Digital Camera World » camera tips

Photography composition tips: 3 killer ways you can master perspective

jmeyer — Wed, 15 May 2013 23:01:28 +0000

Learn how to take control of perspective in your photo composition. In this tutorial we offer our best photography composition tips through your choice of lens to shooting position so you can start making perspective work for you.

For artists and draftsmen learning how to create a sense of perspective is one of the first disciplines to master. In a nutshell it’s the art of rendering the three-dimensional world that we see around us onto the two-dimensional surface of paper or canvas.

Of course, this is also what we do when we take photographs, but because the camera essentially does the work for us it tends to get overlooked.

However, being aware of some the basic principles will help you understand how the elements of your composition work. Knowing how lines draw the eye in and can be used to create a sense of distance can make you a better photographer.

While it’s tricky to manipulate perspective ‘in-camera’ in the way a draftsman might play with it using pen and paper, there are aspects that you can control through your choice of lens, angle-of-view and your distance from your subject.

You can choose whether buildings appear plumb-straight or ‘keystoned’ in your shots, and decide how much of the background to include in photographs of people and objects. You can even play with perspective to create entertaining optical illusions.

So let’s see how you can use perspective to take control of your picture taking…

PAGE 1: What perspective means to photography
PAGE 2: Photography composition tips – Linear perspective
PAGE 3: Photography composition tips – Background
PAGE 4: Photography composition tips – Perspective of scale

10 reasons why your photos aren’t sharp (and how to fix them)

anicholson — Tue, 14 May 2013 23:01:40 +0000

Getting sharp photos is one of the fundamental goals in photography. If your images aren’t as sharp as you’d like, take a look at our ten-point guide to work out where you’re going wrong and how to get it right next time.

Reason No. 1. Your Photos Aren’t Sharp: Shutter speed too low

In the days of film photography there was a general rule that in order to get sharp images from a hand-held camera the shutter speed needed to be at least one second divided by the focal length of the lens.

So if you were shooting with a 100mm optic the shutter speed needed to be at least 1/100sec, which because of the way shutter speed is set usually translates to a setting of 1/125sec or faster.

This rule still holds today, but it is somewhat complicated by the focal length magnification factors of sub-full-frame sensors and image stabilisation systems.

For example, if a 100mm lens is mounted on a Nikon APS-C format SLR like the D5200, which has a focal length magnification factor of 1.5x, the photographer would need to set a shutter speed of at least 1/150sec.

Canon APS-C format DSLRs like the EOS 650D have a 1.6x focal length magnification factor, so the shutter speed would need to be at least 1/160sec.

The image stabilisation systems built into some lenses and cameras have a mechanism to compensate for accidental camera movement and this allows slow shutter speeds to be used when the camera is handheld.

Many lenses now claim a 4EV compensation, which means that the shutter speed can be reduced by 16x. That’s the difference between 1/125sec and /18sec.

Even with image stabilisation some people are better at handholding a camera steady than others. The amount of coffee and alcohol that you’ve drunk can make a difference as well.

Slow shutter speed vs fast: how to maintain a consistent exposure

jmeyer — Fri, 10 May 2013 11:00:18 +0000

How do you choose between a slow shutter speed vs fast shutter speed? In our latest photography cheat sheet we break down all the numbers…

As the name suggests, shutter speed sets how quickly – or slowly – the shutter curtains open and close in front of the camera’s sensor. In order to make an exposure, the camera’s sensor needs to be exposed to light.

The size of the aperture (the hole in the lens) determines how much light is let into the camera, while shutter speed dictates how long the sensor is exposed to this light.

The shutter speed can be seen in the bottom of the camera viewfinder and on the LCD screens.

Fast shutter speeds have high numbers, such as 8000, which represent fractions of a second – so 500 means 1/500sec. Lower numbers indicate slower shutter speeds, such as 1.6 ̋ for 1.6 seconds.

To maintain a consistent level of exposure, the shutter speed needs to be balanced with the aperture, and as one is increased, the other needs to decrease.

For instance, smaller apertures (which let less light into the camera) require slower shutter speeds (to expose the sensor for longer).

