ASAS PHOTOGRAPHY TUTORIAL

[PANDUAN ASAS FOTOGRAFI] TUTORIAL
T U T O R I A L S B A S I C P H O T O G R A P H Y Page 1
Tahniah kerana anda berminat dan telah pun memiliki ebook ini
secara percuma.
Saya menghasilkan kompilasi tutorial Ebook ini bertujuan
untuk berkongsi dengan anda atau sesiapa sahaja yang
meminati dunia fotografi, Dan saya yakin bahawa anda juga
seperti saya yang bermula menyelongkar dunia fotografi ini
dengan ilmu yang cetek dan asas.
Tutorial yang saya kumpulkan di sini adalah hasil penulisan
fotografer freelance potrait & event (singapura & manila).
Saya mengikuti tutorial yang dihasilkan oleh beliau sejak
saya memulakan hobi dalam fotografi dan sehinggalah
melibatkan diri sebagai seorang fotografer perkahwinan.
Kompilasi ini memudahkan anda mengenal secara asas tentang
kamera digital slr dan dunia fotografi.
Anda boleh dapatkan ebook dalam bahasa Malaysia yang
dijual di internet, tetapi anda perlu mengeluarkan
perbelanjaan untuk mendapatkannya.
Perhatian, tidak dibenarkan sama sekali ebook ini diniagakan.
Wan ahmad azarimy
Ilham Persona Photography
www.ilhampersona.com

Lesson 1 - PAGE 3
PHOTOGRAPHY EXPOSURE EXPLAINED
Lesson 2 - PAGE 21
ANALYZING EXPOSURE WITH HISTOGRAM
Lesson 3 - PAGE 35
EXPOSURE METERING (WHAT OUR CAMERA
SEES)
Lesson 4 - PAGE 45
EXPOSURE COMPOSITION
(PART ONE)
Lesson 5 - PAGE 52
EXPOSURE COMPOSITION (PART TWO)
Lesson 6 - PAGE 57
COMMON EXPOSURE PROBLEMS AND
SOLUTIONS
Lesson 7 - PAGE 66
WHITE BALANCE AND COLOR CAST
Lesson 8 PAGE 76
CHOSING A DIGITAL SLR CAMERA
(PART I)
Lesson 9 - PAGE 80
- RESOLUTION -
(PART II)
Lesson 10 - PAGE 84
SITUATIONAL ACCESSORIES
Lesson 11 - PAGE 89
BASIC ESSENTIAL CAMERA ACCESSORIES
Lesson 12 - PAGE 96
CHOSING A DIGITAL SLR CAMERA - AUTO
FOCUS - (PART III)
Lesson 13 - PAGE 105
- SENSOR SIZE -
(PART IV)
(SUMMARY)
UTILIZING EXPOSURE CONTROL
UNDERSTANDING CAMERA LENSES
(PART I)
UNDERSTANDING CAMERA LENSES
- IMAGE CHARACTERISTICS -
(PART II)
BASICS OF LIGHTING
BASIC DIGITAL DARKROOM WORKFLOW
DIGITAL WORKFLOW IMAGE ACQUISITION
DIGITAL WORKFLOW
(BASIC GLOBAL ADJUSMENTS)
CLASSIC LIGHTING STYLES
BASIC POTRAIT LIGHTING
BASICS OF COMPOSITION
HOW TO TAKE BETTER PICTURE

Lesson 1
PHOTOGRAPHY EXPOSURE
EXPLAINED
What is Photography?
Photography is derived from the Greek term of phos graphis or “painting with light”. From the
simplest pocket camera to the most modern digital SLR cameras in the market today, all cameras
function as an image capturing device by harnessing different spectrum of light to create an
image.
While different people have different reasons for starting photography, photography
fundamentals remain constant and apply to all subject matter and intentions.
The challenge of photography lies in trying to attempt to reproduce reality on a static, two-
dimensional surface from an active, three-dimensional world. To be able to convey emotions,
relive memories, and stimulate imagination on screen or a piece of paper is an art by itself.
Armed with the knowledge of photography fundamentals will allow anyone to have a better
chance of translating their vision into a photographic reality the way it was intended by the artist.
Content of this tutorial:
 How is an image captured?
 Shutter speed
 Aperture size
 Depth of Field
 ISO sensitivity
 ISO Noise
 So what settings should I use?
How is an image captured?
In the most basic form, a camera functions like our eye. Light enters our eye and the eye renders
an image through our optic nerves that transmits the different color information for our brain to
decode and registers as an image.

In a digital SLR, the basic image capture follows the following sequence. Light enters through
the lens which controls the amount of light through the aperture blades, then the light hits the
shutter, then the subsequent light is recorded by the camera’s sensor (refer to Fig. 1).
Fig 1: Basic Digital Image Capture Sequence
Different types of cameras may have various lens, sensor, and processor variances, but they all
function on the same basic premise.
In most cases, the end user has little control over how the camera processes and develops the
image within the camera, but the photographer can control how the light is being harnessed
before the image is registered in the camera.
The art of capturing light revolves around three photography fundamentals of shutter speed,
aperture size, and ISO sensitivity. All three combined gives us an “exposure”.
Figure 2 illustrates a simplified analogy of how an exposure is made by using a faucet as a
shutter, the nozzle of the faucet as the aperture, a pail as the ISO sensitivity, and the collected
water as the exposure itself.

Fig 2: Bucket analogy
Shutter Speed
Selecting a shutter speed means instructing the camera how long the shutter remains open to
capture light. The longer the shutter remains open, the more light registers on the camera’s
sensor. Conversely, the shorter the shutter stays open, the less light registers on the sensor as
well.
Referring to our faucet-pail analogy, opening the faucet valve for 10 seconds would yield more
water in the pail compared to opening the faucet valve for 2 seconds. The same concept applies
to shutter speed, the shorter the shutter speed, the less light is captured, and vice-versa.
So when do we use a fast or slow shutter speed? Like most things in photography, there are no
hard and set rules when selecting an appropriate shutter speed as it will all depend on what the

scene dictates and how you want the image to look. We can simply classify shutter speeds into
two types, fast and slow.
Fast shutter speeds generally mean shutter speeds that can freeze motion, while slow shutter
speed can depict motion from the subject. This, of course, depends on whether the subject is
moving or not, and how fast the subject is moving in reality.
Fig 3: Fast shutter speed (1/3000 sec)
Fast shutter speed is usually used to stop motion. Freezing subjects like a car passing by, a child
running, a bird taking flight, and so forth. The quick shutter action records an image in a fraction
of a second, creating a sharp, motion-stopping image.

Fig 5: Frozen Motion
Using a fast shutter speed will usually result to sharp, detailed, and well defined edges in a
photograph.
If using a fast shutter speed gives us sharp images, why not use this all the time? The answer is
simple, going back to our faucet analogy (photography exposure explained), if you turn off the
faucet quickly, the pail will not be filled in that short amount of time, and the result would be an
unfilled pail. In camera term, we will have an underexposed, dark image as the sensor wasn’t
able to receive enough light to render a clear image.

Fig 6:Underexposed Photo
We need to slow down the shutter speed to allow the sensor to record more light to obtain a
proper exposure.
Fig 7: Properly Exposed Photo

If we slow down the shutter speed too much, the result would be an overexposed photo.
Fig 8: Overexposed Photo
Slow shutter speed delivers more light onto a camera’s sensor and therefore is ideal when the
scene doesn’t have a lot of light available or if you want to induce motion of a moving subject.

Fig 4: Slow shutter speed (1.5sec)
As long as the subject (and camera) is stationary, a still subject will remain sharp and well
defined, as if captured by a fast shutter speed. However, when photographing a moving subject
such as a fast car, a raging river, rush hour commotion, it is usually preferred to illustrate motion
rather than freezing the action as the viewer will have a sense of action when looking at the
photograph.
Fig 9: Motion Recorded with Slow Shutter Speed
Opposite of a fast shutter speed’s intent, using slow shutter speed will not be able to freeze a
subject’s motion, however. If your intent is to freeze a dancer’s performance, for example, using
a slow shutter speed will cause the subject to be blurred. The same thing happens if you try using
a slow shutter speed if the camera is not stable, your image will be blurry.

Fig 10: Image Blur Due to Camera Shake
To summarize, a fast shutter speed freezes motion while a slow shutter speed allows motion to
be recorded as a blur.
In order to find out how fast or slow our shutter speed has to be, we have to understand how
aperture works as well.
Aperture size
The aperture size dictates how large the opening of the lens’ aperture blades can open to in
relation to the focal length of the lens. The larger the aperture opening, the more light passes
through the lens, and the smaller the aperture size, the less light passes through the lens.

