DSLR Camera Settings

Here you will find information on how to use your DSLR camera settings, including manual and
auto modes. It is also useful for those with mirrorless CSC cameras (Compact System Cameras)
or point and shoots where you are able to adjust and manipulate settings such as aperture,
shutter speed and ISO.
If you have just purchased your first DSLR camera, you will be looking for some good tips on
how to use it. Digital SLRs are great, however they also have many more settings to learn.
Listed below are a selection of our best tips helping you to better understand your DSLR
camera settings.

What is ISO setting on your digital SLR (DSLR) camera and how do you use it?
The letters ISO on your digital SLR camera refers to film speed. Even though your camera is
most likely not film at all, but rather digital, the ISO camera setting still has the same function as
older film cameras. ISO determines how sensitive the image sensor is to light.

Common ISO camera settings

The most common ISO camera speed settings are: 100, 200,
400 and 800. Depending on your digital camera model you may
also have them in the range of 64, 100, 160, 200, 400, 640,
800, 1600 and higher.
You can see what the ISO setting is by looking at the rear LCD
screen or top menu depending your model. The example image on
the left is similar to most SLR digital cameras. If you can't see this
in your specific model, refer to your manual. As you can see by the example on the right, the
ISO in this case is set at 100.
The lower the ISO number, the slower the speed. The higher the ISO number, for example 1600
the faster the speed.

General rules for using ISO

Use an ISO of 100 or 200 when taking photographs outside in sunny conditions.

If the sky is overcast or it is evening time, then use an ISO within the range of 400 to
800.

Night time or in cases of low light you might need to set your digital camera ISO to
1600 if photographing moving subjects like people or if you are hand holding the camea.
The result may be a grainy / noisy image, however it is possible clean that up in post
processing.

Another alternative is to put your camera on a tripod and use a much lower ISO with a
longer exposure. This is the recommended method for landscape night shots.

How does ISO speed affect the photograph?

If you set your digital camera to a low ISO, for example 100, the resulting photograph will be
better quality than one set at 1600. The higher the ISO the more grainy the photo will look.
Therefore go for a low ISO number whenever possible.
However there are circumstances where a lower quality photograph is better than none at all.
For example taking photographs of fish in a dark aquarium would normally be out of range for
most point and shoot cameras. As you can see by the image below, setting my DSLR camera to
a high 1600 ISO made this task possible. Otherwise there would not have been enough light let
in to the sensor and the image would have turned out totally black.

Of course I could have chosen a lower ISO camera setting and used the in built flash. However
this would have resulted in unwanted flash glare bouncing off the glass. With this in mind a higher
ISO (say 800) is also recommended if you want to take photographs of people inside in the
evening without using a flash.

How to change your digital SLR camera ISO setting?

To change the ISO setting on your digital SLR camera, press the ISO button then use the 'up
down left and right buttons' to change the speed. Again, if you don't have this option refer to
your cameras manual as it may be slightly different between brands and models.

Note: When your digital SLR camera is in automatic mode, the ISO speed is chosen for you to
suit the level of light available at that particular time.

Program mode - Also refered to as ISO mode

A mode I photograph in quite often is called Program AE. With Program
AE you can choose the ISO you wish to photograph with and the digital
camera with set the shutter speed and aperture (exposure) automatically
to suit. I like to think of it as being similar to an ISO priority option. To use Program AE change
your mode dial to P, like the example image on the right.
If you're a beginner in using a DSLR camera, you'll find it takes some time to get used to setting
your ISO correctly. I can't count how many times I've kept my ISO at 100 and tried taking a fast
night shot to find the photo turning out completely black. However after six months or so taking
photographs in all different situations, you'll soon find it becomes second nature. Like anything
new, it just takes practise.
How to choose the correct ISO camera setting
ISO is one of the easiest camera settings to learn. The main reason for changing the ISO
setting is to enable photographers to shoot images quicker. The faster your camera ISO, the
faster your shutter speed and the sharper your images will be. There is less chance of unwanted
blur due to camera shake, and more chance of freezing your subject in an instant. Therefore
choosing the correct ISO setting will help you to shoot sharper images.
So what is a fast ISO camera speed? The higher the ISO number the faster the speed. For
example ISO 800 is faster than ISO 100. The ISO setting determines how sensitive the camera
sensor is to light. The higher the ISO setting the more sensitive it is to light, the faster it takes
the shot.
You would think that if a high ISO number equates to a faster shutter speed, then you should
use a higher ISO for every shot? Wrong!
High ISO camera settings is one of the main reasons for grainy images (also referred to as
being noisy). It may not be obvious when looking through your cameras rear LCD screen,
however you will understand what I'm talking about when viewing your photo in its full resolution
on your computer monitor.

Therefore a high ISO should always be the last resort. Instead try lowering your aperture fnumber, then if you find your camera still isn't shooting fast enough, increase the ISO number.
The correct camera ISO you need to set should be a mix between speed and photo quality. You
need to be able to weigh up the available light, then set the lowest possible ISO that allows you
to shoot quick enough so not to blur the subject.

Examples photos of numerous ISO settings

Shown below are several photos for you to visually learn from. For each photo I've also listed
what ISO setting I chose to use and why.
1. Lake reflections photographed with ISO 100 taken during the day time in perfect lighting
conditions.

During the day time in perfect sunny conditions always set your ISO to 100. This setting
is fast in these situations, even for hand held shots, which will result in the best image
quality possible.
2. A bird photograhed in shady conditions with an ISO setting of 500.

During the daytime in sunny conditions when photographing a subject covered by the
shade of a tree, I always set my ISO to 400 for starters. Once I've set my camera ISO, I
place my eye to the rear vision and go to take a shot. When I do this, I look along the
sides of the screen for the shutter speed. The purpose of this is to make sure the
shutter speed is faster than the mm length of the lens.
For example, if you are using a 100mm lens length, your shutter speed needs to be at
least 1/100th of a second. If the focal length of the lens is zoomed out to 400mm, your
shutter speed needs to be at least 1/400th of a second and so forth. This how you
determine if you are choosing the correct ISO setting for that particular scene. If it is
slower than the length of your lens then increase the ISO higher by 100 and try again.
This method also works for zoo animals or people standing in shade on a sunny day.
3. Treat rainy days the same as subjects in the shade. If it is a rainy day, overcast day,
early morning or just before dusk, then set your ISO to 400 for starters. If you find it's
not fast enough to capture your subject without blur, then increase it by 100 until you
find the perfect balance.
Note when recommending these ISO settings for shady conditions or rainy days, I'm also
presuming your Aperture f-stop is set to around f/4 or there abouts. The reason why I
can't give you an exact ISO setting is because no two light situations are exactly the
same.

This image above was taken on a rainy day with an ISO set to 100. I was able to set it to
100 only because I had a fast lens that was set to Aperture f/1.8. If you don't have a
lens that goes down that far in Aperture, then start at ISO 400 for these types of
lighting conditions.
4. NIght time walking around the streets taking snapshots without a tripod, I always set my
camera ISO to 800 for starters. It is the only way to get a sharp night photo while hand
holding the camera. This also presumes there is plenty of street lighting available and
your Aperture f-number is the lowest possible.
I also start with ISO 800 generally when photographing indoors without your flash. When
photographing people indoors, it's important to give yourself the best possible chance of
getting a sharp shot, by placing your subject against some sort of available light.
For example, if indoors during day time hours, place the person near a window or in an
area where there is natural light falling on them. If it's night time in a restaurant or in your
home, place the person so you, as the photographer, are shooting into an overhead
light. If you do this and keep your Aperture f-number low at the same time then you may
be able to shoot lower that ISO 800. As we discussed earlier, it's a fine balance
between sufficient camera ISO speed and image quality.

5. Whenever image quality is of the utmost importance, always shoot with an ISO 100
setting. Now remember in low light situations, this will mean your camera will also shoot
much slower than if you used a faster ISO 800 for example. Therefore you will need a
tripod if using ISO 100 in low light.
I always use ISO 100 when photographing landscapes that I intend to print out as fine
art. Unless it is a sunny day, the shutter speed will be slower, however the image quality
will be perfect. There are many reasons why photographers intentionally set a slower ISO
speed in low light. For example, you can slow down flowing water, or show motion in a
moving object. For times like these you would choose the lowest ISO number possible.

6. Set a high ISO number as the last resort if you want to capture people or kids on the
move. If you have already set the lowest Aperture f-number your lens will allow and you
are still seeing blurry images, then start increasing your cameras ISO setting to
compensate for fast movement. Again, remember the higher you set your ISO the faster
your camera will take the shot. However the disadvantage is you also lessen the image
quality. As the photographer you need to choose what's more important, speed or
quality.
Generally speaking, the majority of new cameras coming out today can easily shoot at
ISO 400 and not have any visible image quality issues. This is why I always set my ISO to
400 for aerial and underwater photography. I know my camera will shoot fast and the
image quality will still be great!

When to use a high ISO camera setting

When is it useful to set a high ISO camera setting?

I know what youre thinking! Why use a high ISO when the image turns out grainy? There are two
reasons.

For one, museums, art galleries, aquariums and such, are usually no flash zones.
Unfortunately they are also places where you need it most i.e. darker indoor surroundings.
Without a flash your camera may take too long to shoot, resulting in images that are blurry and
out of focus. So to compensate for this, a photographers alternative option is to increase the
ISO number to 800 or higher. It is after all, better to get the shot than not at all. Yes, you will
see grain in your images, however there are ways to deal with this in post processing. Ill
discuss that more later. For now its just important to know that there are times when a high
ISO is good.

The second reason for using a high ISO is to purposely shoot a grainy effect to help give mood
to a scene. Yes you heard me right, a lot of photographers love the grainy effect! Take the
images below for example.

Old and dusty antiques found in museums are perfect subjects for high ISO. The photo of the
doll above was taken with an ISO setting of 12800 on a Canon 5D mark III, only for the pure
reason that I didnt have my flash with me and it was in a dark corner of the room. Looking at it
later on I realised I loved the grainy effect for museum shots.
Its also important to note that an image taken on ISO 12800 on one camera, may not be
possible or look that good on a lower end brand. Thats why I always recommend an ISO of
800 to start with when shooting indoors. Then adjust settings from there depending on the
result youre seeing.
The amount of grain you see will lessen when the image is resized for internet viewing. The same
happens when printed in a smaller size compared to poster size images. For those who arent
sure what I mean by grain, Ive posted a section of the doll image below that shows the top left
corner of the basket seen in its original size. Notice the grain?

Here are a few more examples of photographs taken on the same day with a high ISO setting.

The image above was photographed with an ISO 2500.

The suitcases above were photographed with an ISO 4000.

Quick Summary When to use a high ISO camera setting

1. When photographing in a place where flash is not permitted. i.e. its better to get the shot
and deal with the grain later on in post processing if need be. Remember, if resizing for internet
viewing or printing in small format, post processing may not be required anyway!
2. You can purposely set a high ISO to shoot a grainy effect and help give mood to a scene.
Any subject that is old, antique or dusty is perfect for this.

How to use aperture priority, AV (for Canon) or A (for Nikon) mode on your digital SLR camera
For photographers who use SLR cameras, AV or A mode determines whether all the photograph
is in focus or part of. For example photographers can choose to have a sharp foreground and
background, or they can blur the background. If you're after more technical details, Wikipedia
already has a great article on how aperture works in photography.

On digital SLR cameras, aperture is indicated by a f-number value.

The higher the F number, the more of the photo that will be in
focus. For instance if you're taking a photograph of a landscape,
chances are you will want all of the foreground and background to
be sharp and in focus. For this to happen you will need to set your
digital camera f value or aperture as its known, to a large number,
for example F/11.
On the other hand if you're taking a photograph of a bird and you
want the animal in focus but not the background, then you would
choose a small F number like F/4.
You can see what aperture your digital SLR camera is set at by looking at the back LCD screen
for a F number. As you can see by the image above right, the aperture in that example is set at
F4.0. The display shown on your LCD may look different to this example, depending on the make
and model of your camera.

How to set your camera to aperture priority?

The letters AV (for Canon camera's) or A (for Nikon camera's) on your
mode dial sets your digital SLR camera to aperture priority. Your
camera then changes all other settings such as shutter speed
automatically to suit.
Once you have AV mode turned on, you can change the f-number by rotating the main dial above
the shutter button. Note: this is for Canon digital cameras. You may need to refer to your
manual to find out how to change the F stop for your specific brand of camera.
When the f number is small, the lens diaphragm is actually wide open. So if someone says to you
that you need to open your lens more, they mean to lower the aperture or F number.
Alternatively, if the aperture is a large number, say F22 then the lens diaphragm is smaller or
more closed. This often causes much confusion with beginners.

Opening your lens more refers to lowering the f number.

Closing your lens more refers to a higher f number.

The best way to understand how aperture works is to take numerous photographs with different
f-number values and see what the difference is.

Take images at both ends of the scale. One with as low a F number as possible and one with as
high a F number as possible. More importantly, when you view them on your computer take
notice of how much of the photo is in focus.
Shown below is a couple of examples I've done myself to help explain aperture.
In the first photograph shown below, the aperture (f number) was set at f/11 so all the image is
in focus.

Now for the second photo, the aperture was set at a smaller number f/5.6 so only the rocks
and sand at the foreground are in sharp focus while the background elements are blurred.

And here is an example of a close object photographed with an aperture value of f/5.6. As you
can see the foreground object is in sharp focus and the background is blurry.

It's also important to note that results from aperture settings can change from one lens to
another. For example just because an aperture value of f/5.6 for your macro lens results in a
blurred background, it doesn't mean you should also set your telephoto or wide angle lens to
the same f stop. Therefore its important to experiment with all your camera lenses so you know
your equipment better.
All photographs shown on this page are taken with a Canon 400D (Rebel XTi) Digital SLR
Camera.
Photography Assignment - Grab your DSLR camera and give this a try
Understanding how each mode works separately, is vitally important before trying M (manual
mode). Learn how to use aperture priority and how different F numbers effect the overall image.
Then and only then, will you fully understand how to use it when shooting in manual (M) mode.
Assignment: Lesson in aperture priority mode
1. Set your digital SLR camera to aperture priority mode. For Canon users, this means
turning your mode dial to AV. Nikon users need to change the dial to the letter A. If you
don't see the letters AV or A, then refer to your camera manual.
2. Change your camera's aperture F stop to the lowest number possible for your lens. It's
important to note that each lens will be able to shoot at different apertures. Expensive
lenses can go as low as F1, where most on average will be able to shoot at around F4.
3. Go outside and photograph a close object where the background elements are far away
in distance. This is extreme to ensure you easily see the visual differences as you change
the F number. On a low F number, you should notice the background is very blurred, when
compared to the main object that is in focus.
4. Now change the aperture number to around F7.1 and take the shot again.
5. Take two more photographs, firstly with an aperture of F11, and then F22.
6. Download and open all 4 photographs on your computer and see the difference that can
be seen in the background. Notice the lower the F number, the more blurred the
background. The higher the F number, the more of the background that is seen in focus.

Shutter speed and the difference between fast and slow shutter speeds on digital slr cameras
Wikipedia describes shutter speed as being the amount of time a digital cameras shutter is held
open for when taking a photograph. Shutter speed allows light to reach the cameras image
sensor.

Shutter priority allows the photographer to choose a shutter speed , then the digital SLR
camera automatically sets the aperture to suit.

To set your digital SLR camera on shutter priority, turn your mode dial
to TV like the image on the left. In case your wondering, TV stands for
time value. Now rotate the main dial until you have the shutter speed
your after.
Shutter speed is measured in seconds and looks like 1/500, 1/250,
1/2 or 1 as in one second etc. It can range anywhere from 1/8000 to
B for bulb. Bulb keeps the shutter open for as long as the shutter button is pressed down.

How do you know what shutter speed to use?

The shutter speed you will need to use depends on the type of photograph you want to take.
For example, if you want to take a photograph of water frozen in action with every little bead in
focus, then you would choose a fast shutter speed like 1/500 of a second. If you want to blur
running water like the example below, then you would need to use a slower shutter speed like
1/4 of a second. Often when you use a slow shutter speed, you will also need a tripod to help
avoid camera shake.

The photograph of blurred water shown above was taken with a shutter speed of 0.25 sec
(1/4). At this speed I was lucky enough to hand hold the digital camera steady to avoid having
to use a tripod.

Now in contrast, here is a photograph of water taken with a faster shutter speed of 1/60 sec
so every bead of water can be seen.

As seen in a recent lesson on light trails, night photography also requires a slow shutter speed.
Once again, this allows enough time for light to reach the cameras image sensor. Otherwise
your image might turn out nothing other than a black rectangle or a series of colorful circles.
Short tips for using shutter speed in digital SLR photography

Slow shutter speed, slows motion.

Fast shutter speed, takes the image almost instantly as in frozen in time.

Use slow shutter speeds of at least 10 seconds or more for night shots of cities,
buildings and streets etc.

When using a slow shutter speed it's also a good idea to use a tripod and remote
shutter release to avoid camera shake.

If for any reason you don't want to use a tripod, then a general rule to avoid camera
shake is to never set your shutter speed slower than the reciprocal of the focal length
value. For example, if your lens focal length is set at 50mm then don't use a shutter
speed any slower than 1/60th of a second and so forth.

To photograph a running child or animal while blurring the background, set the shutter
speed to between 1/40 sec and 1/125 sec. Then follow the running child or moving
animal as you press the shutter button. This is often referred to as panning.

Similar to aperture AV priority, shutter speed also requires you to experiment so you can fully
understand this mode of photography. Find some running water and try both fast and slow
shutter speeds so you can see the results for yourself. Over time, setting the correct speed
for any specific circumstance will become second nature.

Tips for manual mode camera settings

How to use your digital SLR camera in full manual settings?

Using your DSLR camera in fully manual mode (M on the top dial), isn't as hard as it first seems.
Whether you own a Canon, Nikon, or any other SLR camera brand, using manual mode works
basically the same.

Advantages of fully manual

Manual mode allows you to set both your aperture and shutter speed separately, without
the camera automatically changing the other to suit. With this in mind, you can be more
creative with your shots. For example, you can photograph a beach landscape keeping
the aperture high (for example f/22) so everything is in focus, yet at the same time set a
slow shutter speed to create dreamy, slow motion waves.

Example of photograph taken in fully manual settings

Digital SLR Camera: Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi

DSLR Lens: Canon EF-S17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Exposure: 0.2 sec (1/5)
Aperture: f/22
Focal Length: 85 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Program: Manual
Flash: Flash did not fire

Why this shot worked

For this beach landscape, I wanted the whole scene from the sand in the foreground, to
the island and boat in the background to be fully in focus. I also intended for the ocean
waves to have a slow motion dreamy look and feel to them. For this to be achieved, the
camera needed to be set on a high aperture f/22, and a relatively slow shutter speed of
1/5th of a second. If I had set the camera to aperture priority, then the shutter speed
would have been automatically created for me, or conversely if I'd set shutter priority,
the camera would have automatically set the aperture to suit. Therefore, setting the
camera on manual mode, allowed me to fully choose both the aperture and the shutter
speed.

