Beginning Photographer Tips: What You Need to Know About Your Camera

To properly set up the camera, first of all, you need to understand such technical basics as: light, shutter speed and aperture.

Light is the foundation of any photograph.

The more light, the better. The required amount of light can be obtained in different ways: a built-in or external flash, a reflector, or just shooting on a clear sunny day.

The best solution to compensate for the lack of light is a flash. It is suitable for shooting indoors or at night, but it can also be used outdoors during the day. With the right dosage, the flash can fully compensate for the lack of lighting, the picture will be bright and sharp. But excess power will light up the frame, and insufficient power will make it dark.

If you are using a classic digital compact, then first of all you need to learn how to control flash power and take into account ISO sensitivity settings. This will increase the sharpness of the image with minimal loss of detail. The setting is as follows: you need to take a test shot and if it is overexposed, then reduce the ISO or power value, and if it is too dark, increase it. Try this until you get the desired result. Experienced photographers are able to change settings on the fly, or as they say by eye.

The higher the ISO threshold, the lower the detail of the image - the picture loses quality, becomes loose. With an average flash power, it is enough to set ISO 100-200, and with a minimum one, you may need to increase it to 400-800 or even 1600. But for many soap dishes this is already the limit value, it is not recommended to set such parameters.

Increasing the ISO allows you to light up a dark frame, and decreasing it, on the contrary, reduces the amount of light if there is too much of it in the scene.

With SLR and mirrorless cameras, everything is easier - the margin of "strength" in terms of such parameters as ISO is 2-3 times higher. There is practically no noise in the pictures even at ISO 800-1600. This is due to the fact that the matrix is large, and with a DSLR it also does not overheat. For such cameras, it is recommended to purchase an external flash. Note that not many digital compacts support the ability to connect an external flash, but they are, in other cases, you have to be content with the built-in solution.

Modern external flashes are capable of automatically adjusting the required power, they can take into account the focal length and aperture of the lens. Using a flash with a couple, even with an inexpensive camera, you can achieve professional shots. In addition, the flash provides more creative opportunities for experimenting with light in the picture.

Also worth noting reflector. This tool allows you to direct the light from any light source on the model or just in the right direction. The light source can be the sun, a lamp, or any other light behind the model.

See also: "Which flash to choose: 5 best flash sources from alternative manufacturers."

Exposure: how to stop time

Photo taken at a fast shutter speed (1/2500sec)

Figuratively speaking, shutter speed is the speed at which the camera captures the moment of the picture. A short shutter speed allows you to stop time and catch a fast-moving object, a long shutter speed allows you to capture in one picture the changes that happened to the object during a certain period of time.

The shutter is responsible for shutter speed, or rather, the speed of its opening. Typically, the shutter speed can be from 30 seconds to 1/4000 second, advanced models are able to work with shutter speeds of 1/8000 second. The first option is deciphered as follows: the camera shutter will open for 30 seconds, during which light will fall on the matrix, on the basis of which the device will create an image. This is great for shooting the night sky or other dimly lit, still or slow-moving subjects.

On the contrary, a shutter speed of 1/4000 second means that the shutter will open and close at lightning speed, which practically stops time in the frame. A fast shutter speed is suitable for shooting very moving subjects, such as birds in flight or falling water drops.

A long exposure photo captured the light of cars, who passed by

And now we are smoothly moving on to the light, which we have already talked about above. The shorter the shutter speed, the less light enters the matrix, respectively, in low light conditions, it may be necessary to raise the ISO sensitivity. For shooting people in bright sunny weather, this is not critical - even with a shutter speed of 1/1000–1/4000 second, the photo will be bright. But at dusk or when shooting indoors, such fast shutter speeds are likely to spoil the picture, making it dark. In this case, it is better to think about slower shutter speeds, raising the ISO, or using an external flash.

If you shoot handheld, you need to remember one important pattern: for a guaranteed sharp shot, the shutter speed should not be faster than the focal length of the lens, otherwise the picture may turn out blurry. For example, for a lens with a focal length of 85 mm, the shutter speed should not be longer than 1/85 second, the best option is 1/100-1/180 second. This is due to the fact that the longer the focal length, the more noticeable the hand shake in the picture, respectively, the longer the shutter speed, the more blurring.

Do not forget about other accessories, for example, a tripod. Having a tripod at hand, you can set long exposures without fear that the involuntary movement of the hands will ruin the frame. This is useful for shooting landscapes or street shooting. In addition, with the help of a tripod, you can easily shoot at slow shutter speeds. In this case, a stationary subject will be sharp. In some cases, shooting is not at all possible without the use of a tripod, for example, shooting a starry sky or morning / evening photos when there is too little light.

See also: "The best tripods for photography and video shooting".

Adjusting the light output with a diaphragm

The more we open the aperture, the more light enters the camera matrix

Aperture is a mechanical hole in the lens that regulates the flow of light on the way from the lens to the matrix. Aperture is often confused with aperture ratio, these parameters are really related, but there are significant differences. Aperture is the ability of the lens to transmit light, and the aperture can control / regulate this light. The window is clamped and less light enters through the lens.

The technology is easy to understand if we draw an analogy with the human eye. In bright light, the pupil constricts, and in weak light, the pupil dilates. When you look at a specific object, the background behind it becomes blurred, and if you look into the distance, the opposite is true.

Likewise for the lens. High-aperture optics are able to strongly "blur" the background, and also have a number of advantages in places with low light. An f/2.8 lens, when compared with an f/3.5 lens, allows you to shorten the shutter speed by one and a half times - from 1/15 to 1/25 of a second. Simply put, with a fast lens you will get more bright and sharp photos, you will have more creative opportunities.

The larger the f value, the more objects in the frame will be in focus. In the photo on the left - f16, in the photo on the right - f2

Aperture changes in a special mode called aperture priority. Aperture can also be controlled in shutter and aperture priority mode or in full manual mode. These modes are available to all mirrorless, mirrorless and some soap dishes (indicated by the letter S, Tv or Av, depending on the manufacturer). It is worth noting that some lenses allow you to change the aperture with a special ring located on their body. The maximum open aperture allows you to focus on portrait or subject shooting. For shooting landscapes or a group of people, it is better to cover the aperture so that all the objects being shot are in the flu zone (depth of field is determined by the aperture and focal length). The same applies to macro photography, because in some cases the flu may not be enough, in which case the diaphragm should be covered.

When shooting a portrait, remember that the more you open the aperture, the shallower the depth of field. So, when shooting at close range with f / 1.4 — f / 1.8 parameters, the depth of field will be only a few centimeters and instead of a portrait, you will get a sharply pointed eye in the model and a blurry nose and ear. It is also worth noting that the longer the focal length of the lens, the shallower the depth of field. On the other hand, the further away the subject, the more flu.

A special role in shooting in low light is played by high-aperture lenses. After all, by opening the aperture, you can easily compensate for insufficient lighting. But this only works with lenses that are at least f/2.8 aperture.

Read also: "The first lens: 5 universal models" and "5 low-cost fixed lenses".