Digital Camera and Photography Terms Explained

You want to buy a new digital camera but you wonder what all these abbreviations and strange terms are and what do they mean? Here are a few which I have tried to explain in a simple way.

AE Lock. This means Auto Exposure Lock and means that you can point to your subject matter, get a light reading, then swing the camera to set up the complete picture, still retaining that setting.

Aperture. Size of the variable opening in the lens that controls the amount of light that passes through the lens to the sensor (CCD) and which is usually expressed as an f/number.The higher the f/number the smaller aperture, and the lower the f/number the larger the aperture. Also controls depth of field.

Aperture Priority. This is a semi-manual setting in some cameras. The user sets the aperture for the depth of field they want and the camera sets the shutter speed to obtain correct exposure.

Auto Focus. Most digital cameras have an auto-focus mode which focuses the lens

Battery. Cameras come with different types of batteries which power the camera. Each manufacturer tends to have their own variation on this and batteries are not usually interchangeable between cameras.

Bracketing. Bracketing shots is where a photographer takes shots of the same scene three times or more at different exposures. This can be done automatically on some cameras.

Card reader. Device that is used to connect the computer with your memory card

CCD or charged coupled device. This refers to the chip inside the camera which is used to record image information (on a non-digital camera this would be the film).
Light hits the CCD when a photo is taken, and then the analog CCD converts the information to digital.

Contrast. This is the difference between the lightest and darkest part of a photo.

Depth of Field. The distance between the nearest point and farthest point, that is sharp and in focus. This varies with aperture setting. A small aperture will give greater depth of field than a large aperture.

Digital Zoom. Some cameras will provide digital zoom which really means that it "zooms" into the center part of the image and enlarges the pixels. This causes " noise" or poor resolution. Optical zoom is far superior.

DPI Dots per inch. Printers define the sharpness of an image by DPI. A figure of 1200 dpi, or higher is required for printing photographs.

Exposure. Exposure is a combination of how long the shutter is open and how wide the aperture is.

EXIF. The exchangeable image file. This is used by cameras to record data of a shot such as date, time taken, exposure etc which can be read sometimes in the camera or in software. This is useful for knowing what was happening when a picture was taken.

Exposure Control. Controlling exposure settings through shutter speed and aperture is important to serious photographers. Cheaper digital cameras will only shoot in auto mode. If you feel that you might want to take photography more seriously at some point this needs to be considered.

Focal length.Focal length describes the magnification of the lens. The greater the focal length, the greater the magnification.

F-Stop (or f/number or stop). The size of the opening in the diaphragm which allows light into the camera

Histogram.A histogram is a graph which shows image tones or a graph of brightness. Can be used to check exposure of a shot to see if you need to adjust and shoot again.

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group). A format, that that allows the camera to squeeze a large picture into a small amount of memory. This is the most common system used by digital cameras

LCD Liquid Crystal Display. The majority of digital cameras have a screen at the back of the camera which can be used for viewing shots taken or sometimes as a viewfinder. A heavy user of battery power!

Macro.This is the camera mode for taking extreme close-ups.

Manual mode. This is found on top end cameras and is used by experienced photographers as this gives full control over shutter speed and aperture.

Megapixel. This is a million pixels and can describe the sensor's capacity. Megapixels define the quality of your image. More megapixels means a better and sharper picture or that it can be enlarged without losing quality.

Memory Card.The majority of digital cameras store pictures taken onto memory cards which can be removed and the pictures transferred to your computer. Cards are of various shapes and sizes but all do the same job.

Memory Stick. Memory Stick is a removable flash memory card format, launched by Sony in October 1998 and is also used in general to describe the whole family of Memory Sticks.

Optical zoom. This is a true zoom that brings you closer to the subject without moving by magnifying the image. It is preferable and superior to digital zoom. It is recommended to get at least 3x optical zoom.

Pictbridge. Pictbridge is a standard technology that allows the transfer of images direct from a camera to a compliant printer, bypassing the computer.

Pixels. A pixel, meaning picture element, is the base component or building block of a digital image and can have color and tone.
There can be several million "building blocks" in an image.

RAW .The name is to identify the virtually raw data (has had no internal processing by the camera) image file format.

Resolution. A measure of an image expressed as picture size or pixel (megapixel) size or dots per inch on a printed image i.e. the more pixels there are in an image the sharper the picture will be. This is usually shown as, for example, 1200 x 1800 which relates to height and width.

Shutter priority. This is a semi-manual mode and the opposite of aperture priority.
The photographer chooses the shutter speed and the camera sets the correct aperture for the conditions.
Useful for action shots or the need to blur shots.

SLR. Single Lens Reflex is a camera which has a mirror that reflects the image onto a pentaprism and then on to the viewfinder screen. This means you see what the camera sees and is useful for framing your shots accurately.
The mirror reflexes out of the way when you take the picture.