Manual mode gives you full control over your exposure. If you are finding a lot of your
photographs are either underexposed (too dark) or overexposed (too light) then working
in fully manual mode will help you to better understand and correct these exposure
problems. Personally, I've found tweaking exposure results in photographs that are much
more colorful than those taken in other modes.

How to use manual mode on a digital SLR camera?

Firstly set your camera's top dial to the M mode and turn it on.

Example of manual mode:

To set the shutter speed, turn the rotating dial that looks like this:

To set the aperture (f/number), press and hold down the exposure compensation button
while turning the rotating dial.

The exposure compensation button on your digital SLR camera looks like this:

To set the exposure, look through your viewfinder and press the shutter button half way
down to focus on an object or scenery. You will then notice at the bottom of the screen
what is referred to as a light meter, that looks similar to this:

For this example, turn the rotating dial again until this exposure line shows 0 exposure.
That is, it is neither on the right or left side, but rather set in the middle. If you don't like
looking through the viewfinder, you should also be able to see this exposure line on the
back LCD display. Take the shot and you'll find a well balanced exposure.

Other tips and hints for using your digital SLR camera in manual mode

You will notice when you change the exposure level as demonstrated in the last tip, the
shutter speed also changed to suit that particular exposure. You can however set the
camera so it's the aperture that changes to suit the required exposure instead. To do
this, press the exposure compensation button
down while turning the rotator to the
correct exposure. This way it will be the aperture that is changed and not the shutter
speed.
Therefore, before setting the correct exposure, it's important that you ask yourself which
setting is more important to keep for your specific shot. Is the aperture more important
or the shutter speed? If you're shooting a landscape, then I recommend keeping the
aperture (f/number) as you had originally set it to. If you are photographing a moving
object like a bird for example, then I recommend keeping the shutter speed setting.

Photography Assignment - Grab your DSLR camera and give this a try
One of the most important steps for taking photographs in manual (M mode), is understanding
how to achieve a good exposure.

Assignment: Step by step lesson to help you fully understand manual mode exposure

Change your camera setting to manual (M) mode and turn it on.

Press and hold down the exposure compensation button

while turning the rotating
dial until the aperture is the lowest f number it can go. You will be able to see this
on the back LCD display. For example:

Note: The only reason I've instructed you to change to a low F number is to ensure the
image is taken quickly, even if shot inside.

Look through your viewfinder and point your camera at a nearby object or person. Press
the shutter button half way down to focus, then lift up again. Don't yet take the shot.

Still looking through your viewfinder, look for the exposure line along the bottom. Turn
the rotating dial
until that exposure line is set directly in the middle (on 0).

Now take the photograph. This should result in an image that is not too underexposed
and not too overexposed. If you find the camera took too long to shoot the photograph,
increase your ISO to 400 or 800 and try again.

Repeat the lesson again, this time going outside and taking an image of your street.
However, for this example, firstly set the aperture to f/11. This will ensure everything is
in focus.

While your taking photographs of your street, try setting the exposure off center. You'll
notice a few notches to the right and left of middle, will result in over and under
exposure (too light or too dark).

This lesson helps demonstrate the importance of the exposure line when photographing in
manual mode.

Focusing tips for Nikon and Canon digital SLR cameras

How to correctly focus your SLR on a specific object, without the camera automatically
choosing a focal point for you!
One of the most important skills for a beginner to learn from the start, is how to focus properly.
Using a digital SLR camera will become very frustrating if you don't understand how to set the
focus on the exact object you're trying to photograph. Take the two images below for example.
1. For the first photograph, the camera focused on the leaves in the front right, while the
waterfall at the back was blurred and out of focus. In this case, the photographer was
intending to take a photograph of the waterfall.

2. With the second image shown below, the photographer was taking an image of the
sheep. However, as you can see, the camera focused on the tree to the right. You can
tell this due to the tree being sharper than the sheep. If this was the initial intention,
then it's a good photo. However, if it was not, then it is a badly focused photograph.

How to focus on what you want? Or spot focus on single area.

So how do you ensure you're focusing correctly on what you want to photograph and not the
object on the front or to the side of it? In short, the answer is to set your AF-Area Mode
(autofocus) to one of the main focal points on your camera. However first you need to
understand what I mean by focal point.

For instance, follow this exercise below:

Set your digital SLR camera on the P dial and turn it on.

Look through the viewfinder as though your going to take a photograph.

Press your shutter button half way down and look for a red blinking focal point. The
object in your scene that the focal point is positioned over when it blinks red, is what
your camera is focusing on. For the two examples shown above, the red focal blink would
have occured over the leaves in the front and on the tree to the right.
It's also important to note that different camera models will have a different number of
focal points. For example, Canon 400D has 9 focal points. Whereas Nikon D40 has 3
focal points.

Depending on your current camera setup, it might be possible to keep pressing the shutter half
way down and back up again, then half way down etc and it will focus differently each time. As
you can imagine this could become tedious. Furthermore, a moving object isn't going to stick
around until your camera automatically focuses on the correct object. Therefore, you also need
to learn how to set one particular focal point as the default main focus. Examples below are
shown for a Nikon D40 and a Canon 400D SLR camera. However, most digital camera's work in
similar ways.

How to focus using a specific focal point on a Nikon D40

1. Press MENU, go to the left side (if not already highlighted) and select the up and down
(next to OK button) to navigate to the pencil icon. Then highlight the CUSTOM SETTING
MENU on the top of the color LCD and press OK.
2. Scroll to number 3 in that menu 'AF-Area Mode', and choose '[ o ] Single Area'. Press OK
to set it.
3. Then set your camera on P for this example, and look in the view finder. At the bottom
you will see something similiar to the image below. The part I've circled in red is what I
will be referring to in the rest of this tutorial. You'll notice it resembles the focus points
in the centre of the screen (left, middle, right).

If you don't want to look at it though the viewfinder then you can also see it on the back
LCD screen, like the image below:

4. When the middle is highlighted (part in the red circle above), any object the center focal
point is positioned over when looking in your view finder, will be the main focus when the
photo is taken. You are able to change this to either right, center or left by pressing the
left and right buttons near your OK button.

How to focus using a specific focal point on a Canon 400D

1. Put your camera setting on something other than automatic, for example the P setting on
your top dial.
2. Look through your viewfinder and hold down the button circled below in red.

While holding that button down, use the rotating dial shown below to move between the
numerous focal points.

3. Note: If you find this does not work, it may be due to you having the shutter speed or
aperture screens displayed in your LCD. You might have to hop out of that particular
screen first, then set your focal point before going back into the shutter speed and
aperture if need be.

Simple green rule for exposing shots taken near nature - Best way to expose shots with your
DSLR camera.
Whenever you take a photograph in or around nature, it's useful to expose on any part of the
scene that is green, then underexpose it by two thirds.
For example, for the photograph below, the exposure was taken from the green leaves to the
left of the flowers. I then underexposed the shot by 2/3, refocused on the flower and took the
shot. As the camera was set on manual, the shutter speed (exposure) stayed as it was when
exposed on the green leaves. Usually when you refocus on the subject you want to take a photo
of, the camera will tell you the exposure is wrong. Ignore this and take the shot anyway. In most
cases, it will result in a nicely exposed, detailed photograph.
If you're not sure what I am referring to by 'setting the exposure', you can find a good article on
this at: Advantages of manual settings.
Note, this exposure tip will also work when you have your digital SLR camera set on shutter
priority. However, it won't work for automatic modes (such as landscape, portrait) or aperture
priority, as the camera then sets the shutter speed for you.

Exposing Flower Gardens

Digital SLR Camera: Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi

DSLR Lens: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro
Shutter Speed (exposure): 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 100mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Program: manual

Tip for exposure

The digital SLR camera was set on manual mode with an aperture of f/11. I focused on the green
leaves that had similar light falling on them as the flowers and underexposed by two third's. Next
I focused on the purple flower and took the shot (without re-exposing). As you can see, this
resulted in beautifully colored photo with a nice balance between light and shade.

Exposure tip for black subjects like birds

Digital SLR Camera: Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi

DSLR Lens: Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Shutter Speed (exposure): 0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 300mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Program: manual
DSLR photography tip for exposure setting
Taking the exposure on something that is green, is particularly useful in times where the subject
is black. If the shot above was exposed on the black bird, the details on the feathers and the
green eye would have been lost. Instead, the photographer took the exposure on the nearby
grass and then underexposed it by 2/3'rds.
Another time this exposure tip was useful, was during an outside photo shoot of my son. The
first shot I'd taken was exposed on my son's face. Looking back on the LCD screen, I'd found
there was a dark shadow over one side of his face. The shot was taken again, this time exposing
(-2/3) on the green grass next to him. This helped to eliminate the shadow on his face.

How to focus to or on infinity with a digital SLR camera?

When reading manuals or photography magazines and books, you will come across the term,
'focus your camera to infinity'. You may also notice the word or infinity symbol on one of your
camera lenses. This can usually be found when you turn your camera lens to manual focus (MF)
and rotate the focus ring either all the way to the right, or all the way to the left. Nikon and
Canon lenses work complete opposite to each other.
On the example lens on the left, notice there are two focus rings
that can be rotated. If your DSLR lens doesn't have these, then it
can't manually be set to infinity.
If your lens does have two rotatable focus rings, firstly change the
AF/MF switch to MF (manual focus). Next, turn the smaller focal ring
all the way to the right and then all the way to the left, until you
see the infinity symbol.
Now look through your viewfinder and point your lens towards an
object in the distance that you want to photograph. Rotate the
larger ring with your fingers until the object looks to be in sharp
focus. If doing this doesn't achieve sharp focus, you may need to
physically move yourself closer to or further away from the object.
Now take the shot. This is the technique known as focus to infinity.
Another example showing how to focus on infinity, can be seen in the image below. A
photographer could set their main focal point on the rocks and take the shot. Or alternatively,
they could focus on the mountains in the distance. By which case, they would be focusing on
infinity.

Other tips for focusing on infinity with a digital SLR camera

When using this technique, it's more effective if you have your aperture f stop, set to the
highest f number. For example f/22 or higher.

Use a tripod, as you should with all photography where the aperture f number is very
high.

How to use partial metering

Partial metering is one of four modes found mostly on Canon cameras to help measure a
subject's brightness, enabling the photographer to take a correct exposure. Spot metering on
Nikon cameras work very similar to partial metering on Canon cameras. However for Canon
users, some models come with both spot and partial metering modes.

What is the difference between Partial and Spot metering modes?

Partial and spot metering modes work very similar, the difference being, partial metering takes
the exposure from approximately 6.5% of the viewfinder area, whereas for spot metering the
brightness is measured using 2.5% of the scenery. On Nikon cameras, spot metering takes the
exposure from approximately 5% of the scene depending on the model. As you can see, spot
metering on Nikon cameras work very similar to partial metering on Canon cameras.

When to use Partial Metering?

The best time to use partial metering is when the background is much brighter than the subject.
Have you ever taken a photo that has resulted in your subject being so dark they are almost a
silhouette? That is the perfect time for changing your camera partial metering. For example, a
person standing next to a window with bright sunlight shining through.
Setting your digital camera to partial metering is the perfect solution to back lighting problems.
Which for many photographers isn't a problem at all. In fact they use back lighting to their
advantage when creating stunning backlit portraits.

Partial metering for nature photography

Nature photographers can also benefit from partial metering when photographing wildlife. It
doesn't matter if your subject is people or wildlife. The same theory applies. If the subject is
much darker than a brighter background then switching your metering mode to partial will help
create a much nicer exposure and a more detailed subject. Take these photos below for
example.
The only editing I've done to these images is to resize them for Internet viewing. Other than
that, they are as they were in camera.
The first image was taken with the cameras default setting, pattern metering mode. It was a
tricky lighting situation as the bird was much darker than its surroundings. It had been an over
cast day so the water was greyish in color, however there was a high glare on the water from
the sun just breaking through cloud cover. This resulted in a dark bird with next to no detail
seen in the wings, body or eye areas.

I changed my metering mode to partial and took the shot again. As you can see by the image
below, the bird now has much more detail in its feathers and head when compared to the
previous photo. Remember this image is as it was straight from the camera. Notice the nice
color in the head and neck after I set the camera to partial metering? You can also see different
shades of colors in the wings. Yes, some detail was lost in the background water area, however
I'm not concerned about that as it was the bird I was photographing.

Here is another example taken on the same day. The first image taken with default pattern
metering, while the second more detailed bird photo was shot with partial metering.

I love the detail in the image below. In it's largest resolution the blue eye is awesome!

When experimenting with metering modes, I recommend setting it back to the default setting at
the end of the shoot so it's ready for another day!

When to use spot metering

To achieve perfect exposures you need to understand your cameras metering system. By
default, your cameras metering is most likely set to matrix (also referred to as pattern or
evaluative on some models). For the most part, this default setting does a great job exposing
for different lighting conditions. Personally I find 95% of the time I don't need to change it.
However there are tricky light situations when you'll need to know when and how to change your
camera settings from matrix to spot metering.
Take this photo below for example. The pure white subject is overexposed and has absolutely no
detail. It was photographed with pattern metering mode (my camera default setting) and it didn't
take me long to realise I had to switch over to spot metering if I was going to capture a
beautifully detailed photo of a white bird.

Note also I've cropped this image. The original photo had 85% scenery around the subject that
was much darker than the white bird which took up maybe 15% of the image. Hence my camera
was exposing on the natural surroundings and not the actual bird. This is a perfect scenario for
spot metering.
The same can happen with a dark subject, for example a black bird with very bright surroundings,
where the bird takes up a smaller portion of the scene compared to its surroundings. If you
keep your camera set to pattern metering, you'll find all you can see is black and no detail in the
actual feathers. This is because with pattern metering the camera takes the light exposure from
the scene as a whole.
It's times like these when you need to know how to switch your camera settings to spot
metering (best to look in your camera manual). Spot metering on all digital cameras that I've
seen is marked by a symbol similar to the one shown below. Some high end cameras also offer
multi spot metering, allowing photographers to take the light exposure from a number of
different areas of the scene, therefore giving the user even more control.

Examples of photos taken with spot metering

Here are some examples of bird photos taken with spot metering. Being an experienced bird
photographer I now automatically switch to spot metering for either very dark or very light
colored birds. I'm not too fussed on the surroundings or the background being properly
exposed, it's the details in the birds feathers I'm wanting to capture.

In this example above, notice spot metering allowed me to capture a lot of detail in the birds
wing. You can clearly see a bone structure and details in the feathers. It naturally set a very
dark background, however it wasn't my goal to properly expose the scenery as a whole. This
image was taken the same time as the first over exposed photo you saw at the beginning of this
article. I know which one I prefer.

When to use spot metering for photographing people?

Of course your subject could very well be a person. However the same theory applies. Switch
to spot metering whenever there is tricky lighting. For example a person on a stage. Spot
metering on the persons face will ensure the camera exposes the skin color correctly and not
take a reading from the stage lights.

Use spot metering for photographing the moon

Spot metering is also great for moon shots where the moon will take up a very bright but small
percentage of a dark scenery. This example below has been cropped tightly so you can see the
detail in the moon. If you are wondering where the bottom half of the moon has gone, it's behind
the heavy cloud which has been silhouetted.

When to use the exposure lock button

If you're using spot metering and then recomposing the shot, you'll notice that the metering will
change even if you've got the shutter halfway depressed. To solve this, use the exposure lock
button, usually found on your camera body marked with a symbol that looks like *. To use it,
focus on your subject, press the shutter halfway down, press the exposure lock button which
will lock the exposure, then you can recompose and take the shot.

How to manually change your camera's exposure settings? Exposure tips to ensure your
photographs are properly exposed every time.
Many beginners often find their photographs are either underexposed (too dark) or
overexposed (too light or white). However, there is a way to manually change the exposure to
compensate for them being darker or lighter. Getting the correct exposure balance isn't as hard
as it first seems, once you learn a few simple skills from the tips listed below.

Where is the exposure compensation button on a digital SLR camera?

On both Nikon and Canon digital SLR camera's, the exposure compensation button looks like a
plus and minus sign (+/-). On a Nikon D40, this is situated near the shutter button. For Canon
400D it is found upper right to the LCD screen on the back of the camera.
Example of exposure compensation button:

How to use the exposure compensation button?

The exposure compensation button can be used when your camera is in any non-automatic
mode. For example, you can use it while your top dial is on P (for program), S (Nikon
shutter priority), TV (Canon shutter priority), A or AV (aperture priority) and M (fully
manual) modes.

For this exercise, put your camera on the P mode and take one photograph. Now take a
second photograph, this time firstly pressing the shutter button half way down to focus
(lift up again), then hold down the +/- compensation button, while turning the main dial to
the right 4 stops and shoot. Now look at both images one after another in the LCD
screen and you should notice a difference in the lighting.
Shown below is an example of what the main dial looks like:

Now repeat this exercise, this time when taking the 2nd photograph, hold down the
compensation button down and turn the main dial 4 stops to the left. Note: it won't need
to always be 4 stops, this is an example to show extremes only.
What you should be seeing is a series of photographs, one too dark, one just right and
one too light, like the example below:

If you own a Nikon digital SLR camera, turning the main dial to the left (while holding down
the exposure compensation button) will lighten the image. Whereas turning it to the right
will darken the image for the next shot taken. You need to readjust it for each
photograph.
If you own a Canon digital SLR camera, it is the opposite to the Nikon. Turning your main
dial to the left (while holding down the exposure compensation button) will darken the
image and turning it to the right will lighten the image.

When is exposure compensation useful?

If at first, you take an image and it looks to be too dark or too light when viewing it in
your LCD screen. For example if it is early morning or late evening, you might want the
photograph to appear lighter (or darker) than it actually is.

If you are taking a photograph of an object that is in actual fact too dark, and you want
to lighten it. For example if you were taking an image of the underside of a car near the
tyre. Bad example I know :) Or lets say you want to photograph a black bird and need to
see the actual eye in your image. In this case you could slightly over expose the image to
bring out the patterns and shapes.

In contrast, snow images can appear too over exposed. In these situations it's
recommended to underexpose the image until you see a nice balance between the sky
and the snow.

Exposure compensation is also useful for those people that photograph objects in a light
tent. A light tent is a square box that has numerous colored backgrounds so
photographers can capture products and objects with one background color. For
example, if a white background is used and you don't change the exposure compensation,
the background may appear off white.

