Adjusting the White Balance.. portrait photography.. .. Depth of field..
Contents:
Adjusting the White Balance
One interesting and very useful setting of digital cameras is the "white balance" (in the menu on the camera is usually denoted as WB). As we know the intensity of light sources is different in different parts of the spectrum. Bulb emits mostly in the red and infrared part of the spectrum, such is the composition of the spectrum and at sunset and sunrise, noon and ultraviolet radiation predominates. Films in analog cameras usually have a sensitivity sensitization to daily light and reproduce colors correctly in this type of light. When shooting with film on electric lighting, the photos will have a strong yellow-red hue. There are special films for electric lighting and if we want to get correct color reproduction under such conditions should buy such a special film.
The big advantage of digital photography is the ability to tune the camera depending on the type and color temperature of lighting. This setting is called "white balance" and usually in amateur class cameras has several preset values - sun, clouds, electric lighting for incandescent lamps, neon lighting, flash and automatic mode. Most often we use the automatic mode that does the job in 90% of cases. Sometimes, especially in electric lighting it's best to use the setting for this type of lighting as the automatic setting does not always work correctly in such conditions. More expensive cameras that have manual controls usually have a full manual white balance adjustment setting. This is necessary for more complex lighting and greater accuracy.
Here is an example of how a picture would look made in artificial lighting. At left is an automatic white balance, and in the right position "electric lighting" setting. Notice the white curtain behind the child. In the first picture it is yellowish-red, while in the second picture it is white -just what it should be. Thus comes the name "White Balance" - the white objects in the frame must be really white, to make sure that all the other colors in the picture are real. If your digicam has manual settings of the white balance, it is necessary to put before the lens a white sheet and press the button, to specify to the software that you want all colors to be set by the white color of the sheet.
This interesting feature can be used occasionally to create unusual color combinations and effects. For example, adjusting the white balance of electric lighting and shooting during the day, you will get photos with the bluish tint that creates a feeling of early morning. See examples of such a photo - on the left with white balance set for electric lighting and the right for a day. The photo was taken around 11 am before lunch, but thanks to the possibility of setting white balance, the left frame creates a feeling of early morning cold.
Maybe you ask yourself why we still see real colors at any time of day and any electric lighting? The reason for this is due to the fact that our brain processes information received from the eyes and its "white balance" is much more sophisticated than any digital camera software.
Depth of field
Depth of field is an important concept in photography. It gives information about the part of the space around the plane of focus, in which objects are of sufficiently high sharpness, virtually indistinguishable from that of the main object in which the focus is set. Depth of field depends mainly on the lens’ focal length, the aperture and the distance to the object which is in focus. The larger the focal length of the lens, the less depth of field. Mighty tele lenses with focal length of 400-500 mm have a very small depth of field, while with the wide-angle 20-28 mm, it is big. Corelation between aperture and depth of field is also inversely proportional. As aperture is smaller (more closed), the depth of field is greater and vice versa. Using a blend of around 22, can provide a huge depth of field, but it is not 100% guarantee for sharp image, as in such apertures diffraction starts to show up and the image becomes softer. Biggest sharpness is usually achieved in 8-11 aperture. Finally, the distance to the object is just as important - the closer the object which is in focus, the less depth of field and vice versa. We can not determine whether good depth of field is small or large one. In some cases small is better, while in others - large. So when shooting a close-up portrait, you should use a lens with higher focal length and with aperture wide open, in order to get a nice blurry background, without distracting objects irritating the eye. Most suitable lenses for portraits are from 85 to 135 millimeters. These lenses convey proper perspective, without the typical wide-angle lens distortion.
In this aspect we should not be fooled by the equivalent focal lengths of small amateur digital cameras, but we need to look their actual focal lengths. A digital camera lens with focal length 20 mm, although equivalent to a 100 mm film camera, is not ideal for where we want to achieve blurry background. It is good to have a lens with focal length 40-50 mm and at least 1:2 aperture to fully enjoy this effect. For the picture you see in the example is used 200 millimeters lens with aperture 2.8.
Sometimes we can get interesting close-up portraits, even when using lenses with small focal length. This depends on the objectives we had set. For example, if our goal is to capture the colors of the landscape behind the person we shoot, we will use wide-angle lens and a closed diaphragm.
The photo was taken with 18 millimeters wide angle lens with aperture 11.
Most often we strive for greater depth of field when shooting landscapes or group portraits in which we want to achieve sharp background. Then you have to choose a wide angle lens and use a closed aperture. Thus we make sure that everything in the picture will be in focus.
