General Photography Articles

Video / Updated 08-08-2023

When you photograph a scene with a wide-angle lens, you always get a larger depth of field than you would with a longer focal length. The figure shows an example of a scene photographed with a 24mm lens. There’s a wide variety of lenses out there, each suited for specific tasks. Lenses fall into the following categories: super wide-angle lenses that have a focal length from 10mm to 20mm wide-angle lenses that have a focal length from 20mm to 35mm normal lenses with a focal length of 50mm and that are close to the range of vision of the human eye short telephoto lenses with a focal length from 85mm to105mm long telephoto lenses that have a focal length of 150mm or greater A short focal length captures a wider view of what’s in front of the lens. A long focal length zooms in on your subject, capturing a narrow angle of view. Telephoto lenses are ideal for taking pictures of subjects you can’t get close to, such as birds and wildlife. Telephoto lenses are also great for capturing details of a scene. When you photograph a scene with a telephoto lens, you end up with a shallower depth of field than you would when photographing with a lens with a shorter focal length. Remember this when you photograph subjects like birds and animals. Another way to control your depth of field is to get closer to your subject with a telephoto lens, which brings your subject into clear focus. The combination of being close to your subject, shooting it with a telephoto or macro lens, and using a large aperture (small f-stop number) yields an extremely shallow depth of field. Notice that the butterfly’s head and antennae, and the flower are in focus, but the tips of the insect’s wings are not.

Article / Updated 05-17-2023

Have you ever looked through the photos you shot during a vacation or important family get-together and wished you had better pictures to frame, share online, or use in a photo book? For example, that really cool picture you took of your husband in front of the Eiffel Tower? Not so cool after all. You can’t really see him; he’s way too small in the frame. And in another shot, he has horns sticking out of his head because of some strange, unidentifiable object in the background. It's frustrating when you end up with less-than-ideal pictures. But you can improve your photo-taking skills by incorporating a few simple techniques. Give the following tips a try. Pay attention to the whole frame As illustrated above (the horns), it’s important to pay attention to the entire frame of your photo when you’re getting ready to click the shutter button. Whether you’re using a smartphone or something fancier, what’s around your main subject and in the background matters. You might have to change your position, your camera angle, or wait a few seconds, but it will be worth the trouble. Fill the frame This tip is related to the first one because it’s also about paying attention to the entire frame of your photo. One of the best pieces of advice for better photos is to get closer to your subject and fill the frame with it, or them. The photo below shows an example of this. The photographer moved up close to the woman and filled the frame with her and the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Identify your focal point and compose around it Before you snap a picture, first, identify your focal point, or main subject. It could be a person, a fountain, a tree, a building , or anything you’re interested in. Then, compose your shot with that focal point in mind. Even in scenes where a main subject isn’t obvious, try to identify something. For example, in a busy outdoor market, is there an interesting person or eye-catching tapestry you could use as your focal point? In the photo below, the photographer noticed the wacky shaped, bright-colored peppers and chose them as the focal point. If the photographer had stood way back and shot more of an overview of the scene, with nothing in particular as the main subject, the result would have been a much less interesting picture. In this shot, the photographer also chose a fairly shallow depth of field to blur the background. This further emphasizes the focal point, while also showing the environment. Dummies.com has many articles and books on photography, including lots of books on specific cameras. Use the rule of thirds Often, if we don’t take a moment to consider composition, we end up placing our main subject right in the center of the frame. The result, most of the time , is a boring photo. You can significantly improve your photos by using the rule of thirds when you compose your shot. The rule of thirds is a method of composition. Imagine a grid (see image below) over your viewfinder (on many cameras and smartphones, this is an option you can actually turn on) and place your subject along one of the lines or at a point where the lines intersect. As you can see in the image of the golden retriever below, the dog’s head is near one of these intersecting points, and it results in a beautifully balanced shot. This photo would be far less dramatic if the dog was placed right in the center of the frame. Keep in mind, the rule of thirds is a guideline. There are many examples of beautiful photographs featuring the main subjects in the center of the frame (like the next photo featured in this article). This decision, like so many aspects of photography, is an artistic one. Where is the light coming from? Take note of where the light source is, whether you’re indoors or outdoors. For example, if you take a photo of a person with the sun coming from behind them, it’s likely their face will be darkened and they might appear silhouetted. This is because your camera’s light meter is trying to simultaneously deal with the very bright and very dark areas in the scene. That’s not to say that shooting toward the sun is wrong. Many photographers do this intentionally for artistic effect, which requires a bit of technical know-how and some experimentation. Also, pay attention to whether there are harsh shadows falling across your main subject. Try changing the angle of the shot by moving yourself or the subject, if possible. Meter the light on your main subject Digital single lens reflex (DSLR) cameras, and others, include different ways to measure light coming into the lens to ensure a good exposure — meaning the picture will not end up too dark or too light. Make sure you are measuring the amount of light on your main subject. Even smartphones allow you to do this by tapping a specific area of the image on the screen. The point on the screen you tap is where the phone’s camera will measure the light. It will then adjust the exposure for that point rather than trying to balance the exposure for the entire scene, which can result in your main subject looking too dark or light. Try playing with this on your phone, and you will soon understand how to make it work for you. Keep your camera level and hands steady This tip may seem obvious, but we all sometimes forget to do these two simple things when we’re shooting photos. You can easily ruin what would have been a great shot by not holding steady and making sure you have your horizon straight. Look for leading lines and patterns In photography, leading lines are shapes in the scene that help lead a viewer’s eyes to your focal point. These could be train tracks, a line of trees or lampposts, a fence, buildings, or even shadows. In the photo below, the planks and rails of the pier lead your eyes out to the clouds and mountains beyond. You can also look for other elements, such as shapes and colors, that make patterns in a scene to add interest to your photo. Frame your subject Many times, if you look carefully, you can find ways to frame your main subject with other elements in the scene. For example, a rowboat just offshore in a lake could be framed by the trees on the shoreline. In the photo below, the photographer saw an opportunity to frame the subject with the arched window. Try a different angle For fun, try framing your subject with a different angle. In the photo below, a different perspective, shooting up toward the statue’s face, and using the architectural elements on the walls to frame the head, creates a much more interesting picture than it would have been just shooting this static subject from farther back and straight on.

