Notes on Class 1

Remember these are revision notes and may only make sense AFTER the class!

PS Don't be overawed by terminology etc - its easier than it looks.

                                      Introduction

This camera course is aimed at the beginner - the person who has a camera or is about to buy one - the person who wants to be able to take "good" photos - whether they be portraits, floral, street, still life, landscape/seascape, travel etc.

and is willing to spend time taking lots of photos to practice putting your new knowledge to work.

 1   Introduction: how cameras work (Short version)!

2 What do you want to shoot? We will look at examples of modern day images as you are introduced to various styles

3 Emailing and printing photos

4 Online camera simulators - how to use them

I will want to know what model camera you have if any.

Before the next class do lots of study on your camera and find out what the various buttons are for

Examine the menu.

How do cameras work?

How does a camera work? ... A camera lens takes all the light rays bouncing around and uses glass to redirect them to a single point, creating a sharp image. When all of those light rays meet back together on a digital camera sensor or a piece of film, they create a sharp image.

This is a DSLR camera below 

Light enters the lens, strikes the mirror, is reflected up to the prism and we see the image 

as we look in through the viewfinder.

I will explain all this in the class

The second image shows what happens when you press the shutter (= take a photo) The mirror gets out of the way allowing the light to now reach the sensor and create the image.

Which camera should I buy?

Do you want a small neat camera or a big heavy DSLR?

Many photographers are changing to the first option.

Choices  -  small compact camera with a *fixed lens 

What does "fixed lens" mean?

The lens stays on the camera and cannot be removed.

It will usually cover all required photos you want to shoot

and therefore have a *zoom lens.

What is a Zoom lens?

A 24-75mm lens can be zoomed in and out from 24mm to a max 75mm. At 24 you are shooting wideangle very suitable for landscapes

At 75mm you might be shooting portraits

A 70-200mm lens can be zoomed from 70 to 200.

At 200 you have zoomed in on a subject that is far away e.g. wildlife

This is a Canon 70 - 200mm f/2.8 lens £1615.83

Good lens are expensive.

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Back to our humble fixed lens cameras

Panasonic do lots of fixed single lens cameras e.g.

Panasonic  LUMIX DMC-TZ80   £219  Leica lens with 30x zoom 

4K video Wi-Fi connectivity   3In touch LCD screen

Panasonic Lumix TZ90 "A brilliant but affordable travel camera with a generous zoom" Digital camera world  About £300

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What is a DSLR camera?

What is a Mirrorless camera?

Digital Single Lens Reflex  

V   No Mirror  Smaller   AS good  3rd party lenses

No benefit in a larger camera

Tips for getting to know your new camera

Read the manual or better still search the internet and see if there are videos showing you the way around your model.

Know your camera's MENU

Learn the cameras layout - where the buttons are and what they are for.

Yes it takes time.

As you can see there are lots of buttons and a few wheels.

Cameras that are easy to use!!

See "The best camera for beginners 2020"  Click  HERE

My Choice  Fujifilm x-T100    About  £350  Review  > HERE

Also Fujifilm  X-T1  Review  >  HERE

and from Ken Rockford >  HERE   showing shots with various lenses.

Go smaller > Panasonic Lumix GX80  About £400

Nikon 3500   DSLR  Solid performance    £400  Easy to use .....

Canon  EOS Rebel SL3   EOS 250D  Live View    £500

Many cameras can be bought "Body only"

Some come with a "Kit lens"

If I buy a body only camera what lens should I buy?

If your interest lies in Landscape you need a wide angle lens  24mm

If you shoot portraits you need something like a 50mm or 85mm or 100mm

A zoom lens may cover all of that e.g. Tamron 28-200

At 28mm it will shoot landscapes and at 200 some wildlife.

Good article on Pros and Cons of a All-in-One lens >  HERE

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So you have a camera .....

Do you shoot in Auto always?

Do you know how to change the Aperture?

Do you know how to change the Shutter Speed?

Do you know how to change the ISO?

There is nothing wrong with Auto .......BUT

lets get some value for the expensive camera you bought.

To shoot "creative" images you really do need to move from Auto.

That means firstly you need to get to know the buttons/Menu on your camera. Go online and see if there are instructional videos on your exact make/model.

Example:  Tony Northrup is an excellent presenter and covers many makes of camera in his instructional videos.

