Digital photography

Basic photography tips

For example: at aperture 5.6 you allow 2 times more light than at aperture 8, and 2 times less light than at aperture 4. At 1/250 sec. exposure time, the shutter will let in 2 times more light than at 1/500 sec. and 2 times less than at 1/125 sec. Basic photography tips - read more >>>

Aperture priority mode

It is a setting on most digital cameras that allows the user to choose the aperture, while the camera calculates the shutter speed for a good exposure. The need for using this shooting mode arises from the need to control the depth of field (how much of the image will be in focus); the larger the aperture, the shallow the depth of field. Aperture priority mode - read more >>>

Shutter priority mode

This shooting mode is very useful when dealing with the problem of a moving subject. For example, a car traveling at a speed of 50 km/h is doing about 13.8 m/sec. So, if you use a shutter speed of 1 sec, you will obtain an image with background, but no subject! Shutter priority mode - read more >>>

Zoom

This feature is probably the most talked about property of a digital camera. From the 10x, 12x, 4x lenses to more traditional language like the "35 mm equivalent", the zoom of a particular lens is a subject of a lot of confusion. Zoom - read more >>>

Landscape photography

It is the most common form of photography. All you need to do is to be surrounded by beautiful scenery, point your camera in a particular direction and take a picture! But there are also some things you need to know before taking a picture. Landscape photography - read more >>>

Night photography

It is a particular form of photography, which requires good technical knowledge of the capabilities of a digital camera and a tripod. The challenges arise from the absence of light. Night photography - read more >>>

Macro photography

The photos that can be included in this category are those that depict reality at a 1:1 scale. So, if you take the picture of a butterfly and it has a wing span of 3 cm, the printed image must have a butterfly with a wing span of at least 3 cm. Macro photography - read more >>>

Nature photography

It can have any kind of subject; it depends on the imagination of the photographer. Nature photography - read more >>>

Aperture

Aperture is a device that controls the quantity of light that passes through the lens. It is an iris type mechanism, which shrinks or grows in order to let in less or more light. Aperture - read more >>>

Shutter speed

The shutter is a mechanism that controls the exposure time of an image. This time can be manually set by using the shutter priority shooting mode from your digital camera. The numbers you'll use will look probably like this: Shutter speed - read more >>>

ISO speed

ISO speed shows how sensitive the image sensor is to the amount of light present. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive is the image sensor. The ISO is represented by numbers: ISO speed - read more >>>

Image resolution

Is the most talked about feature of a digital camera. From 3 to 12 megapixels or more, it seems that with every generation of digital camera there is an increase in image resolution. Image resolution - read more >>>

Image stabilization

Image Stabilization is also known as vibration reduction and anti-shake; it is a technology found on digital cameras with long telephoto zooms (10X and 12X). It helps prevent images from becoming blurred. Image stabilization - read more >>>

Image format

Digital cameras store the images they produce in two different formats: JPEG and RAW. JPEG is the most common used image format, while RAW is usually used by professionals. The differences between the two go beyond the image size. A JPEG image is a compressed image, for example, an 8 MB RAW image can be compressed to a 3 MB full quality JPEG. Image format - read more >>>

Focal length

The focal length of a digital camera lens is the distance between the center of the lens and the image sensor when an in-focus image is formed. The focal length of a digital camera lens is displayed on the barrel of the lens along with the measurement of the largest aperture and the maker. Focal length - read more >>>

Depth of field

Depth of field is the amount of distance between the nearest and farthest objects that appear in focus in a photograph. In simpler term, we define depth of field as the zone of sharpest focus in front of, behind, and around the subject on which, when lens is focused on a specific subject. Depth of field - read more >>>

White balance

The white balance setting for a digital camera is very useful in dealing with various light conditions. The best way to understand this setting is to place a white sheet of paper in front of your camera and take a photograph. White balance - read more >>>

Exposure compensation

Exposure Compensation is a feature on a digital camera that allows you to adjust the shutter speed measured by its light meter. Usually, the range of adjustment goes from +2 to -2 EV in 1/3 steps. Exposure compensation - read more >>>

Red-eye removal

In-Camera Red-Eye Removal finds and corrects red eyes caused by a reflection of the flash off the cornea of the human eye. When the ambient lighting level is low, the pupils are large and red-eye occurs more frequently. Red-eye removal - read more >>>

Tripod

When your shutter speed is slower than 1/focal length of the lens. Thus with a 50 mm equivalent lens, you should not attempt to handhold shutter speeds slower than 1/60 sec. and with a 500 mm equivalent telephoto lens, you will have to keep the shutter speed at 1/500 sec. or faster. Tripods - read more >>>

Batteries

When buying a digital camera always look at the type of batteries it is using. Some have large LCD screens, these consume a lot. Using the flash also cuts in half the time you are using the camera. If possible, buy a camera that has specially designed rechargeable batteries. These come with their own charger and last a lot more than if you were to use normal AAA rechargeable batteries. Batteries - read more >>>

Photographic filters

Photographic filters have been in use for a long time. They were required for special effects or to enhance the contrast of some colors. They were also used for white balance. However, the only filter a digital camera actually needs is a polarizer. Photographic filters - read more >>>

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