Esenciales de la Fotografia

- so you just bought a digital SLR?

I recently got myself a digital SLR camera and the world has been lot different for me since then. Light, Perspective, Color, Time, Feeling, Communication all these are becoming more than just words when it is about this whole experience of making a picture. Also I should say I now have a better understanding of what artists mean when they say 'essence' while talking about an artwork.

Okay now that I have blurted out how I feel about this new hobby of mine lets get to this write-up. My goal in writing this is to help a beginner (you) to get comfortable with handling dSLRs, shoot interesting photos and process them. You don't really need any prior knowledge about photography; just knowing the things listed here, I hope you can easily move from a beginner to a semi-pro quicker and with lesser effort. What I am hoping this would save you is the time you might spend looking through a lot of material to get the basic tips you will need.

Here are some samples of my work if that would help on the argument-from-authority aspect. Also before we jump in let me put up this disclaimer that I am not claiming whatever I am saying here to be the best or the only way to do things in photography. This is certainly one of the ways that works... at least for me.

So we have 3 sections here: Technical Stuff, Shooting & Composition and Post Processing.

SECTION 1 - TECHNICAL STUFF

If I have to summarize the basic technical stuff into one paragraph, it would be this:

You have 3 variables: Speed, Aperture and ISO. Always try to have minimum speed, maximum aperture and minimum ISO. Move higher on the speed if you see motion blur. Move lower on the aperture if you need depth of field. Adjust the speed and aperture to make pictures brighter/darker. Move higher on the ISO if you need the picture to be brighter but cannot change speed or aperture anymore.

If you didn't get anything of that don't worry, read on...

Shooting Mode = Manual
If you are using the program auto mode, your pictures won't be much different from those from a point and shoot camera.
Focus Mode = Auto
They have perfected this technology and this can be relied upon for most of the normal shooting conditions.
Flash = Off
Play around with the flash after you understand everything below. For now, give it some rest.
ISO = 250
It won't hurt to have this as your default setting. But this is a variable. We will get to it later.

Shutter Speed:

• Try to have minimum speed so that you maximize the light that gets in. So let us talk about how low you can go.
• For normal shooting, 100 to 500 would work. When I say 100, I mean 1/100th of a second.
• For moving subjects you cannot go below 100. They will start appearing hazy (motion blur).
• And if you are hand holding the camera, you cannot go below 50 for any kind of shooting. Your hand motion will blur the picture.
• Always check for motion blur while shooting moving subjects or while shooting at lower speeds. Zoom into the picture to see if it is sharp enough.
• Fast moving subjects need higher speed. For high speed pictures (like water splashes) you need to be above 2000.
• But remember, higher the speed, darker the picture (lower exposure). So when you increase the speed to capture action, you are opening the aperture for lesser time so you are actually capturing less light so the picture is going to be darker. And you will have to make up for this loss of light using other adjustments.

Now how do you make your action pictures brighter?

Aperture:
Increase the aperture (size of the opening). This is to maximize the light that gets in so the picture gets brighter. Biggest aperture will be the lowest f number (for example 1/4 is bigger than 1/8 which is bigger than 1/32). Remember, bigger the aperture, brighter the picture (higher exposure).
Depth of Field:
But wait... before you open up your aperture to the biggest size, you need to understand this concept. If you want the subject and also the things behind and ahead of the subject in focus, you will need a smaller aperture. If you want the subject to stand out and blur the things in the foreground and background (bokeh), you will need bigger aperture. Refer here.
Choosing the Right Aperture:
So, after speed you decide on the aperture value based on how much of the field you need in focus. And both these changes affect the brightness level.

Exposure:

• Now that you have chosen an appropriate speed and aperture. Shoot a test shot and see if it is bright enough.
• Don't rely on the display for gauging the exposure level. Check the histogram. As long as the graph is not concentrated to one side (under/over exposed), you are good.
• If it is too dark, you will have to either decrease the speed or increase the aperture.
• If it is too bright, you will have to either increase the speed or decrease the aperture.
• But remember motion blur and depth of field while changing the speed and aperture for getting the required exposure.

