an extension of MCS classes
EXPOSURE VALUE (EV) = ISO + Aperture + Shutter Speed For photographers wanting to break away from their camera’s Automatic Settings, understanding exposure is the single most important concept to consistently take great photographs. Getting the correct exposure balances three primary settings on your camera; 1) ISO, 2) lens aperture, and 3) shutter speed. This series of…
ISO refers to how sensitive the camera sensor is to light. In the old film days, the combination and proportion of chemicals used could be adjusted to make the film more, or less sensitive to light (ranging from ISO 100 – 800). Many digital camera today reach beyond ISO 3200 to capture enough light for a…
Your camera likely will capture images in two main formats, RAW (uncompressed), or JPEG compression, though some compact digital cameras only shoot in JPEG. There are benefits to either. Your choice will depend on how serious you take your photography, your intended purpose for using photos, and/or hard disk space considerations.
Think of Sports Photography, (or other action/events) as “One-Time-Only” events. The Harlem Globetrotters might come to your town once in a lifetime, but individual sports events might also offer those same once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to shoot. One never know when a school record might be broken, or the teams star athlete goes down with an injury. Game…
Aperture refers to the size of opening inside the lens that allows light to enter to make contact with the camera sensor (or camera film). The value is represented either as a ratio (e.g. 1:4.5) or – traditionally- as a focal length stop (e.g. f/4.5) otherwise referred to as “f-stop”.
Shutter Speed is measured in fractions of a second, and refers to the length of time the camera shutter is open to allow light to make contact with the camera sensor (or camera film).
The Aperture scale is one that is not intuitive to most beginning camera users, and can be cause for confusion. This video explains those common questions including: how f/stop is calculated how available light entering the camera doubles or halves when the aperture numbers don’t double or half how camera manufacturers calculate lens opening size requirements to attain the proper f/stop…
Action photos usually require the action to be frozen in time to the greatest extent possible. Slightly blurred hands and feet are often tolerated, but blurred faces, arms and legs usually don’t do much for a great photo. The biggest challenge facing action-stopping moments is available light (which is often not enough). Learning your camera capabilities,…
Lighting often changes, and there are many circumstances in which a change in light metering will help to gain a better quality photo.Most cameras feature three light metering options. Each option works by assigning a weighting to different light regions; areas of the image that are weighted higher contribute more to the final exposure calculation.