GoingManual.com It's time to take control!    Home    Tutorials    Photography Forum  Photography Tutorial Introduction Part I – Gear The Camera  -  Focus  -  Resolution  -  MegaPixels Vs Print Size  -  Sharpening Semi auto settings  -  Aperture Priority (Av)  -  Shutter priority (Tv) Zoom and Focal Length  -  A Note About Sensor Size Other Camera Features  -  Viewfinders  -  Lens Hood  -  LCD screen  -  White Balance Extra Equipment  -  Tripod  -  Cable Release  -  Filter systems  -  Polarizer and ND filter  -  External Flash  -  Studio Lighting  -  Reflectors Part II – Capturing The Scene Your First Manual Photo  -  It's All About Exposure  -  The Light Meter  -  Exposure Explained  -  Controlling Exposure Creative Effects  -  Aperture and Depth Of Field  -  DOF Preview  -  Shutter speed Putting it all Together  -  ISO  -  Ap. & Shutter Relationship  -  Stop for a minute  -  So What?  -  The Bulb Setting Metering the Scene  -  18% of Everything Metering modes  -  Matrix  -  Average  -  Center weighted  -  Spot or semi-spot Taking Meter Readings  -  Expose for your subject  -  Sunsets and sunrises  -  Reflecting sun  -  Night Exposures  -  Moon  -  Green Foliage  -  Bright or White Scenes  -  Dark or Black Scenes Understanding Your Histogram  -  Flash Metering Composition Lead in The Viewer Eye  -  Point of Focus  -  Fill the frame  -  The Rule of Thirds  -  Moving Subjects  -  Print and frame Sizes Different Styles Learn by doing  -  Giving and Getting Critique  -  Portraits  -  Groups  -  Children  -  Shooting Outdoors  -  Silhouettes  -  Macro  -  Products  -  Landscapes  -  Sports and Action  -  Panning  -  Rear Sync Flash  -  Abstract  -  Long Exposures  -  Black and White A few Other Useful Things  -  Blown Out Skies  -  Neutral Density Filters  -  Polarizing Filters  -  Electronic noise You're Half Way There! Part III The Digital darkroom  -  Computer hardware  -  Card Reader  -  Printers  -  Mouse Post Processing  -  The Ethics of Altering  -  Choosing Your Program  -  Tutorials   Photoshop Tutorials   Photoshop Primer   Saving Your Image   Adding a Border   Using Levels   Using Curves   The S-Curve   Correcting White Balance   Improving Saturation   The Clone Tool   Correcting Lens Distortion   Blending Multiple Images   Black and White Conversion   Sepia Conversion   Reducing Noise   Cropping for Different Print Sizes   Sharpening   Working With RAW Files   The Gimp Tutorials   The Gimp Primer   Saving Your Image   Adding a Border   Using Levels   Using Curves   The S-Curve   Correcting White Balance   Improving Saturation   The Clone Tool   Correcting Lens Distortion   Blending Multiple Images   Black and White Conversion   Sepia Conversion   Reducing Noise   Cropping for Different Print Sizes   Sharpening   Working With RAW Files   << Other Camera Features Part II – Capturing The Scene >> Extra Equipment Tripod A tripod is usually needed when your shutter speed drops below 1/60 or when using longer telephoto lenses. The sturdier the better, with legs that lock and spread wide to give maximum stability. The head should let you move the camera into portrait and landscape positions easily. A reversible center column lets you get down low. Liquid filled bubble sight levels are useful for keeping horizons level. If you're tall consider how high the tripod extends, and for storage and carrying, how much it collapses. A quick release head is handy to remove the camera quickly but if it doesn't have a safety lock it's easy to knock it accidentally. Cable Release A cable release plugs into the camera to allow remote triggering of the shutter. Useful to eliminate hand shake on cheaper tripods and to allow you to come out from behind the camera and interact with your subject. Infra red shutter releases are also available for some camera models. Tip: Cable release extension cord is very expensive. If your camera uses 2.5mm jack plugs, buy 'step up' and 'step down' converters to 3.5mm from any electronic parts store. You can then purchase extension cable for regular stereo equipment instead of the expensive proprietary branded cable. I found 6 meters for a dollar! Filter Systems Filter systems typically screw onto the front of the camera and help you capture your image as intended. Some systems are very complex (see www.cokin.com and www.tiffen.com) while other filters simply screw directly onto the front of your lens. Polarizer and ND filter Polarizers are indispensable, and neutral density (ND) filters are useful too. With digital it's possible to add many of the effects filters provide in post processing, however these two will be very useful and help where even post processing can't! External Flash External flash is more powerful than on camera flash It's useful for reducing red-eye, caused by the flash bouncing off the back of the eyeball. The further or higher above the camera lens the less likely you will be to get the red reflection. It allows you to bounce the flash off walls and ceilings to give a softer light and less harsh shadows. Be careful when the walls are colored as the flash will pick up color and tint your subject. Multiple external flashes can be linked to provide complex lighting solutions. A diffuser is a good companion to a powerful flash. It's a translucent cover that softens the light from a flash. Gels are colored heat resistant plastic sheets to add color to your flash. Studio Lighting Strobes,extra external flash units or hot lights (constantly on bulbs), all have their advantages and disadvantages. You can set up studios on a large scale to photograph anything from groups of people, cars, even aircraft or on a tiny scale for up close 'macro' work. Prices can range from a few dollars for a macro studio made from parts available in any hardware store, to an almost open ended scale. You can get big, bright lighting from a hardware store that will meet the needs of most people on a budget. Make sure you set your white balance correctly for the type of lighting you choose. You may need to set it manually. Consult your camera's manual or look online for details on how to do this. Post what you find on www.GoingManual.com and you'll be helping others who need the same info. Reflectors Reflectors come in handy to fill in shadows and reduce contrast. Collapsible ones are useful when traveling but they can be made from white paper or aluminum foil. My first reflector was 4 bamboo poles taped together with scrunched up and flattened foil (scrunched to avoid hot spots) on one side and paper on the other. Often paper and material may look white but might not be pure so watch out for subtle colors tinting your subject. Tip: Using colored reflectors can add warmth (reddish tones) or coolness (blueish tones) to your subject. << Other Camera Features Part II – Capturing The Scene >>

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