. If you find that you need a different background for different objects, you can buy the background at the usual camera stores or book stores (if you need some fanciful background like colour paper for small objects).

In the next few sections, you will find out more about studio photography, the different lighting equipment used and the light setup used.

How to create a photo mosaic

2009-07-05T10:11:00.000+08:00

Mosaic is an assemblage of many different small images into a big image. You can use mosaic to create fond memories of your loved one by storing a collection of different photo to be used to assemble into a big photo. There are numerous photo mosaic software available, both free and paid one, in the web. I personally preferred to use free one to try out as you don’t create mosaic often except for some special occasions. I am recommending this free software called AndreaMosaic.

1. When you use AndreaMosaic, you will be guided to make a tile collection. If you happen to skip this step, choose the "Select Tiles" when you open the programme.

2. Choose "Add Folder" and you choose the folder where you store your images.
3. Click on "OK".
4. Click "Save Archive". The archive can be accessed anytime and contained your stored images. You can use that to create mosaic.
5. Watch the status till it is 100% completed.
6. Click "OK" to finish the process.

7. Click "Create Mosaic" to finish the process.

8. You are done!!

When you set the parameter, there are a few things you need to take note of:
a. Size parameter: This will determine the final quality of the mosaic. The higher it is, the bigger the size of the mosaic.
b. You can set the amount of duplication and the duplicate spacing if you have limited amount of images. The creator recommends that to check all "Tile Variants" boxes to minimise the amount of blank tiles on your mosaic.
c. The "Pattern" will specify how the image will split into tiles and the "Colour Change" will specify how the tiles can be modified to fit into the image into order to look better.
d. There is "More Options" where you can set where you want to save your file to as well as the quality of mosaic.
e. When you are done, you can see the details under "Mosaic Information".
f. The "Status" will display "All parameters are ok. :-)" when you are done with the setting. Click "Create Mosaic" and wait for the status to be 100% complete.
g. There are some recommendation on the size and the amount of photo used to create mosaic. You can read the parameters in AndreaMosaic website.

Depth of Field (DOF)

2009-07-02T23:53:00.001+08:00

Depth of field refers to the degree of sharpness in front of and behind of the main subject when the main subject is in focus. Depth of field is affected by aperture, subject distance and focal length.

1. Aperture

Using a large aperture will result in a shallow depth of field. This is especially useful if you want to isolate the subject as the subject will be in focus and the background will be blurred. On the other hand, using a small aperture will result in large shallow depth of field as the main subject as well as in front of and behind the subject will be in focus. Use that when you want to take for example landscape.

2. Subject Distance

By moving nearer to the subject, the depth of field will be shallow. Likewise by moving farther away from the subject, the depth of field will be deeper.

3. Focal length

Using the same aperture but different focal length, you will find that a wide angle has a deeper DOF compared to the telephoto len.

<< Return to Glossary

9 ways to take pictures at night

2009-07-02T19:55:00.000+08:00

One of the most challenging parts of photography is how to take a good picture at night. At night, your shutter speed is slow and using handheld camera can easily create a blur in the image. There are many ways to improve sharpness and minimise the blur image in low light. You can try one or few of the following below:

1. Use tripod or stabilized platform

Mounting your camera in your tripod can be useful. Not only it can support your camera, but it minimise handshake. In addition to using tripod, a timer is usually used to help to minimise camera shake (Take note that when you press shutton button, you create a slight movement in your camera). If you find it troublesome to carry a tripod around, you can find anything around to support the camera weight.

2. Use image stabilizer

Most cameras come with in-built image stabilizers. It comes in handy when you need them in low light condition. If you are taking at night, it is best to turn them on. Remember that an image stabilizer can only help to combat handshake and but not subject movement so if a subject suddenly moves, your final image will show the blur subject.

3. Use high ISO

Using a high ISO at night will help you to get more speed so that you can freeze the subject. However, pumping too high ISO will result in undesirable noise appearing in the pictures. Depending on the camera model, try to pump your ISO till the point where noise starts to appear and use it to shoot.

4. Use small aperture

Using a small aperture also helps by allowing more light into the sensor. A small aperture has big hole and thus it permits you to use a faster shutter speed to combat handshake as well as freeze the subject.

5. Use slow shutter speed

At night it can be sometimes difficult to achieve a shutter speed that is fast enough to match the recommended rule which is 1/focal length. As such if your camera has an image stabilizer ability and you can achieve a shutter speed of 1/30, it should be good enough to take a sharp picture without using flash. But if you are in an area with poorly lit light, you can try to use a slow shutter speed. For example, the below shot was taken when the area has not enough light and there is a lot car. You can create a light trails by using a long shutter speed. To do this, you will need a tripod or a stable platform.

6. Use flash

If flash is permitted in an area you are in, then use flash to light up your subject. Take note that flash has a range limit and you should check your manual about the flash range. If you are using a external flash, you can try other flash types such as 2nd synchronization or stroboscopic flash to do creative light shooting. 2nd synchronization flash works when the flash is fired just before the shutter is close and stroboscopic flash works by firing multiple flash at specific interval.

7. Move to area with more ambient light

If you find that there is a good lighting condition nearby, then you should try to move your subject to that area and take them.

8. Hold your camera steady

It is not easy to take a camera handheld at night. Even though there is a recommended rule of 1/focal length, but it is hard to achieve it if you are in a very dark area. This “hold your camera steady” basically means holding your camera in two hands, is only useful when you can achieve quite a reasonable shutter speed of 1/30 second.

9. Use self timer or cable release

If you have either a self timer or a cable release, you should be able to take a picture without you pressing the shutter button on your camera. This will help to minimize camera shake and it is best used when you mount your camera on your tripod or any stabilized platform that can support your camera.

Using Photoshop to remove red eyes effect

2009-07-02T18:25:00.000+08:00

Red eyes effect is commonly found image taken by compact camera. There are few causes of red eyes:

1. The flash is beside the len which is common in compact camera.
2. Red eyes reduction is not on in camera.
3. The subject is on the poorly lit environment thus the eyes dilates. Using a flash at this condition will have a high chance of getting red eyes.

There are ways to prevent red eyes but not necessary foolproof. As such, there maybe times where you need to open your Photoshop to take away the red eyes effect. In this tutorial, Adobe Photoshop CS3 will be used to eliminate red eyes effect.

1. Select colour replacement tool.
2. Select the appropriate brush size and set hardness to 100%.
3. Select colour.
4. Select tolerance to 100%.
5. Paint over the red eyes.

6. Because of the colour replacement tool, the red eyes will be converted to grey. You will still need to darken those grey eyes. So select the burn tool.
7. Adjust brush size.
8. Set to shadow.
9. Set exposure to 100%.
10. Colour over the grey eyes.

11. Finished!!

5 tips to prevent red eyes

2009-07-01T21:52:00.000+08:00

Red eyes effect is caused by light bouncing off the retina. The red colour actually is a reflection from the blood vessels found inside of the red eyes, hence the red eyes effect. Usually, it happens in poorly lit environment and the size of the pupils dilates to allow us to see better. When that happens, if a flash is fired at the eyes, and also there is a law of reflection that states that the angle of reflection is equal to angle of incidence (where the light is coming from), there is a high chance that the light reflected back to the camera will be red.

If you can change the angle of the flash such that there is no reflection bouncing off the retina and to make the size of the pupils smaller, then you will not get a red eyes effect.

1. Use the red eyes reduction found on your camera

Most cameras have this feature which allows you to reduce the red eyes. Although not 100% foolproof, it comes in handy as you can minimise the effect of red eyes. Red eyes reduction does by firing a pre-flash light before firing a main flash to the subject. The theory is that by firing a pre-flash light, the size of the pupils become small, thus fewer chances for the light to bounce off the retina when the main flash fires.

2. Move to an area with more ambient light

When you move your subject to a more ambient light, the size of pupils will become small as there is sufficient light to enter into the eyes. This will help us see better as well as reducing the need to use flash as there is more light to be captured by the camera.

3. Ask the subject to look at light source

If you find that the area is poorly lit and there is a lamp post available, ask them to look at the lamp post. This will help to reduce red eyes as the size of your subject' pupils will become small.

4. Use photoshop tools to correct red eyes

If you find that there is still red eyes visible, this could be due to some people have larger pupils than the other, you should use photoshop to remove the red eyes.

5. Mount an external flash

As explained earlier about the law of reflection, if you can change the angle of light source such that the angle of reflection goes the opposite way rather than bouncing off the surface of the retina, red eyes effect will not occur. Unfortunately, most compact cameras flash sit beside the len and there is no way you can move you flash. In this case, you can try to use red eyes reduction or you can photoshop to remove them. All digital SLR allow external flash to be mounted on top via hotshoe. Thus, the angle can be changed such that you can minimize the effect of red eyes.

I hope these tips will help you to reduce red eyes!!!

Basic studio photography tips

2009-06-29T18:02:00.000+08:00

If you are new in studio photography, you might have a lot of questions that is popping out in your mind:

1. How to get the best photo in studio?
2. What is it important to get a correct white balance?
3. How to choose the right equipment to use in studio?
4. How to position the light so as to get a natural looking portrait?

