Basic Camera Functions
Mode Dial on your camera. Most cameras have the same Mode Dial.
C2 and C1 mode is for registering and saving the setting you most use
when taking pictures. You most likely will not use this unless you are
shooting in the same light every time.
A-DEP: This mode sets the depth-of-field automatically.
M: This is Manual Mode. You may set the shutter speed and aperture
as desired.
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AV: Aperture-Priority Mode, you set the desired aperture and the
camera sets the shutter speed automatically to obtain the correct
exposure for the subject brightness.
TV: Shutter-Priority Mode, you set the desired shutter speed and the
camera sets the aperture automatically to obtain the correct exposure
matching the brightness of the subject.
P: Program AE, The Camera will automatically set the shutter speed
and aperture to suit the subject’s brightness. P stands for Program,
AE stands for Auto Exposure
CA: Creative Auto mode enables you to easily change the picture’s
brightness, etc.
The next one is Fully Automatic Shooting. Which means the camera
will set shutter speed, aperture and ISO.
Next is Portrait Mode (looks like a human head with bad hair) this
mode will blur the background to make the human subject stand out.
It also makes flesh tones and the hair look softer than with the full
auto mode.
Landscape Mode (looks like a mountain) this is for shooting wide
scenery, night scenes, or to have everything in focus from near to far.
The greens and blues also become more vivid and sharper then the
full auto mode.
The Flower Symbol is for shooting close-ups. This is for
photographing flowers or small things up close.
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The Man Running Symbol is for shooting moving subjects.
The Person with a Star Symbol is for shooting someone at night and to
obtain a natural-looking exposure in the background. Night Portraits
The Lightning bolt with a line through it is for disabling the flash.
Let’s start with P program on your camera. This function will set your
camera to auto control. Meaning the camera will adjust for lighting
and set your aperture and shutter speed (We will discuss aperture and
shutter speed later). When shooting on auto you need to know that
the camera will read by light. If the light behind your subject is very
bright, the subject will most likely be darker then you had desired. If
the light is facing your subject then your subject will be well lite but
the light behind might be to dark. There is a way to adjust this by
shooting in manual mode.
Before we start shooting in manual mode let’s discuss aperture and
shutter speed. Aperture is the amount of light that is let into the
camera to make images. The shutter speed is how fast the light is let
into the camera.
Aperture
The wider the aperture opening the more field of focus you will
receive on the image. The smaller the aperture will make the subject
sharp and the surrounding areas in the image blurry. This is called
shallow depth of field. Here are some examples.
Anything below 8.0 will be more out of focus around the subject.
Anything over 8.0 will be more in focus.
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An aperture of 3.0 is very shallow depth of field meaning blurred
around the subject you have focused on.
This is my Friend Woodrow Greenleaf. You can friend him on
facebook at woodrow.greenleaf@facebook.com
Notice how the cactus is out of focus. (Shallow Depth of Field)
Shallow DOF at F/2.8 gives you a blurry background with only one
object being in focus within the image, usually the image closer to the
lens.
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Notice how the cactus is in focus (Full Depth of Field)
Full DOF is a F/8 to F/22 will give you a full clear picture. Remember if
your F-stop goes up your AP needs to go down. Example F/11 at 160
then F/9 at 200. This depends on the scene and the image you are
trying to get.
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Shutter Speed
The slower the shutter speed the less motion you can have your
subject moving. With a faster shutter speed the more you can freeze
time/motion. Take running water for instance. If you use a shutter
speed of 60 the water will look as if it was in motion or blurred. If you
are shooting with a high shutter speed of 500 you can still the running
water. Here are some examples.
This is a shutter speed of 640. See how the water is frozen in motion.
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This is a shutter speed of 60. Notice how the water represents
motion.
Something to remember: Anything below a shutter speed of 60 you
will need to have your camera on a tripod to avoid camera shake
which would make the photo blurry.
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The aperture and shutter speed work together to make the perfect
photo. When shooting on manual you will be able to adjust these
accordingly. When looking through the camera you will see a graft
and a red line. If the red line is in the middle this means functions are
as if you are using auto camera mode. You can adjust the aperture
and this will move the red line to show you how much you will need
to adjust the shutter. The same if you adjust the shutter first. You
will have to adjust the aperture accordingly.
When adjusting the manual settings you can go a few lines from the
middle to the left or right. This is called bracketing. It is good to
shoot the same shot several times. Once with the red line in the
middle. Then once to the left and right of the middle. The reason for
doing this is to make sure the image is well light giving you options to
choose from.
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ISO (Set before setting your aperture and shutter speed TV)
The ISO (Photography ISO measures the sensitivity of the image
sensor. The lower the number, the less sensitive your camera is to
light and the finer the grain. Higher ISO settings are generally used in
darker situations to get faster shutter speeds (for example an indoor
sports event when you want to freeze the action in lower light) –
however the cost is noisier shots. Example, the one on the left is
taken at 100 ISO and the one of the right at 3200 ISO.
