More White Balance

To understand why you might need to adjust the white balance in your camera, you first need to understand color temperature.

Adjusting the white balance basically means making sure that a part of the picture that is supposed to be a neutral color does actually contain equal amounts of red, green and blue. We call it white balance but it works equally well with light gray parts of the scene, however generally speaking the lighter the better. If the gray parts of the picture are indeed rendered gray then it follows that all the other colors in the scene will be rendered in a natural looking way.

On the right you can see the effect of right and wrong white balance in a composition with delicate colors. The more pastel the colors in the scene the more important it is to get the white balance correct.

On most modern cameras we have an AWB (automatic white balance) setting, various fixedcolor temperature settings such as ‘daylight’, ‘tungsten’ and ‘flash’ and, on the better cameras, and a custom setting. Read the rest of this entry »

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How to get Sharp Photographs

Getting your digital images perfectly sharp is something that most photographers want – however clean, crisp, sharp images can be difficult to achieve. Red Flower


Perhaps before we start exploring how to improve sharpness it would be good to talk about the main causes for lack of sharpness:

  • Poor Focus – the most obvious way to get images that are ‘un-sharp’ is through having them out of focus. This might be a result of focussing upon the wrong part of the image, being too close to your subject for the camera to focus, selecting an aperture that generates a very narrow depth of field or taking an image too quickly without checking it is in focus.
  • Subject Movement - another type of ‘blur’ in shots is the result of your subject moving – this is generally related to shutter speed being too slow.
  • Camera Shake – similarly you can get blur if you as the photographer generate movement while taking the image – this often relates to either shutter speed and/or the stillness of your camera.
  • Noise – ‘noisy’ shots are ones that are pixelated and look like they have lots of little dots over them (get up close to your TV and you’ll get the same impact).

Here’s a list of 10 basic things to think about when shooting to get sharp images.

1. Hold Your Camera Well

A lot of blur in the photos that I see is a direct result of camera shake (the movement of your camera for that split second when your shutter is open). While the best way to tackle camera shake is to use a Tripod (see below) there are many times when using one is impractical and you’ll need to shoot while holding your camera. I’ve written a tutorial previously on how to hold a digital camera but in brief – use both hands, keep the camera close to your body, support yourself with a wall, tree or some other solid object etc.

2. Tripods

Regular readers of this site will have seen my recent series on tripods and know that I’m a big fan of them as a way to reduce (and even eliminate) camera shake. While not always practical, the result you’ll get when you do go to the effort of hauling one around can be well worth it.

3. Shutter Speed

Perhaps one of the first things to think about in your quest for sharp images is the shutter speed that you select. Obviously – the faster your shutter speed the less impact camera shake will have and the more you’ll freeze any movement in your shots. As a result you reduce the likelihood of two of the main types of blur in one go (subject movement and camera movement). Remember the ‘rule’ for handheld shutter speeds:

So:

  • if you have a lens that is 50mm in length don’t shoot any slower than 1/60th of a second
  • if you have a lens with a 100mm focal length shoot at 1/125th of a second or faster
  • if you are shooting with a lens of 200mm shoot at 1/250th of a second or faster

Keep in mind that the faster your shutter speed is the larger you’ll need to make your Aperture to compensate – this will mean you have a smaller depth of field which makes focussing more of a challenge (read more on Shutter Speed).

4. Aperture

Aperture impacts the depth of field (the zone that is in focus) in your images. Decreasing your aperture (increasing the number – say up to f/20) will increase the depth of field meaning that the zone that is in focus will include both close and distant objects. Do the opposite (for example moving to f/4) and the foreground and background of your images will be more out of focus and you’ll need to be more exact with what you focus your camera upon. Keep in mind that the smaller your aperture the longer your shutter speed will need to be – which of course makes moving subjects more difficult to keep sharp (read more on Aperture).

5. ISO

The third element of the exposure triangle is ISO which has a direct impact upon the noisiness of your shots. Choose a larger ISO and you’ll be able to use faster shutter speed and smaller aperture (which as we’ve seen help with sharpness) but you’ll suffer by increasing the noise of your shots. Depending upon your camera (and how large you want to enlarge your images) you can probably get away with using ISO of up to 400 (or even 800 on some cameras) without too much noise but for pin sharp images keep it as low as possible). Read more on ISO.

6. Image Stabilisation

Many cameras and lenses are now being released with different forms of image stabilisation (IS) which won’t eliminate camera shake – but can definitely help reduce its impact. I find that using IS lenses that it will give me an extra two or three stops (ie I can use slower shutter speeds but 2-3 stops) when hand holding my camera. Keep in mind that IS helps with camera movement but not subject movement as it allows you to use slower shutter speeds (not good for moving subjects).

7. Focus

Perhaps the most obvious technique to work on when aiming for sharp lenses is focussing. Most of us use ‘Auto Focussing’ with our cameras but don’t assume that the camera will always get it right. Always visually check what part of the image is in focus before hitting the shutter and if it’s not right try again or switch to manual focus mode. This is particularly important if you’re shooting with a large aperture (small depth of field) where even being slightly out can result in your subject being noticeably out of focus.