What is RAW setting on your Digital SLR Camera?

What is RAW file format and how do you use raw photographs.
Digital SLR cameras usually save images in either jpg or raw format
(or both), depending on the camera model and settings. The
downside to jpg is that they start to deteriorate or loose quality
from the first time you edit the photos. Furthermore, even before
the editing stage, your digital camera compacts the image into a
smaller file when it saves JPG format. Therefore loosing all the raw
information that was originally gathered by the camera.

However, if you set your camera to save in RAW CR2 then all the data is kept in tact.
Take this image below for example. It is a desktop picture taken from a raw editing program
showing both the JPG and raw CR2 file side by side. It's clear to see how much data is lost in
the JPG on the right. If your image is destined to be printed. Then it's recommended to open
the RAW CR2 file and save it as a TIFF file before printing. TIFF files also keep a high
percentage of the data's quality when compared to JPG. JPG is really only recommended for
website viewing due to its fast loading, small file size.

Another way to think of RAW format is to being similiar to negatives back in the eighties. It
didn't matter if you damaged the photograph back then because you knew you could pull out the
old negative and have it printed again. The same goes with RAW format.

Whenever possible use RAW format or if you own a Canon digital SLR camera change the
settings to JPG + RAW. What this does is it saves each image in two different file formats, one
jpg and one raw. Then you can digitally edit the jpg as many times as you want, knowing that
you can resave an original copy from the raw file if needed in future.

How to convert and edit RAW files?

If you need to convert a raw file into a jpg so you can use it on a website or have it printed,
then you need a conversion software package that can read this format. Chances are, if your
DSLR camera has a raw file option, then your purchase should also have included a raw software
package on a CD. For example Canon offers with each SLR camera a copy of Digital Photo
Professional. If you purchased your camera second hand, then you can download 3rd party
conversions like Photoshop Camera Raw plug-in.

Other advantages to setting your digital SLR camera to RAW

Another advantage to using RAW is that you don't need to have your camera's white balance or
picture style etc set perfectly when you take the actual photograph. Instead you can change
this later on using a RAW editor. This is particularly useful for beginners who may forget to
change their picture style from portrait to landscape when going from one particular subject to
another. When I took the first photograph shown below, I'd forgotten to change my white
balance from the day before. As you can see the 'shade' white balance setting wasn't suitable for
this particular day which resulted in the tree having an off orange tinge to it. Had I taken the
photograph in JPG format, I would have been stuck with this image as it is.

Luckily I photograhed in RAW format so could open the file in my editor and change the color
balance to 'daylight'. This resulted in a much better color tone in the tree.

Disadvantages to shooting in RAW

Like most things, there are also some disadvantages that must be taken into account when
setting your digital SLR camera to photograph in RAW format. RAW CR2 files are very large and
take a lot of space on your cameras memory card and on storage disks. If you plan on shooting
in this mode then I recommend having at least two 4gig memory cards for your camera. Backing
photo's up on DVD disks instead of CD will also let you save more images per disk. Having a
fast computer on which to edit the RAW files is also a necessity. If you own a 5 year old
computer you might find it takes an hour just to open your folder of RAW files. Other than that,
shooting RAW is the only way to go.

What is white balance?

How to use your digital SLR camera white balance settings - auto, custom, preset, daylight,
tungsten, fluorescent, flash, cloudy and shade.
Setting the correct white balance in your digital SLR camera is important to ensure the objects
that are white, are actually displayed white within the photograph. As you can see by the
interactive example below, white balance also effects other colors as well. If your camera's
automatic white balance setting doesn't get the color 'white' correct, it won't render the other
colors correctly either.

How to know if the wrong white balance has been set?

Just about every photographer at one stage or another, has taken a photograph that contained
a blueish tinge. The blueish tinge is normally a result of using an incorrect white balance. For
example, the first image below has a blueish tinge, where as the second shot displays a more
natural coloring.

Setting an incorrect white balance, can also result in unsightly reds, yellow or green tinges as
well, depending on the situation.

Doesn't auto white balance fix this problem?

Not always. While it's true many improvements have been made in todays digital camera's, they
still often get white balance settings wrong in certain lighting conditions. If you take your
images in RAW format (highly recommended) then sure, go ahead and use auto white balance. If
the camera gets it wrong, you can always change this setting later on in your RAW editor.

Where to find your digital SLR camera's white balance settings?

For Canon users, the camera's white balance setting can be found on the back panel next to the
LCD screen (on Canon 400D). It can be recognised by the letters WB, as demonstrated in the
image below. There can be slight differences between models, so if you can't see the letters
WB, then check with your camera's manual. Press the WB button and you'll be given a list of the
following options: auto, daylight, shade, cloudy, tungsten light, white fluorescent light, flash and
custom.

For Nikon users, press the menu button on the back near the LCD screen, and navigate your way
to the 'Shooting Menu'. From there, you'll be able to choose 'White Balance'. Once you're in the
white balance screen you'll have several options including: auto, incandescent, tungsten,
fluorescent, direct sunlight, flash, cloudy, shade and preset.

Note: If you have the camera set on fully automatic, you won't be able to choose a white balance
setting.

Quick explaination of each white balance setting found on digital SLR cameras
Note once again, settings differ between brands and models. Therefore don't worry if you have
a few of them missing from your menu bar.
When to use Auto white balance: In auto, the camera guesses what white balance to use
depending on the available light. In 95% of the time, the guess results in a nicely colored
photograph. This is a perfect setting for times when you're unsure what white balance to
choose. It's also a good idea to keep the camera on Auto white balance if you shoot in RAW
format (recommended).
Daylight (Canon) and Direct Sunlight (Nikon): This is a good setting for direct sunlight. For
example, a beach landscape mid morning where you're not shooting into shade.
When to use Shade white balance: Use shade white balance in shady area's or sunset shots. It
will help give a warmer color to your shots.
When to use Cloudy: This is a good setting for cloudy days. It's also quite effective for shady
area's as well. I've found there is a fine line between shade and cloudy white balance settings.
When to use Tungsten white balance: This is one of the most extreme balance settings of them
all and should only be used with tungsten light bulbs. Or at times where you purposefully want a
blue tinge to your images.
When to use fluorescent: This setting will help make inside flourescent house lighting, look a bit
better than the yellowy orange color you usually see.
Flash white balance: Flash white balance is used mostly for studio work.
Custom (Canon) and Preset (Nikon) white balance settings: Use these ones with a white or grey
card that you can pick up cheaply from any camera store, for perfect white balance.

Digital SLR camera metering modes

Understanding metering modes is important for every photographer if they are to take correct
exposures. To improve your photography you need to know when to set your digital camera on
matrix, pattern, evaluative, center weighted metering, spot and partial metering.
Metering modes can be one of the most frustrating settings for beginners to SLR photography.
If you have ever taken an under or over exposed photograph using program mode (P), aperture
priority (A Nikon, AV Canon) or shutter priority (S NIkon, TV Canon), chances are you've set the
metering mode incorrectly.
Metering systems work by measuring the amount of brightness within a scenery or object, then
sets the exposure accordingly. However, the camera can often get the exposure wrong if the
onboard metering mode has been set incorrectly.

What metering modes are you likely to find on your digital camera
The majority of digital SLR cameras will give you a choice of at least three different metering
systems. The names of the modes will differ depending on your camera model.

Matrix metering on Nikon cameras is called either Pattern or Evaluative on other models.

Most brands all name the second mode, Center-weighted metering or very close to it.

Whereas Spot metering found on Nikon SLRs, basically work similar to Partial metering on
Canon digital cameras. Some recent Canon models offer both spot and partial metering
modes.

When to use Matrix (Pattern, Evaluative) metering modes

Matrix, Pattern and Evaluative are considered good all-round metering modes. The camera sets
the exposure automatically to suit the scene, taking into consideration both dark and light areas.
It's considered good for evenly backlit subjects like portraiture and landscapes. It's also the way
to go when you're not sure which metering mode to use. This is the reason why it's the default
setting for fully automatic camera settings.
As you can see by the image below, matrix metering works by dividing the frame into zones,
taking separate readings from each one. The camera then takes a guess at what parts of the
scene are important and exposes accordingly. For the most part, it does a pretty good job at
picking the correct exposure.

When to use Center-weighted metering

Center-weighted metering assigns the greatest weight for exposure from the middle area of the
frame. Therefore, it's good for times when your main subject is in the middle of the frame and
you want to take a quick exposure.
Center weighted metering would be effective when you have a bright background or backlit
subject. For example, if you were taking a photograph of a persons face on a sunny day at the
beach. You wouldn't want the strong background light, or the white sand, to effect the exposure
on their face. As long as the persons face was correctly exposed, that's all that matters. It's
times like this, you would choose center weighted metering.

When to use Spot or Partial metering

Spot (Nikon) or Partial (Canon) metering should be used when you want to take an exposure
reading on a specific area. It takes the reading from a very small area in the middle of your
composition.
You would use spot or partial metering for example, if you had a slightly shaded white bird,
against a darker background. You would then take the exposure from the birds feathers and the
darker background wouldn't effect the coloring. Or vice versa, you may have a dark colored bird
with a lighter background. Settng partial metering will really bring out the darker patterns in the
bird's feathers.
You may also be interested in reading: When to use spot metering. We also have a more
detailed article on: Partial Metering.

How to change your digital camera metering mode?

It's always best refer to your camera's manual for information on how to change the metering on
your specific camera model. It's impossible for us to cover every brand and model on the market
nowadays.

Photography Assignment - Grab your DSLR camera and give this a try
Understanding how each metering mode works, is best learned through a method that I like to
call 'try and see'.

Assignment: Lesson in understanding metering modes

1. Set your digital SLR camera on program mode for this assignment by turning your dial to
the letter P. Just for this example, also change your ISO to 400. This will ensure you are
able to take a fast photograph in many different situations.
2. Go outside and take a landscape photograph in your street, firstly using the Matrix
(Pattern or Evaluative on some camera's) metering system. Then change your metering to
Center-weighted and take another shot of the same landscape. Finally take a third
photograph of the same scenery with Spot (partial) metering.
Load all 3 images onto your computer and see what the difference is. Try this a few more
times with different landscapes and sceneries.
What you should find, is that the Matrix metering system works best in the majority of
cases.
3. Now find a friend who will let you photograph them against a bright background. For
example, with the sun shining directly behind them, or against a white sandy beach or
freezing snow.
Compose your shot so their shoulders and head takes up 2/3's of the frame. Once again,
take three photographs, one with each of the different metering settings. Load them
onto your computer and see what the difference is between each one.
In this case, you should find that Center-weighted metering works best to expose the
facial area correctly.
4. For the next part of this assignment, place a lightly colored object against a darker
background (black if possible). When you compose your shot, place the object directly in
the middle of the frame. Once again, take 3 photographs, one for each metering mode.
Load them onto your computer and see what the difference is.
This time you should find Spot metering works best for this particular situation.

What is the difference between AV, A, DEP and A-DEP camera modes and how to use them
Depending on the brand of your digital SLR camera, you may have noticed 2 similar yet different
modes on the dial, called DEP and A-DEP. DEP may also be sybolised by the letters AV (Canon)
or A (Nikon).
DEP (AV, A) and A-DEP modes, basically do the same thing, in that they allow you to set an
aperture so you can control the depth of field seen within a photograph. Or in other words, it
allows you to set how much of the scenery you want in focus and how much you want blured. The
difference between the two camera modes, is how they achieve this.

What do the letters DEP, AV and A stand for or mean on a digital SLR camera?
The letters DEP stands for 'depth of field automatic exposure'. Sometimes DEP is replaced with
the letters AV or A, meaning 'aperture priority'. When you set your camera to these modes, you
also need to set an aperture F number. I won't go into detail here, as we already have a good
tutorial for this setting at: What is AV mode.

What do the letters A-DEP, stand for or mean?

A-DEP stands for 'automatic depth of field', or 'auto depth of field'. Meaning, the camera sets
the depth of field automactically. When the camera is set on A-DEP, the photographer doesn't
need to set an aperture F number as the camera does this for them.

How to use A-DEP mode on a digital SLR camera?

To use automatic depth of field, turn your digital SLR camera mode dial to A-DEP. Look through
your viewfinder and point at the object you want to photograph, then press the shutter button
half way down to focus. All the area you see covered by the focal points that flash or light up,
will be in focus. Or in otherwords, will be within the automatic depth of field. The camera will
choose the best aperture for that specific circumstance when you take the shot.

How to understanding and read histograms on your digital camera

A histogram is a bar chart that shows you whether a photographs exposure is good or bad. You
can view the histogram on your camera's LCD screen after you have taken the shot. A histogram
looks similar to the image shown below.

If you see high peaks on the right side of the histogram, this indicates the photograph may be
too bright or overexposed. On the other hand, if there are high peaks on the left side of the
histogram, the image is most likely too dark and underexposed. If the peaks are centered like in
the example above, the photo is said to be well balanced and exposed. That is, not too dark or
too light.

Reasons why photographers should view the photo's histogram

While it's true that some photographs are obviously too light or too dark when viewing
them back on your camera's LCD screen, other images may not be so clear. I can't count
the times I've viewed the perfect image on my small LCD screen, to find they are badly
exposed when seeing them on my 19 inch computer monitor.

It is especially important to check the histogram if the photograph is taken from a once in
a lifetime moment. Recently I took some photographs down at our local harbor side
marina. The morning was perfect, there wasn't a ripple in the water and the reflections
were crystal clear. It was one of those moments we may not see again for a long time.
Therefore it was important to ensure the exposures were correct in the histogram before
packing up and heading home. If the histogram showed any under or over exposure, I
would have taken the shot again while I had the chance.

Where to find the histogram graph on your digital SLR camera?

If you are using a Canon 400D SLR camera, view a photograph in your LCD screen, then
press the DISP button twice, on the top left near the LCD screen. You should then see
the histogram. Once you're done, press the DISP button again to get back to the
previous screen.

For Nikon D40 users, view an image in your LCD screen, then press the up and down
buttons near the 'Ok' to scroll to the histogram.

All other users, check your camera manual.

Histogram examples
1. As you can see by the image below, it was underexposed (too dark). There is very little
detail seen in the tree's, footpath and two people on the left.

Shown below, is the histogram for the underexposed image. As you can see by this
example, the high peaks are on the left hand side of the graph.

2. In contrast, the photograph below is overexposed (too light).

Shown below, is the histogram for the overexposed image. Notice this time, the high
peaks are on the right hand side of the graph.

3. What you should be aiming for, is a histogram that displays the majority of peaks within
the center of the graph.

Exceptions to the rule

There are times when it's perfectly acceptable for the graph to display high peaks at either end
of the histogram.

For instance, if there is naturally a lot of white within the scenery (snow shots), then you
would see high peaks on the right side of the histogram, even when the photo is
perfectly exposed.

On the otherhand, if there is a lot of black within the scenery or object you are
photographing, then the high peaks would naturally occur on the left hand side of the
graph.

Furthermore, if there is a good mixture of black and white within the scenery, you may
find high peaks at both ends of the histogram.

Photography Assignment - Grab your DSLR camera and give this a try
It's important to understand histograms and how different sceneries can effect how the graph
looks. Once you understand this information, you'll instantly be able to recognize if a photograph
is under or over exposed when viewing it in your tiny LCD screen.
To follow this assignment, you need to know how to display a photographs histogram within your
camera's LCD screen. I've listed instructions for Canon 400D and Nikon D40 users in the article
shown above, under the heading 'Where to find the histogram graph on your camera'. For all
other models and brands, check your camera's manual.

Assignment: A lesson in reading histograms.

1. Take a photograph of an object or person against a dark background. For this example,
it's important to make sure a dark color dominates much of the composition. View the
photo's histogram and you should notice high peaks towards the left side of the graph.
Its important to understand that in this case, the peaks on the left hand side are due to
there being a lot of black within the photograph. Not necessarily because it is
underexposed.
2. Alternatively, take a photograph of an object where there is a dominance of white
coloring within the composition. When viewing the images histogram, you should notice
the high peaks positioned on the right side of the graph.
3. For a third example, photograph a black object on a white background. This time when
you view the histogram you'll notice there are peaks at both ends of the graph.
This exercise was important to help demonstrate other reasons why you could see high peaks
on either end of your histogram graph. They may not always mean your image was exposed
incorrectly. Therefore, when you view your histogram, it's also vital that you analyze any other
reasons why you may see uneven peaks. After all, you don't want to delete a perfectly good
photo!

Depth of field preview button - Tips on how to use your cameras depth of field preview button
Your digital SLR camera's depth of field preview button is much more useful than photographers
first think. I know this from personal experience. Like many new DSLR photographers, I pressed
the depth of field preview button on my Canon 400D and saw everything got darker when
looking through my viewfinder. Not understanding what I was looking at exactly, I didn't use it
again for over 6 months. Now I never take a shot without it.

What does depth of field preview button do?

The depth of field preview button, gives you a preview of the overall depth of field you can
expect to see in the final photograph before you've taken the actual shot. In other words, it will
show you how much of your photograph will be in sharp focus and how much will be blurred.

Why is this useful? Like many beginners, I too wasted a lot of time taking numerous images while
changing the aperture settings between shots, until I found the setting that blurred my
background exactly as I intended. Now I preview the background blur (or sharpness depending
on what you require) and correct the depth of field before taking the photograph.

Where to find the depth of field preview button on a digital SLR camera?
Unfortunately not all digital SLR cameras have a depth field preview button. For example, the
Nikon D40 doesn't have this option. On many other models, for example a Canon 400D, it can
usually be found on the front of the camera body, on the left side, under the flash button. It's a
very handy place for it, as it's positioned exactly where your left hand rests when holding your
camera. If you don't see it there, check with your camera manual.

How to use the depth of field preview button?

When using the preview button, it's important to take more notice of the out of focus area's of
the composition. It's these out of focus area's, that you'll see change as you set different
aperture F numbers. To do this, you have to practise looking past the change in darkness that
occurs when you press the button. The higher you set the aperture F number, the more that will
seem in focus. Follow the step by step assignment posted below to truly understand how it
works.

Photography Assignment - Grab your DSLR camera and give this a try
Assignment: A lesson in using your camera's depth of field preview button.
For this example, set your digital SLR camera to aperture priority AV (for Canon) or A (for
Nikon), choosing the lowest aperture F number possible. Set the lens focal length to around
70mm. Now look through your viewfinder and focus on a nearby object. When you press the
preview button, you'll most likely notice nothing much happens. This is normal for low aperture F
numbers, because basically what you see when you first look through your viewfinder, is the main
object in focus.
Now change the aperture F number to F/11 and try again . This time you will notice two things
when you press the DOF (depth of field) preview button.
1. The first noticeable difference is that the screen got darker when looking through your
viewfinder. This is normal, it happens because the lens stopped down to the aperture you
selected. However, don't worry about this, your photograph won't be that dark when you
take the shot.
2. Now it's important to take notice of the changes that happened in the out of focus
background, when looking through the viewfinder. Looking past the darkness, you should
see that at F/11 the background elements got sharper (more focused). Now try a higher
F number, for example F22. You'll notice the higher the F number, the more that looks
focused when pressing the depth of field preview button.

