The Fundamentals of Photography

[Graham_of_Rainham]

This forum attracts a lot of people that are "New" to digital photography.

There are a vast number of guides, techniques, tips, etc., and we have a lot of those here in various parts of the forum

So what are the most important "things to learn". What is THE most important, fundamental, golden rule, that you must always follow, that will produce improvements in your photography

I bet if you take a poll you will get nearly as many No1 tips as there are members posting, but then some poor soul would have to make sence of it all...

So...

How can we use this forum to collect the members top tips/techniques/rules (whatever you want to call them) to form a collective wisdom.

Ultimatly it could become a "Front Page" article with the results (perhaps with examples) of this collective wisdom.

It needs to be numerically limited, otherwise it will simply end up as just another great long list, with Tip 52 being a re-worded version of Tip 24 and who is going to trawl through that lot...

If it's "Maintained" (which is where DPNow come in) then it could run as a chart and the Top "N" Tips will be the result.

Lets say "Rule of Thirds" is suggested and 50 members vote for it (Guess we will need a voting system) then someone suggests "Level Horizons" is a good thing to have and it gets more votes, then up the chart it goes.

Perhaps it should be called "Top of the Tips"

Eventually the fundamentals will emerge and with new ideas entering the charts, it will be a dynamic reference that new members can learn from and the more experienced can refer to. (an aid to failing memory )

"Being there and having a camera" could be considered the No1 tip, but that's probably too obvious and would soon be overtaken by something like "having the subject in focus"

I hope this seed of an idea finds fertile minds and that everyone will be involved...

If DPNow put up an "Aunt Sally" list the members could then order them to their considered importance and the list be updated (monthly with a reference to it on the Front Page) as members vote the importance of what they consider to be "The Fundamentals of Photography"

[Patrick]

Re: The Fundamentals of Photography

This forum attracts a lot of people that are "New" to digital photography.

There are a vast number of guides, techniques, tips, etc., and we have a lot of those here in various parts of the forum

So what are the most important "things to learn". What is THE most important, fundamental, golden rule, that you must always follow, that will produce improvements in your photography

I bet if you take a poll you will get nearly as many No1 tips as there are members posting, but then some poor soul would have to make sence of it all...

So...

How can we use this forum to collect the members top tips/techniques/rules (whatever you want to call them) to form a collective wisdom.

Ultimatly it could become a "Front Page" article with the results (perhaps with examples) of this collective wisdom.

It needs to be numerically limited, otherwise it will simply end up as just another great long list, with Tip 52 being a re-worded version of Tip 24 and who is going to trawl through that lot...

If it's "Maintained" (which is where DPNow come in) then it could run as a chart and the Top "N" Tips will be the result.

Lets say "Rule of Thirds" is suggested and 50 members vote for it (Guess we will need a voting system) then someone suggests "Level Horizons" is a good thing to have and it gets more votes, then up the chart it goes.

Perhaps it should be called "Top of the Tips"

Eventually the fundamentals will emerge and with new ideas entering the charts, it will be a dynamic reference that new members can learn from and the more experienced can refer to. (an aid to failing memory )

"Being there and having a camera" could be considered the No1 tip, but that's probably too obvious and would soon be overtaken by something like "having the subject in focus"

I hope this seed of an idea finds fertile minds and that everyone will be involved...

If DPNow put up an "Aunt Sally" list the members could then order them to their considered importance and the list be updated (monthly with a reference to it on the Front Page) as members vote the importance of what they consider to be "The Fundamentals of Photography"

Hi Graham

The idea is a seasonable one but we would really need to sort out what its to be Fundamentals of Photography or Top Tips.

Fundamentals to me are about exposure, shutter speeds, apertures, focusing, even how to hold a camera steady while shooting. This sort of basic technique. However tips are about making best use of this knowledge.

I would suggest focusing as one area modern AF cameras have spoilt us and as a result composition often goes out the window. The main focus point is in the middle so the subject ends up in the middle, there are other focus points but how often are they used?
When maximum depth of field is wanted, where do we focus? On the nearest object and stop down as much as possible, f22 or even f32 if we can? or at infinity stopped down as much as possible?

Or be more creative and choose a point somewhere between using something like f11 that will give sharpness close up through to infinity. That's one of my tips.

Patrick

[Autumn]

Re: The Fundamentals of Photography

One thing I try to remember to do is to leave my camera settings in a fairly neutral state, because many a time I have picked up my camera quickly and just shot without checking the settings and lost what could have been a good shot. By neutral I am only talking about leaving it in P mode. I usually leave my ISO at 80.

Another thing I use (now that it is on my camera - it was not on the Canon Powershot G3) is the Grid split into thirds. I find that my compositions have improved enormously since using it.

[mib2]

Re: The Fundamentals of Photography

Hi Audrey

Nice tip by the way.

