ISO in a Nutshell.

Have you ever wondered what ISO is?  Well, after reading this post you should have a pretty good idea of how it works.


ISO has been around for a long time.  It is a abreviation for International Standards Organization.  In the old film days it meant the same thing as ASA.  ISO traditionally measures film speed.  The higher the number, the more sensitive the film was to light. So, ISO 400 is a more sensitive film than ISO 100.  Since you are probably not using film anymore,ISO is now how a reference to how sensitive your cameras light sensor is to light. Most cameras have several ISO setting ranging from 100 to 1600.  


Most of the time lower ISO’s are most desirable because they give you less noise in your photograph.  However, choosing a higher ISO allows to you to use a smaller aperture or a faster shutter speed.  There are times when a higher ISO setting is useful. If you are shooting in low light or if you are shooting action shots you might want to raise your ISO settings. Also, If you are using a really long lens, such as a 500mm, it might be wise to raise your ISO setting to help avoid camera shake.  


If this is new to you it might be a good idea to do some tests.  Go out and shoot the same scene in all of the ISO setting your camera offers. This way you can get a feeling for what the different ISO settings produce.

The Three Lenses Every Photographer Should Own.

A lot of photographers wonder what lenses to buy when they are starting out.  Here is some great advice on what lenses you will want when you are a beginner or even an old pro.

1. 18-50mm zoom
This is the basic kit lens on your camera.  If you have an aps-c camera  this lens will be equivalent to a 24-70mm 35mm format lens.  It zooms from fairly wide, which is good for landscapes to will also be able to zoom for closer shots. This lens is a great all around lens to keep on your camera when you don’t know what you will be shooting.

2. 50mm f1.8 macro
This lens will allow you to get close up shots with  your camera.  It will also allow you to create shallow depth of field because of the 1.8 f/stop.  If you can’t afford a f1.8, a f2.8 will be just fine.  This lens is also great for portraits and for close-ups like flowers.  The other nice thing about these lenses is that you can pick them up cheap on ebay.










3.  70-200mm telephoto
This lens will allow you to get up close to your subject. It is great for animal shots and also is a good portrait lens. I also like taking photos of flowers with mine because you get very shallow depth of field.  When looking for a telephoto lens try to find a fast one, f2.8 if possible. If you can’t afford a fast one, at least try to find a f4 lens. Oh yeah, almost forgot that this is a great lens to shoot sports since it allow you to get close the the subject.











These lenses will give you versatility  to shoot almost any situation you will come up against.
They are also available with almost any camera system available.  If you have any questions post a comment and I will answer them, Thanks!

Strobing-This is way cool!!

I was looking for a video on posing and I couldn’t find one that I found satisfactory for this site. So, I am going to make one. I’m not very good at making videos and truthfully a little nervous about it. Anyway, it’s gonna take me a few day. In the meantime, I have a video on strobing that I saw last year. I thought you might like it. Here it is. I have also included a photo of me using this technique. I took the photo about a year ago. Enjoy and let me know if you have any questions.

How to Crop an Image in Photoshop.

Cropping in image can be very important if you plan on printing a photo. What you see in your camera is not what you get when you print a photo. A 5×7 will need a different crop than an 8×10. To help out I have found a video that should be useful.

Critique #2 for H.B.

Here is another review for HB.
Thanks

Very nice!!!  You framed the photo with blossoms.  Good composition.  The exposure is good too.  This is a good shot!! There’s not much else to say!

Digital Photography Glossary

Recently I have had a few questions like “What is Burning”, or “What does ambient light mean?” To solve this problem I have found a glossary of terms that should help you guys understand. This glossary should help so when you are wondering what “buffering” is, you will know. 

Ambient light – The natural light in a scene.

Archival – The ability of a material, including some printing papers and compact discs, to last for many years.

Aperture – A small, circular opening inside the lens that can change in diameter to control the amount of light reaching the camera’s sensor as a picture is taken. The aperture diameter is expressed in f-stops; the lower the number, the larger the aperture. For instance, the aperture opening when set to f/2.8 is larger than at f/8. The aperture and shutter speed together control the total amount of light reaching the sensor. A larger aperture passes more light through to the sensor. Many cameras have an aperture priority mode that allows you to adjust the aperture to your own liking. See also shutter speed.

Application – A computer program, such as an image editor or image browser.

Buffer – Memory in the camera that stores digital photos before they are written to the memory card.

Burning – Selectively darkening part of a photo with an image editing program.

CCD – Charge Coupled Device: one of the two main types of image sensors used in digital cameras. When a picture is taken, the CCD is struck by light coming through the camera’s lens. Each of the thousands or millions of tiny pixels that make up the CCD convert this light into electrons. The number of electrons, usually described as the pixel’s accumulated charge, is measured, then converted to a digital value. This last step occurs outside the CCD, in a camera component called an analog-to-digital converter.