How to focus for landscapes

How do I focus for landscape photography and what exactly does it mean when someone says
focus one third into the scene?
This is a question a beginner photographer asked me recently and to be honest its something
Id wrongly presumed everyone understood how to do.

When photographers shoot typical landscapes, they are generally wanting a wide angle image
with as much focus as possible from front to back. This is when they often set a large aperture
number, for example anywhere between f/11 and f/22, then focus one third into the scene
before taking the shot. Ok, now what does that mean exactly!
For starters you need to set your camera to a single focal point and know how to switch
between them. If you dont understand how to do this, I suggest reading your camera manual or
these tips on focal points.
To focus one third into the scene I look through my rear vision and choose one of the bottom
focal points. Similar to the example image below.

Note: For the focal points to light up you need to press your shutter button half way down.
Then you will be able to switch between points, choosing one that is roughly 1/3rd of the way
up from the bottom of an image.
The depth of field extends roughly from 1/3 in front to 2/3 behind the focus point when
shooting landscapes with this technique. Therefore in this example shown above, everything from
the sand in the foreground to the end of the wharf and horizon is in focus.

What would happen if I focused on the horizon?

If I were to focus on the horizon, the incoming wave in the foreground and the shine of the sand
would have appeared much softer and therefore not as sharp. Many photographers use this
technique to their advantage when photographing country sceneries for example and they want
foreground grass to appear blurred like the image shown below.

Remember, where you focus affects what areas of the landscape are seen in sharp focus, and
what areas are blurred. For wide angle landscapes use the rule of focusing 1/3rd into the scene
coupled with a high aperture f-number for sharp shots.

What does sharp focus really mean?

I recently had a beginner photographer say to me, when I look at my images in full size, the
trees on the mountains are never sharp, especially when I crop to the trees. What this
photographer meant was, the image isnt properly focused because there is no details seen in
the trees on the horizon. This is actually normal for DSLR cameras. They work very much like our
eyes. Details are much more apparent on nearer objects than those much further away in
distance.
Take the first photo on this page for example. With my own eyes I could see the ripples in the
sand, but not the details of the trees on the far mountains. Therefore dont expect your DSLR
camera to show details either when cropping the image to the trees. It doesnt mean the image
isnt sharply focused from front to back, it simply means just like your eyes, that is exactly how
the camera saw this particular landscape.

Best aperture setting for portraits

Here I share with you my aperture settings when photographing portraits. As a professional
photographer I have gained much knowledge over the years on what aperture settings are best
for specific situations.
Generally speaking when shooting portraits, photographers want to isolate the person and
nicely blur the background. Unless you are shooting a holiday snapshot, the background is
normally unimportant. Therefore thats what Ill focus on in this post.

Quick Formula Rules

If Im photographing one person I use the lowest aperture number my lens will allow, which is
normally f/2.8. Note, not all lenses go that low, but good portrait lenses do!

When photographing two or three people, I change my cameras aperture setting to f/4
Four or more people, I set f/5.6 aperture.
When photographing portraits, its important to make sure the people are sharp. Not
everyones eyes will be nice and sharp if you are setting up a group shot with an aperture of
f/2.8. Take this image below for example where Ive taken a shot of two people on the lowest
aperture my lens would go (f/2.8). Notice only one of the models faces are in sharp focus? This
is because the blond haired model tilted her head somewhat back further in distance than the
other. It wasnt long before I noticed my error and adjusted my aperture to f/4 using the rules
listed above.

Why not simply set a high aperture to start with?

The higher you set your aperture number, the more detail youll see in the photo. This isnt
always good for portrait photography. Wrinkles, pimples and other unwanted blemishes will
suddenly appear multiplied. The secret to being a great portrait photographer is to hide such
imperfections.
Personally I always aim for sharp eyes, but softness in other areas. Take this photo that I shot
of a teenage girl below for example.

For this image I set the lowest aperture my lens would allow. Notice her eyes are nice and
sharp, yet there is also softness seen in her right shoulder and shoulder blade. Sharp, yet soft
at the same time, with no harshness. The lower aperture number also knocked out the
background by creating a nice blur, isolating the subject. This particular portrait was taken mid
afternoon on a beach. We found a nice dark area with dense tree cover overhead. The
background was created from the darkness of shrubs seen further in from where the girl was
sitting.

Quick run down on those basic rules again

One person, use the lowest aperture setting your lens will allow.
Two or three people, set an aperture number f/4.
Four or more / group shots, set f/5.6 aperture.
Keep it simple and youll never have any problems photographing portraits!

How to shoot fast action shots

Here are my best tips for shooting fast action shots like the image of a go-cart racer shown
below. Dont let this photo fool you, this kid was flying! To capture images like this that seem
frozen in a split second, you need to understand the basics of shutter speed, aperture and
ISO. Manipulating any or all three settings, will allow you to shoot faster.

Beginners are always surprised when I say three sports photographers could all stand next to
each other capturing this shot and each would most likely choose different camera modes! That
is the advantage of using a DSLR camera. There are literally several techniques for capturing any
shot youve ever taken.
For example, to shoot faster you need to lower your aperture f-number, increase your ISO
number, or adjust both settings. This in turn will allow for a faster shutter speed. It is possible
to achieve this in any of the manual modes, whether it be aperture or shutter speed
priority, mode P (Programmed Auto) or fully manual.

How to shoot fast in aperture mode

To shoot fast in aperture mode firstly choose the lowest aperture f-number your lens will allow.
The lower the aperture f-number, the faster your camera will shoot. Take a few test shots. If you
find your camera is still shooting slower than your subject is moving, increase your ISO number
100 at a time until you find the perfect speed. For those who are unfamiliar with aperture mode,
we recommend reading this article: What is aperture mode.

How to shoot fast in shutter priority

Shutter priority allows you to choose the speed, then the camera automatically adjusts your
aperture to suit. The faster you set your shutter speed, the lower your camera will set the
aperture. However, there is a minimum aperture each lens can go. When its hit the lowest fnumber you then need to adjust the ISO setting or you may end up with an image that is too
dark. Some camera models adjust the ISO number automatically to suit the shutter speed,
others dont.
If for example, you have your camera set to shutter priority and youve chosen a fast 1/800th
of a second speed and you find the image is too dark, now is the time to increase the ISO
number 100 at a time until you are seeing a nice exposure.
Note, if you have no idea what shutter priority is, I recommend reading: How to use shutter
priority.

How to shoot fast in mode P (Programmed Auto)

Mode P on your digital camera allows you to set the ISO number and the camera sets both the
aperture and shutter speed automatically to suit. Hence all you need to worry about is setting a
fast ISO. The higher the ISO number, the faster your camera will shoot. Note also the higher
you set your ISO the more chances of seeing grain / noise in your image. Its important to
experiment with ISO settings to know how high you are willing to go, yet still be happy with the
image quality.
You can read more about ISO and program mode at: What is ISO on your digital camera.

How to shoot fast in manual mode

Manual mode allows you as the photographer to choose all three settings yourself. The camera
doesnt make any adjustments for you. I presume in this post that you already understand
manual mode. If not, I recommend reading: Manual mode camera settings.
Obviously in manual mode, your first priority for actions shots will be shutter speed.
Unfortunately no one can tell you what shutter speed to set because everyone will be shooting
different subjects. I usually set a shutter speed of 1/400th of a second to start with which is
fast enough for most subjects. If you are photographing a car or motorbike racing, then I
suggest starting with a speed of 1/1300 sec.
Once you have set a shutter speed, you need to choose which setting is more important ISO or
aperture. Personally I always look at my aperture setting first and set a low f-number. Look
through your rear vision, pressing the shutter button half way down to focus near your subject
and look along the exposure line. The next step is to adjust your ISO setting until the exposure
line has zeroed like the image shown below.

Now you are ready to shoot fast action shots in manual mode.

Other quick tips and camera settings to consider

Keep the switch on the side of your lens to AF (auto focus). There is no use making focusing any
harder than it should be.
Consider using continuous shooting (also called burst mode) so you can take several shots per
second, for as long as your finger is holding down the shutter button. In Continuous or Servo
modes, autofocus will keep tracking moving targets.
If your camera brand and model offers Dynamic Area AF mode (check your manual) then I
recommended trying it. Dynamic Area AF allows you to choose one AF point, but the camera will
also use nearby focal points if it detects the subject has moved. Dynamic Area AF is especially
useful for subjects that move erratically.

How to Photograph Animals

How do I photograph animals? This is often one of the first questions beginner photographers
want to know. Most people have pets or birds in their backyard, so there is no need to venture
too far from home to find a suitable animal to photograph. This makes animals one of the best
subjects a beginner can photograph while learning how to use their digital SLR camera.
Here are our best tips for photographing animals. Whether it be your family pet, animals at the
zoo, or animals in the wild, the technique for photographing them is basically the same.

What is the best lens for animal photography

You will definately want a telephoto zoom lens for photographing animals. You'll need to be able
to zoom in and out to suit the movement of the animal. Prime lenses (set focal length) may work
for pet photography, however you will need to physically move yourself in and out, which in my
experience only excites your pet, making it harder for you to photograph them.
If you are photographing a family pet, birds in your backyard, or animals at the zoo that are in
close distance to you, a lens that extendes from 70 to 300mm focal length is sufficient. My
favorite non professional lens is a Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM. It is super sharp and
great for travelling also as it's not too large nor too heavy when compared to the white L
models. A Nikon alternative might be the 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED IF AF-S VR Nikkor Zoom
Lens. Sigma and Tamron also build lenses within the 70-300mm length range.
It's important for beginners to understand that many animal photos they see online taken at
300mm focal length are usually cropped for online viewing. It's common for beginners to
become disappointed when their new telephoto zoom lens doesn't have as much reach as they
expected.

Take the two images below for example. The first is how I would crop it for online viewing and
printing. The second is the original image photographed at 300mm focal length. The second
photo is what you should realistically expect from a telephoto zoom lens if you are standing
roughly 50 meters from the subject.

While I was perfectly happy with my 300mm focal length lens, I decided a few years back to
upgrade it to a 400mm focal length. I found this more suitable for bird photography or zoo
shots where the animal may be a further distance from you. When I crop images taken with a
400mm focal length, the cropped size is much larger with nicer detail.
When photographing animals I now use a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM Telephoto
Zoom Lens. While my partner loves his Sigma 150-500mm f/5-6.3 AF Telephoto Zoom, he still

prefers the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 lens for travelling. Purely because its smaller and
lighter to carry.

Are extenders good for animal photography?

If you already own a shorter lens like a 200mm focal length, I definately recommend extenders.
However it is important to understand that photos shot with extenders are never as sharp as
those photographed without them. Therefore if you are going to use extenders, I recommend
purchasing professional lenses with matching brand extenders. This way you can be assured the
extender was created specifically for a high quality lens.
When buying extenders for animal photography, you also want to make sure it is compatible with
your lens autofocus system. Do your research. Don't automatically presume that if you own a
Canon lens that a Canon extender will be fully compatible. I found this out the hard way myself
years ago. The last thing you want is to be manually focussing on a moving animal.

Camera settings for animal photography

Personally I use two different camera settings when photographing animals. In short, if the animal
is stationary choose Aperture Priority. If the animal is moving, choose Shutter Priority.
If the animal is non moving, as in your family pet sleeping or a bird perched in a tree, I
recommend setting your camera to Aperture Priority. Aperture Priority is also my preference for
photographing animals at the zoo. Rarely are zoo animals moving around quickly. Aperture
Priority allows you to choose how much of the animal and its surroundings you want in sharp
focus.
I set my Aperture to f/8 when using a focal length of 400mm. This ensures the animals whole
face is in focus, from its nose or beak, back to its eyes. I find if I set a smaller f-number, more
often than not I'll have either the nose / beak or eyes in focus, but not both. Personally I like
both in focus when photographing animals.
When using a 300mm focal length lens, I set my Aperture to f/5.6. This usally has the same
effect as f/8 on a 400mm focal length that I mentioned in the paragraph above.

If the animal you are photographing is moving, for example a pet dog running or a flying bird,
then set your camera to Shutter Priority. Some beginner models may have a sports mode also
which will work similar to Shutter Priority.
Shutter Priority allows you to choose the speed your camera will take each shot. For pets I
recommend starting with 1/60th of a second shutter speed, take a few test shots, if your pet
looks blurred try a faster speed until you find the correct setting. For birds in flight and other
such animals, I recommend starting with 1/1000th of a second shutter speed.
When photographing animals keep your camera ISO settings to no more than 400 for beginner
models, or 800 for everyone else. This will ensure the animals eyes are nice and sharp.
Sometimes if you set a camera ISO higher than these settings, the animals eye may seem hazy.
Having said that, if you are photographing in low light situations you might need to increase the
camera ISO higher than 800. Sometimes it's best to photograph a grainy shot than not to get
it at all.

General tips for animal photography

Here are some general tips for animal photography apart from camera settings and lens choices
already mentioned.

When photographing animals I always look at the background before the subject. As soon
as you put your eye to the rear view finder, look past the main subject and at the
background instead.
The background seen in any image can make or break how a viewer perceives the photo.
In my experience, any photo has the potential to be great, if only the photographer took
more notice of the background elements.

Background problems to look out for are trees, branches, wires, or any objects that may
look as though they are cutting through the animals head or body. You want to try and
avoid those sorts of objects in your backgrounds. It can be as easy as simply shifting
your physical position. Instead of photograhing the animal head on, photograph it from
the side.

Experiment with different Picture Styles (check camera manual). I find Neutral Picture Style
is the best setting when photographing brown or earthy colored animals. If you shoot in
RAW image format, you can always change this setting in post processing. This is often
the best way to learn what Picture Style you personally like for each situation.
If you look at the two images below. The first was taken with Landscape Picture Style. I
find this style often adds an unnatural reddish color to animals. The second one
photographed with Neutral is more natural in colour.

Experiment with different metering modes. Changing your cameras metering mode can
result in more detail seen in the animals fur or feathers. I recommend reading another
post I wrote earlier on Spot Metering where I go into this in more detail.

How to photograph your pet dog

Families love photos of their kids and pets, preferrably together. One of the best pieces of
advice I was given by a professional pet photographer was to learn how to bark! Yes it will look
silly, but chances are the child will naturally laugh and the dog will look inquisitively directly at
you with its head tilted and one ear up in the air. It's a win win situation. Especially if you do it
while you are shooting. You need to capture that exact moment the dog notices you barking.
For maximum impact get down on the animals level, no top of the head shots. Unforunately this
means if you try the barking tip, also get ready to be bowled over by an excited family pet.

How to photograph animals at the zoo

My best tip for photographing animals at the zoo is to grab a brochure on what times
each animal will be fed. Turn up 15 minutes prior and you'll find it's also the time zoo
animals are most active. Captive animals are trained animals. They know what time of the
day they are going to be fed.

Zoo animals are also a lot like humans. Once they have had their daily feed they like to
curl up and sleep. This is not the best time to photograph animals at the zoo. 9/10 of my
best zoo photos were taken in the morning when animals are at their most active.

The best zoo photos are those where the animal is looking directly at the camera. I've
known zoo photographers to sit for days on the same animal until they get that perfect
eye to eye contact shot.

I love photographing baby animals at the zoo. It's the best time to capture quirky
awkward photos of animals. Photograph them close-up surrounded by family. Tightly
cropped shots of baby animals framed by their parents are always great sellers on
Microstock.

So there you have it, our best tips for animal photography. Listed below are other links you may
be interested in reading.

A beginner's guide to bird photography

Bird photography is no doubt one of the most popular genres amongst nature photographers.
I recently took a roadtrip, where I came across a lagoon full of wildlife. Hundreds of birds were
ducking and diving into the water to score themselves a feed of fish. Ah, the perfect place to
spend several hours at a time photographing birds. The bird image below is one of my favourites
from that trip.

Camera Gear For Bird Photography

1. Any Digital SLR Camera
Any DLSR camera, low or high end will allow you to capture birds. I'm a firm believer that
all cameras can take great photos. It's just the technique or skill required that will change
depending on your camera model. For example, a Canon 5D mark III or 7D model is faster
than Canon EOS 550D, or EOS 1100D. With the two faster models, a photographer can
capture more frames per second when using continuous shooting. With the slower
models, the photographer can still use continuous shooting, however it might take a little
more patience and time to get the shot they're after.
2. Best Camera Lens - 400mm focal length or higher
The most useful lens for bird photography is no doubt one that is 400mm or higher. In
the very least, a 200mm lens length coupled with a 2X extender would also be sufficient.
The bird image shown above was taken with a lens set at 400mm length, with the bird

flying roughly 7 meters away from me in distance. The image is cropped just slightly on
both sides.
Here is another example below, again with a 400mm lens length. This time the image is
uncropped. The bird is much smaller, sitting in a tree roughly 5 meters from where I was
positioned. The shot was also taken with a full frame camera. For those who don't own full
frame cameras, the bird will fill the frame a little more than seen in the image below.

Usually what I would do is crop the image so the bird fills the frame. However for this
example I wanted to show you the results from a 400mm focal length. As you can see,
any lens shorter than a 400mm will mean you'll need to do quite a lot of cropping to fill
the frame with the actual bird.
It's also important to note that the price of longer lenses are on the way down, with
some awesome photographs being seen from cheaper brands like the Sigma 150500mm f/5-6.3 AF APO DG OS HSM Telephoto Zoom Lens. The price of the Sigma
150-500mm lens is only $800 USD (sourced from Amazon).
In comparison, the Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens and
the Nikon 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED Autofocus VR Zoom Lens are approximately $1500
for 100mm less length than the Sigma. I recommend giving the Sigma a try, you won't be
dissapointed in both quality and price. If you're looking for examples of bird images taken
with this lens, check out the Sigma Flickr Group.
3. Post Processing Software
The three neccessities of any great bird photographer is gear, skill and software.
Software is after all, the modern dark room of yesteryear. I won't go into software too
much on this page as I already have a Photo Editing Software article where I list several

choices for free, low cost and professional options.

Personally I also enjoy using a couple of Photoshop plugins from Nik Software called
Define and Viveza. Define is useful for times when you need to increase your cameras ISO
(for faster shooting), as it helps post processing grainy images. Whereas Viveza works
similar to layers in Photoshop, only easier! It will allow you to selectively control light and
color in your bird images.

