Creative Outdoor Photography

Tutor: Andy McInroy

Venue: Learmount Community Centre

Wednesday 2nd March - Introduction to the Camera

Wednesday 9th March - Composition and Aesthetics
Wednesday 16th March - Planning and Practice
Saturday 19th March - Workshop in Learmount Forest
What is Photography?
List words / ideas / concepts that you associate with photography

List 1 List 2
What is Photography?

Science

Art Craft
Digital Camera Types
Compact Camera
Convenient to carry
Mostly automated
Small light sensor
Fixed zoom lens
Gathers less light than a DSLR
Shutter lag

Advanced Compact Camera

More advanced controls
More powerful zoom lens
Gathers less light than DSLR

DSLR Camera (Digital Single Lens Reflex)

Advanced Controls including full manual control
Looking through lens as photo is taken
No shutter lag
Larger sensors gather more light
Interchangeable lenses
Range of accessories (e.g flashguns)
Bulky to carry
Parts of the Camera
Camera body – A light tight box
Pentaprism
Lens - Focuses the image onto the
image sensor
Aperture – An adjustable diaphram Viewfinder
with a hole which controls the
amount of light passing through the
lens
Shutter – A movable blind which Focus Screen
controls how long the image sensor
is exposed to the light
Image Sensor - Records the
image Mirror
Mirror - Reflects the image up into
the pentaprism and viewfinder on
an SLR
Meter – Measures the light before
exposure is made Lens Aperture
Viewfinder / LCD – To view the Shutter Sensor
Light Meter
image before exposure is made
Basic Camera Controls
Cameras have 4 main controls

Lens Focus – Allows you to choose what to focus on.

Lens Zoom – Allows you to choose the angle of view.

Controlling brightness (exposure) of image.


Lens Aperture
Controls the size of the hole in the lens diaphram.
Aperture affects depth of focus.
Measured in f stops (e.g f2.8).

Shutter Speed (Exposure time)
Controls the length of time the shutter is open.
The shutter affects the depiction of movement.
Measured in seconds or fractions of seconds (e.g 1/125sec).
Lens focus and Focus Lock
If your subject is not in the centre then this can
result in out-of-focus pictures.

Many digital compact cameras have autofocus

using a central focus point.

Move the focus point over the subject and press

shutter button half way down to focus. Keep your
finger on the button.

Then recompose the shot how you want it while

keeping the button half way down.

Press the button all the way down to take the

photograph.
Angle of View and Focal Length
Photographer has changed
angle of view (focal length)
while stationary.
The angle of view depends on the focal
length of the lens. On a zoom lens, the
focal length changes as you zoom in and
out.
Most camera zoom lenses feature a
range of focal lengths from wide angle to
long focus (sometimes called telephoto)
Smaller focal lengths give a wider view.
Useful for wide landscapes.
Larger focal lengths give a magnified
(telephoto) view. Useful for wildlife,
sports etc.
Intermediate focal lengths give a
“normal” view (i..e similar to the view of
our eye).
Photographer has changed
focal length but has moved
position to keep size of boat
same. Note how the rest of
the scene has changed.
Example of a wide angle view
Example of a telephoto view
Introduction to Exposure
Exposure is how much light the camera records.
In an over–exposed image the subject is too bright, washed out
and highlights will lack any details (pure white).
In an under-exposed image the subject is too dark. The darkest
areas of the photograph may be completely black.

Over exposure Under exposure

The Exposure See-Saw

Exposure time

Aperture

In automatic exposure modes the camera controls the see-saw of

exposure to 'correctly' expose your image.

In manual modes you have complete control over aperture and

exposure time and therefore over the exposure.
Exposure Compensation
Introducing the “Stop”
Sometimes the camera can get the exposure wrong and cannot balance the exposure see-
saw. Sometimes the main subject of the photograph is either too light or too dark. This can
often happen in tricky lighting conditions outdoors.

All digital cameras have exposure compensation to over-ride the camera’s choice of
exposure.

+ve exposure compensation brightens image (more exposure)

-ve exposure compensation darkens image (less exposure)

Exposure compensation is measured in “stops”.

A stop is a measure of exposure difference.

+1 stop = 2x the amount of light

+2 stop = 4x the amount of light
+4 stop = 16x the amount of light

-1 stop = ½ the light

-2 stop = ¼ the light
-4 stop = 1/16th the light
-2 stops 0 +2 stops
The “Stop” and Aperture
Aperture
Aperture is measured in f stops.
Each f stop in the scale halves the amount
of light entering the camera. The higher the
number, the smaller the aperture (less light).

Camera measures light while

aperture is fully open.

Camera closes aperture to

the selected f-stop as photo is
taken.

