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Seniornet Wellington Photography Course

The First Photograph, or more specifically, the earliest known surviving

photograph made in a camera, was taken by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in 1826 or

1827. The image was the view from an upstairs window at Niépce's estate, Le Gras,

in the Burgundy region of France.

Since then the principles of photography have not changed. Light passing through a

lens to deposit the image onto film or in the digital world an electronic image sensor,

is the same.

Your digital camera at any level has more features than you probably will ever use.

The purpose of this course is to get you familiar with some of these functions to

assist you to capture interesting, meaningful quality images that you will be proud to

show to friends and family.

To get the most out of this course you will need to bring your camera and your

manual. Your camera “quick start” guide is not enough. One of your tutors will

contact you soon after you register and before starting to assist you to get a manual

if you don’t already have one. They can be downloaded from a web site and printed.

It is highly recommended you have a full manual. Your tutors are not familiar with all

of the functions for each make of camera hence the need to refer to your manual.

Photography is a fascinating hobby, it is about metaphorically stopping the clock,

making your ever-changing world stand still. It is also about:

Getting out and really appreciating nature.

Being more observant of your surroundings.

Seeing the world more artistically.

Sharing your experiences with others, whether friends or family.

Many photographers get distracted by analysing the bells and whistles of various

cameras. While it is true that excellent equipment plays a part in picture quality,

buying a great camera does not mean you’ll end up with great photos. As much as

having a great camera helps, the true art is within you. This course is aimed more to

getting the best result from your camera, of any type.

What to Shoot. There are unlimited possibilities. Here are a few:

Nature. The great outdoors but also indoors! Animals, insects, sunsets.

Landscapes – includes any outdoor scene, waterfalls, mountains, fields,

seascapes, plus buildings, cityscapes, ships, aircraft, with or without people.

Wildlife – both in the wild or in a refuge/zoo or your back garden.

Macro subjects – anything small that you can see with the naked eye.

People offer an infinite variety doing things or as portraits.

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Travel. Recording your travel and searching for unique ways to do this. Don’t

forget travel around your local environment.

Here are some images of cameras. If you have not yet bought a camera or are

considering “up-grading” it is worth pointing out that the more external controls a

camera has the easier it is to operate and get a great result.

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Why all these controls, what are they for?

You may not use all of them however they enable you to shoot higher quality, better

images. First you need to understand a few basics. Your “image sensor” requires a

set amount of light to record the image. Image sensors are proportionate to the size

of a camera or cell phone. There are inherent limitations to all of these but you can

achieve good photos by following through with this Seniornet Tutorial and these

notes

Light is the key. To be able to control light there are three functions that you can

alter. (Automatic is not one of them.) They are Aperture, Shutter and ISO.

Aperture represents the size of the camera lens opening when you take a photo,

which then determines how much light from the scene gets to the sensor. The

aperture adjustable blades are contained within the lens. You get to adjust the

aperture size either by selecting from a range of options on your LCD screen or by

turning a wheel on the camera body. Aperture is measured by something called

f-stops. Confusingly a large f-stop number (such as f/22) means a small aperture,

while a small number (f/4) means a large aperture.

If your window (or aperture) is too small, not enough light will get in and your photo

will be too dark, or underexposed. If your aperture is too large, too much light will

get in and your photo will be too bright and washed out or overexposed.

Shutter speed also controls how much light enters the camera by controlling the

length of time the sensor is exposed to this light. The shutter mechanism can be a

blind drawn across immediately before the sensor, or the opening and closing of

metal shutters in the lens, or in some simple cameras and cell phones by switching

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on and off the sensor. Open and close the shutters too quickly, not enough light,

your photo will be dark (underexposed). Conversely open the shutters for too long

your photo will be too bright (overexposed). Shutter speeds are measured in

fractions of a second, e.g. 1/125 of a second. The smaller the fraction the faster, the

shutter speed, 1/125 of a second is faster than ½ of a second.

To photograph a moving subject it is necessary to hold your camera still and

depend on a fast shutter speed to freeze the movement otherwise your subject will

appear blurred. This setting is important in creating your desired photo result, e.g. A

slow shutter speed when shooting moving water will heighten the impression of

movement. Using the same setting shooting a rugby player will result in a very

blurred player, therefore you need to use a fast speed for this application.

