Angel's Blog

After reading this article, I’ve learned that when talking about depth of field in an image, one is referring to how much of the picture they chose to have them focus. By increasing the depth of field in a photograph, you are bringing more attention to your subject. I have learned that depth of field is controlled by changing the aperture setting in a camera.The larger the aperture, the shallower your depth of field will be. The smaller the aperture, the deeper your depth of field will be, resulting in more of your image being in focus. Camera positioning is very critical for achieving a shallow or a deep depth of field. One thing that I didn’t know is that an image could suffer from an optical effect called diffraction, which reduces the sharpness in your image when an aperture size gets smaller. According to the article, a good rule of thumb is to focus about 1/3 of the way back from a horizon which will include more of the foreground in your depth of field range when shooting a landscape. In order to become better at judging distance, focus bracketing will come in handy. This means that you will shoot a series of frames, focusing at different distances. Shallow depth of field is mostly used when a photographer wants to focus on one thing in the photograph, such as a face. There is a range of ways to control the depth of field, not just by the aperture. Another way would be focused distancing and the type of camera being used. The choice of aperture has to be balanced with the shutter speed and the ISO in order to maintain a consistent exposure when taking a picture.

1. This photo represents “patterns and repetition” being interrupted in photo composition.
2. This photo represents “fill the frame” in photo composition.
3. This photo represents “figure to ground” in photo composition.

4. This photo represents shadows, light and contrasting in photo composition.
5. This photo uses leading lines in photo composition.
6. This photo uses texture which is interesting to the eye.
7. This picture uses natural, leading lines.

8. This picture has an uninterrupted pattern, with a contrast in colors.
9. This picture uses natural lines to direct the eye to the middle of the staircase.

10. This picture is using symmetrical lines, those of which are aesthetically pleasing.
11. This picture is very symmetrical and it fits the frame.
12. The photo has high contrast and her eyes are symmetrical. Not to mention she is absolutely beautiful!

AUTOMATIC MODE-

Automatic Mode tells your camera to use its best judgment to select shutter speed, aperture, ISO, white balance, focus and flash to take the best shot that it can. This mode will take nice shots, but it won’t be exactly what you want.

PORTRAIT MODE-

When switched to portrait mode, your camera will automatically select a large aperture which helps to keep your background out of focus. Portrait mode works best when you were photographing a single subject.

 

MACRO MODE-

Macro mode lets you move closer into your subject to take a close-up picture. When using macro mode, you’ll notice that focusing is more difficult as that short distances the depth of field is very narrow.

 

LANDSCAPE MODE-

This mode will set the camera up with a small aperture to make sure as much of the scene you are photographing will be in focus. When using this mowed you want to consider using a tripod or another method of ensuring your camera is still.

 

SPORTS MODE-

Sports mode is ideal for photographing any moving objects. Sports mode attempts to freeze the action by increasing the shutter speed.

 

NIGHT MODE-

Night mode is used for shooting in low light situations and such your camera to use a longer shutter speed to help capture details of its background. It also fires of a flash to illuminate the foreground and subject.

MOVIE MODE-

Movie mode extends your digital camera from just capturing still images to capturing moving ones. The quality is generally not up to video camera standards but it is a handy mode to have when you come across the subject that just cannot be captured with a still image.

 

A/AV MODE-

Aperture priority mode is a semi-automatic mode where you choose the aperture and your camera chooses the other settings. It is useful when you’re looking to control the depth of field in a shot.

 

S/TV MODE-

Shutter priority mode is very similar to aperture priority mode but it is the mode where you select a shutter speed and the camera than chooses all of the other settings.

PROGRAM MODE-

Program mode is similar to auto but it gives you a little more control over some other features including flash, white balance, ISO etc.

MANUAL MODE-

Manual mode allows you to have full control over your camera. You’ll need to think about all settings including shutter speed, aperture, white balance etc., but it gives you the flexibility to set your shot up as you wish.