Focus for me which is what I seem to be failing.

Dave R

[rkhart]

Re: The Fundamentals of Photography

I found this thread while searching for some tips on the site. When I read the 1st post, I thought "What a great idea! This thread will be perfect for me as a beginner photographer!" I was a little disappointed when I continued reading to find that there were only 2 posts following Graham's initial one. I think this would be an excellent place for all you experts out there to post your tips, ideas, and thoughts on how to get unique and creative photographs... and maybe teach us beginners a thing or 2!

Perhaps someone can start by helping me out with this one. I've seen photographs where it would appear the shutter was only half open when the picture was taken, resulting in 2 of the corners being dark from the shutter. Is there a way to do this with your camera or is this a Photoshopped image? And if there is, how do i go about getting that style of picture? Is there a name for this style of picture?

Looking forward to your responses and maybe some other new ideas as well!

[Patrick]

Re: The Fundamentals of Photography

I found this thread while searching for some tips on the site. When I read the 1st post, I thought "What a great idea! This thread will be perfect for me as a beginner photographer!" I was a little disappointed when I continued reading to find that there were only 2 posts following Graham's initial one. I think this would be an excellent place for all you experts out there to post your tips, ideas, and thoughts on how to get unique and creative photographs... and maybe teach us beginners a thing or 2!

Perhaps someone can start by helping me out with this one. I've seen photographs where it would appear the shutter was only half open when the picture was taken, resulting in 2 of the corners being dark from the shutter. Is there a way to do this with your camera or is this a Photoshopped image? And if there is, how do i go about getting that style of picture? Is there a name for this style of picture?

Looking forward to your responses and maybe some other new ideas as well!

Hi

Not sure this is what you are asking about, darkening of corners is nothing to do with the shutter, its called vignetting and can be caused by a number of things. A cause on digital cameras is the use of a lens designed for APS size sensors on a full frame digital camera, the lens cannot cover the whole area.
It can be caused my the addition of round filters to the camera lens particularly wide angle lenses. Caused in these ways its considered a fault as its not really under control of the photographer.

However for artistic reasons it is introduced in editing software i.e. Photoshop or if film is still used in the darkroom, but under full control of the photographer and therefore in exactly the way he/she wants it..
The idea being by darkening the corners it makes the viewer look at what the photographer intends you to look at.
There are a number of ways of doing it in Photoshop, the one I use is to lasso the area I want to draw attention to, feather by between 200 & 250, invert the selection and using levels darken down.

If its very heavily done on a lighter image it can be too much, so care should be taken.

If this is not what you are asking about then can you point me/us to the image on-line that you are referring to.

Patrick

[Graham_of_Rainham]

Re: The Fundamentals of Photography

I found this thread while searching for some tips on the site. When I read the 1st post, I thought "What a great idea! This thread will be perfect for me as a beginner photographer!" I was a little disappointed when I continued reading to find that there were only 2 posts following Graham's initial one. I think this would be an excellent place for all you experts out there to post your tips, ideas, and thoughts on how to get unique and creative photographs... and maybe teach us beginners a thing or 2!

Looking forward to your responses and maybe some other new ideas as well!

I really appreciate that comment. Thank you.

I too was disapointed that with so many good photographers contributing to the site that we didn't get anything like the number of comments I had hoped for and even less "Top Tips"

I know it's stating the obvious but my number one is always have a camera with you, that is set ready to go with charged batteries and an empty card. Sometimes opportunities present themselves for a very fleeting moment and not being able to work quickly often results in a lost shot.

Knowing how to use all the functions and modes that you need to use with a high level of familiarity would be high on my list (I've heard many times people cursing that they can't remember how to get it to do whatever they want )

A lot of the basics: Focus, Composition, Exposure, etc, etc, will have some people saying one is the most important and others voting for something different. Such is the nature of photography that a simple thing as "The rule of thirds" is for some a fixed and always adheared to principle while other will deliberatly break it to present a dramatic difference.

When it comes to "Natural History" type images few will argue that there needs to be in the image the ability to identify the subject, to have it in its environment and if posible show it doing its thing

I still believe it to be a good idea, but it is not something that will just happen, it needs "manageing".

[rkhart]

Re: The Fundamentals of Photography

Not sure this is what you are asking about, darkening of corners is nothing to do with the shutter, its called vignetting and can be caused by a number of things.

If this is not what you are asking about then can you point me/us to the image on-line that you are referring to.

Thanks Patrick.... I looked up vignetting and I don't think that's the term I'm looking for. I tired to find you a picture that would describe what I'm referring to and unfortunately this is the best I could come up with. This picture was not taken by me... I found it on Google.

