by Ahmed Anwar on September 30, 2009
Hello and Welcome to Digital Photography Basics. If you are looking for a source that will teach you basics of digital photography, then you shouldn’t look far. This blog is updated regularly with new information that will help you become a better photographer, be it for fun or professional commitment. In case, you want us to cover a certain topic, ask away in the comments section or contact us privately. We will try our best to cover it for you.
Welcome To Digital Photography Basics.
by Ahmed Anwar on February 2, 2010
When it comes to digital cameras, especially digital SLR’s, we may come across various reviews that you can find online and in print. After all, when we’re talking about investing in digital SLR’s or digital photography, there are a lot of things to consider. Digital photography equipment is indeed expensive and so we’ll have to make the most out of digital photography reviews to make sure we are shedding out some serious cash on the right one. Here are a couple of digital photography reviews on Canon EOS 5D Mark II. Let’s first discuss this digital SLR as it is one of the top choices of digital photography enthusiasts today.
The Canon EOS 5D Mark II is known as the full-frame digital SLR which is not only a nice camera with a neat interface but it can also capture or record HD video! Imagine that now, with your digital SLR, you can create videos in HD quality! Now that is surely where we should be heading in terms of such digital cameras. After all, HD television programming is now becoming mandatory in most parts of the world. It is becoming the norm. And sooner or later, all the cameras to be released will be able to record HD-quality videos. In fact, in the USA alone, it has become a law that everyone must switch to digital. Analog TV is being phased out in North America. And so it’s time to welcome all the technological gadgets in full HD!
That is certainly the beauty of a Canon EOS 5D Mark II. It is a professional DSLR that is on the lower to middle priced ones. It is an update on the original EOS 5D that seems to make this digital SLR offer and added feature. A lot of owners of this camera like that it has a similar ability with its predecessor in a way that it shoot images with a film-like quality. It is known to provide a great image quality as well as an expanded ISO range. The only disadvantage of getting this type of SLR is that there are cheaper cameras in the market having better or more features than this one. At the same time, this digital SLR has a couple of new RAW modes to boost. The only problem is that it has a slight color shift when you look at the photos. And what is the price? Getting this digital SLR will probably set you back around $2,800 to $3,000 depending on the package you get and of course the deal you get where you get it.
by Ahmed Anwar on January 30, 2010
Digital photography is a great way to bring out creativity. A simple object can look outstanding when you know something about photography. Waterfalls are one of the most interesting subjects in digital photography, but it is also one of the challenging shots to do. There are a number of considerations when making waterfalls as your subject matter. For one, the water is something moving. Since it is outdoor, the lighting can also be quite difficult. There are actually two ways to photograph waterfalls, which are through long shutter speed to blur the water or through fast shutter speed. Most people prefer to do the first one. To know more of the basics of photographing waterfalls, read through below.
1.In order to make the adjustment of exposure easier, you should have a starting point. Shoot the waterfall in auto mode first and check on the settings your camera used. Usually, the auto mode’s exposure would freeze or make the water look still. This setting could be your point of reference for your next shots.
2.If you aim to get a flowing water shot, you would want to have a blur effect on the water. You can use the shutter priority mode to manually control the shutter speed and let the aperture adjust automatically. You can try to put the shutter speed around 1 to 2 seconds; but because of the long shutter speed, you will definitely need a tripod to avoid camera shake. The problem with longer shutter speed is more light comes in even if the slow shutter speed is compensated by the aperture. This then results to a brighter photo.
3.Using a polarizing filter can decrease the light entering the camera. This can also help in decreasing reflections and in making the color of your photos richer.
4.As said earlier, if you want to get a moving water shot, you need to use a slow shutter speed. Because more amount of light enters the camera, refrain from shooting when the sun is up. Choose the time of the day, that is when the sun is not that bright, to decrease the chances of overexposed photos.
5.If all else fail, try switching to aperture priority mode and adjust the settings to the smallest aperture possible. Aside from getting the blurred effect on your photo, a small aperture will also have an effect on the depth of field of the image. The waterfall becomes more focused because of the larger depth created.
6.Adjusting to lower ISO could also help in making your camera less sensitive to light. This is also used to give your waterfall photo more detail.
by Ahmed Anwar on January 27, 2010
A lot of serious hobbyist love to play photographer and often times end up taking photography jobs on the side. They start out through word of mouth until later on, they become known to the world. So if you are among those people who are still on the verge of practicing, familiarizing, and perfecting your talent in digital photography, then perhaps a DIY digital photography studio will do you good. You don’t need to invest much on a digital photography studio right now. You can do it on your own as you practice your photography skills. At the same time, it will help you save a lot. After all, if you aren’t still sure that you’ll turn this hobby into a career, then perhaps doing it on your own will be the best solution. Who knows if next month, you’ll get busy with your real day time job and you lose time for your photography hobby? It would be best that you do this hobby cheaply first until you are very sure about it. So if you’re ready, here are some tips on DIY digital photography studio.
The beauty of digital photography is that you can shoot hundreds and hundreds of pictures and you can simply erase what you don’t like and keep those beautiful accidents as well as those photos that you have successfully put a lot of effort. But as you do this, might as well make a DIY digital photography studio where all your notes, gadgets, and equipment are in place. You can start practicing there and also edit your pictures there as well.