Here is the video by Rob Mitchell who has 15 years in fashion photography. He is going to use video to teach how to introduce some tips on photo studio.

1. What Type of Lights to Use for Photo Shoot

2. Overview of Lights for Pro Photo Shoot

3. How to Adjust White Balance on Pro Camera

4. Flash Power Packs for Photo Shoot

5. How to Choose Right Umbrella for Photo Shoot

6. How to Choose Lighting Stand for Photo Shoot

7. How to Choose Reflectors for Photo Shoot

8. How to Use Tungsten Lights for Photo Shoot

9. Tungsten Light as Fill Light for Model Shoot

10. Using Tungsten Light to Photograph Model

11. How to Use Studio Flash for Photo Shoot

12. How to Choose Studio Background for Photo

13. How to Choose Studio Background for Photo

14. How to Back Light Model for Photo Shoot

15. Using Flash as Key Light for Photo Shoot

16. How to Use Reflector as Photo Fill Light

5 basic tips to pose a model

2009-06-29T12:37:00.000+08:00

Posing for a model can be quite a challenging task to do. But once to you have experienced in handling models, you will be able to direct model to whatever poses that suit your theme. It will be better if the models are experienced and there will be little guidance and directions to give to them. What if the models are inexperienced? Then you will have to guide them in posing so as to achieve what you want in your pictures. There are some books you can use to refer to and here are some general tips that you can follow:

1. Don’t hold your breath for a pose but hold in your stomach so that you will give a more toned appearance to the abdomen. Keep you back straight and your shoulder up if you are portraying a casual look.

2. Bend your arms to make the pose look natural. Don’t keep them entirely straight unless you are told to do so. Do the same things for the legs. Do not do the same placement in both arms and legs. If you have one hand on the waist, try to hang your the other hand.

3. Do not always look straight at the camera. Instead, try to turn your head at different angle and different eyes positions. Try to tilt your head or look somewhere for some poses.

4. Try a different variety of expression such as anger, laugh, and stare, to give colour to your poses. This is especially helpful since the expression will contribute to the mood of the pictures.
Instead of resting your weight on both feet, try to shift most of your weight on one foot. Doing so will make it look natural and gives a slimming effect in most positions. Keep your chin up to avoid chin wrinkles or double chins.

5. Last but not least if you find that you are having problem getting the model to pose, the simplest thing to do is to tell them to “act”. By getting them to do something, the model may get to do something that are natural and can make them less stiff. For example, if you have a model that acts as a doctor, you can tell the model to listen to his patient heartbeat. In this way, the model will be focused on what he/she is doing rather than posing. It will result in a more natural posing as opposed to “forced posing”. Another way of getting to do it is to ask the model to do something and then when the model is about to do something that you want, you can just tell them to freeze the action and take the pictures. Of course, this method will give you what you want but will place the model in an awkward position. I will prefer the former way as it will produce better result of capturing the posture but it will take some practice as timing is an issue.

To better understand how to do posing, below are some videos that you can watch.These videos are by Katharin Dombrow. She will show you the basic of posing techniques.

How to Model Clothes: Part 1

How to Model Clothes: Part 2

How to Model Clothes: Part 3

How to Model Clothes: Part 4

How to Model Hats: Part 1

How to Model Hats: Part 2

How to Model Hats: Part 3

How to Take Headshots: Part 1

How to Take Headshots: Part 2

How to Take Headshots: Part 3

How to Take Headshots: Part 4

Using photoshop to do a selective colour

2009-06-24T14:24:00.000+08:00

Sometimes when you saw the image, you find that there is one particular picture which you find it very interesting. Black and white filled the whole image with only one part of the element is coloured. This technique is known as selective colour or colour cut out. Selective colour can greatly enhance your image as it attracts your viewers to a certain object in the frame. There are many ways that you can do a selective colourization. Here are some links you can take a look to see how to achieve the selective colourization:

1. Selective Colorization Photos in Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0
2. Colour cut out
3. Amazing GimpShop trick - Selective Coloring in 5 simple steps
4. Selective desaturation with AKVIS Coloriage.
5. Selective Colorization in Photoshop

Bokeh effect

2009-06-19T14:30:00.000+08:00

Bokeh deprives from Japanese, means boke 暈け, meaning "blur" or "haze", which means the light visible in the out-of-focus area in an image when a shallow depth of field is used. Bokeh is different from blur (i.e there is a subject in focus but the background is blur in bokeh but for blur image, the subject is not in focus). Bokeh is usually used to reduce distraction so that the emphasis is on the subject. To achieve bokeh effect, you will need to use a shallow depth of field and to do that, you will need to:

1. use a small aperture value such as f/1.2 to f/2.8 will achieve a shallow depth of field.

2. use telephoto photo len. Use the tele part of the len to zoom into the subject. Have the subject in focus and the background will be automatically blurred.

3. increase the distance from subject to background. If your subject is too near to the background, you will find that the background will be in focus. You will either have to increase the distance either by asking the subject to come nearer to you (if there is space available) or change to other location.

You can achieve bokeh creatively by using a cut shape that can cover your len (your shape has to be small if not, you can't get a bokeh).

To do the image shown above, you will need to:
1. cut the a circle shaped that fit in the diameter of your len.
2. cut any shape that you want in the middle. Make sure it is small.
3. place the shape that you have made on top of the camera len.

10 ways to get sharp pictures

2009-06-19T12:30:00.000+08:00

Achieving a sharp image is every photographer’s aim but it is something that can be hard to get. To look at how sharp image can be achieved, there are following factors that you need to know:

1. Aperture

Aperture affects depth of field. Depth of field means the degree of acceptable sharpness in front of and behind the subject in focus. If you will to increase your aperture value, you will notice that your pictures will get sharper. If you will to decrease it, your subject will still in focus but your background and foreground will be out of focus. Keep in mind that if you will to increase your aperture value, you will need a slower shutter speed or a high ISO to combat camera shake.

2. Shutter speed

Using a higher shutter speed will help to keep your picture sharp. By using a higher shutter speed, you are freezing the motion as well as minimize handshaking. You may wonder what shutter speed you need to use in order to get a sharp pictures. As a guideline, for a handheld camera, you should choose shutter speed that is more than 1/focal length. For example, if you are shooting at 100mm, you choose shutter speed at 1/125. Keep in mind that, if you are using a high shutter speed, you will need to lower your aperture value to compensate for the high shutter speed.

3. Use high ISO

ISO refers to the sensitivity of the sensor. A high ISO means the sensor is very sensitive to the light, thus you will need a high shutter speed or a high aperture value to get a proper exposure. However, a high ISO also necessarily means that your picture will get pixilated and this is not desirable. Depending on the model of the camera, some camera will not get pixilated as you increase ISO. If you encountered pixilation while increasing your ISO, the best thing is to use maximum ISO that will not result in pixilation.

4. Use tripod or any stabilized platform
Using a tripod is extremely useful in certain situation such as taking firework or taking self portrait but tripod can be quite a hassle to carry around and setting up. Try to see if the situation allows you to set up a tripod, if not look around to see if there is any stabilized platform that can support your camera.

5. Use image stabilizer

Most new digital cameras nowadays carry an image stabilizer (IS) feature that can help to combat hand shake. For some digital SLR, the image stabilizer feature is not carried in the camera but in the len. Purchasing a len with IS feature is expensive. If your budget can afford it, you should try to get it or otherwise you look for other alternative to help to keep your image sharp. Bear in mind that IS can help to minimize camera shake and NOT subject movement.

6. Use flash

If you find that flash is permitted, then you can use flash to help you freeze the subject. If you are using direct flash, try to position your subject such that the distance between subject to background is far apart. This is to eliminate harsh tone resulted from the direct flash.

7. Focusing

Most of us use the auto focus feature in the camera to focus the subject. You must know that the camera auto focus system may not be always correct. Poor focusing will result in blur image which is not desirable. You should check your image to see if you are focusing on the right subject before pressing the shutter. If you find that the subject that the camera focuses isn’t what you want, try to do a manual focusing if possible. Some lens in digital SLR allow you to manually override the auto focusing system (i.e you can do a auto focus, but if you find that the camera doesn’t focus what you want, you can adjust your focusing ring on your len instead of switching to manual focus on your len).

8. Len sweet spot

Len usually has a sweet spot about 2-3 stops away from its maximum aperture to allow you to get a sharp image. So instead of taking pictures at the maximum aperture that your len offer, you should adjust it to a few stops away and you will get pictures with better details.

9. Hold your camera steadily

Most blur images are resulted from improper handling of the cameras. Using one hand to take pictures is not advisable as you will increase the chance of handshake. Therefore, to minimize it, try holding your camera using both hands and hold it close to your body for support. For digital SLR users, you might find it useful to combat handshake by taking a deep breath when you half-press your shutter and hold it as you press your shutter.

10. Clean you len often

Try to clean your len often to eliminate any dust and smudges. You don’t want to see any blotches in your images and end up having to edit your images. Smudges can also impact your camera by reducing the amount of available light into your camera thus the reading may not be accurate.

With these factors that are listed here, you have a clearer idea on how to take a sharp picture!