ISO (International Standards Organisation) settings. Measures the sensitivity of the

image sensor. With film we would have to change it for each value, say from a “25”

to a “100”. With our digital camera we only need to turn a wheel or press a few

buttons.

ISO readings double each time, e.g. 100,200,400,800,1600, etc. Using a higher

number means the sensor is working harder and needs less light to record an image.

The downside to using a high number is that your image will acquire a coloured

dotted grainy look called noise which is very distracting. A physically small image

sensor, will generate much more noise than a large sensor. (See diagram.)

Therefore try not to go over ISO400 using a “point ‘n shoot” camera. DSLR cameras

have much larger sensors and can handle ISO3200 and up. This means the DSLR

can achieve at least a 3 stop (EV) better result under difficult light conditions plus the

ability to have 3-15 times more pixels which will result in high resolution images

which will give you more detail for display and printing.

Stops and E V’s. Under Aperture you were made aware of Stops. The same term

can be used to describe the steps for Shutter Speed and ISO numbers. The more

correct term is Exposure Value’s – E V. An f/ number stands for “fractional number”.

It represents the focal length divided by the width of the diaphragm opening, so a

50mm lens with a 28mm-wide diaphragm yields an f/number (aperture) of 1.8.

Each step is equal to “1 EV (or stop)”. Therefore if we move our Aperture from say f-

4 to f-5.6 (-1 EV) we have reduced the amount of light reaching the sensor, however

if we at the same time alter our Shutter from say 1/125 of a second to 1/60 (i.e.+1

EV) we have increased the amount of light, result = no change; and the same

applies using ISO numbers. Compensation is required for all settings to enable the

correct set amount of light to reach the sensor. Automatic function does this but you

do not then have the opportunity to adjust for movement or greater depth of field.

Modes. To assist you with these settings your camera manufacturer has built in a

number of “situation” selections called modes. With point ‘n shoot cameras you can

access more than 20 choices via your LCD screen. DSLR cameras may only have 5-

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6 choices accessed via a knob one turns, usually found on top. The assumption is

that DSLR owners have enough knowledge to make their own adjustments using a

combination of Aperture, Shutter and ISO!

As a good start you are advised to make use of these Modes, your photography will

be much better for it. When you switch to these modes the camera settings are done

for you. Some mode examples are:-

Portrait mode, indicated by a head or profile, tells the camera to use a large

aperture (lens opening) to create a shallow depth of field. This ensures your

subject is in focus and the background is blurred. This effect can be increased

by zooming in on your subject but you must hold your camera very steady.

Hold your breath as you press the shutter and brace yourself. (You should of

course do this for all shots.)

Landscape mode is indicated by an icon of mountains. Use this mode for

faraway landscapes and vistas. The camera is set to use a small aperture

which creates a deep depth of field. Everything will be in focus from

foreground to distant scenes.

Sports mode, indicated by a running figure is for freezing the action. The

camera uses a high shutter speed, 1/500 and more. This mode is not

successful at night time, just not enough light. Use for crashing waves, people

running, pets playing, fast moving cars.

Night mode/Night Portrait mode. Both settings do similar things, lower

shutter speed, a larger aperture and a higher ISO. Usually these modes fire

off the flash to illuminate people in the foreground. Night Snapshot mode may

not fire off the flash, instead it increases the ISO. Sunset mode uses a small

aperture to keep everything in focus and increases colour saturation to

produce warmer tones. As both these modes have a long shutter opening

time, the use of a tripod is best.

Indoor mode. You can elect to use the flash or turn it off. Frequently the flash

will produce reflections from shiny objects. Turning off the flash means the

sensor will require more light which it does by increasing the ISO. The trade-

off is increased noise.

Beach mode/Snow mode. The camera exposure meter reduces the aperture

due to the overwhelming influence of the bright background. Therefore a

subject, such as a person will appear dark i.e. under exposed. The aperture is

reduced in size i.e. f-11 to say f-22 and the ISO is reduced. The camera also

tinkers with the white balance. More on this further on.

Fireworks mode, indicated by a fireworks symbol. For this the camera sets a

slow shutter speed and turns off the flash. A tripod is nearly always essential.

