Photography Tips (1)

SIMPLE PHOTOGRAPHY

Simple tips on the basics of photography by Trevor James @ www.trevorjamesphotography.com


FOCUSSING CORRECTLY

How many times has this happened, when you've taken the shot and all looks good in the monitor screen at the rear of the camera, only to get home and upload the image to your computer - and it's blurred ? Well it happens more often than you think, especially when simple elements of the camera setting stage has been missed out (e.g., manual/auto focus, aperture, shutter speed, and movement).


Auto Focus
Most new, and many older lenses, come with an AF/MF (Auto Focus/ Manual Focus) switch somewhere on the side or top of the barrel, and this needs to be switched to one or the other. It is worth noting that if you have it on the AF setting the camera will usually give a beep sound when it confirms being 'in focus' with a particular subject within the lens. Not hearing a beep usually is an indication of MF mode. You need to select one. In this mode the lens will automatically reset itself each time you press the shutter release button half way down - this is 'in focus'.


Manual Focus
If your lens is in this mode you will need to manually set the focus whilst looking through the viewfinder each time before taking the shot. This is done by turning the ring on the lens to achieve clarity of your subject in the viewfinder. Once this is achieved you can then press done the shutter release button to capture the subject matter.


Aperture
Sometimes we may need, or want, to focus the camera on a selective part of the entire framed subject within the viewfinder and leave everything else out of main focus (Depth of Field). In order to carry out this task we simply make a few adjustments  before taking the picture. Firstly, we need to ensure that we have the camera in aperture priority. This is done by turning the mode dial on the camera to A, or AV (some cameras have different letters to indicate this mode). Secondly, we alter the main dial by turning it to the left or the right to set the f/stop (the measure for the amount of depth of focus within the picture). This will allow the camera to also automatically set the shutter release speed (see more below).


Movement
Once you have chosen your subject and focussed in and ready to take the shot, it is really important to ensure you have the camera held still before, during and after the shutter release button has been depressed. If not, no skill in the world will prevent blur in the image. Some point to remember is that when you have set either the aperture or the shutter speed there are given rules about camera shake that need understanding. as a simple rule a tripod should always be used, or to hand. Where an image is to be taken below 1/125 it is recommended to use a tripod to prevent camera shake (some lenses come with 'Camera Shake Prevention' allowing speeds less than 1/125 to be used successfully. Please note that some manufacturers may recommend different speeds than I have, however, I am treading on the side of caution for your benefit. 

Shutter Speed

Again there are two simple things we need to do in order to get this mode working. One, we need to turn the mode dial to S or TV (again depending upon the make of camera), and two, select the speed of the shutter curtains - marked in hundredths of a second and then in seconds - in order to restrict the length of time light is exposed to the sensor. This would not initially caused blurring to an image, however it is important at this stage to note the difference between the use of aperture and shutter modes on a camera. This will automatically allow the camera to set the f/stop (see above).

This is the same image focussed correctly.

I have added in the blur on the image above using Photoshop for the purposes of this blog but, this would be the effect on your computer monitor if you have not gone through the simple checks that I have described above.

The next blog on Simple Photography will be on Composition.

If you want to know more about your photography go to My Website or Email Me