One Year Learning the Art of Photography

Introduction

Just so you have no false expectations, my wife and I are not professional photographers and really have no expectations to ever be. We are simply a couple that loves the outdoors and the wonderful places we visit. The first year of trying to improve our photography was full of starts and stops, journeys down several dead end paths and many, many hours of research.

Even though we were constantly learning new things, it took some time for us to settle into an approach that worked well for us and began to produce the photographs we desired. Often we would try new techniques only to find later that they just did not work for us.

If we could have had a single guide to help us when we started, this document would have been it. We have attempted to create an eBook that will give you the technical information that we have found most useful.

Manual Mode

Since we did not have the knowledge of how the camera worked when we first started, it took some time for us to really begin to understanding it. An even harder task was learning how to successfully apply that knowledge to actually taking a photograph. We discovered there were three key adjustments you need to understand when taking a photograph in Manual Mode. We have found that mastering these adjustments has been critical to our improvement.

It is worth noting that while we have found there are many people (often film shooters or professionals) who insist Manual Mode is the only way to shoot, we rarely use it. Don’t get me wrong there are some situations (like panoramas) that require this mode. However, most of the time we use a modification of Manual Mode called Aperture Priority Mode. Even in this mode, understanding the three key adjustments is critical.

Three Key Adjustments

When you place the camera in Manual Mode there are three key adjustments that will effect how your image is captured: the ISO Value, Aperture Number and Shutter Speed.

ISO Value

The ISO Value is a number that indicates how sensitive the camera’s sensor will be to light. Basically the lower the number, the longer it will take the camera to capture the photograph. The higher the number the quicker the camera will capture the photograph. For example, an ISO Value of 400 might be better than a value of 100 if you were trying to take a photograph of a moving animal. This higher ISO Value will allow the camera to capture the image faster; therefore, minimizing the chance of blur due to the movement of the animal. An example of when a lower ISO Value might be helpful is when you wish to blur the water in a stream. For taking a photograph of moving water using an ISO Value of 100 might be better than a value of 400. It would cause the camera to take a longer exposure of the scene. This longer exposure time will result in a nice silky (or blurred) effect due to the movement of the water while the camera captures the image.

Of course, there is always a cost with everything and that is true with using higher ISO Values. The higher value you use, the more noise your photograph will have (especially in the dark areas). The sensor that is located inside your camera is made up of very small elements (pixels) that record light as the image is captured. For example, an 8 mega pixel camera will have 8 million pixels arranged across the camera’s sensor. As the camera opens the shutter to capture the image the individual pixels record the intensity of the light they are exposed to. When there is not enough light present during the exposure to properly record, the result will be noise in the dark areas of your photograph. In these low light situations the pixels can be confused and record false colors. This will often show up in the blackest part of your photo in the way of small specs of reds and green colors. This situation will certainly be aggravated with higher ISO Values since this will result in less time to capture the photograph. In order to reduce the amount of noise in your images it is always best to use the lowest ISO Value possible. Typically, we will use a value of 100 unless the situation requires us to increase it.

Aperture Number

The second adjustment that will affect your image when shooting in Manual Mode is the camera’s Aperture Number. If you look into the end of your lens when it is not mounted on the camera you will see an opening that passes light through the lens to the camera. The size of this opening is determined by the Aperture Number. F-numbers are used when talking about the Aperture Number. For us these f-numbers proved to be pretty confusing since they seem to be backwards. For example, a value of f22 represents a smaller hole than a value of f8.

There are two important items to remember about Aperture Numbers. First, a larger Aperture Number will allow less light to pass through the lens (due to a smaller hole). The second and most important item to remember is a larger Aperture Number will result in a greater “Depth of Field” (items will be in sharp focus from the foreground to the background) if you focus at the correct distance. The Aperture Number is one of the first items that we consider when getting ready to take a photograph.

There are times when you may desire a shallow depth of field and therefore will want to use a smaller f-number. For example, when taking a photograph of an animal it is often desirable to set the animal against a blurred background. This blurred background will reduce distractions and really focus the viewer’s attention on your subject. By using a large Aperture Number, you can achieve a very deep depth of field. This approach will allow you to place your camera very close to a foreground object and have both it and the distant landscape in sharp focus. If done correctly you can achieve an almost three dimensional effect that can draw your viewer deep into the image.

Shutter Speed

The third and final adjustment that will affect your image when shooting in Manual Mode is the camera’s Shutter Speed. The shutter normally covers the front of the camera’s sensor preventing light from reaching the sensor. When you press the Shutter Release Button to capture your photograph the shutter will open so light can reach the sensor. This will then allow the camera to record your image.