Overview Training Tutorial for the Fuji XT1 >  HERE

Nikon D3500 Tutorial Users Guide  >   HERE

                  _____________________________________________________

NB   NB   NB   NB   NB 

If there is a Tutorial online for your camera - which shows you where the various buttons are and talks you through the Menu ---------- it is up to you to study that ...............

I do not know your camera

Then it will be easy for me to tell you the uses for these buttons etc once you know how to access them.

        ________________________

Camera simulators

These are online free simulators that allow you to practice taking shots using various exposures

are a great way to experiment and acquaint yourself with the various aspects of exposure like

Aperture, Shutter speed and ISO.

1.   Play by Canon   Click  >  HERE

2. Exposure Simulator by Andersen Images

Click >  HERE

3. DOF Simulator   Click  >  HERE

4.  Nikkor lens simulator   Click  > HERE

Choose the camera and a lens 

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Learn how to email/send a photo from your computer

from From your phone etc.

1. From your iPhone Photos App

You've got an iPhone and you've taken some great pictures with its camera that you want to send to friends and family, but you don't know how. Fortunately it's a really simple process. Here's a look at what to do.

Note: The following steps will refer to an iPhone, but the process is the same on an iPod touch or iPad.

1.                                         Open your iPhone's Photos app.
2. 1 Choose the album containing the photos you want to send. If you took photos using your iPhone, they'll be in an album up top called "Camera Roll."
3. 2 Tap the button in the upper righthand corner that looks like a rectangle with an arrow coming out of it. This will initiate edit mode.
4. 3 Tap the photos you want to send. You can only send five by email at one time.
5. Tap the action you want to take from the bar at the bottom. In this scenario, you'll want to tap the Share button.
6. You may be presented with a few options. If you are, choose Email.
7. 
   
8. Your iPhone will now compose a new email message and, within a few seconds, you'll see your photos added to the body of the message. Up top, enter the name or email address of the person you want to send the photos to. Also enter a subject line for the email if you'd like. When you're done, tap the Send button.
9. 
   
10. Before the message sends, you'll be asked what size you want the emailed photos to be. Small is very small but takes up very little data. Medium and large are both good sizes for viewing but take up more data. This means they may take longer to send. Actual size means your iPhone will not shrink your photos at all and send the original copies. This is what you want to choose if the person you're emailing is going to print out copies of the photos. Make your selection and your iPhone will start sending the message. It may take some time, but eventually you'll hear a "woosh" sound indicating that your message has been sent.

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Are you thinking of buying a camera?

There is a glut of very good second hand /used cameras out there offering excellent value.

Buyer beware ...... buy from a recognised dealer and get a guarantee.

End of notes on Class 1

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A little bit of Macro

Two easy and cheap ways to take macro shots

Macro photography is great fun and you don't need an expensive macro lens

You can try it with a phone

or any camera.

1       Many people shoot macro very affordable with      extension tubes like these 

They usually come is 3's.

They fit between the camera and the lens allowing you to get closer to the subject - you fill the frame and still achieve focus.

All lenses have a minimum focus distance (mfd)

Example Canon 24-105 has a mfd of 1.48feet. 

Inside that distance I cannot focus at all.

To get closer for macro shots I need an extension tube.

So extension tube onto camera and lens onto extension tube.

I have a 12mm and a 16mm for my Fuji camera.

Here are a few shot with my 12mm on my 16-55 lens.

As you can see the DOF (depth of field) is very small and there is only a tiny amount of each flower in focus.

That is totally acceptable.

Where did I get the shots you ask? Easy

Buy your partner flowers like these

Method 2  Using a reversed lens

If you already own a 50mm prime or standard kit lens (around 18-55mm focal length range) then reverse lens macro is also the least expensive way there is to get up close.

To do this you need to get an adaptor like this 

Screw one end of this adaptor onto your camera and then attach the reversed lens onto the other end! Looks like this 

Works very well with a 50mm lens 

4 essential to great Landscape Photographs > HERE

Getting started

Find what interests you   ....... *INSPIRATION

      e.g.  portraits      landscapes      abstract images      sport      travel   

Get a camera    The best camera?  ..... is the camera you have with you.

Don't buy expensive gear yet. When you know for sure that you are hooked then look to expanding your gear.  e.g. a wide angle lens for landscape......