To know the dependencies between the aperture, the focal length and depth of field is essential. This gives us a preliminary idea of how much of what we see will be in the area of focus. You should know that the area of focus for each DOF is about one-third before the point in which we are focused and about two thirds after. So if focus on an object 1.3 meters from us and the DOF 1 meter focus will fall on all sites from one to two meters.
Knowing these dependencies, whether shooting a portrait of a friend, a beautiful landscape or sports competition, in every situation we can choose the appropriate lens or using the zoom settings to get the best picture possible.
Basics of Composition
Digital cameras can automatically focus, determine the shutter speed, aperture values, white balance, sensitivity may even include a flash for you, when they light is scarce. Basically it can do anything to make a photograph technically good, but it can’t compose the shot for you. That is up to you. Therefore, the composition is one of the most important things in the picture. When we look at a picture, namely the composition sets our first impression, and only then we think about the idea of the author and the technical performance.
The rules for composing a picture are the same, as those for creation of a painting. Artists from long ago have discovered how to situate objects in their paintings to affect the audience as much as possible. In this respect, the masters of the brush are privileged, as they may change the shape, color, size and location of objects, even the prospect, while photographers must abide with realities. The only thing we can change is our perspective to the object and through the zoom expand or narrow the field of vision.
In most cases, composition is intuitive, but still in the process of shooting, we must learn to observe some basic rules to bring balance to the photo (or deliberately make it such that it is shocking for its disbalance) .
Of course, rules of composition are not dogma, they can be violated. But it is important to know them. Breaking them without knowing them is like not knowing how to play, but trying to do a jazz improvisation.
The basic rule is the rule of "golden mean". Mentally divide the frame into three vertical and horizontal parts. Where the dividing lines intersect are the most important points, you should place the main object in any of these points. In the photo with the pigeons, the author has almost achieved that: the object is in one of the points and the leading lines (the horizon and the iron sticks) merge with the dividing lines in the frame. Repeated identical elements create a sense of rhythm, symmetry and balance in the picture. Look for natural leading lines in the frame. It may be a path, a river, an area illuminated by the sun or a deep shade etc.. Stand in such an angle that the leading lines point to the basic object in the picture.
Search for human presence in the frame. One building, a tree, rock or a lake, they themselves are very beautiful, but only human presence may give an indication of their size.
Choose simple, monochrome backgrounds, that contrast with the main object . Look for contrasting and opposite colors.
Avoid vertical frames, do not rotate the camera if not essential. Naturally, there are cases in which there is nothing else to do but shoot the object in a vertical frame, but generally a horizontal frame is a lot better accepted. This is related to human anatomy - both our eyes, arranged horizontally, give us a vision - more in width than in height. It is connected with our habits of viewing – movie theatre, TV, computer screen, are still frames which are horizontally oriented.
Diagonal compositions, such as the one with the cat, are infuiencial and emotionally loaded. Do not hesitate to experiment by turning and tilting the digicam. The foreground of the picture is something that is very important for the scale. When you have the opportunity, strive to include objects in the foreground of the photo - branch, stone or some detail out of focus. This creates a kind of framework and adds depth to the frame.
Follow the direction of movement of the object or the direction of human eyes in the picture. There should be more space in the frame in the direction of movement or the direction of the look.
Look for details and characters. A tree, twisted by the wind, can deliver much more of the place’s character than a picture of the whole place taken with a wide angle lens all. Avoid acting like tourists who stand in front of an object and then seal it in the center of the frame. Always look for something special, unconventional angle, so your photos will be more interesting for people who watch them.
Look for symmetry in the frame and repetitive elements. In this photo, for example, the author saw three soldiers with hats and three rocks with hats.
The Importance of Digicam Matrix Size
In digicams, the role of light-sensitive film is played by a special chip with CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) matrix that contains millions of tiny elements, transforming light into electrical signals. Subsequently, these signals are processed and converted into digital image of a certain size. It is stored in the memory of the camera as a separate file and later can be transferred and edited on a computer or printed and published in the Internet. The number of sensitive elements constituting the CCD determines the image resolution and is therefore of paramount importance to its quality. That’s why, manufacturers of cameras always state it in the first place in the list of characteristics of their products. Some of the cheaper models still use CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) sensors. Select CCD instead of CMOS matrix, because the first has some significant advantages - high sensitivity, combined with lower noise levels (which leads to cleaner picture). On the other hand, CMOS sensors are much cheaper to produce and consume up to 100 times less energy in their work. They may be a good option when looking for cheaper digicam with longer battery life. Of course, this rule has exceptions, as far as leading companies in the industry are concerned. For example Canon use CMOS matrix for their highest class digicams with interchangeable lenses, but the hardware and software are at such level that all the shortcomings of the CMOS matrix are removed, leaving the big advantage of the low energy consumption.
