Introduction to Digital SLR Photography 1 In Introduction to Digital SLR Photography Evan Sharboneau St. Paul, Minnesota Version 1.0 Published by: Yessdeal.com Course Guide: Introduction to Digital SLR Photography
1. Introduction to Digital SLR PhotographyIn Introduction to
Digital SLR Photography Evan Sharboneau St. Paul, Minnesota Version
1.0 Published by: Yessdeal.comCourse Guide: Introduction to Digital
SLR Photography1
2. Introduction to Digital SLR PhotographyIntroduction: Welcome
to my class about digital SLR photography. You have all gone out
and purchased your digital SLR cameras with high expectations
because you are all aware that your cameras are capable of
capturing amazing photographs. Your cameras are very complex
devices that have the potential to do amazing things; it is my job
and duty to teach you what you need to know to become great
photographers of your own and to use your cameras to their full
capabilities. I assume that you all know the basic functions of the
camera (turning it on, charging the battery, taking a picture,
etc.) but I also assume that you all are here because you do not
know how to use the camera to its full capability. I will teach you
this. I will also you teach about the art of photography and how
one is able to take great photographs. Photography is made up of
the Latin words photo and graphos which translates to light
writing. Lighting is photography and I am going to show you some
different forms of lighting and how to use it to your advantage.
After you have completed my course, you will all have a much better
understanding of what photography is and how it works. And, you
will also learn what you need to know about your cameras to take
professional quality pictures. You will all be on your way to
becoming great, aspiring photographers on your own. Throughout my
career in Digital SLR photography, I have used Canon digital
cameras. I will be using Canon throughout this course and I suggest
you do the same for the ease of you as students of my class as well
as me as your instructor.2
3. Introduction to Digital SLR PhotographyDedication: This
course is dedicated to my father, Jamie Strickland who taught me
everything I know about photography and showed me what it takes to
be a great photographer. Dad, thank you for everything.Mission
Statement: My goal is to teach you the wonderful world that is
photography. Since the nineteenth century, photography has captured
memories and events that have kept us in place with our past and
will keep us on track with the future. I am going to make sure you
all walk out of my class with a full understanding of the beauty
that is photography and the confidence and knowledge you need to
create precious memories of your own. They say a picture is worth a
thousand words. I say, a picture is worth more than that. A picture
is worth whatever you want it to be. That is why photography is so
special. -Evan SharboneauWhy this class? Other photography classes
assume that the users taking the course already know so much about
photography and their SLR cameras. I have interviewed people who
have expressed their frustration with their photography course
because they did not enhance their skills set. They were hoping to
learn the fundamentals of photography, instead, they learned about
in-depth techniques and information that they did not know about
nor had ever heard of before. In my class, I am going to start at a
beginning and explain basic settings and controls. Then, we will
cover more advanced settings and controls.3
4. Introduction to Digital SLR PhotographyAnother great reason
why my class is going to benefit you is because everyone else in
the class is in the same boat you are in. No one will be ahead of
you and it is going to be my job to keep you all on-track at the
same pace. The ability to learn from each other and work with each
other is a concept I strongly suggest as well. In my class there is
no pressure whatsoever. If you need to contact me, I am just an
email away unlike other teachers who have restrictions as to when
you can email them. This class will ensure that you learn
everything you need to know about photography and I promise that
this class will be the foundation of your great future in
photography, no matter where it takes you.4