Flash buying guide

2009-06-16T16:34:00.000+08:00

You find that you are often limited by your camera in-built and sometimes you feel envious that other people can produce a good picture with natural lighting with their external flash as opposed to your harsh lighting with your built in flash. You would also like to expand your creativity by experimenting with the different lighting. You have read that there are many ways to play with the flash and are excited that you can expand your creativity to the different ways flash is used. You would like to take that type of photo you have seen on the Internet but you will have to do a research to find out what sort of flash are available on the market to suit your needs. In this section will introduce the different flash available in the market.

There are four main types of flash available on the market:

Handle mount flash

Handle- mount flash traditionally is more powerful than the shoe-mount flash and communicates via a cable. The disadvantages are that it usually mounted on one side of the camera and they can be quite distracting to use. They are difficult to store as they are quite big in size.

Shoe-mount flash
This type of flash is most commonly used and is very easy to bring due to their small size. This flash communicates with the camera via shoe-mount which is found on top of your camera. You can also purchase a wireless trigger to achieve a wireless photography or you can purchase an off camera shoe cable so that you can place your flash at a different angle if you do studio photography.

Ring macro flash
As the name suggested, this flash is generally used for macro shot. It is shaped like a ring and the flash is either with attached to the ring or is found in the ring. Usually this flash is less powerful as compared to the rest of the flash available.

Strobe flash

Strobe flash is commonly used for studio photography. They are more bulky and consumed more power than the rest of the flash mentioned above. If you ever want to take a professional portrait or earn some money as a studio photographer, then you should consider purchasing this flash. Take note that this type of flash is not cheap and if you really want to try out studio photography, try getting a few small compact flashes instead of strobe flash.

Most of the flashes available in the market use guide number to indicate how powerful the flash is. Pay attention to the guide number of each flash, as a high guide number indicates a powerful flash. There is also some additional flash features that you can take note of. Some flashes offer you a complete manual control such as the freedom to set your own flash output, the ability to use different flash types (i.e High speed flash, 2nd synchronisation flash, bounce flash, etc) while other flashes will not be able you to set manually. There are some in-built diffusers such as a mini bounce card available in the flash. They are very useful if you want to shift some part of the light to light up your object to achieve natural lighting.

Conclusion

If you really feel that your in-built flash is insufficient or you want to branch into flash photography, then get flash. For a start, getting a shoe-mount flash is good as they are light, compact and easy to carry around which makes them popular. Once you have become experienced in handling flash, you might want to consider upgrading to other types of flashes.

Buying guides

2009-06-16T00:47:00.001+08:00

Guidelines to choose a camera
Buying len guide
Flash buying guide
Digital camera accessories buying guide
Reasons why DSLR over compact camera
Reasons why compact camera over DSLR

Digital camera accessories buying guide

2009-06-16T00:05:00.000+08:00

When you purchase your camera, there are some accessories that might come along with your cameras. The most common one are a tripod, len cleaning kit and a camera bag. You might need additional items for your camera or need an upgrade if you find that the accessories that come along with your camera do not suit your needs.

Bag

A bag is a must have to carry your camera equipment around for shooting. Camera bags come in three types: small carrying bag for compact camera, sling bag and backpack. A small carrying bag offers limited spacing to contain a compact camera and a few memory cards. A sling bag is good if you want to access your camera quickly and you probably need a few light lens and a flash to complete your shooting tasks. The downside of having a sling bag is that the weight will be on one side of the body and will cause you pain on that side if you are carrying it for too long. If you need to carry more stuff and stay out long for your shoot such as hiking, then you might find it worthwhile to invest in a back pack. Backpack comes with different configuration such as a laptop compartment and tripod attachment. In addition to all camera bag which are made of water resistant material, some bag have additional water proof casing that can enclose the whole bag. The bad thing about the backpack is that if you might find yourself sweating after carrying for long period of time.

Dry cabinet

A dry cabinet is a must have for digital SLR owner as they need to keep their lens and camera equipment in a relatively dry environment. Lens, especially are prone to fungus growth if stored incorrectly. If you find yourself budget constraints, you might want to get an airtight container to store your camera equipment and purchase a silicon gel to place into the container to absorb the moisture.

Len cleaning kit

There are many brands of len cleaning kit available on the market. Most come with a solution with a cloth, a cotton bud and a blower that helps you clean your len but there are also len cleaning item in the form of pen available in the market. Such pens have a brush and a wiper to help you clean your len. Another example is the LensPEN Lens Cleaning System. It would be good to get a blower, a brush and a cloth to get rid of particles away from the lens.

Tripod

A tripod is optional to have accessories. You do not need a tripod every time you go for a shooting. A tripod is used to stabilise your camera when you are:
2. doing a paranomic shot of the scenery such that when you doing stitching, you might want the image height to be the same.
3. doing a panning shoot where you want to avoid vertical movement of your camera.
It is best to get a tripod to suit your height and ensure that it can handle the weight of the camera and it is stable.

Cable release, flash trigger

You might want to get a cable release if you find yourself doing a lot of firework shoot, product shoot or any shoot that requires you not to touch on the shutter button on the camera to minimise camera shake. You might even want consider a wireless remote controller to control your camera from a distance if you want to do a self portrait. An off camera shoe cable is another useful item when you want to position your flash at a different angle or you want to use an off camera flash instead of attaching directly to the camera hotshoe to take an object. You can consider getting a wireless trigger for your flash if you want to position your flash and you want to minimise the amount of cable used as it is hazard and you might trip over if you are not careful.

Len filter and len adaptor

There are many different types of len filters available in the market. Len filters such as polariser and ND filter are great to have but not necessary to own. There are also some len adaptors that allow you to attach on the front len element. Such adaptors allow you to do some creative shooting such as sliding a cardboard with a heart shape on the adaptor or do macro shooting. But be warned that multiple attachments can introduce some vignetting.

LCD hood

LCD hood is not necessary to get as it is made for outdoor usage. Sometime under a bright sunny day, when you want to view pictures, the strong sunlight can prevent you from viewing the pictures. Thus a LCD hood can be attached to help you to view pictures. Because of the LCD hood is attached to the camera, it will block you from viewing the viewfinder. As such you may need to adjust your LCD hood to allow you to take picture. If you find it troublesome, then the best thing is not to get it as you can always use your hand to block the excessive sunlight so that you can view your pictures.

Conclusion

Although there are many different accessories available in the market, you might find it a headache as the choices are limitless. The common ones are dry cabinet, a len cleaning kit and a camera bag. It is advisable to get the common ones first if you are starting up and decides the rest when you become more experienced.

Buying len guide

2009-06-15T11:53:00.000+08:00

You have switched from compact camera to digital SLR and you realized that you have a huge range of len to choose from and you are not sure which len to get for photography. This section will introduce the different types of len that you need to know and certain features that manufacturers will introduce in their len.

Telephoto len

Telephoto len refers to len that is more than 200mm. Telephoto len is usually good for taking object where:

1. The place the object in is inaccessible.
2. You want to achieve a shallow depth of field when taking portraits (i.e you want to blur the background and make your people stand out).
3. You want to shoot the object from a distance such as candid shot.
Telephoto lens are very vulnerable to handshake. You can try to experiment with the len and zoom at the tele end of the len and you will find that handshake is obvious when you try to hold your camera. Some high end lens offer image stabilizer ability and they are very expensive. Such feature is extremely useful especially when you are faced with low shutter speed or you don’t have any form of support to help stabilise your camera.

Normal len

Normal len usually have range from 40mm to 100mm. This type of lens is usually good for walk about len where you may want to take the surrounding place that does not require telephoto or wide angle len. Normal len can also be used for portrait and other aspects of photography that requires the range mentioned. The advantages of using a normal len are it eliminates the need to switch the len and also reduces your camera equipment load.

Wide angle len

Anything less than 28mm can be considered a wide angle len. Wide angle len is mostly used for scenery shot (e.g mountain, sunset on a beach) or the space area is very limited. Wide angle offers a deep depth of field so an average photographer can get decent and relatively sharp pictures.

Zoom VS prime len

Zoom lens are gaining in popularity since they eliminate the need to change len and help to reduce camera load. Still len makers are making prime lens for different focal length. You may wonder why this is so and this is because traditionally, prime len produced sharper images than the zoom len. But with the improved in technology, the difference in sharpness produced by zoom len and prime len are almost on par with each other.

Len speed /aperture

By saying a len has fast speed, it means the len has low aperture (i.e the size of the len hole is bigger, thus more light can be captured by the camera). This enables you to use fast shutter speed, hence the term fast len. You need low aperture if:

1. You want to achieve a shallow depth of field so as to isolate your object from the background.
2. You find yourself in low light condition and the need of small aperture is crucial.
3. You want to get more shutter speed to freeze a moving object by setting a low aperture. When taking the aperture into consideration, you have to ask whether you need a fast len as it is more expensive than slow len. If you are pursuing a general photography, then a fast len is not probably needed and an aperture of f/3.5 – f/5.6 should be sufficient.

