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instalment in my Basic Photography Tips series. By the end of the article, you should understand how to work a camera manually, and how each fundamental control will affect the photograph. If you want to be truly creative with your camera, take the time to carefully read this article!
RULE #1: Don't be afraid of your camera! No button or dial will make it break down, blow up, or call you mean names. It will just do what you tell it. At worst, you'll waste some film. At best, you'll create an amazing piece of art that will change people's lives for generations.
There are three essential technical things that will affect the look and feel of your photographs:
1. Aperture:
A hole that light passes through on its way through the lens. The photographer can control the size of this hole.
2. Shutter Speed:
The amount of time that the film is exposed to the light that comes through the lens. The photographer can control this time.
3. Focus:
The distance at which the lens makes the subject appear sharp and clear. The photographer can control this distance.
Most of the buttons and dials on your camera are designed to control just these three things. Most modern cameras can control these things automatically or semi-automatically, which can be much faster than doing it all yourself. However, since your camera can't tell what you want the photograph to look like, it's a good idea to learn how to control the camera manually. This lets you be more creative. Top
These numbers are used to measure the size of the aperture. The photographer can change the aperture, either with a ring on the lens or with a control on the camera body.
(bigger hole) 1... 1.4... 2... 2.8... 4... 5.6... 8... 11... 16... 22... 32... 45 (smaller hole)
These numbers are called "f-stops", and are usually written with an "f" in front. Small numbers mean big aperture openings, and big numbers mean small openings. (For instance, f2.8 is bigger than f16.) Each number in the series is considered to be 1 "stop" different than the last, allowing half as much light into the camera.
Not all lenses can "close down" to all the aperture openings. For instance, apertures f1 - f2 are uncommon and are usually only found in very expensive lenses. Apertures f32 - f45 are usually found only in "telephoto" (high magnification) lenses.
Aperture Fact #1:
The smaller you make the aperture, (bigger numbers) the less light can come through the lens. Apertures f22 - f45 are very small, letting only the smallest amount of light into the camera. You may have to balance a small aperture setting with a slower shutter speed to let the film get the right amount of light, and vice versa. (More on this later.)
Aperture Fact #2:
Regardless of where you focus the lens, more of the photograph will appear to be sharp and clear (in focus) if you use a smaller aperture. To illustrate this point, make a small pinhole in a piece of stiff paper, and look through it, focusing your eye on something far away and holding your finger out in front of you. Keep your eye focused in the same place, and take the paper away. Notice how much blurrier your finger looks without looking through the pinhole! This is why you can control the size of the aperture opening - you can choose to have the whole picture sharp and clear, or you can choose to make most of it blurry and have only your subject recognizable.
ARTISTIC NOTE: Experiment with different aperture settings for the same situation. There is no "correct" setting for any given scenario - it all depends on how you want the photograph to look. Try closing the aperture all the way down for one picture, then try opening it all the way up for the next. When you're looking at the photographs later, notice the difference. Try all the settings for a variety of different photographs, and think about what you like better. Control over the effects of aperture settings can help you lend a whole new look to your photography! Top
These numbers are used to measure the time that the shutter (a tiny metal curtain in the camera body) is open, allowing the film to be exposed to the light coming through the lens. The photographer can change the shutter speed, usually with a control on the camera body.
(slower) 30... 15... 8... 4... 2... 1... 1/2... 1/4... 1/8... 1/15... 1/30... 1/60... 1/125... 1/250... 1/500... 1/1000... 1/2000... 1/4000... 1/8000 (faster)
These numbers are given in seconds, or fractions of seconds. The bigger the number, the slower the shutter speed. For example 1/4s is slower than 1/2000s. 30s is a very slow shutter speed, and 1/8000s is extremely fast! Each number in the series is considered to be 1 "stop" different than the last, allowing half as much light to the film.
Not all cameras have all these shutter speeds. Only expensive camera bodies have shutter speeds from 1/4000s - 1/8000s. Newer, computerized cameras will often have shutter speeds from 30s - 1/2000s. Older manual cameras range more from 1s - 1/1000s.
It is usually possible to hold the shutter open longer than the maximum shutter speed on the camera. This can be useful when photographing in very dark situations, or with very small apertures. Photographs taken at night sometimes use shutter speeds as long as 8 hours!
Shutter Speed Fact #1:
Fast shutter speeds let very little light access the film. Shutter speeds 1/500s - 1/8000s are very fast, only allowing light through for an extremely short period of time. You may have to balance a fast shutter speed with a wide aperture opening to let the film get the right amount of light, and vice versa. (More on this later.)
