The "good's and bad's" for manual camera adjustments!

Model: Lindsay Post

    Have you ever taken a photo in Manual Mode just to have it turn out too dark... too bright.... or motion blurred? Hmmmm.... can it be fixed? How does one camera adjustment affect another, and how can I use these effects to my advantage?

     Shooting in Manual Mode can sometimes be an intimidating thing to someone new to the art because the settings you choose must be specific to what you're trying to capture in your image. Let's see... there's "Aperture", "White Balance", "ISO" and "Shutter Speed". That's only four adjustments, how hard can it be? It is indeed only four settings, but the tough part is that each time you change an adjustment it will affect another element of your image, and may very well need to be compensated for through yet another adjustment. Yes it's a very delicate balancing act to not only make your Manual settings achieve correct exposure, but also to capture things like depth of field or motion.

    There is no secret formula for a perfect photo because so many factors are present in each scenario. Basically... no two shoots are the same more or less. I know I know... studio shoots at your local department store are all the same, but let's forget about that for now and talk about real world location shooting.  Many photographers have their own way of deciding what settings they will choose for the shot, and today I will be sharing mine as well as outlining how each adjustment can affect another in Manual Mode shooting.

    The very first thing I do is set my White Balance. I can play around with many different settings for different results but do NOT want to end up with a poorly color tinted image.
    The second adjustment I make is ISO. Whether I'm shooting with strobes or natural light, my goal is to shoot with the lowest ISO setting my scenario will allow.
    The third and fourth things are tied for importance. Aperture may be the priority or shutter speed may be the priority. My shoot decides which is the most important in my Manual camera adjustment. Obviously the lesser is last on my list for adjustment priority. In all fairness, sometimes I set my baseline adjustments but still have to revisit something after my shoot begins.

    As I mentioned, there's no secret formula... so here's my personal take on the "good's and bad's" of each Manual Camera Adjustment. Hopefully it will shed light on how each adjustment can affect another.

White Balance -  There is no BAD. Pick the right one and the shot will be colored correctly.

High ISO -  Good's:  High ISO can increase the camera's ability to shoot in low light.
                   Bad's: Higher ISO settings can result in digital noise (grainey image) or over exposure.
                   Alternative:  A slower shutter speed will brighten the image correcting under
                   exposure.
                   A lower (f-stop) Aperture can brighten the image correcting under
                   exposure.
    
Low ISO -  Good's: Low ISO will yield a crisper image if your shutter speed is fast enough.
                   Bad's: Low ISO may result in an under exposed image in low light and a fast shutter.
                   Compensation: A slower shutter speed will brighten the image correcting  under exposure.                     A lower f-stop will brighten the image correcting under exposure.

High F-Stop - Good's: More elements of your photo will be in focus for a sharp subject and background.
                      Bad's: A high f-stop may result in a darker under exposed image (can be used to reduce
                      exposure).
                      Compensation: A slower shutter speed will brighten the image correcting  under exposure.
                      A higher ISO will brighten the image correcting  under exposure.

Low f-stop - Good's: Will provide blurred backgrounds and will brighten an image in lower light.
                     Bad's: May over expose your image or reduce detail in your backgrounds.
                     Compensation: A lower ISO will darken  the image correcting  over exposure.
                     A faster shutter speed will darken the image correcting  over exposure.

Slow Shutter Speed - Good's: A slow shutter will allow more light for the  image in a dark shoot scenario.
                                  Bad's: A slow shutter will cause a motion blur for any movement in the image.
                                  Compensation: Raise ISO to allow for a faster shutter speed. Lower your f-stop to
                                  allow for a faster shutter speed.

Fast Shutter Speed - Good's: Will capture motion in your photo providing a crisp image.
                                 Bad's: May result in a darker under exposed image.
                                 Compensation: Raise ISO or lower Aperture (f-stop)  for lighter exposure.

  The scenarios for Manual camera shooting are endless. I realize that there are still many factors that I haven't touched on, but at least you can grasp the basics from what I have outlined here.  The best advice I can give is....EXPERIMENT! That is how you will learn the most! Oh... and keep a log book documenting your settings. That way you will have a reference for future shoots.

   Post your questions below if you have them. Until next time....keep on shooting!!

~Tommy Post

Readers submission. What settings did he use?

