Cheat Sheet

Canon EOS Rebel T2i/550D For Dummies

From Canon EOS Rebel T2i/550D For Dummies by Julie Adair King, Dan Burkholder One of the great barriers to getting great pictures from a digital camera is figuring out how all the camera's features work. Get to know the external controls and all the functions of the exposure modes on your Canon Rebel T2i/550D digital camera, and you'll be on your way to taking great digital photos!

The Canon Rebel T2i/550D Digital Camera Layout

Heres a guide to the buttons, dials, and other external controls on your Digital Rebel T2i/550D. The lens shown in the digital camera below is the Canon EF-S 1855mm IS (Image Stabilization) model sold with the Rebel; other lenses may vary.

Exposure Mode Quick Guide for Your Canon Rebel T2i/550D Digital Camera

Use this table for a quick explanation of your Canon EOS Rebel T2i/550D cameras exposure modes (you select these using the Mode Dial on top of the digital camera). Control of picturetaking settings depends on the exposure mode. Some are fully automatic, and others let you precisely manipulate exposure, color, and focus.

Digital Photography Lighting For Dummies

From Digital Photography Lighting For Dummies by Dirk Fletcher Lighting is a very important aspect of digital photography. As a photographer, its your job to use that light in the best possible way. The lighting process starts with being able to measure the light and determine the best settings to correctly expose for the available light, using a flash to add some light to a scene when needed, and using light to illuminate or hide areas in your images.

Measuring Light with Photographic Light Meters

Photography is all about light. How you measure that light for your digital photos, using various light meters, brings different results to the digital images you capture. The first step in figuring out what settings to use to take a photo is to measure the light. An accurate light measurement makes choosing exposure settings on your digital camera much easier. Two methods used to measure light are employed by the following types of light meters: Incident meters measure the amount of light falling on a subject and work best when held in front of the subject and aimed at the light source. Reflected meters measure the light that is being reflected off a subject and work best when you aim them at the subject. The built-in meter in your camera is a reflected meter. Reflective meters believe that the light theyre reading is an average 18 percent gray and can be more easily fooled by scenes with a lot of light or dark areas. Here are your options for photographic light meters: Handheld light meters come in both incident and reflected varieties with some making both available on the same meter. A built-in light meter comes built into your camera and works the same way as the handheld reflective light meter by measuring the brightness of the light in your scene. Most built-in light meters have three modes: o Matrix metering breaks the whole scene into pieces and then takes the meter readings from those segments to build up a more accurate reading of the overall scene. Matrix metering works very well in most scenes and is the mode youre likely to use most of the time. o Center-weighted metering places more value on the light in the middle of your scene than the light on the edges but still measures the light from the entire scene. This metering mode was originally used mainly for portrait photography, where the subject fills most of the frame and the background isnt as important. Its a good choice in any case where your main subject fills most of the frame and is close to 18-percent gray. o Spot metering limits the light reading to a tiny area in the frame and ignores everything around it. Spot metering is very useful when you have a critical area in your image that you want to make sure gets the right exposure and is close to 18percent gray.

Using Fill Flash to Lessen Shadows in Photos

Using fill flash adds a touch of light to any scene that you want to photograph and helps to get rid of unwanted shadows, like those that fall across the eyes of a person wearing a hat on a sunny day. Fill flash comes in handy when youre photographing any scene that includes a lot of light but little of that light falls on your subject. Use fill flash whenever your scene includes too much light in the background or the direction of the light causes shadows to fall across your subject. Use your digital cameras built-in flash or an external flash to add just a little light to fill in the scene by following these steps: 1. Turn on the built-in flash or put a flash on the hot shoe of your camera. 2. Reduce the power of the flash so you dont overpower the existing light. 3. Take a test shot.

4. If you need to, adjust the power of the flash until the light from the flash just fills in the shadows and doesnt overpower the existing light. Adding a diffuser dome to your external flash softens the light and makes the fill flash look more natural. For instructions on how to reduce the power on your built-in or external flash, see the camera and flash manuals.

