Advice for Creating Great Formal Portraits

When someone you wants a nice formal portrait there are a few things to keep in mind. Posing, lighting, background, retouching and focal length are some of the points that need to be taken into consideration. When everything comes together the result is an image that the subject will be proud to display.

There are many styles of portrait lighting. The recent trend is toward a very even and diffused light on all sides of the subject. Formal portraits for many years were built on a foundation of the key and fill light. This lighting style features one side of the face in brighter light than the other. The Hollywood era of the 1930s and 40s featured black and white images with deep shadows. The important point is that the subject is lit in a manner that is flattering.

By definition formal portraits have some type of cloth or paper backdrop as opposed to an environmental portrait which includes elements such as tools for an image of a mechanic, or horse and hay bales for a cowboy. There are all painted canvas backdrops and seamless paper in all colors. A brightly lit portrait with a white background is known as a high key portrait.

Posing your subject is important and professionals have many poses in their repertoire. It is best not to use a regular chair because that can end up showing up in the image as a distraction. An adjustable is the beat. I prefer to have the person seated at an angle with one shoulder pointed at the camera. Then I have them turn their face directly at the camera. Shoot some with that shoulder facing forward; then switch to the other shoulder. Also make slight adjustment to the head position. If you are using a tripod, which is great for camera stability, shoot a few image from a bit higher than the subjects’ eye level and a few images from below eye level. If the person wear eyeglasses, it may be necessary to have them drop their chin a bit to avoid glare from the lenses of their glasses.

Another advantage of a tripod is if you are shooting several people in a session, things will move faster if the posing stool and tripod-mounted camera stay in position as the people posing flow through. Some photographers prefer not to use a tripod because they feel they have more freedom to move about. Shooting toddlers for instance may work better when not locked into a tripod. But executives tend to be well behaved in that regard.

When 35mm cameras were the workhouse of photographers the 105mm lens was known as a portrait lens. Why? Because if did the best job of replicating the way the human eye sees another person. Focal lengths on the high end such as 400mm and longer tend to flatten the face a bit. On the other end of the scale wide angle lenses tend to distort the face and make the nose seem longer. In some cases the subject’s ears may far seem away or the shoulders look out of proportion. With a DLSR there is a slight conversion to compensate for the fact that most digital sensors are smaller than a frame of 35mm film. So if you have a zoom lens on your DSLR set the lens at somewhere between 50mm and 90mm for optimal results.

Children have beautiful clear skin, but when you are shooting adults, retouching becomes an issue because of wrinkles, bags under the eyes, blemishes and other issues. Learning to use a few post processing techniques will lead to pleased customers. Just remember that there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. I used to do some portrait work for people who needed pictures to go on their online dating profile page. Although I normally did some fix up work; one woman requested that I make her look much thinner and offered to pay extra for it. I declined.

Retouching jobs can be sent out to third party firms, often located offshore in places like the Philippines or Malaysia. I recommend doing it yourself. The healing tool is my favorite. Get a fuzzy brush and set the opacity pretty low and go layer by layer. Most adults have crow’s feet on their eyes that can be dealt with easily. Select some nice clear on the cheek and layer that over the problem area. Then look for bags under the eyes and do likewise. Sometimes I will brighten the whites of eyes with the dodge tool or a very light application of white paint with the airbrush. It will make the person look healthier. Just don’t overdo it. The teeth can be whitened this way too. Some women will apply a thick coat of lip gloss right before sitting for a portrait and that using ends up reflecting the portrait light back at the camera. So this may have to be solved with the cloning tool or the healing brush.

One more point important when shooting portrait is to put the subject at ease and get them to relax and give a pleasant smile. I always like to get a good natural smile in a t least one shot. But for some portraits, such as a police officer or politician I also like some serious expressions. There are some photographers that real masters of dealing with people. Others know equipment, but lack people skills.

It takes practice to get it right. However, if you keep these points in mind, you will find it easier to create great formal portraits.

Shoot It Till Its Dead

by Jon Wason   copyright 2013

I am not a violent person but my philosophy is “shoot it till its dead.” As a photographer I am driven by the desire to capture a great image. Let me explain a bit more.

Last week I spotted an interesting, old, pickup truck parked along the highway so I stopped for a closer look. There is a center console next to the driver’s seat in my Toyota and my camera is almost always there ready for action.

