Posts Tagged ‘learn digital photography’

All of us want to take better photographs. We like them to be admired, framed and displayed on websites. How do you take better images without taking expensive photography courses? It’s very simple if you put into practise some very easy steps. I’ll show you how.

In order to take better photos you need to stop, think and consider what you are about to do before pressing the shutter button. By asking yourself the following three questions before you rush into a shot, you will immediately improve the quality of any image. Photography is a thought process. It takes the 3D image in your mind and converts it to a two dimensional photo. How well you can do this will be reflected in your final image.

1. Can I clearly identify my subject as the focal point?

This should be the most logical step for a photographer to take but it isn’t. Go now to your photo album and have a look at the first ten photos. In each one, can you clearly see your subject. Is the subject the centre of attention. At any event it’s great to have photos of the friends or kids at the party but in 20 years time you aren’t interested in who was at the party. You want to remember the family member or friend. This is especially so if the person has passed away. So make the person or subject the centre of your focus, or the focal point. You can have others in the image but not to the detriment of your subject. Memories can’t be changed in the future. Make your memory when you shoot the photo.

2. Can I use my feet and get in any closer?

Good photos are not only created by using your head but by also using your feet. Move around and don’t stick to one spot and wait for the subject to come to you. Get in closer to the subject and exclude all the unnecessary elements in the photo. Again, in 20 years time you do not want to remember the garbage bin, the tree growing out of your subject’s head or the kitchen appliances and TV. Exclude these items by getting closer or changing your angle by moving around so that they are excluded. Excluding unnecessary clutter will immediately improve your images. In any case by getting in closer you will see more of your subject which is your focal point. Bigger is better when creating memories and more is best. You should never strain your eyes trying to see a loved one in a photo.

3. Can I change my angle or get a better viewpoint?

This is linked to the previous point of using your feet. Changing your viewpoint from the traditional ‘straight in front view’ will make your photo better all round. You are not trying to identify the person like a passport or ID photo. You are creating a memory. This is especially so for children. Get down to their level and keep your lens at the same height as their eyes. Children always seem to be shot looking up at the camera. Try getting below their eye line as well. Get up higher than your subject or look up from below. Move a few feet to your left or right. Make the image different from the usual points of view.

Taking better photos is not spending more money on courses, books or even better equipment but rather taking time to apply some basic photographic principles. If you take just these three steps and apply them to your photos you will see an immediate improvement to your photos. Photography is all about creating a memory at a certain point in time. The more you put into creating that memory the more you will see it in the resulting photos.

Tags: Adorama, aperture, camera, Canon, cash from your camera, digital photography, exposure, ISO, learn digital photography, Mark, Nikon, perfect photos, photography, shutter, snapfactory, triangle, Wallace

So you’ve just come back from the camera shop with all the information on why you need more megapixels for your camera. Your current compact camera has 8.1 megapixels and the salesman says that you need to upgrade to the new 10.1 megapixel model to really improve your images. Rubbish! Here’s why you don’t need to.

Because digital cameras are often classified by their number of megapixels, the megapixel rating of a camera is often used as a measure of picture quality. This is a totally wrong concept and a myth. There are a number of factors that determine the quality of a camera and megapixels is really an insignificant part. 10.1 megapixels on a cheap compact camera and 10.1 megapixels on an expensive digital SLR and poles apart. As a comparison they mean nothing.  If they meant anything then why is their such a large difference in price. The difference in price between a compact and an SLR should immediately say to you that there are other factors to be considered.

Here’s what really matters:

1. Quality of the camera lens

It costs a lot of money to build a quality lens with high quality glass. If the camera is cheap it means the lens is cheap. Even if it had 36 megapixels the quality of your image is going to be average. Camera manufacturers cannot afford to put quality glass in a low quality camera. Even with digital SLRs that have interchangeable lenses the difference between entry level lenses and pro lenses is huge and measured in thousands of dollars.

2. Quality of the camera build

The parts that go into building a good quality digital camera cost a lot of money to develop and therefore the camera will cost more. The cost difference between the plastic or aluminium and high quality magnesium alloy is vast. This is more so with digital SLRs. When comparing the way a shutter button or dial feels on an entry level to a pro SLR you will feel a dramatic difference which again is reflected in the price.

3. Quality of the sensor

How your sensor handles light and the resulting noise is dependent on the quality and build of the CCD or CMOS sensor and its ISO rating. Try taking a photo with a lot of shadow and you will see that in darker parts of the image there are flecks of colour and a more grainy look. This is noise. The more expensive cameras will have far less noise or sometimes no noise at all compared to cheaper compact cameras. This degrades the quality of an image even with a good lens.

4. Quality of the processor

Each camera has a computer chip called the processor which takes the digital information received through the sensor and processes it into an image. The way this is processed affects the overall speed and quality of the image. The more powerful and complex the processor the better quality image and of course the higher the cost of the camera. Again the more megapixels processed by a low quality processor will continue to give a low quality image.

It is so easy to use one aspect of a camera to judge a camera’s quality and this is what manufacturers and sales people have done. It’s far easier than explaining a number of complementary factors but makes the explanation a myth. One needs to almost quadruple the megapixels of a camera’s sensor to make an obvious improvement. Even just doubling the megapixels is only going to give you a subtle increase in quality. And this will again only really play a part if all of the other quality factors are increased as well.

So how do you know what to buy? The answer is forums and review websites. Go check out what the reviewers have to say and then read the forums and hear what people who have bought the camera you are interested in have to say.

Use your natural instincts and you’ll know when a sales person is pulling the wool over your eyes. No manufacturer can afford to sell high quality for low prices. This is why many digital SLR manufacturers sell you a kit lens with the camera and not one of high quality, to save costs.

So bottom line, use your instincts. When someone wants to sell you a BMW or Mercedes for a Suzuki price the alarm bells should start ringing.

Tags: Adorama, aperture, camera, Canon, cash from your camera, digital photography, exposure, ISO, learn digital photography, Mark, Nikon, perfect photos, photography, shutter, snapfactory, triangle, Wallace