The original picture I had seen with the partially closed shutter was a wedding picture and it was a great photo! Unfortunately I can no longer find that picture. Hopefullly this gives you a better idea of what I'm looking for.



Graham - Thanks for the additional tips!! I'll take any extras you feel like throwing out!

[Pops]

Re: The Fundamentals of Photography

I wonder if that could be the lens hood causing that shadow!

[Patrick]

Re: The Fundamentals of Photography

Thanks Patrick.... I looked up vignetting and I don't think that's the term I'm looking for. I tired to find you a picture that would describe what I'm referring to and unfortunately this is the best I could come up with. This picture was not taken by me... I found it on Google.

The original picture I had seen with the partially closed shutter was a wedding picture and it was a great photo! Unfortunately I can no longer find that picture. Hopefullly this gives you a better idea of what I'm looking for.



Graham - Thanks for the additional tips!! I'll take any extras you feel like throwing out!

Hi
The effect on this picture could be easily done in photoshop using the lasso tool. Lasso the area to be darkened then feather to the amount required (Select>feather, in CS4 Select>modify>feather) go to levels or curves and darken to the way you want it. Others may give another method, as you will learn with photoshop there are always at least half a dozen ways to do anything.

What is puzzling me is your description of a half open shutter, the only time an exposure can be made with what appears to be a partially open shutter is when a camera fitted with a focal plane shutter is used with the incorrect shutter speed and flash. For example if the camera is made to sync with the flash at a maximum of 1/125 and 1/250 is used then only part of the frame will be exposed because the second curtain has started to close. This will block exposure to part of the frame. A horizontal shutter will block down one side and a vertical will block from the top, if a higher shutter speed is used then only a small slit would be exposed, and a very fast shutter speed and nothing will be exposed.
A technique which is interesting to use are is a very slow shutter speeds when using flash. If a moving subject is photographed with flash and a shutter speed of say 1/10 or even longer is used, a sharp image is captured but because the exposure continues after the flash a blurred trail is also made this can be very effective. Some digital DSLR's give an option in the menu called 2nd curtain sync, which gives a similar effect.

Patrick

PS be very careful posting other peoples pictures to this or any other forum without permission, copyright is owned by the author. If you want me or anyone else to see a particular example to illustrate something point go to the the site and picture by using the address. Easily done simply go to the picture or article and copy & paste the address from the top of the screen (select> right click> copy, to paste right click> past to where you want it) the resulting link will appear on your post, the reading can then double click it and is taken to the picture or article, this way no copyrights have been infringed. This only happens with focal plane shutters, leaf type shutters will sync at any speed.

[rkhart]

Re: The Fundamentals of Photography

Hi
The effect on this picture could be easily done in photoshop using the lasso tool. Lasso the area to be darkened then feather to the amount required (Select>feather, in CS4 Select>modify>feather) go to levels or curves and darken to the way you want it. Others may give another method, as you will learn with photoshop there are always at least half a dozen ways to do anything.

Patrick... thanks for your reply. I had some troubles with the site and wasn't able to get on here for a while. I completely forgot about this post until now.

I just tried your suggestion in CS4. I've got everything up until the "go to levels or curves" part. After I use the lasso tool, I clicked on the Levels and Curves options, but it didn't give me the look I was going for. I then clicked on "Refine Edge" and it gave me exactly the result I wanted. However... once I click "ok", I lose all my settings and it goes back to my lasso selection. Any suggestions on what I'm doing wrong??

Thanks again.

[Pops]

Re: The Fundamentals of Photography

Patrick... thanks for your reply. I had some troubles with the site and wasn't able to get on here for a while. I completely forgot about this post until now.

I just tried your suggestion in CS4. I've got everything up until the "go to levels or curves" part. After I use the lasso tool, I clicked on the Levels and Curves options, but it didn't give me the look I was going for. I then clicked on "Refine Edge" and it gave me exactly the result I wanted. However... once I click "ok", I lose all my settings and it goes back to my lasso selection. Any suggestions on what I'm doing wrong??

Thanks again.

I still think that those particular shadows were caused by a butterfly hood and not by any image editor

[rkhart]

Re: The Fundamentals of Photography

I still think that those particular shadows were caused by a butterfly hood and not by any image editor

The picture I used above was an example! However, it somewhat shows the effect that I wanted. I realize it may have been caused by a lens hood, but it's the vignetting that I wanted to learn how to do.

[Danny Chau]

Re: The Fundamentals of Photography

The picture I used above was an example! However, it somewhat shows the effect that I wanted. I realize it may have been caused by a lens hood, but it's the vignetting that I wanted to learn how to do.

Mask out the shape you wanted with the lasso tool on a new layer, feather then fill it in with black will give you the same result.

[Ian]

Re: The Fundamentals of Photography

Hi Danny, nice to see you here again!

How is life in Hong Kong these daya?

Ian