Wide apertures (more light) need faster shutter speeds (less time) to produce the same exposure.

The camera will do this juggling for you when you’re shooting in one of its automatic or semi-automatic shooting modes, but you need to adjust it yourself in Manual mode.

Just bear in mind that the choice of shutter speed is limited by the maximum aperture of the lens.

In our latest photography cheat sheet we explain the difference between fast vs slow shutter speeds… and what all those numbers mean.

Click on the infographic to see the larger version, or drag and drop the cheat sheet to your desktop.

Photography Lighting: how to master shooting in low light

jmeyer — Sun, 05 May 2013 23:01:29 +0000

In the latest instalment of our Shoot Like A Pro series on photography lighting we take a look at the best settings and methods to use when shooting in low light.

From dimly lit interiors to shooting outdoors before sunrise or after sunset, shooting in low light presents very different challenges to shooting in bright conditions.

It’s often difficult to get the right exposure using the automatic modes in dark conditions, so you’ll need to master Manual mode.

These conditions can also make things like focusing and white balance more challenging, but it’s worth overcoming them, because shooting in low light can result in stunning images.

Exposing in low light

Shooting in darker conditions can play havoc with your camera’s exposure settings, especially if you’re using any of the automatic exposure modes, because the subject will rarely contain a normal range of tones.

In most low-light situations you will get much better, and more predictable, results by switching to Manual.

If the subject contains mainly dark tones you’ll find that your camera will over-expose your shots. This is easily visible, as there will be too much detail in the shadow areas.

The best way to assess the exposure is to take a test shot, and then check the histogram graph. If there’s a gap to the left, the image is over-exposed so you need to use a faster shutter speed, smaller aperture or lower ISO.

When it comes to choosing the exposure settings for shooting in low light you have some decisions to make.

Firstly, do you need to use a fast shutter speed to freeze movement or prevent camera shake if you are handholding the camera, or are you happy to put the camera on a tripod and use long shutter speeds?

To use a fast shutter speed in low light you’ll have to use a high ISO setting, such as 800 or above. But when using a tripod you should set a lower ISO such as 200 or lower for the best quality.

PAGE 1: Exposing in low light
PAGE 2: Shooting in twilight vs complete darkness
PAGE 3: How to shoot handheld in low light

Using shutter speed: take control of your shutter for cool, creative effects

jmeyer — Fri, 03 May 2013 10:00:37 +0000

In our latest photography cheat sheet we look at some of the different ways of using shutter speed to produce different digital camera effects.

With all the focus (no pun intended) these days on creative controls like aperture and depth of field, it seems like no one ever thinks about shutter speed anymore. But as we all know, shutter speed is an important tool in any photographer’s repertoire.

Once you learn how to take control of your shutter speed you’ll open yourself to a host of creative photography ideas.

To help you learn how to master your digital camera’s shutter speed our latest photography cheat sheet takes you through the basic of how to change your shutter speed settings and how each affects the look of our pictures.

We also show you how to identify the best shutter speeds to use for different shooting situations and decide the moments when it is better to go with a fast shutter speed vs a slow shutter speed.

To view the larger version of this photography cheat sheet, click on the infographic to expand the file, or drag and drop it to your desktop.

Night photography ideas: light painting your subject over ultra-long exposures

jmeyer — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:00:18 +0000

If you’re looking for new night photography ideas to boost your creative output after dark, painting with light is the perfect technique, which can be used with just about any subject. In this quick tutorial we’ll show you how light painting your subject while shooting in your camera’s Bulb mode can help you create a range of different moods in your images.

Light painting involves using a light source such as a torch or a flashgun to illuminate your subject.

By leaving the shutter open for a long period of time you can shine the light onto parts of the subject, so that you create pools of light.

This gives your night shots a unique and slightly surreal appearance. By moving the lights during the exposure you can control the brightness of specific areas of the subject, and even use different light sources or coloured gels to achieve different ‘moods’.

