Understanding Digital Exposure Techniques
“In photography there is a reality so subtle that it becomes more real than reality.”—Ansel Adams If you agree that the use of light is one of the key ingredients that differentiate a good photograph from a snapshot, it’s necessary to understand proper exposure. Even with today’s cameras, the ability to tweak the exposure at the moment of capture can make or break your image’s quality and content. Caption: This image of a Dodge...
Full Frame vs. Full Image
One of the reasons people are sometimes disappointed by prints made from digital camera files is usually not the quality of photograph but what’s missing. What’s missing might be Uncle Bernie who was on the edge of the group photograph you made at last year’s family reunion. It’s not that you don’t like Bernie— when you look at the file on a computer he appears in the image—it’s just that he’s a victim of a difference in aspect ratio...
Why I Like Battery Grips
I get to test new cameras for Shutterbug, this blog and Mirrorless Photo Tips but regular readers know when it comes to my personal cameras I tend to be thrifty. I may get to shoot with high-end expensive cameras but contrary to what many think, after the review they’re returned to the manufacturer. All of my personal gear is funded out of my wallet. Over time, I evolved a simply philosophy and even wrote a post (“How...
Change is Inevitable; Embrace it
“If we don’t change direction soon, we’ll end up where we are going.”—Professor Irwin Corey If there is one constant theme running through the complaints I hear from photographers is that there is too much change. I believe that it isn’t just what seems like a never-ending parade of new product introduction that concerns them but the pace of these changes. Just about the time you think you finally got the handle on all these digital...
Optimizing and Balancing ISO and Noise
It’s no secret that all lenses have a “sweet spot” aperture that produces maximum image quality. I like Sean McHugh’s take on this: A lens’ “sweet spot” increases for successively narrower apertures, reaching maximum for intermediate apertures, and declines for very narrow apertures. Depending on the lens, this is typically between f/8 and f/16 on a full frame or APS-C sized sensor but is independent of the number of megapixels. There...
Macro Photography with Extension Tubes
Look for a related post on using Close-Up Filters next month on Learning Digital Photography. Want to get closer than close-up filter will allow? Stage II up the macro-focusing ladder is accomplished by adding an extension tube (or two) to your existing lens. Extension tubes provide the additional separation between your lens and imaging chip that’s required for close-up photography. You might think of it as an alternative to the more...
Using Manual or Custom White Balance
There will come a time when none of your camera’s preset white balance settings will work and that’s when you need to use the Manual option. Sure, it’s a little more labor intensive but after you try it once, you’ll be amazed how well it works under difficult and mixed lighting conditions such as indoor exhibits, conventions centers, and museums. Start by photographing a sheet of white paper under the lighting conditions you...