Article / Updated 07-26-2022

Many digital cameras can capture images in the camera raw file format, or just raw. This format stores raw picture data from the image sensor without applying any of the usual post-processing that occurs when you shoot using the JPEG format. Shooting in the raw format offers a number of benefits because you are capturing absolutely all of the data received by your camera's sensor. This makes the raw files superior to any other types of image files. But the downside is that if you want to have images printed at a retail lab or to share them online, you need to process the raw files and then save them in a common image format. Another downside of raw files is that you can't use them in a word processing, publishing, or presentation program — actually, in any program except photo software that can understand the particular raw language spoken by your camera. (Every manufacturer has its own proprietary raw format, and each new model from that manufacturer produces raw files slightly differently from the previous models.) You have a couple options for converting raw files: Some cameras offer a built-in converter. For example, take a look at the converter available on some Nikon cameras. Although convenient, these tools enable you to control just a few picture attributes. Additionally, there's the issue of having to make judgments about color, exposure, and sharpness on the camera monitor — a small canvas on which to view your work when compared with a computer monitor. Still, having this option is terrific for times when you need to process a raw file on location or when you're in a hurry. After downloading the raw files to your computer, you can process them using a photo program that offers a converter. The software provided by your camera manufacturer may provide a raw converter, and many photo-editing programs also offer this tool. The image below offers a look at the raw converter found in Adobe Photoshop, for example. (Pros in the photo industry refer to this tool as ACR, for Adobe Camera Raw.) How many picture characteristics you can tweak depends on the software, so if you're shopping for a program to handle this task, investigate this feature carefully. Some entry-level programs simply change the file format from raw to a standard format, applying the same picture-characteristic choices that the camera would have used had you taken the photo in the JPEG format originally. For specifics on selecting conversion settings, you will need to take a look at your camera manual or software manual. You also can find online tutorials for Adobe Camera Raw and other major photo-editing programs that offer raw conversion tools. But here are a few general rules to follow: Don’t erase your original raw file. You may someday want to convert the file using different settings, and retaining the raw file means that you always have an original image in pristine condition that you can return to, if necessary. The settings you use when making your raw conversion stay with the raw file, sort of like an invisible recipe card. The next time you reopen the file in the converter, you don’t have to go through all the adjustments again; they’re automatically applied as you did them the first time. But because your picture data still is technically “raw,” you can apply a whole new set of adjustments without doing any damage to the picture. To retain the highest image quality in the converted file, save it in the TIFF format. Tagged image file format, or TIFF, is a non-destructive format: It preserves as much of the raw file's original image data as possible. That translates to the best image quality, which is why TIFF is the standard format used for professional publishing. Most photo editing, word processing, and publishing programs can work with TIFF files, and most retail labs can print TIFF files as well. Other nondestructive formats include portable network graphics (PNG) and the Photoshop native format (called PSD, the one created for use in that program). PNG is compatible with many publishing and graphics programs, but few programs other than those from Adobe can work with PSD files. So make your life simple and, unless someone requires you to do otherwise, stick with TIFF. TIFF does have one downside: Pictures stored in this format