Len Compatibility

Most len made in the past are for film body (i.e they are made for 35mm format). But this does not necessarily mean it cannot be used in a digital body. Digital body can also take in len that is made for full frame but their focal length will increase. This is known as the crop factor and most digital SLR have crop factor from 1.3x to 2x depending on the manufacturers. This is another factor you need to take into consideration. For example, to achieve a 15mm in 35mm format, you will need to get a len that is 10mm with a crop factor of 1.5x. There are also some lens that are made exclusively for digital camera with crop factor and cannot be used in full frame body. The common acronyms used for len designed for crop body are DC for Sigma, EF-S for Canon, DX for Nikon and Dii for Tamron. If you are going for full frame body soon, it might not worthwhile to invest in such len.

Additional stuff and acronyms for len

Some lens come with a len hood which you can mount on top of your front len element to reduce flare as well as to protect your len. It is recommended to purchase a UV filter to protect your front len element because some lens doesn’t come with len hood and you may not need a len hood all the time and also if there is no UV filter on, your front len element will be prone to scratches. Some additional filters such as polarizer, warm or cool filter, infrared filter that you might also want to consider to purchase but is optional if you are very new to digital SLR system.

You might also be interested to know some common acronyms used by different manufacturer to describe the len. Image Stabilizer (IS), Vibration Reduction (VR), Optical Stabliser (OS) lens are used to describe lens that have image stabilizer ability. APO, ED, SLD and LD are terms that used to describe lens with special low dispersion glass introduced to improve colour sharpness, contrast and accuracy. Lens that have Ultrasonic motor (USM) and Hyper-Sonic motor (HSM) have the ability to zoom quietly and achieve faster autofocus.

Conclusion

For a person that is new in photography, it is advisable to get a len that covered wide angle to telephoto len and a cheap prime len like 50mm f/1.8. This allows you to get a feel of the different range of the len as well as discover the range that you normally used so as to purchase a more specialized len in the future. A 50mm f/1.8 will allow you to play with different aperture to achieve creativity. It is also important to read reviews of the len that other people have experience in order to make a good len purchase.

See also other acronyms.

Batch processing

2009-06-12T11:02:00.000+08:00

If you ever want to resize a lot of images and find it troublesome to process it individually, here is a good software which can help you to do a batch resizing with ease. You can download free software and install it into your computer. Below are steps taken to use the software:

1. Open the program, Irfanview.
2. Go to "File">"Batch Conversion/Rename".

3. Choose the images that you want to resize and then click either "Add" or "Add all".

4. Check the box "use advance options (for bulk resize...) and click on "Advanced".

5. Check on "RESIZE" and select either "set new size" or "set new size as percentage of original".
Unless you know what size you will be setting if not, check "set new size as percentage of original" as the output come out will be more proportional.

6. Click "OK".

7. Click on "Start Batch".

8. There, you are done!! Go to the place where you save the images and take a look. If you forget where you save the images, you can go back to the "Batch Conversion/Rename" window and under "Output directory for result files", you can see where you save the files.

Shooting water droplets

2009-06-08T21:30:00.000+08:00

Shooting water droplets can be very challenging task. You will have to get the timing correct in order to get the droplets formed. A fast shutter speed is to be used to freeze the droplet formed. In this photo below, I used a high speed sync flash, coupled with high shutter speed and continuous frame to capture the droplet.

Preparation to be made:
1. Use a clear plastic rectangular container to contain the water.
2. For the water droplet, I use plastic bag filled with water and use a small tape to tape over it and use a needle to poke a hole. If you do it correctly, you will get droplets. If not, you will get streak of water dripping. Alternatively, you can use a dropper to create water droplet.
3. Try experiment with different height to obtain the desire water droplet.
4. Since water itself is colourless, use of colour paper to help "add" colour to the water. Experiment with different with different colour paper to obtain the result you like.

Setting to be used:
1. Mount your camera on a tripod.
2. Set your camera to Manual mode. Set shutter speed to the maximum of your flash sync and set aperture to f/5.6.
3. Set your flash to manual mode. Select flash output that can properly expose the picture. In both photo shown, I use 1/32 as output to expose the picture.
4. If you have a cable release, you can attach it to the camera and use it to trigger your camera.
5. In this step, I will use a needle to poke the plastic bag. Using a pen, I try to do a manual focus on the area where the water droplet will form. You will do it manually cause water droplet is a relatively fast process. If you use auto focus, there are times where there is no droplet formed and the camera will hunt for an area to focus. A manual focus will help to save time as it eliminates the time for the camera to hunt for a focusing area.
6. Wait for the droplet to come down and start shooting.

You will have to try a lot of times to get the desired water droplet. Try to play with different colour paper to get different effects. Here is a video by Waugh of how water droplet behaves.

Through the len (TTL)

2009-06-08T13:25:00.000+08:00

Through-the-len works by firing the flash at the subject. The reflected light will then enter the camera through the len (hence the name) and hit the film. Some of the light that bounces off the film will be captured by an off-the-film (OTF) sensor which reads the exposure. When sensor decided that there is enough exposure, the flash bulb switches off. This happens in a split second. This technology is made to fit in film in the olden day but with digital camera photography gaining popularity, different camera manufacturers begins to modify TTL to suit the digital sensor.

You might also be interested in reading how the through-the-len was developed, Canon flash system and Nikon flash system.

<< Return to Glossary

Glossary

2009-06-07T21:55:00.001+08:00

In this page you will learn the terminology used in photography. Note that different camera makers will refer their system terms differently. For example, Canon will use evaluative metering to describe the meter that will take reading in different parts of the frame and obtain a proper exposure value based on the camera algorithm. The equivalent for Nikon will be matrix metering. I am not too sure about other camera makers but it is important to check the manual to see what metering does. It should perform similar action but named differently. I will try to shorten each terms as much as possible to make things easier to understand.

Camera Operation
Exposure
Exposure Compensation
Aperture
Shutter Speed
ISO
Auto Bracketing
Memory Card
Metering
Firmware
Lag time
Auto Exposure (AE) lock
Multiexposure
Compression
EXIF
Autofocus (AF) System
Autofocus (AF) Assist Beam
Autofocus (AF) Servo
Histogram
White balance
Sensor

Len
Vignetting
Barrel Distortion
Pinhole Cushion
Chromatic Distortion
Depth of Field
Focal Length
Crop factor
Image Stabiliser
Type of len filters

Flash
Guide Number
Through-The-Len
Red eyes reduction

Introduction to Colour theory

Guide number

2009-06-07T21:12:00.000+08:00

Guide number is commonly used as a standard to measure how far a flash can illuminate an object at a specific ISO and aperture. A high guide number indicates a powerful flash while a low guide number refers to a weak flash. Guide number is given in a formula as shown below:

Guide Number = distance x f-stop (at a specific ISO)

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Red eyes reduction

2009-06-07T20:34:00.000+08:00

Red eyes effect is actually caused by a bright light striking at the back of the retina. The reflected light which the camera captured actually come from the blood vessels and hence, gives red eyes effect shown on the picture. Normally this can occur when you are at a low ambient light. To compensate for the low light, our eyes dilate or open up to allow more light so that we can see clearer. At this condition, if a flash is fired at the eyes, our eyes will not have the time to react to contract or close up. This causes red eyes effect. Almost most of the cameras are equipped with a red eyes reduction that eliminates red eyes effect. What red eyes reduction does is it will flash two times. One is before the picture is taken to allow the eyes to contract so as to reduce red eyes. Two is after the picture is taken.

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Chromatic Aberration

2009-06-06T23:13:00.000+08:00

Chromatic Aberration refers to camera lens not focusing all the colour at the same focal plane. This occurs due to the different lens have a different reflective index for different wavelength. Chromatic aberration can be detected by looking at contrasty edges for any colour fringing and occurred frequently in wide angle shots, notably around the edges of the image frame.

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Image Stabiliser

2009-06-06T21:51:00.000+08:00

The use of image stabiliser has become increasingly found in almost all digital cameras as well as certain lens. As the name suggests, it help to combat any hand shake. The piece of hardware known as a gyroscope is actually responsible for stabilising image either by moving an optical element or moving the digital sensor to redirect light path. Different camera manufacturers have included names like Optical Image Stabiliser (O.I.S by Panasonic), Vibration Reduction (V.R by Nikon) and Image Stabiliser (I.S by Canon) to tell consumers that the cameras or lens are equipped with image stabiliser. Some cameras and lens in-built image stabiliser have three modes to choose. You can switch off IS (Mode 1), turn on IS (Mode 2 which compensates horizontal and vertical motion) and use the IS for panning (Mode 3 which compensates vertical motion).

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Pinhole Cushion

2009-06-06T19:01:00.000+08:00

Pinhole Cushion is an len effect that caused an image to constrict or squeeze towards the centre. The is effect is usually noticeable when the lines are close to the edge of the image and affects the tele end of the len. Pinhole cushion can be corrected by using Adobe Photoshop by selecting “Filter” > ”Distort” > ”Spherize”. The opposite effect is barrel distortion.

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Barrel Distortion

2009-06-06T18:28:00.000+08:00

Barrel Distortion is a len effect that caused an image to become fat or spherical. This effect is usually noticeable when the lines are near to the edge of the image and affects most wide angle len. Barrel distortion can be corrected by using Adobe Photoshop by selecting “Filter” > ”Distort” > ”Pinch”. The opposite effect is the pinhole cushion.