After setting up the camera on a tripod the use of a remote shutter release or

use the camera self-timer release to avoid camera movement.

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Macro mode is indicated by a flower. Use macro when you want to shoot

something small very close-up, such as a flower, insect, jewellery, or a stamp.

Point ‘n shoot cameras can usually get to within 4-5 cm of the item.

Automatic. This is indicated by a green Arrow or a similar green indicator.

We are trying to avoid using this mode! There are no options, it is fully

automatic. You are taking this course to move away from this mode.

Program mode. (“P”)This mode is usually only found on high-end point ‘n

shoots and DSLR’s. Depending on the brand/model of camera Program can

be fully or semi-automatic. Selecting “P” will take you to the LCD screen

where you will be able to select from a variety of options. You will need a

basic understanding of Aperture, Shutter and ISO to take advantage of this

mode. The advantage is that by altering one of the options, e.g. Aperture, the

other two, Shutter and ISO will be automatically adjusted plus it gives you the

option of using or not using Flash. This is good mode to start with.

Some general advice. The author of these notes usually always uses Aperture

as a base function, then half pressing the shutter button (practice this, it is vital)

while pointing at the subject, read the shutter and ISO settings on the back

screen on in the view-finder, and then determine if further alterations are

necessary. These alterations may necessitate changing to a higher ISO, using a

tripod or if there is a lot of movement then switching to the Shutter function and

from there adjusting the Aperture and/or ISO. Selecting Aperture first, determines

the desired Depth of Field.

Depth of field. A camera can only focus its lens at a single point, but there will be an area that stretches in front of and behind this focus point that still appears sharp.

This zone is known as the depth of field. It's not a fixed distance, it changes in size and can be described as either 'shallow' (where only a narrow zone appears sharp) or deep (where more of the picture appears sharp).

Depth of field has an impact on both the aesthetic and technical quality of a picture. Sometimes you'll want to use an extensive depth of field in order to keep everything sharp.

A classic example is when you're photographing a landscape, where generally the most desirable outcome is to capture detail from the foreground to the horizon.

Other times, a shallow depth of field will be preferable. It enables you to blur background and foreground details, causing distractions to melt away and allowing you to direct viewers to the focal point in a picture.

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Other controls. Here are a number of Camera Symbols which are attached to

Functions that you will find necessary as you gain knowledge and experience. Some

can be seen on the “4 way rear toggle switch” or on a “rotating knob on top”. These

symbols are universal for all

cameras.

Flash, indicated by a “lightning strike”

symbol, when pressed will enable you

to switch off the flash, essential when

in a museum, or to force the flash to

fire in a back-light situation. There may

be more options found by pressing the

Flash button again, and again which

rotates through the options.

This method of “rotating” is

customary for most of these

controls.

Continuous Shooting Mode, indicated

by a cascading series of frames.

Pressing and holding down the shutter

button for say 1-3 seconds will see you

taking say 10 rapid fire images. Odds

are one will be a winner. A great

strategy where your subject may be

laughing or scoring a goal. You still

need to hold your subject within the focus square in your viewfinder.

Self-Timer, indicated by a clock face usually has two settings, 2 seconds and 10

seconds. If your camera is on a tripod or at least resting on a firm support, using the

10 second option will give you enough time to get into the photo. The timer sounds a

beep at every second, increasing in rapidity in the last few seconds to warn when the

shutter is going to activate. Pressing the shutter when the exposure requires say ½

second invariably results in a blurred image. Using the 2 second setting allows you

to secure a shot under such difficult lighting conditions. You still need to use an

immoveable support, e.g. tripod.

White Balance is available on the Artistic functions. Aperture, shutter, program and

a few others, refer to your camera manual. It is not available on the Auto function,

however AWB, Auto White Balance is available from the selection. AWB may not be

sufficient to correct a colour cast which will prevail under Fluorescent and Tungsten

lighting. Your “4 way switch” usually has a WB indicated at the top or bottom. Press

this and move to your choice by pressing the right or left sides of the “4 way switch”.

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After your shoot under

those conditions it is best to

return your setting back to

AWB otherwise the rest of

your photos from then on

will contain a colour cast.

Experimenting with settings

can be very rewarding. For

example on a very dull day

selecting cloudy rather than

daylight will give your

photo an extra bit of

warmth.