Almost everyone is familiar with electron microscope images of sperm fertilizing an egg. What you see is the large round egg completely surrounded by the wriggling sperm cells. Similarly, when I find a good object to shoot, such as that vintage, red pickup, I shoot from all angles like the sperm attacking the egg. I shoot from straight on and slowly move around clicking from all angles. Another thing I do is and zoom in on some details like the chrome plated grill and the big round fenders. Also use a wide angle for some shots. Be sure to move back and get some distance shots, too. If you fortunate enough to have a bag full of lenses, mount ‘em and use ‘em.

The great thing about digital capture is that later you can delete the images you are not pleasing to you. A few years ago when I was using film, I shot less images because processing a roll of 36 exposure film was about 10 to 15 dollars. With digital a camera this is not a concern, so shoot all you want. However, keep in mind that you will spend some time holding your camera and reviewing images and deleting the ones you don’t like and later at your computer spend more time editing the images from your shoot. So there has to be some balance between quantity and quality.

Don’t be a violent person, but when you are out there with your camera remember to shoot your subject until it is dead.

Keep Your Camera Handy, Andy

Copyright 2013 Jon Wason

“I wish I would’ve had my camera with me,” is a common lament. I don’t know how many people have said that to me after describing some amazing sight such as a bald eagle, a rare Ferrari or a famous celebrity. It has happened to me, but not too often.

            During my daily commute my camera is within easy reach. One recent morning, I was driving to work on a foggy morning. Some of the route is rural and takes me past a reservoir. As I pulled up to a stop sign I looked to my left and caught a glimpse of a pleasant reflection of a tree in the mist.

Instead of saying, “I wish I had a camera,” I pulled over, put the car in Park and grabbed my camera. I shot a few frames out the lowered window and continued on my merry way to work. That evening I discovered that I had captured a nice image.

Another morning I was passing near the railroad tracks when I saw the Amtrak Acela coming my way. I stopped the car and grabbed my camera. Unfortunately, there was no memory card in the trusty EOS, but I had one in my pocket. As quick as a bunny rabbit, I popped it in, and clicked off two shots. It is a good thing that the fastest train in the USA is forced to slow down to a crawl as it passes through my town.

I used to drive a minivan and my camera fit under the seat. Now I have a Toyota RAV4 with a center console that is a perfect hiding place for my camera. This is also a protected location where food and drink cannot be spilled on it.

My advice is to keep your camera (with good batteries and a memory card inserted) close at hand while you also keep your eyes peeled for photographic opportunities. Go get some good shots.

Oh, Good it is Cloudy Today.

by Jon Wason   copyright 2012

Some people only want to grab their camera and shoot on sunny days. But you shouldn’t let a cloudy or rainy day stop you from shooting a great image. I am happy when I wake up, look out the window and see an overcast sky. That is because cloud cover provides diffused light which is softer than bright sunshine, so your images won’t have lots of harsh shadows. Remember, photography is all about light.

Studio photographers invest piles of money in a constant search for the latest light modifying equipment in an effort to illuminate their models with the softest light possible. However, an outdoor photographer who takes advantage of a cloudy sky has the benefit of even lighting as a free gift from Mother Nature. The cloud layer softens the sunlight and acts as a huge diffuser. The pleasing quality of light creates great portraits.

The Dutch Master painters of the1600s such as Rembrandt, Hals, and Vermeer appreciated the quality of soft light. What was their preferred light source? These painters loved to use a window that faced the North as their source of light, because the sunlight that enters is indirect and diffused. Take a look at the portraits painted by Rembrandt and you will see fine examples soft lighting.

On a bright, sunny, day when you photograph a person outdoors, they can end up with dark shadows under their nose, and chin. A guy wearing a baseball cap disappears under deep black shadows hiding his forehead and eyes. Noon is about the worst time of day, by the way. Of course this problem of harsh light can be remedied by using a flash as a fill light, but that is a topic for another posting. But, when you are shooting pictures of people outdoors, on an overcast day you can get some very pleasing images due to indirect lighting. 

When it comes to weather you have to take what you get. So when it is a cloudy or storming outside, take advantage of the situation. Grab your camera and go shoot some great images.

Capture the Golden Light of Sunset and Sunrise

The average person does not pay much attention to light, but photographers develop a sensitivity to the quality of light. For outdoor photography the "magic hour" is hour hour before sunset and one hour after sunrise. The sun at that time of day is not directly overhead and so it creates long shadows. The light is also not as bright and has a slight yellow cast.

RTFM Where is My Owner’s Manual?

by Jon Wason   copyright 2012

Back in 1901 if you had a dollar to spend on a frivolous luxury you could buy a Kodak Brownie camera. Even though the advertisements claimed the camera was so simple “any schoolboy or girl can make good pictures with the Brownie Camera” it came with a 44-page instruction booklet.  

