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 ;)
hey Tommy.
ReplyDeleteIm glad you are making this blog.
I just want to comment on something.
you said, "...Your camera is basically an electronic eye much like the one in your head... but not quite as good..."
I understand what you mean by that. The camera can however see more than a human eye can see. realizing this potential can be exhilarating and make you question most of what we and our brains can conceive as real . Our reasoning about what we see is another topic indeed. Ill talk with you soon,
much respect,
Scott Edwards
Hey Scott. Thank you for your comment. Although the camera can indeed see more things than the human eye, I stand by my comment. The human eye sees in HDR all the time, and the camera can only capture a portion of the full light spectrum in a single image. That's why subjects turn to silhouettes when the sun is behind them in a pic with no fill flash. I will get into this later as the blog is so new. Perhaps I should have said "but better in some cases".
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