Well what if you are already on the lowest speed (below which you start to see motion blur) and the biggest aperture and your pictures are still dark?

ISO:
Now increase the ISO one step at a time to make the image brighter. Increasing the ISO is like increasing the camera's sensitivity to light. So the picture becomes brighter. But remember, when you go higher on the ISO, the quality will be compromised (you will start seeing grains - ISO noise). I usually shoot at 250 but whenever required I go till 800 and rarely above that (the grains become very obvious after that). And one more thing about ISO noise is that it might not always be a bad thing; sometimes it gives a classic look to the pictures.

So to summarize the technical stuff, it is all about 3 variables.

• Speed - keep it low - increase if you see motion blur - but picture will become darker.
• Aperture - keep it high - decrease if you need depth of field - but picture will become darker.
• ISO - keep it low - increase if you cannot make the picture brighter using lower speed and higher aperture - but picture will show noise.

Checkout this page. It lets you experiment with all these settings and shows how a picture will change.

Using the Flash:
So when you bring in the Flash into the equation, you can totally start over since you no longer have to adjust your settings for using the natural light available. Also make sure you make use of the flash strength feature (the flash need not be the brightest always and you can fire it at different strength levels). I would say choose the strength so that the picture does not make it evident that you used flash (trying to keep it as natural as possible :)

A quick note on Motion Blur:
Just like how ISO noise can not always be a bad thing, motion blur can certainly help in some situations. Good examples will be the cases where motion can only be shown with the help of some blur. Helicopters and Flights with fan like propellers will look dead when shot at high speeds since we cannot really tell if the blades are moving. This also applies to people that are running or dancing. You might want to make sure they are not mistaken for somebody frozen at some weird position :)

SECTION 2 - SHOOTING & COMPOSITION

What to shoot?
Well yeah, first you need something to shoot at. Here are 6 things to look for in order to choose interesting subjects: Essence, Irony, Light, Color, Shadows and Perspective

Essence: If you can take away only one word from this article it would be this. Your pictures will be very effective when you know for sure what the essence of the picture is. IMO the definition of this is kinda subjective and here is mine: Essence (Rasa) is the thing about an idea that characterizes that idea.
Irony: A beggar leaning on somebody's Ferrari is a good example.
Light: Remember you are not shooting the subject; you are shooting the light that is illuminating that subject.
Color: Different colors presented together are always entertaining. And certainly more entertaining when they are contrasting.
Shadows: These help big time in showing the contrast in the brightness levels across the picture. Also gives an idea about the depth (3D effect).
Perspective: It always is nice to see something from an angle we haven't seen before. So look out for this.

Do I shoot this? Really?
So let's say you found an interesting subject (something that has one or many of the aspects listed above). Now the next question is if that subject is worth taking 100 shots or spending your next precious 30 minutes on. If you think the answer is 'Yes', then go ahead shoot away those 100 shots. Else just walk away. The reasoning behind this tip is that, most of the times the not-so-interesting subjects that are worth only a few shots won't really make it into publishable works. So you could rather save that energy to spend it on better alternatives.
The 360 Degree Test:
This is more like a check to pick the best angle/perspective to shoot this subject of interest. Remember the number is 360 and most of the time we are stuck to our 30 degrees. A pathetic number decided by our lazy head movement. A new perspective does a lot of things: enhances different characteristics of the subject, gives different foregrounds and backgrounds and gives different shadows/lighting angles.
# of Objects: 2-4 is good
Don't leave a lot of empty space. If there is space, try to fit something else there (you can wait for something to pass by or may be you should try another perspective). Best number of objects to have is 2 to 4 (3 is perfect).
# of Attention Getters: 2-4 is good
I couldn't get a better phrase, so I called them attention getters. When I say attention getters, what I mean is the things that would draw the viewer's attention. A smiling face is good but a smiling face with neon lights reflecting off it's coolers is better and if we can read what is written in that neon sign, it is even better. So in this example, you are selling three things as attention getters even though there is only one subject. And again, I would suggest the same magic number 3.
Check Object Outlines:
Try not to have objects overlapping (partly behind) other objects. This is very important especially for the main subject. Try to get a clean background for the main subject and make sure there is nothing (trees/poles) growing out of the subject's borders.
Depth:
Try to show depth with clear foreground, middle ground (whatever that means) and background.
Colors:
How many different colors do you have in the frame? Can you get some more? Try moving around the subject. Try to use as much of the 360 degrees around the subject.
Framing:
Decide on the framing while shooting but leave some space around. Don't shoot the picture like how you would like to frame it finally. You will know why when you crop the picture and want to tilt it (covered later).