More than a hundred years later, cameras still come with a manual and people still don’t read them. However, there are benefits to reading your camera manual or the manuals for any other mechanical devices.

The initials RTFM stand for “Read The Fine Manual” – or something like that. I think perhaps the angry retort, “RTFM, you idiot!” can be traced back to frustrated computer help desk employees, but that is just a hunch. Anyhow, my advice is just invest a few minutes and read the manual. After that put in your camera bag so in some future date when you are out in the field shooting some interesting subject and need to adjust something on your camera, you can easily retrieve the manual and find the answer. If the manual is back at home with the box the camera arrived in you are out of luck.

Many people purchase a new camera, excitedly open the box, remove the wonder of modern technology and never even open the manual, much less read it cover to cover.

I can’t recall how many times I was at wedding shooting all the events of the day and a person approached to ask me how to operate their camera. They ask, “Hey can you show me how to turn on the flash? I just got this camera,” or “Do you know how to change the shutter speed?” I did my best to help them but they were making two mistakes. The first was assuming that because I am a wedding photographer I know how to operate every camera. The second mistake was not learning how to use their camera. The best remedy for that one is to read the manual.

A few minutes spent looking at boring little booklet can pay off later with better photos.


HERE IS A LINK TO A SHORT VIDEO ABOUT F-STOPS:


http://youtu.be/FBJLg77daP8 

F-stops, Apertures and Lenses: a Lesson with Jon Wason

What is an F-stop? What is an aperture? How does the f-stop relate to the shutter speed? Learn the answers to these questions and more. Jon Wason uses salt to represent light for a lesson that will clarify the concepts and help improve your photography.


Follow this link for a 9 minute video:


http://youtu.be/FBJLg77daP8

Celebrities Are People, too

by Jon Wason copyright 2012

As a photographer I enjoy taking pictures of lighthouses, pansies and covered bridges, but photographing people is a whole different challenge. When a lighthouse or a covered bridge is my subject I don’t say “Oh, I have to take another one because you blinked.”

Last night I was the official photographer at a fundraising event featuring Bob Ley of ESPN and Robin Roberts of Good Morning America and I had a great time interacting with these notable figures. Robin Roberts was very tall and photogenic. She was also very patient with people that asked a question or wanted to pose for a photo. When she arrived at the cocktail hour, before the main event, swarms of people surrounded her. My job was to get a nice photo to preserve this special moment. Several challenges confronted me. The room’s lighting was dreadful because it is a small "black box theater" at Fairfield University, lit by a series of red lights. Yuck.    Additionally, the walls and ceiling were painted flat black. This is where light goes to die.

In a nice calm setting, it would have been easier to set up small groups of people for my shots, but this was a Friday-evening, wine-sipping group of excited people. Add to that the thrill of meeting a figure seen on TV on a regular basis and you have a chaotic atmosphere. The room was also rather loud so it was not easy to ask someone to tilt there head a bit to right or to brush their bangs out of their eyes. Getting a good shot meant I had act fast and use my sign language skills. But I got many great shots. It was fun.

The great thing about the experience was catching the spirit of the enthusiastic participants. Some of the men were so thrilled to pose for a photograph with Bob Ley of ESPN that they were beaming with pride. In the back of their mind they were probably preparing a list of friends and relatives they can impress with the photo.

Josh Elliott of ESPN was not officially scheduled to be part of the event but he showed up and mingled with the crowd. The tall, handsome broadcaster was at ease with women of all ages. What a charmer!

Why Would I Need Filters On My Lens?

by Jon Wason copyright 2012

There are several reasons to use a filter. Serious film shooters usually have a several filters in their camera bag. But with the widespread transition to digital cameras, the use of filters has waned because the after capture processing done in a computer may often accomplish the same results. A dropdown menu in Adobe Photoshop can perform wonders with an image.

However, there is one important thing that a circular piece of glass can do for you: protect your expensive lens from windblown dust, splashed liquids and blunt force impact with the floor. Replacing a cracked, dented or shattered UV filter is a lot cheaper than buying a new lens. A skylight filter is basically a clear glass but it protects your investment. A UV filter is a bit more than just glass; it filters some of the ultra violet rays and can slightly enhance the colors of your images.