Quick Lighting Fixes for Common Portrait Photography Problems

When using your digital camera to create portraits, chances are not all the subjects you photograph will be supermodels. You may need lighting to draw viewers eyes away from trouble spots or to your subjects best features. Here are some quick lighting tips to make the best out of any challenges that portrait photography may throw your way: All about the eyes: When shooting a portrait, always make sure that the eyes are in focus and well lit. Dull, out-of-focus eyes can ruin an otherwise great photograph, whether youre photographing people or animals. If the eyes look dull, add a little fill flash to the image to get the light in the eyes or use a reflector to bounce a little light into the face and eyes. Glasses: Eyeglasses reflect light, causing a lot of problems in portraits. If the glasses cant be removed, do a quick fix by moving the arms of the glasses higher up on the temples so the lenses angle downward slightly. The new angle of the glasses will reflect the light at a different angle and should fix the problem. If the glasses cant be moved, try changing the angle of the light that is striking the glass; a small change in the lights angle may help fix the problem. A little thin on top: Lights can cause unwanted reflections on the heads of people who are bald or losing their hair. Make sure that you dont aim lights directly at the bald area, and use a soft box or other diffuser close to the subject to make the light as soft as possible. An extra chin or two: To reduce that pesky double chin, have your subject tilt his head up slightly and photograph down at him from a slightly higher angle, making sure the main light is up high. This technique creates a bigger shadow under the chin and hides that problem area. Some quick weight reduction: A low-key style, one with a darker tone overall, has more shadows that you can use to hide problem areas. By adjusting the lights angle, you can use the shadows to hide and reveal different parts of the body, resulting in some instant weight loss. Out-of-proportion hands: When a subjects hands are placed forward in the portrait, they can look bigger than they should because they end up closer to the camera. You can minimize the effect by turning the hands so that the sides face the camera. Light illuminates the edge of the hands instead of the front or back.

Shaping Light with Photographic Tools

Several photography tools can solve the too-much or too-little light problem by modifying the light you have available or the light you add with flashes and strobes. You use tools like reflectors and diffusers to change the quality of light in your digital photographs. Heres a rundown of the tools photographers commonly use to modify light:

Reflectors can be any surface that you use to bounce light back into your scene. A reflector can be a wall or a ceiling, or it can be a specially made tool for photographers, which usually comes in the form of a circle covered in a reflective material. Some are collapsible and can fold up to a fraction of their size. These reflectors come in a variety of colors: o Gold reflectors change the color of the light to a warmer glow. The light ends up looking more like the light from sunrise or sunset, so it can cause color problems in the studio. Gold reflectors work best outdoors under natural light. o Silver reflectors tend to reflect the greatest amount of light back at the subject and dont change the color of the light. o White doesnt reflect as much light as silver or gold, but the light it does reflect is even and soft. It works really well for close-in work, both on location and in the studio. o Mixed reflectors have surfaces striped with silver and white or gold and white. These reflect less light than their solid counterparts. Theyre useful when you need a medium amount of light, with just a touch of silver or gold in the light. Diffusers reduce the intensity of light. You put them between the light and your subject, and they make the light softer. Specialized diffusers for shooting in the studio, called soft boxes, go over the light and produce a soft box of light. Another type of diffuser is called a shoot-through umbrella because it looks like an umbrella that youd use to keep the rain off but is made from semi-opaque material. Gobo is the term for something (anything) that goes between the light and the subject and modifies the light. Following are some common gobos: o Snoots are tubes that are used to aim lights. Snoots restrict all the light except for that in the exact direction the flash or strobe is pointed. The more constricted the tube, the smaller the resulting light. The longer the tube or snoot, the more defined the shape of the light. o Barn doors are hinged flaps that you position on the sides of the light to control the spread of the light. They can be adjusted to control how the light spreads out. o Grids go in front of the light and control the spread of the light in much the same way as a snoot. The size of the grid is responsible for the spread of the light the smaller the holes in the grid, the tighter the light.

Digital SLR Photography All-in-One For Dummies

From Digital SLR Photography All-in-One For Dummies by Robert Correll A digital single lens reflex (dSLR) camera is a fancy camera that has lots of buttons and knobs. Its more capable than a compact digital camera and even has interchangeable lenses. Digital SLRs may seem complex, but once you understand key elements of shooting modes, exposure, and flash, you're on your way to shooting like a pro. In addition, consider a few camera-related and video-editing software sites, find a brief guide to raw software, and understand what makes dSLR cameras different from other digital cameras.