Photographer: Mike Barker

    Geed evening everybody! Tonight I'm going to break away from the intensive training articles and take a moment to feature one of my readers submitted photos. Now the deal is.... I have to guess what camera settings he used for the shot! Do I expect to get it 100% correct? Probably not, but I expect to be close LOL!  Even if I am not dead on, my guess WILL produce this effect. But before I begin.... an introduction.
     The photographer that sent this in is named Mike Barker, and he is based in Greenwood, Indiana. Mike has been shooting for about 22 years and absolutely loves what he does. I have been acquainted with Mike for maybe a year now and I am compelled to give him a personal honorable mention on his work. When I went back to look at his portfolio recently, I couldn't help but notice big improvement in his imagery. Mike has always been capable of delivering a good shot, but I just felt like there is a little extra something in his latest work.
     The image above has something that many want in their shots... a blurred background. This technique is used when the photographer wishes for ALL the attention to go to the subject. In some cases the blurring can be even more dramatic making the background entirely unimportant (except for color). We will discuss this further when I go deeper into "aperture" and it's effects.
   Time to put it on the line and go for it. Mike.... I won't mind a bit if you comment below and reveal your settings for everyone. Let's do it...
     Based in the depth of field (blur in back and in front).... I'm going with a super low f-stop! My guess is a nifty 50 f1.4 or f1.8 lense. The distance from her face to her feet (which are blurred) is only a few feet, so I know that a f/3.5 kit lense won't do it. I'm going with an f/1.8!
    Next.... based on the crispness of the shot, the shutter speed I'm guessing is 1/125 to 1/200. She is holding her pose so technically you could go a bit slower with the shutter especially if using a tripod. Slower shutter speeds however will detect ANY movement with the model or the photographer, resulting in a slightly motion blurred image.
    I'm guessing an ISO of  400. I was going to guess a higher ISO but I noticed the background is a bit darker.  Now there's lighting. Based on the side lighting of the face, I have to figure that all lighting was produced off camera. Not 100% certain about the source, but I'm not feeling that a flash was used but rather something continuous like a lamp.
    That's it Mike.... how close did I get?
Thank you all for joining me for a little fun tonight. In a day or two, I will be outlining the "goods and bads" for each manual camera adjustment... and will be describing how each one affects another. Until then KEEP SHOOTING!

~Tommy Post

White balance? Why are my pictures orange??

   Welcome back everyone for my final segment on basic manual camera adjustments. We have covered the vitals in my previous posts leaving a real easy one.... White Balance.
    Have you ever snapped the perfect picture set, and then got home to see it big on your computer only to realize.... crap, they are all orange (or another shade)?? The problem had a very easy solution... set your white balance! White balance is much like being colored blind! The camera isn't as complex as the human eye, so we must tell it what proper color is.
    Light has many temperature levels ranging from cool to hot. If the camera is set for a cool range when the pic is intended to be warm... well... you get what you get! Everything is hinging upon what light source you are using to illuminate your subject. Let's see, you have direct sun light, shade, cloud cover, tungsten bulbs indoor (good ol' fashioned Thomas Edison bulbs), fluorescent lights (like an industrial building or garage) and FLASH.
     Look on the back of your camera for a button labeled WB. In any manual mode or priority mode you can push this and adjust for your lighting. Did you push it? You will see the light scenarios that I mentioned above as well as AWB and Custom WB. We won't talk about custom White Balance just yet, but we will, I promise.
     The idea when choosing the correct White Balance is just what it sounds like... to tell the camera what true white is, so that the rest of the colors in your picture have the correct hue to them. Gray Scale is another way to check/set correct color....but we will stick to white which is all that's necessary in my opinion.
   Here's an example... when shooting in warm sunlight and the WB is set to Flash, you will get an orange picture because the camera (set to flash) is trying to warm up your image even more because using a flash strips the shot of color because the light is so stark. Or you're shooting with your flash heads and your WB is set to Sunny.... you lose alot of color. That's because the camera assumes there's plenty of warm sunlight (because that's how it was set) for the pic.... but in fact, the flash heads stripped the shot of color. So... a colorless picture. The same principals apply for indoor lighting with certain bulb types. Fluorescent lights can turn your picture green if I recall.
    There's the AWB button! Automatic White Balance. It does work, somewhat.... but not perfect! So get in the habit of using and experimenting with the other settings. Photoshop offers SOME correction for a bad white balance selection much like the gels that some use on their lights. Gels cast a hue into the light changing the color temperature. If you throw a blue hue on an orange picture in Photoshop it may indeed "cool" the picture. Problem is... not all colors react well to the hue being added. It will correct SOME of the picture.... but not ALL!! Thats why you can add blue to yellow and get green, but adding blue to an off  shaded red will yield purple rather than giving the correct red that was used in the shot.
     So experiment! Try different WB settings for different light scenarios. That is a simple setting to use that gives a correctly color balanced image prior to post editing.
     Simple I know.... but here's what I use:
 Strobe flashes.... always the "flash" WB ( I will reasonably correct any of the background with PS if needed.. but my subject needs to be correct.
 Outdoors in the sun or shade.... yep... I use AWB.
 No flashes indoor with regular bulbs....tungsten.
I try not to shoot fluorescent with available room light LOL. But the setting works!
And off camera flashes (or on).... Flash setting indicated by a lightning bolt/arrow symbol.
   Stay tuned, we are just getting into the meat of things! Next up will be a segment discussing a readers submitted image and then a "goods and bads" for each manual camera adjustment.