The use of either a skylight filter or a UV filter is a wise choice and after taking the baby step you may want to delve deeper into the wonderful world of filters by adding a polarizer filter to your line up of equipment. A polarizer is sort of like sunglasses for your camera but better. This filter has the effect sifting multidirectional light beams into a tidy collection of light that is uniform. This is great for capturing bold blue skies. Another use is eliminating reflections, especially on surface water or glass such as the windshield of a car. The most useful polarizer filter can be rotated into the best position once mounted on the lens. These are called circular polarizer filters. If you want a dramatic sky in your photo, point the camera at about a 45 to 90 degree angle from the sun. Then slightly rotate the polarizer until you get the effect that suits you best. Linear polarizers are a bit lower in cost but cannot do this. One little parlor trick you can perform with two polarizer filters is to stack one in front of the other and rotate it. At a certain point the two polarizers cancel each other out and block all the light. Impressive.

Neutral density filters are used by digital photographers and film photographers. This is a filter that reduces the amount of light that enters the camera. This is desirable when a long exposure is required such as a photo of a mountain stream with blurred out details denoting fast moving water.

There are a variety of special effects filters. One is a star filter that creates a pleasing twinkle when photographing the flame of a candle or sunlight reflecting off a lake. The soft focus filter is a favorite of portrait photographers. It can create a dreamlike effect or reduce the detail of a wrinkled face.

Soft focus

Photographers who shoot black and white film can use color filters to control which parts of the light spectrum enter the camera and expose the film. For instance a red filter can bring out the green tones in an image.

Filters are yet another creative tool for photographers.

Tips for Photographing Children

By Jon Wason copyright 2011
Photographing children can be a challenge but a few simple tips can help you capture some great shots. Children can be hard to photograph because they move quickly. Children also tend to have a short attention span and their mood can change from giggling to crying in two seconds.
The first thing that I recommend when photographing children is to move down to their level because if an adult six feet-tall stands close to a four year-old and shoots a photo of that child most likely the resulting image will be the top of the child’s head. Not a great portrait.
So kneel or sit down and your photographs of children will improve. If you are getting older and your knees can’t take much kneeling; then pull up a chair. You will find yourself closer to eye level with you subjects. Also try moving closer. Some people are always too far from their subject and their images include too much background.

Because little kids run around a lot the photographer has to be ready. Using a flash can stop some of the action. Sports photographers know this. The duration of typical photo strobe is 1/10,000 of a second. Even a sugared up three-year-old does not cover much territory in that short amount of time. Even on a sunny day a flash can improve your photography because mid-day sun tends to created harsh shadows under the eyes, nose and chin. The light of a flash can reduce this problem.
If you are attempting to shoot a formal or semi-formal portrait of a child in a studio setting get the camera and all the equipment set up before the child (or children) are asked to pose. Otherwise the ten minutes or so that they can refrain from running, jumping and playing are wasted as you set the ISO, changes lens and adjust the shutter speed. By the time you are ready to start, they are all done and twitching to get out there and play.

Talented child photographers know how to use props like bubbles, balloons and puppets to get children to look at or at least toward the camera. Babies can be especially challenging since they are just learning to respond to verbal commands. A three-month old cannot understand, “Smile for the camera,” but she will probably look at a red balloon or turn toward a squeaky toy. Be warned that even these new and exciting stimuli will lose their interested after a few times.
What happens if the happy children are uncooperative, bored or crying? I usually try to enlist the help of the parents to get the child to cooperate. But I do not push it too far. I believe that children (and all people) have a limit of how long they can pose for the camera. Even professional models have limits.
Threatening a child to smile or face punishment is not effective but I have witnesses several occasions when a well-meaning parent said something like, “smile or I’ll take away your Gameboy.” It doesn’t bring a smile to the children’s face.
The candid approach is very effective for children. Just let kids be kids and photograph them from a distance. Shoot a lot and delete the ones that did not work out. Also keep practicing. The more you practice the better you will get at photographing children.

A Drive in the Countryside

My morning commute takes me through scenic areas of Connecticut. I drive past Colonial houses dating back to the 1700s, stone fences, woodlands and a few small farms. Sometimes if traffic is light I stop my car and take a few photos. Today I left extra early and enjoyed a beautiful June morning.

As I passed Sherwood Farm in Easton, CT I saw this little old tractor out in the field. It only took a moment to capture a great shot. This farm has been tilled by the Sherwood family for nearly 300 years. They offer all sorts of fresh vegetables and honey.

Another pleasant view on my daily communte is a very old house with no paint. I love the ornate gate in front. Today I got a nice shot of this fine old house in the morning sun. What will I see tomorrow?