How Digital SLRs Are Different from Other Digital Cameras

A digital single lens reflex (dSLR) camera isnt just any old camera. Its descended from the venerable SLR and shares many of its unique features. The main qualities that set apart the dSLR from other camera types are described in this list: Single lens reflex: A mirror in the camera body bounces light up into the viewfinder and flips up, out of the way, when you take a photo. You can see through the lens when composing and metering. Interchangeable lenses: Being able to change lenses means that you can configure your digital SLR and adapt to any situation. Sensor size: A full-frame digital SLR has a sensor the same size as a 35mm frame of film. Full-frame digital SLRs are professional-level cameras and are very expensive (many thousands of dollars). Cropped-frame dSLRs have smaller sensors although even the smallest dSLR sensor is still much larger than the sensor on most compact digital cameras. Most digital SLRs have cropped-frame sensors. Controls and controllability: Digital SLRs have far more controls than even the most advanced compact digital camera. Although digital SLRs most have automatic exposure and helpful scene modes, theyre more complex. The upside is that you can take the pictures you want to take. Exceptions: Some cameras share similar technologies or design approaches with digital SLRs, but none capture the entire range of benefits and advantages.

Using Your Digital SLR's Automatic Shooting Modes

Using automatic exposure modes is a helpful way to find out about photography while youre having fun getting to know your digital single lens reflex (dSLR) camera. Most of the following automatic exposure modes are also practical for more experienced dSLR users: Auto: The camera sets the exposure for you. All you need to do is frame the photo, press the shutter halfway down to focus and meter, and then continue to press the shutter to take the photo. Use this mode for general photography. Scenes: Choose a scene that matches your subject or situation. Common scenes include Action, Portraits, Night, Fireworks, Close-up (Macro), Landscape, and more. The camera makes the proper adjustments to the aperture and shutter speed to match the conditions and sets the exposure automatically. Use scenes if you find that the camera isnt adjusting to the conditions automatically. Programmed Auto Exposure: The camera sets the shutter speed and aperture for you but leaves other controls (typically, things like white balance, flash, certain autofocus functions, and drive mode) in manual mode. Also known as Programmed Auto or Program AE. You may be able to choose from a range of preset solutions that set the aperture and shutter speed for you. This allows you some creative control in choosing the aperture or shutter speed you want. This is called Program shift or flexible program. Use this mode if you want to leave the camera in charge of exposure but want manual control over other settings. Aperture Priority: You set the cameras aperture, and the camera takes care of setting the correct shutter speed to create the proper exposure. Use this mode if you want creative control over the aperture. Shutter Priority: You set the shutter speed, and the camera takes care of setting the correct aperture to create the proper exposure. Use this mode if you need to control shutter speed to prevent blurring and freeze the action.

Manually Controlling Exposure on Your Digital SLR

Exposure is the amount of light that enters the camera when you take a photograph. That concept isnt too complicated although understanding exposure is one thing and using your digital SLR camera to control it is another. The problem is that you can become so overwhelmed by everything else going on working the controls of your digital SLR, framing the subject, focusing, and so on that exposure might be the last thing you think about. The good news is that you can quickly learn enough about exposure to integrate it easily into your photography and start taking better pictures. To create the correct manual exposure, you have to juggle these three elements: Aperture: Controls the opening in the lens. Large apertures let in more light. Smaller apertures let in less light. Larger apertures shrink the depth of the area thats in focus (the depth of field). Smaller apertures increase it. Shutter speed: Determines how long the shutter (the element that blocks light from reaching the sensor) remains open and the sensor is exposed to light coming through the lens. Faster shutter speeds let in less light than slower shutter speeds. Faster shutter speeds prevent camera shake and motion blur. ISO: Formerly a measure of film speed, ISO now indicates the sensors sensitivity to light. Lower numbers (for example, ISO 100) are best for bright conditions. Higher ISOs (for example, ISO 400 or 800) are often necessary when indoors. The side effect of raising the ISO is increased noise. Noise is usually bad, but sometimes noise has the appearance of film grain, which isn't always bad.

