Exercising More Technical Control To Improve Your Photographs

When we approach a scene of interest to take a picture we look for what composition can be included in the frame and maybe what the lighting is doing to the scene. In most instances the camera is automatic and handles all the technical details for you. Those actions can best be described as recognizing an interesting scene and photographing it, but there is more to photography than just that. While the camera (be it film based, DSLR or a cellphone) is designed to quickly do that job, often automatically, it usually has a lot of additional capabilities. It has a number of tools that the photographer can employ to further interpret the scene.

While there are a number of cameras that are automated to just point and shoot, most better cameras (cellphones too) have additional controls; the shutter speed which specifically determines how sharp the image is when there is motion involved (either in the scene itself or with the hand holding the camera) and the aperture which is the lenses area that controls how much light gets in through the lens during the shutters opening.

Shutter Speed is the measurement of how long a shutter is open in taking a photograph. To minimize problems involving motion that can create blur in the image you can set faster shutter speeds that can reach 1/1000^th of a second or even faster. In very low light, shutters can stay open 1 second or even longer to get enough light to resolve the image. In cameras there are a series of shutter speeds with each step a doubling of the speed from the previous step. Typically they are 1 second, ½ second ¼, 1/8, 1/16, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500th of a second.

Aperture size or f-stop technically is a ratio of the focal length of the lens to the iris diameter that is controlling the amount of light and is expressed as a fraction. Think of the letter f as the numerator over the denominator’s number where the higher the denominator number the smaller the fraction. It looks like this f/ 1.4 where f/1.4 lets in twice as much light as f/2.8. The most common whole progression being f /1.4 , f /2.8, f /5.6, f /11, f/ 22 with some cameras also having half stops like f/16. Besides controlling the amount of light getting through the lens the f-stop also controls depth of field or how much of the depth through a scene is in good focus.

Exposure or equivalents are called reciprocity. It’s the concept that combinations of shutter speed and f stops allow exactly the same amount of light into the camera when taking a picture. f/5.6 at 1/125^th of a second is the same amount of light as f/11 at 1/60^th of a second. The slower shutter speeds allow the photographer to set smaller apertures that create a greater depth of field. The selection is always a compromise between motion blur and reduced depth in focus.

Playing around with shutter speeds and different f stops is the best way to appreciating what you can accomplish. Sometimes an image has more impact with deliberate motion blur. Like tracking a fast moving object with the camera while clicking the shutter at the same time will often provide great pictures where the moving object is sharper while the background shows motion blur. Setting faster shutter speeds also provides for smaller depth of field and that is a great way of focusing attention on a specific area in the scene.

To make use of these features in a digital camera or your cellphone requires that you understand how controlling shutter speed and aperture works in your device. Check the manual or do a device specific internet search and start playing with those controls.

Upping your iPhone game

Controlling focus and exposure separately. The problem with accomplishing that trick is that the iPhone sets both exposure and focus with a single tap. If you tap on your foreground subject and it’s dark, you can end up over-exposing the photo. The easiest way to solve that problem, is to install a better camera app and there are a number available – these include Camera+ ($2) and Top Camera ($3). By using either of these apps, you can tap separately to focus and specify where to set the exposure. The end result: You no longer have to live with under- or over-exposed photos just because you chose to set a specific focus point.

There are also other apps that allow you to change an image after it’s taken. There’s FocusTwist that shoots a short video and then shows you a still photo derived from the length of video. There’s also AfterFocus ($1). Open a photo or take one, and then outline the areas that you want to be in sharp focus. The app then blurs everything else for you, giving you a convincing shot with simulated depth of field.

Lock the focus without using an app on you iPhone. Instead of a tap to set only exposure you can lock the focus on the iPhone with a tap and hold on any spot on the screen for a few seconds and when you see a yellow box flash around your finger tip, remove your finger and you’ll see the message “AE/AF Lock” on the screen. Until you take the photo, the focus and exposure will remain fixed at when you released your finger until you tap the shutter release to take the photo.

Apps for Android users.

Open Camera is a compact camera app for Android cellphones and tablets. It is free with no in-app ads. This Android app has different focus modes, scene modes, auto-stabilizer, HD video recording, handy remote controls, configurable volume keys, geotagging of photos and videos, support for an external microphone, HDR, dynamic range optimization mode, small file size, etc. and it’s open-source.

Google Camera comes installed on all Pixel devices but the Android community, has managed to make Google Camera app available on other Android devices. Making things like Pixel portrait mode, HDR+, and more plus the Pixel 4 camera’s Astrophotography feature, which enables users to capture great shots in the dark. GCAM apps are ported by third-party developers, so you may find lags and bugs in the download.