Hello! My name’s Angel Torres, and I’m a sophomore at JHills High School. I am a working musician and have been for 5 years. I love writing, reading, dancing, listening to music and being a part-time mom to my two beautiful little sisters. Food is a huge weakness of mine… I’m not picky either. I’m a complete extrovert and will befriend anyone and everyone.

 

Upon reading this article, I have learned that aperture is the opening in the lens through which light passes to you enter the camera. The lens expands and shrinks between bright and dark environments just like our pupils do.  I have also learned that the shutter speed is the length of time a camera shutters open, exposing light onto the camera sensor. It’s how long your camera spends taking a picture. ISO is a Camera setting that will brighten or darken a photo. Increasing your ISO number will make your photo brighter, while decreasing your ISO number will make your photo darker. Digital camera modes allow you to control the parameters of an exposure. Specifically shutter speed, aperture and ISO. The camera will automatically select all exposure settings in some cases.

1. Setting the exposure using the histogram…

A histogram shows you the black to gray to white tones of your picture in a vertical range. The image you want to photograph will be shown with the date time exposure settings and other information. It is the best way to tell if your exposure is correct.

2. RAW…

Shooting in RAW format will give you access to the full capabilities of your camera.

3. Selecting focusing points manually…

Learning to change the AF points manually is a useful skill. It will improve focusing accuracy and reduce his chances of missing important shots

4. Learn all AF modes…

most cameras come with different out of focus modes such as one shot a F, servo AF and Al  AutoFocus. All of these modes have different uses depending on the subject and situation, so it’s best to read your cameras manual and experiment with all of them first.

5. Aperture priority…

in aperture priority mode, your camera will bury the exposure settings depending on the aperture value set. Having complete control over aperture means control over depth of field.

6. Shutter priority…

Shutter priority mode gives you complete control over shutter speed for making all other settings automatically according to the selected value.

7. Control motion blur…

Practice using shutter speed and learn what the lowest speed is for you and stick to it for motion free images.

8. Manual white balance…

All digital cameras have a few white balance presets, but you should learn to set white balance manually according to each lighting situation.

9. Drive modes…

There are three drive modes: single shot, continue a slow and continuous high. The first mode allows you to shoot one frame at a time while CL is great for portraits when you have an expressive model and CH is the shooting mode for sports wildlife or anything that moves fast.

10. ISO…

ISO is A Camera option that will either Brighton or dark in your photos. Increasing the ISO number will make your pictures brighter and help you capture better shots in darker environments.

11. Auto-ISO…

auto ISO will help you by increasing or decreasing the value in order to allow you to shoot with a shutter speed fast enough for handheld operation.

 

12. Exposure compensation…

It is a +/- scale that will tell your camera to increase or decrease exposure depending on your needs. It works for all semi automatic modes and will influence exposure in increments.

13. Manual exposure…

Practice using your camera settings until you have full manual control.

1. All DSLR systems offer a large selection of lenses.
2. The cost of the lens depends on several things, including aperture.
3. All major camera/lens manufacturers offer a variety of focal lengths to fit most budgets.
4. Wide Angle lenses give a wide expansive view, perfect for landscapes!
5. Wide angles should be used when prominent foreground objects are present.
6. Wide Angles are handy in small rooms, cars, caves and other tight areas.
7. Standard lenses tend to range from about 35mm up to about 85mm.
8. Standard zoom lenses cover moderate wide angles.
9. Standard Zoom lenses are great “walk around” lenses due to their versatility.
10. They allow both wide angle work such as landscape, or zooming into the “telephoto” end of a lens which allows for beautiful portraits.
11. Standard Zooms are usually included in SLR kits that come w lenses.
12. Prime lenses are just one focal length.
13. Telephoto zooms allow photographers to become lazy.
14. Telephoto lenses compress distance, as opposed to wide angles which make things look further away.
15. Faster telephone lenses are required for sports shots.
16. Faster telephoto lenses have larger maximum apertures.
17. A fast lens is usually one that has an aperture of f/4, f/2.8 or larger.
18. Macro lenses allow a photographer to shoot tiny things.
19. A tilt-shift or perspective correction lens is best for shooting architecture.
20. A lens is just a to on a camera, it is up to the photographer to make it work!