Typical Flash Options for Digital SLRs

Using your pop-up flash is an entry into using flash when youre shooting photography with your digital SLR. If you start using your pop-up flash now, when youre ready to progress to a more sophisticated and expensive hot shoe flash unit, for example, you can hit the ground running. The problem is that flash photography can be difficult to master and has more options than you may realize. You will be able to adapt the flash on your digital SLR to any situation, however, if you learn the following flash options: Auto TTL; automatic flash mode: Flash strength determined by the camera and flash. TTL is short for through the lens, which is how the flash assesses the scene to determine exposure and distance information, if possible. Red-eye reduction: Fires a series of preflashes to constrict peoples pupils, diminishing the chances of red-eye. Fill flash: Forces the flash to fire in conditions when it isnt necessary in order to eliminate shadows and balance the light. Use outdoors to keep peoples faces from being in shadow. Use indoors in bright lighting to balance light from windows. Slow sync: Slows the shutter and flash to increase the amount of ambient light that contributes to the photo. The result is brighter backgrounds. You may have to raise ISO to keep the shutter speed fast enough for handheld photography or use a tripod, especially at night. High speed sync: Pulses the flash at lower strengths throughout an exposure that is faster than the sync speed of the flash and camera. Normally, the shutter is completely exposed when the flash goes off. At higher shutter speeds, the shutter curtains are traveling close enough together that the sensor is never fully uncovered. The limit beyond which the

sensor cannot be uncovered at one time is called the flash sync speed. The sync speed varies from camera to camera, but 1/160 to 1/250 second sync speeds are normal. High speed sync strobes a low-powered flash throughout the exposure to compensate for the sensor never fully being uncovered. A single, bright flash would not expose the entire frame evenly. Useful to make fill flash possible in bright conditions when overexposing the photo is a problem at shutter speeds within the normal sync speed of the flash. Rear-curtain (2nd curtain): Normally, the flash fires immediately after the first shutter curtain exposes the sensor (a second shutter curtain trails to cover the sensor back up and end the exposure). This is either assumed or called front-curtain (or 1st curtain) flash. Rear-curtain waits to fire the flash until just before the exposure ends, which is right before the second curtain covers the sensor again. Moving objects create ghost trails during the exposure and are frozen at the end. Moving lights register throughout. Repeating flash: Divides the flash into a number of discrete pulses, which results in interesting photos showing a stroboscopic effect. Wireless: Enables wireless mode on compatible flashes and camera bodies. When its properly configured, you can use an off-camera flash without wires. Manual: Lets you set the strength of the flash yourself in Manual mode.

Digital SLR Photography and Video Editing Links

Photography sites are all over the Web. Here are some essential links links to digital SLR makers, image-editing software developers, camera accessory dealers, and more into one list for you: Adobe: The maker of a plethora of photo and video editing software, such as Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Lightroom, and Premier. Adorama: A worldwide photography dealer with great service and selection that sells cameras, bags, lenses, video solutions, lighting gear and accessories, and software. Apple: The maker of a number of software titles you might find helpful, such as Aperture, iPhoto, iMovie, and Final Cut. B&H: A worldwide photography retailer with a massive selection of gear. Canon: The maker of Canon EOS digital SLRs, lenses, flashes, and accessories. Capture One: Maker of excellent raw development software. Cokin: Also a filter maker, with a great rectangular system. Corel: The maker of the helpful PaintShop Photo Pro photo editor and VideoStudio video editor. Flickr: A popular site where you can post photos. HDRSoft: Maker of Photomatix Pro, a leading HDR software. Interfit: Offers flash-sized soft boxes (called Strobies) and other lighting solutions. LumiQuest: Offers flash accessories, such as bouncers, filters, and screens. Lowepro: A leader in the camera bag category. They have backpacks, shoulder bags, slingbags, pouches, rolling cases, beltpacks, toploading solutions, and more. Manfrotto: Tripods, monopods, and heads, plus lighting stands ,clamps, and adapters. Nikon: The home of Nikon dSLRs and gear. Olympus: Be sure to check out whatever Olympus has to offer. Pentax: Small (it has two digital SLR models) but mighty. PTGui: Powerful panorama software. Sony: The maker of the Alpha digital SLR line.

