Photography 101 Hands on with the DSLR

Jacksonville Photography Meetup Group

Introductions
Your name Level of photography experience Equipment you brought (camera and lens) Did you bring your camera manual?

JPMG Photo 101

Purpose for the Entire JPMG 100/1/2/3 Series

Develop a basic process for taking pictures. Understand that the camera is a tool in this process. Here is the basic process:
Decide the story that you want the photo to tell. Determine the photographic composition that tells the story. Set the camera up to take the picture that tells the story. This is called the creatively correct exposure. Take the picture, evaluate if it tells the story the way you want to, make changes to the composition and camera settings as appropriate, and retake the picture (lather, rinse, repeat.). Develop a basic understanding of light.
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Class Purpose for today

Understand that the DSLR camera is a tool. We are going to learn how to use the tool. Hands-on, learn how to use the dials and settings. AF, drive modes, selecting the focus point Learn about lenses. Know how to use your manual. The goal is that you walk out of here knowing how to manipulate your camera. You will also learn how to get the correct exposure (not the creatively correct exposure).
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Prerequisites
You fully understand the photographic triangle, and the concept of stops of exposure. Im going to assume in the conduct of the class that you know the prerequisites, and if I tell you to increase the exposure by two stops using aperture, you understand what I am telling you to do and know how to do it. If you dont know how to do that, Im not going to stop the class to explain.
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Photo 100 Review Exercise

Lets take a completely manual mode picture in this room, without a flash.
In Manual Mode, set your camera for ISO 400, f8, and 1/100 sec. Look at the exposure level indicator, and what does it tell you? Take the picture and look at it in the LCD? Is it too dark or too bright? Does what you see match with what the indicator told you? How can we change it to get a different exposure? Keep adjusting until you get a correct exposure. Everyones final settings will be different, but they will all produce a correctly exposed image.
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Photo 100 Review Exercise -- 2

What we just went through is pretty much a complete review on how to get a correctly exposed photo. This is basically your thought process every time you take a picture, from a technical perspective. If you understand the discussion, and most importantly the whys, then you are ready to move on. This is really important. If you dont understand what we just did, then you are going to have difficulty in this class.
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Review - Correct Exposure

What is the correct exposure?
The combination of ISO, aperture, and shutter speed to get the right amount of light to the sensor. Most situations have at least 6 possible combinations (at any single ISO) of aperture and shutter speed to achieve the correct exposure. Does everyone understand this statement? Lets throw up some examples and talk through them.
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Exposure Compensation
Exposure Compensation.
What is exposure compensation?
An alteration of the camera-defined settings for the exposure. Exposure comp is either plus, to get more light on the sensor, or minus, to get less light on the sensor.

Why would we want to set exposure compensation?

We want to deliberately over or under expose (lacrosse visors, ie). The camera metering is being fooled (backlight situation). HDR photography.

How does exposure compensation work?

Aperture Priority Mode Longer/Shorter shutter speed. Shutter Priority Mode More open or closed aperture. Program Mode Camera adjusts both aperture and shutter speed. Are we able to set EC in manual mode? Why or why not?

Where do we see exposure compensation on the camera? How do we set the exposure compensation (back to the manual).
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Exposure Compensation - 2
Exposure Compensation.
Lets do an exercise on Exposure Compensation. Go to aperture priority mode, ISO 1600, f11, and take a picture. Write down the photographic triangle settings. Now set the EC to -2 and take a picture. What are the settings? What did the camera do? Now set the EC to +2 and take a picture. What are the settings? What did the camera do? Go to shutter priority mode, ISO 1600, 1/15 sec, and take a picture. Write down the photographic triangle settings. Now set the EC to -2 and take a picture. What are the settings? What did the camera do? Now set the EC to +2 and take a picture. What are the settings? What did the camera do? Now put your camera down and leave the settings as is.
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Highlight Alert
What is Highlight Alert?
It tells you, for the picture that you just took, where you are loosing details in the highlight areas (the bright areas are too bright). You should always have the highlight alert setting enabled (turned on) for your camera. How do you enable the highlight alert? Lets go to the manual and turn it on. Now lets look at the last picture that you took, with the EC set to +2. Are there any blinky areas? If so, what do they tell you?
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Highlight Alert -- 2
What are your options if you have the blinkys in your picture?
First, do you care about where they are? If no, then leave the photo as is. If you dont to lose the detail in those areas, then you need to decrease the amount of light in the exposure, by adjusting the ISO, or shutter speed, or aperture.

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Understanding the Histogram

What is the histogram?
It is a graph that shows the distribution of the dark and light pixels in the image.
The X-axis (horizontal) represents dark to the left and light to the right. The Y-axis represents how many pixels there are, at that level of dark/light. The higher the line, the more there are.

Lets go to the manual.

How do I get to the histogram? What does it tell me? View the histogram from the last picture taken.
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Understanding the Histogram - 2

Lets do an exercise.
Your camera should still be set up for EC of +2. Take another picture and bring it up on the LCD, with the histogram. The picture is overexposed, and see how the histogram looks. Now set your camera for an EC of -2. Take another picture and bring it up on the LCD, with the histogram. The picture is underexposed, and see how the histogram looks. Now set your camera for an EC of 0. Take another picture and bring it up on the LCD, with the histogram. The picture is underexposed, and see how the histogram looks.
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White Balance
White Balance and the color of light
What is the color of light? (ROYGBIV the colors of the rainbow).
Refers to the relative warmth or coolness of the light. Red is warm, blue is cool.

So what is white balance then?

The correct White balance (WB) makes objects which appear white in person are rendered white in your photo. Photographers may use a white card to determine proper WB. Show how it is used. Setting the WB tells the camera the light color that it is operating in.