Fig 11: Aperture Set at F/11
Fig 12: Aperture Blades "Stopped Down" to a Small Diameter

Fig 13: Aperture Set for f/1.8
Fig 14: Aperture blades fully opened at f/1.8

Returning to our faucet analogy, we’ve determined that the shutter speed is the amount of time
the faucet valve is left open. We can alter the flow of water by introducing the aperture size into
the equation. The aperture is represented by the diameter of the faucet nozzle.
If the faucet’s spout diameter is enlarged, more water will flow through the faucet and the pail
will be filled up at a faster rate. Conversely, the smaller the diameter of the faucet’s spout the
longer it takes for the pail to be filled with water. That’s exactly how aperture settings work, if
the shutter speed is constant, altering the aperture size will increase or decrease the amount of
light for the exposure.
Depth of Field
In addition to controlling the amount of light, changing the aperture also alters the depth of field
of an image. To put it simply, depth of field (DOF) means the area of acceptable sharpness.
Within an image there are areas of the image that are sharp and areas that fall out of focus,
adjusting the DOF will allow you to choose how much (or how little) areas to be kept in focus in
your image.
By using a large aperture opening (usually designated by a low f/ number on your LCD), the
DOF is narrower. This is also called selective focus as only partial areas of your image will be in
focus. Any areas in front and behind the DOF will not be sharp and will be blurry.

Fig 15: Narrow DOF - f/4
By using a small aperture opening (designated by a larger numerical f value on your LCD), the
DOF is wider, allowing more of the scene to remain within the area of focus.

Fig 16: Wide DOF - f/22
ISO Sensitivity
Last piece of our exposure puzzle is the ISO rating of our camera’s sensor. ISO sensitivity
dictates how “sensitive” the camera’s sensor is to light. The more sensitive it is to light, the less
amount of light it requires to make an exposure, and vice-versa. The sensitivity rating is
indicated by the ISO setting of our digital SLR.

Fig 17: Low ISO setting
Fig 18: High ISO setting
Returning to our faucet analogy again, the ISO is now represented by the pail itself. The smaller
the pail (high ISO), the faster it is to fill and vice-versa

If our shutter speed (faucet valve’s opening) and our aperture (diameter of the faucet) are
constant, the size of the pail will alter our final outcome.
Let’s say we have a 5 gallon pail that takes 5 seconds to fill up, without altering the shutter speed
and aperture values (valve opening and faucet size) increasing our ISO (smaller pail size) will
now require less than 5 seconds to fill up. On the other hand, decreasing our ISO (larger pail
size) will now require more than 5 seconds to fill-up.
It would seem that using higher ISO would be more ideal as it would entail shorter exposure
times to create an image. Increasing ISO sensitivity, however, has a drawback, as the sensitivity
increases, so will digital noise and image quality deterioration.
ISO Noise
ISO noise appears as random colored dots and smudges in an image that deteriorates the details
of a captured image.

Fig 19: Image Captured Using High ISO
Fig 20: Magnified Crop Showing Smudged Details and Color Noise
The advancement in sensor and processor designs in most modern cameras have minimized the
negative effects of high ISO noise, but the image quality of an image captured with low ISO
setting will always be superior as it contains the most amount of image data and least amount of
noise.
The decision to select an appropriate ISO setting would highly depend on the purpose and
viewing size of the captured image. Most newsprint, web sharing, and small prints do not require
maximum details for their images, so higher ISO settings would be ideal when capturing high
speed action. Fine art, wedding albums, and large print ads will require noise-free images as
much as possible to retain maximum detail and image quality, so low ISO settings are required.

So What Settings Should I Use?
As a photographer, experience will allow you to maximize the combination of these three
settings (shutter speed, aperture size, and ISO) based on your desired and required output.
To better understand how each setting affects and image, it would be best to practice as much as
you can with repeatable subjects such as items and scenes you can find in your home or
neighborhood.
Understanding how shutter speed, aperture size, and ISO change the final image with the same
subject will undoubtedly fast-track your understanding to proper exposure.
We will learn how different combination of shutter speed, aperture size, and ISO settings affect a
photograph in our next article. Stay tuned!

Lesson 2
ANALYZING EXPOSURE WITH
HISTOGRAM
Now that we have a better understanding about exposure and how to expose a photograph using
different mixtures of shutter speed, aperture size, and ISO setting, we need to learn how to
analyze our exposure to ensure we’ve captured the correct amount of data in different areas of
our photograph. The most intuitive way to achieve this while shooting would be to check our
camera’s LCD screen as it provides instantaneous feedback of the photo we’ve just taken.
Unfortunately, almost all LCD screens are not accurate in displaying the correct brightness,
color, and detail of our captured image, partly because of the small size of the screen relative to
the image size and the viewing angle of the LCD itself. When we transfer our captured images
into our computers, the image we see on our monitors may be erroneous as well if our monitors
are not carefully calibrated by a special monitor calibrating device.
So what can use to obtain consistent and accurate feedback of our images?
The answer is the histogram, which is available in our camera display and most image processing
software that is packaged with our cameras.
If you’re wondering how to activate the histogram for your particular camera, please refer to the
“reviewing images” (or equivalent) section of your users manual.
A histogram is a graphical representation of luminance values in our image from the darkest to
the brightest part of the captured image. Numerically, we’ll see that the graph is represented by a
fixed scale of 0 to 255 in both horizontal and vertical axis.
A luminance histogram shows the tones of our image between the darkest and brightest areas of
the scene regardless of color.
The horizontal row represents the tonal values of your image, with 0 (left-most) being pure
black, and 255 (right-most) being pure white. Everything in between will be the shades other
than pure black and white. The vertical line represents how much data is captured in that
particular tonal range. In Figure 1, for example, we can see that there are “peaks” in the first and
fourth column of our graph, while there are minimal pure black (leftmost) and pure white data
(rightmost) in the graph.

Figure 1: Standard Luminance Histogram
Figure 2: Luminance Value Scale
Ideally, we should capture as much data as we could in a scene for maximum details, minimal
noise, and the best photo quality. That would mean keeping the histogram tall and maintain a
mountain ridge-like shape throughout the graph such as in Figure 3.
When we have areas of the scene that have 0 or 255 values, those areas are called clipped values,
meaning these spots are purely black or white, no details are recorded.

Figure 3: Proper Exposure

We can see that the histogram (gray area) has a lot of peaks in between 0 and 225 on the
horizontal scale, while having minimum peaks near 0 and 255. Examining the image shows a lot
of details from shadows to bright highlights throughout the scene.
Figure 4 illustrates an underexposed photo. On its own, the image may appear properly exposed
through our camera’s LCD or our computer’s LCD, especially if the screen has a high brightness
setting. However, if we look at the histogram, we can clearly see that there’s a big gap on the
right of the graph, showing that there are little to no bright scenes in the image.

Figure 4: Underexposure
We know that the white clouds should be bright white, not gray, and the histogram clearly shows
that we lack areas in the image that contains bright details. In general, a histogram that leans to

the left without information at the right side of the graph means that the photograph is
underexposed.
We also notice that the peaks near the left of the graph are a lot higher than Figure 2, the graph
shows that the photo contains a lot more dark shadows than our previous image. Looking at our
image, we can see that the staircase on the left, and the awnings on the upper right are lacking in
details.
Figure 5 shows an overexposed image. While it’s clearly visible that the photograph is too
bright, our camera and computer LCD can make the image appear “normal” if the brightness
settings are set low. That’s why the histogram is a more accurate tool to gauge our exposure.

Figure 5: Overexposure

Note how our graph now leans towards the right, with the peaks concentrating near the 255
values while leaving a gap near the 0 values. The graph tells us that the image lacks pure blacks
in the scene and much of the data captured are near-white.
We can examine the photograph and see that the clouds in the middle of Figure 3 and 4 are no
longer present and all the textures on the walls of the buildings are pure white as well. There are
no details recorded in those 255-value areas, just pure white, those areas where the clouds are
supposed to be are now “clipped”.
Here’s another example of a properly-exposed image of an island.
The term “tones” may be a little confusing at first, especially when we look at a colorful image.
It’s hard to see where certain colors fall within our histogram graph with the exception of pure
blacks and pure whites. However, if we look at the scene in grayscale, using and understanding
the histogram becomes easier.
Figure 4: Island Sample

Figure 6: Grayscale Representation
We do have to remember an important fact about the histogram, while it may seem ideal to
capture as much information as possible between 0-255 range, it is sometimes impossible to do
so with certain scenes. Some scenes are meant to be devoid of shadow or highlight details. In
some cases, photographers intentionally capture their image without certain tones to achieve a
certain look or feel with the final image.
A night scene or low-light scene is a good example of a naturally shadow-biased image. The
scene is naturally dark, there’s really no reason to attempt to capture a lot of midtones when there
aren’t any in the actual scene. Some little sparks of highlights will be visible from objects like
street lights and headlights, but they fill a very small percentage to the overall scene.

Figure 7: Night Shot Histogram
Conversely, some scenes are totally devoid of midtones altogether. The most common scenes
that will only have a lot of shadow and highlight details would be high-contrast scenes such as
shooting against a bright background.

