In the previous post we saw some generalities and basic ideas of reflex photography and today we continue with some concepts that form the basis of photography. What I want to achieve with today's article is that you all understand SLR photography and the factors that help a photo to be produced. You will see that deep down the idea is very simple, you just have to pay a little attention.
Knowing these bases will help you lose your fear of the manual and semi-manual mode of your camera.
HOW IS A PHOTO PRODUCED?
Simplifying the idea extremely, we will say that a photo is produced thanks to the play of light and darkness. Normally when the camera is at rest its sensor (or film) is dark. Nothing happens. As soon as we shoot a photo, a very small and brief glimpse of light enters the camera and reaches its film or sensor. That amount of light entering the camera is projected into your sensor or film thus reflecting the scene photographed. For a photo to be produced we need, therefore:- (A) Something about which the photo is recorded (film on old reel cameras, or sensor on digital cameras);
- (B) Small opening in the camera body where the light will enter when we shoot the photo.
- (C) Outside light.
THE KEY TO MANUAL CAMERA MODE
These 3 previous elements are all important, in equal degrees, but from the point of view of the camera that we have in hand the manual mode is actually based mainly on the element (B), the small opening that is in the camera ( specifically in the objective) where the image (light) enters . It is what is called Opening or Diaphragm in the jargon of photographers.WHAT DO WE CONTROL WITH AN APERTURE / DIAPHRAGM?
Basically with the aperture of the objective (that hole called diaphragm) we can control two aspects: amount of light entering and shutter speed.AMOUNT OF LIGHT ENTERING
When we want to control the amount of light entering the camera, we put the mode dial of our camera in mode A (in some cameras such as the Canon is called Av). This is a semi-manual mode with which the camera allows us to control the diameter of the aperture. In other words, with mode A we can tell the camera that at the time of taking the photo the aperture (diaphragm) has to be wide or narrow. Look at the illustration of the image of the header, there are several lenses / lenses with different apertures, some wide and others narrower. How do we tell the camera if we want a larger or smaller aperture? Well, as soon as we get into "A" mode, we will see that the camera allows us to control a value that appears as f /. The f / value is the diaphragm or the aperture. If it is a f / low value, the aperture is large and therefore more light enters. For example with an aperture of f / 2.6 the camera will capture much more light than with an aperture of f / 11, and even less light with the aperture f / 32. Check it right now on your SLR camera before continuingSHUTTER SPEED
When we shoot the photo, the time that the shutter remains open allowing the light to enter influences the amount of light that enters. This time, even if they are thousandths of a second, can make a lot of difference. We control it normally with the "S" mode of the camera. As soon as we select the “S” mode, we see that the camera allows us to control a numerical value that reflects the time in seconds that the diaphragm will remain open when we shoot the photo. This value can be for example 1/2000, meaning: when the photo is fired the diaphragm will remain open for 1/2000 of a second, which becomes a very very short time. On the other hand, the value 1/5 will mean: when the photo is shot, the diaphragm will remain open for 1/5 fraction of a second, which is relatively slower than the previous one. We could also put a value of 3 ? which simply means: when the photo is fired the diaphragm will remain open for 3 seconds. And what is the use of controlling the time during which the diaphragm is open when shooting a photo? Well, for example, if I am taking a picture and it is very dark, I can put the camera in the semi-manual mode "S" that allows me to control the shutter speed (during which time the aperture / aperture remains open) and put the camera a relatively slow shutter speed (1 second for example, and if I see that I need more I put 3 seconds, and so I go). Another utility of the "S" mode is when we want to freeze a scene. For example, in shows or in sports, the subject usually moves very quickly and that can sometimes cause the subject to move out of motion or not very clear. To solve this, we put ourselves in the "S" mode and tell the camera that we want a fast shutter speed, so fast that the image freezes in a thousandth of a second, so we put a value of 1/1000 for example.AND WHAT ABOUT THE 100% MANUAL MODE?
These two modes that we have just seen are semi-manual, the A and S that are priority to Opening (how wide is the opening) and priority to shooting (how fast or slow is the shutter, that is the action of opening and closing the diaphragm) respectively. Each of these two modes allows us to control one aspect or one control (aperture / speed) while the camera takes control of the other. If I, for example, choose the S mode and select the shutter speed 1/500, the camera itself will adjust the Aperture (the diameter of the aperture) so that the amount of light sufficient for that shutter speed that I want, and vice versa. The manual mode is simply a mixture of both semi-manual modes. The manual mode allows us full control of both the diameter of the aperture (mode A) and the shutter speed (mode S).ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS BEFORE SHOOTING A PHOTO
Many times getting a photo taken does not require more effort than stopping for a brief moment before shooting the photo and asking yourself a series of sometimes vital questions so that the result is the desired one. Although they seem like many questions as soon as the memorials and apply them a few times at the beginning they will be recorded in your mind and you will begin to ask them more and more agile and fast, almost unconsciously.IF YOU USE AN SLR CAMERA
- Am I in RAW or JPG mode?
- Do I have the exposure, ISO, shooting, and focus values ??set correctly?
- If I am in manual or semi-manual mode , have I set the correct values ??for the diaphragm and the firing speed?
- Does enough light enter the camera?
USING ANY TYPE OF CAMERA (REFLEX OR COMPACT)
- Am I happy with the composition / framing?
- Have I supported my hand or am I using a tripod so that the camera does not vibrate and so the photo does not come out blurry?
- Am I using any technique, advice or trick that I learned recently and that I am putting into practice?
- Do i need the flash?