Best Digital SLR Camera Settings For Bird Photography

There are 4 basic settings to think about when shooting with a DSLR camera. First choose your
Exposure Mode, then set (or take note of) the Aperture, Shutter Speed (most important for
birds) and ISO.
The secret to great bird photography (especially those in flight) is to set a low Aperture F
number, coupled with the lowest ISO possible that still enables your camera to shoot at
1/1000th of a second minimum.

Exposure Modes
There are 3 popular Exposure Modes for bird photography, Aperture Priority (beginners),
Shutter Priority (mid - experienced) and Manual Mode (experienced photographers).
1. Aperture Priority - One of the easiest settings for beginners to start with is Aperture
Priority. When using Aperture Priority the following settings are recommended. Change
your ISO to 600, set a low Aperture F number (f/4.0 - f/5.6).
On a sunny day, these settings should result in your camera automatically shooting with a
shutter speed of 1/1000th of a second minimum. Fast enough to capture a bird in flight.
If you find your camera is shooting faster than 1/1000th of a second, then you can set a
lower ISO number (for example ISO 200) which will result in better image quality.
2. Shutter Priority - Shutter Priority is my personal favourite for bird photography. When
using Shutter Priority the following settings are recommended. Change your ISO to 600
(for starters), set your shutter speed to 1/1000th of a second. After you've taken a few
shots, have a look at what Aperture F number your camera is automatically shooting with.

If it is a higher F number than say 6.3, then it's ok to lower your ISO number for better
image quality.
3. Manual Mode - For those choosing Manual Mode, I'll presume you know your camera well,
and repeat what I said in the introduction of this section:

Set a low Aperture F number, coupled with the lowest ISO possible that still enables your
camera to shoot at 1/1000th of a second minimum.
Shutter Speed
Shutter speed is your best friend when it comes to photographing birds in flight or on the
move. Birds move fast! Memorable nature shots are often photographs of birds hovering or
flying. To capture a bird in motion, you will need to set a camera speed of at least 1/1000th of
a second. That is usually my starting point, then I'll view the cameras rear LCD screen and adjust
to a faster speed if needed.

The image above of a heron landing in the water was taken with a shutter speed of 1/1000th of
a second. You can view it in larger detail over on my 500px account
(http://500px.com/TanyaPuntti).

Aperture Settings
Personally I find the best Aperture setting for photographing birds in flight is f/5.6. I always
make this my starting point. On a nice sunny day, setting your camera to Aperture Priority and
shooting with f/5.6 should result in a shutter speed of 1/1000th of a second or faster.
Setting a low Aperture F number also results in a bird that stands out from the background
(highly recommended).

If on the otherhand you want a nature photo of a bird and its surroundings, then I recommend
using a higher Aperture F number. For example f/7 or higher. Remember the higher you go, the
more natural light you need to keep that shutter speed nice and fast. In otherwords, you need a
good sunny day!

The image of a bird landing with a fish in its beak was taken with a higher Aperture F number of
f/11. Hence the bird is competing with the background for attention. Later on during post
processing, I wished I'd set a lower Aperture setting to help make the bird stand out on its own
against a more blurred background.

ISO Settings
As for ISO, again the secret is to choose the lowest ISO F number possible that will still allow
you to shoot at 1/1000th of a second. I recommend no higher than 800 if you own a low end /
beginner camera model. If you own a middle - high end range camera, then you should still see
good results from an ISO of 1600.
Why no higher than ISO 800 and ISO 1600? The higher you go, the more grain you will see in
your images when you look at them on the computer.

Other useful camera settings for photographing birds

Drive Mode (refer to camera manual)
Always change your cameras Drive Mode to continuous. What this does is ensure your camera
keeps shooting one exposure after another while you have your finger on the shutter button.
Yes, this also means you'll end up with hundreds of bird images. However you can always delete
the bad ones later on in post processing. Taking several shots of a bird flying past gives you a
better chance of getting an awesome shot when compared to only taking one shot at a time.

AF Mode / Autofocus Mode (refer to camera manual)

It's recommended that you use AI Servo if you own a Canon DSLR, Continuous AF for Nikon
users, or the equivalent of for other camera brands. Setting these AF Modes will ensure that
the camera automatically keeps tracking and focussing on the moving bird for as long as it's
within the AF frame.

AF Point Selection / Autofocus Point Selection (refer to camera manual)

One thing I can tell you for sure, there is no time to think about composing a shot when it
comes to bird photography. Therefore it's easier to simply set your AF Point Selection to
'center'.

AF Point Expansion (Canon) or Dynamic AF-Area Mode (Nikon)

If you own a mid to high end camera, setting AF Point Expansion (Canon DSLRs) or Dynamic AFArea Mode (Nikon DSLRs) makes bird photography much easier by allowing the photographer to
expand their Auto Focus Points and include a group of focal points. This setting is effective
when it's difficult to track a moving bird with just one AF Point.

Metering Mode
Use Evaluative metering mode if you own a Canon DSLR, or Matrix for Nikon DSLRs. Evaluative
and Matrix are the default metering modes for most models and they work well with bird
photography. These modes allow the camera to automatically set the set the exposure to suit
the scene.
The only time I'd recommend changing it, is in extreme situations where you might be seeing
detail lost when the background effects the exposure and the bird looks over or under exposed.
Only in these cases, is it recommended that photographers change the mode to 'Spot'
metering.

Turning Bird Photographs Into Fine Art

I'll end this article with the photo I began with, only this time I've removed the background so
the vivid blue bird stands out on its own against a pure white background. Perfect for printing
out on fine art paper and hanging on a wall.

How to photograph people jumping

Photographing sharp images of people jumping isnt as hard as it seems if you follow these few
simple rules. In this tutorial Ill show you my best tips for capturing jumps without the use of a
flash.
Here is an example image shown below that I photographed a couple of months back of a friend
jumping on a local beach. The only editing Ive done is to crop the image for internet viewing. It
really was this sharp straight out of the camera. Several were so sharp they almost looked
superimposed!

So how did I take this shot? Firstly I sat on the ground so the jump seems much higher that it
actually was. Your model will thank you for it later on.

Camera settings for one person jumps

When photographing one person jumping, I always set my DSLR camera to shutter priority. This
allows me to concentrate on the speed of the shot and the camera adjusts other settings to
suit. The shutter speed is the most important setting for capturing the person nice and sharp. I
find a speed of 1/400th of a second works every time.

Camera settings for groups of people jumping

When photographing two or more people jumping, I use aperture priority, yet still keep my
attention on the shutter speed. Why aperture priority? There is no use photographing a group
of jumpers if only one person is sharply focused. Hence I set my aperture to f/5.6 following the
rules on aperture settings for portraits.

Here is my technique for groups

Set your camera to aperture priority and choose an aperture of f/5.6. Before the group starts
jumping, press your shutter button half way down while looking through the viewfinder and youll
notice camera settings listed along the edges of the screen light up. Take note especially of
the shutter speed. If the shutter speed is 1/400th of a second or faster then you are ready to
shoot. If not, up your ISO to a higher number. Personally I increase my ISO by 100 at a time
and try again, adjusting from there until the shutter speed is showing as 1/400th of a second
minimum.

Auto Focus
Keep the focal switch on the side of your lens on AF. Obviously you wont have time to manually
focus.

Focal Points
Personally I like to set a middle single focal point. This set up will ensure you can easily find the
focal point and focus on the person as they start their jump. If you are not sure what I mean by
focal points, then read this article on how to focus DSLR cameras.

Continuous Shooting
I set my camera to continuous shooting, also called burst mode on some DSLR
cameras. Continuous shooting will allow you to take several shots or more per second. Your
camera will keep shooting, as long as your finger holds down the shutter button. Note, cameras
do limit how many you can take in any one burst until it needs to clear its cache. So if you hold
your finger down on the shutter and it suddenly stops shooting, this is perfectly normal. That is
your camera telling you it needs to catch up!

Pre-focusing
If the person is jumping up and down in the same spot, what you can do is pre-focus before
they leap. Its important that they dont change their distance from you when they jump. i.e
dont jump forward or back. For these types of shots, I sometimes press my shutter button half
way down to pre-focus, then ask them to jump as I press the rest of the shutter and take
several burst shots.

Should you move the camera up and down with the jumper?
Until you perfect the technique its best to keep your camera steady in one place. Therefore
dont zoom in too far that you cut the persons head off when they are at the top of their jump.
Once you have perfected these camera settings and technique, you can then try panning up and
down with the person to show motion in the background.

How to photograph moving objects

Ok so you've grasped the idea of how to take a good photo with your digital SLR camera, and
now want to know how to photograph moving objects. Whether you are photographing an object
such as moving water or a car driving past you, or a subject as in a person, child or animal, the
camera technique and settings are basically the same.
The main camera setting you need to take notice of when shooting moving objects is the shutter
speed. This is best done by putting your camera on shutter priority and looking through your
rear viewfinder, pressing your shutter button half way down, then look along the edges of the
inner screen for a number that resembles either a fraction such as 1/125 (maybe not that
exactly but a fraction nethertheless) or for more recent cameras just a plain number like 125
that changes when you turn the main dial. If you see a plain number then that number in reality
refers to a fraction, so for example 125 refers to 1/125th of a second etc. If you are a
beginner and are unsure how to change your cameras shutter speed, then I recommend looking
in your trusty camera manual ;)
It's important to understand that when it comes to photographing moving subjects every
situation is unique. No one can tell you exactly what shutter speed to use. However there are
guidelines as to what speeds you should start with, then change it up or down from there
depending on the result. Here is what I've found from personal experience with different
subjects.

How to photograph moving water

When photographing water and I want to slow down the movement I always start with a shutter
speed of 1/8th of a second. I'll take a few test shots, look at the results then slow down from
there, trying 1/4, 1/2 and so forth until I see the result I'm after.
The reason why it's a matter of experimentation is because no two situations will have the exact
same available light. For instance you could have a similar scene to my forest above, however
your lighting situation could be sunnier or darker than when I shot this image with a shutter
speed of 80 full seconds. As I said, start with 1/8th of a second then adjust your settings from
there.

If on the otherhand you want to freeze motion like this water drop below, then I recommend
starting with a much faster shutter speed of 1/160th of a second, check the results then
change it to a faster fraction if needed. For this image below I ended up being happy with
1/200th of a second. Not as fast as you'd think.

How to photograph moving people

Now lets move on to people. When photographing moving people I recommend starting at
1/125th of a second for walkers if you want to capture them in sharp focus. If on the otherhand
the aim is to blur the person walking then set a slower shutter speed starting your experiment
with 1/30 second.

If you are photographing a marathon or people running and you want to capture the person in
sharp focus, then begin with a shutter speed of 1/ 250 sec and adjust from there. To blur a
running person start with 1/60th of a second. Use similar camera settings when photographing
children on the move.

How to photograph a moving car

To capture a racing car in sharp focus start with 1/1300 sec. Chances are though you'll want to
show movement when photographing a moving car. To blur a moving car travelling at 30 mph set
a shutter speed of 1/125th of a second. If the car is travelling at 70 mph then setting a speed
of 1/250th of a second will result in moderate movement or blur.
You may also be interested in this post: How to photograph car light trails.
However the best car action shots usually incorportate a photography technique called panning
which we'll discuss next.

Shutter speed settings for panning

Panning is another way to show intentional movement. Panning with the moving object will result
in background blur while the object itself stays in sharp focus. For panning I recommend starting
with 1/60th of a second shutter speed. If you are a beginner I don't recommend going any
slower than 1/60th of a second. Panning at 1/60th of a second is much easier than panning at a
slower speed of 1/4th of a second.
As you can see by the image below 1/60 second is a perfect camera setting for panning with a
horse. Note, when you pan with a horse, you'll still see movement in the animals legs or the
jockies up and down movement.

If you want to blur the actual horse, set 1/30th sec for a trotting horse or 1/125 sec for a
galloping horse. If you want to photograph a moving horse in sharp focus, set 1/800 sec.
There you have it, all I know about photographing moving objects. Remember to experiment with
both fast and slow shutter speeds, or try a bit of panning. But most of all have fun with your
photography.

Chistmas light photography

Here are some useful tips for photographing Chistmas house lights at night time.
The end of the year when all the Christmas light decorations go up in the street, is a wonderful
time for getting out your digital SLR camera and doing night photography.
With Christmas lights flashing and people randomly walking around the decorations, it's important
not to set a too slow of a shutter speed. The last thing you want is a decoration or person
seen in your photograph as a slow motion blur. To get around this, you need to keep a low
aperture and higher than normal ISO.

Recommended SLR camera settings for Christmas lights at night

Use either a macro or an all purpose wide angle lens. A macro is useful if you want to
seclude any one ornament or decoration. Where as a wide angle lens is great if you want
to get the whole house into the picture.

It's also a good idea to use a tripod, as the shutter speed will be too slow for sharp
hand held shots.

Set your camera on manual mode with a low as possible aperture f number. For example
anywhere between f/2.8 to f/4.6 will be sufficient.

For starters set the ISO to 400. Depending on how dark you want the images to be,
you can adjust this later on. It's never recommend going higher than 800 however, due
to loss of photo quality the higher the ISO.

There are two ways to adjust the shutter speed. Firstly, you can focus the camera at
part of the house that isn't too dark or too light and adjust the exposure. If you're not
sure what I mean by exposure we have a tutorial on it at: How to use manual mode. If you
like a darker photograph, then underexpose the settings by around 2 or 3 stops.
Or you can take a bit of a punt and initially set the shutter speed to around 1/50th of a
second, then adjust it give and take from there. If the photograph seems too dark for
your liking, then choose a slower speed (up to say 1/25th of a second). If it's too light
then choose a faster speed. As the night gets darker and light changes you may need to
adjust this.

Example of Christmas lights taken at night time

Digital SLR Camera: Nikon D40

DSLR Lens: AF-S DX Zoom Nikor 18-55mm F/3.5- 5.6 G ED II (kit lens)
Exposure (shutter speed): 0.4 sec (2/5)
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 31mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Program: manual
Digital SLR Camera settings for photographing Christmas lights
This shot was taken with the camera sitting on a tripod. This helped to avoid blurring due to
camera shake. The lowest aperture for this particular lens was f/4.5. The photographer chose an
ISO of 200 so he could retain high photo quality and he exposed the shot evenly at 2/5th of a
second.

Another example of Christmas house lights

Digital SLR Camera: Canon 400D

DSLR Lens: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Exposure (shutter speed): 1/8th of a second
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 100mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Program: manual
DSLR Camera settings explained
Again, the camera was on a tripod. However this time, a macro lens was used with the lowest
aperture f number for the macro set at f/2.8.

Another useful setting for photographing Christmas lights at night

Put your camera on aperture priority and set the lowest f number your lens will allow, for
example f/2.8 up to f/4.6. Again, it's a good idea to use a tripod.
When using aperture priority, make sure automatic ISO is turned off. You do want to choose this
setting yourself, so you can keep it to around 400 ISO.

Sunset Photography Tips - How to photograph the perfect sunset

Every digital SLR photographer at some time, wants to capture the perfect sunset. However, as
many find out, depending on your digital camera settings and from what part of the sky you take
the exposure from, results can greatly vary.
1. Before you even start thinking about where you take the exposure from, firstly you need to
do your homework. For instance, know where the sun is going set. With this knowledge in mind,
arrive early and have a good look around for the best position. Think about how you're going to
frame your shot. Is there a tree you can position within the composition to act as a silhouette
to help give the photo more interest? You don't want to clutter the picture, so look for a tree
that has clearly defined lines.
2. After you have your composition thought out, the next thing to think about is the exposure. If
you're not sure what I mean by exposure we have a beginners article on Exposure Compensation
Tips. When it comes to sunsets, there is no correct exposure. It really depends on the type of
shot you want to achieve. Two people can photograph the same sunset at the exact same time
and end up with completely different, yet effective results.
The main advice I can give to those after exposure tips, is to take the exposure from the
colored part of the sky on either side of the sun. Some photographers like to underexpose it by
one or two stops so the overall image ends up with a darker look to it. Experimentation is the
key here. What part of the sky you take the exposure from, and whether you underexpose the
shot or not, will result in different colors seen within the sky.

Sunset

Digital SLR Camera: Nikon D40

DSLR Lens: AF-S DX Zoom Nikor 18-55mm F/3.5- 5.6 G ED II (kit lens)
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/640)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 35mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Program: manual

Why this image worked

For starters the composition of this sunset was well thought out. The photographer has arrived
early and had a good look around for the best position. He knew where the sun was going to
set and waited for a night where the tide was in so he could get the reflection over the water.
Notice he's also framed the scene nicely with the tree on the left.
The exposure for this sunset was taken on the sky to the right of the sun, then he's
underexposed it by two stops. The photographer suggests taking three separate shots to
begin with. One exposed evenly, then another one stop under and a third 2 stops
underexposed. Then look back at them on your LCD screen and see which gives the nicer effect.
In most cases, he keeps the sunset that is 2 stops underexposed.

Other tips for sunset photography

Use a tripod and remote release. The darker it gets, the slower the shutter speed,
making it impossible to hand hold your digital SLR camera without shake.

Like any landscape, you will want much of the scenery to be in sharp focus. Therefore set
your camera's aperture to around f/8 - f/11. Each will effect the resulting color, so be
sure to check your camera's LCD screen after taking the first shot.

As it gets darker, you might find your lens swims a lot if you have the automatic focus
(AF) turned on. If this happens, it's best to turn off automatic focus and do it manually, by
looking through the viewfinder and turning the focal ring on the lens until everything looks
sharp.

Shoot the images in both jpg and RAW. Then you can open the RAW image later on in an
editor like Photoshop and change the white balance to see which gives the best results.
Personally I've found cloudy or shade white balance settings gives a warmer golden tone
to the sunset.

Quick and useful tips for beach photography

How to take good photo's of beautiful beaches
1. The time of day can make a huge difference when it comes to taking interesting beach shots.
As you can see below, early morning as the sun rises, or late in the afternoon as the sun goes
down, can make some really interesting shadows along the beach.

Shadows on the beach

Digital SLR Camera: Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi

DSLR Lens: Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Exposure: 1/200th of a second
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 17mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Program: manual
Why this image worked
Not long after I purchased my digital SLR camera, I realised that the afternoon sun can make
some fantastic beach photographs, with the shadows of the tree's speading themselves across
the sand. Also, as you can see in the image above, the shadows in the wet area's of the sand,
as well as the footprints, are darker than they would have been if the photo was taken a couple
of hours earlier.