These are Some of My Recent Black and White Images

Recently, I have been shooting images of things I find in nature. Although a rock, a root or log is not an amazing or fabulous item, a talented photographer can use creative lighting, composition and exposure techniques to produce a pleasing image.

What I like about this rock is the way the early morning light strikes at an angle creating a light side and a dark side. There is a lot of texture, too.

The photo of the wrinkly root sort of reminds me of an old person's hand. This is a bit of detail attached to the base of a large old Maple tree.

An Old Shed Near Redding Connecticut

This morning I was on my way to work and running a few minutes early so I jumped out of my car and shot a few frames of this rustic old building. I like how this long branch helps frame the image. Connecticut has some scenic areas.

Adventure in the North with Death Valley Danny

copyright Jon Wason 2011 
While prospecting for Gold up in the Yukon Territory with a man named Death Valley Danny it got so cold that we almost froze to death. But my trusty sled dog named Woofer contributed to my survival. Danny was not used to this Northern climate since he was from the high desert in California. He only came north to get a change of scenery for a while and to collect a gambling debt. I met Danny about a year ago when I was passing through Death Valley on my way from Texas to Hollywood. I was on my way to audition for a part in the talking movie called the Zigfield Follies of 1939 when my Stutz Bearcat automobile broke down near Scotty’s Castle. I caught a ride with a truck driver hauling a load of Crosley radios. While waiting for the car to be repaired I was biding my time in the lobby of the Oasis Hotel. I joined a poker game with a man in a yellow zoot suit, two cowboys and an old man wearing a bathrobe. One of the cowboys was abruptly asked to leave the table. Cheater, I guess.

His seat was taken by a talented card player that the other men called, Steamboat Steve. A tall man, dressed in a fancy light blue suit that made me think that perhaps he was a riverboat gambler. Still I wondered how a Mississippi River gambler could have ended up out here in the desert. I didn’t ask and he didn’t say. The card game was going well until about midnight when I ran out of cash, gold nuggets and jewelry. In desperation I wagered the deed to my mine in the Yukon Territory up near Yellowknife. That night I picked up the nickname Lenny-No-Penny and it stuck. As the hours at the green felt table passed I learned the name of man in the yellow plaid zoot suit was Death Valley Danny. He was a local. His handful of one-eyed Jacks and tens entitled him to ownership of the Lucky Leonard Mine. My loss was his gain. So here we are shivering in the Yukon. About the time that Death Valley Danny arrived in the Yukon we hit a nice vein of good quality ore so the future looked bright. His card playing habit had resulted in my winning back half ownership of the mine. We were both going to become rich. But after two successful days of digging out some good color, an intense blizzard blew in on a wicked North wind. We were about 200 feet down in the mine readying some dynamite and hadn’t noticed that the weather outside had changed for the worse. When Danny took a break from swinging his pick axe to go up and fetch a canteen of water, he saw that the bad weather had arrived and he panicked. That lowdown Danny took my dogsled, rifle, ax and a 100 pound sack of beans as he made a dash for town. Fortunately he left my dog, Woofer, behind. Alone in the mine with just my trusty sled dog to keep me company, I devised a survival plan. With no firearms, food or water I had no choice but eat the dog. Luckily I had stashed away a reserve supply of Barbeque sauce from my pal in Kansas City. He owns a smoke shack near the state line and makes the best barbeque ever. Those Kansas City rib joint can’t be beat. One time I was at a little smokehouse near Swope Park eating a big plate of ribs when none other than Charles Lindberg walked in. Well, I walked up to him and said if he knew what was good for him he would turn around and leave … But that is another tale for another day. Back to the gold mine. Well I knew that I was in trouble but I stayed calm. Down in the mine the temperature is an even 68 degrees all the time so I sat out the blizzard and rationed by food until spring came and I could hike back to town with a satchel full of gold. It was a long trek and when I arrived on the muddy main street of Yellowknife and made my way directly to the Grant’s General Store. “Lenny! Good to see you! I thought you were dead! Come on in,” was the hearty greeting of One-Eye Grant the owner and proprietor. “What made you think I was dead? I am a bit tired, hungry and thirsty but far from cashing in my chips,” I replied. Your partner Death Valley Danny passed through here during a blizzard and mumbled something about an incident at the mine and me and boys took it to mean that you were a goner,” said One-Eye. “That scoundrel left me for dead but I’ll have the last laugh, indeed,” I said as I plopped a fist full off gold nuggets onto the counter. That spring I was living a life of luxury up in the Yukon. I never heard any news of Death Valley Danny so I guess he must have headed back to California.