The square with a +/_ can

be used to set an exposure

compensation. This is

beyond the scope of these

notes.

The Playback Button is a

“black triangle” and is a separate symbol on the body of your camera because it is

used frequently. Press this to display on your screen the last image taken. Pressing

the left-hand side of your “4-way” switch takes you through each previous image for

each time you press it. You can delete any as you progress through, see the next

item below.

The rubbish can symbol , also a separate symbol, enables you to delete an image

upon review. This is very useful at days end as you review your photos, deleting

those that don’t meet your “high standard”.

Display button, (DISP) changes the “content” shown on your screen each time you

press it. These options rotate through “a clear screen displaying the viewed scene”

to a display with part information content to full information of shutter speed, aperture

setting, ISO, number of images taken, maximum number still available, battery

charge state, a histogram (more on this later). The content varies for each camera.

Zoom and shutter release, see their location in the diagrams above. To operate

zoom move the small projecting bar left or right. This bar is usually next to the

shutter button. Look through the view finder or at your screen to determine which

way the lens is moving, in or out.

Battery Charge Level is indicated on your screen by the shape of a round torch

battery with diagonal lines across it. Refer to your manual as these vary for each

camera.

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More useful information - that may be covered in your tutorial.

Batteries. The latest cameras and cell phones use Lithium Ion (Li-ion) batteries.

They hold a full charge for longer plus holding that charge when the camera is not

being used for a long time.

Memory Cards – were in 1994 only just starting to become the “norm” to store

everything from music to images. At last count there were 26 different types. By

2005 the SD (Secure Digital) type was making a big impact and by 2010 this design

had almost all of the market. There are 3 different sizes of SD cards; the standard

card about the size of a postage stamp which is usual for most cameras, the Mini SD

Card which is a smaller, and the Micro SD Card which is mostly used for cellular

phones and smaller pieces of equipment. Most cards are now SDHC (High Capacity)

and range from 8GB to 510GB. From 128 and up are mainly to store video clips. For

our cameras 8 to 32 will satisfy most. It is better to buy 2 at 32. That way if one is lost

you won’t lose all your images from say an overseas trip, if your camera is stolen. If

you do a lot of photos taken in a “burst” or “video” buy 64GB size. Another important

factor when buying a card is transfer rates or the speed of the card. The SDXC is the

newest generation of memory card that increases storage from 32GB to 2TB. The

SDXC’s physical dimensions are equal to the SD/SDHC cards. SDHC cards use the

FAT32 file system. SDXC use the exFAT file format. You cannot “mix” them.

1. Maximum Read Speed This is the maximum read speed usually given in Megabytes per second (MB/s).

2. This is another (rather outdated) way of expressing the max read speed. It is based on the read speed of audio CDs at 150 KB/s.

3. Type This is the type of card; different card types use different file formats and newer cards won’t work in older card readers.

4. UHS Speed Class Rating This is the minimum sustained writing speed of the card; important for video recording. UHS Speed class 3 cards will never write slower than 30 MB/s, UHS Speed class 1 cards never slower than 10 MB/s.

5. Speed-Class Rating This is an older speed-class rating. It is redundant of the UHS speed class, but many card manufacturers include it, as well, since many consumer products still recommend products based on the old

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standard. A class 10 is the fastest of the old speed class ratings and a class 10 card is verified to never write slower than 10 MB/s, class 4 would be never slower than 4 MB/s.

6. UHS Rating The UHS rating of a card determines the maximum bus speed at which a card can read, assuming the memory in the card is fast enough to match it. Non-UHS cards max out at 25 MB/s, while UHS-I cards support up to 104 MB/s, and UHS-II cards support up to 312 MB/s. Both the card reader and card must support the same standard to benefit from the increased speeds, but UHS cards are backward compatible with older readers—they just won’t be as fast in them.

7. Capacity This is the card's capacity: SD cards range up to 2GB, SDHC cards range from 2GB to 32GB, and SDXC cards range from 32GB to 2TB.