Until next time ;)
~Tommy Post
Tommy Post Photography

Why does my camera have ISO, and what is it's purpose?

   Welcome everybody! Ready for the next step in knowing your camera and the components needed to create an image? Ready to take that thing off of "auto pilot" and grab the controls in "manual mode"? ALMOST! I know.... I have some seasoned shooters following who already are shooting manual who are probably just waiting to see if I can explain how without confusing people completely. At the bottom of each article, there's a place where you can post a question. If you don't fully grasp the message.... don't be shy and ask.
   ISO.... you've all seen it and heard of it probably. I should have taken a minute to look up on Google what "I.S.O." stands for, but these segments are being composed off the top of my head without borrowing others info. First one to comment the answer, gets a prize:)  I would guess "Image Sensor Output", but regardless... ISO is all you need to know.
    Back to the human eye... and NO I'm not an eye specialist. So if YOU are, please don't try to teach me anatomy LOL. What ISO means to me is "Optic nerve". ISO refers to the sensitivity level of your camera's sensor, which is where all the light let in through the lense gets collected. The ISO button is on the back of your camera, and if you push it in any of the manual modes (above the green rectangle on your selection dial) you will see numbers come up on your screen starting at 100 and going much higher such as 100-5600 (or higher). You can thumb your arrows left and right to highlight the ISO you want, and hit "set" in the center to save your selection.
     The numbers on the ISO chart indicate the sensitivity level of your camera's sensor as I mentioned. The low number is the least sensitive and the high numbers are most sensitive. Why?  It's obvious... if you have less light, you can compensate for it by increasing your ISO resulting in a brighter image because the sensitivity of your image sensor is now higher. If there's plenty of light for your image, you can easily go with the lowest ISO setting. The sensor doesn't need to be so sensitive if there's a reasonable amount of light hitting it.
     So... ISO can make the picture brighter or darker. Isn't that the same thing shutter speed does? Isn't that the same thing aperture changes do? Yep.... but NO!!!!!!! As I mentioned before in the aperture article, there are bi-products that are good or bad with each camera adjustment you make. With ISO, it's digital noise! The higher you go, the more noise (grainey) the picture will become. My personal goal is to use the lowest ISO setting I can get away with keeping my images crisp.
    Confusing... I know it is. But to shoot in manual mode, you MUST know what each of your settings do.
Here's an example of high ISO noise: Go into a dim room (not dark/blackened) with a cell phone that has NO flash. Just rely on the lights in the room and take a pic of yourself. Looks good on the phone, yes? Put it on the computer and look at it bigger. You will see a grainey image that really looks pretty crappy. Because there was no flash to assist, the room was not bright and the phone shoots in auto mode.... it automatically chose the ISO option to correct the low light condition. Your phone chose a high ISO which did allow an image to be captured, but it's grainey!
     90% of the time I am shooting a human subject rather than landscapes. I personally RARELY shoot higher than ISO 200. I prefer to keep the ISO lower resulting in a bit darker image sometimes... and bringing in the off-camera lighting to get my subject lit up. Photoshop (even the basic cheap programs) offers solutions that will brighten your background to a more appropriate level. I can live with a little "noise" in the background, but NOT on my model.
     Fear not!!! Soon we will be discussing everything that you'll need to know to do it like the pro's. In a couple of days I will recap all of the manual settings that we have discussed. But even better, I will list how each setting affects another as well as the "good's" and "bad's" that happen with each. But before that.... one last thing....White Balance. No worries.... that's an easy one ;)

~Tommy Post
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What is aperture? I want blurry backgrounds!