Flash Memory is a Marvel of Modern Science

The tiny memory cards that store hundreds of images for digital cameras may look insignificant at a glance but they are amazing. Their storage capacity, the speed at which they write, and their low cost make them a modern marvel. These little rectangular Compact Flash (CF) cards and SecureDigital (SD) cards are silent, have no moving parts and can withstand exposure to magnets, intense pressure and temperature extremes. Even if you accidently drop one in the toilet, it will not be damaged.

The person credited with inventing flash memory is Dr. Fujio Masuoka. In 1984 while working at Toshiba he made major developments in his work with cells that hold data and can be erased rapidly then rewritten. Flash was suggested as an appropriate name for the new type of memory because the process of erasing data from the cells was like a camera’s flash. History was made in 1984, when he presented this new technology at the meeting of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in San Jose, CA.
Intel and other companes saw that flash memory had great potential. In 1988 Dr. Eli Harari and Sanjay Mehrotra, former coworkers at Intel, formed a company to produce flash memory for consumers. They founded SanDisk, which is now a world leader in digital memory devices. Sandisk’s launch in Silican Valley was perfectly positioned to take advantage of the the arrival of digital photography.
Some early digital cameras like the Sony Mavica stored images on a floppy disk. People liked this because it was easy to take the floppy out of the camera and insert it into a computer to transfer the images. The next generation of Mavica recorded images to a CD. But flash cards ultimately became the prefered media for digital cameras because they were small, had no moving parts and could be erased again and again.

Flash memory, unlike RAM (Random Access Memory) can continue to store information in the absence of a power source. This made flash memory a good choice not only for use in digital cameras, but also PDAs and video games. As consumer demand for flash cards grew Sandisk, Lexar, Kingston, Samsung and other companies offered Memory sticks, xD, SmartMedia and MultiMedia and other removable flash memory products.
As competition heated up, each brand would advertise higher capacity cards: Attention we have 4 Gigabyte cards! Look 8 GB for sale! Introducing 16 GB! Come and get the amazing 32 GB card! 64 GB cards are here! And as the public purchased the newest memory cards they found that the price paid per GB dropped steadily. That is the good news, but there is also bad news.
Unfortunately, counterfeit CF cards that look authentic but are knockoffs of the big name flash memory cards have appeared. These are passed off as the real thing to bargain hunters who later may find their joy of getting a great deal replaced by the sinking feeling that accompanies the realization that their data is lost.
Overall the invention of flash memory has been a great benefit to photography. So next time you are clicking photos take a moment to appreciate the wonders of modern technology.

What is a DSLR Anyway?

Perhaps you have heard someone mention the term DSLR and wondered what they were talking about. The "D" stands for Digital. What about the S, L and R?

The term SLR goes back about 60 years or so to the time when 35 millimeter cameras were gaining popularity. The Single Lens Reflex (aka SLR) was a significant advancement in cameras because it improved on the design of the earliest 35 mm cameras which used a rangefinder method of focusing. That was a very simple focusing system based on the range or distance of the subject to the camera. If the person you wanted to photograph was ten feet away you set the focus lever or dial to ten feet. If they were 30 feet away you set it for 30 feet. This involved a lot of guessing. Also, the viewfinder did not allow the user to look through the lens. Instead, a rather simple viewfinder gave an approximate view. As the focus was set, nothing in the viewfinder changed. Not very helpful is it?

When some engineers came up with a focusing system using a series of mirrors, so that the photographer could see through the lens that takes the photo. This new through-the-lens viewing configuration was dubbed SLR. Photographers liked the SLR cameras because the the accurate preview including the focus of the image. Another feature was that SLR cameras were made for interchangeable lenses. A busy photojournalist could carry a variety of wide angle and telephoto lenses and quickly switch lenses to suit the situation.
Another type of camera from the old days is the Twin Lens Reflex (TLR) such as the Rolleiflex, Yashikamat and Mamiya. These cameras had two lenses - one for taking the photo and one for the viewfinder. The SLR eliminated one lens which meant cameras could be smaller.

When digital photography arrived on the scene the quest for a digital version of the SLR began. Back in the early 1990s Kodak and Nikon collaborated to create the first commercially available digital SLR, the Kodak DCS-100. It was built on the platform of a Nikon F-3 body with the film drive removed. The result was a big heavy 1.3 Megapixel camera that sold for $30,000. But it was a DSLR.

One company tried for years to make a conversion kit that transformed a 35 mm SLR into a digital camera. But this never made it to the marketplace. In the end it was easier to design and build a new camera from the ground up. instead of converting an old camera to a new purpose.