Figure 8: High Contrast Histogram
As Figure 8 shows, the histogram shows bulk of the data exists in both ends of the histogram,
with very little information in the middle. This is still considered a proper exposure as the
photographer intended to show the sharp contrast of the building’s edges against the sky.
Apart from informing the photographer the amount of tones captured in an image, most newer
DSLRs also display color channel histograms. These histograms show the same data information
as the standard luminance histogram, but separates the display to the three primary colors used
by the camera sensor – red, green, and blue, better known as RGB channels.
The three primary colors are not captured in equal amount everytime we press the shutter. Colors
other than red, green, and blue are mixed by the camera’s sensor and processor to create other
colors in our image.
The RGB histogram shows the tonal values for the individual color channels, allowing us to
check if one of the channels are clipped (no details). In many cameras, the red channel highlights
are easily clipped, while the blue channel shadows are easily clipped as well. This is primarily

due to sensor design limitation where reds are generally easier to capture by the sensor compared
to green and blue colors.
If we only look at the luminance histogram, we may see that the overall exposure of the image
below is “correct” where minimal shadow or highlight details are clipped.
Figure 9: Luminance Histogram Only
When we check the RGB histogram, however, we can see that significant amount of reds are
clipped in the highlights and some blue and green details are clipped in the shadow side as well.
The shadow clippings are less important in this scene as it only represents the darker areas of the
shrubs. The clipped reds, however are a concern as the area where the shadow points to contains
no details.

Figure 10: Clipping Colors Histogram
When we zoom in and look at the clipped area, we can see than instead of fine feather patterns,
we only see a flat patch of red in the image. Depending on your camera model and/or camera
settings, clipped reds may appear as bright magenta in your final image.

Figure 11: Details Lost in Reds
When photographing scenes with vivid colors, remember to check our RGB histogram as some
subjects such as flowers, macro, and fabrics will require details recorded in fine detail. If we clip
the color channels, our photos will appear oversaturated and tacky.
So remember that while there is no “ideal” luminance histogram shape for all scenes, it is
prudent to check our histogram to make sure we’re not accidentally under or overexposing our
exposure. Our goal should always be capturing the most amount data in the areas where we, the
photographer, determine as the most critical part of our image.
If we know our photo should have a lot of details in the midtone areas, for example, we need to
refer to our histogram to see if it shows a graph with a lot of details in the middle..
A quick glance at the histogram can tell us if our exposure is over, under, or if any of the three
color channels are clipped. By familiarizing ourselves with the histogram displays on our
camera, and using it to fine tune our exposure, we will be rewarded with consistently accurate
exposures matching our intended output.

Lesson 3
EXPOSURE METERING
(WHAT OUR CAMERA SEES)
One of the main advancements camera design in the early 80s was the invention of auto-
exposure modes. The new invention allows the camera’s exposure meter to calculate the proper
exposure for each scene without manually memorizing exposure combinations of shutter and
aperture values. Virtually all in-camera meters utilize a unit called “reflective meter”, this means
is the meter takes a reading of the light reflecting from the subject.
Figure 1 illustrates how a typical scene is metered by a camera. Notice that the light source
provides the incident light (actual light falling onto the subject) and the subject will reflect the
light in a certain manner where the camera’s exposure meter can pick up the intensity of light in
order to calculate an appropriate exposure.
Figure 1: How a Camera Meters
In most situations, a reflective light meter works well, especially when there are a lot of midtones
in our scene. Reflective light meters are calibrated to a certain percentage of gray, usually
between 12-18% gray. Referring to our tonality scale in Figure 2, that would equate to about the
midpoint between black and white, with a rough value of 127 in our 0-255 scale. Metering for

midtone is a good arbitrary range to work with as metering in the middle of the scale would
allow a greater exposure flexibility on both ends of the spectrum.
Figure 2: Midtone
While this works really well in most scenes, the design presents a problem as well, because
whatever area it is metering, it will consider that area as midtone in the luminance scale. The
meter cannot distinguish if the area being metered is actually dark or bright, all it can see is
“that’s midtone”.
The examples below will illustrate the way our camera meters work.
Figure 3: Black and White Background Scene

Figure 3 has a scene where a white background and a black background are present. The white
area is a piece of large paper, while the black area is a black fabric from my reflector. If we take
a photo with only the two extremes present (see Figure 4), we can see that the camera has little
problems exposing the image correctly.
Figure 4: Black and White Backgrounds
Figure 5: Black and White Image Histogram
The histogram in Figure 5 shows that the camera was able to capture the black as black, and
white as white, with almost nothing in between.
Great results.
However, if we take the black background out of the scene and leave only the white background
and take a photo, the resulting image comes out gray (Figure 6), and the histogram shows a peak
near the center.

Figure 6: White Image
Figure 7: White Image Histogram
When we remove the white background and only shoot the black background, the resulting
image is roughly the same. We don’t get a black image, but a gray image as well as seen in
Figure 8 and 9.

Figure 8: Black Image
Figure 9: Black Image Histogram
What happened here? Remember that our camera’s meter can only see midtone. Anything it tries
to meter will be rendered as midtone, and that’s the main shortcoming of reflective meters. If
your scene is predominantly brighter or darker than midtone, the camera’s meter will not identify
that difference and will render everything back to midtone.
By adding some elements in front of a predominantly white background, such as in Figure 10,
the camera is easily “fooled” thinking that the white background is too bright and in turn it
changes the exposure to obtain a midtone exposure. The result is an exposure where the wall
became gray, and the subjects are underexposed.

Figure 10: Scene On White Background
Figure 11: Histogram of Figure 10
Figure 12 and 13 shows the correct exposure with the large white area peaking near the right
edges of our histogram.

Figure 12: Correct Exposure on White
Figure 13: Correct On White Histogram
The same thing occurs when you try to photograph a scene against a black background, as
presented in Figure 14. The camera thinks it’s too dark and the meter tries to turn the black to a
midtone reading. The result amounted to a gray background and overexposed subjects. You can
see the histogram in Figure 15 that the peak of the histogram isn’t near the left edge, but almost
in the middle.

Figure 14: Scene On Black Background
Figure 15: Histogram of Figure 15
Figures 16 and 17 shows the correct exposure against a black background. Notice the peak of the
histogram is leaning towards the left of the scale and the subjects are not overexposed.

Figure 16: Correct Exposure on Black
Figure 17: Histogram of Figure17
What does all this mean? Quite simple, when using your camera to meter a scene, remember that
the camera is metering midtone. You have to learn to determine the brightest and darkest areas of
your particular scene and find the middle-ground of the two and meter from there.
Thankfully, most modern cameras utilize a very intelligent multi-segment metering system
where it dissects the scene into different smaller sections and average the readings from each of
the segment to create an exposure.
Figure 18 is a simplified version of how a multi-segment meter splits the scene into 12 different
areas and take individual readings on each of the square before averaging all 12 squares to come
up with a meter reading. This increases metering accuracy tremendously in most cases and most
modern cameras read from more than 30 areas in a scene before making an exposure.

Figure 18: Multi-Segment Metering
However, it is not fool-proof, as Figures 6 to 14 shows, when a scene has too much bright or
dark areas, the meter will be challenged to provide an accurate exposure.
In our next article, we will discuss how to use your camera’s metering mode options and
exposure compensation to obtain the correct exposure when auto-metering fails.

Lesson 4
(PART ONE)
Be Smarter than the Meter
In our previous lesson, we learned how camera meters calculate the exposure based on the
reflected light of the scene being photographed. We learned that while most newer DSLRs are
more than capable of exposing a scene accurately, high contrast scenes that are predominantly
bright or dark can fool our camera’s metering sensors causing an image to be under or over-
exposed.
In this lesson, we will learn how to compensate for this metering error by helping the camera
identify a scene that is not midtone and specify whether to darken or lighten to create a proper
exposure.
Metering Patterns
Most DSLR cameras offer at least two or three metering patterns. The most common is the
evaluative/matrix metering, center-weighted average metering, and spot metering. We can
usually find a button matching Figure 1 on our camera to choose the metering option of our
camera. Refer to your users manual for more detailed information specific to your camera.
Figure 1: Metering Mode Switch
Here’s the scene that we’re going to use. The photo was taken on a bright, sunny afternoon of a
large school building behind a large patch of cut grass. I zoomed in using my lens and
concentrate on the cropped square of the scene.

Figure 2: Sample Scene
As a whole, the scene is pretty well exposed by the camera. The abundance of midtone grass,
cloudy skies, and shadows of the trees and buildings allowed the camera to make an acceptable
exposure for all the elements within the frame.
Let’s take a look at the scene inside the red bounding box to show how the camera’s meter may
be fooled by the predominantly bright (white) area. We’ll also discuss how the three different
metering modes of our cameras behave in such a scene.
Evaluative/Matrix Metering
Evaluative metering usually separates the scene into several different areas and the meter takes a
reading from each of these “zones” then averaging all the exposures to create a final exposure.
Since our scene is predominantly white, the meter underexposes the scene, turning the white wall
to light gray.

Figure 3: Evaluative Metering Pattern
The histogram shows the highest peak just off to the right center indicating that the most
abundant tone in the scene is light gray. We know that’s not true based on the correctly exposed
scene in Figure 2. The evaluative meter “clipped” some shadows because the whole scene is
underexposed.
Figure 4: Histogram of Evaluative Exposure
Center-weighted Average Metering
Center-weighted average metering is very similar to evaluative metering with the primary
difference being putting more emphasis on the center of the scene versus the edges when the
camera meters. Different cameras have different metering ratios between the center and edges of
the scene, but in most cases, it’s about 70% center and 30% edges. This metering mode is pretty
much a de-facto standard when in-camera metering was introduced in the early 70s and is very
reliable as it forces the meter to put more emphasis in the area where there photographer is most
likely to place the subject in the frame. Figure 5 is a simplified illustration of how center-
weighted average metering computes for the exposure of a scene.

