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Taking the Picture
So you've got your digital camera and you want to go out and start capturing great pictures - what are the first things you need to know? It helps to fully understand your camera and we really would recommend reading the manual at least once. In this book we can't hope to cover all the different features that exist on every model of camera, however we can look at some that are common to nearly all models and which are fundamental to getting good pictures.
Before we start, here are a couple of tips that might be the best bit of advice you will take away from this book (but please don't stop reading - lots more good stuff to come):
- Take lots and lots of pictures. It's digital, there's no developing costs, so don't take just one of a nice scene - take five.
- If you follow the first bit of advice, you should also learn to throw away. When you examine the five near identical pictures you took, pick only one and delete the other four.
Here's a quote from the photographer Ken Rockwell:
"Do you think I shoot a roll of film and get a roll loaded with the images you see in my galleries? Of course not. Most of what I shoot is crap. I'm just good enough to throw most of it away and only show the good stuff."
Holding the camera
One of the problems many photographers have is camera shake which results in blurred images caused my camera movement while the shutter is open. This is especially a problem in low light where the shutter can be open for longer. Digital cameras often suffer more from camera shake as they are frequently used at arms length with the image composed on the rear LCD screen.
Mounting the camera on a tripod will certainly cure shake problems, but if this isn't convenient, follow these basic rules and you'll get much sharper images.
- Right hand - firm grip but don't squeeze - forefinger over the shutter and the other three fingers around the front.
- Left hand should support the weight of the camera. With a DSLR, it should be under the lens.
- Tuck your elbows into your body and stand with your feet shoulder width apart. This will give you a more stable stance.
- You can create extra stability by leaning against something such as a tree or a wall.
- Some photographers believe that if you take a deep breath and hold it as you press the shutter, then you will reduce camera shake. This is because the body actually moves up and down as you breathe. Another technique is to press the shutter release button just after you exhale.
Pressing the shutter
Nearly every digital camera has an autofocus system which in its most basic form, focuses on whatever is in the centre of the image. The delay between pressing the shutter and the picture actually being taken can mean the precise moment you are trying to capture has passed while the autofocus is struggling to lock on. To get round this, you can have the camera prefocus on your subject, almost completely cutting out the shutter lag. To do this …
1. Point the camera directly at your subject so that the part you want in focus is right in the centre of the image (most cameras have a marker in the viewfinder or on the screen to indicate the centre).
2. Half-press the shutter button. The camera will focus on the subject (as well as calculating the amount of light it needs to reach the sensor).
3. While keeping the shutter half pressed, recompose your shot if you don't want the subject exactly in the centre of the frame.
4. At the point you want to take the image, press the shutter fully down. The picture should be taken within about a tenth of a second.
This procedure is so fundamental to taking well focused pictures that you should practise this method until it becomes second nature. If should be used for every picture that you take.
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Photographs
This is a site about photography so I'm sure you are expecting to see plenty of pictures.
For now, why not take a peek at the flickr galleries belonging to the two authors of this site.
Colin's Flickr Page
Phil's Flickr Page
"I discovered that while many photographers think alike when it comes to equipment, there are seldom two who agree on anything when it comes to what constitutes a good image."
- Peter Adams
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