Judging the exposure is one of the most difficult aspects of light painting, so remember to time how long you paint each area of the subject. Also, try to make sure that you light the subject from the same distance each time. Get more advice below…

Night photography ideas for creative photographers: how to set up for light painting

Frame your shot
Composing your photos in the dark can be tricky, so set your camera to the highest ISO light sensitivity setting. You do this via a dedicated button or menu entry, so check your manual. Then switch to Live View mode to give a visible image on the screen. With the camera on a tripod, use this Live View image to compose your shot.

Set up the camera
Now set the camera to manual focus, making sure MF is selected on the side of the lens if appropriate, and carefully focus on the subject that you are going to illuminate with the light. Remember to change the ISO light sensitivity down to ISO 200, and in Manual exposure mode set the shutter speed to ‘B’ (Bulb exposure) and the aperture to f/11.

Light your subject
Using a remote release, lock the shutter open and start painting the light onto the subject. Just like any other form of lighting, a directional side-light will reveal much more detail than lighting from the camera position. Just remember not to wander into the frame, or it will render the whole exercise pointless!

Check the result
Because of the nature of painting the subject with light it’s very difficult to judge the exposure and direction of the lighting. You’ll need to check the results on the LCD screen on the rear of your camera. Don’t forget, if the subject is under-exposed you need to light the subject for a longer time or move the light a little closer.

Extension tubes: how to shoot extreme close-ups without spending a fortune

jmeyer — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 23:01:51 +0000

Discover how to use extension tubes to shoot great close-up and macro photography without all the hefty costs.

If the warmer spring weather has got you itching to shoot macro photography but you don’t fancy forking out for a dedicated macro lens, using extension tubes may be the answer.

These hollow tubes fit between your existing lens and camera to enable it to focus much closer than before. And even if you get a macro lens later, you can still use the tubes. Combine them with macro lenses and you’ll get greater than life-size reproduction of tiny subjects.

Most independent manufacturers of extension tubes supply them as a set of three, each of a different size, but original camera manufacturers tend to sell them individually.

There are two main types of extension tube; those with the electronic connections to work fully automatically, and those without.

The latter are slower, because you have to set the exposure and focus manually, and only offer limited metering on most SLRs. But for less than £20 they offer a cheap route into macro photography.

Fully automatic tubes are much more convenient because they enable features such as metering and autofocus. They start at around £90, though.

How to use extension tubes

Attach the extension tube
The tube fits between the lens and camera, so you need to remove the lens. Attach the tube to the rear of the lens, then fit this combination onto the camera. The more tubes you attach, the closer you’ll focus.

Adjust your settings
Some tubes work automatically, but set the lens to manual focus – the camera will struggle to focus accurately at such close distances. Also, shoot in aperture priority mode for control over the depth of field.

Position the camera
With the camera set up, you can position it close to the subject. While you can handhold the camera in bright conditions, it’s good practice to use a tripod, to avoid shake and to enable you to frame and focus your shot more accurately.

Fine-tune the focus
Accurate focusing is critical with extension tubes. With the camera in position, fine-tune the focus by using the focus ring on the lens. Because the focusing range is reduced with the tube, you may need to move the camera backwards or forwards.

Movement photography: camera panning techniques to convey a sense of speed

crutter — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:02:41 +0000

Camera panning techniques look and sound complicated. In reality, though, anyone with a manual mode and the patience to practice can learn how to pan a camera. In this tutorial we’ll show you how you can use slower shutter speeds to add a greater sense of drama to your movement photography.

All images by Chris Rutter

Camera panning is a skill that takes practice to get right. Following fast-moving subjects accurately, and choosing the best shutter speed to balance getting the subject sharp and sufficiently blurring the background isn’t something that you pick up immediately in your movement photography. But it’s incredibly rewarding when everything comes together.

If you’re new to movement photography, start your experiments using camera panning with subjects that travel in a straight line, perpendicular to the direction you’re shooting in, such as racing cars moving along a straight part of the track.

In this situation you should set the camera to shutter priority mode, select a speed of 1/250 sec and make sure that the drive mode is on continuous shooting.

You should then manually focus the lens on the point where you’ll shoot your subjects. This will avoid problems with the autofocus changing the focus point during your pan.

