What Do You Want a Tutorial About?

[kencaleno]

Originally Posted by mark2004uk

I want to explain to somw 14-15 year olds Depth Of Field, ISO, Shutter speed S-stops etc... Are there any pdf's or diagrams that are real simple, I tried to explain DOF to them and they just looked at me as tumble weed went past me !

This may help explain some things:

Mastering Your compact Digital Camera


#1. Composition:

Composition is all about the arrangement of elements within the viewfinder’s frame, to evoke emotion from the viewer of the final image. What attracts us to great photographic images?
- They make us
- wrinkle our brow -
- smile -
- feel happy -
- feel sad -
- feel peaceful -
- feel disturbed -
- feel angry -
- feel like laughing -
- feel shocked.
If a photograph can evoke any of these emotions, it can be said to have Impact. The basis of impact in a photographic image is placement and possibly enhancement of that subject, within the viewfinder frame of the camera.
Composition refers to the arrangement of line, shape and contrast within the frame of the photographic Image. Effective composition arranges the elements, ( objects, colours, horizons, patterns, etc.,) that show the viewer your personal world view of the subject. It is a matter of knowing what to leave out of the image. The greatest influence on our reaction to a photograph is the position of the main centre of interest. This should almost never be placed at dead-centre in the frame, as any sense of implied movement dissolves. The result is usually static and boring.

Ask yourself 3 questions:

1. What is the main subject of my image?

- The most prominent object, theme or topic

2. How do I emphasise the main subject?

- Isolate the subject
- Use motion blur (slow shutter speed)
- Use fast shutter speed to freeze motion
- Use selective focusing
- Subject placement within frame
- Get close and fill frame with subject

3. What do I leave out of my image?

- All things that are irrelevant to the main subject
- All things that detract from the main subject
- Look out for cluttered foregrounds and backgrounds
- Watch for distractions: trees growing out of people’s heads;
- Rivers and fences running through ears, etc.,



#2, White balance

Where, with film you either shot print film in daylight or with flash indoors, and with slide film, you used daylight or tungsten film, or used compensating filters with these. White balance is Digital’s version-you select a white balance based on the condition of the light you are using, so the camera’s meter allows for white to photograph as white
Auto white balance does a reasonable job most of the time, but it cannot cope in some situations-especially when subject is in deep shadow. You need to know when to use the white balance settings for all situations, and this table will help you understand: ( degrees Kelvin is a means of determining colour temperature)

Sunrise/sunset 2400-3000 Kelvin……………………Use Auto white balance
Tungsten lighting 3200-3500 Kelvin ……………………Use tungsten/Incandescent white balance
Fluorescent lighting 4000 Kelvin …………… Use fluorescent White balance
Early morning/afternoon sun 4000 Kelvin…….Use auto white balance
Noon sun/Sun overhead…5000-6500 Kelvin…………………….use Cloudy White balance
Flash photography in daylight 5500 Kelvin ………………………Use Flash White balance
Deep shade………………….6500 Kelvin…………………………Use cloudy/shade white balance
Shade in daylight 7500 Kelvin ………………………………......Use shade white balance



#3. Exposure:

Thanks to digital cameras, exposure has never been so easy and simple to achieve, for general outdoor photography. Most of the time matrix (evaluative) metering, will do a great job. For portraiture, centre-weighted is preferred, and where high contrast separates dark from light, spot metering comes into its own. Correct exposure is simple-By studying the camera’s screen we are able to adjust our exposure compensation (+/-) to make sure we have detail in shadows and highlight areas.

#4. Light

- without which, we would have no photography. We need to understand its Magnitude, Direction and Intensity, so that we may manipulate, and control its power.
Direct sunlight and On-camera flash/strobes are Directional light sources, their shadows are sharply defined, and distinct. For many photographers, the sun is the main source of illumination. There is nothing wrong with relying solely on sunlight, but you do have to appreciate the different qualities of light available. Time of day and angle of light are the two essential considerations to be made about using sunlight as the main source of light. Photographers talk about late afternoon ( golden) light. Things do seem to photograph more beautifully when the sun is low on the horizon, that is, at dusk. You can get a similar feeling early in the morning although morning light tends to be more pink ( Cooler) while afternoon light is redder (Warmer).While shooting photographs between 10am and 4pm is not generally recommended, sometimes certain subjects will work fine, especially when you want a high degree of contrast between highlight and shadow. ( Architectural details come to mind)
Non-directional lighting has light reaching the subject from all sorts of angles; from left, from right, and all angles in between, and shadows thus formed are very soft, sometimes hard to discern-Cloud cover on an overcast day is one example of non-directional light, while light reflected from the sky (skylight) is another. Concerning portraits, It is better to use a non-directional (Diffused) light source, due to the gradual gradation of its shadow, which doesn’t mar the portrait. If you’re shooting outdoors, for the best modelling you will want the light to strike the model’s face from the side, at 45 degrees vertical and horizontal. First get out of the direct sunlight, either in the shade of a building, or under the shelter of a tree. This will result in your model being lit by a diffused, non-directional light source, skylight or reflected light from surroundings. If you position your model looking towards this light source , the face should be lit with soft, delicate light. All you need to do is to move your subject, or your camera, to get light crossing the face.. What you want to achieve here is to have one side of the face brighter than the other by two stops exposure, giving a 3-dimensional rendering to the portrait. In case there is no tree, or building, you may need to resort to scrims, reflectors or blacks to modify the light to suit. Scrims are sheets of translucent material that are held between the sun and the subject to diffuse direct light. Reflectors are panels of card or material that reflects light, providing a soft quality of light. Usually white, silver or gold in colour, light bounces off the surface and into the shadow areas of the face. Blacks are the opposite of reflectors and they absorb light, instead of reflecting it. For indoor portraits, window light is a great source-First choose a window on the side of the house away from the sun-you don’t want direct sunlight, it’s too harsh. When you position your model close to a window, you get a soft light to one side of the face, and because the inside of the room is relatively dark, the other side of the face will be in shadow -a 3 dimensional look for your portrait.
Again, by using a reflector, ( Gold gives a warm tanned look, White will be most used, and Silver gives a glint to the model’s eye) you can arrive at the 2-stop difference - For instance F 11 for window -lit side of face, and F 5.6 for the shadow side- ( 3:1 ratio) for the ideal portrait. (NOTE: For cameras that do not have aperture settings, just judge that lighting is how you want it)