Figure 5: Center-Weighted Average Pattern
Figure 6: Histogram of Center-Weighted Average Exposure
Unfortunately, with scenes that contain predominantly white (or dark) in the center, the
effectiveness is reduced and the histogram in Figure 6 clearly shows a near-identical exposure as
the evaluative metering pattern.
Spot Metering
Spot metering narrows the area to be metered to less than 10% of the whole frame visible in our
viewfinder. This is a very specific and precise way for the photographer to meter, however, it is
also the metering mode that can cause the biggest variance in metering errors if misused. For this
reason, spot metering is often omitted in entry level camera models as it can result to seemingly
unpredictable metering patterns in the hands of a novice.
Figure 7 shows how little of the image is being metered, with everything outside the red circle
being ignored by the camera.

Figure 7: Spot Meter Pattern
Figure 8: Histogram of Spot Metered Exposure
The histogram and the photo show that the scene is even more underexposed than the previous
two metering modes’ output due to the fact that the meter didn’t even consider the exposures of
the nearby awning, grass, and trees. The only area that the spot meter “sees” is the little red
circled spot.
So how do we fix our exposure if all three metering modes fail to produce an accurate exposure?
If we refer to our tonality scale once again (Figure 9), we can see that our previous three images
have the white wall areas near 127 mark, probably between 127 to 150 range. We know that the
wall should be white, so it should at least be in the 200 range.

Figure 9: Tonality Scale
We can use our camera’s exposure compensation function to solve this problem.
We need to add exposure to our scenes above so that our gray will turn to white. Check your
users manual for specific instructions on how to use your camera’s exposure compensation (EC)
function.
In this case, I added +1.7 stops of exposure to the scene to make it more accurate. The amount
of exposure compensation to may not be an exact science since we only have the camera’s meter
to use, but digital photography gave us a histogram to look at and we can estimate how much (or
how little) compensation we need to adjust to get the graph looking the way we wanted.
Figure 10: Corrected Exposure
Figure 11: Correct Histogram
Adding exposure compensation equates to allowing more light hitting the sensor, so either the
aperture size increases, shutter speed reduced, or increase ISO, depending on the shooting mode
you’ve chosen (Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, or Program mode, respectively).

Reducing exposure compensation would be the other way around, a reduction of aperture size,
faster shutter speed, or lowering ISO, again, depending on the camera’s shooting mode.
So exercise a little care when using the camera’s meter when photographing predominantly
bright or dark scenes and study the histogram. If you see that majority of the scene should have a
right-biased histogram, add some exposure compensation. On the other hand, if you know the
scene is predominantly dark, reduce the exposure compensation accordingly.
Part II of our Exposure Compensation article will discuss how to use auto-exposure lock to
accurately expose a scene.

Lesson 5
(PART TWO)
Exposure Lock
In addition to exposure compensation adjustments, we can also use our camera’s exposure lock
function to create proper exposures. Unlike the exposure compensation method where we allow
the camera to take a midtone reading then adjust the exposure afterwards, exposure lock allows
the us, the photographer, to manually seek out an area in the scene which we consider as midtone
before making an exposure.
In Canon cameras, the exposure lock button is located at the top right at the back of the camera,
indicated by an asterisk *. Nikon cameras usually have an AE-L/AF-L button right next to the
viewfinder (usually the same button/knob as the exposure mode selector).
Figure 1: Canon and Nikon AE-Lock
Unlike the exposure compensation method where we allow the camera to take a midtone reading
then adjust the exposure afterwards, exposure lock allows the us, the photographer, to manually
seek out an area in the scene which we consider as midtone before making an exposure. We’re
still relying on the camera’s automatic meter to take a reading, but this time we have the option
to dictate which area to meter.
It’s best to use a narrower metering pattern such as center-weighted average or even spot meter
when using the AE-lock. Just keep in mind that the margin for error is higher as the pattern gets
narrower.

If your camera doesn’t have a spot metering function, you can zoom in with your lens and pick a
spot to AE-lock before zooming out to recompose the scene.
Take a look at Figure 2, we have a high-contrast scene where we metered the little gray device
on the dash of cab. I zoomed in with my lens and pressed the AE-lock button on that area, then
zoomed out to capture the scene.
Figure 2: Exposing the Bright Gray Dash
Figure 3: Histogram
We can see by the histogram that the scene is very high in contrast where the bright areas and
really dark areas pretty much dominates the whole frame with minimal midtones in the photo.
Metering the device on the dashboard was a decent compromise to capture enough details in both
shadows and highlight areas.
In Figure 4, I AE-locked the dark steering wheel area and told the meter to turn that to mid-tone
gray. The resulting histogram shows that the area we metered is now near midtone and all the
dark shadow areas in Figure 3 such as the back of the seat, the gauges in the dash, etc are now
exposed better while the scene outside the car is totally overexposed.

Figure 4: Exposing for Shadows
Figure 5: Histogram
If your intended purpose is to photograph the interior of the car, then this is the exposure to
make, sacrificing the highlights to expose for the shadows.
Do notice that the camera now requires a longer shutter exposure to allow more light in, resulting
a to blurrier photograph.
In Figure 6, we exposed for the scene outside the car. I metered the sky and the camera turned
that area near midtone. The resulting image shows tremendous amount of details in the sky and
almost all the scenes outside the car but the shadows are all clipped.

Figure 6: Exposing for Highlights
Figure 7: Histogram
Since our goal was to expose the scene outside the car correctly, this is an acceptable exposure
for that intended purpose.
Finally, Figure 8is an exposure I’ve chosen as the best compromise. I AE-locked on a brighter
spot on the dashboard and the resulting photograph gave me ample details in both the interior
and exterior of the car.

Figure 8: Balancing Highlight and Shadows
Figure 9: Histogram
Using AE-lock is a good prelude to learning how to use full manual exposure settings. AE-lock,
however is faster and more intuitive when there is constantly changing lighting conditions in a
scene, especially if we’re using either aperture priority or shutter priority modes in our cameras.
We can simply choose which area to meter specifically, lock the exposure and keep taking shots
without changing our chosen exposure settings until the scene requires a different reading. It’s
like using full manual without having the need to know exactly how much adjustments are
needed in shutter speed, aperture size, and ISO setting.
Learn how to use AE-lock properly and consistently and we’ll be less reliant on unpredictable
auto exposure modes and get the proper exposure we intended to capture.

Lesson 6
COMMON EXPOSURE PROBLEMS
AND SOLUTIONS
After discussing most of the basics of exposure, let’s take a look on some common exposure
errors that frequent our photographs when we rely on automation too much.
Problem 1: Underexposure of Subject in Front of Bright
Background.
We often shoot indoors and it is logical that we place our subjects near the window or whatever
large lightsource we may see available. Due to the significant coverage and intensity of the
bright background, our camera meter tends to put a little more bias towards correctly exposing
the bright scene instead of our subject, causing an underexposed photograph of our subject.

Figure 1: Incorrect Auto-Exposure Bias
Solutions: By metering the subject only, we can ensure that the subject is correctly exposed and
allow the rest of the scene to just complement the subject instead of taking over the subject.
We can choose a smaller metering pattern such as a spot meter, or use auto-exposure lock on the
face of the subject instead of just allowing the camera do make the decision.
Problem 2: Shaky, Blurry Photograph of a Still Subject.
When we photograph a stationary subject, such as a building, for instance, any blur that we see in
the photograph is caused by us, the photographer, as the structure we’re photographing doesn’t
move.

Figure 2: Lack of Sharpness
Solutions: Stabilize the camera to keep it steady and use a faster shutter speed.

The first photo in Figure 2 used a slow shutter speed due to a small aperture and low ISO setting
of the camera, the second photograph used a wider aperture and higher ISO which allow us to get
a much sharper image. The camera was also stabilized a little by propping my elbows on the
table while holding the camera, acting as a pseudo tripod.
Problem 3: Not Enough Areas of the Subject are Sharp.
The third problem is common when we use longer lenses and/or lenses that allow a wide aperture
opening. Many of us get too addicted with wide aperture usage and it often cause our
photographs to not have adequate depth-of-field (DOF) to keep all the necessary details in focus.

Figure 3: Depth-of-Field Control

Solutions: Use a smaller aperture, use a wider focal length, and/or increase distance between
subject and lens.
Figure 3 shows the difference between shooting at an aperture of f/4 versus a shot taken with
f/16. The second image shows more details and kept all the elements of the classic scooter in
focus, while the first image failed to keep even the branding in sharp focus.
As a photographer, we should have a keen eye on making sure how much of the subject needs to
be in focus and not get carried away with selective focusing.
Problem 4: Distracting Background
In an ideal world, every photo we take will have a perfect, complementary background, whether
it’s plain or complex. In reality, the world is a messy place and there may be cases where we
cannot avoid moving the camera or our subject around for a less cluttered background.