are much larger than JPEG files. But that's the price you have to pay if you want to retain your image at its highest quality. If you want to use your converted file online, save a copy in the JPEG format. TIFF files don't work online; browsers and email programs can't display them. JPEG, on the other hand, is the universal online photo format and also is fine for taking photos to retail print shops. Just know that unlike TIFF, JPEG is a lossy format. To reduce file sizes, JPEG tosses away some image data as the file is saved. As far as raw conversion goes, the best practice is to save one file in the TIFF format and then save a copy in the JPEG format for online use. (You also may want to reduce the resolution of the JPEG version.) Before you do any raw conversions — or any photo editing, for that matter — calibrate your monitor. This step ensures that you're seeing an accurate representation of image color, contrast, and brightness.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-18-2022

Photography is a fun and gratifying hobby that can make you very popular with the people in your pictures — or very unpopular. To get the most of a point-and-shoot camera, digital or not, the first skill to master is locking the focus. You can fine-tune your photography skills so that your photos come out sharp, colorful, and more interesting. Occasionally, your camera may not let you take a photo, and knowing what to do when that happens can save time and frustration.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 09-24-2021

Believe it or not, most of the technical and creative innovation in the photographic industry is coming not from the DSLR household name corporations, but from a mobile phone manufacturer! Your Android smartphone is a brilliant mixture of art and science, and its camera is ready and able to help you capture that next stunning photo op. Discover how to create bold, strong compositions that hold your viewer’s attention. Master the technical side of Android photography. And as the word photography literally means light-writing, immerse yourself in the exciting world of manipulating light. The future looks very bright for smartphone photographers such as yourself!

Article / Updated 07-14-2017

When you create a high dynamic range image, you’ll often be given the chance to save it as an HDR file for later use. Whether you save it as an HDR file depends partly on preference and partly on what you plan on doing. Normally, you’ll jump right into tone mapping, save the final low dynamic range result, and never miss not having an HDR file stored on your hard drive. In cases where you might be testing a number of different settings on a single HDR image, however, saving an HDR file the first time through will save you time in the long run because you won’t have to continually re-create it. You can load the HDR file and work with new settings in a snap. Another scenario where using an HDR file saves you time and trouble is if you want to share it with someone and don’t want the hassle of tracking multiple photo files. Generate the HDR, and then make that available for others to tone map. If you decide to save an HDR file, you must choose a format from several competing HDR file formats. Three, however, are very widespread and deserve special attention — these are summarized in the table. Popular HDR File Formats Format Extension Bits per Pixel Why to Use Radiance RGBE .hdr 32 Superlative dynamic range; sacrifices some color precision but results in smaller file size OpenEXR .exr 48 High color precision at the expense of some dynamic range; can be compressed Floating point TIFF/PSD .tiff .psd 96 Very accurate with large dynamic range but results in huge file sizes and wasted internal data space Generally the Radiance format is recommended when you need to save an HDR file because it preserves the greatest dynamic range without excessive file bloating — and it’s the first file type in the Save as Type drop-down list in Photmatix Pro. (Find more information about Radiance RGBE and OpenEXR formats.) Thankfully, HDR photography comes down to the photos. This isn’t a contest to see who can create the HDR file with the greatest dynamic range or a strict comparison of bits and precision. It’s about taking and presenting beautiful pictures.