A lower ISO is better for well lite situations such as full sunlight. A
higher ISO is better with low light situations like night photography.
Full sun 100 -400 ISO
Cloud Cover 400-800 ISO
Dust/Sunset 800-1200 ISO
Night Photography 1200-3200 ISO
1200 - 6400 ISO is also used not only for night photography but for
indoor or night sporting events.
The higher an ISO the more grain the digital image will have, more like
the old film prints.
BULB is for capturing light streaks in full darkness. This is a manual
function where you hold the shutter open and then release after you
feel you have captured the light.
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Bulb function is also for painting with light with LED pin lights
Outdoor Flash You can use flash out doors in full sunlight to get rid of
shadows around the eyes of your subject or to make a flower have an
extra pop.
Without Flash
With Flash
Photography and Your Business
As you know there are several professional photographers that can
come out to your business and take beautiful photographs for
advertising. Of course at a cost. First if you do use a professional
photographer for your business make sure you get several quotes,
references and look at their portfolio. You will want to discuss your
needs and desires with your photographer. Make sure they
understand what you are wanting before the shoot. This is to build a
repor with your photographer before the shoot. Explain that you
trust them and their eye, but you would like to make a few
suggestions if they do not mind. This makes the photographer feel
confident that He/She will have control of the shoot and show their
artistic side. You will also have an opinion in the outcome of your
products.
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Next and very important, make sure to let the photographer know
you will want the images in High Resolution and a copyright release
for personal use. High Resolution images are good for large print,
sometimes even billboard size. (You never know how large your
business will grow and someday you may want yourself or your
product on a build board.) Also ask the photographer how long the
turnaround is for receiving the images and if you can have a contract
stating all the information we have discussed thus far.
Some small business just starting out cannot afford to pay a large
amount for a professional photographer. So I am going to show you
some ways to photograph yourself, business, building, and products.
First let’s say you would like to take a photo of your place of business.
When shooting outdoor photos of a large building you will want to do
so on a cloudy day. Clouds act as a large diffuser of light. Giving
everything an even glow, without harsh shadows. One other thing
when shooting buildings, Try and get far enough away so that the
building doesn’t look like it is leaning. Proper perspective of capturing
a buildings can be done with Photoshop and/or a tilt and shift lens.
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Notice how I could not get far away to make the house not look
distorted.
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This was taken on a sunny day. Notice how there are shadows and
dark areas.
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This is the perfect example. This was taken on a cloudy day and I was
able to get far away in order to make the lines of the building straight.
Next you may want photos of your products for web or marketing.
Remember to set you camera to the highest resolution. Even for web
the higher resolution the better.
When photographing your products. I suggest you do so outside in
natural light, preferably on a cloudy day. This will show detail in your
products and give them great color saturation. Remember that in
photography sunlight can be a friend or an enemy. If you are shooting
on a sunny day, do so early morning or late afternoon so that the sun
is not directly overhead. You can even use a piece of foam board to
hold over your subject to defuse the light.
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We could discuss this all day, but instead I have planned some fun
exercises. So let’s get started.
Please contact me by email with questions at Bobby-c@att.net
www.BobbyCornelius.ws
214-596-8081
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Exercises
Set your cameras to manual (M)
Set your cameras to ISO 3200
Set your Shutter speed to BULB
Now that the lights are off I will turn on and off this flash light. Hold
down the shutter release button on your camera until the flash light
goes off. Look at the photo you have now taken. When using this
function (Bulb) you will want to have your camera on a tripod and use
a shutter release cord. This will help with camera shake.
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Outside Exercise
Let’s practice Depth of Field this is good when wanting your products
to stand out in the photo.
Set your cameras to Av then the 4.0
(AV will set your shutter speed automatically to correspond with your
aperture setting.)
Focus your camera on your subject and take the photo. Notice how
everything around your subject is out of focus. The client will be
focused on your product and not be distracted by the surroundings.
Now let’s practice with lighting and outdoor Flash.
Set your cameras to auto or P. This will give your camera full control
of the settings. Place your subject in the shadow area and take the
photo. See the detail in the product?
Now open your flash and take the photo. Notice any shadows or how
the subject is well lite or even washed out.
Now for motion This is a fun way to make your product look like it
has a personality and is in motion to be perfect for the client. Set
your cameras to TV mode then shutter speed 250. The aperture will
set itself to correspond with the shutter speed. Now as I throw the
ball you snap the photo. Notice how the ball seems to be floating in
air?
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Last let’s take a picture of the building. Set your cameras on auto or
P. Point and shoot the building. Notice how the shadows are to dark
and do not show how great the building looks. This is why we shoot
in low light or cloudy days.
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