Basics in Photography..

Sony NEX 5R Series

Photography is something I enjoy the most out of my few hobbies. I have realised it is not just taking a camera out, point and shoot but it is actually more self-satisfying art. Simply because it is an art to learn, you can get your level of scoring same time you exercise and the results are always enjoyable. In simple terms this is one of those rare exercises which you never get tired of doing.

I started with a Panasonic Lumix FS30 14MP point and shoot compact digital camera. This has been a basic but quite satisfying handy digital cam I used to take with me whenever I go somewhere only having some space in the pocket. Those few pictures I have uploaded in the Photos page are from that small unit. The picture above is the current Compact System camera I use which I can highly recommend for any beginner - intermediate level photographer. If you have any chance to afford spending a few more pounds/rupees/dollars and go for the NEX 7 series that would be ideal whilst there are many other well known brands producing wide range of cameras such as Nikon D series, Canon EOS series. Choosing a camera type and brand is something I am hoping to cover in another topic.

What is the point of having a high value camera but still not producing a shot better than a regular camera? 

There are certain must know factors you should aware of to capture a shot which look different than a shot taken from a regular compact digital camera. No matter what camera you use these are basics.

• Selected Quality and size
• If you haven't got this right the whole time you spent taking photos in your trip will be utterly wasted. In any basic camera you have this option in the camera settings menu. Different cameras would give you different terminology for example - 1.Fine 2.Standard
• This is where you might get a bit confused but in practical terms manufactures would mostly give first option as the better quality option. Keep in mind higher the quality higher the file size it takes, so you can double check with the capacities.
• Size - This is basically number of Mega Pixels - for example 16.1 MP. Higher the value more the detail a lens will capture. Again this effects the file size and number of photos you can take using a SDHC/SDXC memory card. I would anyway advise to use the maximum size and maximum quality settings to get the best results.
• Shoot mode

• This is something that a beginner will easily misuse. There are many shooting options in almost every camera and more in DSLR/Hybrid or Systems cameras. Most of the modern cameras are equipped with smart piece of software which can assess current situation and adjust the settings accordingly. That is commonly called the Auto mode. I am never shy to say that I do use this quite regularly specially in the events of point and shoot where I have minimum time to take a shot. Sometimes it is better to capture a moment rather than losing it or ruining it by rushing through.
• If you tend to use other modes such as S (Shutter Priority) or A - Aperture Priority there are certain other settings you have to adjust since these are no more automatically adjusted. So if you fail to adjust them your camera will eventually produce a below average or unusable shot.
• The beauty of those manual modes is the level of flexibility and options you get, those which you can apply to take a perfect capture although that takes a while to learn.
• ISO
• ISO is the sensitivity level to light. In practical terms you tend to set higher ISO level such as 6400 or more where you have minimum light to capture a photo such as an indoor night party. You tend to use minimum level of ISO for day-light photos such as 100. One thing to remember is more ISO value you use, more noise you get in your pictures unless there is a sufficient level of light.
• Focus mode
• This is applicable to cameras which are having both manual and automatic focusing. If you use both make sure you know which focus mode is on when you shoot. Otherwise you will not notice the blurry images you took until you go home or check them zoomed in. Because this is hardly noticeable in smaller screens come with digital cameras. Most of the time I leave this setting in Auto mode.
• Metering mode
• Another common feature we can see even in smart phone cameras. The common options are;
• Multi
• Centre
• Spot

• 

  Metering Modes

  source:www.imaging-resource.com

• You can decide which area to focus using the metering mode. This depends on the shot you have in your mind. 
• Multi mode will focus on the entire area you shoot, Centre metering mode will give  weight to the centre of the focusing area while Spot mode will only focus a selected spot or general centre spot blurring everything around it. These if used properly will produce creative and meaningful images since you control where you want to get the attention of a picture.
• Flash mode 
• Flash can be useful at night or dark/gloomy situations such as indoor shots. This can be quite useful if you have a powerful flash gun but most of the standard flashes do not tend to cover mover than a couple of metres. From my experience flash is something I use rarely. Use of a flash can sometimes affect the detailing level and original colours of a scene and I instead tend to control the light by increasing exposure values and ISO.
• Shutter Priority - S and Aperture Priority - A
•  These are often mistaken and something I have mistaken when I first used a DSLR camera, while I should say that most useful mode is the A - Aperture Priority.
• S mode determines how long does a shutter keep open to take details into a shot. Longer the shutter speed you have longer the camera aperture stays open to take the light and details in to produce an image. In practical terms if you tend to use longer shutter speed you may want to consider using a tripod to stabilise the camera since even the simplest moves will blur the image.
• A mode determines the scale of which an aperture is open. This is scaled with F values on the camera LCD. Smaller the F value larger the aperture opens. Smaller value could be f 5.6 while a bigger value could be f22. This also results in the area you want to focus. To get a general multi focused capture, f10-15 would be a good range.