Buxton & District U3A Digital Photography Beginners Group

Lesson 1: Exploring your camera

18 September 2013© Copyright John Estruch

Buxton & District

Digital Photography Beginners

HelloI’m John

© Copyright John Estruch

Buxton & District

Digital Photography Beginners

This time• Introduction

• Say hello• Find out what you want to know• Look at the plan for the course

• Types of camera• Exploring the camera (lenses screens, buttons,

knobs, dials, switches and connections)• Simplest way to take a picture (point and shoot)

© Copyright John Estruch

Buxton & District

Digital Photography Beginners

Introductions• Name• Experience of photography (film / digital)• Type of camera• What do you want from the course?

© Copyright John Estruch

Buxton & District

Digital Photography Beginners

Programme19 September Exploring your camera

1 October You’ve taken some pictures now what? (Viewing pictures; filing on your computer)

15 October Printing & Composing a better picture (part 1)

29 October Camera modes/scenes & Composing a better picture (part 2)

5 November Simple editing to improve your pictures

19 November Understanding exposure

3 December Controlling exposure/focal length/perspective/composition for a better picture &

Taking Pictures of people.

17 December Everything you want to know about digital photography but never dared ask.© Copyright John Estruch

Buxton & District

Digital Photography Beginners

This time• Introduction

• Say hello• Find out what you want to know• Look at the plan for the course

• Types of camera• Exploring the camera (lenses, screens, buttons,

knobs, dials, switches and connections)• Simplest way to take a picture (point and shoot)

© Copyright John Estruch

Buxton & District

Digital Photography Beginners

Types of CameraCompact

£30 - £400 Bridge

£200 - £500Digital SLR £300 - £6,000

+Lenses etc. £50 - £12,000 Mobile Phone

£0 - £200

© Copyright John Estruch

Buxton & District

Digital Photography Beginners

“The best camera is…..

…..the one you have with you”

© Copyright John Estruch

© Copyright John Estruch

Buxton & District

Digital Photography Beginners

This time• Introduction

• Say hello• Find out what you want to know• Look at the plan for the course

• Types of camera• Exploring the camera (lenses, screens, buttons,

knobs, dials, switches and connections)• Simplest way to take a picture (point and shoot)

© Copyright John Estruch

Buxton & District

Digital Photography Beginners

What’s on the camera

• Viewfinder/screen• Shutter release• Zoom

ViewfinderViewfinder

Screen

Screen

Screen

Shutter release ZoomShutter release

Zoom

Zoom

Shutter release

Shutter release

• Plus lots of other stuff• Menu • Flash• Macro• Play• Delete

• ISO• Timer • Exposure compensation• Video• Display

• etc.• etc.• etc.• etc.• etc. © Copyright John Estruch

Buxton & District

Digital Photography Beginners

Under the covers

• Memory Card• Battery• Connection sockets

Do you know where yours are?

© Copyright John Estruch

Buxton & District

Digital Photography Beginners

Memory cards

SD Card Micro SD Card(+ adapter)

Compact Flash

Memory Stick XD Card

• More likely, on a memory card.

• Pictures may be on the camera’s internal memory

Buxton & District

Digital Photography Beginners

Memory Cards

• Look at the samples

• Find the cards in your cameras

© Copyright John Estruch

Buxton & District

Digital Photography Beginners

Connect camera to computerMost modern cameras use USB connections

Mini USB on Camera (may be micro USB

on phone)

Standard USB to mini USB cable

One or more standard USB on computer (may be mini USB on tablet)

© Copyright John Estruch

Buxton & District

Digital Photography Beginners

What happens when you connect camera to computer?

It depends on:•Type of computer: Windows; Mac; Android….•Software loaded on computer:•What you have done previouslyTry yours at home see what happens.We will look at this more next time.

© Copyright John Estruch

Buxton & District

Digital Photography Beginners

This time• Introduction

• Say hello• Find out what you want to know• Look at the plan for the course

• Types of camera• Exploring the camera (lenses, screens, buttons,

knobs, dials, switches and connections)• Simplest way to take a picture (point and shoot)

© Copyright John Estruch

Buxton & District

Digital Photography Beginners

Camera’s have lots of settings

But they have one very simple way of taking pictures!© Copyright John Estruch

Buxton & District

Digital Photography Beginners

The easiest way to take Pictures“Point and Shoot”

Viewfinder(if you have one)

0) Use the Camera in AUTO mode

Screen

1) Frame the shot

Zoom

2) Press the button Shutter releasebutton

© Copyright John Estruch

Buxton & District

Digital Photography Beginners

Point and Shoot

Try it

© Copyright John Estruch

Buxton & District

Digital Photography Beginners

Cameras have lots of settingsBut not all cameras are the same:

© Copyright John Estruch

Buxton & District

Digital Photography Beginners

Common Camera Modes /Scenes

Movie/Video

Macro/Close-Up.

Party/Night

Portrait

Landscape

Sports

Aperture Priority.

Shutter Priority

Manual

Stitch

We will look at some of these in future sessions.© Copyright John Estruch

© Copyright John Estruch

Buxton & District

Digital Photography Beginners

Homework• Try the things we have covered today at home :

– Take pictures– Explore the switches, buttons options etc. (ask questions next

time)• Connect your camera to computer

– Find your cable– Connect to your computer– Note what happens when you connect your camera to computer:

• Does some software start? If so, note what the software is.• Does it upload pictures onto your PC? If so where do they go?

© Copyright John Estruch

Buxton & District

Digital Photography Beginners

Course notesI will put this presentation on the Buxton and District U3A website at :

http://u3asites.org.uk/code/u3asite.php?site=179&page=25298

Or

1.Goto www.buxtonu3a.org.uk2.Select “Groups”3.Select “Digital Photography: Beginners”4.Select “materials from previous sessions” from the links on right hand side of page

© Copyright John Estruch

Buxton & District

Digital Photography Beginners

Next Time

• Viewing pictures• Loading photos on to computer, filing and

cataloguing them

If you use a laptop bring it with you!© Copyright John Estruch

© Copyright John Estruch