Article / Updated 06-23-2017

Uploading photos from a camera to your Windows computer is a simple process, but it helps to understand what’s involved. (This is similar to the process you can use to upload movies from a camcorder — in both cases, check your manual for details.) Here are some highlights: Making the connection: Uploading photos from a digital camera to a computer requires that you connect the camera to a USB port on your computer using a USB cable that typically comes with the camera. Power on the camera or change its setting to a playback mode as instructed by your user’s manual. Installing software: Digital cameras also typically come with software that makes uploading photos to your computer easy. Install the software and then follow the easy-to-use instructions to upload photos. If you’re missing such software, you can simply connect your camera to your computer and use File Explorer to locate the camera device on your computer and copy and paste photo files into a folder on your hard drive. Printing straight from the camera: Digital cameras save photos onto a memory card, and many printers include a slot where you can insert the memory card from the camera and print directly from it without having to first upload pictures. Some cameras also connect directly to printers. However, if you want to keep a copy of the photo and clear up space in your camera’s memory, you should upload the photos to your computer or an external storage medium such as a DVD or USB stick even if you can print without uploading.

Article / Updated 01-27-2017

Because printers and screen devices think about pixels differently, how many pixels you need depends on how you plan to use your digital picture. So, the answer to the pixel-number question is, “It depends.” Pictures’ pixel needs vary: Pixels for screen use: If you want to use your picture on a Web page, a multimedia presentation, or for some other on-screen use, you need very few pixels. Just match the pixel dimensions of the picture to the amount of the screen you want the image to fill. In most cases, 640 x 480 pixels is more than enough, and for many projects, you need half that many pixels or even fewer. Pixels for prints: If you plan to print your photo and want the best picture quality, you need enough pixels to set the output resolution in the neighborhood of 200 to 300 ppi. This number varies, depending on the printer. Sometimes, you can get by with fewer pixels; some printers ask for 360 pixels. To determine how many pixels you need, just multiply the print size by the resolution you want. For example, if you want to create a 4-x-6-inch print at 300 ppi, you need at least 1200 x 1800 pixels. This figure shows some of the most common print sizes and the number of pixels you need for good prints.