Perspective:
So you have checked out the 360 degrees and picked your best angle/perspective. Now check if your perspective does the following:

• Give maximum importance to the subject - we often make this mistake while shooting subjects smaller/shorter than ourselves (kids, pets etc.). We tend not to go down to their eye level and that just gives out an idea that the subject is not very important. Don't be lazy. Work that back and do some sit-ups :)
• Show the main subject as more important than the other subjects - you don't want to confuse the viewer about what you think is your main subject (ice cream or the smile - just pick one and be clear about it)
• Show the subject as what it actually is - if it is a flute made of bamboo, and you want to show it as a flute there should be no reason for anyone to mistake it to be a stick.
• Magnify the unique aspects of the subject - You want them to see that she is sexy so you make sure you draw their attention to her curves (the thing about her that made you think she is sexy)

SECTION 3 - POST PROCESSING

Firstly let go of this idea that post processing is cheating. Remember, the image you get off the camera is already processed. And your model is wearing make-up and depending on the lighting and perspective your model might look a lot different from what s/he actually looks like. And above all, think about this question... isn't the basic goal of art to carefully skew reality?

Assuming that helps you deal with the ethics part in post processing, let us see what exactly you can do in post processing. I have listed below my checklist or the things to remember in post processing. BTW these are just the basics from what I have figured in 2 months playing with PhotoShop. I am sure post processing itself is an ocean that you can dive into and there are similar or better tools in the image software you use.

Name the Picture:
What you are going to call it as, might decide a lot about what exactly to do in post processing. And remember the 'essence' while naming. It would help to make this name point toward that essence.
Cropping - Rule of Thirds:
Remember this while framing and cropping. This will always help for a pleasing composition. Refer here.
Cropping Ratio:
Try to use standard ratios (landscape = 4:3, portrait = 2:3 and now that widescreen monitors are widely used; long landscape = 16:9). If these ratios are not doable try to stay close to them.
Horizontal Tilt / Rotation Angle:
This is where you decide the right angle of tilt for your picture. And this is where the extra spaces around your framing will come in handy. Use cues/lines from objects in image (like horizon or building edges or central body line of people). Try to make people as straight as possible and if it is a tower or a building, try to make it stand straight. There is only one leaning tower of Pisa :)
Removable Distractions:
Remove unwanted objects/distractions from the photo. Clone brush is useful. The new version CS5 has this content aware feature which I should say is beyond awesome. Also never underestimate the power of the spot healing brush (the band aid) for fixing small dark spots, acnes, blackheads, leaves, garbage etc.
Sharpen or Blur:
Use unsharp mask to sharpen. Know where to stop. And use the blur option if you need blur. Fog clouds and Black&White pictures look better with less sharpening and more blur.
Midtones, Brightness & Contrast:
Always try to increase or decrease brightness by changing the midtones first then get to the brightness (on the whole). Finally finish off with the contrast. Black&White pictures and natural low light photos look better with higher contrast.
Curve Adjustment:
In my opinion this is the most effective post processing adjustment that you can do. This decides the film type and mood of the picture. The S curve is the most popular one. Whenever I do this, I feel as if the digital "veil" is lifted off the picture. Refer here.
Highlight Vignette:
And this is the second most effective adjustment you can do. Use the freehand lasso to select the most important area of your picture, select the inverse of this selection (which would basically be everything else) and reduce the midtones (darken it). This would basically highlight the important area. Don't make this obvious.

Well that's it. Your photo is now ready for publishing. Add a watermark to feel safe that nobody would plagiarize your work and publish the picture (they won't know how to use the clone tool anyways). And most importantly, don't keep checking for new comments :)