8. Good lenses

This one is for DSLR owners – if you have the budget for it invest in good quality lenses as they can have a major impact upon the sharpness of your images. For example shortly after buying my DSLR I was in the market for a everyday zoom lens that would give me the ability to have both wide (ish) and telephoto zoom capabilities. I bought a Canon EF 28-135mm lens. It was a good lens (and reasonably priced) but it wasn’t as sharp as some of my other lenses. A few months later I borrowed a Canon EF 24-105mm ‘L series’ (the professional series of lenses from Canon) lens from a friend and was amazed by the difference in sharpness between the lenses. While the first lens was good for what I paid for it I ended up going for an upgrade and the new lens is now almost permanently attached to my camera.

9. Get your Eyes Checked

Since I was young I’ve worn glasses but in recent years I’ve been a little slack in getting my eyes checked. Recently I got them tested for the first time in a number of years and was surprised to find that they’d deteriorated significantly. Getting new glasses improved a number of areas of my life, one of which was my photography. Also connected with this is checking the ‘diopter’ on your camera (if it has one. The diopter is a little adjustment that you can make to how your viewfinder works – it’s particularly useful for people with poor eye sight – it’s usually a little wheel next to your viewfinder.

10. Clean equipment

Recently my wife and I went on a window cleaning frenzy at our place. Over the previous months the grime on our windows had gradually built up without us really noticing it. When we did clean them though we were amazed at how much more light got through and how much better the view outside was. The same can be true for your camera’s lens. Keep it clean and you’ll eliminate the smudges, dust and grime that can impact your shots. Similarly – a clean image sensor is a wonderful thing if you have a DSLR as getting dust on it can produce noticeable blotches in your end images.

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Fast Moving Subjects

 MotorcyclistIf your subject is moving, take lots of shots in
succession. Then you’ll get the special photograph
you would certainly otherwise have missed.
There is a handy mode on your camera for this:
continuous shooting. This allows you to shoot
multiple photographs in rapid succession of your
target in action. With digital photography, you can
easily erase less successful photographs. So: shoot
and capture that spectacular moment perfectly! From Canon’s Courses

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Photographing Animals

Animals are difficult to direct. Due to this, you are quickly tempted toCat shoot a photograph of a pet or animal in the situation it just happens to be in. This can work well, but it often produces fairly static portraits. Recognise this? Your pet does something funny and just as you have your camera ready, it appears that the cat or dog already has other plans. So make sure that you maintain as much contact with the animal as possible. For example through calling your dog, due to which he’ll come to you. Or throw a toy to your cat. Food always works too. Have someone
throw a dog biscuit into the air so that your dog looks up or even jumps. In brief, draw the attention of your animal so that their behaviour is more photogenic. You’ll see that this produces much better photographs!

In this picture the cat is looking away, reducing the effect of the picture

In this picture the cat is looking away, reducing the effect of the picture

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Portraits

EyesWhat does a person look like exactly? What are a person’s special characteristics and what does their posture say? Do you surprise someone by spontaneously shooting a photograph, or, instead, do you give them specific instructions in advance? You have to take into account all circumstances when photographing people. Read the rest of this entry »

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Detail 2

Willow TreeYou usually shoot a nature photograph because a situation makes an impression on you. A rugged tree for example, or a bush full of beautiful spring blossom. Even so, it’s common for the photographmnot to reflect the special feeling of beauty that affected you so much at that moment. Commonly, this is because it is usually a part of the whole that provided the beauty. So not the entire bush, but the blossom. And not all the blossom, but that one that was absolutely perfect, light pink in colour. So try to discover what exactly it is that makes the natural beauty so attractive. Look out for the small details. Concentrate on those details and try to shoot them as attractively as possible. Don’t forget the possibilities and limitations of your camera here. When zooming in, a lens requires a minimum distance with regard to the subject to be able to stay in focus.

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Details

   

At an event in addition to shooting regular shots, try to pay attention to the details instead of the whole thing. A ring that slides over a finger is far more penetrating than two people that are doing ‘something’ with each other’s hands. A pen that floats over a sheet of paper says more than someone signing their signature. A knife disappearing into the cake is more artistic than the obligatory photograph of the couple cutting it. Be

creative and zoom in on the details that symbolise a situation or act. Also have a

look at how the location has been decorated. Photograph the streamers, a tray of

champagne glasses or a festively laid table just before the dinner commences.Again, the same applies that a single artistically folded napkin can say more than twenty covers in a row.

 

Look at the detail capturedI used a macro mode on this one.

 

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Experimenting with Composition

It’s normal to want to put your main subject slap bang in the middle of your photograph. This is OK but your photograph probably looks quite boring. There are many composition tips I could share with you, but I would like to focus on one with you. The one third rule. Don’t confuse this with the rule of thirds. The one third rule is when you divide your picture into thirds longways, and then place your main subject in one of the sections on the sides as displayed in this picture .

The cats head is on the side of the picture

The cats head is on the side of the picture

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Composition

One of the most effective ways to make your digital images more interesting to the eye is to change the angle that you’re shooting from.
Let me use an illustration of a couple of pictures I took of a big pineapple (don’t ask – it’s an Australian thing). Read the rest of this entry »

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Ideas of great shots

Here are some ideas of great pictures to take.  Feel more than welcome to post a comment of your own ideas.

*Take pictures of a sunrise or sunset. It is a very good shot particularly if  you use a small exposure as it gives  the  sun a glow.                                                           

Editing has been done to this image.  See anything?

See the suns glow?

Read the rest of this entry »

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