    Welcome back everybody! I took a few days off from my blog to attend to a photoshoot with a lovely young lady...for a really cool clubwear company. The project went very well, and the editing process is underway. But  I'm glad to be back here, and ready to move another step towards our goal to have you shooting in "Manual Mode"! Here we go....
    You've all heard the terms "f-stop" and "aperture" right? When I first started, I had no idea what either of those even meant! Remember how we talked about the human eye? OK.... here goes.... For starters, f-stop and aperture are one in the same, more or less. The aperture that you have your lense set at is referred to as the f-stop. Aperture is much like the dialation of your pupil! When you're in the dark, your eyes automatically dialate very large. Why? To let in as much light as possible. In bright light, your pupils are very small to let less light in so you don't damage your optic nerve. Get the idea?
     Wrap your head around this.... The larger your lense is dialated, the lower your f-stop is, and the smaller it is dialated the higher your f-stop is. Seems backwards I know, but for now just go with it. Here's a good example: When shooting indoors with average light and you don't want to use a flash, you need a very low f-stop! Somewhere between f/2.2 and f/3.5 are decent f-stop starting points for this scenario. Outdoors is quite different because there's tons of sunlight, so maybe around f/16 to f/22 are better choices.
   There are however bi-products of your aperture settings that go beyond exposure. It's called "depth of field". The more advanced shooters are ready for this, but for the beginners.... don't worry, we will be doing an exercise that will help demonstrate this effect soon. When the f-stop is very low (big dialation), the differences in depth are far more exaggerated and things in front of the subject and behind the subject may become blurred! When the f-stop is very high (small dialation), there is much better chance to have everything in the picture in relative focus regardless of depth. Either technique can produce an awesome image... just depends on what you want from the shot.
    That is quite enough to ponder and think about for now, as this is one of the more confusing subjects and most important! Your camera has a button probably on the back, and most likely labeled "AV". If you push it and hold it (in manual mode) and scroll the dial by the shutter button.... you will see this number go up and down  on your screen depending on which way you scroll the dial. Most kit lenses will show a low f-stop of 3.5, and the high f-stop is variable. Also, on your selectian dial for picture taking (where the green rectangle is) there is a setting labeled "AV". This is aperture priority mode. We will get into that soon enough. For now, just pound the info into your head so you are at least fimiliar with the terms and general effects.

       That's your lesson for today, and be sure to check in tomorrow for another tid bit ;)

~Tommy Post

My camera's shutter speed? What's a shutter?

  One of the key elements in creating an image is shutter speed! Remember when I mentioned the human eye? Your "shutter" is your eyelids, and how fast you blink is your "shutter speed". A little hard to grasp at first I'm sure, but trust me... it will make more sense as we move forward.

   Inside your camera and behind the lense, there is a sensor. Your shutter clicks open and closed (you can hear it) when you push the  button to take your picture, allowing a certain amount of light to come through the lense and hit that sensor. That light IS your image!

   So why have variable shutter speeds? Back to the human eye. Go into a brightly lit room and close your eyes tight for a second or two. Now open your eyes and close them as fast as you can. For a couple of seconds you will still have traces of light that resemble the room burned in your brain after you've closed them... and you pretty much saw the whole room when you opened them for that fraction of a second didn't you? Congratulations, you just took a picture with a fast shutter speed! Because there is alot of light available in the room, you only need to allow the light in for a SHORT period of time to still get a full image.
"FAST SHUTTER SPEED"

   What about slow shutter speeds? What does that do? Well..... basically it allows more time to collect light at the sensor in cases where there's less available. This time, go into a very dim room.... ALMOST dark. Pitch black won't help unless you have infrared eyes. Close your eyes tight, then open and close as fast as you can. You probably saw just black for that moment because "fast shutter speeds" don't work well in low light. This time open your eyes and leave them open for a long time. Slowly you will start to make out the shapes in the room and will be able to see some detail (within reason).  Congratulations.... you just shot a slow shutter night image!
"SLOW SHUTTER SPEED"