5. Introduction to Digital SLR PhotographyTable of Contents:
Lesson 1: Introduction, Basic Camera Features, and White
Balance----------Page 6Lesson 2: How to use the Cameras Menu and
Redeye---------------------------Page 8Lesson 3:
Lighting--------------------------------------------------------------------------Page
10Lesson 4:
Aperture-------------------------------------------------------------------------Page
12Lesson 5:
Zoom-----------------------------------------------------------------------------Page
14Lesson 6: ISO and Shutter
Speed-------------------------------------------------------Page
16Lesson 7: Lenses and
Filters-------------------------------------------------------------Page
18Equipment-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Page
20Glossary---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Page
215
6. Introduction to Digital SLR PhotographyLesson 1:
Introduction and Basic Camera Functions Introduction: Go around
class, introduce each other ss, Exchange emails, contact
information in case you miss a classDiscussion: What do you hope to
learn from this class? Any previous experience with
photography?Basic Camera Features: How to access the Menu Where is
your Mode Dial and what does it do? Where is the flash? What do the
numbers in the LCD panel mean on the top of the camera? How to
review your pictures. How to read the information on your reviewed
pictures. How to turn this on/off How to delete picturesWhite
Balance: White Balance: Establishing the white points of a scene
for your cameras. The resulting photo : will have the correct color
representation How to set white balance: o AWB-Auto White Balance
Auto o Daylight o Shade o Cloudy. Twilight, sunset o Tungsten o
White fluorescent o Flash o Custom o Color Temperature For the
purpose of our class, we are going to stick to AWB. As you explore
photography on your own, you will be able to see what these
different white balances can do for lighting you have available to
you.6
7. Introduction to Digital SLR PhotographyNotes:7
8. Introduction to Digital SLR PhotographyLesson 2: How to use
the Cameras Menu and Redeye How to use the Cameras Menu: Turn on
the camera Press the MENU button o Navigate through the menu using
the Quick Control Dial o Changing the Quality of your pictures o
Turn Redeye on/off o Adjusting the exposure balance o Change Review
Time duration o Adjust power off duration o Adjust the brightness
of the LCD screen Format: To format the card simply means to delete
everything on the camera currently in use. By choosing to format
the card, you will NOT be able to receive the files that were on
the card prior to the format. Make sure you have all your pictures
backed up before you execute a format of your memory card. A format
normally takes a few seconds depending on how many pictures you are
deleting off. The cameras menu offers more features than what we
have covered. For the purpose of this class, we will only focus on
the features we have gone over. You will learn what the other
features will offer you when you are out on your own or if you sign
up for my next course.Redeye: Redeye: Redeye is caused by the
reflection of light on a human eye. Ways to avoid redeye: o Turn on
as many lights as possible in the room to reduce the need for flash
o Turning on lights also will dilate your subjects pupils which
will decrease the chance of redeye occurring in your photographs o
Taking a series of photographs will take out the redeye in pictures
How to turn on redeye: o Go to the Menu o Scroll down to the second
option: Red-eye On/Off. Turn it on Typically your camera will flash
before the picture is taken to decrease the size of the person(s)
pupil allowing for the flash to reduce the chance to cause redeye
on the person/people in your pictures.8
9. Introduction to Digital SLR PhotographyNotes:9
10. Introduction to Digital SLR PhotographyLesson 3: Lighting
Lighting: It is photography. Proper lighting can make your pictures
become marvels and improper lighting can ruin every picture you
take. The ability to use lighting to ones advantage can ultimately
the best photographers to the worse photographers. Though I have
dedicated this lecture on lighting, it WILL appear in most of my
other lectures. As I have stated before, photography is essentially