Shutterbug: A popular site that features all-things-photography-related content. Sigma: The home of Sigma lenses and cameras. Tamrac: Provides practical and good-looking camera bags, cases, and accessories. Tamron: The maker of popular lenses for most cameras. Tiffin: The maker of the popular Tiffin filters. Westcott: Makes lighting of all types, plus light modifiers (umbrellas, soft boxes), reflectors, and other accessories. Several video-editing tools are now available, and the following table summarizes different software packages. Download free trial versions, if available, and try these programs for yourself. Name Platform Price Notes Mac or For people who dont have a lot of money to Google Picasa Free Windows spend; good organization; limited editing Adobe Premier Mac or $99.99 On the same level as Photoshop Elements Elements Windows Mac or Adobe Premier CS5 $799 Professional product; excellent capabilities Windows Apple iMovie Mac $79 Consumer-level movie editing Apple Final Cut Acceptable if you dont need the full version of Mac $199 Express Final Cut Pro Apple Final Cut Pro Professional product.; beware of sticker shock, (part of Final Cut Mac $999 but if you need it, you need it Studio) A new discovery; pros use Avid Pro Tools audio Pinnacle Studio HD $49.99 to Windows software because of its superadvanced video and Ultimate $99.99 tools; the line from Pinnacle is for consumers Corel VideoStudio Windows $39.99 A scaled-down version of VideoStudio X3 Express Corel VideoStudio Pro Windows $79.99 A robust package at a good price X3 Sony Vegas Movie Windows $44.95 Entry-level movie editing, but good Studio HD Sony Vegas Movie Windows $94.95 More advanced Studio Platinum Fantastic audio timeline and integration with Sony Vegas Pro Windows $599.95 video CyberLink Windows $99.95 A powerful package for a good price PowerDirector 8 Helpful options to produce videos; good Camtasia Studio Windows $299 integration with slides and other graphics Windows Movie Windows Free Good basic package Maker

Using Third-Party Raw Software with Your Digital SLR

As long as you shoot raw, choosing the right raw software is one of the most important elements of digital SLR photography. Your choice affects your workflow, the specifics of how you manage and process photos, and your sanity. You can buy or download a plethora of third-party raw editors and converters. If youre unhappy with your current software and want to try something new, get your hands on one or more of these applications. Raw Software Platforms Freeware? ACDSee Pro Windows No; free trial Bibble (http://bibblelabs.com) Mac/Windows/Linux No; free trial BreezeBrowser Pro Windows No; free trial Capture One Mac/Windows No; free trial dcraw Mac/Windows/Linux Yes DxO Optics Pro Mac/Windows No; free trial LightZone Mac/Windows No; free trial RawShooter Windows N/A RawTherapee Windows/Linux Yes SILKYPIX Developer Studio Mac/Windows No; free trial

Video-Editing Software to Use with Your Digital SLR

After you shoot some movies with your digital SLR camera, you'll want to do something with them. Exactly what that something is depends a lot on your desire, motivation, and videoediting software you have at your disposal. Several video-editing tools are now available, and the following table summarizes different software packages. Consider downloading free trial versions, if available, and try these programs for yourself. Who knows? One day you might be shooting and producing your own professional-level videos. Name Platform Price Notes Mac or For people who dont have a lot of money to Google Picasa Free Windows spend; good organization; limited editing Adobe Premier Mac or $99.99 On the same level as Photoshop Elements Elements Windows Mac or Adobe Premier CS5 $799 Professional product; excellent capabilities Windows Apple iMovie Mac $79 Consumer-level movie editing Apple Final Cut Acceptable if you dont need the full version of Mac $199 Express Final Cut Pro Apple Final Cut Pro Professional product.; beware of sticker shock, (part of Final Cut Mac $999 but if you need it, you need it Studio) Pros use Avid Pro Tools audio software Pinnacle Studio HD and $49.99 to Windows because of its superadvanced video tools; the Ultimate $99.99 line from Pinnacle is for consumers Corel VideoStudio Windows $39.99 A scaled-down version of VideoStudio X3

Express Corel VideoStudio Pro Windows X3 Sony Vegas Movie Windows Studio HD Sony Vegas Movie Windows Studio Platinum Sony Vegas Pro CyberLink PowerDirector 8 Camtasia Studio Windows Windows Windows

$79.99 $44.95 $94.95 $599.95 $99.95 $299 Free

A robust package at a good price Entry-level movie editing, but good More advanced Fantastic audio timeline and integration with video A powerful package for a good price Helpful options to produce videos; good integration with slides and other graphics Good basic package

Windows Movie Maker Windows

Digital Photography For Seniors For Dummies

From Digital Photography For Seniors For Dummies by Mark Justice Hinton Are you a senior interested in digital photography? Seniors looking to buy a digital camera should consider how convenient some features are to use. Is the viewfinder large enough to see easily? Are buttons too small? Here are some important digital camera features to consider so you can find the perfect camera and get on your way to taking great digital photos.