Figure 4: Background Control
Figure 4 shows an identical scene with the clamp as a main subject. The first photo shows all the
distracting elements in the background because of the small aperture we’ve chosen. At f/16, most

of the background elements remain clear enough to cause the viewer’s eyes to wander around the
frame.
The second photo uses a wide aperture of f/2.8. The large aperture reduced the depth-of-field
considerably and we can see that much of the background elements are blurred out. Some of the
elements, such as the hanging incense burner cannot even be identified in the second photo.
Problem 5: Lack of Motion Depicted.
While we often strive to take the sharpest photo we can take, many images that require us to
depict motion, frenzy, excitement, and speed would look really stale and static when the
elements in the photograph are frozen solid.
Figure 5: Effective Use of Blur
Looking at the two photos in Figure 5, the faster shutter speed image on the right shows a man
carrying an elaborate structure strapped and hooked around his body with bystanders looking on.
The image itself documents the scene but fails to show anything spectacular happening.
The second image captured the man jumping up and down and the amount of blur shows the
intensity of his movement. Couple with an appropriate caption mentioning to the viewer that the
structure is actually pierced onto the man’s flesh made the motion even more significant for the
photograph.

These are very basic exposure related problems that occur in many day-to-day scenes that we
shoot. By keeping an eye on our subjects and our photograph’s intended purpose, we can capture
a scene the way we, the photographer, intended, not the way the camera thinks should be
captured.
It is wise to start off with the camera’s suggested exposure combination as a starting point,
digital photography provides us the chance to review what the camera suggested as an exposure
using the LCD and we can make the necessary exposure alterations we need to get our desired
output.
The camera has no knowledge of which element in your viewfinder is the subject, neither can the
camera determine how much (or how little) areas in the scene should be kept in focus, or whether
or not you want the subjects to be blurry or sharp. By understanding exposure control we can
make these decisions appear as we want them to in our photographs.

Lesson 7
WHITE BALANCE AND COLOR CAST
What is White?
White balance is essentially a corrective procedure in adjusting colors in photographs to ensure
that scenes are as neutral as possible. That would mean making sure that white areas are actually
white.
Technically speaking, the most important aspect of white balance correction is to make sure
certain reference areas of the scene is neutral, so it doesn’t always have to involve the color
white per se. In short, a scene filled with colored hues without a single shade of white can still be
neutralized and rendered in its correct, real-life color hues.
The white balance scale is based on the thermodynamic scale of Kelvin ratings. The lower the
value, the “warmer” or “redder” the scene is rendered, while a high Kelvin setting would mean
the scene is “cooler” or “bluer”.
Figure 1: Kelvin Color Temperature Scale
Candlelit scenes – < 2000 K
Household incandescent (tungsten) Lights – 2000-3000K
Early sunrise or late sunset – 3000-4000K
Older fluorescent and mercury lamps – 4000-5000 K
Most studio strobes and camera flash – 5000-5500K
Newer energy-saving, daylight-balanced compact fluorescent lamps – 5500-6000K
Cloudless bright, sunny afternoon – 5000-6500 K
Typical overcast and cloudy sky with sunlight – 6500-7500K
Open shade, thick cloudy skies – >8500K
It seems daunting to memorize the scale in our day-to-day shooting, and it could be. However,
most camera manufacturers include a built-in white balance meter sensor into our cameras
including presets that approximate the scenario we’re shooting. Most cameras will have the

following presets, listed from “coolest” to “warmest” color temperature (with the usual graphic
indicator).
Different camera manufacturers may label these presets differently, so please refer to your
camera’s user manual for specific information about these presets.
Remember that the camera presets are there to neutralize the colors of the scene. If you chose
“Tungsten”, for example, it doesn’t turn your image’s color cast warmer, but it neutralizes the
warm scene to a cooler scene. Conversely, if you chose a cooler WB preset like “Fluorescent”,
the camera doesn’t add a blue tinge to your image, it neutralizes the cool tones in the scene by
adding a warm tone instead.
The presets apply a color cast opposite the actual color cast on the scene to neutralize the scene.
Human eyes are incredible in deciphering colors and our brain has also helped us know
instinctively if something is a certain color regardless of lighting condition. For example, if we
pick up a piece of paper, we know that piece of paper is white whether we’re standing under the
sun or underneath an orange street lamp.
Cameras, however, are not as smart as humans are. If you place the same piece of white paper in
five different lighting conditions, it will come out as five different shades of white in our
photographs. The camera doesn’t have a ability to neutralize color casts automatically and
accurately in all lighting conditions.
Daylit Scenes
Here we have a pretty neutral scene with a neutral subject in Figure 2. A glossy white laptop on
an off-white paper above a neutral gray cement floor.

Figure 2: Shot with Auto WB
Using Auto WB setting, the camera nails the WB perfectly with no hint of out-of-place color cast
on the laptop and the ground.
The photograph was in an open shade around 3PM, which is pretty bright and “white” in terms
of the light’s color. In most daylit scenes a few hours after sunrise and a few hours before sunset,
the camera’s automatic white balance meter does a pretty accurate job in most cases.
We can easily mimic a late afternoon light by switching the white balance to “Shade” or
“Cloudy”. The fact that the actual light condition still falls within what our eyes think is “white”,
the slightly warm glow is still an acceptable exposure.

Figure 3: Shot with "Shade" Preset
Artificial Lighting Conditions
Let’s introduce some artificial incandecent (tungsten) light just like we often experience indoors
especially in our homes or restaurant lighting.
Figure 4: Tungsten Spot Light

Figure 4 shows us a common spotlight incandecent bulb.In many cameras, auto white balance
will not be able correct the strong orange cast by the incandecent lights, and will often treat the
scene as daylit, using a setting close to the “Daylight” preset of the camera. The result would
yeild a real reddish hue, as shown in Figure 5. Technically, this is acceptable if you want to
induce a warm feeling to the photograph, but it’s doesn’t depict the real color of the subject.
Figure 5: Tungsten Spotlight on AutoWB
Remember that setting a white balance on the camera means you’re correcting the actual color
cast in the scene. The opposite of the red spectrum would be the blue spectrum, so the camera
“cools” down the image and mixes some green and magenta to arrive to “neutral” image. By
switching our camera’s white balance setting to “Tungsten”, the camera removes all red color
cast in the image and we now have a photograph that depicts the subject’s color accurately
(Figure 6).

Figure 6: Tungsten Spotlight on "Tungsten" WB Preset
Mood and White Balance
Now that we’ve seen how to use the presets to correct white balance, we have to understand that
“correct” and “accurate” may not be the best color temperature for our image if we have a certain
intent or mood that we want to achieve.
With Figure 7, our main goal is to accentuate the colors of the candies. If we use an “accurate”
white balance, in this case “Shade” preset (because the photo was taken in a shady area on a late
afternoon), the colors are not as emphasized since the white tray and white board where the
candies are placed are casting a slight orange hue.

Figure 7: Scenes that Favor "cooler" WB
By using a cooler white balance preset, in this case “Daylight”, we were able to take out the
warm sunlight hue and just made the candies pop as the tray and board became a non-factor in
our overall image.
In Figure 8 shows the opposite. The photo was taken at around 4PM, at least 3 hours from
sunset. The correct white balance made sure that the scene is neutral, the white teacup is white,
the silvery gray metal gate is silvery gray. However, the image looks stale and not inviting. By
changing our white balance to a warmer “Shade”, our image is now a lot warmer and it turns our
image into a moody, relaxing afternoon scene.

Figure 8: Scenes that Favor "warmer" WB
Mixed Lighting Conditions
With mixed lighting condition scenes, the camera will have a harder time striking a balance
between the different color temperatures in a scene, so we, the photographers, have to make the
creative decision to choose which color cast should be neutralized in a scene.
Figure 9 and 10 are identical, however, Figure 9 uses Auto WB and the camera used the large
span of gray and white sky and neutralized that area. Notice that the warm artificial light tube’s
(upper right corner) color cast is exaggerated further.

Figure 9: Mixed Lighting - Auto WB
In Figure 10, we manually picked to neutralize the warm light tube and chose the “Tungsten”
WB preset. The result clearly shows that the encircled area is well neutralized but the whole
outdoor area turned blue.
The reason is that we shifted the whole color spectrum “cooler” to accommodate the warm light,
so the previously neutral outdoor areas of the image are now pulled towards the blue spectrum.

Figure 10: Mixed Lighting - Tungsten WB Preset
To summarize, in most situations, we should concentrate on achieving accurate color
reproduction as possible. We must keep in mind, however, that there are scenes that simply
appear much better with “moody” colors than accurate colors. Just like metering for exposure,
the correct settings would be ideal for most photographs, but adding little adjustments from the
correct settings can turn a purely technical photograph into a personal creative artwork.

Lesson 8
(PART I)
Today’s digital SLR market is flooded with choices ranging from relatively affordable models to
high-end models that cost as much as a used car. Which one will be right for you? We’re here to
dissect the primary features of most DSLRs and hopefully clear-up the sugar-coated marketing
claims of some camera ads to help you make a sound decision on your investment.
Most cameras are listed with the following key features as selling points:
 Resolution (in Megapixels)
 Auto-focus points
 Continuos burst speed (in frames per second – fps)
 ISO sensitivity range.
We will concentrate on the four specifications above as they have a direct relationship with our
resulting photographs than the other more physical feature differences such as size, weight, etc.
A DSLR package usually consists of a camera body (where all the image capturing, saving,
viewing are performed) and a lens.
Before we move on to the key features, it’s best to do our homework when we are considering
our first (or replacement) DSLR. Knowing the difference between what you need, want, and can
afford is important, but so are the other incidental costs of owning a DSLR.
We need to sort out three factors before we even look at what’s available in the market:
 Frequency of Usage
 The Budget
 Choice of Subject
Frequency of Usage
How often are you going to use the camera? Remember that DSLRs are relatively large, bulky,
and heavy. You certainly cannot slip one into your pocket easily or stash it into a ladies handbag
compared to pocket digital cameras, so if you’re not the type who likes to bring a kilogram of
equipment often, then a DSLR may not be your cup of tea.