the ability to capture light. Do not be surprised if, in your
endeavors in photography outings, you adjust your exposures and
white balance frequently due to proper/poor lighting available to
you. Light: Light in terms of photography can simply defined as the
recording of light rays. Light in regular terms is defined as
electromagnetic radiation that we can see. Ways to control light in
any setting: o Adjust your cameras light meter so that your picture
will not turn out too bright or too dark o If the white balance is
off, adjust it so that it fits the lighting in the room or area o
Adjust the aperture o Adjust the shutter speedHow to read the
meter: o Each dot on the meter represents a stop o You may need to
adjust the aperture And stop to suit the lighting o When the meter
is in the negative side, That means that there is not enough light
available. Adversely, the positive side indicates that there is too
much light and your picture will be overexposed.When to overexpose
a picture: o The subject is much darker than the background o When
you are taking snow shots o On a bright day if your subject(s) are
showed by a larger object o When to underexpose a picture: o The
subject is very light in comparison to the background o On an
overcast day-increases saturation o To achieve a silhouette
affect10
11. Introduction to Digital SLR PhotographyNotes:11
12. Introduction to Digital SLR PhotographyLesson 4: Aperture
Aperture: Aperture is the circular opening that limits the amount
of light that can enter. An aperture with a small opening will have
a large numbered aperture. An aperture with a large opening will
have a small numbered aperture.Large ApertureSmall Aperture1. Will
perform better in low-light scenarios (admits more light than a
smaller opening) 2. Allows for a faster shutter speed 3. If the
wrong shutter speed is matched with the incorrect F-stop, the
picture may turn out under/overexposed1. Gives the photographer
more latitude in the pictures taken 2. Sunny/bright conditions
allow for a small F-stop because there is enough light to let in
through a smaller aperture
3.F1.8F2.8F4F5.6F8F11F161/2501/1251/601/301/151/81/4Aperture/Shutter
Speed Combinations12
13. Introduction to Digital SLR PhotographyNotes13
14. Introduction to Digital SLR PhotographyLesson 5: Zoom and
the Zoom Effect Technique Zoom Zoom is a mechanical assembly of
lens elements with the ability to vary its focal length (and thus
angle of view), as opposed to a fixed focal length (FFL).Optical
Zoom Optical Zoom uses the optics of an object to bring a subject
closer. By optics I mean the visible and the invisible
light.Digital Zoom Digital Zoom is not really a zoom. It is a
stimulant of optical zoom by simply enlarging a portion of an
image. When zooming in to take a picture, make sure you have an
auto focus set so that your pictures do not turn out blurry. By
having an auto focus set, you will also reduce the noise that shows
up on your pictures as well.The Zoom Effect The Zoom Effect is the
result of changing the focal length during an exposure. By doing
so, you create brilliant bursts of light around your central
object. Here is an example of a photo using the Zoom
Effect.Notes14
15. Introduction to Digital SLR Photography15
16. Introduction to Digital SLR PhotographyLesson 6: ISO and
Shutter Speed ISO ISO stands for International Standardization
Organization. ISO denotes how sensitive the image sensor is to the
amount of light present. ISO in digital photography is convenient
because you can adjust it in just a couple of seconds whereas in
film cameras you did not have the option to change the ISO, you
were stuck with what you had until the roll of film was empty. o An
ISO set at a higher speed will allow you to take pictures of
objects moving fast. This setting is helpful when taking sports
pictures. Doing so, though, will create noise in your pictures. o
Noise is speckles of light that appear on pictures when they should
not be there. o An ISO set at a lower speed will allow you to
obtain the best image quality because your camera recognizes the
fact that there is enough light to perfectly capture the picture
you are taking. o If you are in a low-light setting, use a flash,
or adjust your ISO up to account for the light that is not present.