Depth of field appears to be the most confusing of focus elements. Depth of field is a range of acceptable sharpness in an image, from near to far. Three factors control Depth of field: Aperture: The wider the aperture, the shallower the depth of field. Focal length of lens, The longer the focal length of the lens, the shallower the depth of field will be. and Distance from subject, Landscape images have great depth of field, whereas Macro (extreme close-up) images have very shallow depth of field. Concerning depth of field, Hyperfocal distance seems to be even more confusing -Hyperfocal distance is a point of focus where at a certain aperture, Half the distance from that point to Infinity, (which starts at 30 feet, and extends to as far as you are able to see)) will be in acceptable focus.

Regards, Ken

[kencaleno]

Originally Posted by Wynder

You won't be able to get *everything* in focus -- there is a depth of field and anywhere before or after that field will begin to loose focus. Set your F-Stop at f/8 or f/11 -- if you're shooting a person, focus on their eyes. If you're shooting a group of people, focus on the eyes of the people in the first row. If you're shooting landscape, focus about 1/3 of the way into the scene.

Wrong information! You can get everything in acceptable focus by understanding Hyperfocal distance:

You really want to have as much of the scene in focus as possible, so the obvious choice is to use a very small aperture setting to maximise depth of field. But, maximising the depth of field won't ensure that your entire scene is in focus. You need to know exactly where to focus your lens. If you select a point of focus too close , the foreground and middle-scene will be covered by the depth of field, but distant objects will be blurred.

As the depth of field extends both in front and behind the focal point, ( 1/3 in front of focal point, and 2/3 behind ) the solution is to use manual focus, and to focus on a point somewhere between the foreground and the distance, so that the extreme distance (effectively infinity) is contained in the "sharp zone", the closest object in your frame is at the nearest end, and everything in the frame is in focus. This point, at which the depth of field is maximized within the field of view, is known as the hyperfocal distance. The amount of distance that appears in acceptable focus will start at halfway from this point to effective infinity.

There is a mathematical equation for working this distance out, but as we are Keeping It Simple, Shutterbug, I’ll give you a hyperfocal distance that will include all from 750mm( 2 feet 6 inches) to as far as the eye can see. (infinity)

Use your 18mm-55mm kit lens at 18mm and F11, focused on a point 1.5 metres ( 5 feet) away from camera lens, and all will appear acceptably sharp between distances stated above. NOTE: If you are more that 5 feet (1.5 metres) tall-you can focus on your feet!
You will need to lock focus to do this- So look in your camera Menu for AF-Lock (Manual
will help you find it! By doing this you lock the focus as you focus on your feet,( usually by pushing and holding a button at back of camera) then compose your shot, then shutter
button halfway down will lock exposure, then continue with full press to make the exposure.

[scarletvirago]

I'm a little late to this forum, but if you're still taking a peek at it, I'd love a tutorial about how to use my new speedlite. I know "how" in the technical sense (I read the manual), but what can it DO, in beginner's parlance? I don't have any off-shoe equipment yet, so I'm talking real basics here: bounce light, fill flash, etc.

Thank you!

[bcummings88]

Masks...what they and how you can use them in PP. I've looked at other websites about this and stare at the screen like its the dumb one.

[rtcary]

I would like to have a series on outdoor portraits that use a reflector or flash.

Todd

[mattyb]

I'd like to see a tutorial on Aperture.

Matt

[dz0x64]

Originally Posted by Darren Rowse

Lately I've had a few people ask me to write tutorials on specific topics. I thought I'd start adding them here in the hope that they'll inspire someone to write them. If you have a tutorial request - please include it below.

I need a tutorial on doing a group shot for a sports team.

[ttrimm]

Has anyone ordered/assembled these requests...maybe link to what has been done and hasn't??

Possibly link to them?

[lenschweitzer]

I'd like to know how to spot meter for HDR, or more specifically, how do I meter the first exposure from which subsequent ones will be based.

[kencaleno]

Originally Posted by kseg

So often when I take a picture it seems great but once I get it on the computer it seems dull and flat.

What color space are you using? If you are using Adobe 98 (ARGB) colors will look dull on your computer. SRGB is the color space for all web use; ARGB is for direct printing.