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Vignetting

2009-06-06T12:53:00.000+08:00

Vignetting refers to a loss of imaging area at the corner or peripherals of the frame. There are three reasons to explain how vignetting can occur:

Optical Vignetting – This is due to using a large aperture such as f/1.4 but this can be corrected by reducing the size of the aperture. The image resulted is a gradual darkening towards the centre.

Mechanical Vignetting – This is caused by light being blocked by external objects such as stacked filters, large hood attached to the len. The image resulted is a small dark area near the corner of the frame. To correct this, simply remove any obstruction to the len.

Natural Lighting – This is due to a law known as cos fourth law of illumination falloff. This falloff is proportional to the fourth power of cosine of the angle at which the light strikes the sensor. This form of vignetting cannot be cured by stopping down the len. vignetting often interrupt or distract but does not necessary mean it is when can be used draw viewer to centre of the frame>

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Sensor

2009-06-05T23:28:00.000+08:00

Our eyes can capture red, blue and green – the primary colours. These colours are combined and represented the range of colours that we normally see in everyday life. In order to capture these range of colour, a sensor consists of three primary colour elements are needed. The sensor can be constructed into an array in which tiny parts known as pixels will be used to capture each of the three primary colours. There are two different types of sensor currently available and they vary in sizes:

CCD
It stands for Charge Coupled Device. Cameras available in the market either come with CCD or CMOS sensor. CCD sensor contains thousands or millions of tiny cells which transform light into charges. Charges are then transported and read at a corner using an analog-to-digital converter which will give a digital value. Each of this value will be stored and an overall image will be formed containing the different value.

CMOS
It stands for Charged Metal Oxide Semiconductor. The CMOS sensor made use of several transistors at each pixel that amplify and move each charge using traditional wires. Charges can be read individually and image will be formed.

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Crop Factor

2009-06-05T21:04:00.000+08:00

Most digital cameras have sensors size smaller than 35mm frame. Pictures captured by a small sensor size will have a cropping effect as compared to 35mm frame. Because for this cropping effect, lens made for small sensors have shorter focal length. To measure crop factor, take the length/width/diagonal of the 35mm format divided by length/width/diagonal of the cropped sensor. In SLR, it is important to know what the crop factor is because you will need to know the correct focal length to purchase. For example, to obtain a 50mm in 35mm equivalent format, you will need to purchase a len that is about 31mm for a crop sensor of 1.6x. For compact camera, there will be a phrase “35mm equivalent” to tell consumers how wide and how far the camera can take.

For those who heard of 35mm format but wondered why the size is 36mm by 24mm is because
35mm format refers to the width of the negative film. 36mm by 24mm is the area that image will be captured.

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Metering

2009-06-05T16:24:00.000+08:00

Metering refers to how camera measures the amount of light reflected by the scene. There are a few metering types that every camera model will have.

Evaluative or Matrix meter
This meter works by splitting the scene into smaller parts and then measures individual part. The overall exposure will be obtained by the camera algorithm. This meter is complex in a sense that although it works well in most case, it is hard to predict which parts of the scene the camera choose to obtain a proper exposure.

Centre-weighted average meter
The camera will meter the entire scene and average it but will give more weight towards the centre. This type of meter is ideal for portrait where the subject of interest is place at the centre.

Spot(Partial) Metering
Some camera will have both meter available. Although both perform the same function but the difference lies in the percentage of scene used to meter. For partial metering, it measures about 9% of the scene at the centre whereas spot metering measures about 4% at the centre. This metering is ideal for backlit object and moon shot which requires a small amount meter area.

You maybe interested to look at:
how to caliber exposure

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Memory Cards

2009-06-05T13:57:00.000+08:00

Nowadays, there are a lot of memory card available in the market. Just to name a few, there are compact flash (CF) card, secure digital (SD) card, memory stick, multimedia card (MMC), smart media card, xD picture card. Take note that within each type of memory card, there are also variants (e.g SD cards have microSD, miniSD, SDHC). So pay attention to the type of memory cards that your camera can accept so as to avoid wrong purchase. There are some camera models allow selected memory cards to be slotted into the camera. If you happen to have an old model that uses a CF card and you purchase a new model that allows you use CF card as well as SD card, you can still use the same CF card in your new model.

You might wonder how many pictures can a memory can store. Below is an estimation of how many pictures you can store using different size memory cards. My advise is to get more capacity memory cards if the cards is worth the value to buy. Do not get the maximum size that the market can offer as they are expensive and it is risky to bring one large memory card along with you. It can be frustrating if you will to take an important picture and realise that the memory card malfunction. Instead, get an extra memory card of similar size as a backup. Do not get a high speed card as there is a limit that a camera can record image (i.e if the camera can record at 8x, do not get a 12x memory card as 8x is the maximum speed that a camera can record image).

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Compression

2009-06-05T12:02:00.000+08:00

Sometime high megapixel does not necessary mean good quality pictures. It also have to depend on what are the setting you choose. In your camera setting, you can select the number mega pixels to take and this refers to how big your picture size is. If you want a good quality image, there is another setting that you need to take note of. Depending on the camera models, certain model may group both image quality and megapixel into categories like “L1, L2, M1, M2,etc” or separate functions like megapixels and quality (fine and normal). If you are unsure which setting will give you a good quality picture, you can refer to the amount of pictures the memory card can store in the LCD screen. Usually a high megapixel with low compression will take up a lot of space while the same high megapixel with high compression will take up less space. Here are some pictures taken at the same megapixels but with different compression to illustrate the quality of the picture. Bear in mind if you will to do a large printout, quality is very important.

This picture shows no much different in compression from an uncompressed picture.

This picture shows a little degradation in compression. If you save the picture and zoom in and compare the above image quality, you will see some lines appearing.

As the picture gets more compressed, you can see there is an obvious degradation in image quality. Try save the picture and zoom in. You can see some pixels showing up.

If you want to edit pictures, it is advisable to save under the lowest compression rate as possible so as to prevent image loss. Alternatively you can save under RAW format if you want to do a lot of editing such as changing white balance, exposure, etc.

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Write to Digital Photography Academy

2009-06-05T10:56:00.000+08:00

Contribute your article to the Digital Photography Academy!!

This blog is created to share with people on some tips and techniques on photography. This blog also serves to motivate people to improve their photography by frequently exposing themselves to other people's work by providing a link back to the contributors in their area of photography and hopes that these can guide the people to achieve a better result.

I am looking for people who can write tutorials for beginners in any field of photography as well as post processing of the pictures.
Article written must have at least 300 words. It will be good if there is an example to show to the readers so that they know how to do it.
In return, the article posted will have a link to your portfolio, your website that you can showcase to the readers.

You can submit your article at this digitalphotographyacademy[at]gmail[dot]com.

Focal Length

2009-06-04T12:23:00.000+08:00

Focal length is explained as the distance between the centre of the len to the sensor when the object is in focus. It is commonly measured in millimetre. In digital photography, focal length can range from 6mm to 800mm depending on the size of the sensor. Focal length is often associated with perspective, that is, your background will be magnified if you use longer focal length. To illustrate this perspective, refer to this link to help you to understand. You may also interested in how different focal length will help you to determine how far you can shoot. Go to the Canon website and scroll all the way till you find the focal length section.

<< Return to Glossary

Autofocus (AF) Servo

2009-06-04T12:03:00.000+08:00

AF servo is part of the autofocus system normally found in prosumer camera, which allowed continuous focusing on the moving subject. It is useful in sports photography, animal photography, or any other moving object that requires continuous focusing in order to obtain sharp object.
To use AF servo, you must set your camera to AF servo. By focusing on the moving object and half-pressing the shutter button, the camera will continuously focus on the moving object. Usually AF servo is used together with continuous mode to take moving objects. This allows photographers to choose the best moving object out of a series of shots.

<< Return to Glossary

Autofocus (AF) Assist Beam

2009-06-04T12:00:00.000+08:00

Most camera manufacturers have incorporated autofocus assist beam into the camera to help it to focus in a low lit light condition. It is usually found on top of the len barrel and usually emits either an infrared light or a visible light with range usually up to 4 metres. For an external flash which can be mounted on top of the camera hotshoe, the range is usually long (Up to 16m). The AF assists beam can sometimes be double up as a red eyes reduction system by firing a strong light to allow the pupils to contract to reduce red eyes.

<< Return to Glossary

Autofocus (AF) System

2009-06-04T11:59:00.001+08:00

All cameras come with autofocus system. There are basically two types of autofocus system. Single AF allows the camera to focus on the object once while the continuous AF allows continuously focusing on the object and it is especially useful on moving objects. To achieve autofocusing, there are some points on the camera. Depending on the camera models, these points can range from 3 to 51. Some models also allow you to manually choose one of the autofocusing points to achieve selective focusing. If the auto focusing fails to detect any object, you can switch to manual focus. Manual focus allows you to do selective focusing also by either manipulating the len focusing ring (in SLR) or some setting that are found in compact camera. There is an AF assist beam available in most cameras that allow autofocusing possible in low light conditions.