The Shutter Speed value simply represents how long the shutter will remain open and exposing light to the sensor. You will need to pay close attention to how the Shutter Speeds are written for your camera. For example, on ours 5 represents 1/5 of a second and 5” represents 5 seconds. Shutter Speed can greatly affect the look of your image. It can be used to either stop action or emphasize motion.

ISO Value, Aperture Number and Shutter Speed Balance

The key to taking a successful photograph in Manual Mode is finding the proper balance of all three of these adjustments. With some practice Jo and I came to understand the theory of these adjustments. However, it remained extremely difficult for us to walk outside and decide exactly how to turn that theory into an actual photograph.

As we have discussed, each of these three adjustments can greatly affect the look of your image. Understanding exactly how each of these adjustments change the way the camera captures the photograph is critical. You are well on your way to capturing great images once you have fully mastered these adjustments.

ISO Value

The lower the number, the longer it will take the camera to capture the photograph.
The higher the number, the faster the camera will capture the photograph (but with more noise).

Aperture Number

The larger the value, the less light that will pass through the lens and into the camera.
The larger the value, the more depth of field your image will have.

Shutter Speed

The faster the shutter speed, the more the image will appear frozen.
The slower the shutter speed, the more the image will appear to blur.

Taking a Photograph in Manual Mode

As mentioned before we don’t often take photographs in Manual Mode. However, there seems to be a strong school of thought that Manual Mode is the required method (especially with film shooters and some professionals). Most of the time we shoot in AV mode but there are times when we do use Manual Mode; for example, when shooting panoramas.

When taking a photograph in Manual Mode, the first thing we always decide is what ISO Value we should use. We typically dial in an ISO Value of 100 unless the situation forces us to increase the value. If we are photographing a moving animal in low light or dealing with high wind conditions, we will often increase the ISO Value. This will give us a higher Shutter Speed in order help reduce blur.

The second step for taking a photograph in Manual Mode is to decide what Aperture Number is needed for the photo we are taking. The process of determining exactly what this value should be took some time for us to understand. I will spend more time later explaining how we now accomplish this in the “Taking a Photograph in Aperture Priority Mode (AV)” section.

After setting the ISO Value and Aperture Number the final item to be adjusted is the camera’s Shutter Speed. Before you can set the Shutter Speed, you will need to take a meter reading. This is done on our camera by pointing the camera at the subject, pressing the camera’s Shutter Release Button half way down and observing the position of the camera’s Exposure Level Indicator. After observing where the camera’s exposure meter is positioned, you will need to adjust the Shutter Speed dial until the meter’s indicator is in the Zero position. Once the indicator is in the center you will be ready to fully press the camera’s Shutter Release Button and take the photograph.

Understanding Histograms

During the days of film you would need to develop your photograph in order to determine if you had used the correct exposure. However, this is the point in which a digital camera really shines. The histogram is the single biggest benefit of shooting with a digital camera. It provides critical and immediate feedback on whether the photograph you just took was properly exposed. As with everything else, there seems to be many theories on how best to use the histogram. We found that once we understand what to look for, it turned out to be a very powerful tool.

Basically, the histogram is simply a chart of the colors in your photograph. The extreme left side of the graph shows the color black. As you move to the right the colors start getting lighter ending with the color white being shown on the extreme right side of the chart. After taking your photograph, the camera analyzes your image and maps out its colors on the histogram. The amount of a specific color in the image is shown by the height of the peaks and valleys. In other words the more of that specific color the camera has found, the higher the peak will be.

Notice in the above example, the camera has found a large number of dark colors in the photograph. This is shown by the large peak on the left side of the graph. In fact there are so many of these dark colors the peak has gone off the top of the graph. Going off the top is common and is not a problem. It just indicates that there are a large number of those specific colors in the image.

Sometimes the peaks and valleys on your graph will not reach both sides of the histogram. This also is not a problem as long as the graph does not climb up the sides of the histogram but simply rest along the bottom. In the above example, the camera has found most of the colors in the photograph to be mid-tone and lighter colors. You can tell this because the graph is shifted to the right side of the histogram. You can also tell the camera has not found any dark colors since there is nothing shown on the left side of the histogram.

When you review your histogram the most important thing you must prevent is allowing the graph to climb up the right side. In the above example you will notice that there is a spike in the data against the right side. This is telling you that the photograph has white colors that have “Blown out”. In other words there are locations in the photograph that are overexposed and there is no detail.

You should also configure your camera so that these blown out areas flash in your preview window. This will serve as a good warning that your photograph is overexposed and remind you to check your histogram. I cannot emphasize how important it is for you to continually check your histogram to ensure you are not blowing out your white colors. If you allow your histogram to climb the right side, you will be losing details that can never be recovered.