Digital Camera Features to Focus On

Digital photographers of all ages should know about digital camera features and their functions. Understanding digital camera features can help you choose the right camera when you're ready to shop. Here are some suggestions and descriptions of camera features to consider. Feature Explanation Recommendation Compact cameras are very small. Compacts are portable and simple but may be Bridge or prosumer cameras are too small for your hands. Hobbyists should Body style larger. DSLRs (digital SLRs) are look at bridge cameras, which have more the largest, with interchangeable features than compacts. lenses. A measure of dots that make up Image For photos sent by e-mail, 2MP is fine. Any an image. Expressed in width resolution resolution 5MP and higher should be generally and height in pixels (say, 3000 x (megapixels; useful. Higher resolution, up to 12MP, is better 2000) or in total megapixels MP) for larger prints. (say, 6MP). All cameras create JPEG files. RAW matters only to very serious hobbyists File format Some models also create large and professionals. RAW files, for advanced editing. A macro setting allows taking Macro Great for shooting flowers and insects. extreme close-ups with the

camera closer than 1 inch from subject. Use a zoom lens to bring a distant subject closer. Zooms range between 3X20X. Optical Zoom (optical) zoom quality is superior to digital zoom quality. Ignore digital zoom when comparing cameras. An optical viewfinder helps you compose a photo. An electronic Viewfinder viewfinder (EVF) displays camera settings over the scene. Displays the scene before the shot and displays photos during LCD review. Also displays menus for camera settings. Provides removable storage for photos. Comes in different types Memory card (SD, CF, XD, and Memory Stick) and different capacities (1GB and greater). Provides power to the camera for all operations. Rechargeable Battery proprietary batteries cost more than standard AA rechargeable ones. Control camera settings by choosing a scene, such as Beach, Scene modes Snow, Landscape, Portrait, and so on. Delays the shutter release so you Self-timer have time to jump into the scene before the photo snaps. Use these to select different Buttons settings. Size and placement vary considerably.

The bigger the zoom factor, the closer you can get to a subject. Look for 35mm camera zoom lens equivalents when comparing cam-eras. For photos of people nearby, using 3X or 5X may suffice. The more you shoot outside, especially wildlife, the longer the zoom you need (12X or greater). An EVF conveys more info. If a camera has no viewfinder to look through, you have to hold the camera at arms length to use the LCD to take photos. Larger (3 inches diagonal width and larger) and brighter are better although powerconsuming. Some LCDs offer touchscreens for accessing camera controls. Buy the specific card type required by your camera; 2GB is enough for most uses. Hobbyists shooting RAW format need more capacity (8GB). Expect about 200 photos per charge. If the camera uses AA batteries, buy extra rechargeables. Buy a recharger, too.

A few common scene modes are very helpful. A huge number of choices may be too many.

A must for self-portraits. Make sure a cameras buttons arent too small for you.

igital Landscape & Nature Photography For Dummies

From Digital Landscape and Nature Photography For Dummies by Doug Sahlin Capturing beautiful landscape images isn't always easy, and ticking off items on a checklist might not seem like a useful technique in photography, but ensuring you have all equipment with

you on a photo shoot ensures you can focus on snapping pictures instead of discovering you've left something behind. By the same token, readying your equipment upon your return lets you grab your camera bag and go capture more landscape and nature pictures.

Pre-Shoot Checklist: What to Carry with You on a Photo Shoot

When you go on a photo shoot, carry just what you think youll need for that shoot. When you have a lot of gear, however, forgetting what you have can be easy, and then you might leave something important at home. Keep this handy pre-shoot checklist in your camera bag and review it before you leave for each photo shoot. Those few blank spaces at the end are for listing additional or personal items.

Post-Shoot Checklist: What to Do after You Finish a Photo Shoot

When you complete a photo shoot, you need to do a few things. You may have changed many settings on the camera to deal with lighting and other conditions during your shoot. If you forget to return the camera to its default settings, you risk taking pictures with high ISO settings when there is sufficient light on your next shoot. Keep a post-shoot checklist in your camera bag and go through it after every photo shoot.

Digital Photography Exposure For Dummies

From Digital Photography Exposure For Dummies by Jim Doty, Jr.

Understanding the art and science of exposure in digital photography involves three main settings on your camera (which is probably a digital SLR, or dSLR): aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Adjusting these interrelated settings will alter the look of your photos, and when you understand how these settings work, you'll begin to take the kinds of eye-catching and impressive photos that you probably dreamed about when you first invested in a quality digital camera.