Image Sensor. There are 2 main types. (The Image Sensor replaces film.) CCD or

Charge Coupled Device sensors are essentially tiny arrays of photoactive regions on

a chip, each region reacts to light and converts the intensity into an electric signal-

this permits each CCD to convert the light focused on it to a matrix of light intensities,

coupled with a coloured film that filters the light into red, green and blue (using a

Bayer pattern) the CCD is able to produce an array of pixels each representing a

different colour. CCDs produce slightly worse quality images than a CMOS sensor

although the difference is not significant.

CMOS sensors (Complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) utilize what is referred

to as an active pixel sensor and consume less power, have higher noise immunity

and have less lag than a CCD. They also permit more integrated designs which can

cut down on noise gain and provide the opportunity for a cleaner image.

Pixels, square in shape are individual. It is a single unit. Each one records a Red or

Blue or Green tone. They are laid out in a Bayer pattern of which around 40% + are

green, the most common colour in our environment. There

are 256 depths of tone to each pixel. If you have a 12 MP camera you have 12

million pixels available to record each image. i.e. 4000 pixels across the long side

with 3000 down the short side.

Resolution, is the number of pixels per 1 inch (ppi). When printing an image the

printing service, or your own printer, will require a certain density of pixels in the

image (ppi) to be able to render a print that looks good, with smooth colour

transitions so you can’t see each individual pixel. Typical printing ppi values range

from 150 to 300 ppi. To print an image 4 x 6 inches at 300 ppi, then you need a file

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that has at least 4 x 300 (1200) pixels along its short side and 6 x 300 (1800) pixels

on the long side. So, it needs to be at least 1200 x 1800 pixels in size. Therefore at 8

x 10 inches at 300 ppi will require 2400 x 3000 pixels.

When cropping and sizing an image for printing, you’ll need to know what ppi the

image should be.

When it comes to displaying images on the screen you need far less pixels than you

do for printing. This is because the density of pixels on the screen is far less than

what is required for printing.

Aspect ratio. You may be able to select different image proportions, e.g. 4:3, 3:2,

16:9. E.g. 3:2 = 6x4 inch, 4:3 = 8x6 inch. 16:9 = wide screen TV proportion. Check

your camera manual.

J.P.E.G. or sometimes just JPG. (Joint Photographic Experts Group) This is the

usual format for filing your images. There are many such formats.

Histogram is a graph, displayed on your screen of the accumulated number of RBG

pixels for a selected image. A histogram is available for every individual image. The

left side represents the dark (black) tones, right the light (white) tones. For a correctly

exposed photo these pixels will not be forced tight against either left or right sides. If

they are bunched up on either or both sides it indicates you have lost some of the

detail. This usually occurs when your image receives too much light, overexposed or

blown out. Your camera may have a feature to inform you this is happening where

the blown parts of your image “blink”. You may need to turn this feature on. The

remedy is to use the +/_ button and “add” or “minus” 1 or 2 EV’s using your “4 way

switch” or a “wheel”. Refer to your manual.

Quality. You can set your camera to record different levels of quality. Low quality will

enable your memory card to store thousands of images, but for high quality

considerably less in number. The difference in quality is very noticeable especially

when getting your images printed. It is strongly recommended you set your

camera to best quality, the maximum number of pixels. Memory cards are not

very expensive. At the end of these notes are some suggestions where you can buy

quality cards, and accessories at good prices.

Tips getting a great result – photos to be proud of….

Keep your camera clean and dry. If dust and grit get into the blades that cover your

lens (point ‘n shoot type) it is not going to work. Keep your camera in some sort of

case or sleeve.

Hold still, brace yourself, use a tripod. The camera Image Stabilisation System will

only correct for relatively small movements.

Focus on your subject, in particular his/her eyes. Focus on what is important.

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Choose one and only one subject, keep it simple, get in close, choose you

background, fill the frame, choose your background and include a foreground object

if you can. It adds perspective.

Understand depth of field which is dependent on your Aperture setting. Take the

same scene with a range of Apertures and observe the difference from image to

image.

Use details to tell the story, name plaques, sign boards, car badges.

Make a panorama of a vista by taking 25-35% overlapping shots. You will need to

stitch these together on your computer, another skill to learn.

Composition. There are a few good rules. It is better to follow these until your skills

and knowledge increase then you can justify breaking them.

1. Place your subject in one of these positions, never right in the middle.

2. If your subject is a person or an animal they should not be placed as

though moving out from the frame, rather they should be moving “into” the

frame and focus on their eyes.

