Give the right person the right camera, and they instantly become expressive! Photography is a timeless hobby, and a lucrative industry. Whether you want to take photographs as a fun extra-curricular activity or as a serious business, there are a few things you’ll need, and some things you’ll need to know. We’ll get to light and photo-software later, but for now, here are the basics.
Understand Terminology and Making It Work for You
Below, we explore the most basic elements you need to know. If you want to know more, even the most knowledgeable of us sometimes use .
ISO
This is short for “International Standard of Photography.” You’ve probably seen them on film canisters: 100, 200, 400, 800, etc.
In digital photography, ISO measures the sensitivity of the image. Digital film cameras normally take light into a lens and then convert it into a digital file; this is then loaded into the memory of the camera. The image sensor, the light sensor and the microSD card store the data that the photographer has captured. It is important to be consistent with your ISO settings, as it will help to maximize the quality of your prints.
Aperture
This refers to the number of small holes in a film or photo senso, or the amount of light allowed through a lens. When you have a bright sun in the distance and close your eyes, you are lowering the aperture size. As the aperture is closed, the rays of light are cut back to reflect and refract to a point on the image sensor. At that point, it is converted into an electrical signal, which is stored electronically and sent to the computer.
If you use a very wide-angle lens on a medium format camera or a telephoto lens on a compact digital camera, you will need to increase the aperture size to allow more light to pass through the lens. A narrow aperture allows less light through the lens but allows more light to be reflected and transmitted. On a compact camera, however, you can choose a wider aperture and get the same quality as with a telephoto lens.
Aperture is also a concept in digital photography, where a higher aperture means that more light is allowed to pass through a given subject. A large aperture makes light rays longer, allowing them to travel farther than shorter rays. Because the aperture in digital photography is fixed, there is no need to change the aperture size, so a wide aperture creates a softer, blurred background image while a smaller aperture creates a sharper foreground image.
There are many other factors that can affect aperture in photography, including the lens you use, the subject and the lighting conditions. Having digital tools can really help!
Exposure
In general, when taking photos outdoors, it is important to expose the subject to the perfect extent. If the background is darker than the subject, or if there is not enough light, then the subject will appear black. However, in photography, this does not always mean that the photo has been exposed incorrectly.
You can combine exposure with white balance to make sure the subject is photographed to perfection. With the white balance, the camera automatically adjusts the temperature of the camera’s sensor.
Shutter speed
Your picture quality will depend on how slow the shutter speed is. If your camera has a slow shutter speed then the pictures that you take will be darker, because as light passes through the lens of the camera, it will slow down when it gets too close. This will make the photos that you take when the lens slows down darker than those that you take when the lens is faster.
This is very important, because a lot of your picture’s quality is based on the lighting. If you are using a camera that has a slow shutter speed, the pictures that you take will be darker.
Lighting and Great Software
Taking pictures in natural light is often preferred but can sometimes be difficult due to the angles. You have to get your subject, whether it’s a or a person, in a precise setting and angle. Most photographers have specific times of day they prefer to shoot.
With the right software, you can change the color of a person’s shirt, remove blemishes or wrinkles, and make use of various other great features. There are many which are offered in yearly and monthly price ranges, like subscriptions. It’s best to experiment with them before deciding what’s right for you.
Photography requires camera, lighting and a subject. You can have all the tools in the world, but the best way to improve is simple: take your camera and go get snapping.
Amy Montgomery
Amy Montgomery is a blogger who has successfully made a name in the industry because of her ability to write informative pieces on photography, and travel. Most of Amy’s content on her blog are how-to tips as she aims to help readers enhance their photography skills, and encourage them to travel frequently.