Photography, Cameras and Taking Better Pictures UK Commercial photography - Northlight Images Making prints match your screen The other day Keith was asked if calibrating and profiling a monitor would make someone's screen match their prints? Some thoughts and potential solutions for this common problem. This article was written several years ago and has (Sept 2010) been updated with some newer links and information. Can my prints ever match my screen? The short answer is no, ...but the reasons may be much more varied than you first thought, and with care you can get the two very close. Hopefully this short guide (and the links to other more detailed information) will be of help? After profiling and calibrating your monitor... Let's assume that you have read all the articles about how important it is to have your monitor calibrated. You are not quite happy with the quality of prints you are getting and decide to buy a screen calibrator like the Spyder4express or even the basic Pantone Huey. Does this now mean that your prints will look better? Well maybe, but it really is only part of what you need to know... Remember:
Camera metering modes matrix pattern evaluative center spot partial Digital SLR camera metering modes Understanding metering modes is important for every photographer if they are to take correct exposures. To improve your photography you need to know when to set your digital camera on matrix, pattern, evaluative, center weighted metering, spot and partial metering. Metering modes can be one of the most frustrating settings for beginners to SLR photography. If you have ever taken an under or over exposed photograph using program mode (P), aperture priority (A Nikon, AV Canon) or shutter priority (S NIkon, TV Canon), chances are you've set the metering mode incorrectly. Metering systems work by measuring the amount of brightness within a scenery or object, then sets the exposure accordingly. What metering modes are you likely to find on your digital camera The majority of digital SLR cameras will give you a choice of at least three different metering systems. Matrix metering on Nikon cameras is called either Pattern or Evaluative on other models.
The correct way to hold a DSLR camera (Great tips!) Hold your mouse over the picture and click "PIN IT" to put this pic on your Pinterest! Introduction My inbox is filled each morning with questions from students in my online photography classes asking various photography questions. I’m glad to get the questions because it helps me to think of what I should write about here on Improve Photography. “Hey Jim. This is a huge problem and it is nearly impossible to answer in an email which of the dozens of factors is contributing to the lack of sharpness; however, I also teach A LOT of in-person photography workshops, and I can comfortably say after watching hundreds of beginning and intermediate photographers that 99% of sharpness problems are caused by errors in the photographer’s form–and not by the lens. So, 99% of the blurry pictures I see are not caused by problems with the lens. Why does it matter how I hold my DSLR? Grab a flashlight or a laser light and shine it on the wall across the room. Fundamentals of holding the camera properly
Introduction - Cleaning Digital Cameras - D-SLR Sensor Cleaning. Digital Photography Projects A Guide to Producing Beautiful Square Format Images Medium format cameras, toy cameras like the Holga and Diana, and smartphone apps like Instagr.am are making the square format more popular than ever. In the digital age, the square format like film photography, certainly isn't dead. A Little History Square format cameras have been around a long time. Rolleiflex original camera with Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar f/3.8 75mm lens. Hasselblad made the 1600F – a square medium format camera – in 1948, and stuck with the square format in their rollfilm cameras up until the release of their H-System digital cameras in 2002. Getting the Most Out of the Lens There's another practical reason that makes the square format attractive. Going square There are four main ways that to explore the square format: 1. 2. 3. 4. If your camera only takes rectangular photos you can experiment with the square format by cropping your images in Photoshop. The above photo is an example of that process. Composition The 35mm problem Shapes Design and balance Conclusion Gallery
Start your daily photo journal today! RAW vs JPEG The RAW vs JPEG topic seems like a never ending debate in photography. Some photographers say shoot RAW, while others say shoot JPEG. What is RAW format in digital photography? What are the advantages and disadvantages of RAW versus JPEG and why? Should you shoot in RAW or JPEG? Sand Dunes - Shot in RAW I remember my first time going through the camera options and reading the Nikon D80 manual, wondering about what RAW does and why I should consider using it. Sounds familiar? 1) What is RAW? RAW images, also known as “digital negatives” are virtually unprocessed files coming directly from the camera sensor. 1.1) Advantages of RAW format Compared to 8-bit JPEG format that can only contain up to 256 shades of Red, Green and Blue colors (total of 16 million), 12-bit RAW images contain the most amount of information with 4,096 shades or Red, Green and Blue (equivalent of 68 billion colors!) 1.2) Disadvantages of RAW format 2) What is JPEG? 2.1) Advantages of JPEG format Take a look at this image:
DSLR Tips Workshop: How to use polarizing filters to reduce haze and deepen blue sky DSLR Tips Workshop: Using polarizing filters to cut through haze and deepen blue skies Landscape shots with distant subjects like canyon rims or mountain ranges can often look hazy even under the sunniest conditions. One of the most effective ways of cutting through this haze and capturing a vibrant photo with saturated colours and a deep blue sky is to use a polarizing filter. In this workshop we’ll show you everything you need to know. The photo of the mountain range, above left, may have been taken under bright, sunny conditions, but the result looks hazy and is lacking impact. Checklist: Using polarizing filters 1: Buy a circular polarizing filter which matches the thread on your lens; check the end of the barrel to find out the correct size. 2: With the polarizer screwed onto the end of your lens, turn the outer section to see the polarizing effect. 4: After taking your photo, remember to set the White Balance back to Auto and the Exposure Compensation back to zero. Watch out!
Learning about Exposure – The Exposure Triangle A Post By: Darren Rowse Bryan Peterson has written a book titled Understanding Exposure which is a highly recommended read if you’re wanting to venture out of the Auto mode on your digital camera and experiment with it’s manual settings. In it Bryan illustrates the three main elements that need to be considered when playing around with exposure by calling them ‘the exposure triangle’. Each of the three aspects of the triangle relate to light and how it enters and interacts with the camera. The three elements are: ISO – the measure of a digital camera sensor’s sensitivity to lightAperture – the size of the opening in the lens when a picture is takenShutter Speed – the amount of time that the shutter is open It is at the intersection of these three elements that an image’s exposure is worked out. Most importantly – a change in one of the elements will impact the others. 3 Metaphors for understanding the digital photography exposure triangle: The Window Aperture is the size of the window.
Digital Camera Sensor Sizes: How it Influences Your Photography This article aims to address the question: how does your digital camera's sensor size influence different types of photography? Your choice of sensor size is analogous to choosing between 35 mm, medium format and large format film cameras — with a few notable differences unique to digital technology. Much confusion often arises on this topic because there are both so many different size options, and so many trade-offs relating to depth of field, image noise, diffraction, cost and size/weight. Background reading on this topic can be found in the tutorial on digital camera sensors. Sensor sizes currently have many possibilities, depending on their use, price point and desired portability. Canon's 1Ds/5D and Nikon D3 series are the most common full frame sensors. Camera phones and other compact cameras use sensor sizes in the range of ~1/4" to 2/3". The crop factor is the sensor's diagonal size compared to a full-frame 35 mm sensor. 35 mm Full Frame Angle of View Uncropped Photograph