<< Return to Glossary

Multiexposure

2009-06-04T11:57:00.001+08:00

Multiexposure refers to the camera ability to take multiple shot in the same frame. This feature is only available on selected models such as Panasonic LX3. What it does, you take different shots and the camera will merge them into one frame. This feature can be useful if you want to create some special effects such as taking a couple shot against the cloudy a background or different facial expression all in one frame. Try to experiment more and sometimes you may get an unexpected result.

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Exchangeable Image File (EXIF)

2009-06-04T11:56:00.001+08:00

EXIF is used to store camera settings such as aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focal length used and etc. In short, it stored the setting used to take the specific picture so you do not need to worry about the setting used to take the camera as you can access them. You can access them either in imaging software that the camera make provides or you can right click on the picture and go to “Properties”, then to “Details” (This mode of accessing EXIF is in Window platform).

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Auto Bracketing

2009-06-04T11:55:00.001+08:00

Auto bracketing is a series of different exposure shots made by the camera. These series of shots usually come in three different types which are underexposed, normal and overexposed. This is used when there is a wide dynamic range that falls outside the camera ability to capture or you want to create a high dynamic range imaging (HDRI) by merging pictures of different exposures. Auto bracketing defines a range of values usually +/- 2 that allows the user to choose from.

<< Return to Glossary

Auto Exposure (AE) Lock

2009-06-04T11:52:00.001+08:00

AE lock refers to the ability for the camera to lock aperture and shutter speed values. This is useful when you want to do a panorama where stitching requires the pictures to be of the same exposure values.

<< Return to Glossary

Lag time

2009-06-04T11:50:00.000+08:00

Lag time is explained as the time delay when you depress the shutter button to the actual shot you have taken when you fully press the shutter. It can be split into two processes: autofocus lag and shutter lag.

Autofocus lag refers to the time when you half press the shutter button to the time when the camera locks its focus. This timing varies depending on the nature of object (moving or still), current focus object, etc.

Shutter lag refers to the time when you start from half pressed to fully press shutter button.

<< Return to Glossary

Firmware

2009-06-04T11:47:00.000+08:00

A firmware is a software which is used to control all the camera hardware such as autofocus, LCD, sensor and etc. Firmware is usually stored in camera Read Only Memory or ROM. Most cameras allow upgrading of firmware to offer improvement performance on the cameras. However, the upgrading of firmware needs to be done carefully as it may cause the camera to malfunction. Always read the manual of the firmware and follow the steps correctly before attempting an upgrade. Also you may not be able to downgrade your firmware to an earlier version which you are comfortable with.

<< Return to Glossary

How to take an excellent firework

2009-06-02T10:32:00.000+08:00

Every year, there will be at least some fireworks show organised in your area. You will be amazed by the beauty of firework created that sometimes you wish to take a few pictures for keepsake. However, you feel frustrated due to the pictures not coming the way you intended to be. This article will provide some techniques and tips on how to take an excellent firework.

Setting to be used:
1. Mount your camera to the tripod.
2. Set your camera to Manual.
3. Set your shutter speed to "Bulb" mode. "Bulb" mode means that you can keep the shutter open as long as you depress the shutton button.
4. Set your aperture to f/11 and ISO to be as low as possible.
5. Wait for the firework to come out in your frame and press shutter button. It will be good if you have a cable release that is attached to the camera so that you do not need to depress the button from the camera to minimise camera shake.

Some essential things to take note when you are taking firework:
1. Duration of shutter speed - Different fireworks have different patterns. Some will give you a flower pattern almost instantaneously while some will give you a trails of light that will take a longer time to disappear. Control the duration of timing to suit different firework pattern.

2. It is always good to take more during the initial period of firework show - The initial period will generate less smoke so the shot will be clean. Towards the end of the firework show, there will be a massive firing of fireworks which generates a lot of smoke. Unless there is a constant wind blowing the smoke away, it will spoil the picture.

3. Stable platform to put the camera on - Keep in mind that you need a stable platform because you will need a long exposure to take a firework. To prevent image from blurring, especially smaller cameras as they have a high chance of handshake, it will be good if you bring along your tripod to stabilise the camera. If you forgot to bring one, you can use a concrete wall to provide a stable platform for the camera.

This is an example of spoilt picture as a result of too much firework.

If you take note of the tips and techniques given, you will at least get some good shots of fireworks. Remember timing is very essential in taking firework due to the different patterns of the firework.

Tips and Tutorials

2009-06-01T15:14:00.011+08:00

This section will offer you some tips and tutorials to help you to shoot creatively as well as to enhance your photo using photo editing software. Have a basic understanding of how it works before attempting to do so (i.e do not follow closely so as to restrict yourself. So long you grasp the concept, you should be able to produce better quality pictures!!).

Photography tips
How to take a good panning shot
How to take an excellent firework
Shooting water droplets
10 ways to get sharp pictures
Bokeh
Basic studio photography tips
5 basic tips to pose a model
5 tips to prevent red eyes
9 ways to take pictures at night
How to create a photo mosaic
78 Photography Rules for Complete Idiots
Some tips to take a beach shot
15 tips for portrait photography
9 ways to take candid
How to expose skin colour correctly in portrait
Wedding photography 101 - 10 tips for wedding photography
Self-Portrait Friday - 10 Top Tips for better self portraits
11 tips to improve your macro shot
How to manage exposure using your camera
Introduction to Colour theory

Photoshop tutorials
Batch Processing
How to get brighten an image
How to make smooth skin using Photoshop
How to create a sepia photo
How to make your subject stand out from the background
Using photoshop to do a selective colour
Adding a catchlight to the eyes
Using Photoshop to remove red eyes effect
How to create animated GIF in 5 steps!!
How to make a crack and peel face

How to take a good panning shot

2009-06-01T14:26:00.000+08:00

Have you ever wonder how to take a moving objects in focus with a blur background? Wish to achieve that kind of effect and add it into your collection? The technique that achieved this is known as panning. It is used in situation such as racing cars, moving bicycle, running people and etc. Panning shot is usually done from left to right or vice versa. It can be easily achieved if you have enough practiced. It is preferably to use SLR as they have fast response time.

Setting to be used:
1. Set your camera to shutter priority.
2. Set your shutter speed to be as low as possible preferably 1/15.
3. Set your camera to continuous shot. It preferably to have a high frame per second due to the fast moving object.
4. Set your focusing point to centre area.
5. Wait till the subject get into your left or right field of vision(Depending on which direction the subject move). Start depressing your shutter button when the subject is within your frame and follow the motion.

Keep in mind there are certain conditions in order to achieve a good panning:
1. The speed of the subject: If you are taking racing car, you have to use a high shutter speed (1/125th second, 1/60 seconds) to get the car in focus. Using a low shutter speed will result in both the car and the background blur. You will need to experiment with different shutter speed in order to achieve a good panning shot.
2. The subject to the background: If the distance from the subject to the background is long, the background will not blur as much. In this case, you can try to use photoshop to make the background blur.
3. Framing: Try to leave some space around the moving subject. This is to leave some allowance for you if you are too slow or too fast to follow the moving subject. If you managed to get a good panning shot, but the moving subject is either too left or too right, you can crop away any unnecessary space.

Don't be discouraged for the first time you get some bad shots. With enough practices, you will get a good panning shot of moving subjects.

Guidelines to choose a camera

2009-05-27T22:01:00.000+08:00

When purchasing a digital camera, a trip down to the local camera shop will bring you a wide selection of the cameras to choose from. You are spoilt by the number of models available on the shop and you do not know what you want to get. Some common questions were be “which brand is good?”, “how does this model different from that model?”, “what are the freebie if I purchased this?” and so on. This is time consuming because you have spent so much of your time asking questions and playing around the camera. Some dishonest vendors who wanted to earn your money might give you false information about the camera specifications and will lead to think this camera is superior thus you purchased it. But what if the camera you purchased isn’t exactly what you are looking for? Then you have wasted money on something that you don’t probably need. This article aims to provide some guidelines to people who want to buy digital camera. Nowadays, digital cameras are packed with similar features that are difficult to differentiate, you may want to use this guide to zoom down on the models you are interested in and do a research on them. Look here for some terms used so as to get yourself familiarise with before heading down the camera shop.

What do I intend to get a camera for?

This is the first question that you ask yourself before proceeding. If you are one of those newbie who wish to get a camera for some basic shoot, you may wish to look for a basic camera which offer the minimum specification such as 3X zoom, slim and compact design, long battery life, etc. Likewise if you are serious shooters, then getting a high end model or DSLR that offer you complete controls on the camera functions.

What’s my Budget?
One of the questions you should ask is how much are you willing to buy a camera. Prices of the camera can range from $200 for a simple point and shoot camera to $5000 for a professional DSLR camera. In deciding the budget, you can try to determine your needs first and set aside the maximum amount that you are to buy or set aside your budget first before exploring other specifications that will fit in your need.

How much megapixels I need?
Most digital cameras nowadays come with 10 – 12megapixels.Usually most casual shooters develop pictures of size 4 X 6” for keepsake and that requires a minimum of 2 megapixels. Unless you need to print large poster, you do not need a high megapixels. There is also an advantage of getting high megapixels. You can crop away unnecessary stuff in the picture and still get a good quality picture but the downside is you will need to get a large size memory card to store them.