CD-R – CD-Recordable: a compact disc that holds either 650 or 700 MB of digital information, including digital photos. Creating one is commonly referred to as burning a CD. A CD-R disc can only be written to once, and is an ideal storage medium for original digital photos.

CD-RW – CD-Rewritable: similar in virtually all respects to a CD-R, except that a CD-RW disc can be written and erased many times. This makes them best suited to many backup tasks, but not for long term storage of original digital photos.

CMOS – Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor: one of the two main types of image sensors used in digital cameras. Its basic function is the same as that of a CCD. CMOS sensors are currently found in only a handful of digital cameras.

CMYK – Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black. The four colors in the inksets of many photo-quality printers. Some printers use six ink colors to achieve smoother, more photographic prints. The two additional colors are often lighter shades of cyan and magenta.

CompactFlash™ – A common type of digital camera memory card, about the size of a matchbook. There are two types of cards, Type I and Type II. They vary only in their thickness, with Type I being slightly thinner. A CompactFlash memory card can contain either flash memory or a miniature hard drive. The flash memory type is more prevalent.

Contrast – The difference between the darkest and lightest areas in a photo. The greater the difference, the higher the contrast.

Digital camera – A camera that captures the photo not on film, but in an electronic imaging sensor that takes the place of film.

Dodging – Selectively lightening part of a photo with an image editing program.

Download, downloading – The process of moving computer data from one location to another. Though the term is normally used to describe the transfer, or downloading, of data from the Internet, it is also used to describe the transfer of photos from a camera memory card to the computer. Example: I downloaded photos to my PC.

DPI – Dots per inch: A measurement of the resolution of a digital photo or digital device, including digital cameras and printers. The higher the number, the greater the resolution.

EXIF – Exchangeable Image File: the file format used by most digital cameras. For example, when a typical camera is set to record a JPEG, it’s actually recording an EXIF file that uses JPEG compression to compress the photo data within the file.

External flash – A supplementary flash unit that connects to the camera with a cable, or is triggered by the light from the camera’s internal flash. Many fun and creative effects can be created with external flash.

File – A computer document.

Fill flash – A flash technique used to brighten deep shadow areas, typically outdoors on sunny days. Some digital cameras include a fill flash mode that forces the flash to fire, even in bright light.

Fire – Slang for shooting a picture. Example: I pressed the shutter button to fire.

FireWire – A type of cabling technology for transferring data to and from digital devices at high speed. Some professional digital cameras and memory card readers connect to the computer over FireWire. FireWire card readers are typically faster than those that connect via USB. Also known as IEEE 1394, FireWire was invented by Apple Computer but is now commonly used with Windows-based PCs as well.

Grayscale – A photo made up of varying tones of black and white. Grayscale is synonymous with black and white.

Highlights – The brightest parts of a photo.

Histogram – A graphic representation of the range of tones from dark to light in a photo. Some digital cameras include a histogram feature that enables a precise check on the exposure of the photo.

Image browser – An application that enables you to view digital photos. Some browsers also allow you to rename files, convert photos from one file format to another, add text descriptions, and more.

Image editor – A computer program that enables you to adjust a photo to improve its appearance. With image editing software, you can darken or lighten a photo, rotate it, adjust its contrast, crop out extraneous detail, remove red-eye and more.

Image resolution – The number of pixels in a digital photo is commonly referred to as its image resolution.

Inkjet – A printer that places ink on the paper by spraying droplets through tiny nozzles.

ISO speed – A rating of a film’s sensitivity to light. Though digital cameras don’t use film, they have adopted the same rating system for describing the sensitivity of the camera’s imaging sensor. Digital cameras often include a control for adjusting the ISO speed; some will adjust it automatically depending on the lighting conditions, adjusting it upwards as the available light dims. Generally, as ISO speed climbs, image quality drops.

JPEG – A standard for compressing image data developed by the Joint Photographic Experts Group, hence the name JPEG. Strictly speaking, JPEG is not a file format, it’s a compression method that is used within a file format, such as the EXIF-JPEG format common to digital cameras. It is referred to as a lossy format, which means some quality is lost in achieving JPEG’s high compression rates. Usually, if a high-quality, low-compression JPEG setting is chosen on a digital camera, the loss of quality is not detectable to the eye.

LCD – Liquid Crystal Display: a low-power monitor often used on the top and/or rear of a digital camera to display settings or the photo itself.

Media – Material that information is written to and stored on. Digital photography storage media includes CompactFlash cards and CDs.

Megabyte (MB) – A measurement of data storage equal to 1024 kilobytes (KB).

Megapixel – Equal to one million pixels.

Memory Stick®—A memory card slightly smaller than a single stick of chewing gum. Like CompactFlash and SmartMedia, it is flash-based storage for your photos.

NiMH – Nickel Metal-Hydride: a type of rechargeable battery that can be recharged many times. NiMH batteries provide sufficient power to run digital cameras and flashes.

Online photo printer – A company that receives digital photos uploaded to its Web site, prints them, then sends the prints back by mail or courier.