     To sum things up, when having control over the key elements of an image and understanding what they do... the possibilities are endless! Knowing you shutter speed can mean the difference between having your "brights blown out" on a sunny day, or not being able to shoot a night image when your flash is out of reach.
Sorry guys and gals... if you're shooting in Auto Mode, you don't get to have control over this valuable feature. Remember that in Auto, the camera is doing ALL the thinking for you! In full Manual Mode you can adjust the shutter speed, as well as in Shutter Priority mode.  After I get through the basic elements of a photo series, I will re-visit each of the settings we have discussed and we will put them to use! The goal for today is simply...understanding! Now let's get you shooting in Manual Mode!!

~Tommy Post

  

Look... I have a camera!! What is this thing??

   What IS a camera?? It's an electronic device that takes pictures right? Wrong! Ok ok ok...back that up. To a photographer it is more than that, but just as simple. It's a tool that captures light and color. Yep...that's pretty much it. A photographer sees things differently than the average person who just wants to click pics of random moments. And if you are to be a photographer...THAT IS HOW YOU MUST THINK!
   I have to assume that you each have a digital camera that has at least the basics of auto and priority settings... as well as full manual. The goal over time is to reach for full manual operation. That is the point when you will truly understand what a camera is capable of. I will try to use basic terms as we move forward, as terminology may vary from brand to brand. I won't sit here and push a certain brand, but the camera I use starts with a "C".... and ends with "ANON". That being said, my references will come from my equipment.
    Alright...back to thinking as a photographer! Your camera is quite complex, and is designed to collect light, and that is how you must train yourself to think when you look at things. Your camera is basically an electronic eye much like the one in your head... but not quite as good. The goal is to control the light that hits the camera's sensor by knowing what the camera's settings mean and do. Afterall.... that's what photography means... "To control light".
   You know that little dial (you most likely have) on top of your camera? That's where you decide how you will take your pictures. The only setting I will mention for today is the little green rectangle. That is auto mode. That is the place to have your dial if you want the camera to do all your thinking for you! But what fun is that. and how skilled is that? I feel that it is only good for wedding receptions, or snapping pics that just don't need to be great. If this is your first try with your camera, set it to auto mode and just aim and shoot!
    What is coming over the next several days: I will be going over all the elements that make a picture, one per day. You've heard terms like....shutter speed, aperture, ISO etc? You'll get a basic knowledge of each of these over the next few days, and will understand how each of these affects a photo and relates to the human eye.
    Thank you all for joining me.... we begin tomorrrow! Please feel free to contact me with subject requests at tommypost@yahoo.com and also feel free to check out some of my work samples at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Tommy-Post-Photography/216969631651532

~Tommy Post ;)

Welcome to my blog!

Hello everyone, and welcome! My name is Tommy Post, and I am a photographer like the majority of those reading this. What is my specialty? If I had to say, it would be fitness, advertisement and maybe fashion/glam. Whatever it is.... it's what I do. This blog is being launched to help new shutterbugs who just need some answers.... right on down to helping pro's with tips that may be different than what they are used to.
   When you're following along, you may say "OMG.... I already know that! Everyone knows that!". Truth is, not everyone does. My goal is to share what I know with those interested in following along. I will be posting short blogs on individual topics Monday-Friday, and a longer more technical blog on Saturday. Sunday is for the fam....sorry :) 
    Starting tomorrow I will be going over basic camera functions, and moving forward over time towards location lighting and editing techniques. The whole point of this blog is.....YOU!!! I want to discuss the topics you want. Ask me anything about my techniques and I will tell. If I don't know the answer to your question, I'll at least be honest and tell you I don't.
   I have received many messages through Facebook and email asking the "how's and what's". And I feel that the best thing we can do in this art is share. Oh... and by the way, it's not just for the photographer. I have learned so much dealing with magazine's, clients, makeup artist's and models. I'm sure there's something I can share for you too. Please email me any questions or topics to tommypost@yahoo.com, or attach them to this blog if it is equipped to do so. I'm new to blogging, and don't know for sure what can and can't be done through this host.
    Thank you all for joining me.... and drop by tomorrow for a little something ;)