Design and specification

When you are looking for design, what will you look for? Most manufacturers offer a lot of series in their cameras. They have ultraportable cameras that are slim and compact to cameras packed with features like super zoom and manual settings (Shutter priority, Aperture Priority, Manual, Program and other preset shooting scene, etc) and often it will have a huge body to accommodate them. There are also different choices of colour to choose from to suit your personality as well.

Battery life is another important element that you need to know. You do not want to miss a critical and precious moment and find out later that your camera battery is flat. Always ask for the battery lifespan. It is usually given in how many shots can be taken or how long the camera lasts.

Most manufacturers have included a large LCD screen. LCD screen nowadays has a lot of functions. Other than providing the users to view pictures and compose shots, it also features touchscreen design which allows user to select function thus eliminating buttons on the camera.

An example of such camera is the Sony DSC-T900/R. Such touchscreen design comes with additional cost. If you find that you don't need, then spend your money on other features.

Most compact cameras come with integrated small zoom len. I would recommend to look at the camera focal length instead of zoom as it can be quite misleading. Because different manufacturers manufacture cameras of different focal length thus to calculate zoom, the smallest focal length will be used to divide the largest focal length. For a guide, most compact cameras feature a 3X optical zoom whereas the most serious one feature 10x or more or an interchangeable len.

There are a number of models that offer different preset shooting scenes such as portrait, landscape, night, auto, etc. Look out for them as it comes in handy especially when you are learning photography. Other specifications such as exposure compensation, red eyes reduction system may also come together with the cameras.

Media used

It is important to take note what type of memory card that your camera is using. Small compact camera uses a small memory card such as SD card, xD card or memorystick (for Sony camera). Bear in mind that even within the card itself, there are a lot of variant such as SDHC, micro SD, mini SD for SD card. Large camera typically uses compact flash or memory stick (for Sony camera). So get the right type of memory card if you need more. I would not advise to get a high speed card as there is a limitation on how the camera records the image. Spend more on the size of the storage of the memory card rather than the speed of memory card.

Additional camera features

Most cameras come with a lot of additional features. Features such as face detection which allows you to take group shot with better details and clarity, blink detection which serves as a warning system to tell user that the subject’s eyes are blinking and noise reduction features which will reduce the noise level as you set to high ISO. If you are those who ventured scuba diving, you can try to get a camera with water proof protection such Olympus μ Tough series camera. It would be advisable to look for a camera that has image stabiliser capability as this is very useful when you want to take pictures at low light and also compact camera being small and light, has a high chance of handshaking. Cameras that come with high ISO are also useful as it can help to combat handshake. A HD movie is also useful when you want to take high quality video and with a video editing software, you will be able to share with your friends and relative high definition video.

Review from the Internet

Always look through a number of reviews on the camera that you are interested in. Why is there a need to read so much? Because certain reviews tend to be biased or provide incomplete picture of the camera, it is important to read through them to get more information about the camera you are interested in before purchasing. If you find that the reviews on particular camera are unavailable, try accessing the forum to see if there is any member who have purchased and tried the camera. This will give you a rough idea on the camera’ performance.

Always buy from reputable vendors

Like what I have mentioned earlier, some vendors may try to cheat your money by promoting camera that will not suit your needs or mislead you. A good camera shop will guide you on the selection process like the budget that you set aside, your needs and a proper explanation on camera specification.

Conclusion

Buying a camera can be a time consuming process. A lot of research needs to be done before deciding on the model that you want to buy. However, if you follow the guide well, you can shorten your process and you can decide quickly as to which camera you want to buy.

Contact us

2009-05-26T16:58:00.000+08:00

Introduction to white balance

2009-05-19T17:04:00.000+08:00

White balance is a process whereby unrealistic colour casts are removed to achieve a colour in the image that is as accurate as possible.

The reason why we need to achieve that is because different source of light have a different colour in them. The range of colour temperature is from light blue to warm red. See below.

We do not usually notice this problem as our eyes are adjusted for the change in white balance. However, the digital camera does not have this ability as such it offers different white balance presets for the users to manipulate. Below are the sets of white balance presets which are commonly found on most digital cameras.

Auto - This mode allows the camera to decide which colour balance to choose from based on the photos. It will work well if you have at least one white colour element in the photo.
Tungsten - It is usually used for shooting indoors, where under tungsten (incandescent) lighting (such as bulb lighting). It generally cools down the colors in photos.
Fluorescent - this compensates for the greenery-blue light of fluorescent light and will warm up your shots.
Daylight/Sunny - Not much difference from the auto mode but it is used in daylight.
Cloudy - Since cloudy will give more "cool" colour in your picture so this setting will give a more warmer tone than your "daylight" mode.
Flash - This mode tends to warm up your shot as the flash fires from your camera is cool.
Shade - Usually the light in shade will produce cooler colour than in dayligth so this mode will compensate the cooler colour by adding warm to your picture.

Some camera gives you a custom white balance control so that you can set your own white balance. You can set your white balance by using a white object or purchase a 18% gray card to calibrate your custom white balance. If you decide that you want to change your white balance later, you can do it by choosing your picture quality on your camera setting to RAW format. RAW format allows you to control your white balance even after you shoot your pictures. But the downside is only certain camera models offer you this option and you will need a special software to convert the RAW format after your process the pictures to JPEG. Most RAW can be converted to JPEG using Adobe Photoshop unless it is can be only be converted using manufacturer software.

It is not difficult to adjust for the white balance once you get the hang of it. For a simple rule, try to adjust the white balance to make the colour as accurate as possible using the camera white balance presets.

<< Return to Glossary

Types of len filters

2009-05-19T15:02:00.000+08:00

A filter is a camera accessory consisting of an optical filter that can be inserted in the optical path. There are a number of filters made available on the market. You will be overwhelmed by the choices of the filter used and what are they used for. In this page, you will learn the type of filter and its usages.

Ultraviolet ray filter (UV) is use to absorb UV light. A UV light is an invisible light and film camera are more sensitive than digital camera. It is also a must have len filter which can serve as a protection against mishap such as scratches or corrosive liquids.

Infrared (IR) filter reduce visible light and allow infrared light to pass into the camera sensor. When capturing aerial haze penetration and heat effects, infrared filters are helpful. Infrared filter will produce a false colour or black and white image with a dreamlike effect.

Neutral density (ND) filter is used to reduce the light constantly into the camera sensor. They allow photographer to have more control over aperture and exposure time. You use neutral density filter if you want to achieve a shallow depth of field (meaning low aperture value) or long exposure time if you want to create a blur effect. Thus neutral density is useful in situations such as:
1. waterfall where you want to have a achieve a smooth and silky water.
2. introduce a blurring effect to achieve a motion
3. when you want to use larger aperture so that you want to isolate a subject from background.

Neutral density filter comes in different grading. The higher number allows you to use smaller aperture values and longer exposure time while the smaller number performs the reverse.
They are two type of notation of ND grading.
0.3, 0.6, 0.9ND: Putting a 0.3ND will lose 1 f-stop of lighting and 0.6ND will lose 2 f-stops of lighting.
ND2, ND4, ND8: You can think of it as a binary number like for example ND2 = 2¹ will lose 1 f-stop of lighting and ND4 = 2² .

Polarized filter (aka polariaer) is used to reduce the mount of reflected light into the camera sensor. By mounting polariaer on the len, it will make the skies appear dark blue, reduce glare or reflection from the water and reduce contrast between the land and the sky.

Depending on the direction of the camera, the polarising effect is the strongest when the camera is aimed in a direction that is perpendicular to the direction of the sun's incoming light. For example, if the sun is overhead, the polarizing effect will be effective in any direction.

It is to be note that polarizer will have an adverse effect on picture as they significantly reduce the amount of light reaching the camera's sensor by 2 -3 stops. This will risk of camera
handshake when camera is handheld. Avoid using polariser on a wide angle as it will contribute to the uneven distribution of polarizing effect especially when taking the sky.

There are two types of polarizer. They are circular and linear polarizer. The difference between the two of them is that circular polarizer is designed in a way that allows camera's metering and autofocus to function while linear polarizer cannot be used in camera with through-the-lens (TTL) metering and autofocus.

Warming or cooling filter is used to change white balance reaching the camera sensor. It can also be used to correct a colour cast. These filters are hardly in used since the colour adjustment can be made in the photoshop.

Filter should be used when necessary as they can affect the picture turns out. Since they introduce an additional piece of glass, they will pose problems like vignetting (e.g when the polarizer is mounted on top of a UV filter, the picture turns out will have black edges. This is caused by the path of light physical blocked by the filter). It is to be noted that filter comes in different size depending on the size of the len. They are usually come in a variety of sizes such as 52mm, 58mm, 62mm, 67mm, 72mm and 77mm. Before purchasing the filter, determine whether what filter you need to use and also purchase the correct size for your len.

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How to read a camera histogram

2009-05-18T22:45:00.000+08:00

Histogram is a very useful tool to determine how well your picture is taken. A histogram has two axes. The horizontal axis shows the range of tonal values from black tone to white tone. The vertical axis shows how high the pixel count at a given tonal value.