Secure Digital (SD) is a flash memory card format developed for use in portable devices.

Sensor or CCD.An electronic chip, or light sensor which contains light- sensitive pixels and which records the image when you take a picture.

Shutter Speed. Speed of the shutter as it opens and close to allow light onto the sensor. It is expressed in fractions of a second i.e.1/60, 1/250

TIFF Tagged Image File Format. TIFF is an image file format that does not lose any quality when it is saved and compressed.

Tripod. If you are taking landscape or portrait photos a tripod is essential for clear, sharp photos in order to reduce camera shake and blurring of images.

USB. Universal Serial Bus. This is a standard interface on all computers that allows accessories to be connected to the computer while it is turned on.

I hope this is useful!

Digital Camera and Photography Terms Explained

Macro Photography Techniques

Digital Camera and Photography Terms Explained

Digital Camera and Photography Terms Explained
Digital Camera and Photography Terms Explained

Macro Photography Techniques

Learn Digital Photography - Nature Photography Techniques For Beginners

Taking photos of nature can be the most fulfilling form of photography if learnt carefully and precisely. We all desire a connection with the great outdoors and nature photography is often this link. So here are some keys to great nature photography.

The fundamental principle for any nature or wildlife photography is a love for nature and a desire to see it preserved for future generations. A photographer should never interfere in any way with nature or leave traces of their presence after a shoot. This preservation attitude will keep an open invitation for future generations of photographers.

So where do we begin as nature photographers?

1. Equip yourself

This is really key to any form of nature photography from landscape on the one side right across to close-up and macro on the other. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to shoot a subject that is just out of reach or the inability to get close enough. There are minimum equipment requirements and you should get good advice from other photographers or reputable equipment suppliers. A zoom lens with a macro feature could suffice for close-up photography and coupled with a two times converter for bird photography. It doesn't have to be expensive to begin with.

2. Be patient and practise

Patience is a virtue and no more so than with nature photography. Animals and birds (even in zoos) do not act on cue so it becomes necessary to wait for hours and sometimes, as with professionals, even days. Waiting for the right weather conditions, right animal or right lighting conditions takes a lot of patience and effort. If you aren't prepared to do this then maybe it's not for you. Because of all these factors, practise becomes an essential part of a nature photographers life. If you don't continue to practise you won't get the shot. It's 99% effort and 1% luck.

3. Research your subject

A good knowledge of your subject is essential. Knowing when it feeds or what time of the day a flower opens or when there is dew on the roses will enhance the possibilities of a stunning image. A good nature photographer is a good naturalist or ornithologist. There is more to being a nature photographer than just shooting images. Try visiting your location or subjects several times before starting your photography so that you get to understand their environment. Read books, join societies and search the internet until you feel you know enough about your chosen field to start shooting images.

4. Find a suitable location

All wildlife or nature photographers aspire to shoot the big five, humpback whales or the elusive snow leopard. These are not the place to start unless you live on a game reserve or at the coast. Find a place close to home like your back garden, a local botanical garden or even a zoo. Somewhere you can be comfortable and practise without major effort. Try things on a small scale and work upwards as you gain more experience and are up to the challenge. A good location with good subjects will spur you on to greater heights.

5. Specialised equipment

Once you have been through all the previous steps and gained the knowledge, skills and experience it's time to decide if this is for you and worth the investment in better, more specialised equipment. Only once you know what you are doing and if this is for you, should you consider investing in more expensive kit. A good tripod, specialised macro lens or a long focal length zoom or prime lens are essential to the advanced nature photographer. Unless you know in which direction or specialisation your photographic journey is taking you, don't specialise and waste money on kit you cannot afford.

Nature photography can be one of the most fulfilling areas of photography and can reap great rewards. It takes time effort and a lot of practise so be prepared to dedicate your self to many hours of waiting and preparation. If you have what it takes the results will speak for themselves.

Learn Digital Photography - Nature Photography Techniques For Beginners

Macro Photography Techniques

Learn Digital Photography - Nature Photography Techniques For Beginners

Learn Digital Photography - Nature Photography Techniques For Beginners
Learn Digital Photography - Nature Photography Techniques For Beginners

Macro Photography Techniques

Photography A - Z the Easy Way: O - Overexposure

Overexposure is a term often discussed in photography. What does it mean?

Simply put, it is when too much light is allowed to reach the sensor and the resulting image is too "light" or "bright".

Why does it happen?

To get a decent image, the camera has to select a combination of aperture (the size of the hole in the lens that lets in light) and shutter speed (the length of time the sensor is exposed to the light when taking a picture).

Generally, the camera chooses the correct combination. Sometimes the camera makes a wrong judgement for the scene in front of it OR the photographer chooses settings that are not ideal.