Next, position yourself so that you’re facing the point you’ve focused on, and turn your body so that you can pick up the subject as early as possible as it travels towards you.

Swivel smoothly, keeping the subject in the same position in the frame, for as long as possible as it travels past you.

To get the smoothest pan you should try to swivel from your hips, rather than just your shoulders, and fire the camera in the middle of this movement.

Remember to continue panning well after you’ve finished shooting, because stopping too early can create a jerky movement, which will spoil your movement photography.

Once you’ve perfected this camera panning technique, and you can smoothly follow the action, you can start to reduce the shutter speed to give more blur and a greater impression of speed in your movement photography.

Start by dropping it to 1/125 sec and then 1/60 sec or even slower, but make sure that you’re keeping the main subject sharp.

With the basic panning action mastered, you can use this technique in more difficult situations such as when subjects are moving diagonally towards you, or on even more unpredictable subjects such as moving animals or footballers.

This random movement makes it trickier to get as much background blur, because you need to use a faster shutter speed than if you’re shooting something more predictable.

Unlike with subjects moving perpendicular to you, it’s also better to select predictive autofocus mode, because the distance between you and the target will vary..

PAGE 1: What is panning?
PAGE 2: 3 simple steps to panning like a pro
PAGE 3: How to choose the best shutter speed for movement photography
PAGE 4: Final tips for taking successful panning photos

10 camera settings you don’t use (and which you probably should)

jmeyer — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 10:00:19 +0000

Our friends at the photo management blog Photoventure came up with their list of the most overlooked DSLR settings and why they feel these options are worth a second look. They agreed to share them with Digital Camera World readers. Do you agree with their list? If you’ve got something to add, go join the conversation on their Facebook page!

It’s easy to fall into a pattern when you take pictures, favouring some subjects and overlooking others, and sticking to the camera settings you know rather than experimenting with those you don’t.

But here are 10 shooting options you should explore in order to get the most from your camera…

1. Manual mode 
Modern metering systems are so sophisticated you might imagine exposure is far too complicated to figure out manually. Not true!

In fact it’s remarkably easy to estimate the exposure for any conditions manually – and you get to see the result on the LCD straight away, so it only takes a moment to tweak the settings and try again.

Switching to Manual mode has two big advantages:
1. You base your exposures on what you can see looks right, rather than what the camera’s exposure metering system imagines you want.
2. You can use a constant exposure for a series of shots taken in the same light, without the camera making unnecessary adjustments.

2. Daylight white balance
 The camera’s auto white balance system tries to correct for different-coloured lighting to produce neutral-looking colours. Isn’t that what you want?

Not always! Sometimes it’s the colour of the light that ‘makes’ the picture, especially with landscapes, and the last thing you want is for the camera to try to ‘fix’ it.

Instead, switch your camera to the Daylight preset. This fixes the colour correction values to match regular daylight, so that any changes in the light colour are recorded faithfully, such as the cool blue light of dawn or the warm golden tones of early evening.

3. Spot metering
 Your camera’s Evaluative metering system does a good job of measuring the tones across the whole image and arriving at a good, compromise exposure.

Often, though, it’s just one area of the frame that’s important, and that’s where Spot metering mode comes into its own. It measures the light across a small area only and ignores the rest.

This is often the only way to get the correct exposure with tricky subjects like spotlit performers on a stage, but it can be equally effective with everyday shots where your subject is in a different light to its surroundings.

4. Monochrome Picture Style
 Picture Styles control the look of the picture saved by the camera, and almost all digital SLRs offer an equivalent.

If you’re planning on making black and white photos, the Monochrome Picture Style is especially valuable because it enables you to see how your pictures are looking as you shoot them, and how to compose them more effectively when you’re working with shapes, light and shade rather than colour.

Shoot in your camera’s RAW+JPEG mode, and you’ll have one colour image (RAW) you can work on later, and a black and white shot (JPEG) that you can share straight away. On EOS digital SLRs, you can even apply ‘contrast’ filter effects using red, yellow or orange filters.

5. Use the self-timer for tripod shots 
A tripod is great for keeping the camera still during long exposures, but that’s not much help if you jog it when you press the shutter button. The ideal solution is a remote release, but what if you don’t have one with you?

