First Step: Learn these Basic Stuff!

Basic Stuff

Interested in photography but think it's for proffesionals only? Fear not, for help is here!

Here, you'll learn not only how to take a photograph, but some guidance on how, what and why. To get started, please click on the topics below.

The Frame (Viewfinder):

Always try to fill up the frame. If something is a dot somewhere in the picture, zoom in to make the subject big. Another great trick is to print the photo large and then cut (crop) the picture to remove any unnecessary background.

Photo Styles:

Take plenty of photos and each time, try something different. Don't depend on the one picture of "the gang" at a party, take 3 or 4 - therefore, you are a lot less likely to have one where your best friend is blinking!. Experiment with styles and see how they look - try to remember what you did to get a particular effect so you will be able to repeat it - make notes if you have to. Explore your creativity and the sky is the limit!

Where?

Anywhere! Well almost, since there is ALWAYS a chance for a photo. The garden and especially the pond or a nearby lake or stream are great places to start. Watch out for an old building or a common place hiving with activity (like the market). Look out for bright colours and long shadows crowded streets. Try sports meetings, tennis clubs, events such as the Thomas Cup, football games, hockey matches, visit wildlife parks, always scan your newspapers for any upcoming events - carnivals, displays, parades. The more events you attend the better you'll get.

Surroundings:

Always be aware of what is in the photo. Before taking the photo, see if there is any distractions in the frame. For example, a telegraph pole, parked cars, rubbish, people - anything that distracts the viewers attention away from the subject. Try to spend a little time removing the rubbish, wait for that person to move, etc. Otherwise, take the picture somewhere else, or try to look for another angle to snap your subject. It is worth surveying a potential photo and even returning at a different time of day to see if it looks better i.e. early morning or late evening or in the rain or haze!!!

The Rule of Thirds:

An object in the centerof a picture is not always the best. Try to divide the viewfinder into thirds (9 small rectangles) and place points of interest on the intersections - for example the horizon of a sunset scene.

Landscape:

Generally, these rules should be followed but as you learn more about why, you will try to get a different effect. Use a wide angle lens (20-50mm). Follow the rule of thirds (above). Try to include something in the foreground (typically a matter of a few feet away), something in the middle ground and something in the distance. Use a small an aperture and focus on something one third of the way into the picture - this will help to keep the whole photo in focus.

Keep the Camera Steady:

Make sure the camera is well supported. Form a solid support by keeping elbows tight against your body. Keep well balanced, feet apart and if possible, lean on something. Tripods and monopods can be purchaesd but these items can be bulky. The rule for hand holding is in general, use one over double the length of the lens - for example, a 50mm lens should not be hand held below 1/100th of a second shutter speed, or a 150mm lens should not be hand held below 1/300th of a second.

Portrait:

Try to use about an 80mm lens (50 -110mm)- this tends to be the most flattering lens - shorter or longer distorts the face a little - enough to put the subject off returning for another picture. Try to use natural light always. Natural light will improve upon artifical light 10x. Indoor lights tend to make the subject go yellow or green or worse depending on the bulb / striplight, and a flash will flatten out the subjects features due to the lack of shadow and often leads to very contrasty photos. Use the largest aperture possible - this will blur the rest of the picture and will emphasise the subject (the point of focus on the subject = eyes) and not his or her surroundings. Try to use a backdrop of uniform inobtrusive (blending or not too contrast) colour and pattern. This can either be natural or artificial. This gives a huge difference to the pictures (please note that a white sheet tye-died with 2 or 3 pastle colours is cheap but looks professional). Focus on the eyes - this is what everyone naturally looks at.

Lighting:

Natural light should be used if possible. If you are using flash, try to diffuse it - this is best done by bouncing the light off a plain surface (e.g. a white ceiling) or by placing something like a thin tissue in front of the flash.

Fill in Flash:

This is a burst of flash, a little lower power than usual. This can be achieved by either reducing the power output of the flash, reducing the aperture size a notch or two, or better still using the camera's fill in flash setting. This is best used when:

- The subject is lit mainly from behind
- There is a dark area at the front of the picture
- To give the eyes of the subject a glint.

Spot metering:

If a picture has dark and bright areas, the camera can be fooled into over or under exposing the subject. To avoid this, spot meter on the subject and use that exposure setting. If there is no spot metering facility, you can zoom in on the subject, make a note of the shutter speed and aperture required and then zoom out again and use those settings. If you don't have a zoom, walk up to the subject and do the same thing.

Macro (Close Up):

This type of photograph is especially sensitive to camera shake, misfocusing and lighting trouble. To avoid these problems, try using a support (tripod), a small aperture and a diffused light source (a cloudy day or wide beam of light or a diffused flash) areas of a picture can be emphasised by light and focus.

Shutter Speed: (slow vs. fast)

A fast shutter speed 1/250th sec up to 1/4000th sec or more can be used to freeze action (e.g. a motor car, a running / flying animal or some other moving objects) It can also be used when the photographer is moving to avoid camera shake. A slow shutter speed can be used to blur movement such as running water, wind in the trees or any of the above. It is a useful tool to emphasize movement.

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