If this happens, too much light can enter the camera and hit the sensor, resulting in overexposure. The "whites" or "highlights" will be burnt out and too bright. Any detail in these areas will tend to be lost.

The cure is to retake the photograph and choose LESS exposure by using a smaller aperture or a faster shutter speed. This can be done either manually by the photographer or automatically by the camera if it has facility for "automatic exposure compensation". Read the manual to find out.

Your images might also be overexposed if there is a good deal of low light in the scene you are photographing as the camera tries to compensate for the average low light levels by increasing the light hitting the sensor. Alternatively, using flash, especially the in-built flash on compacts and lower end prosumers / SLRs can result in overexposure and "bleaching" of your subjects. In these cases try to compensate using the camera.

Photography A - Z the Easy Way: O - Overexposure

Macro Photography Techniques

Photography A - Z the Easy Way: O - Overexposure

Photography A - Z the Easy Way: O - Overexposure
Photography A - Z the Easy Way: O - Overexposure

Macro Photography Techniques

Popular Types of Photography

Photography is one of the most popular activity in the world. Ever since the camera has been invented, photography has grown in demand exponentially. And its popularity is still continuing to grow.

Nowadays, photography is not just a hobby. Instead, it has branched off into many different fields of applications. In fact, many people rely on the camera and photography to make a living. These people are professional photographers.

Below listed are some of the more popular types of photography:

1. Wedding Photography. Almost every modern wedding in the world cannot function well without the usage of the camera. This is used to capture the very important and significant moment in life known as the wedding. Years down the road, a wedded couple can re look back at the wedding photos to relive the good old days.

2. Urban photography. This is the taking of cityscape and urban lifestyle shots. This form of photography is also known as cityscape photography.

3. Macro Photography. This type is also known as Close-up Shots. This is used to take small subjects up close. Popular genres of macro photography include the shooting of plants, insects and small products.

4. Female photography. The photographing of female subjects is one of the most popular. The female body is one of the most visually attractive form of creation. It is therefore one of the most eye-catching too. There are many sub-branches to this main group of photography. Some of the more common ones includes fashion and glamour photography.

Well, that is all for this photography related article. Thank you for reading.

Popular Types of Photography

Macro Photography Techniques

Popular Types of Photography

Popular Types of Photography
Popular Types of Photography

Macro Photography Techniques

A Guide to Types of Camera Lenses

Different types of camera lenses are suited for different activities. Do you need a telephoto lens to capture photos from a long distance? How about a macro lens for close-up photography? Familiarize yourself with popular camera lenses so you can determine which are best for your photography applications.

Wide-angle

Wide-angle camera lenses are ideal for shooting interiors, landscapes and large gatherings. The important thing to look at when shopping for wide-angle camera lenses is the uniform quality of the shot. If you're looking at a wide-angle lens with a crystal-clear center and blurring around the edges, keep on looking. You may also encounter Spherical Aberration, or wide-angle distortion of your images. If you can't afford a quality wide-angle lens that avoids these effects, hold off making a purchase and save your money until you're able to get the quality lens you need.

Telephoto

Telephoto camera lenses may be the most difficult type of camera lens to purchase. Telephoto lenses are typically the most expensive, as the quality of the glass makes a big difference in long-range applications. Typical uses for telephoto lenses include sporting events, landscape features and animals in nature. The longer the telephoto lens, the larger the aperture should be, so look for proportional length and aperture width when shopping for telephoto camera lenses. Because longer telephoto lenses require more glass, lengthier lenses are significantly more expensive than shorter lenses.

Zoom

Unlike a fixed-focal-length lens, a zoom lens gives you the option of shooting subjects both near and far. Zoom camera lenses suffer a slight loss in quality over fixed-length lenses but make up for the difference in quality by their usefulness in different applications. If you're trying to quickly shoot subjects at different ranges, such as a moving object, you may not have time to change fixed-length lenses as the subject comes closer to you or moves away. Zoom lenses give you the ability to keep a moving subject in frame and are good choices if you need a versatile lens for a moving subjects or a variety of applications.

Standard

While standard camera lenses may seem to be unnecessary in light of specific lenses for different applications, in reality, the opposite is true. Standard lenses require you to think more about the shot you're planning and move to get a good angle and distance, but they take quality pictures and the process involved helps you learn to compose better shots. An advanced photographer can use a good standard lens for a variety of applications, where a novice photographer may feel the need for specialized lenses for each application.

Macro

A macro camera lens is designed for extremely close-up photography at short range. Macro lenses aren't good at capturing close-up shots from far away, like a telephoto lens, but are instead designed for the photographer to be close to the subject. Macro lenses are ideal for nature photography, photographing collectibles and science photography.