The size of the sensor is important for the image quality, just as the size of your home speaker system is important for sound quality. The larger matrix size for the same number of pixels provides a purer image, the ability to work with higher sensitivity and better dynamic range. The most common CCD matrix, used in compact cameras of amateur class are with 1/2.7 ", 1/2.5", 1/1.8 and 2 / 3” diagonals.
Very compact cameras use sensors of even smaller size. The price to be paid for this is the increased level of noise, which becomes visible when printing photos, worse dynamics and disability to achieve a satisfactory quality at low light situations.
Ask for the size of the matrix, when buying a digicam. In modern CCD chips 1/2.5” is a good size for 3-4 megapixels. 1/1.8 " for 5-6MP, and 2 / 3" for 7-8 MP.
8 tips for sharper photos
- Probably the most important premise for taking really sharp photos is shooting on a tripod. Keeping the camera still and steady is a tripod's only job, but when it comes to tripods, some do a lot better job than others. That's why you don't want to skimp on quality. If you’re on a budget, however, it’s better to have some tripod, than not have at all. So here is a selection of low-budget, 50$ to 200$ and high-quality tripods. If you decide on a pro-quality tripod, you get just the tripod. It doesn't come with a ballhead affixed like the cheap ones do, so you'll have to buy one separately. Ballheads are wonderful because with just one knob they let you quickly and easily aim and position your digicam accurately at any angle. Best of all, good ballheads keep your digicam locked down tight to keep your camera from slowly sliding one way or the other after you've set up your shot.
- Cable release - this is simply a cable that attaches to your digital camera and it has a button on the end of it. That way, when you press this button on the end of the cable, it takes the photo, but without you actually touching the shutter button on the digicam itself. So, why is this important? It's because when you press the shutter button on the camera, it makes the camera move just enough to spoil the shot, sometimes. Using it is easier than you might think, and these days most digicams support wireless remotes too. Now your photos are just that much sharper.
- If you don't want to spend money on a cable release (or wireless remote), or if you're out shooting and forgot them, then the next best thing is to use your digicam's built-in self timer. It takes the shot without you touching the camera.So, it pretty much does the same job of keeping your camera from moving.
- Lens’ sharpest aperture - Another trick the pros use is, when possible, shoot at your lens' sharpest aperture. For most lenses, that is about two full stops smaller than wide open (so the f-stop number you use will go higher by two stops). For example, if you had an f/2.8 lens, the sharpest apertures for that lens would be f/5.6 and f/8 (two full stops down from 2.8). Of course, you can't always choose these apertures, but if you're in a situation where you can, then shooting two stops down from wide open will usually give you the sharpest image your lens can deliver. Now, that being said, this isn't true for all lenses, and if that's not the case with your lens, you'll find your lens' sweet spot (its sharpest aperture) in short order if you keep an eye out for which aperture your sharpest images seem to come from. You can do that by looking at your photos' EXIF data (the background information on your shots embedded by your digital camera into the photos themselves). If you find most of your sharpest shots are taken with a particular aperture, then you've found your sweet spot.
- Avoid increasing ISO - When you're shooting on a tripod in dim or low light, don't increase your ISO (your digital equivalent of film speed). Keep your ISO at the lowest ISO setting your camera allows (ISO 200, 100, or 50) for the sharpest, cleanest photos. Raising the ISO adds noise to your photos, and you don't want that.
- Open your photo in Photoshop, then go under Photoshop's Filter menu, under Sharpen, and choose Unsharp Mask. When the dialog appears, there are three sliders for applying different sharpening parameters. Here are the best settings: For people: Amount 150%, Radius 1, Threshold 10. For cityscapes, urban photography, or travel: Amount 65%, Radius 3, Threshold 2. For general everyday use: Amount 85%, Radius 1, Threshold 4
Photoshop does wonders for digital image editing. This and many more editing techniques you’ll find here. - Continuous shooting - Well, the next time you're hand-holding in less than optimal light, and you're concerned that you might not get a sharp image, try a trick the pros use - continuous shooting (burst) mode. Hold down the shutter release to take a burst of