Now, how do we set the white balance, and what are the possible settings? (The manual again.). Example Lets set WB to sunlight, take a picture. Does the picture have a color cast? Now set it to shade, take a picture. Color cast? What is the correct WB for this room? Take a pictures and look at it. Do the colors look correct?
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Metering Modes
Metering modes
What is metering? This is the process of the camera determining the subject brightness. What are the available metering modes? (Lets go to the manual for this). Why would we want to use each mode (what situation)?
Evaluative / Matrix. General purpose. Partial or Spot. Mels dark person and white wall example. Center weighted averaging. Light/dark stage in a darker/lighter room example.

How do we set the metering mode? (To the manual again..). Lets do a demo. Lets darken the room and take a picture of the projector monitor. Set each of the metering modes and see what the exposure is. What does the demo teach you?
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Drive/Release Mode
Setting the Drive Mode (Canon)/Release Mode (Nikon)
What is the drive/release mode?
How many shots can be taken when the shutter is pressed. Instantaneous, or delayed?

Single shot/single frame. Continuous/continuous. Self Timer. How do we set the drive mode (back to the manual). In the class, you should be set to single shot/frame.
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Auto Focus
Setting the Auto Focus (Canon/Nikon) mode
What is the Auto Focus mode?
How the auto focus acts when you engage it, either via the shutter or the AF On button.

One Shot/Single Servo AF For single shots of still subjects. AI Servo/Continuous Servo AF For moving subjects. AI Focus/Auto Servo AF Combo of the two, acts like either, depending on whether the subject stays still or moves. How do we set the AF mode (back to the manual). For the class, you should be set on One Shot/Single Servo AF.
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Combining Drive and AF Modes

Now lets think about the combination of AF mode and drive mode, because they work together, hand in hand. How do we use the AF mode and Drive mode together?
For sports or moving subjects? For portraits or still subjects? For subjects that may or may not move (babies?) When I want to be in the picture?
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Setting the AF Point

Setting the AF point.
What is the default for the auto focus point?
Lets look at the manual, as each camera is a little different. Does your camera have face detection, and is it engaged?

Focus point/area on the sides or top/bottom, depending on the situation. Zone focus area. Single point focus point. When would we use each AF point mode? How do we set the AF point mode (back to the manual). We will not do an exercise on this now, because every camera is different. We will come back to this later.
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AF Point Display
What is the AF Point Display?
It shows you in the viewfinder which AF point(s) is active, and also which point(s) is/are used for the photo. When you enable AF Point Display, the active AF Point(s) show up in the viewfinder at all times. When you half press the shutter, the viewfinder will show you which AF Point(s) are being used for the photo. How do we enable AF Point Display? Lets go to the manual and enable it. Lets now see how it works. I recommend always having this on.
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Image Quality
Setting the image quality (RAW and JPG)
What is RAW?
The digital negative. All information is available in the file. Requires special software to display on a computer.

What is JPG?
Standard for displaying pictures on computers. Image is compressed, so some information is lost. Different degrees of compression define JPG size and quality.

Why would we shoot raw or jpg, or both? How do we set the image quality (back to the manual).
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Lenses
Fixed versus variable focal length (zoom).
foot zoom versus lens zoom. The focal length (50mm, for example) describes the width of the field of view (FOV angle).

Wide angle versus telephoto.

Wide angle can see left to right a lot. Telephoto sees longer distances, with a narrower FOV.

Macro For extreme close up images (flowers, bugs, etc). Fixed and variable aperture lenses
Look at the end of the lens to see what it says. Fast and slow lenses. For variable aperture lenses, the first aperture is at the shortest/widest focal length, and it gets progressively smaller to the last number, at the longest/narrowest focal length.
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Lenses -- 2
Lets do a variable aperture exercise.
Zoom your lens out to its widest/shortest focal length. On the camera, set your aperture to its most open setting. Now, slowly zoom the lens while watching the aperture setting on the camera. What happens? Now you see how variable aperture lenses work?

Ok, you ask, why have these lenses?

They are less expensive to make, and therefore affordable for the general public. You just have to be aware of how the aperture is changing as you are zooming the lens.
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 Image Stabilization (Canon) / Vibration Reduction (Nikon) / Optical Stabilization (Sigma)

What is IS/VR?
IS/VR is used to reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera during exposure. Camera shake, as opposed to subject motion. In general, IS/VR allows the photographer to take pictures using slower shutter speeds than otherwise practical. The advantage is the ability to take lower-light photos on still subjects, without having to resort to additional light (flash). Use only at low shutter speeds (slower than 1/100 second). Why? You dont need it, and it makes the camera slower.

Lenses -- 3

How do we set IS/VR on and off? (Look for the switch on the lens). How does IS/VR work?
Camera shake versus subject motion. Demonstration
ISO 800, Shutter priority mode. Set shutter speed to 1/30 sec (IS on/off, move hand, hand still).

Does everyone see from the demo what IS/VR is and does, and what it doesnt do? JPMG Photo 101 25

Exercises and Scenarios How can we set up our camera, and what lenses will we use?
Lets talk through some scenarios that we will all face.
BTW, there are no right or wrong answers here. Do you always want to be in manual mode? NO NO NO!! But you want to be able to understand what the camera is doing, so that if the picture doesnt come out the way that you want, you know what to look at to fix it.

Vacation walk around photography outdoors (example is the St Augustine Photo Walk) Vacation walk around indoors (museum) Concert at the Florida Theater (or childrens concert) Family gathering in the house
Babies, kids, friends, pets

Others?
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Questions?
Thank you for attending. Please let us know what you thought of the class. (Both good and bad, please). If anyone is interested in volunteering to host or assist at meetups, please communicate to the organizers. Thank you again, and have a great day!!

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