NB ***Get to know your camera basics.

Learn about composition.

Learn about exposure.

Take a workshop - photography course.

Learn a bit about light

            Ambient light

            Flash

            Light modifiers

Practice a lot - experience is the best teacher.

Be patient - learning and growth take time.

Find a mentor.

                ***       Click  >  HERE

If you have a dslr like this below you need to be able to read the menu screens 

So the shutter speed above is 1/125 of a second

The Aperture is f/5.6

The ISO is 400

P tells you that the camera is set to Program mode

We will explain all of this in the course

e.g. what is the significance of Shutter speed - how o set and change it

What Aperture means - how to set and change it as required

What ISO means and how it affects your photos.

Yes it may sound difficult - but when explained well and when you practice taking photos with your newly acquired knowledge  - the mystery evaporates ............

Often you can find detailed info online 

 e.g. "How to use the Canon EOS Rebel T1i/500D's external controls (Dummies)

         Click Here to view.

Here are a few very good not expensive dslr models and links to using controls.

Nikon D3500

Fujifilm X-T100

Fuji X-T1

Canon EOS relel T7i

Nikon 5600

Canon 90DCanon EOS Rebel SL3

Olympus OM-D  E-M10 Mark111

Panasonic Lumix GX80     *Micro four thirds  16MP   Touchscreen   Mirrorless

* Everything you need to know about  Micro four thirds   Click > HERE

Start a blog where you can keep both your newly acquired information and photos.

Here is an example of a blog I did on Light.    Click  >  HERE

How to start/publish and edit a blog will be part of this course.

Having done a fairly expansive course in photography you might find it embarassing not to be able to explain APERTURE or Depth of Field or Ambient light or Shutter speed priority to a fellow golfer or partner....... or son/daughter.

LINKS .........

                Most famous portrait photographers 2019 >  HERE

                Best landscape photographers working today > HERE

                Best landscape photographers of all time >   HERE

                Best portrait photographers of all time  >  HERE

There are so many genres of photography all doing brilliant work. 

How about underwater photography! 

               12 best underwater photographers in the world  >  HERE

Small selection of creative images   *INSPIRATION

 Who doesn't like flowers

             Flower photographers and their work  >  HERE

             My favourite floral photographer is Magda Wasiczek   >  HERE

                             **********************************

    A Simple Guide to the Different Types of Digital Cameras

• Compact Cameras. Also known as a point-and-shoot camera. ...
• Zoom Compact Camera. Compact zoom cameras have a more powerful zoom lens. .
• Advanced Compact Cameras. ... have Manual exposure mode and M focussing
• Adventure Cameras. ...
• DSLRs – Digital Single Lens Reflex. ...
• Compact Mirrorless Cameras. ...
• Medium Format Camera Types.   about  50x40mm

Compact Cameras 

                                    Terminology

LCD   Liquid crystal display is a type of flat panel display which uses liquid crystals in its primary form of operation

Built in flash

Good exposure

Point and shoot

Fixed lens

Zoom lens      Zoom compact camera

Fast  lens

High resolution pictures

Megapixels

ISO

Aperture

Shutter Speed

Jpeg file explained         Click    HERE

Raw file     .....unprocessed data.      Click   HERE

Histogram

Full Frame    36x24mm (135film)

               

What Is a Megapixel?

A digital camera captures images through what we know as pixel elements. Better known as pixels.
A megapixel is one million (1,048,576 pixels) of these pixels.Digital images come from thousands of tiny tiles capturing light and colour. The more the number of pixels, the better the photo resolution.

 Sharpness, definition, and detail go up alongside the photo resolution. The megapixel size of the image is one aspect of quality. The camera sensor, processor and even the quality of the lens you are using play a part.

A 6-megapixel camera will give you enough resolution to create a 4×5″ print.

Billboards will look perfect at a distance. But they’ll have poor quality when viewed from up close 

There are a few reasons why you would want an image file with a higher resolution. The most important reason is cropping. Most of the time, you will find you do not capture exactly what you wanted.

When forwarding an image 20MP images are  too big.

Use very small resolution for Flickr and websites.

Facebook resizes all images 

Use 300dpi* when printing

Screen resolution will be 72dpi.  

5x7inch max print size  3 MP   Resolution 2048x1536

*Dots per inch (dpi) explained  >  HERE