As the 1990s progressed all the camera companies and some computer companies were making and selling digital cameras. Nikon marked a milestone in 1999 with the D1. This was a camera that could deliver image quality just as good as 35 mm film and it accepted the autofocus Nikkor lenses. Newspaper photographers loved it! The demise of film cameras lurked on the horizon.

Canon broke the $1,000 barrier for a DSLR in 2003 with the introduction of the Digital Rebel in 2003. The general public had a feeding frenzy taking ownership of this 6.3 Megapixel DSLR as fast as the factory could turn them out. In the years since, the price for a DSLR has come down several notches with the features have increased. In 2010 Canon is selling the 10 Megapixel Rebel XS for $499 and this includes a zoom lens!

So now we have inexpensive DSLR cameras with an accurate viewfinder and interchangeable lenses. Life is good! The advantage of a DSLR over less expensive digital cameras is the ability to change lenses. Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Sony and the major manufacturers offer all sorts of telephoto, wide angle and macros lenses. Image stabilization systems help the photographer get sharper images than ever.

The disadvantage of a DSLR is that they cost more than fixed lens cameras. But as a person gets more involved in photography they usually trade up to better equipment so that there are less limitations to what they can shoot. The DSLR with roots in the film cameras of the past is a superior product. Professional photographers, serious amateurs and occasional shooters all the enjoy the benefits of the DSLR.

Depth of Field

What is Depth of Field?
When looking at the photos you may have noticed that sometimes an entire image is in sharp focus all the way from foreground to background, while other images are only in sharp focus for part of the image but the rest is blurry. The term Depth of Field refers to the part of the photo that is in focus.


An image with shallow Depth of Field has only a limited part in focus. Portrait photographers like to create this type of image with the subject nice and clear and the background very blurred. This draws the viewer’s eyes to the model and eliminates distractions.

An example of an image with a deep Depth of Field would be a landscape that shows flowers in the foreground, a lake with sailboats in the middle and mountains in the background with all parts of the scene in focus.

What determines Depth of Field and how can one control it? The aperture setting of the lens has a direct relationship to the Depth of Field in the photo. The aperture setting are labeled with f-stop numbers. A large number like f-16 is for a smaller opening. An f-stop with a small number like f-2 denotes a larger opening. At first it may be confusing that the small number is a large opening, but after a while you will get used to it.


When the lens is set to a large aperture such as f-2.0 or f-2.8 the Depth of Field in the photos is rather shallow. But when an aperture such as f-16 or f-22 is used the resulting image will have a deep area of Depth of Field. For a midway setting, f-8 is often chosen.

Understanding the f-stops or aperture settings on your camera is essential to mastering depth of field. After a person learns to master the camera settings, their photos will show an improvement.

If your camera is always set to the green rectangle for FULL AUTO or P for PROGRAM you will not be able to master Depth of Field. To set the aperture, place the dial on AV for APERTURE PRIORITY. (It is a good idea to read you camera manual to learn the specifics of you camera model.) After the dial is set to AV you have some freedom to choose an f-stop. The reason you have some freedom and not total freedom is because there is a relationship between aperture and shutter speed. When you use a small aperture such as f-22 there is less light entering the camera so the shutter speed must be reduced so that enough light enters and you get the proper exposure. In AV mode the camera’s onboard processors will calculate and set the shutter speed for you. In M or MANAUL mode you can set both aperture and shutter speed.

If we go the other way and set a wide aperture like f-4 then a lot of light is entering the camera so we need to compensate by increasing the shutter speed. Again the camera’s onboard processors will calculate and set the shutter speed for you.

Canon cameras also have a setting on the dial for Depth of Field mode. The setting on the dial is marked A-DEP which lets the photographer select on one spot in the foreground and one spot in the background then the camera assures that everything between the two is in focus.

The focal length of the lens and the camera-to-subject distance also affects Depth of Field but I will not get into that now.

So now you should take a few minutes to read your camera manual and then go grab your camera and experiment with different f-stops and see how the Depth of Field in the image changes. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Have fun and be creative.

Aperture and f-stops

The essence of photography is recording light. Light enters a camera and is recorded on a chip or on film. The lens has an opening called an aperture.

On all but the simplest of cameras the aperture can be adjusted to open very wide or close down to a very small pinhole. Why do we want to open or close the aperture?

The reason is because some situations are very bright like a sunny beach at noon. In that case we set the aperture to have a smaller opening. But other situations such as the interior of a barn on a cloudy day call for a wide aperture.