Adobe Photoshop Camera is good for taking a lot of selfies as the app comes with a ton of camera filters and effects. The filters can be applied before or after you shoot the picture, and some are remarkable and the app has intelligent AI that recognizes the subject in the picture and applies filters with real precision. It also has post-editing tools that change brightness, contrast, saturation and a magic wand tool that can remove sharp shadows and deep black areas. Unfortunately it does not allow for manual selection of shutter speed, exposure, focus, and is supported only on a few Android devices.

In closing, I had a number of people that challenged me with projects designed to train my eye to see and take better photographs. In the next section I will offer some of those examples to help improve your picture taking.

Composition Rules For Taking Better Photographs

I’ve spent most of my life in photography and no I’m not in the same league with most of photography’s legends. In the course of my career I’ve learned a few things about composition. What turns an okay picture into something really good? When to follow the rules and when to break them, but most of all how important it is to be aware of just what you’re seeing when taking a photograph. Most people develop a sort of tunnel vision when taking photographs. We tend to focus our attention only on that element that caught our attention and everything else seems to fade away. It takes training and conditioning to begin to see the entire environment.

Over the years I’ve studied many of the masters of the craft and I had the privilege to meet and talk to a number of them. That has influenced my approach to taking photographs ever since. Here I’d like to offer some ideas on what to look for to help make your photography more compelling.

Don’t Just Stand There – Very few great photographs were actually taken from five feet above the ground. That’s the height of a camera held in front of your face while standing. It may be the most comfortable position for taking pictures but it is also the most often used, the most ordinary. I had a Nat Geo photographer once tell me that if he isn’t in the dirt or hasn’t climbed something to get the shot he just isn’t doing the job he was hired to do. Simply put, changing your point of view and your perspective changes the picture for the better. Consider the Adam’s image Mount Williamson from Manzanar above.

The Golden Hours -It’s the time of day that includes that hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset and they’re called the Golden Hours for a reason because the time of day matters. It’s hard to take a Sunrise if you don’t get out of bed and Sunrises usually provide the day’s best lighting. Those golden hours. Get out there when the world is just waking up and you’ll often see some remarkable sights. The same holds true around sunset. Late evening and nighttime scenes have their own special magic. Photography is actually capturing the light that also includes elements of form and contrast but it’s really all about the light.

Look For The Geometry In A Scene -Composition can speak directly to the subconscious causing the eye and mind to be drawn into the flow and depths of the image. Have you ever seen two images of pretty much the same scene where one is just flat while the other draws your attention? It is elements of composition that make the difference. Consider a few simple tricks.

The S Curve – Famous landscapes are often examples of the S Curve but it can be incorporated in a number of images. A photograph that has a flow to it usually has graphic elements that wind back and fourth through the frame in an S shape. Start looking at images and you will find the S shape often. It tends to cause the eye to start at the back of the scene and travel through the scene following that S curve. Ansel Adams photograph of the Tetons and Snake River is a perfect S Curve.

Frame The Scene – A sense of depth in a photograph actually draws us into the image and makes it more meaningful. Again the appeal is often subconscious but that too adds to the impact of a photograph. The easiest way to add depth and appeal to a scene is to include near objects in a distant shot like tree limbs or near rock formations. Conrad Hall was the cinematographer on Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Paul Newman and the cast thought that there was so much filming from behind bushes that at one point they tied bushes around their waists to cover part of their faces as a joke. Still the movie garnered a lot of praise for its visually stunning images all to the credit of Conrad’s vision.

Use The Rule Of Thirds – Either in taking a picture or later cropping it consider the Rule of Thirds. Divide a scene into thirds horizontally and vertically and that produces four line intersections. Place the most important element in your scene at the points where they intersect. These are called power points and the most significant one is the lower right. Most right handed people are drawn to that location first in a scene. The more muted the rest of the composition the more powerful the image.

First and foremost, the take-away for improving your photography is don’t just shoot the scene in front of you but take a moment to appreciate it and the elements that make it interesting along with its surroundings. You are about to create a two dimensional graphic representation of your experience – make it as interesting as you possibly can.

Symmetry and Rhythm We are drawn to regular shapes and if we see symmetry in a scene it seems to draw our attention. Eye-catching symmetry in a composition, particularly in situations where they are unusual, seem to stand out. Learn to look for them and when found consider the impact it has on you. Sometimes disrupting or breaking found symmetry can change the focal point in the scene and make the image even more intriguing.

Finally, as you approach the subject to take its photo, get in the habit of letting the scene speak to you and ask yourself some quick questions:

• What is it about this scene that caught my attention? How can I improve the scene?
• What elements are available to bring into the composition? Are there foreground elements that could frame the scene or something that might dramatize the central element?
• Is there something in the composition that would draw a viewer through the composition?
• Is there a better camera position that would enhance the image? Would a lower or higher position be a better perspective?