If you don’t plan to use your camera extensively, it would be unwise to invest so much on a
DSLR system when cheaper portable digital cameras are readily available.
The Budget
How much can you afford to spend on a DSLR?
Most first time DSLR buyers are confronted with the issue of cost, and the camera companies
strive to make this first leap into the DSLR work as painless as possible by offering us entry-
level cameras that are packed with features, small size, and affordable prices that are ready-to-
use, right out of the box.
The price difference between entry level camera bodies and high-end professional camera bodies
is gigantic. A top-of-the-line camera from the same company can cost 10x more than the entry
level camera.
Unfortunately, a lot of people assume that the price of the camera dictates the quality of output,
thinking that a more expensive camera will yield better photographs, which isn’t the case. Both
ends of the spectrum have their own pros and cons, but in practice, cameras function in a similar
manner. The higher-end cameras are designed for a more specific genre of photography while
lower-end models aim to satisfy the most number of users needs.
In short, if budget is an issue, get the camera you can easily afford as you’re bound to spend a
little more for the associated costs of owning a DSLR. Which brings us to the next issue of
“system cost”.
System Cost
Unlike purchasing a compact digital camera where the camera itself is the only purchase, DSLRs
are not as simple. Owning a DSLR often opens a big can of worms of what is available in the
market to “upgrade” your camera, whether it is for function or aesthetics. From lenses to flash,
bags to tripod, humidity-controlled cabinets to underwater casings, the options are virtually
endless.
In reality, all we need is a camera body with a battery, memory card, and lens attached. Most
enthusiast-level cameras are equipped with some form of a “kit” zoom lens that cover the focal
length that most photographers tend to use often. It’s no accident that the lens included is a zoom
lens that covers a wide angle to standard focal length in most cameras, and with solid knowledge
in photography fundamentals, this really is a sufficient lens to use until you have more stringent
and specific needs in your photographs, and when you finally reach the stage of upgrading the
accessories for your camera, the issue of system cost comes into play.
Almost all major DSLR manufacturer offers myriads of lenses, flash, and accessories that fit
their camera bodies. In most cases, an lens, flash, or accessory unit will only work with the same
brand of camera. For example, you cannot directly use a Canon lens on a Nikon body as the

physical mount where the lens meet the body are totally different, not to mention that the
electronics cannot communicate between manufacturer’s products.
This is somewhat of a stranglehold by the camera manufacturers to keep you loyal to a particular
brand and as a budget -oriented photographer, you must consider the cost and availability of
accessories as switching brands can be very costly as you’ll have to start from scratch once again
in hardware purchases.
Cost of Accessories
The cost of accessories involved in owning a DLSR is usually ignored but can pile up rather
quickly. An extra memory card or two, extra batteries, protective and effect filters, tripod,
camera bags, and flash units are usually not included with an off-the-shelf camera and these are
not exactly cheap relatively speaking.
Another reason why entry level models are the best options for beginners as retailers usually
package the cameras with extra accessories that are sufficient for light photography
requirements. These accessories may add up to a couple of hundreds of dollars but are packaged
at a very minimal add-on cost to the camera package.
Higher-end cameras usually won’t include any accessories as manufacturers assume that you
either already have some of these common accessories hence you’re after a more advanced
model.
Choice of Subject
Finally, the most important question that you must ask yourself would be “what am I going to
shoot”? The hardware specification of each camera dictates its pricing and market segment, as
cameras move up the price scale, the more technical and specific its purpose usually is. If you
plan to photographs just about anything under the sun from family members to sweeping
countryside landscape, most of the time, even the most basic offerings of a camera manufacturer
will be more than capable of serving that purpose.
If you know you’ll be shooting high-speed events most of the time, you should consider a
camera that can shoot at a fast pace with a highly responsive auto-focus system. If you know you
are shooting fine art or photographs that will end up as a large print, then get a camera that has a
lot of megapixels, and so on.
It’s utterly pointless to get a high megapixel camera if all you plan to do with your photographs
is to print a small 4×6 print or sharing it on the internet. It’s a waste of money to get a sports
camera that can shoot ten frames per second if you only plan to shoot macro or studio shots, for
example.

Just like buying an automobile, you wouldn’t buy a compact 2-seater sports car if you need to
carry a family of five everyday, nor would you buy a family van if you plan to race your car
every weekend.
In summary, do your homework by being honest to yourself first. Ask yourself questions about
total budget for the camera and associated accessories, subject preference, and physically go out
to a store and hold the cameras before comparing the specifications.

Lesson 9
- RESOLUTION -
(PART II)
Key Camera Feature: Resolution
Resolution is the most common specification that manufacturers advertise when it comes to
digital cameras. In terms of digital cameras, resolutiom would be the equivalent of horsepower
when marketing a vehicle, where a higher figure will almost always be more enticing for the
buyer than a low number.
However, how can we determine the ideal amount of resolution our cameras should have? Are
the differences between resolution figures really as significant as the advertisement claims? How
does resolution amount affect our photographs?
These are important questions to ask and research upon when it comes to the importance of
resolution amount in a digital camera.
What is resolution?
By definition, resolution describes the number of pixels or dots present to create a final image.
All digital cameras utilize an imaging sensor to convert the light that enters the camera lens into
digital data to form an image. As light hits the sensor, the sensor captures each light beam with
millions of tiny light cavities and separates the light beam into red, green, and blue channels.
Then the captured information creates a completed image using the camera’s multitude of chips
and processors.
The physical size of a camera sensor is finite, it cannot expand or contract in size, so there’s limit
of how many light cavities you can cram onto a sensor’s surface. These light cavities are
commonly known as pixels. In general, the more pixels are on a sensor, the higher the resolution
of the sensor. If we take a look at Figures 1 and 2, both have identical dimension but Figure 1
has less grids (pixels) than Figure 2. The same thing happens when a camera has the same
physical sensor size but different megapixel count.

Figure 1
Figure 2
Theoretically, the more resolution a sensor has, the more detail the sensor can capture. There are
millions of tiny pixels in each sensor, and they’re rounded off by the millions, hence the term
“mega” pixel. For example, if a camera claims to have 5-megapixels, that means your camera
has five million pixels on the sensor, therefore the final image is made up of 5 million individual
pixels.
How much resolution do I need?
Digital SLRs started with a humble 1.3 megapixel sensor back in 1991, as of 2009, digital SLR
have reached over 20 megapixels and its still increasing. How much do we really need? The
answer is quite simple, actually, especially for the hobbyist. How large will you print?
Yes, the main issue with resolution is output print size.

Most of us will view digital images on screen, which doesn’t offer that much viewing area
anyway. For example, a large, wide screen 33” LCD monitor only displays approximately 2560
x 1600 pixels, or 4.1 megapixels. We rarely view images full screen, so most images viewed on
screen won’t require much in resolution. In addition, most digital photos end up being on the
internet, and due to file size restrictions and download speed issues, the image files we upload on
the web will require an even smaller resolution requirement.
In practical terms, the larger the displayed image, whether on screen or on print, the farther we
have to be from the display to view the entire image. As we move farther from the subject, the
more difficult it is for human eyes to scrutinize details as well.
The larger the print, the more resolution we need. It’s that simple. Generally speaking, the table
below shows the resolution requirement depending on print size if printed in high quality.
For most camera users, a 4-6 megapixel camera is more than sufficient even for larger prints.
The print size recommendation in the previous table can be exceeded if we reduce the quality of
the prints. As mentioned earlier, if a print is viewed moved farther from the viewer, the details
becomes less critical. In fact, even a 6-8 megapixel camera can produce a billboard-sized print

with proper graphic interpolation (upsizing) software, as we never view billboards at close
distances, we can clearly see that most billboards are sufficiently clear when viewed from a
distance.
With the current crop of digital SLRs bottoming out at 6 megapixels, there’s really no reason to
worry about not having enough megapixels for our photographs.
Why not get the most megapixels I can afford?
You shouldn’t because megapixels is just part of the equation when it comes to image quality.
The sensor alone doesn’t dictate how an great the camera can translate those pixels into a final
photograph.
Higher resolution sensors often cost more to purchase and also cost more to maintain. As
megapixel count grows, so does file sizes. Larger file sizes would require much larger memory
cards, larger computer storage space, and more powerful computer to view and edit the images.
All of these will become required expenses as megapixel count in cameras increase.
We may wonder “can’t we just reduce the resolution setting in the camera and use smaller file
sizes?”. Yes we can do that, but whenever we choose a file size within the camera that’s not full
resolution, we’re only using part of the sensor and effectively reducing our high megapixel
camera to a lower megapixel camera.
For example, a typical 8-megapixel camera gives us a large image with 3504 x 2336 pixels at full
resolution, if we change our image size to “medium”, our image size drops to 2544 x 1696,
which is just 4.3 megapixels. Now if we’ll only use 4.3 megapixels all the time, wouldn’t it make
sense to save hundreds of dollars by buying a 4.3 megapixel camera to begin with?
There are technical issues to contend with when it comes to choosing higher resolution sensors
such as noise control, dynamic range, buffer speed, etc. but in most cases, the differences are
rather minor and doesn’t affect most photographers in practice.
So don’t worry too much about resolution and megapixel specifications. Any digital SLR with
over 6 to 8 megapixels should be sufficient in terms of resolution requirements for most users
only if you habitually print large images when megapixel requirements will be higher.