So what do you need for your DIY digital photography studio?
1.A work area – have a clean wide table where you can write your notes or place your computer when you try to view the photos that you’ve taken. The very important thing when doing a lot of photo shoots is to take notes. Make sure that you note down the settings before you take that shot. You can do this by writing or just by typing it in your computer. Whatever is more convenient for you will certainly work.
2.Plain background, wall – have one side of your DIY digital photography studio a blank wall without any furniture. A plain and simple background will help you focus on your subject and get to play with the settings that you have in your digital SLR. Again, make sure to take notes.
3.Lighting – you need objects that produce light so you’ll need lights, bulbs, and even glow-in-dark materials when you want to test out night scenes. You will also need reflectors to redirect light as they give that impression of having more than just one light. It will help you get good lighting on all sides of your subject. You may also need diffusers. If you’ve seen those umbrellas in studios, those are diffusers. They help in attenuating the light. And if you need to change light, moderators are needed. They are the filters of colored gels that give different special effects to your photos like casting shadows or limiting the light where it’s supposed to just hit in your subject.
by Ahmed Anwar on January 21, 2010
When you have dived into the world of digital photography, all you can do is do photo shoot sessions to practice your photography skills. You want to make the best results as possible and you want to be able to produce interesting effects with your raw photos. So if you are interested to improve your digital images, then perhaps these top digital photography tips will come in handy. Read on to learn these top digital photography tips today.
First tip to share with you to make better digital photos is by warming up the tones. Sometimes, when you look at the photos you’ve taken, you see that some of them have that cool or feeling blue effect that seems dull, boring, and sad. Well the reason for that is because you lack warming up those tones. The default setting for the white balance setting of your digital cameras are in automatic mode. This is fine for most photos you take but for taking photos of objects having vivid colors or like for taking landscape shots, you will need to adjust that setting and remove from default. When you are taking shots outdoors and you have a sunny landscape to shoot, avoid the white balance setting. Instead of using auto, turn the white balance setting to cloudy. I know it’s not cloudy out there but that means that your digital camera will try to adjust the photo to make it look warmer and brighter – a plus to the sunny landscape you’re taking a shot of. It’s like adding a mild warming filter to your camera. The yellows, oranges, and reds will look richer and warmer in your digital photos. Test it out and see for yourself.
Another great digital photography tip you will learn here is the sunglasses polarizer. If you really want to be taken away with awesome pictures, then get some polarizing filter. Every serious photographer should have one. In fact, it is the one filter that a photographer should own. There are other types of filters out there but this is the one must–have filter. Why? If you love taking photos of landscapes and other outdoor shots, it will greatly help remove the glare and unwanted reflections. At the same time, they offer richer and more saturated colors especially the sky. If you’ve seen pre-wedding pictures which are always done outdoors, you will notice that the skies are always so vivid and rich in the photos. That’s because they have been using polarizing filters. But let’s admit the fact that it’s extra budget that you have to make. So if you can’t afford it right now, you can still do this effect with a normal point-and-shoot digital camera. Get a pair of quality sunglasses and remove the lens to use as your polarizing filter. Just place the sunglasses as close as possible to the camera lens. Check your view finder and see that the rims aren’t seen in the shot. To make the shot better, make sure the sun is positioned to your left or right shoulder when you take the shot. This polarizing effect is best when your light source is at a 90-degree angle from your subject.
by Ahmed Anwar on January 17, 2010
Are you finding yourself getting lured to the world of digital photography? Don’t worry because you are not alone. Millions of people around the globe are now into digital photography, be it for casual use, serious hobby, or for a professional career. Because of the many features and functions of the World Wide Web, including social networking and photo sharing, more and more people dive into digital photography to be able to share great pictures with their family and friends. Aside from that, digital photography is widely used in ecommerce. Online stores have to be able to feature their products clearly and so digital photography is a must. So if you are already interested, then here is a feature on digital photography basics: the camera. After all, it is the most basic thing you need when getting into digital photography.
You can’t get into digital photography without a camera. Of course without a digital camera, you won’t be able to take pictures. So knowing what camera to buy and use is one of the digital photography basics that we will be discussing here. Over the past couple of years, digital cameras have tremendously improved in terms of visual quality and price. Previously, those digital cameras that took great pictures reached a thousand dollars. But over time, the prices have significantly dropped. At the same time, the mega pixels these digital cameras can accommodate have increased vastly. Those digital cameras of today that are near-professional quality can go as low as $300 to $500. But of course, we are talking about the semi-digital SLR’s or the point-and-shoot digital cameras. They already produce decent-looking and high-quality images but the features and functions of such aren’t as sophisticated as the Digital SLR’s of today.
When you decide that you want to take digital photography more seriously, and you are even thinking of getting into such a career, then perhaps the digital SLR’s are better for you. Point and shoot cameras won’t work for you. They make be able to produce great photos but they have their limitations. For one, these point and shoot cameras take bad photos at night. You won’t be able to take landscape photos during night time. They have limited zoom capabilities. And when you compare the quality of the photos from point and shoot cameras against the professionally taken photos, you will surely notice that they aren’t the same. The photos taken from a Digital SLR are far better as compared to the point and shoot cameras.