Panning – A photography technique in which the camera follows a moving subject. Done correctly, the subject is sharp and clear, while the background is blurred, giving a sense of motion to the photo.

Pixel – Picture Element: digital photographs are comprised of thousands or millions of them; they are the building blocks of a digital photo.

RAW – The RAW image format is the data as it comes directly off the CCD, with no in-camera processing is performed.

Red-eye – The red glow from a subject’s eyes caused by light from a flash reflecting off the blood vessels behind the retina in the eye. The effect is most common when light levels are low, outdoor at night, or indoor in a dimly-lit room.

RGB – Red, Green, Blue: the three colors to which the human visual system, digital cameras and many other devices are sensitive.

Saturation – How rich the colors are in a photo.

Sensitivity – See ISO speed.

Serial – A method for connecting an external device such as a printer, scanner, or camera, to a computer. It has been all but replaced by USB and FireWire in modern computers.

Sharpness – The clarity of detail in a photo.

Shutter speed – The camera’s shutter speed is a measurement of how long its shutter remains open as the picture is taken. The slower the shutter speed, the longer the exposure time. When the shutter speed is set to 1/125 or simply 125, this means that the shutter will be open for exactly 1/125th of one second. The shutter speed and aperture together control the total amount of light reaching the sensor. Some digital cameras have a shutter priority mode that allows you to set the shutter speed to your liking. See also aperture.

SmartMedia™—a wafer-thin, matchbook size memory card. This is also a flash-memory based storage medium.

Thumbnail – A small version of a photo. Image browsers commonly display thumbnails of photos several or even dozens at a time. In Windows XP’s My Pictures, you can view thumbnails of photos in both the Thumbnails and Filmstrip view modes.

USB – Universal Serial Bus: a protocol for transferring data to and from digital devices. Many digital cameras and memory card readers connect to the USB port on a computer. USB card readers are typically faster than cameras or readers that connect to the serial port, but slower than those that connect via FireWire.

White balance – A function on the camera to compensate for different colors of light being emitted by different light sources.

Critique for H.B.

O.k. I have another brave soul!

O.k.  Here we go.

This is a cute little boy.  The smile is nice and the angle is good. Not bad!

The big problem is that the photograph is blurred. I can’t tell if it is camera shake or just out of focus. I think it’s camera shake(it is hard to see it until you actually look at it close up, click on the photo for a larger version).What you need to do is have a faster shutter speed.  As a general rule, always shoot at 1/60th of a second or faster(with a regular lens).  This will help with camera shake.  I know that lenses have vibration reduction(image stabilization), and if your lens has that it is probably o.k. to shoot at 1/30th or 1/15th of a second, but be careful when shooting portraits for money. It’s really hard to sell a photograph that is blurred.

Here is another something to think about.If you are shooting with a 300mm lens, your shutter  speed need to be faster than if you are shooting with a 40mm lens.  A general rule is to match your shutter speed with the mm of the lens  you are shooting.So, For a 100mm lens set your shutter speed at 1/125 of a second. If you are shooting with a 500mm lens you need to set your shutter speed at 1/500 of a second.  If you are shooting a 300 mm lens, set your shutter speed at 1/250 of a second or somewhere close to that. This will help eliminate camera shake.  

Anyway, thanks H.B. 

Please post comments for H.B. to let her know what you think about her photography.

Critique for TV

This is a photograph from TV(Her Initials).

Here is my critique on the photograph.

Well Done!!!!!

I really like this shot.  The smile is nice and the pose is good. The only issue I can see is the girl has her wrist bet upward.  I looks a bit awkward. Change that and you have a winner

Good Job TV.  

If anyone else wants to leave a critique for TV, Please leave a comment.

I will be doing more critiques soon.  Thanks:)

Three things every photographer should have in their bag.

So, I was thinking about my equipment and thinking some more about what to write about.  It has been a while since I have done a post and I really am sorry about that.  Life gets very busy some times. Hopefully it will slow down soon. Anyway, here is a list of a few items I feel every photographer should have.

1. Tripod

This is a necessity for every photographer.  If you are at all serious about photography, get a good tripod.  I have a bogen tripod that I got in 1990.  It has been a life saver.  If you are photographing landscapes you will want to use a small aperture and this means a slower shutter speed. To avoid blur, use a tripod.  If you shoot portraits a tripod is great. You can put your camera on it and then go pose your subject.

                                                                
2.  Polarizer filter

Do you want blue skies and better color in your photographs?  Put one of these babies on the front of your lens and you will almost always get better shots!  Make sure you get a circular polarizer if you use an auto focus lens.      
 

                                              

3. Neutral Density Filter

For the landscape photographer a neutral density filter is a must!   You might want to get a split neutral density filter also.  You ask what is a neutral density filter.  Simply , it is  a filter that blocks light coming into you lens. This allows you to use longer shutter speeds to get shots like this:

Of course, you will also need a tripod for this shot;)