Lesson 10
SITUATIONAL ACCESSORIES
The basic essentials are universal items for all photographers to purchase as they work regardless
of brand, model, or photographic preference. There are other important accessories that
photographers should include in their arsenal depending on the type of subjects you shoot most
often.
Remote Shutter Release
A remote shutter release allows the photographer to fire the shutter and capture an image without
physically touching the camera. Using a remote release prevents camera shake caused by the
physical movement of the camera when the shutter button is pressed. With macro photography,
landscape, night photography, or virtually any scenario where the camera is on a sturdy base, it is
important to use a remote shutter to ensure the sharpest, shake-free image captured.
Figure 1: Wired Shutter Remote
Remote shutter releases are also important when slow-shutter speed is required as most remotes
allow the photographer to keep the shutter open for an extended period of time without having to
hold the button itself as the remote has a shutter lock mechanism.
There are traditional wired shutter releases avaialble that are relatively inexpensive and reliable,
while newer infrared wireless remote shutter releases are also available for extended range and

wireless triggering. The latter is especially useful for group portraits or self-portraits where the
photographer has to stand far from the camera’s position as well.
Dedicated Flash
A dedicated flash gun is probably one of the most important accessory to purchase after the
essential items if you spend a lot of time photographing subjects indoors or in the dark.
Regardless of how fast your lens may be, if there isn’t enough light available, it will be very
difficult to obtain a good exposure without sacrificing motion blur, sensor noise, or camera
shake.
Figure 2: External Flash Unit
A good external flash provides quality light in quick bursts on-the-fly. While most cameras have
a built-in flash available, unfortunately, this small flash will not be powerful enough to cover the
subject at a distance. In addition, the inability for the built-in flash to rotate and swivel limits the
flash use to frontal lighting, which often creates flat, uninteresting photographs.
Having an external flash provides a couple of bonuses as well. The first being able to conserve
camera battery power as the external flash will not be sharing its power supply from the camera
because it has its own power source; and the second would be the presence of a more powerful
auto-focus assist lamp than the one available on the camera. Most flash units emit a large and
bright auto-focus assist light pattern that covers a large portion of the camera’s AF sensor, the
AF assist light from the flash can increase your focusing speed and accuracy even in pitch-dark
locations.

Tripods
The last important situational accessory is the tripod. A tripod helps solve many fundamental
photography problems when it comes to issues like camera movement, composition lapses, focus
issues, among others.When light levels are low and you’re forced to use a slow shutter speed to
get a proper exposure, a tripod is essential as there’s almost no chance for a photographer to
hand-hold the camera and still obtain a sharp image. A tripod allows the camera to rest on a
stable surface at variable height and angles which may not be available if the camera is merely
placed on a ledge or table top.
Some of the benefits of using a tripod include:
 Maximizing sharpness of your image (due to camera shake) – this applies even with high
shutter speeds and more pronounced with longer focal length, sharpness is critical for
large print works as well.
 Maximize image quality – the ability to stabilize a camera allows the photographer to use
lower ISO settings due to the amount of time the camera’s shutter can remain open
without bumping up the ISO setting. Lower ISO results to cleaner and sharper images.
 More deliberate framing of a scene. Setting up a tripod requires deliberate efforts, and
composing with a tripod allows the photographer to take his time and see everything in a
frame before pressing the shutter. A tripod is also a must when bracketing or multiple
exposures of the same scene are required. Problems such as tilted horizons and other
technical faults are also minimized.
 Ability to increase depth of field (DOF) – Again, due to the ability to use slower shutter
speeds, a photographer can reduce the size of the aperture considerably to get increased
DOF for the photograph without sacrificing image sharpness due to camera movement
resulting from a slow shutter speed.
Types of Tripods
There are many forms of tripod in the market, most of them vary with weight, dimensions, price,
load capacity, and flexibility. From mini table-top tripods (Figure 3) to larger studio tripods, each
has its own use and purpose.
Tripods basically have two main parts, the legs and the head. The legs are the three legs that
extends between the camera and ground, while the head is the actual part where the camera is
mounted that allows three-dimentional movement of the camera.
The small table-top tripods are best for light cameras and smaller form factor cameras. These
tripods are ideal for casual self-portraits or spur-of-the-moment group shots but these tripods
often cannot support heavy loads nor do they offer a lot of stability.

Figure 3: Table-top Mini Tripod
Next in the scale would be light, aluminum, hollow-leg tripods that are often pre-packaged with
a consumer level camera and are available in most photo lab shelves. These tripods are light,
affordable and adequate for many casual photographers who won’t be subjecting the tripod to
hard use such as strong winds, rough grounds, or heavy cameras. Be wary that many tripods at
this price points are made with plastic joints and heads, which are not very reliable when dealing
with heavier equipment. Make sure that your total camera gears’ weight does not exceed 70% of
the claimed weight capacity, especially if the camera is used at an angle not parallel to the
ground.
From the cheap tripods, we move on to the more serious photo tripods available in the market.
These tripods often are made of thick aluminum, magnesium, or steel legs are much heavier than
the previously mentioned aluminum tripods. These tripods often feature welded parts with metal
joints and separately available ballheads. The ballheads can be replaced according to the
photographer’s preference without changing the tripod legs themselves. Most serious
photographers should start looking into this level of tripods when shopping.
The next level would be carbon fiber or composite material tripods. The design of these tripods
are very similar to the previous category but utilizes advanced composite materials that weigh
substantially less than traditional metals like aluminum or steel. Their lightweight frames are
extremely durable and can carry a large load as well, but these tripods are often very costly,
oftentimes double the price of an equivalent aluminum or steel tripod.

Figure 4: Carbon Fiber Tripod with Ball Head
Last but not least would be the super heavy duty tripods designed to be used in a fixed location
such as studio. These tripods are very heavy and very sturdy, so sturdy that even accidental
bumps by a person will not move the tripod’s position. These tripods are obviously a poor choice
if portability and weight is an issue, but for studio work, these are excellent choices.
Unfortunately, we cannot have a affordable, sturdy, and light tripod at this point, it’s simply not
available. Pick two among the three tripod criteria to shortlist your options.
Depending on what type of photography you’ll be concentrating on, the accessories listed above
are almost always beneficial to any type of shooting conditions, the difference would simply be
the level of sophistication, quality, price, and frequency of use that will dictate whether or not
any or all of the accessories above should be present in your arsenal.

Lesson 11
BASIC ESSENTIAL CAMERA
ACCESSORIES
After purchasing your first digital SLR camera along with a lens to go with it, you now have to
deal with the essential accessories that accompany even the most basic digital SLR camera.
While many stores include some of these accessories as a “special package”, most of the
packaged items are either overpriced, inadequate, or substandard. So let’s dissect the basic
essential accessories that a photographer must have at least one of.
Memory Cards
All digital cameras require a memory card. Depending on your camera’s model, you may either
require a compact flash card, a secure-digital card (SD Card), or other proprietary memory cards.
The memory card serves as an instant storage device that replaces film for your camera and often
comes in different storage sizes.
Figure 1: Memory Cards
Memory cards differ in storage size, physical shape, and transfer speed. It’s best to buy the
fastest memory card you can afford to minimize read/write delays from your camera. Even if
your current camera doesn’t require a high read/write transfer speed, you may upgrade your
camera in the future and you wouldn’t want to buy another set of memory cards just because
your existing card isn’t fast enough.

In terms of storage capacity, there are memory cards in the market as of today that can store a
huge amount of data, as much as 64-gigabyte of information. It may be convenient to just have
one large memory card than carrying several smaller ones, but it’s safer to keep several memory
cards in lower storage capacity than to put all your images in one due to the risk of data
corruption.
As with any digital storage media, there will always be a very small risk that the stored data
could get corrupted. For example, if a set of files in a group of thousand images gets corrupted,
there’s a big risk that all the images stored will be inaccessible and all photos will be lost. If you
used five memory cards that stored 200 photos each, odds are slim that all five will have data
errors and your risk of total image loss is dramatically decreased.
Batteries
All digital cameras require a power source as well, and in almost all cases, this power source will
be supplied by a battery or a set of batteries. Some cameras utilize traditional AA penlight
batteries which are very handy when a charging outlet isn’t present and you can just purchase a
pack of batteries from a nearby convenient store to keep the camera working. However, most
digital SLRs use a proprietary battery pack that would require a dedicated charger to recharge
when the power has been exhausted.
Figure 2: Batteries
At the very least, there must be one spare battery available with you at all times as most cameras
don’t have comprehensive battery indicators and the battery status can go from “half” to “empty”

quite quickly especially when shooting with an on-board flash, frequent LCD reviewing, or long
exposure shots.
Card Readers
Card readers allow you to transfer your images from the memory card to you computer’s hard
disk for editing and storage. While you can connect your camera directly to your computer for
file transfer, using a card reader is a much better option because it:
 allows you to continue shooting with another memory card;
 conserves your camera’s battery;
 faster file transfer, especially with Firewire type readers.
Figure 3: Multi-card Reader
Most newer computers have built-in card readers as well, negating the need for extra cables or
card reader purchase.
Protective Filters
A protective filter is a thin, clear, glass filter with a metal ring that screws onto the front of your
lens. Clear filters are used to protect the expensive and soft front glass element of your lens from
accidental bumps, finger prints, dust, and moisture. The cost of a decent protective filter is
relatively cheap compared to sending a lens for repair or replacement.