A Guide to Types of Camera Lenses

Macro Photography Techniques

A Guide to Types of Camera Lenses

A Guide to Types of Camera Lenses
A Guide to Types of Camera Lenses

Macro Photography Techniques

Digital Photo Tips - The Art of Photographing Women

A quick glance around any museum will reveal an amazing number of images of the female figure. Women have been used in art throughout history. Today, women are the chief focus of photography used by the fashion industry and "glam" magazines, and they appear in newsstands by the thousands each week, where they are seen as brides, movie stars, homemakers and athletes.

So, how do photographers insure they are capturing women at their best? While a whole host of studio "tricks" and software "improvements" are used commercially, through some simple techniques and efforts the photography of women can be achieved with great results.

For example, those "glam" girl images that are becoming popular again can be achieved in a variety of ways. Black and white images of the popular World War II era "pin up" girls are achieved in well-lit studio settings. It is important to remember that bright light can wash away dark circles under the eyes, the appearance of cellulite and even brighten a smile. While this may be the most simplified lighting scheme, some photographers examine studio photographs from the golden age of Hollywood and copy the dramatic lighting that was employed to great affect. For example, a wash of light across the eyes of a black and white subject can deliver a great deal of glamour. Additionally, many photographers will apply filters to soften the appearance of the face or flesh of the subject.

Another form of glamour photography is the later "pin up" trend in color photography. The classic images were inspired by popular art, and features buxom ladies in "rockabilly" dress. These images also call for special lighting, and many photographers apply the effects desired in their software program and not the studio. It is important to remember that such photos are never intended to be crude, but instead should be alluring and always feminine.

Another highly feminine manner of photographing women is as brides. For many brides, their wedding day is a highly emotional event, and it may be challenging for a photographer to capture her at her best. One method commonly used by professionals is to review a list of required shots the bride would like taken, this way she will be able to compose herself during these moments. Additionally, the photographer should examine the sight where the wedding service and reception are to be held to get a good understanding of the lighting required for the best photographs.

Photographing women in creative ways is a wonderful way to experiment in photography, or even earn a living. The images can be romantic or artistic, and should always seek to capture the subject in a flattering manner.

Digital Photo Tips - The Art of Photographing Women

Macro Photography Techniques

Digital Photo Tips - The Art of Photographing Women

Digital Photo Tips - The Art of Photographing Women
Digital Photo Tips - The Art of Photographing Women

Macro Photography Techniques

Best Cameras For Jewelry Photography

A very large part of managing your own jewelry business is being able to professionally present your jewelry products to your customers. Without being able to display your products in a manner that highlights the quality of the work or the special details in a piece you are trying to sell there is very little chance of your business doing well in the long run. If you are mainly trying to sell your line directly to customers in a face-to-face manner then this should not be a huge concern as your customers can examine your pieces on their own. If your business is centered around selling your creations on the Internet then you will need a better way of conveying the quality of your products.

Unless you are willing to pay for a professional photographer to take high quality pictures of your work then you are going to need to be able to take the pictures on your own. While it is really important to know how to frame a shot and use lighting to highlight the attributes of the product you are taking a picture of, the camera you select to take the pictures themselves is equally important. Selecting the camera you will be using to take the pictures is a huge decision and should not be made lightly.

When selecting a camera to use to photograph your work the first thing you should consider is your budget. This will be a key determinate of what kind of cameras you can choose from when making your decision. Some jewelry makes that are just starting out can make do with generic digital cameras, if this isn't for you then there are several options to choose from. The main thing to decide if you are using a digital camera is how many pixels you want for the pictures; generally, anything over 3 megapixels is a good choice. You also want to consider two other features: Macro Mode (a closer focus mode that lets you get extremely close to items and provides a nice clean shot) and White Balance (different programming in the cameras that allow them to compensate for reflective nature of jewelry pieces).

Most jewelry professionals recommend purchasing a DSLR. These are digital single-lens reflex cameras. Professionals really like these cameras because of their ability to pretty accurately preview the picture you will be taking as well as giving you the option to use interchangeable lenses for different types of shots. When it comes down to choosing between different DSLR's it is really all about personal preference as to whether or not you like one brand over another or how many different functional options you want to come with the camera.

Canon has excellent reviews for shooting still life items such as jewelry. A lot of full time home jewelers that take their own pictures recommend the Canon Rebel series. There are different options, and different price ranges for the various options in the Rebel series, but all have really good reviews on performance and quality of the pictures that are taken. I would recommend buying a lower end DSLR and splurging on a really good Macro lense. In the end, however, it really does just come down to personal preference. Luckily most high-end camera stores will let you try out their products before you actually select one, so you can try out a few different types before committing to one over another.

Best Cameras For Jewelry Photography

Macro Photography Techniques

Best Cameras For Jewelry Photography

Best Cameras For Jewelry Photography
Best Cameras For Jewelry Photography

Macro Photography Techniques