How to use a histogram to determine a proper exposed picture? As a simple rule, as long as the value of tonal range is spread around the centre of the histogram, you can say that the picture is properly exposed.

You should keep in mind of a high pixel count at both end of the histogram as this could indicate the picture has a lot of pure black or pure white. This could contribute to little details on the pictures as well as the picture may get overexposed or underexposed. You should change your metering if you encounter this problem.

You may want to ask if there is a prefect histogram. The answer is no as different people have different taste and different style of photography. For example taking picture with a snow will yield a histogram with tonal values more to the left while taking a silhouette shot will yield a histogram with tonal value at the extreme ends. It is much dependent on the choice or style you are pursuing to give room for creativity.

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Exposure compensation

2009-05-18T21:45:00.000+08:00

In some situations, you might find that the picture comes out is either underexposed or overexposed. There is a feature in your camera setting that allows to compensate the amount of exposure. This feature known as exposure compensation which look like this [+/-] or this in the camera. You can use exposure compensation in manual mode in point and shoot camera or aperture priority, shutter priority and program mode in DSLR.

Exposure compensation in point and shoot camera have a range of +/- 2 f-stops. For advanced camera such as DSLR, it may have more than +/- 2 f-stops (in the case of Nikon D3, +/- 5 stops). It comes in handy in few ways:

1. Changing the setting - You don't have the time to adjust your shutter speed and aperture to properly expose the picture or some entry level cameras (referring to point and shoot cameras) do not have the capability to allow user to set their shutter speed and aperture but have exposure compensation to allow users to adjust setting. Don't get confused with changing shutter speed or aperture to expose a picture as you need to set both of them to get a properly exposed picture which is time consuming. Changing either the shutter speed or aperture will give you a properly exposed picture as the camera will select the best setting which it thinks will expose the picture well. Alternatively you can change the ISO setting but the result will be grainy picture if you set ISO value too high.

2. To overcome camera's intelligence - Camera depends on the type of metering used (which will be explained in this website) sometimes may not give you an accurate reading. In fact, when you half pressed the shutter button, the camera is telling you it is shooting at this setting to get a properly exposed picture which may not be true for certain lighting conditions. This will result in over or under exposed pictures. As such exposure compensation provides a way to allow users to manually adjust setting.

It is important to know what sort of lighting condition to deal with and here are some few examples of how exposure compensation is to be used:

1. Sometimes when you take a subject with a bright background, the subject will be underexposed. As such to light up the subject, increase exposure compensation will be able to brighten the subject.
2. Any white object or background such as snow will underexpose picture. Increase the exposure compensation will help to get a properly exposed picture.
3. Exposure compensation is also useful for those people that photograph objects in a light tent. A light tent is a square box that has numerous colored backgrounds so photographers can capture products and objects with one background color. For example, if a white background is used and you don't change the exposure compensation, the background may appear off white.

In short, exposure compensation provides user another way to get a good picture. It saves you the trouble from setting both shutter speed and aperture which is not feasible as every moment is precious. You need to be quick to capture the picture if not you will miss it.

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What is ISO in digital photography?

2009-05-14T16:16:00.000+08:00

An ISO in digital photography refers to the sensitivity of the image sensor. A high ISO means the image sensor is very sensitive to light thus enabling you to freeze a moving object while a low ISO enables you to capture a blurring object due to low sensitivity of the image sensor. A high ISO also contributes to the graininess of the image as shown on the image below.

Not necessarily graininess in the photo means a bad image quality as graininess achieved by high ISO can used to create an effect on the image. Depending on what you want to vary your ISO, you should consider the following question:

1. Is the object moving?
2. Is the place poorly lit?
3. Am I going to achieve a graininess effect on my image?

If the object is moving and you don't have enough shutter speed to freeze the object, it is best to increase ISO to gain more shutter speed. Likewise, if you wan to blur the object, a lower ISO is feasible.

Under a poorly lit environment, it is very hard to take a picture without risking camera shake. As such it will be good to increase ISO. If you have a tripod or any other objects that can stabilize the camera, then you can mount your camera on top of the tripod or place on the object without achieving graininess in the picture.

If you want to have graininess in your image, you can set to high ISO to achieve the effect that you want.

In short, whether you want to vary your ISO depend very much on what you want to achieve and the following questions mentioned above served as guidelines to help you.

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What is shutter speed in digital photography?

2009-05-14T15:09:00.000+08:00

Shutter speed is the amount of time that a shutter is opened. Shutter speed is measured in term of second. Example of shutter speed value are 1/30, 1/15, 1/8, 1/4, 1", 2.5", etc. For shutter speed that involved a fraction, a higher denominator indicates a high shutter speed and vice versa. For a shutter speed that involved a whole number, it means a slow shutter speed. For example, 1" means 1 seconds.

Most point and shoot cameras have electronic shutter instead of the mechanical one found on the DSLR. Electronic shutters act in a similar way by switching on the light sensitive photo diodes of the sensor for as long as is required by the shutter speed. A disadvantage of using electronic shutter is that it will have a shutter lag. To combat shutter lag, it is good to pre-focus a certain object by half pressing the shutter button and when you are about to take the picture, depress fully to take the shot.

To start off with how shutter speed is used in photography, take note of the following points:

A shutter speed of 1/30 will probably be enough in most cases: This is because anything lower than that amount will result in camera shake. This will lead to image blur which is not desirable. If you found that the shutter speed is lower than that amount, you can try increasing the ISO value so that you can increase the shutter speed. Some cameras come with a built in image stabiliser to combat handshake. They are especially useful when you are taking an object in dim light environment. Alternatively, you can use a tripod to prevent camera shake.

A moving object: You can choose either to set a high shutter speed to freeze an object or choose a slower shutter speed to create a deliberate blur to the image. Whether you want to freeze an object or blurring the object will very much depend on the choisce of shutter speed used.

Choosing the right shutter speed for long focal length: A good rule to remember when dealing with focal length and shutter speed is to choose a shutter speed at 1/focal length. This is because at high focal length, camera shake is inevitable so a high shutter speed is neccessart to combat handshake. Thus, if you are shooting at 200mm, a suitable shutter speed will be more than 1/200 to ensure the image is blur-free.

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What is aperture in digital photography?

2009-05-14T13:50:00.000+08:00

Aperture can explain as the size of the opening of the lense. It can be thought as an "iris" of the size that control the amount of light through adjusting the size of the hole. The larger the size of the opening, more light can be captured by the sensor and vice versa.

Aperture is measured in f-stop. Some examples are f/2, f/4, f/5.6, etc. Adjusting the f-stop by 1 means doubling or halving the amount of light entered into the camera. To compensate it, the shutter speed will also change as well either by doubling or halving. There will not be an overall change in the amount of light entered as either the aperture or shutter speed changes as they will be compensated at the end. Below is an example of how the aperture and shutter speed will change. All pictures are taken at ISO 200.

f/2, 1/320

f/2.8, 1/160

f/4, 1/80

f/5.6, 1/40

f/8, 1/20

Notice as you change the aperture the sharpness will increase. This is also an important factor when you want to get a sharp picture. But an increase in aperture will also decrease the shutter speed. This means that taking at a low shutter speed will risk of image blurring.

Aperture also links to depth of field. Depth of field (DOF) means how much of an object is in focus. From the example above, as you increase the aperture, you can see the amount of object in focus increases which contributes the sharpness of the image. Depth of field is useful when you wan to isolate an object away from the background. This will make an object stands out.

Another point to take note is the relationship between the size and the f/stop which many people are confused. It is common for people to assume that a large aperture means a large opening of the lense which is wrong. The reverse is also true but the truth is a large aperture value means a small opening of the lense. Likewise for a small aperture value means a large opening of the lense.

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Exposure in digital photography

2009-05-14T13:49:00.000+08:00

Exposure can be explained as the amount of light permitted to enter and capture by the camera sensor or film. There are three factors that affect exposure. They are aperture, shutter speed and ISO which will be explained later.

Getting the right amount of exposure is not simple as it requires you to gauge the amount of light in order to properly expose a picture. As such the three factors that I mentioned earlier plays an important role in getting the exposure right. These three factors are inter-related such that adjusting the values of one affects the other two. Thus to properly expose a picture, you can play around with aperture, shutter speed and ISO.

Let me briefly explain what the three factors are as they will be covered in detail in later part:
Aperture: It refers to the size of the opening of the lense.
Shutter Speed: It refers to how long the shutter can be kept opened.
ISO: It refers to the sensitivity of the image sensor.

The good thing about digital camera is that you can gain experience in mastering exposure at little cost as the image produced are stored in memory card unlike film. Thus you can experimenting exposure by altering the ISO, aperture and shutter speed and see how the image turns out. Some cameras feature a manual mode (e.g shutter speed priority, aperture priority) whereby you can change the shutter speed and aperture to suit the lighting condition of the environment.

It is to be take note that mastering exposure can be achieved by constant practicing and learning how to adjust the right exposure to the right environment.

You may want to learn a rule on exposure compensation. This rule known as the Sunny 16 rule which is used as a guidelines on how to obtain a properly exposed picture.

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