3. Try for candid shots rather than posed.

4. Don’t cut off limbs.

5. Look for symmetry or a pattern. A road, path or stream that will lead your

eye into the image.

6. Watch what is in the background.

Downloading your photos.

You should always download your photos into “Pictures”. Never download into “Documents” or into a created hard-drive site.(C Drive) All photographic software programs (including Trademe) automatically look for photos in “Pictures”. Nowhere else is going to work. Filing photos is vital if you have thousands and it is very easy to get thousands. Filing is outside the realm of this workshop however a brief summary will help you. Make folders and sub-folders to suit your needs; e.g. FAMILY, then a sub-folder The FLINTSTONES and so on. To create a folder right click on “Pictures” and from the drop down box select “New Folder”. Type in the heading you have decided on and click “OK”. Right click on The Flintstones to make another sub-

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folder, say JAMES and click OK. Always make a folder called TEMPORY DROP to take all the photos from your initial download. You can then drag these to your various folders. If you are using the Faststone program taught at Seniornet, click on the Camera Icon, top left on your screen, it will download to Pictures (select TEMPORY DROP) with individual files for each day you took your shots. If using Windows copy the following URL to your web browser for a 56 second video on “how to download from your camera”. http://tinyurl.com/lgfn6s5

If you are using an Apple Mac copy the following URL to your web browser for

directions. www.support.apple.com/kb/ht2498

If you are using a “cable connection” from camera to computer it is important to

ensure your camera battery is fully charged. Most computers now have an SD slot to

plug in your camera memory card. It is best to use this.

Enhancing your images, cropping, cloning, adjusting the colour and many more

changes are outside the depth of this course.

Here are a number of web sites you may find useful.

Not a web site but the Wellington Public Library has over 1000 books relating to

photography plus hundreds of photography magazines.

http://www.einfo.co.nz/ For cameras, accessories, memory cards, generic

batteries, plus PC’s and more. Auckland based. The author has purchased 2

cameras, extra lens, filters, batteries, cards. Good to deal with.

https://www.rubbermonkey.co.nz/ Similar supplier to einfo but much smaller. Based

in Adelaide Road Wellington. Good for memory cards.

http://www.dc-battery.co.nz Batteries and chargers for “everything”.

https://www.dpreview.com/ Very comprehensive reviews of all cameras and

accessories, plus a chat forum, galleries, tutorials ,etc. This site is where the camera

retailers suggest you go to read more when evaluating the purchase of a new

camera.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/ A wonderful site. Ken is a straight shooter with

sensible suggestions. Go here to also be entertained and enlightened.

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/ It feels so good to visit this site, tutorials, a

forum, camera comparisons, info on the basic camera functions as briefly entered

into above, and more.

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http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/guide-to-digital-photography Another learning site.

Part of the extensive “make-use-of” guides.

http://www.photocheatsheets.com Bert’s Cheat Sheets. Bert produces a plastic

enclosed, fold up detailed easy to follow list of instructions on all popular cameras.

They are good but the print is 7.5 point, pretty small but you probably should be

using a magnifier for maps when travelling anyway!

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/videos/photography?page=15 B & H are big New

York photo equipment retailers. They have as of 2017, 674 videos available for free

on all the photographic subjects you can imagine. The author has also purchased 2

film cameras from B&H, some years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/user/photosincolor Access to YouTube photographic

educational videos.

Now for some viewing sites, just for pleasure and useful if you are travelling, to get

an idea what the location looks like plus these photographers are inspiring. Also do

google to find the answers to your queries and for the sheer enjoyment of learning.

https://rosscollins.smugmug.com Ross Collins is an amateur Wellington

photographer. This web site has about 25000 images available for you to peruse and

they all have some snippet of information. All up he told me he has 280,000 images.

Simply blows one away doesn’t it.

https://worldphotoadventures.com.au This is a commercial site but great to peruse

fantastic photos by Darran Leal, an Australian travel/educator.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/elizabethgadd A 24 year old Canadian “Selfie”

photographer. Her selfies are so different. Spectacular locations. You can surely get

some ideas from her style.

https://nz.pinterest.com/topics/landscape-photography to view images by a

tremendous number of photographers, truly inspiring.