Aperture reopens to meter

scene again.
The “Stop” and Shutter Speed
Exposure Time (Shutter speed)
The length of time the shutter is open.
Shutter speed is also scaled in stops. Each stop
doubles the amount of light entering the
camera.
1 stop
On your camera the shutter speed control is not
linear but doubles each time.

e.g 1/500th second

1/250th second
1/125th second
1/60th second
1/30th second
1/15th second 1 stop
1/8th second
¼ second
½ second
1 second
2 second
4 second
8 second
15 second
30 second
Aperture and Exposure Time Recap

Which of these results in a brighter photograph?

Aperture (assuming shutter speed is the same)

F2.8 or F22 ?
F16 or F4 ?

Shutter speed (assuming aperture is the same)

1/125 second or 1/60 second ?
4 seconds or 1/8 second ?
Aperture and Exposure Time Recap

Which of these results in a brighter photograph?

Aperture (assuming shutter speed is the same)

F2.8 or F22 ? (Answer F2.8 – smaller f stops let in more light)
F16 or F4 ? (Answer F4)

Shutter speed (assuming aperture is the same)

1/125th second or 1/60th second ? (Answer 1/60th seconds)
4 seconds or 1/8 second ? (Answer 4 seconds)
Equivalent Exposures
Introduction to Depth of Field
Depth of Field (or depth of focus) is the portion of a photograph
(in front of and behind the focus point) that appears sharp

Depth of
Field
Focus point
Depth of Field and Aperture
Depth of Field is controlled by aperture.
Therefore, the Aperture Priority mode is a good choice when trying
to control Depth of Field.

Large aperture means less depth of field Small aperture means less depth of field
Example 1 Lens 70mm - Telephoto
Camera in Aperture Priority Mode
Aperture Set to f2.8
Using aperture to control depth of field
Shutter Speed set by camera at 1/250secs
Photographer wanted narrow depth of field
Handheld
Background is out of focus.
 Lens 14mm – Wide angle
Example 2 Camera in Av Aperture Priority Mode)
Aperture Set to f22
Using aperture to control depth of field Shutter Speed set by camera at 1.5 secs
Photographer wanted large depth of field. Shot on Tripod
Image is sharp from front to back. ISO100
Example 3
Using shutter speed to control depth movement.
Photographer wanted to freeze motion.
Individual drops appear frozen.
Lens 105mm - Telephoto
Camera in Shutter Priority Mode
Shutter Speed set 1/2000th sec
Aperture set by camera at f4.5
Handheld
ISO100
More Shutter Speed Examples
2 seconds

½ second

20 seconds
The Basic Exposure Modes
Green Mode – Featured on many compact and DSLR cameras and designed for
general point and shoot photography with no user interaction required.

Scene Auto modes – Automatic modes. Tailored to specific types of photography. E.g
Landscape scene mode may be biased towards small apertures to give large depth of
field.

Aperture Priority Semi-auto mode (Av)– Allows you to choose your aperture and
camera will adjust shutter speed automatically to achieve the correct exposure.

Shutter Priority Semi-auto mode (Tv) – Allows you to choose your shutter speed and
camera will adjust aperture automatically to achieve the correct exposure.

Full Manual Mode (M) – You can choose the aperture and shutter speed while still
using the metering system to achieve the correct exposure.

Bulb Mode (B) – You can choose the aperure and you can keep the shutter open as
long as the shutter button is depressed. No assistance from lightmeter.
Handholding the Camera
A Good Rule of Thumb:
1 / 90th of a second or faster can be handheld while using your standard zoom.

Alternatively, think in focal lengths. You should be able to handhold 1 / focal length in
seconds.

e.g 300mm can be used at 1/300secs or faster

70mm can be used at 1/70secs or faster
20mm can be used at 1/20secs or faster.

If exposures are longer than this, then a tripod should be used.

Stabilisation systems (camera or lens) may help a little.

Camera shake
Tripods
Tripods are an essential piece of kit when working at smaller aperture and in low
light when exposure times become longer.

Things to look for

Strength (legs and joints)
Vibration Free
Not necessarily lightweight
Removable centre column
Angled centre arm Types of Tripod Head
Working low to ground Ball and Socket
Suited to landscape and when
My recommendation quick movements are required
Manfrotto 055 both up and down.

Pan and Tilt

Good for sports
photography when
smooth panning is
required.
Can be fiddly for
landscape /
portraiture.
ISO Setting
 The ISO control on a digital
camera allows you to control the
sensitivity of the sensor.
 ISO follows the 'stop' pattern
(e.g ISO200, ISO400, ISO800
etc)
 The best image quality is usually
obtained at the lowest ISO
setting on your digital camera.
 You may wish to use a higher
ISO when light levels are low
and you are already using your
largest aperture, particularly if
your exposure time is getting too By using the ISO control you now
long to handhold. have a 3rd way to control the
brightness of your image. The
 However, remember that using a exposure see-saw becomes a 3
higher ISO usually results in way see-saw. By keeping aperture
more grainy images . and shutter constant and
increasing ISO, you will brighten
the scene.
Introducing The Histogram
Most exposure corrections can be made by looking at a histogram.