Article / Updated 09-22-2016

Often overlooked amidst the more glitzy, whiz-bang options touted in camera magazine and television ads are the ones that affect the quality of the pictures the digital camera can produce. After all, you probably chose a better camera to take better pictures. Resolution: How many megapixels? Digital images are made of colored tiles know as pixels. Camera resolution, stated in megapixels (1 million pixels), indicates the maximum number of pixels that it can use to create a photo. You need to know these key points: Image resolution determines the size at which you can produce high-quality prints. A general guideline is to aim for 300 pixels per linear inch (ppi). For onscreen photos, you need very few pixels. Resolution affects the display size of digital photos, but does not affect picture quality. High-resolution pictures create larger data files. The more pixels, the faster you fill a camera memory card (the removable storage used by most cameras), a cellphone's onboard storage space, and your computer's hard drive or any online storage closet you may use. For This Print Size … You Need This Many Megapixels 4 x 6 inches 2 mp 5 x 7 inches 3 mp 8 x 10 inches 7 mp 11 x 14 inches 14 mp Image sensor: Full frame or smaller? A photograph is formed when light passes through a lens and strikes a light-sensitive recording medium. In a film camera, the film negative performs the light-recording function. In a digital camera, the image sensor handles the task. The sensor is covered with photosites, which are electronic doodads (that's the technical term) that collect the light data needed to create the image pixels. Digital-camera image sensors come in two flavors: CCD (charge-coupled device) and CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor). In the past, each had a reputation for offering different advantages, but today, both are capable of producing excellent images (although techno-geeks still love to argue about which technology is best). Sensor size, however, is a different story: A smaller sensor usually produces lower image quality than a large sensor. Why? Because when you cram tons of photosites onto a small sensor, you increase the chances of electronic noise that can degrade the picture. The three largest sensors commonly used in digital cameras have been assigned these monikers: Full frame: The sensor is the same size as a 35mm film negative (36 x 24mm). Why full frame? The term is related to camera lenses, which are still manufactured using the 35mm film negative as a standard. That means that a full-frame sensor is large enough to capture the entire angle of view that a lens produces on a 35mm film camera. Smaller sensors can capture only a portion of that angle of view. APS-C (advanced photo system-type C): This is a smaller-than-full frame sensor but with the same 3:2 proportions as a 35mm negative. Within this category, the specific dimensions of the sensor vary from camera to camera. Nikon APS-C sensors measure about 24 x 16mm, for example, whereas Canon's are approximately 22 x 15mm. Micro Four Thirds: These sensors are slightly smaller than APS-C sensors, and as the name implies, they have a 4:3 aspect ratio as opposed to the 3:2 ratio of full-frame and APS-C sensors. Note that the term Four Thirds is used for any sensor that has a 4:3 aspect ratio, even for those much smaller than a Micro Four Thirds sensor. Which is best — 4:3 or 3:2? Well, there's no magic to either aspect ratio. But 3:2 originals translate perfectly to a 4 x 6 print, and a 4:3 image must be cropped to fit. Mind you, you also need to crop 3:2 originals to print them at other frame sizes — 5 x 7, 8 x 10, and so on. And many cameras enable you to choose from several aspect ratios for your pictures or to crop them to a certain proportion using in-camera editing tools. If you don't see one of these terms, you can find the sensor's dimensions in the camera's spec sheet. But sometimes, size is presented as a single number, such as 1". In this case, that number reflects the diagonal measure of the sensor, which is the same way that TV sizes are presented. Image file format: JPEG versus Raw File format refers to the type of file used to record picture data. The standard format is JPEG (“jay-pegg”), but cameras aimed at intermediate and advanced photographers usually offer a second format called Camera Raw, or just Raw, for short. When it comes to image quality, Raw outperforms JPEG for reasons. The difference has to do with the fact that JPEG files are compressed to shrink file size, resulting in some data loss. Pro shooters also prefer Raw to JPEG because Raw can record a greater dynamic range (spectrum of brightness values, from shadows to highlights). Additionally, JPEG files are “processed” in the camera, with characteristics such as contrast, sharpness, and color saturation tweaked to provide what the manufacturer thinks its clients like. Raw files are just that: uncooked data straight from the image sensor. The photographer then does the work of turning that data into a photo using a software tool known as a Raw converter. This gives the photographer control over the final look of a photo. This is not to say that you should bypass cameras that offer only JPEG, however. Today's digital cameras produce excellent-quality JPEG images, unlike some of the JPEG-only models of past years. High ISO performance (noise levels) A digital camera's sensitivity to light is measured in terms of ISO, named for the group that developed the standards for this attribute (International Organization for Standards). Most cameras offer a choice of ISO settings so that you can increase or decrease light sensitivity as needed. In dim lighting, for example, you may need to raise the ISO in order to expose the image. Being able to increase light sensitivity is great in terms of exposure needs, but there's a tradeoff: As you increase sensitivity, you increase the chances of introducing a defect known as noise, which gives your photo a speckled look. Check out this example, with the noise most evident in the dark background of the picture. Noise is also easier to spot when you enlarge the image, as illustrated by the magnified view. Today’s cameras are much less noisy than in years past. In fact, if you're using a camera that's more than a couple of years old, better low-light pictures is a perfectly valid reason to justify the purchase of a new model. But because noise levels vary from camera to camera, this is an important characteristic to study when reading camera reviews. Note, however, that a high ISO isn't the only cause of noise; long exposure times also produce noisy images, no matter what ISO setting you use.