Figure 4: Protective Clear Filter
In most cases, you can use a UV filter for protective purposes as it’s optically clear yet reduces
UV light from entering your lens.
There are debates on whether or not a UV filter degrades the optical quality of a lens and there
hasn’t been a consensus agreement to this theory. For most photographers, the cheap “insurance”
of a UV filter is well worth whatever minor image degradation there may be that a UV filter may
induce.
Lens Hood
A lens hood attaches to the front opening of lens and prevents stray light from entering the lens
at an oblique angle. Using a lens hood ensures that your image is captured with the most
contrast, clarity, and saturation due to the absence of glare. As an added bonus, a lens hood
prevents accidental knocks and dings on your lens’ front element.

Figure 5: Round Lens Hood
Be certain that they hood you’re using is specifically designed for your lens’ focal length as a
hood that is too narrow will cause darkening of the corners (vignetting), while a hood that is too
wide will not protect the lens from glare.
There are two common types of lens hoods, circular (as seen in Figure 5), and petal hoods
(Figure 6) . Round hoods are the most common and should work with virtually any lens. It is also
the most common hood used in consumer lenses with a rotating front element (the front of the
lens rotates when the camera tries to focus) as the shape of the hood remains constant.
Figure 6: Petal Hood
Petal hoods work exactly the same but with the four corners “trimmed” off to minimize possible
vignetting. Using a petal hood on a rotating front element lens is not recommended as the
orientation of the hood changes during focusing.

Cleaning Kit
There are many cleaning products available in the market and the most important one would be a
kit to clean your lenses. The lens requires gentle but constant care as dust, moisture, grit, oil, and
human sweat can cause permanent smudges and haze on delicate glass elements.
Figure 7: Cleaning Kit
The most basic cleaning kit would include an air blower, a brush, lens cleaning fluid, and lens
cloth/tissue.
A blower brush simply uses air to dislodge any solid particles resting on top of the glass. It is
important to thoroughly blow off as much dirt as possible with air before attempting to use a
brush or lens cloth as any dirt trapped between the glass and the cleaning brush or cloth will
induce scratches.
A microfiber cloth is often used to clean lenses as these towels are very smooth and soft and
work extremely well even without any liquid cleaning agents. However, many prefer disposable
lens cleaning tissue to ensure that the wiping material used is fresh and dirt free. When using any
cloth or tissue, it’s best to use a small drop of quick-drying lens cleaning fluid onto the cleaning
cloth to remove oily smudges and grime before using a dry cloth/tissue to polish the lens.
Never apply the fluid directly onto the glass as it can seep into the gaps of the glass mount.

Camera Bag
Finally, we need a bag to store all these items securely and accessibly. A camera bag is a very
personal item and it’s best to visit a store and physically try different bag types to see which one
suits you best.
The main bag categories include backpacks, messenger/sling bags, belt bags, and hard cases.
With the exception of hard cases, most bags are made with tough nylon mixed with other fabric
and plastics to resist wear-and-tear, moisture, and foam walls for impact protection.
Backpacks are often chosen by photographers on-the-go that carries a lot of equipment.
Backpacks allow more storage configuration (with the removable inserts) and are easier to carry
despite the size and weight. The main disadvantage of backpacks is that the photographer cannot
easily retrieve items in the bag unless the bag is removed from the body or laid on a surface as
most of the items are stored vertically.
Sling and messenger bags are the most common bags used because of their smaller size and ease
of usage. As the bag is often positioned at the side or in front of the photographer at all times, it’s
easy to just open the flap and grab the camera (or other accessories) without having the need to
alter the bag’s position from the photographer’s body.
The downside of a messenger/sling bag would be the weight of the bag is often heavily biased to
one shoulder and can strain the photographer over a period of time.
Belt bags are often limited to one camera and lens combo plus a couple of smaller items. If you
prefer shooting with minimal gear, this is a great option as your whole upper body is free from
any carrying duties and both your hands are available to use.
Hard cases are suitcase-like containers with heavy foam padding and impact resistant shells that
provide maximum impact protection for camera gears. These are often used by professionals
who have to travel to destinations while carrying a lot of photographic items. These cases are
sturdy enough to be stood on by stacked one on top of another. As always, maximum protection
would also mean maximum weight. These hard cases are very cumbersome and heavy to use
without transportation.
These basic essentials are must haves in any photographer camera bag as these items help retain
your camera equipment’s peak performance and cosmetic condition.

Lesson 12
- AUTO FOCUS -
(PART III)
Following megapixel specification, the next major feature that manufacturers list would be the
auto-focus performance of the camera.
Most modern DSLRs come with an auto-focus sensor that allows us to quickly lock focus on a
particular area of a scene. It is highly convenient and incredibly accurate in most cases. The
sensor in DSLR systems are considerably better than those of portable digital cameras as these
sensors because of their design. DSLR auto-focus sensors (AF sensor, hereonout) use a passive
auto-focus system. Passive auto-focus system analyzes the actual subject itself and seeks out
areas with high contrast (clear distinction of dark and light edges) edges to lock focus on.
Portable digital cameras often use an active system by emitting infrared beams to determine
focus distance, which is a lot slower and less accurate.
With both systems, if there isn’t enough light for the system to detect an object to focus on, it
will not be able to achieve focus as all. Therefore, most cameras employ a focus-assist light that
momentarily lights up the scene to allow the sensors to pick an area to lock focus on.
Differences in Auto Focus Systems
So what are the differences between entry-level and professional DSLR models if they all use a
passive contrast-detecting AF sensor? In most cases, the differences are centered around the
number of AF points and the sensitivity of each AF points.
Most entry level DSLRs will have a minimum of around three AF points. This is usually the
minimum standard since auto focus film SLRs were invented several decades ago. The AF points
are usually positioned in a horizontal pattern running from left-to-right of the viewfinder.

Figure 1: Typical 3-AF Point
This positioning of AF points is logical and simple. Oftentimes, our subjects are positioned in
either of the three AF points, the center or just off-center to either side. When we take a
photograph vertically, the right most AF point now becomes the upper AF point, which locks on
to the subject’s face perfectly if we’re shooting a portrait.

Figure 2: 3-Point AF Zones
As we move onto more advanced models, the AF points usually increase between seven to 11
AF points. With a typical 9-AF point sensor, we’ll notice that apart from the standard three
horizontal AF points mentioned earlier, we now have AF points on top and bottom of the
viewfinder. In addition, some will have AF points diagonally between the edges of the frame.

Figure 3: 9 Point AF Zones
The additional AF points give the user more options to select the area to lock focus on without
moving the camera to recompose. Notice how the upper diagonal focus points lock onto the eyes
of a subject perfectly in a traditional head-and-shoulder framing. Having more AF points usually
provides more accuracy when utilizing the camera’s focus tracking on moving subjects (more on
this later).
Professional models take the AF performance up several notches. Not only do most professional
cameras sport between 30-50 AF points, the AF sensor often has their own dedicated processing
engine which allow much faster AF performance and accuracy.
All cameras position the most sensitive AF at the middle AF point. The other AF points are less
sensitive than the center, however, with more expensive models, even the off-center AF points
are considerably faster than the center AF points in entry-level cameras.

How AF Works
Passive AF works by detecting contrast in a scene with certain AF points arranged in a pattern to
detect contrast. The sharper the contrast, the easier it is for the AF system to find a focus point.
Figure 4: Area with Sharp Contrast
Figure 5: Area with Low Contrast

The image with a sharp edge contrast will enable the AF sensor to lock focus more accurately
than the low contrast image, so in practice, the encircled area in Figure 4 would allow the AF
sensors to focus faster than the area in Figure 5.
AF sensors can only lock focus if the arrangement of the AF sensor bisects the area of contrast.
Most auto focus sensors employ either a horizontal, vertical, diagonal, or cross-type sensor in
any single auto focus point.
Figure 6: Center Cross-Type Sensor
Entry level cameras usually have three AF points, as mentioned earlier, with a cross-type sensor
in the middle capable of detecting contrast in both vertical and horizontal pattern. This allow the
center auto focus point to lock focus in virtually any scene as long as there’s enough contrast.
The edge sensors, however, are more specific. In most cases, the horizontal sensor on the side
employ a vertically-oriented AF sensor, and that requires the area of focus to have a horizontal
high-contrast area. If the area the sensor is trying to focus only has a vertical contrast scene, it
will not be able to detect an edge within the sensor’s coverage to lock focus on.

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