2. Photographers who shoot beach landscapes in automatic mode, soon become frustrated with
their photographs looking too under exposed. This is due to them setting their camera's
exposure on the white sand, which in many cases will result in an off white or grey color. Some
photographers set up their shot as normal then over expose by one or two stops before taking
the photo. This compensates for the under exposure.
Other photographers make good use of their camera's bracketing feature (check manual). What
the bracketing feature does, is that it takes 3 images in different exposures. Then you can
choose the one that looks the best. If you have a camera like the Nikon D40 that doesn't offer a
bracketing setting, then you can do this exposure compensation manually.
Another trick I use myself, is to expose on the reflection of the waters edge. Then take a photo
of the sand. This tends to make a nicer sandy color as seen in the example of footprints and
shadows above.
3. As with any landscape photograph, it's also important to watch your horizons when taking
beach shots. More often than not, a crooked horizon in a landscape will anoying the day lights
out of most viewers. If you find you've photograph the perfect shot, yet have a crooked horizon,
it is easy to straighten if you own Photoshop CS2 or above. We have a tutorial for straightening
horizons.

Slow motion ocean

Digital SLR Camera: Nikon D40

DSLR Lens: AF-S DX Zoom Nikor 18-55mm F/3.5- 5.6 G ED II (kit lens)
Exposure: 0.333 sec (1/3)
Aperture: f/29
Focal Length: 55mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Program: manual

Why this image worked

The photographer was careful to shoot a straight horizon. If it were crooked, it wouldn't matter
how perfect the slow motion of the water was, it would be the uneven horizon that would take
the viewers eye first.
4. Use a polarizing filter. Many professional beach photographers swear by polarizing filters.
Polarizing filters will make the sky and ocean photograph bluer than it normally would. Usually
darker blue.
5. If your photographing people at the beach, experiment with using your camera's onboard
flash. Often when the day is very bright, it will enhance shadows across people's faces. I
recently read in a photography magazine that using flash (even in daylight) will help to eliminate
unwanted shadows on a persons face or under the eye area.
6. Look for higher ground from which to photograph beach shots. Another way to create an
interesting beach landscape is to photograph it from a higher point. In other words, photograph
it from a perspective that isn't always seen by those visiting.

Slade Point Lookout, QLD Australia

Digital SLR Camera: Canon 400D

DSLR Lens: Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 61mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Program: manual

Why this image worked

Shooting this beach landscape from a higher viewpoint, helps show a different viewpoint than
would otherwise have been seen.
7. Look for and photograph reflections seen in the waters edge. Reflections can often make a
beach shot interesting. You will be amazed at how many reflections there are on the waters
edge when you're keeping an eye out for them. People, animals and nearby tree's are some that
are often seen.

Beach Reflections

Digital SLR Camera: Canon 400D

DSLR Lens: Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Exposure: 1/250
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 17mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Program: manual
Why this image worked
Focusing on reflections seen on the beach will create extra interest every time.

Composition tips for photographing landscapes

One of the most important aspects to take into account when photographing landscapes, is
where to place the horizon. The position of a horizon within a photo's composition, can make a
huge difference between seeing a good or bad result. Before you position a horizon, you need
to think about what it is you are taking a photograph of. Ask yourself whether it was the ground
or the sky, that first took your eye.
For example, if it was water reflections on a beach that first took your eye, then make sure the
ground area makes up 2/3 of your photo, placing the horizon within the top third of the image.
On the otherhand, if it was a beautiful cloud formation in the sky that made you want to
photograph the landscape, then place the horizon within the bottom third of the image, so the
sky takes up the top two thirds of the image. A mistake many amateur's make, is that they cut
the landscape in half by placing the horizon dead centre in the middle of the frame. At first, this
would confuse a viewer, as it wouldn't be clear what it is they are meant to be looking at. Is it
the sky, or the ground area you are showing them?

Photographing the sky

Digital SLR Camera: Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi

DSLR Lens: Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Exposure: 0.04 sec (1/25)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 17 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Program: manual

Why this image worked

When I went to the beach on this particular evening, it was the sky with it's beautiful cloud
formations that enticed me to take the photograph. Therefore, I placed the horizon line along
the bottom 1/3 of the frame so that the sky would take up the top 2/3's.

Positioning the horizon

Digital SLR Camera: Nikon D40

DSLR Lens: AF-S DX Zoom Nikor 18-55mm F/3.5- 5.6 G ED II (kit lens)
Exposure: 0.333 sec (1/3)
Aperture: f/29
Focal Length: 55 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Program: manual
Why this image worked
Considering in this case, it was the foreground of the beach and the crashing waves that was
being photographed, the horizon line was positioned on the top 1/3 of the frame.

Good reasons why photographers should use a lens hood

Apart from making your equipment seem larger and getting you more attention from non SLR
photographers, lens hoods do have a real purpose. From a technical viewpoint, lens hoods were
invented to reduce flares that occur when photographing outside in daylight. For example,
anyone who has tried to photograph a sunset will at some time, have also noticed their fair
share of flares.
However, it also serves to protect your lens
against knocks and falls, which can save you a
ton of money having to replace it. I learned this
the hard way recently when I fell over while
viewing my LCD screen when on the move. Yes,
walking and viewing your digital camera's LCD
screen at the same time isn't a good idea.
Those pot holes and cracks in the path just
seem to jump out in front of you at the worst
possible times.
When first starting out in digital SLR
photography, it's also easy to forget that you
have a lens that sticks out quite a bit further
than the camera's body. I can't count the amount of times I ran into the objects I was
photographing with the glass of the lens in the first 6 months or so of using a macro lens.
Having a lens hood now protects my glass from these types of knocks.
OK, now you know I'm a klutz, I've recently found another reason why photographers should use
lens hoods. This week while taking photographs down at the local botanical gardens, it started
to softly rain. Looking back on my LCD screen (while standing still), I noticed little drops on the
images caused by water that had fallen on my lens glass. After wiping the glass and attaching
the lens hood, no such spots occured. Of course no hood is going to protect the lens in heavy
rain with windy conditions. However, it will help protect it against light or misty rain and snow.

Wildlife and animal photography tips

The rules for photographing wildlife and animals aren't that different to photographing people.
The mistake many amateur photographers make is to aim their cameras focal point directly at the
animals body. Professional wildlife photographers however, set their focus on the animals eyes.
If the eyes are not in focus then the whole image will lose its impact. Take the image below for
example. It's obvious that the eye is not the main focal point, therefore creating a very average
feel to the overall photograph.

Now compare the first example with the image below of a wild bush turkey.

Wildlife

Digital SLR Camera: Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi

DSLR Lens: Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Exposure: 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture: f/6.3
Focal Length: 300 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Program: manual
What makes this wildlife animal shot work
What gives this photograph more impact than the first example, is that the turkey's eye is the
main focal point, making the eye very sharp. If I had aimed at the animals body, they eye would
have had that unsharp glossy look to it, similar to the first example.
When photographing wildlife, more often than not, the animal will be on the move. It won't matter
if the body is partly blurred, as long as the eyes are sharp as a tack. So next time you're out
photographing animals, instead of pointing the camera's focal point at the body, aim it at the
eyes instead. You're sure to notice a huge difference in the results.

How to photograph macros and closeups with a DSLR zoom lens

If you don't have a DSLR macro lens to photograph insects and flowers with, then the next best
alternative is a zoom lens. There are many advantages to using a zoom lens for macros and
closeups including:

You don't need to be close to the subject. This is important for timid insects that may be
frightened off easily.

If your shooting flower macros / closeups, a zoom lens will allow you to fully fill the frame.

Using the smallest aperture your zoom lens allows, for example f/5.6 or lower, will blur
the background nicely, isolating the main subject. Give this one a try with your digital
camera set on aperture priority (mode dial on A) to see the nice background effects you
can achieve.

Zoom Lens Macro / Closeup

Digital SLR Camera: Nikon D40

DSLR Lens: AF-S Nikkor 55-200mm 1:4-5.6 G ED
Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/400)
Aperture: f/4.2
Focal Length: 72 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Program: manual
How this macro was taken
This photograph of a dragonfly was taken with a Nikkor 55-200mm zoom lens. The aperture was
kept to a low f number f/4.2, which resulted in a nicely blurred background. Thus leaving the main
subject as the focal point of the image. Considering the zoom lens in this case wasn't fully
zoomed out to it's fullest, the blured background effect is still seen.

Bokeh and DOF (depth of field) tips for photographers

Here are some great tips for using bokeh and DOF (depth of field) within a photographs
composition.
Note, sometimes 'bokeh' will also be spelt as 'brokeh' by those not fully familiar with the term.
'Bokeh' is what you can achieve with a prime lens. While 'Brokeh', on the other hand, is what your
wallet looks like when you buy that expensive lens! (Get it ... the lens costs so much, you're
broke eh?) Ok, I'm not that good at jokes :)

What is bokeh and DOF?

Depth of field (DOF), refers to the area of an image that is in focus. You have most likely seen
images where the main subject is in focus, while the background is out of focus or totally blured.
The area that covers the focused area is the DOF (depth of field). Bokeh on the other hand,
refers to the appearance of the light that is seen within the blured part of the photograph.
Bokeh and DOF are important to consider for photographs when you need the main subject to
stand out on its own and not be lost in background distractions.

Isn't Bokeh and DOF the same thing?

No, bokeh and depth of field is not the same thing, although they do work together.

DOF is seen in a photograph where there is an obvious focus area, set against a blured
background or foreground.

Bokeh on the otherhand, refers to how your camera lens renders the light that is seen
within the blured parts of the image. Sometimes this can be soft or harsh circular shapes,
or look like hexagons, depending on your lens design and aperture settings.

Digital SLR Camera settings for bokeh and DOF

Important steps to achieving blurred backgrounds with good bokeh in most circumstances, is to
have:

start with a low aperture or f number as it's also known (see examples below)

if you're using a telephoto lens, zoom it out to the longest length

move in so your physically as close to the subject as your lens will allow you to be, yet
still focus properly

photograph subjects where the background objects aren't too close behind

light of some sort, whether it be sunlight steaming through branches or street lights
when doing a night portrait, will be helpful when shooting bokeh

Numerous examples of bokeh / DOF within photographs and explanations on how each was
achieved

Jade Vine

Digital SLR Camera: Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi

DSLR Lens: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/640)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 100 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Program: manual
Why the bokeh / DOF in this image worked
For starters, the aperture was kept to a low F number of f/5.6. Anyone who has seen a Jade
Vine, will know that the flowers are tightly packed together. I was fortunate enough to have
found one that had fallen to the ground. I picked the flower up and held it facing towards the
main bunch when I took the shot, so that the colors could serve as a complementary background
for my main subject. It was also important not to be physically positioned too close to the main
bunch. The further away from them, the better the bokeh effect. The background color is from
the green part of the vine, where the blue is a result of light mixed with blue sky as seen
through the vine.
It's also important to note the softer circular shape of the blured parts seen in the background.
Whether or not your own bokeh will look this soft, may depend on the actual lens design. Each
lens will render light differently. Take the next image below for an example, the photographer
used the same aperture of f/5.6, yet the bokeh doesn't appear as smooth. Having said that, it
still makes an interesting effect.

Example of insect with circular bokeh

Digital SLR Camera: Nikon D40

DSLR Lens: AF-S DX Zoom Nikor 18-55mm F/3.5- 5.6 G ED II (kit lens)
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 55 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Program: manual
Why the bokeh / DOF in this image worked
As mentioned earier, the shape of the bokeh also depends on the lens design. Some DSLR
lenses are considered to result in a nicer bokeh than others. Usually the more expensive the
lens, the nicer the bokeh. However, in most cases if you shoot the photograph so you're aiming
towards some kind of light, then it will result in some form of circular bokeh like in the example
above. In this case, there was sunlight shining through the leaves of the tree. This sunlight
resulted in a circular bokeh. The blue color is caused from the blue sky above.

Macro and close up tips for photographing insects such as bees and butterflies
Like most digital SLR photographers, some of the first things I wanted to photograph after
purchasing my Canon macro lens , was bee's and butterflies. After much frustration and
thousands of shots later, I finally realised the trick to photographing flying insects, wasn't to
focus on the actual insect, but rather where you know it is most likely to land next.
Take this photograph of a bee below for example. At first, I was quickly following the bee around
trying to focus and snap a photo before it moved again. This particlular bee was quite a busy
fellow and moved around a lot. After viewing hundreds of pictures on my digital cameras LCD
screen, I realised they were all blured and I didn't have one focused image. It was then, I sat
quietly and watched the bee to see what flower it liked to feed from the most. I then put my
camera on a tripod and focused on that one flower. It wasn't long before the bee landed on the
flower and I was able to use my remote release to fire off a few well focused images.

Photograph Of A Bee

Digital SLR Camera: Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi

DSLR Lens: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro
Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 100 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Program: manual

Why this image worked

I focused the digital SLR camera on the flower instead of following the bee around like a crazy
photographer. The exposure (shutter speed) also has to be fast enough to capture any slight
movement of the flying insect.
In this case, a shutter speed of 1/200 was sufficient enough to capture the bee effectively.
Furhermore, an aperture of f/4.5 created a nice depth of field (blurring of the background) that
excluded any unnecessary objects behind the bee and the flower from appearing in the
photograph.

Macro butterfly feeding on polon

Digital SLR Camera: Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi

DSLR Lens: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro
Exposure: 0.003 sec (1/320)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 100 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Program: manual
Why this image worked
Again, I focused digital SLR camera on the flower and not on the actual butterfly. In this case, I
was lucky to be taking photographs of butterflies when there were literally hundreds of them
flying around. Therefore, I was able to easily focus my digital camera on a flower that was
getting a lot of attention, so my chances of capturing one landing was high. As with the first
example of the bee, this shot also required a fast exposure (shutter speed) of 1/320 of a
second and a relatively low aperture number of f/5.6 to blur any background elements.

How to photograph vivid colors with your digital SLR camera

I recently read in a photography magazine that bold vivid colors will win out every time against a
well focused, yet dull image. Being the inquisitive photographer I am, I thought I'd test this
theory out. Firstly with my Canon digital SLR camera in hand, I headed off to the local Botanical
Gardens to photograph a vividly colored flower.
Technically speaking, I didn't want a perfect flower macro. Rather I took the image quite
haphazardly. You'll notice in the photograph below that the yellow flower certainly is bold in
color, however from a photographers viewpoint, it's not the most focused image.

Photograph Of Bright Yellow Flower

The photograph was an instant hit with fellow photographers. Even though the photo wasn't
technically the best image, the bold yellow color certainly drew much attention. My guess now,
is that if you combine a well focused image + bold vivid colors, then you'll have yourself a
winning combination.

How to photograph awesome vivid colors

Method 1: The number one tip I can give for achieving vivid colors in photography, is to focus
on something green, then underexpose by 2/3rds before taking the shot. This tip alone,
changed my digital SLR photography ten fold. You won't photograph vivid colors unless you first
have the exposure right. I won't go into detail on this page, as I've already written about the
technical side of doing so over at: Photography Tip For Exposure.
Method 2: Another way to get vivid colors in photography is to tweak a couple of manual
settings on your digital SLR camera called 'Saturation'. This is a well known technique used by
experienced photographers. Unfortunately, it's also one that's overlooked or never realized by
many beginners first starting out with DSLR cameras.

Digital SLR cameras allow photographers to manually change the default color saturation of
images. Setting the color saturation to a higher number will result in awesome vivid colors. It
doesn't matter what DSLR camera you shoot with, whether its Canon, Nikon, Sony etc, they all
have a 'Saturation' camera adjustment. The easiest way to find it, is by doing a quick Google
search for your specific camera, or looking in the user manual, as all brands and versions are
different.
Listed below are a few cameras I am familiar with myself through experience.

How to change color saturation on a Canon Digital SLR camera

Follow these steps to change the color saturation on a Canon DSLR camera. I own 4 Canon SLR
cameras (Canon 7D, Canon 5D, Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 400D) and they are all basically the
same process.

Press the 'Menu' button on the back of your camera, then scroll through to one called
'Picture Style'. You'll notice 6 default picture styles (Landscape, Neutral, Portrait etc) and
3 User Defined.

With a style selected, press the 'INFO' button. From there you can UP the Saturation
level.
Personally, I do this for one of the three user Defined styles. Then when I want to
photograph in more vivid color, I use the corresponding Defined style ie C1, C2 or C3
seen on the top camera dial, next to M, AV, TV, P etc.

How to change color saturation on a Nikon Digital SLR camera

This is how you change the color saturation on a Nikon DSLR camera. First start off by pressing
a button on your camera called 'MENU', then follow the steps below.

To increase color saturation in Nikon D3000, D3100, D5000, D90, D300, D300s,
D700, D7000, D3 and D3X, look through your cameras menu for an item called 'Picture
Controls'. To find this, press your MENU button, then scroll to the camera icon, and you'll
see one called 'Set Picture Control'. Choose VI for vivid colors. All Nikon cameras built
after 2007 has this menu item.

For earlier models like Nikon D40, look for a menu item called 'Optimize Image'. From
there you will be able to choose a setting called VI, meaning more vivid colors.

There you have it, now you can shoot awesome photographs in vivid color.

How to photograph flowers in windy conditions

Close to where I live is a local botanical garden, always full of colorful flowers in full bloom. As
you can imagine, it's a wonderful place for flower photographers to spend the day.
I was recently chatting to a nature photographer there who happened to be cursing the windy
conditions. I noticed his camera was sitting on a tripod and he seemed to be trying to block the
wind out with his body, waiting for what seemed like forever for the wind to calm down a little
so he could take his shot. Seeing his frustration, I asked him what camera settings he was using.
'Manual of course' he remarked. It had never occured to him that there were numerous camera
settings available to help out in specific circumstances.
For example, in windy conditions you need your digital SLR camera to take the photograph as
quickly as possible. Or in other words, shoot instantly as if snap frozen. Therefore, it's sufficient
to suggest that in windy conditions, shutter priority is the best digital camera setting to use for
flower photography.

What are the best digital SLR camera settings for windy conditions?

The most important aspect for windy weather is to take the shot as quickly as possible.
Therefore start by setting your SLR camera on Shutter priority.

Next you need to set it on a fast shutter speed. I recommend trying 1/250th of a
second, then go faster from there if needed.

Yellow flowers in windy conditions

Digital SLR Camera: Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi

DSLR Lens: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro
Exposure: 1/250th of a second
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 100 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Program: shutter priority
Why this image worked
The weather conditions on this particular day was very windy. Therefore I put my digital SLR
camera on shutter priority with a fast 1/250 speed. Furthermore, I took advantage of
continuous mode, so I could take as many photographs as possible within each second time
frame. As it turned out, this resulted in quite a few sharp images of flowers for me to choose
from.