If you find you are climbing the right side, you will need to adjust your exposure. You can do this by adjusting the Shutter Speed in order to move the camera’s exposure meter towards the negative side. Once you have made your adjustment, you will be ready to retake the photograph and again check your histogram. In an image where you have a high contrast (both dark and light colors) you must really pay careful attention to your histogram. These types of photographs are very susceptible to overexposed areas.

Just like allowing the graph to climb up the right side, normally allowing it to climb up the left side is not good either if you have room on the right. In the above example, the graph has climbed up the left side of the histogram. This is indicating that the image has a large amount of black color and the photograph is likely underexposed. Since there is room to the right, you should adjust your exposure. You can achieve this by changing the Shutter Speed to move the camera’s exposure meter towards the positive side. Once you have made your adjustment you will be ready to retake the photograph and again check your histogram.

There are times when it is acceptable for your histogram to climb the left side of the graph. This is the case for images that contain large areas of pure black. For these images you should expect a large amount of the curve to climb the left side of the histogram. If you must choose to let one side of your histogram climb up a side, it is always better to let it climb the left side and not blow out the whites in your photograph.

It is not enough that you simply monitor your histogram to ensure that you are not blowing out your whites. For the best image possible you will want to keep noise out of your blacks. Therefore, if you have enough room to move the graph towards the right side you should do so with every opportunity. If you look closely at the above example, you can see the graph does not quite reach the right side. This is indicating that the image has room for a brighter exposure. While it is true that you can later adjust the exposure as you desire in Photoshop CS3, you will be introducing some noise in the darker areas as you do so.

The histogram above is of the same subject after the exposure was adjusted and the photograph was taken again. Typically, we attempt to push the graph as close to the right as possible, without letting it climb up the right side. When you first open the RAW file for this image it is likely you will find that it is slightly overexposed and will wish to adjust the image. However since the graph is shifted to the right as far as possible it is the cleanest file that you could possibly have captured. A clean file will keep the noise in the blacks as minimal as possible.

With this file it is a very simple task to darken the exposure in the RAW Editor and end up with the best image possible. When working inside the RAW Editor it is always better to adjust the exposure towards the left (darken) than it is to adjust it towards the right (lighten).

If you can remember these items when dealing with your histogram you will produce the best possible file of an image every time.

Don’t worry if your peaks go off the top of the graph.
Don’t let you whites climb the right side of the graph.
Don’t let your blacks climb the left side if you have room to move the graph to the right.
Always try to move the graph as far right as possible without blowing out the whites.

Just a couple of final notes on the histogram:

Sometimes when including a very bright object in your photograph, such as the sun, there will be nothing you can do to keep some whites from blowing out. You can only adjust for the best exposure in the rest of the image and live with it.
If your histogram is climbing up both sides of the graph (black and white sides) you may need to use some different techniques to capture an acceptable photograph (filters or bracketing shots). This is very common when taking a photograph of a sunset or with a bright sky.

Taking a Photograph in Aperture Priority Mode (AV)

After several months of attempting to use Manual Mode, Jo began using her camera’s Aperture Priority mode for most of her images. In this mode she simply chooses her ISO Value and dials in the desired Aperture Number. After she has focused and taken an exposure reading, the camera will automatically choose the Shutter Speed that is appropriate. This eliminates the need for her to manually set the Shutter Speed. Now she has only one setting to worry about adjusting.

If an adjustment is needed after taking a photograph and checking her histogram, Jo would simply use the camera’s Exposure Composition dial. This has proven to be a very efficient method of taking photographs and she has grown very comfortable with it.

In order to understand exactly how to choose your Aperture Number you will need a Depth of Field chart for your camera. There are several websites that provide these charts but we used the DOF Master website at www.dofmaster.com to print our charts. We have printed charts across the entire range of focal lengths for our lens and we carry them with us in the field. For example, 10mm, 15mm, 20mm, 30mm, up to 400mm in our case. Below is a small selection from the chart for our 30D camera at 15mm.

Canon 30D Focal Length: 15mm

Distance

(feet)

f/4

Near      Far

f/5.6

Near      Far

f/8

Near      Far

f/11

Near      Far

f/16

Near      Far

f/22

Near      Far

5

3’ 3.7”     10’ 2”

2’ 10.9”    17’ 11”

2’ 5.7”      ∞

2’ 0.6”      ∞

1’ 7.7”      ∞

1’ 3.5”      ∞

6

3’ 8.6”     15’ 6”

3’ 2.6”      44’ 11”

2’ 8.4”      ∞

2’ 2.3”      ∞

1’ 8.9”      ∞

1’ 4.1”      ∞

7

4’ 1”       24’ 7”

3’ 5.7”      ∞

2’ 10.6”      ∞

2’ 3.8”      ∞

1’ 9.7”      ∞

1’ 4.6”      ∞

This specific chart would be used when you have composed your image and your lens is zoomed to 15mm. Down the left side of the chart is listed the distance from your camera to the object where you have focused. Once you have determined these two values you can then understand what your depth of field will be for each Aperture Number.