Article / Updated 09-22-2016

To transfer photos from your digital camera, the first step is to choose how you want the computer to be able to access your picture files. Depending on your camera, you may be able to use one or all of the following methods: Connect the camera to the computer via USB. USB stands for Universal Serial Bus, which is a technology developed for connecting printers, cameras, and other devices to a computer. A USB port is a slot on the computer where you can plug in a USB cable. Here’s a close-up look at a USB plug and ports, which are typically marked with the symbol you see below. Use a card reader. A card reader is a device that enables a computer to access data directly from a memory card — no camera or battery power required. You just take the card out of the camera and slip it into the card reader when you want to download photos. Transfer wirelessly. Cellphones and other smart devices can connect to your computer wirelessly, assuming that your computer itself is part of a Wi-Fi network. You also may be able to use Bluetooth, another wireless data-transfer technology, to connect your smart device to your computer. What happens after you establish a connection between a camera or card reader and the computer depends on your computer's operating system and the software you installed. Here are some possibilities: You see an icon representing your camera or memory card on your computer desktop or in the file-management window. For example, here is a card reader which shows up as a drive on the desktop on a Mac computer. In some cases, the camera brand name appears along with or instead of a drive letter. (The drive letter will vary depending on how many other drives are on your system.) On a computer running Windows, a Windows message box similar to this one appears. The figure shows the dialog box as it may appear in Windows 7 (the box changes depending on your computer settings). From this window, you can choose from programs that the system believes can handle image file transfers. An installed photo program automatically displays a photo-download wizard. For example, the downloader associated with your camera software (assuming that you installed that program), Adobe Lightroom, iPhoto, or another photo program may leap to the forefront. Usually, the downloader that appears is associated with the software you most recently installed. If you're using photo-download software, you should be able to view all your photos, select the ones you want to transfer, and specify downloading options such as the name of the folder where you want to store the images. Check the program's Help system for how-tos. But if you prefer, you can just stick with Windows Explorer or the Mac Finder and use the same drag-and-drop technique that you use to copy files from a CD, DVD, or another removable storage device to your computer. Normally, you have to open a folder or two to get to the actual image files: They’re typically housed inside a main folder named DCIM (for digital camera images) and then within a subfolder that uses the camera manufacturer’s name or folder-naming structure. After you open the folder, you may see thumbnails of the images or simply the names of the files. After opening the folder that contains the images, select the ones you want to transfer and then just drag them to the folder on your hard drive where you want to store them. Although it’s not visible in the figure, you should see a little plus sign next to the cursor when you drag. The plus sign indicates that you’re placing a copy of the picture files on the computer; your originals remain on the card. A few final downloading tips apply no matter which method you use: You don't have to use the same program to edit photos that you use to download them. You can download using your camera's photo browser, for example, and then open and edit the transferred photos in Adobe Photoshop. In some cases, you first need to import or catalog the transferred photos into the program, which simply tells the program to build thumbnails for the picture files. Watch out for the erase-after-download option. Many photo downloading tools offer to automatically erase the original images on your card after you transfer them to the computer. Disable that option just in case something goes haywire. It’s not a good idea to erase the images on your card until you’re confident that they’re safely stored on your hard drive. Also disable automatic red-eye correction. Many downloaders also attempt to try to remove red-eye during the download process. This option can cause your downloads to take forever as the program tries to locate and fix areas that it thinks may be red-eye. It’s better to do the job yourself after downloading. You may be able to copy photos to a backup drive at the same time you copy them to your main storage drive. This feature, found on some photo downloaders, is a great timesaver, for obvious reasons. The initial download may take a bit longer because files are being written to two locations, but you don't have to take the time to select and copy photos to your backup drive later.