How to photograph water reflections

When it comes to taking good water reflections, there are two important steps. One is to
expose on part of the water that doesn't contain the actual reflection, yet is still close to some
part of it. If your not sure what 'setting the exposure' means, you can find some information on
this at: manual modes.
Next, set your digital SLR camera on a high aperture number (if photographing landscapes), for
example f/11, so the whole landscape will be in focus. Then before taking the shot, focus your
camera on the actual reflection and press the shutter button. You should then find you end up
with a perfect water reflection that seems almost mirror image.

Reflections in the water

Digital SLR Camera: Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi

DSLR Lens: Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Exposure: 1/125th of a second
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 35 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Program: manual
Why this image worked
This photograph was taken at 7am on a cloudy day. The time of the morning, as well as the
overcast conditions, made it a perfect situation for finding good water reflections at the local
Botanical Gardens. I took the exposure on the water on the left, just under the green land
reflection (the blue part of the water). I then focused on the reflection itself in the middle of the
frame and took the photograph. Due to an aperture of f/11, the whole landscape is seen in
focus.

Reflection of seagull in the water

Digital SLR Camera: Nikon D40

DSLR Lens: Nikon 55 - 200 mm lens
Exposure: 0.002 sec, 1/500th of a second
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 200 mm
ISO Speed: 450
Exposure Program: Program
Why this image worked
This photograph of a bird was taken in the late afternoon when reflections are at their second
best time (second to mornings). It was also a shallow puddle that doesn't get the wind ripples
that would occur in a larger body of water. Keep in mind, that after rain, there is always good
reflections to be found in shallow puddles. Note also, the aperture could be kept to a low
number f/5.6 as it wasn't a whole landscape that was being photographed, but rather a much
smaller object and area size.

Advantages of continuous mode and shooting in bursts

If you've ever taken photographs of children, animals or insects, chances are you've most likely
ended up with images that look quite blurred. This is because they tend to move around a lot
and by the time your digital SLR camera has focused on the subject, it has moved or is moving
while shooting the photograph.
The trick many professional photographers use in these circumstances, is to put their digital
SLR camera in continuous mode (check camera manual) and shoot in bursts. Taking numerous
photographs in continuous mode gives you a higher chance of getting at least one sharp as a
tac image. This is especially important for once off moments that may not occur again.

Grasshopper / Katydid

Digital SLR Camera: Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi

DSLR Lens: Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 100 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Program: manual
Why this image worked
When photographing nature, one thing I've learned about insects is that they are unpredictable.
Within seconds they can fly or hop away. Furthermore, they rarely stay still and are always
moving around. Even the slightest head movement can cause an image to be blurred, especially
when working with DSLR macro lenses.
This is why I always have my digital SLR camera set to continuous mode when doing macro
shots. This way I can shoot off several images in bursts, all within a one second time frame.
Normally one will end up sharp and in focus. Unlike the ole days, photographing in digital doesn't
cost you any extra and you can easily delete all the bad ones later on.

Photo Composition Tip

Sometimes photographing nly part of an object or scenery makes for a more interesting
composition. When photographing objects or buildings, it can be more interesting to shoot only
part of it. Or in other words, shooting in pieces can be stronger than the whole. Often
photographing the whole scene can make a photograph so busy, that the viewer doesn't
experience the grandeur of what you're trying to convey. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of
wide angle lenses that capture as much as possible in one photo. However, in some
circumstances, a wide angle shot won't capture small details. And sometimes, it's the small
details that caught your eye in the first place. Composing your photographs in this way, will
enable the viewer to fill in the rest with their imagination, thus making the photographer a
storyteller.

Fishing Boat

Digital SLR Camera: Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi

DSLR Lens: Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Exposure: 0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 300 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Program: manual
Why this image worked
Photographing only half of the boat, uncluttered the whole image. This helped to bring attention
to the water reflections on the front side of the boat, which may have otherwise not been
noticed.

When to use vibration reduction (VR for Nikon) and image stabalization (IS for Canon)
Many Nikon and Canon lenses now come with vibration reduction (Nikon) and image stabalization
(Canon) options that you can either turn on or off. The advantages of VR and IS, is that you can
acheive sharper photographs when hand holding your camera, especially in darker lighting. This
is very useful for times when it's not feasable to use a tripod. For exampe, sporting events,
museums or photographing moving animals like birds or fish. Those who have tried to
photograph a flying bird while their camera sits on a tripod will understand the frustration. This
is when you'll want to turn on vibration reduction and image stabalization, then hand hold your
digital SLR camera.

When to turn off VR and IS? When you are shooting with a tripod and remote release
(landscapes for example), you should turn off the lens VR and IS settings to acheive sharper
images. Otherwise, when your camera goes looking for a vibration and doesn't find one, it will
continue to look for one, which can cause a slighly shaky result. However, make it a habit to turn
it back on again when your done photographing landscapes. I've been caught many times with it
turned off, when I actually needed it on.

Four wheel driving

Digital SLR Camera: Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi

DSLR Lens:Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Exposure Program: manual
Exposure: 1/60th of a second
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 17 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Why this image is so sharp A couple of reasons as to why this image looks so sharp, is due to
the use of a tripod and a remote shutter release. As it was not a hand held shot, I also turned
off the IS (image stabalisation) option on the actual lens. The weather conditions was very still,
with virtually no wind to shake the tripod around.

General tips and DSLR camera settings for taking good photographs of flying birds.
So how do you photography a flying bird? There are generally two ways to photograph birds in
motion. Firstly, you can capture them as though they are instantly frozen, with every part of the
bird focused. Or you can show motion in the flapping wing by slightly blurring any movement.
Which ever method a photographer uses is simply a matter of personal preference.

Digital SLR camera settings for capturing a well focused bird in flight compared to one that
shows movement in the wings.

Set your DSLR camera to shutter priority. Why shutter priority? A flying bird is obviously
moving, so the speed in which you take the photograph needs to be top priority.

To photograph a well focused bird, set one at a fast enough speed to capture it
instantly, as if it's frozen in time. To do this you'll need a shutter speed faster than the
bird or its wings (if you want them clearly focused) are moving. Unfortunately this can
change from one shot to another, so there is no specific setting for this. If you
photograph the same type of bird often, you will soon work out a sufficient speed. I
recommend starting at 1/500th of a second and moving up or down from there.

Flying Seagull, photographed with a Canon digital SLR camera

Digital SLR Camera: Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi

DSLR Lens: Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture: f/9
Focal Length: 85 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Program: Shutter Priority

Why this photograph of a flying bird worked

The camera was set on shutter priority at a fast enough speed (1/500th of a second) to
capture the image instantly. This speed also allowed me to hand hold the digital camera
so I could more easily follow the birds flight path.
Now to give an example at the other end of the scale, taken with a slower shutter speed.

Showing motion in flying bird photographs

Digital SLR Camera: Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi

DSLR Lens: Canon EF 90-300mm f/4.5-5.6
Exposure: 0.025 sec (1/40)
Aperture: f/25
Focal Length: 300 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Program: Shutter Priority
Why this photograph looks different to the one above it
The digital SLR camera in this case was set on shutter priority at a slower speed of
1/40th of a second, than the first photograph which was 1/500 second. A speed slower
than the animal is moving will display motion within the image. Therefore, with this in mind,
if your bird photographs aren't as frozen looking as you'd like them to be, then increase
the shutter speed on your DSLR camera.

How to use slow shutter speed to photograph car light trails.

The secret to taking fantastic photographs of car light trails is setting your digital camera on
shutter priority with a slow 30 second shutter speed or more.

Our best photography tips for taking pictures of car light trails at night

Set your digital SLR camera to shutter priority. This is important for all night
photography. Shutter priority allows you to set a slow shutter speed so enough light is
let in to the sensor. If you don't do this, you will end up with a black image or one that
only displays circles of light.

Use a 30 second shutter speed or more. The slower the speed, the more light you'll see
in your photograph.

Because your taking the photograph with a slow shutter speed, you can now afford to
use the lowest ISO setting possible. Therefore set your ISO to 100 (if your digital
camera goes that low) to ensure the best quality photo with no grainy pixels or noise as
it's also known.

Sit your digital camera on a tripod to miminize the effects of camera shake. The sturdier
the tripod the better. If you don't have a tripod handy, then sitting the camera on a
nearby object would also work. As long as your not hand holding the camera.

Use a camera remote to take the photograph. This stops blurred images that are usually
a result of camera shake. Sometimes pressing your cameras shutter button can cause a
small shift in the camera when you release it. In normal circumstances this isn't a problem.
However, for night photography on slow shutter speed it can be the difference between
a blurred photo or a sharp one.

Wait for a night where there is no wind. This is especially important if your tripod isn't
very sturdy. The slightest shake in your tripod can cause motion blur.

Before you take the photograph, set your lens to automatic focus and focus on a far
away object like the sky for example. You do this by pressing your shutter button half way
down until you see a red dot flashing on the sky or far off object. Then turn off your
automatic focus so it doesn't change from there on. Your now ready to take a perfectly
focussed photograph. I have heard many photographers go to the scene they are going
to shoot during the day and focus their lens before returning at night. However this
seems rather tedious to me.

Take more than one photograph. This is particularly important if you're not intending to
return to the same spot again. I recently did some night photography taking 3 images of
car light trails. Even though I didn't change the camera settings between shots, one
photograph turned out much sharper than the other two. This is probably due to camera
shake caused by wind as the weather wasn't the best that particular night.

The image above is an example of night photography with car light trails. The camera was
a Canon 400D (Rebel XTi) Digital SLR, set on shutter priority with a speed of 30
seconds. Before taking the photograph I focussed on the night sky on the right upper
corner. This set the aperture to f/22 which resulted in all the landscape being in sharp
focus. ISO speed was kept to 100 to ensure the best quality with no grainy pixels. The
lens was a Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM set at 17mm.

Photographing silhouettes and why you should never delete a photograph until you've seen it on
the computer
One of the very first photographs I took after purchasing a digital SLR camera was of a lonely
tree on top of a sand dune. The time was around 5.30 in the afternoon and still quite sunny in
my part of the world. The first photo in particular turned out quite dark, so I changed the
camera settings and tried again (and again). Fortunate for me, I wasn't in a habit of deleting bad
images straight from the camera either. When I returned home and transfered the images to my
computer, I realised I had accidently taken a fantastic silhouette (sometimes mispelled silouette)
of a lonely tree that you see in the photograph below.

Silhouette photograph example. The result of a good mistake.

Lonely Tree Silhouette

Digital SLR Camera: Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi digital SLR DSLR
DSLR Lens: Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture: f/22
Focal Length: 66 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: -2 EV

Why this example of a silhouette works

Silhouette's always come across as being mysterious and moody. They hide the full story,
making them interesting. The photograph is also uncluttered, so the lonely tree really stands out
against the golden sky. The glow effect seen to the right of the tree was created by the sun
being positioned on that side of the scenery.

Why this photo ended up a silhouette?

Looking back, I can now see why this photograph of a tree ended up a silhouette. The camera
most likely set its exposure based on the background. Which in this case was a brightened sky,
created by the sunset. Doing this resulted in the tree and foreground being very underexposed
(black).

General tips for recreating the silhouette photograph

Firstly set your digital camera to spot, partial or centre-weighted metering.

Turn off your flash. Make sure your automatic flash does not go off. To do this you will
need your camera on a setting other than fully automatic. If your camera is on automatic,
it's likely the flash will go off. The P mode (program AE) is good to start with.

Point camera metering towards a bright part of the sky (not the sun however) and take
exposure reading by pressing your shutter button half way down.

Lock this exposure using your digital SLR cameras AE-L button.

Focus on the subject your photographing. For example, in this case it was the tree.

Now your ready to photograph a beautiful silhouette.

Portrait photography tips outside daytime portraits

Tips for photographing portraits outside during the daytime
One of the biggest gripes of photographers shooting portraits outside during the daytime, is
that photos often turn out with a perfectly exposed background or skyline, yet the person they
are photographing are too dark or underexposed.
Take the image below for example. The camera has adjusted the exposure on the scenery as a
whole, therefore mistakenly underexposing the actual person seen on the right. This problem
occured because the camera gave the brighter background priority, due to it taking up a larger
portion of the composition than the person.
After seeing an image like the one shown above, those new to
portrait photography often make the mistake of overexposing the
next shot. While this works to expose the person correctly, it also
badly overexposes the background, making it appear much too
white or blown out. Lets face it, in many circumstances outdoor
portraits are taken to show where the person has been or visited.
Wether it be a day at a theme park or a tourist destination.

How to take good outside portraits of a well exposed person and background
The trick to taking a well exposed portrait photograph (outside during the daytime) is by using
your cameras onboard flash to compensate for the underexposure. A camera flash has a range
of only a few meters, therefore the extra light wont effect your background. This will help you
achieve a portrait exposure that displays correct lighting for both the person and the
background, as demonstrated in the image below.
Note: Your camera most likely will not pop up its onboard flash
automatically in bright daylight conditions, so youll need to do
this manually. Most SLR cameras nowadays have a small button
for this on the cameras body. The image below shows where
the manual flash button can be found on a Canon 400D, however
most SLRs have them in similar positions.

The video workshop shown below has been developed by

DSLRTips.com. Towards the end of the demonstration, it also shows
how portrait photographers can use the cameras onboard flash to
get rid of unwanted shadows that appear across the face if
shooting later in the afternoon, when the sun is lower.

Baby photography tips, how to photograph your baby

Baby photography tips

Professional photographer and mom Tracey Clark, shows you how to create treasured baby
photos youll want to keep and show off to all your friends and family. Her top tips for
photographing babies include:
Take lots of photographs. More than you normally would in any other photo
shoot. This gives you a greater chance of getting that perfect shot.
o Dont do it all yourself. Have someone help you entertain your baby, while you
concentrate on taking the photographs. This will minimise your chances of missing
that smile or cute facial expression.
o Use your cameras burst mode (also called continuous mode) so you can fire off
numerous shots in quick succession.
o

Choosing the right light is important to create softer shades and all round tones on the
babies skin. Early morning, late evening, or shady areas of the house and yard is good
for baby photography. This will also ensure you dont have lots of shots of your baby
squinting. Also, turn off that flash and use natural light where possible to stop colors and
facial features from looking washed out.
As with all photography, you should try avoiding distracting background elements like
toys. After all, your baby should be the main centre of attention, not that bright
teddybear in the background. You can create a neutral background with the use of pillows
or blankets placed around your baby. The video demonstration further down this page will
show you how to do this.
Choosing the right time when your baby is happy and smiling is also important. For
example, just after a feed is a good time for baby photography, as is nap time. Some of
the cutest photos can be taken when your baby is sleeping.
Be creative. Often some of the best shots are imperfect. For example, photographing
only their small feet, or part of the face, can be just as memorable than a full portrait
style shot.
Above all else, make it fun for both baby and mother. Know when enough is enough.

Tips for photographing sunrises

How to photograph sunrises
Photographer and author Rick Sammon shares with you his best advice including 8 tips for
photographing the perfect sunrise.
1. Know where the sun rises before you go out taking photographs. Once the sun starts to
rise, you wont want to waist any time repositioning your camera gear.
2. Know what time the sun is expected to rise in your particular area. Buying a copy of the local
newspaper will tell you this.
3. Use a tripod, because you will need to set slow shutter speeds due to low light conditions.
For example, 1/8th of a second or slower depending on the available light.
4. Underexposing your shot will result in richer, deeper colors and shades of reds, oranges and
yellows.
5. If you want a small sun in your composition, use a wide angle lens. If you want a larger sun
seen within your composition then use a telephoto zoom lens.
6. For composition purposes, dont place the sun dead centre in the frame. Try and imagine a
grid over your composition, like the one shown in the image below.

If you always ensure the suns position is over one of the overlapping areas, youll come out a
winner every time.
7. Like any landscape, dont place the horizon dead centre of the frame either. If there is a lot
of color and light in the sky, then make sure that area takes up the top 2/3s of your
composition. On the otherhand, if there is a lot of color or reflection in the foreground,
then compose your shot so the foreground takes up the bottom 2/3s of the shot. You can view
examples of both of these compositions in the video below.
8. Take off all filters when photograhing towards the sun. Otherwise you will end up with a ghost
image of the sun, which will ruin any sunrise photograph. Its also important to remember that a
polarising filter is only useful in creating a more colorful sky when the sun is to the right or left
of your position. Therefore, in the majority of cases, polarising filters should also be removed
for sunrise photography.

Wedding Photography Tips for Amateurs

Here it is, our best wedding photography tips for all those photographers who sooner or later
are asked to photograph their friends or family wedding day. No doubt if you own a digital SLR
camera the day will come when you are asked to photograph your first wedding. For amateur
photographers this can be a daunting experience. However it need not be as frightening as you
think.
So how do you go about photographing your first wedding? This is a question I've been asked
many times through our Facebook page so I thought it time to write it down so amateurs can
learn from my personal experience with wedding photography.

Camera Gear
The first step is to make sure you have the right equipment. Obviously it's going to be hard to
photograph a wedding if you don't have suitable camera gear.
1. Wedding photography is easier with two camera bodies. If you don't have two camera
bodies, I recommend asking a friend or family member if you can borrow one for the day.
99% of the time when photographing the actual ceremony I use two main lenses. Having
a camera body for each lens saves time changing them constantly mid service.
Having two camera bodies is also more reliable! There is less stress on yourself as the
photographer when you know you have a backup camera. You only get one shot to
photograph a couples wedding day and you never know when your main camera will
unexpectantly stop working.
2. Owning a camera that allows you to insert two memory cards is an advantage. Just like
camera bodies, memory cards also fail. Mid to high end cameras will allow you to save
each image to both memory cards. This way you'll always have a backup set of images.
3. Purchase 2 X 64 GB memory cards minimum. The last thing you want is to change
memory cards during the bride and grooms first kiss as a married couple, or during the
important wedding dance.
4. When it comes to lenses, you'll need both a portrait lens and a general purpose zoom
lens for the ceremony. Personally I use a Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens (for bride and
groom portraits) as well as a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM Lens (especially useful
for group photos). Other professional wedding photographers prefer the more versatile
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM. If you own a lens similar to the third I mentioned
here (ie goes from 70-200mm focal length and opens to aperture f/2.8) forget the initial
two I listed, as you'll already have the perfect setup. Instead add a wide angle lens to
your list for those large group shots. For Nikon or other brands you may want to read What is the best lens for portraits.
5. Should I use a flash for wedding photography? This is a question I'm asked often by
amateurs. Pesonally I don't use flash for weddings. Most people find flash going off in
their face annoying. Flash also takes time to warm up and for weddings you want to be
ready to capture that special moment in an instant.
Occasionally I'll take a few photos with flash to give the couple more variety when it
comes to choosing the images they want printed. However I find flash is so 80's fashion
magazine style and not what couples generally speaking want for their weddings.
Instead learn as much as you can about natural light photography. Also learn how to use
reflectors to mimimise panda eyes.