Simple – you just use the self-timer instead. 10 seconds, the usual self-timer delay, is rather a long time to wait, of course – but did you know you can change the delay to a shorter time, such as 2 seconds. That’s enough for any vibration to die down, but quick enough – hopefully – to catch your subject before it moves.

6. Program shift 
In program AE mode, the camera selects the shutter speed and lens aperture combination automatically. If you want to choose either setting yourself, you’re usually advised to switch to the Shutter Priority or Aperture Priority modes instead.

But there’s a quicker way – your camera’s program shift function. If you don’t like the shutter/aperture combination, you use this to shift it in favour of smaller apertures or higher speeds. On Canon EOS cameras, you do this by turning the main control dial on program AE mode – simple!

7. Auto ISO 
Auto ISO isn’t just for beginners. Normally you’d set the ISO manually to suit the conditions – low ISOs for best quality, for example, and high ISOs for hand-held shooting in poor light.

But this brings the risk of camera shake, if the ISO isn’t high enough, or excess noise if you’ve set it higher than it needs to be. This happens all too easily if you’re shooting in changing conditions and don’t have time to alter the settings.

This is where auto ISO comes into its own – the camera will use the lowest suitable ISO for the conditions and only increase it where necessary to avoid camera shake. You can usually set the maximum ISO you want the camera to use, if you’re concerned about quality.

8. AE lock button
 On most cameras you can half-press the shutter button to lock the exposure, so that you can re-frame the shot and take the picture without the exposure changing. However, this also locks the focus, which isn’t always desirable.

So use the AE lock button on the back of the camera instead. This locks the exposure only. You can release the shutter button as you reframe the shot, then press it again when you’re ready to take the picture. The camera will re-focus on your subject, but keep the exposure you ‘locked’ – perfect for spot metering.

9. Focus in Live View 
If you’re composing close-ups or still-life shots with the camera on a tripod, use Live View to focus – you can move the focus point anywhere in the frame and zoom in to check the fine detail, which makes it especially effective for manual focusing.

10. Long exposures 
Photography isn’t just about freezing moments in time. Try using longer shutter speeds of a second or more to see how movement blur can enhance your pictures. Obvious subjects include waterfalls and seascapes, try recording fields of corn swaying in the breeze or pedestrians passing in busy streets.

What is a Color Wheel: how to find the perfect shades and hues for your photos

jmeyer — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:00:40 +0000

Getting colors that work well together is crucial to any good photo composition. In our latest photography cheat sheet we answer the question, ‘What is a Color Wheel?’ and point out some of the key things you need to know.

The most useful tool for experimenting with colors is the color wheel. Used for centuries by artists and designers, these rainbow circles show how different colors interact with each other.

Primary colors (red, yellow and blue) are spaced evenly around the circle, with secondary colors (made by mixing primary colors together) falling in between.

As a rule of thumb, colors that sit next to each other on the wheel work harmoniously together, and colors that are directly opposite each other are complementary to each other.

It’s also worth keeping in mind when matching colors that different shades evoke strong psychological reactions in the viewer, and even small flashes of one color can really change the mood and message of a photograph.

Used correctly, color is one of the easiest ways to create really dynamic, eye-catching shots.

Infographic: What is a Color Wheel?

Click on the infographic to see the larger version

USE WARM SHADES WITH CARE
Cheerful yellows and oranges are classed as ‘warm’ colors. These have a big impact, and are best used in small doses. Tread with caution when using red – it has strong positive and negative connotations, signifying passion and love but also danger and sin. Blues evoke feelings of tranquility.

PRIMARY COLORS
For a really strong effect try mixing primary colors (red, yellow and blue) to make a bright, bold statement.

RESTFUL HUES
Matching together shades of ‘cool’ colors like blue and green creates an instantly calming effect. Or for instant contrast, mix a ‘warm’ color such as orange or red with a ‘cool’ green or blue.

CULTURAL COLORS
Color connotations vary around the world. In the western world, for example, the color of mourning is black, but it’s yellow in Egypt and purple in Thailand.