Understanding How Your Digital Cameras Exposure Settings Work

Taking great digital photos requires an understanding of how to use your digital cameras exposure settings, whether you have an SLR camera or a point-and-shoot camera. The combination of shutter speed and aperture determines how much light hits the digital sensor in your camera, and the ISO setting determines how quickly the sensor responds to the light. A simple way to illustrate how the three exposure settings work together is to think of filling a water bucket. Here are the components of this analogy: A full bucket = a good exposure The size of the bucket = the ISO The size of the garden hose = the lens aperture The amount of time it takes to fill the bucket = the shutter speed Say youre in your yard with a bucket and garden hoses of different sizes. The bigger the garden hose, the faster you can fill the bucket. You can fill the bucket by using any size garden hose you want, but the size of the hose determines how much time it takes to fill the bucket. If you want the bucket to fill up faster without using a bigger garden hose, you can use a smaller bucket. To put the water-bucket analogy in photography terms, think of your cameras digital sensor as a light bucket. Large apertures fill your sensor with light faster than small apertures. If you set your sensor to a faster ISO (in other words, if you make the bucket a smaller size), itll fill up with light faster than it would at a slower ISO setting. Large apertures (as well as high ISOs) call for faster shutter speeds. Small apertures (or low ISOs) require longer shutter speeds.

The Sunny f/16 Rule for Digital Exposure

The sunny f/16 rule, or Basic Daylight Exposure (BDE for short), tells you that the proper exposure in digital photography for a frontlit subject is f/16 with a shutter speed of 1/ISO (thats 1 over the ISO in use). According to the sunny f/16 rule, at ISO 100, BDE would be f/16 at 1/100 second, and at ISO 200, BDE would be f/16 at 1/200 second. When taking photos on a bright, sunny day, set the ISO of your camera to 100, the aperture to f/16, and the shutter to 1/100 second. Then go out and take pictures of some frontlit subjects. As long as your subject isnt white or black, the exposures should be great. No metering necessary. You can use equivalent exposures (different combinations of apertures, shutter speeds, and ISO settings that provide exactly the same exposure) for the sunny f/16 rule. The following table shows the equivalent exposures for the sunny f/16 rule at ISO 100. Equivalent Exposures for the Sunny f/16 Rule at ISO 100 Aperture Shutter Speed f/22 1/50 second f/16 1/100 second f/11 1/200 second f/8 1/400 second

f/5.6 f/4 f/2.8

1/800 second 1/1600 second 1/3200 second

Depth of Field Experimentation in Digital Photography

Controlling the depth of field (near-to-far sharpness) in a photo allows you to dramatically change the look of your digital images. Going for a lot of depth of field gives you a photo in which everything looks sharp from right in front of the camera to the distant horizon. When you want the subject to look sharp but you want everything in front of and behind the subject to look soft and blurry, opt for very little depth of field. Three variables determine the depth of field in your digital exposures: aperture, focal length, and focused distance (the distance to your focused subject). Adjusting any one of these variables without adjusting the other two changes the depth of field. If you play with two or more of these variables, the depth of field may change even more dramatically; then again, it may not change at all. To get the most out of depth of field requires a little experimenting. Start with these suggestions, but dont hesitate to play around with your settings: To minimize depth of field, use wide apertures and longer focal lengths and move in closer to your subjects. Also, try to avoid having distracting objects right behind your subject. A blurry tree or fencepost growing out of the subject is the kind of thing photographers tend to miss while theyre totally focused on their subject but kick themselves for when they look at the photos later. If theres a lot of distance between your subject and the background, the subject will pop out more against the blurry background. To maximize depth of field, use smaller apertures and wide-angle lenses and back up a bit from your subject. How far back you need to get depends on the lens youre using and the aperture you choose. Inexperienced photographers are prone to have boring foregrounds in their wide-angle, maximum-depth-of-field photos. To avoid this problem, have a center of interest close to the camera, even if it isnt your main subject. It could be flowers, a cactus, a spot between the rails of a railroad track, or a yellow stripe in the highway. Whatever it is, put the camera down low and get in close. The center of interest will draw the viewers eye into the rest of the frame. When you just need a medium amount of depth of field, stick with midrange apertures like f/5.6 or f/8 for wide-angle to normal focal length lenses. At longer focal lengths, switch to an aperture of f/11 or f/16.