For example, assume your lens is zoomed to 15mm, you are focused on an object that is 5 feet away from your camera and you dial in an Aperture Number of f4. Under these circumstances all objects between 3’ 3.7” and 10’ 2” will be in focus. However, if you change your Aperture Number to f16, everything from 1’ 7.7” to infinity in your image will be in focus. You can decide if you should use an Aperture Number of f4 or f16 depending on the depth of field you desire.

Let’s assume you are working on the scene shown above. Once you have mounted the camera on your tripod and composed your image, you will be ready to choose your Aperture Number. The very first thing you need to do is focus on the nearby rocks and not the cabin. There seems to be a rule of thumb out there that you should focus approximately 1/3 of the way into your scene. However, most of the time we have found it is more practical to focus on the back of the nearest object. In this case, Jo focused on the top back of the lower left rock.

Once you have focused on the rock, you will need to determine what your lens focal length value is. This is the value that indicates where your lens is zoomed to. We typically read this off the outside of our lens. In our above example we will assume 15mm. With this value you can now determine which specific Depth of Field chart you will need to use.

Next, you will need to determine what the distance is between your camera and the point where you have focused. Again, we will typically look at the outside of lens to estimate this value. In this scene we will assume we determined the focus point was 7 feet away from the camera. Now that you have this data you can look at your chart and determine what specific Aperture Number you will need in order to have a sharp depth of field from the foreground to the background in the image.

If you review the previous chart you will find that using an Aperture Number of f4 will only give you a sharp depth of field from 4’ 1” to 24’ 7”. This depth of field would likely work well for the rock since it falls within that range. However, since the cabin is farther than 24’ 7” from the camera it will likely be blurry in the image. A better choice for your Aperture Number would likely be f5.6 since it will give you a depth of field from 3’ 5.7” to infinity. Using this value would result in both the rock and cabin being in sharp focus. For this image Jo would simply dial in an Aperture Number of f5.6 and her camera would select the appropriate Shutter Speed since her camera is configured for Aperture Priority mode.

It would seem to simplify maters if you would always choose the largest Aperture Number possible. This would always ensure you had the maximum depth of field; however, using this approach also typically gives you a very long shutter speed, often many seconds. This method greatly increased your risk of a blurred image due to wind or some type of vibration during the long exposure. In these circumstances, using a smaller Aperture Number can really help reduce the length of the shutter speed and give you a much better chance of a sharp photograph. Our odds for producing a sharp image greatly increase when we began to use our charts to determine exactly what Aperture Number we required.

Panorama Photographs

With the introduction of digital photography has come the ability to combine multiple photographs together into a single panorama image. While it is not difficult to photograph a panorama it does require a few special techniques.

After finding a good candidate for a panorama image, we will first level the tripod. Our tripod has a small level built into the top and this greatly helps us accurately level it. Ensure you take the time to do it correctly as it will greatly affect the quality of your final image. Jo will mount her camera on the tripod once she has leveled it. We also have a small level that she slides into her camera’s flash hot shoe. She then will also adjust her camera until it is level.

Next, she will rotate her camera from side to side as she adjusts her composition. Keep in mind you should allow additional room at the top and bottom of your image so you will have some extra area to crop after the images have been combined. Now Jo will make several adjustments to her camera. First she will place her camera in Manual Mode to keep it from making any exposure adjustments automatically while she takes the different photographs.

She will then set her focus and dial in her desired Aperture Number as described previously. Next, Jo will take an exposure reading for the brightest section of the scene and set her Shutter Speed. Choosing the brightest section will allow her to safely push her histogram as far right as possible without blowing out her whites. If she makes this adjustment in the brightest section of the scene she can be confident the darker areas will be fine.

Now she is ready to take her series of photographs. She chooses one side to start on and take the first photograph. After taking the image, she will rotate the camera so she still sees about 25% of the previous image. This 25% overlap will increase the chance that the software will successfully combine the images. After taking each image she will continue to rotate the camera while still overlapping by about 25%. Later we will use our Photoshop CS3 software to combine the images into one photograph. While I have not used any other software, there appears to be many different software packages on the market.

Final Thoughts

One year ago when I bought my wife that first digital camera I had no idea what lay ahead. Looking back I cannot believe where we have been and what we have seen along the way. I don’t know where the future will take us but I do know one thing, it will be a great journey as long as Jo is beside me (and it will involve a lot of research I am sure). Hopefully you have found this eBook helpful and enjoy your photographic journey as much as we are.

If you ever have any questions, suggestions on how to improve this guide or just wish to send us an email with a great photography spot, please contact us at ginnphotography@comcast.net.

Thank you and good shooting,

Jo and Phil