General Tips


If most of the histogram is towards the shadow end then the image may be
underexposed. Increase the exposure using exposure compensation (+)

If most of the histogram is towards the highlight end then the image may be
overexposed. Reduce the exposure using exposure compensation (-)
Clipping the Histogram
Avoid overexposing your highlights so they become too bright and lose detail.
This is seen in a histogram that is pushed too far to the right and clipped up
against the right hand side.

Many cameras have clipped highlights warning that blink in the viewfinder too.

In the top image, some of the

highlight pixels are pure white
and hence clipped.

There is nothing you can do in

post-process to recover details
in this area.

However, if you reshoot the

scene at a different exposure
you can shift the pixels to the left
and avoid the clipping (bottom).
Example Histograms
There is no such thing as a good or bad histogram. However, clipped highlights
are to be avoided. Overall dark images are also to be avoided. However, here
are some examples of valid histograms.

Evenly spread tones across the

histogram.
Clothing and back wall is dark while
face is brighter.

Good spread of tones but biased

towards shadows.
+ve exposure compensation would
result in clipped highlights

Good spread of tones but biased

towards highlights.
-ve exposure compensation would
result in dog appearing grey rather
than white.
RAW versus JPG
To get the highest possible image quality, you want to start with the
RAW data file. These files contain all of the image data captured by the
camera's image sensor without it being processed or adjusted.

Advantages of RAW Disadvantages of RAW

 Greater colour depth
 Greater dynamic range
 Decide on some settings later
 No lossy compression
 No processing in-camera
 Can be processed again and again
 Larger files
 Needs to be processed at home
 Not suitable for printing direct from camera
 Can be slower to shoot
 Long term storage – Proprietary formats
White Balance Light sources contains a mixture of all
colors, all of which affect the color of a
scene it illuminates.

We normally don't see the subtle

differences because our brains
compensate automatically.

The color of the light you shoot in is

specified by its color temperature in
degrees Kelvin, somewhat like the room
temperature is specified in degrees
Centigrade.

Digital cameras allow you to adjust

white balance to compensate for
differences in light source and therefore
record an image closer to what we
perceive.

RAW shooters have the advantage of

being able to adjust white balance in
post-processing.
White Balance

Auto (the default) – Camera decides the
white balance automatically.

Daylight is best when photographing
outdoors in bright sunlight. When
photographing indoors, if you like the
warm glow of incandescent lights, you
can capture them with this setting.

Cloudy is best when photographing
outdoors in cloudy or overcast conditions.

Incandescent or tungsten is best when
photographing indoors under Example of image where
incandescent lights. whitebalance has been set to

Fluorescent is best when photographing sunny giving a cool tone.
indoors under fluorescent lights.

Flash is best when photographing with You can over-ride the camera automatic
flash. In fact, flash is daylight balanced so white balance to give the effect you are
it's an ideal way to remove color casts in looking for.
some lighting situations.

Manual lets you set white balance - sunny white balance will make image
manually by aiming the camera at a piece look cooler on overcast days (e.g above)
of white paper. - cloudy white balance will make the
image look warmer (e.g a sunset shot)
White Balance
Whitebalance set between sunny and cloudy (approx 6000kelvin)
Kept the blue in the surf while giving some warmth to the sunset
Using Filters
With the advent of digital photography
and RAW whitebalance control, the use
of colour correction filters has mostly
disappeared.

However, there are some filters that may

still be useful to you.

Polariser

Traditionally used to boost the colour of

blue skies and vegetation (the postcard
filter). However, it should be used
sparingly and is better used to control
reflections.

Polariser used to cut through

foreground reflections
Using Filters
Neutral Density Graduated Filter
Comes in various strengths (e.g 1, 2, 3 stop).
They also come with hard and soft edged transitions.
Place the clear section over foreground and darker
section over the sky.
These filters balance the brightness between sky and
land and evens out exposure.

2 stop neutral density

graduated filter used to
balance exposure difference
between sea and sky.
Using Filters
Neutral Density Filter

Comes in various strengths (e.g 1, 2, 3 up to 10 stops)

Allows you to lengthen exposures while keeping the aperture

constant. Very useful if you want to experiment with longer
exposures during the daytime.

Exposure lengthened from 1

second to 8 seconds using a
3 stop neutral density filter.

Remember – 3 stops cuts

light to 1/8th of original levels.