One analogy for the aperture would be salt shaker. Instead of letting light enter a camera think of putting salt on your soup. Do you want a little bit of salt to come out of three little holes? Maybe you would prefer twenty large holes so you can have nice salty soup. That is how the aperture is. The lens has settings called f-stops that allow you to regulate the amount of light coming in. For some odd reason an f-stop with a large number like f16 is a smaller opening that an f-stop with a small number like f4.

As you gain an understanding of apertures and f-stops you will be able to create great photos in situations that previously would have been problem.

We can also control light with the shutter speed. This will be discussed in an upcoming blog post.

What is the ISO setting on my camera?

Have you ever asked, “What is this button for?” Many people use a camera without understanding the function of some of the buttons and dials. Is that you?

The topic today is ISO setting. What is ISO? The initials stand for International Organizational Standard, but that doesn’t answer the question of how to use the ISO setting on your camera. The reason camera manufacturers include this feature is to allow the photographer to adjust the camera’s sensitivity to light.

Back in the days before digital photography, a rating system was established so film could be labeled with a number. The precursor to the ISO was the

American Standards Association (ASA). For a bright sunny day a photographer would load 100 ASA film into the camera. If the setting was cloudy or shady then 400 ASA film was used. A disadvantage was that the entire roll (36 exposures) was at that ASA (ISO) setting. What if you shoot half a roll of 400 ASA and then it stops raining and the sun comes out? An advantage of digital photography is ability to change the ISO setting for every shot if you like.

Thirty years ago film was available at ASA 64, 100, 160, 200, 400 and 800. Later the chemists at Kodak and Fuji developed films rated at 1600 and 3200. But a high quality digital camera nowadays can be set with ISO numbers up to 12,800. Now you have choices.

Why would a person want to adjust the light sensitivity on a camera? Are there disadvantages? Why not just crank the dial to the highest setting like 3200 for instance? There is a trade off. With a low setting like 100 ISO the images are smooth and pleasing. At the high end of the spectrum, such as 1600 and 3200 an issue with digital noise becomes apparent. This is the fuzzy or buzzy texture seen especially in the shadow parts of an image.

In film the problem with a high ISO was grain the equivalent of noise.

A rule of thumb, (and photographers like to break rules at times) is to use the lowest ISO possible. But, sometimes the choice is no photo or a slightly noisy photo. So turn the ISO dial up a notch or two and shoot. Some of the Pulitzer-prize winning photographs were a bit lacking in technical quality, but captured a moment in history for the whole world to see. It is fun to experiment with all different settings and compare the results. We learn by doing.

With less expensive point and shoot digital cameras the ISO is set automatically. So there is nothing to worry about. Even with more sophisticated cameras, when shooting in auto mode the ISO is set automatically going lower when there is plenty of light and raising to higher settings as the light decreases.

If you have lot of money to spend you can buy a pro camera with a better chip which will provide very low noise even at the higher ends of the scale. Also you can get software such as noise ninja to remedy the effects of noise. But if possible, get it right as you shoot it and eliminate the need for a software solution.

As you learn more about your camera and more about light you will understand how to override the camera and get some photos that you may have missed in the past.

What is so special about black and white photography?

For me the appeal of a well done black and white image is the simplicity. The eye is allowed to concentrate on form and texture without the distraction of color and hue. Some people are amazed by the wide range of shades of gray that can be found lurking between darkest black and brightest white. It can be stunning.

A couple years ago I was asked to photograph a house that had been the dwelling place of a Connecticut family for many generations. The framed black and white photo was to be a gift and when I delivered it the customer was very pleased. “I never knew there were so many kinds of gray!” she told me.

At the dawn of the history of photography there was no color process but people were impressed enough with the magical images produced on tin or glass plates even though they were monotone. In the sepia process instead of shades of gray, various shades of brown created the images.

As science progressed and color film gained in popularity some people began to perceive black and white photography as inferior or outdated. However, among the true art lovers, that perception did not take hold.

Even in the year 2010 when there all sorts of advanced photo techniques, some photographers still concentrate on black and white photography. Great photographers have always known that a photo does not have to dazzle the viewer with bright colors if the techniques of composition of lighting are properly applied. The landscape photos of Ansel Adams and the still life pepper plants of Edward Weston are proof enough.

The three images that I posted with this entry are some of the images that I created for my own enjoyment. Starting with just a simple item like a chain, a gear or a cluster of ferns, I was able to shoot a few frames with my camera and afterward refine the image into the stark and simple hues of gray which convey the essence of scene.