Important Preparation Tips

Now you are comfortable knowing you have the right camera gear for wedding photography, the
next step is preparation. Here is a list of the most important steps you should take when
preparing to photograph a wedding.

Organise a backup photographer that you would trust with your own wedding! I can't
stress this enough. You can never foresee illness for yourself or immediate family
members who may need you on the wedding date. Sometimes things happen, plan for it
ahead of time so the bride and groom aren't left scrambling at the last minute for a
wedding photographer.

Ask the bride to send you examples of wedding photos that she likes. This will give you a
good idea of the style she is most likely to want for her own wedding album.

Become familiar with photo editing software such as Photoshop. There is no such thing as
a bride who wants unedited wedding photos. It can be something as simple as black and
white conversions, to removing old injury scars on a brides arm.

Plan the time frame for the day well. For example, you can't be in the bridal preparation
room until the last minute and think you'll be ready to capture beautiful photos of her
arriving in the car at the same time. Also don't forget the groom. You need to set aside
sufficient time to photograph both the bride and groom. Be clear in your mind what you
are going to photograph, at what time and for how long.

Check the location out prior to the wedding day and take some test shots around the
same time as the ceremony will take place. Talk to the person who is arranging the event
and if possible ask that the bride and groom be positioned in favorable light during the
ceremony.

Photography tips for the day of the wedding

Usually the first part of your job as a wedding photographer is the bridal change room.
Don't go in and start shooting straight away. Instead I suggest spending the first fifteen
minutes taking notice of any emotion or tension in the room. The last thing you want is to
stress the bride out more if she is already highly strung (it does happen).

During this time take notice of the people in the room. In my experience those who are in
the bridal room are often the most important friends and relatives of the couple. You
want to take plenty of photos of these people throughout the day.

Apart from the usual rings and dress shots, also photograph everything the bride and
groom has spent good money on. For example if the brides shoes or grooms cufflinks are
a brand name, photograph the item with the brand logo showing. At times like this,
people spend money on branding they wouldn't necessarily buy otherwise. It is important
to them so photograph it.

I always ask that the bride not be dressed before I enter the room. Or rather not be
done up. Capturing the hands of the person helping her do up the back of her beautiful
dress are always great shots. It's also when you get to photograph a lot of emotion
between friends and family members.

Use layers in your photographs. When photographing the bride in the room make sure
you have two or three of her bridal party standing behind her just out of focus so your
photos have depth to them. They always end up favorite images.

Always get a couple of shots from different perspectives. For example go down to the
street and capture her looking out of the room. Or photograph her reflection in a mirror
for instance.

Special moments to capture for the groom is that nervous waiting prior to the brides
arrival. Or the camaraderie between him and his mates.
If you have a second shooter, ask them to capture his first look at the bride as she gets
out of the car. One person to capture the bride, the other to capture the groom. They
are always great memory keepsakes and help to tell the story.

During the ceremony capture images from both the bride and grooms viewpoint. For
example, the bride with her side of the wedding party, then the groom with his side.
Zoom in, zoom out, close-up shots, long wide shots, mix it up as much as possible. You
want to give the couple a variety of images to choose from.

While you are busy photographing it's of utmost importance that you have an ear open
and listen closely to the celebrant. You need to know when the end is nearing and get
into position for photographing couples first kiss.

In my experience I find the person who gets the most emotion out of a bride and groom
are those who are closest to them. I'll often have a small chat with the best man and maid
of honor and ask that they help me to capture the best possible moments by keeping the
emotion going as long as possible.

Those first fifteen minutes after the ceremony when friends and family are congratulating
the married couple are precious. Make sure you photograph as many of those moments
as possible.

Sometimes you just need to go with the flow. I find nowadays most couples know exactly
what types of photos they want and how they want to pose. Of course have plenty in
mind yourself, but for the most part the couple will have their own ideas.

How to deal with friends and family who don't want their photos taken
Every wedding will have people who don't want their photos taken or give the photographer a
hard time by not smiling and so forth. In these cases I recommend telling people that the bride
and groom (call them by name) want photos of all their friends and family so they can remember
this special day for many years to come. Lets take a photo not for me as the wedding
photographer but for them and their wedding album so they will have plenty of special memories.
Usually that solves the problem. If not, move on to the next person and don't worry about it.

Tips for dealing with friends and relatives who bring their own cameras
Everyone nowadays has a camera whether it be an iPhone or a digital SLR and they will want
their own shots of the happy couple. As the wedding photographer it is your job to capture the
best photos. So how do you do this when there are a hundred cameras pointing at them from
every direction. Personally I've never had trouble during the ceremony as people are usually
sitting down or standing out the back. So I'm basing this advice on the after photos.
The last thing you want to do is stress the couple out by being a grumpy photographer who
tells great aunt or grandma to put their camera away. Everyone has a camera nowadays, so deal
with it. One way is by thinking and moving quickly. Move a couple into position take several
shots yourself before everyone realises its done, then allow them to move in and take their
photos. Move the couple again, quickly take several shots, then stand back and let everyone
else take their photos. The normal photographer thinks slowly. While he or she is working out
their camera settings you've already gotten the shot you need.
Another way that works quite well is to make a photography session of it. You could tell friends
and family that you want everyone to get great shots, so you'll position the couple, test the
lighting (ie get your shots in first) then turn around and say to them, yep that lighting is perfect
go for it. Then stand back and let them get a few photos. The bottom line is, you've already
taken the photographs you need of that specific pose. After the first couple of poses, friends
and family are happy to stand back and let you take the first photos because they understand by
now that they are also going to get their chance.
Now I hear you thinking hang on so why are couples going to buy my photos when all their family
and friends have similar shots! When you take your photos, make sure you call the couple by
name so they are both looking directly at you. During that time, you are the only photographer
they are taking notice of. When family and friends move in there are usually a dozen or more of
them, the wedding party are now looking in every direction. Yes, they will be good photos, but
not the best ones :)

How should a wedding photographer dress?

How should a wedding photographer dress is another big question asked regularly. Personally I
think there should be no doubt that you are the wedding photographer. I recommend dressing
smart casual.
You need to look professional but not like you are part of the wedding guest list. For example, a
nice pair of compfortable pants and a collared shirt (men and women). If weddings are something
you plan on creating a living from, I recommend you purchase a couple of shirts with your
business name on them and wear them instead.
In my experience guests warm to you much faster when it's clear you are the wedding
photographer. They will see the camera and naturally pose. It can't get any easier than that!

DSLR camera settings and tips for taking city landscapes at night
One of the reasons enthusiasts purchase digital SLR cameras, is to take night photographs in
and around the city without them resulting in blurred or shaky images. However, as you'll soon
find out, it's not as easy as setting your digital camera to automatic and shooting the image.
Listed below are tips that will help you take city landscape photographs after dark.

Digital SLR settings for night photography

1. Set your camera to shutter priority. On a Canon DSLR you turn the top dial to TV.
Whereas on some SLR models, like the Nikon D40 for example, shutter priority is
displayed as the letter S. If your camera doesn't have TV or S then refer to your camera
manual.

2. If you have a tripod handy, set the ISO to the lowest setting your digital SLR camera will
go. For example, Canon EOS 400D will go as low as 100 ISO, whereas a Nikon D40 will
go to 200. If you don't have a tripod, look for something you can rest your camera on.
For example a stone or brick wall.
If you absolutely need to hand hold your camera, the only choice of SLR settings you
have for night photography is to set it to P (Program) and up the ISO to 800 - 1600.
You can then skip over step 3 below. Note: This usually isn't recommended for high
quality night shots.
3. For high quality night shots, the shutter needs to be set at a slow speed. This allows the
camera enough time to let light in to the sensor, without increasing your ISO setting.
How slow depends on the time of night and how dark it is. There is no set shutter speed
to suit every situation. However I've found if you take one photograph at 10 seconds,
one at 20 and one at 30. Then view the image on your LCD display and see which one
shows the most light. From there you will be able to judge how slow the shutter speed
needs to be for the rest of your photo's on that particular night.
The mistake many photographers do, is to set their shutter speed too fast. For example
the night shot below was taken with a one second shutter. As you can see, this wasn't
long enough to allow the light in to the camera's sensor.

I recognised this instantly and reshot the photograph using a slower shutter speed of 15
seconds. This time the SLR camera was given more time to allow the light in to the
sensor, resulting in a clearly focused night shot that you can see below.

Mackay Harbour Marina Australia

Digital SLR Camera: Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi

DSLR Lens: Canon EF-S17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Exposure: 15 sec (15)
Aperture: f/5
Focal Length: 33 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Program: Shutter priority
Flash: Flash did not fire
Why this night shot worked
The shutter speed was set to a slow 15 seconds. Therefore I was able to keep the ISO
set to a high quality 100. Of course shooting at such a slow speed also required a
sturdy tripod. You won't be able to hand hold a digital camera for 15 seconds without
shaking.

If you don't have a tripod handy, the other option is to up the ISO to 800 or 1600,
then keep the shutter speed fast. However, the quality of the night shot will be grainy or
noisy, and is usually not recommended.
Here is another example of a night photograph, this time the shutter speed is 30
seconds.

Sydney Australia

Digital SLR Camera: Canon EOS 400D / Rebel XTi

DSLR Lens: Canon EF-S17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Exposure: 30 sec (30)
Aperture: f/7.1
Focal Length: 17mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Program: Shutter priority
Flash: Flash did not fire
Why this night shot worked
The ISO was kept to a high image quality 100, while the shutter speed set to a slow 30
seconds. The night photograph was taken from a 260 meter-high Sydney Lookout Tower
where tripods were forbidden. Therefore I sat my SLR camera on a binocular stand.

Where to focus for night photography?

A frequently asked question beginners often ask is, where should they focus for night shots.
Personally, I get better results if I focus on a far object in the distance. This should ensure your
camera automatically sets the aperture to capture the whole scene in focus and not just closer
objects.

How to photograph waterfalls and streams

The technique for photographing waterfalls and streams are very similar. One of the most
popular methods is to slow down water movement so it looks smooth and silky, like the image
shown below. The secret to these types of shots is to set a long exposure. You determine how
long the exposure is by setting a correct shutter speed, ISO and aperture f-number that
enables the camera to shoot slowly. The slower the shutter speed, the silkier the water will
look.

Mountain stream - photographed with a

Canon EOS-1D X and a Canon EF 24105mm f/4 L IS USM lens. The photo
was shot early morning in a highly
shaded rainforest scenery.
EXIF Data: ISO 100 | Aperture f/22 |
Shutter Speed 80 seconds.

It's important to use a tripod and remote release when setting a long exposure. Otherwise you
won't be able to hand hold the camera steady enough to get a sharp shot. The day I
photographed the image above, I did not have my tripod with me, so I sat the camera steadily
on a nearby rock.

Camera Settings - Shutter Speed

If you are a beginner we recommend setting your camera to 'Shutter Priority' mode (either S or
TV depending on your camera model) at a speed of 1/2 second to start with, then give and
take depending on the result you are after and available light. The darker the scenery, the
slower you can set your shutter speed for a correct exposure.
If you have a mid morning light situation, you may need to keep your shutter speed relatively
fast, otherwise the water may look too overexposed. In these lighting conditions I recommend
setting a shutter speed of 1/8th of a second. This speed won't blur the water like the image
seen above, however it will smooth it out enough for the viewer to grasp the idea.

ISO
Set your camera ISO to 100 when photographing long exposures. A high ISO number combined
with a slow shutter speed will only result in a lower image quality. The photo will look grainy and
much detail will be lost. More importantly, you want to shoot slowly. The lower your camera ISO
number, the slower the shutter speed. Many models nowadays will allow photographers to set
the ISO as low as 50.

Aperture
When using Shutter Priority your camera will automatically set the aperture for you, so you can
skip this part and move on to our next section.

Manual Mode - Aperture Setting

If you are more advanced and you understand how to shoot fully in manual then I recommend
that setting in preference to Shutter Priority. This way you have full control over all three
settings, Shutter Speed, ISO and Aperture.
I set aperture depending on the light. The higher the aperture f-stop number the slower your
camera will shoot. I usually start with aperture f/11, which is also my go to setting for all
landscapes. If it is mid morning and there is plenty of light available, you need to slow down the
shutter speed even more by setting a much higher aperture, for example f/22. I never go over
f/22 as you lose sharpness the higher you go.

Metering Mode
Keep your camera metering mode on its default setting. Depending on the model. this means
matrix, pattern or evaluative. Nikon and Canon name them differently. It's a good all round
metering mode and I've never felt the need to change it when shooting these types of
landscapes.

Waterfall - photographed with a

Canon EOS-1D X and a Canon EF
17-40mm f/4L USM lens. The
photo was shot early morning on an
overcast day.
EXIF Data: ISO 100 | Aperture
f/22 | Shutter Speed 5 seconds.

How to handle different lighting conditions

No doubt the best lighting for shooting waterfalls and streams is early morning, late evening,
overcast days or landscapes that are covered in shade like a mountain forest. The darker the
light, the slower the exposure, the more you can slow down water movement.
If you are shooting in any of those situations mentioned above we recommend these camera
settings:

1. For beginners using Shutter Priority, we recommend a speed of 1/2sec to begin with, as
well as an ISO setting of 100 (50 if your camera steps down that far) After taking a few
shots look in your rear LCD screen and judge whether the water is as smooth and silky as
you intended. If you want to slow the water down further, set a slower shutter speed
and so forth.
2. For advanced photographers using manual mode set your ISO to 100 (50 if possible)
and your Aperture to f/11 which is considered a good landscape f-stop. If the water isn't
looking slow enough, set a higher aperture f-number and so forth until you see the effect
you are after.
If there is plenty of available light you may as well accept the fact now that you cannot slow
down water nicely in broad sunlight. You may be able to slow it down a fraction, but not fully.
In these cases I recommend manual mode with an aperture of f/22 and ISO 50-100. With those
settings, hopefully your camera will allow you an exposure of at least 1/8th of a second.
Another option is to use a ND filter. A neutral density filter is basically a dark piece of glass put
over the front of your lens to reduce the intensity of sunlight. 10 stop ND filters such as the
Big Stopper made by Lee Filters is perfect for these situations.

Where to set your camera exposure

Never focus on the water when shooting waterfalls and streams. If you do this, what happens is
your camera will expose for the water and not the surroundings. This usually results in washed
out images that contain no detail in the water. Instead I recommend focusing on something
green like the branches of a tree that is in direct line with the water. Natural brown or sandy
tones like rocks also works well, but my first preference is always something green. I explain my
reasons for exposing on green colors in this article: Exposing for nature shots.

Other helpful tips

Choose a day that is not windy. When shooting long exposures you want to minimise the
movement seen in nearby trees as it can take the viewers eye away from the main
subject. Unless of course your intention is to show movement in the whole scenery.

Overcast days are perfect, but not rainy conditions. When I first started out, I once tried
to photograph a river when it was flowing at its peak time, ie on rainy days. I stood under
an umbrella with my tripod and set a slow exposure. Every shot had drips seen in the
image where waterdrops fell from the edge of the umbrella. Not good!

Digital SLR photography guide - tips for beginners and amateurs

Listed below are a few useful tips for those photographers progressing from a point and click
camera to a digital SLR (also known as DSLR) camera. Note, these are basic DSLR photography
tips for beginners that I wish I had read when first starting out.
Before you go away however, read these 12 important DSLR tips for beginners. They will help
get you off to a great start!

DSLR For Beginners

1. Number one DSLR photography tip for beginners - Don't throw your camera manual away.
It will become your new best friend. Read it as often as possible, especially in the first
couple of months after purchasing your DSLR camera. Always store it somewhere handy.
For example in your camera bag.
2. Buy a UV filter for each lens you own. It's easier to replace a scratched lens filter than it
is to replace your actual lens.

3. Learn to use all your SLR camera settings. Even those you don't think you'd ever use.
Practise changing settings like ISO, aperture and shutter speed, so you know them like
the back of your hand. A moving animal won't sit and pose until you work out your
settings.
4. In addition to UV filters, other important pieces of equipment should include a sturdy
tripod and a remote release. They both come in handy for taking photographs that
require long shutter speeds. For example night photography or slow motion water.
5. You can never have enough SLR / DSLR photography magazines and books to learn from.
The best ones will explain what camera settings were used, along with each photograph
displayed.
6. Don't touch or blow on the mirror inside your camera body when you have the lens off. If
you damage the sensor, you may as well buy another camera body, because that's how
much it will cost to fix. If you notice spots appearing in your photos, buy a cleaning kit or
dust blower from your local camera store. Many now have an inhouse cleaning service
which is always a good alternative.

7. Don't change your lens outside if it's windy. Put the main lens on your camera before you
leave the house. If you need to change the lens outside, face the camera body
downwards. Dust can't fall upward onto the camera's sensor.
8. If at first you find your getting a lot of blurred photo's, change to a fast shutter speed.
The faster the photograph is taken, the less chance there is of it being effected by
camera shake. Holding the camera closer to your body or resting it on a nearby object is
also a good tip. If you're taking nature shots, steady yourself by leaning against a tree.
9. When you buy a digital camera bag, think about the future. Many photographers on
average own at least 3 lenses. Personally I own 2 camera bags. One holds a camera with
a single lens. This is useful for times when I know I'll only be needing one lens. For
example, if I'm going out to photograph landscapes I don't need to lug myself down with
all 3 lenses. Or if I'm going out to photograph macro's, then I don't need to also carry my
landscape lens. My second bag carries my camera and all three lenses. This one is useful
for travelling purposes.
10.
Learn what RAW file format is. Setting your digital camera to shoot in RAW is
particularly useful for beginners to SLR photography. If you have your camera's white
balance or picture style set wrong when you take a photograph, you can change this later
on with a RAW editor on your computer. There will also be many times when you only get
one chance to take the photograph. For example, a bird won't fly past time and time
again until you have the cameras white balance set correctly for that specific scene.
11.
The best way to learn what your SLR camera can do, is through experimentation. If
your taking a photograph of running water, try both fast and slow shutter speeds to see
for yourself what the difference is. Or if your photographing a beautiful landscape, try
different aperture settings. You'll be surprised at how many photo's you can get from
shooting the same scenery with different settings.
12.
Always press the shutter button half way down to prefocus before going all the
way and taking the photograph. This is one of the most useful DSLR photography tips I
share with all beginners, as it will usually result in clearer photo's every time. It is also
especially useful when you can anticipate where a subject is going to be positioned
before it gets there. You can prefocus on that spot by pressing and holding the shutter
button half way, then as it comes into view, press the rest of the way down.