This is an example of a photo shot at ISO 1600. Look at the Noise
in this picture!This photo was shot At ISO 200. Look at the
clarity!Shutter Speed Shutter Speed is simply the amount of time
the shutter is open. Shutter speed is measure in fractions of a
second. The larger the denominator, the faster the shutter speed
(1/1000 is faster than 1/250) If you are using a shutter speed of
less than (1/60) of a second, you will need to use a tripod o If
you want to capture an image that is moving fast, use a fast
shutter speed o If you want to capture an image that is moving
slow, use a slower shutter speed Sometimes motion is good in a
picture. How? o Motion in a picture can show how fast a car is
moving or how quickly a waterfall is falling when you can see the
blur of motion from behind the object. This gives the image a sense
of speed which can create amazing pictures16
17. Introduction to Digital SLR PhotographyNotes17
18. Introduction to Digital SLR PhotographyLesson 7: Lenses and
Filters To help better understand lenses and filters, I am first
going to define them for youLenses Transparent optical devices used
to converge or diverge transmitted light and to form images.Filters
Lens screen of glass for controlling the rendering of color or for
diminishing the intensity of light. o Notice how both definitions
depend on light for use!Types of Lenses Standard: Lenses that can
take pictures with no apparent wide angle or telephoto distortion
Wide Angled: Use when taking pictures of object far away. These
lenses have a lot of zoom! Telephoto: Use this type of lense for
landscape photographsTypes of Filters There are many filters
available, here are the basic ones that are the most common
Protective Filters: Protect the lenses from damaging or scratching
as well as from too much UV light Polarizing Filters: Improves
landscape imagery by reducing the amount of light reflected off
non-metallic surfaces such as water. Adds a richness into blue
skies, absorbs 1.5 stops of light. Neutral Density Filters: Reduces
and/or modifies the intensity of all wavelengths of colors of light
equally. Used to take pictures with motion blur effects with slower
shutter speeds. As you progress in your photography, you will find
filters that suit your needs best as well as lenses that will be
best for the photography to which you are taking whether it be
landscape, portrait, or sports. You will figure out the lenses and
filters that will be best for youNeutral Density Filter: Look at
the rich blue sky and the clear water!Protective Filter: Notice how
the lense is not distorted with scratces 18Polarizing Filter: Look
at the difference!
19. Introduction to Digital SLR PhotographyNotes19
20. Introduction to Digital SLR PhotographyEquipment Here is
what you will need to capture and store your pictures: Canon EOS
20D Digital CameraLarge camera bag to carry camera, manual, camera
cards, battery pack, filtersA Compact Flash memory card. I
recommend at least 2-Gigabyte cards or larger (cards of smaller
size will have a low limit as to how many pictures you will be able
to take)A computer or laptop to store all your pictures. An
external hard drive would also workEditing software (your camera
comes equipped with software but Photoshop and other editing
software allow you to do more with your pictures).Here are other
accessories you can purchase that will help you: A
tripodFiltersAdditional lensesDigital light censoring
meterAdditional rechargeable batteryExtra Compact Flash memory
cards20
21. Introduction to Digital SLR PhotographyGlossary White
Balance: The processes of removing unnecessary colors to make the
people who appear white in person appear white in your photos. (6)
Redeye: Redeye is caused by the reflection of light on a human eye.
(8) Light: Light in terms of photography can simply defined as the
recording of light rays. Light in regular terms is defined as
electromagnetic radiation that we can see. (10) Aperture: The
circular opening that limits the amount of light that can enter.
(12) Zoom: A mechanical assembly of lens elements with the ability
to vary its focal length (and thus angle of view), as opposed to a
fixed focal length (FFL). (14) Optical Zoom: Uses the optics of an
object to bring a subject closer. By optics I mean the visible and
the invisible light. (14) Digital Zoom: Not really a zoom. It is a
stimulant of optical zoom by simply enlarging a portion of an
image. (14) The Zoom Effect: The result of changing the focal
length during an exposure. By doing so, you create brilliant bursts
of light around your central object. Here is an example of a photo
using the Zoom Effect. (14) ISO: Denotes how sensitive the image
sensor is to the amount of light present. (16) Noise: Speckles of
light that appear on pictures when they should not be there.
(16)Shutter Speed: The amount of time the shutter is open. (16)
Lenses: Transparent optical devices used to converge or diverge
transmitted light and to form images. (18)Filters: Lens screen of
glass for controlling the rendering of color or for diminishing the
intensity of light. (18) Standard: Lenses that can take pictures
with no apparent wide angle or telephoto distortion. Wide Angled:
Use when taking pictures of object far away. (18) Telephoto: Use
this type of lense for landscape photographs. (18) Protective
Filters: Protect the lenses from damaging or scratching as well as
from too much UV light. (18)Polarizing Filters: Improves landscape
imagery by reducing the amount of light reflected off non-metallic
surfaces such as water. (18)Neutral Density Filters: Reduces and/or
modifies the intensity of all wavelengths of colors of light
equally. (18)21