Shutter Speed Fact #2:
Fast shutter speeds "freeze" action, while slow shutter speeds show action as a blur. For example, if you were to photograph a person riding a bicycle with a shutter speed of 1/500s, the bicycle in the photograph would appear motionless - you would see every spoke. If you took the same photograph with a shutter speed of 1/15s, the bicycle and person would appear as a streak across the photograph. 1/8000s is a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the motion of an airplane prop! 2s (with the camera held steady on a tripod) is long enough to make choppy flowing water look smooth and silky.
ARTISTIC NOTE: As with aperture settings, different shutter speeds can make the same scene look very different in a photograph! Subject movement and even camera movement can produce pleasing blurs when a slow shutter speed is used. A fast shutter speed, on the other hand, can render a very fast-moving object completely motionless. Experiment with different shutter speeds and find out what you prefer for a variety of situations, especially those involving movement. Try using a tripod when you're using slow speeds and want to keep the camera steady. There is no "wrong" setting for any situation! Top
When you take a photograph with your camera, two things happen: the aperture closes down to the size you set it to, and the shutter opens for exactly as long as you set it to open. All in the blink of an eye! Both the aperture and shutter speed limit the light that comes into the camera. The combination of the two is what is called an "exposure", that is, exposing the film to just the right amount of light to make the photograph appear not too light and not too dark.
Most cameras have a built-in light measuring system, called a "light meter", designed to suggest appropriate exposures based on the brightness of the subject you are photographing. You will be able to tell by reading your light meter (while your camera is directed at your subject) whether the photograph you are about to make will be too bright, too dark, or just right. You can then make adjustments to either the aperture or shutter speed as you see fit.
It is possible to obtain the same exposure by using different shutter speed and aperture combinations. If you want the same exposure result with different settings, you must make the shutter speed faster or slower by the same number of stops you widen or narrow the aperture by. (And vice versa.) Remember that the look and feel of the photograph will change when you alter these settings!
The following combinations (among others) will all yield the same exposure when used to photograph the same scene: [1/125s at f8... 1/60s at f11... 1/30s at f16... 1/15s at f22]. So will these next combinations - you are limited only by the range of your camera and lens: [4s at f32... 2s at f22... 1s at f16... 1/30s at f2.8].
Exposure Fact #1:
Your camera's light meter will change its suggested exposure based on the "speed" (sensitivity to light) of the film you are using. Film speeds, measured in ISO, are commonly 25, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, or 1600. Like aperture openings and shutter speeds, each higher film speed is one "stop" faster than the last, and requires half as much light to obtain the same exposure. So, if your camera's light meter read "1/60s at f8" with ISO 50 film, you could change your shutter speed to 1/125s with ISO 100. (And 1/250s with ISO 200, 1/500s with ISO 400, etc.)
Exposure Fact #2:
Your camera's light meter will suggest an exposure to render your photograph "18% gray", that is, the optimum exposure for colours to look their brightest and for the most detail to be seen. If, however, you want the photograph to look brighter or darker, you must change either the shutter speed or aperture accordingly. For example, if you were taking a photograph of a white picket fence that you wanted to look white in the photograph, (instead of 18% gray) you would have to overexpose (brighten) the photograph. You can do this either by slowing down the shutter speed or opening up the aperture, probably by about 1 "stop." For example, if your meter read "1/250s at f8", you could either expose at "1/125s at f8" or "1/250s at f5.6." Try taking several photographs and seeing which you like best!
ARTISTIC NOTE: "Correct" exposure is not determined scientifically. The look and feel of a photograph can change dramatically based on how it is exposed. Only your personal preferences and artistic talents can tell you whether a photograph might look better lighter, darker, or somewhere in the middle. All three might look great! Experiment with different exposures for each composition. Don't let anyone tell you that your photograph is "overexposed" (too light) or "underexposed" (too dark) if you are happy with how it looks. Top
This is the easy part! There's not much complicated about focusing, though it is important to do it carefully. The focusing ability of lenses varies, but most can focus from around 0.45m to infinity. The focusing ability of a lens varies with its magnification power.
You will be able to tell when the lens is focused at a particular distance, as everything at that distance will appear sharp and clear in your camera's viewfinder. You can even tell how far away objects are by checking the distance scale on the lens after focusing!
ARTISTIC NOTE: Though it is easier and faster to use the autofocus systems found in many modern cameras, practice focusing manually as well. Some situations can fool autofocus systems - low light, off-centre subjects, or low-contrast subjects can make the autofocus system "search" for focus. Also, the camera can't tell what part of the photograph is most important to you! Try focusing creatively. Some colours and patterns can look quite interesting when they are photographed out-of-focus. Changing only the focus can sometimes create many completely different looking photographs! Experiment, and find out what you like. Don't let anyone tell you your photograph is out of focus if you are happy with how it looks. Top
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