Digital Photography Learning Lounge

Introduction

2011-11-08T11:05:00.001-08:00

Welcome! Grab a coffee, relax, and leisurely peruse the learning topics.

This site is designed to help the beginner master the basics of photography using a compact digital camera, aka the point and shoot, P&S or pocket camera.

It also presents photography tips, tricks and techniques to exceed the limits of these little cameras using simple, affordable methods.

This is a living document, so topics will be added, improved and modified on a daily basis for several months (and maybe years) while the Learning Lounge continues to expand and evolve. Please be sure to check back frequently.

If you would like to contribute a tutorial, kindly submit it to: fotofriendz@aol.com If I feel that your material has merit for our readers, it will be added.

Freedom of speech exists here . . . within reasonable limits. Feel free to leave comments which are on-topic and contain no profanity.

Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you find the information here useful and informative.

Direct Links to Specific Topics

Macro Lens for compact cameras.

Understanding the HDRI process.

Understanding Closeup Photography aka Macro Photography

Understanding Depth of Field aka DOF

Macro Focus Technique FHRS

Rectangular Photos in Square Thumbnails

In the near future, look for these tutorials to be added:

Long exposures with compact cameras.

Telephoto adaptors for compact cameras.

Using a circular polarizer or neutral density filter on a compact camera.

Understanding and creating bokeh backgrounds.

How to photograph snowflakes using a compact camera.

Nature photography with a compact camera; insects, raindrops, wildflowers.

Stop action, ISO speed, white balance.

Effective lighting techniques.

Understanding Closeup Photography and Macro Mode

2011-11-05T15:30:00.000-07:00

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This video is the best tutorial ever on how to use a digital camera for closeup photos in macro mode.

Link to the add-on lens mentioned in the video: Little BigShot

Using Macro Mode for Closeup Photos with a Compact Point and Shoot Camera.

Compact cameras have two basic shooting modes; normal and macro. In normal shooting mode, your camera will not focus closer than about 2 feet from your subject. If you wish to shoot closer, you switch the camera to macro mode (the tulip or flower icon). This allows your camera to focus closer than 2 feet, and as close as one or two inches.

However, you can not use zoom while in macro mode. If you do, the camera will refuse to focus. So zoom all the way out before setting to macro mode.

Disable your flash. Flash seriously overexposes macro subjects. Cover the flash with black electrical tape if you have a camera which does not permit the flash to be turned off.

If shooting macros indoor and the lighting is too low, add a lamp and position it to the side and slightly behind the camera. If shooting outside and the sun is blazing on your subject, use your body to cast a shadow. In any situation you can make adjustments to the camera's exposure value (EV) to compensate for lighting which is either too weak or too strong. A link will be added here when the post on lighting is published.

Macro images have a shallow depth of field (DOF). So if your camera is at an angle to your subject, part of the subject will be in focus and other parts will drift out of focus. The closer the camera is to the subject, the more shallow the dof. For best focus, have your camera perpendicular to the part of your subject you wish to highlight.

To learn more about Depth of Field: Understanding DOF

The closer you are to your subject, the more sensitive the camera is to shake, which can result in blurriness. You can eliminate camera shake by stabilizing the camera on a tripod or stack of books, but you will eventually learn that macro photography does not easily lend itself to tripods. Hand held macros are superior in many cases, and it takes practice to become proficient at it. Here are some tips for minimizing camera shake in hand held macros:

a) Turn on image stabilization if your camera has it

b) Set ISO to 200 or 400. Higher ISO = faster shutter speed.

c) Pressing the shutter button can cause camera shake, so practice pressing gingerly.

A link will be added here when the post on macro focus techniques is published.

Composing your image does not always mean getting the camera as close as possible to your subject for the highest magnification. Sometimes, the best composition is one which presents the subject with the highest degree of artistry and visual appeal, and that might mean that the subject is presented with some of its surroundings. So as you get into macro photography, experiment often with various angles and distances from the subject, and then look at your work to see which is most appealing. A link will be added here when the composition post is published.

Lastly, I'd like to address bokeh in macro photography. When your camera has the subject in focus, the background objects will be out of focus. This out of focus condition is known as bokeh. As you experiment with macro photography, notice how the appearance of the bokeh changes as the camera is closer and further to the background objects. Bokeh can be used to make a macro image visually exciting, and the best way to understand it is to experiment with it. A link will be added here when the bokeh post is published.

And this concludes the primer on macro photography. Time to grab your camera and have some fun creating macro images.

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Understanding Depth of Field DOF

2011-11-04T17:02:00.000-07:00

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Understanding Depth of Field in Macro Photography

When taking macro photos (closeups), it is helpful to understand something known as depth of field (dof), and how it effects your macro images. There are times when a shallow dof enhances your image, and there are times when it is unintended or undesired. This thread hopes to demonstrate what is meant by the term dof, what it is, and how to use it or avoid it, dependent upon your particular desire.

At close range, cameras and lenses have a limited ability to focus in the Z axis (front to rear). So if you desire good focus across the entire surface of your subject, then it is best to have the camera perpendicular to (square with) the part of your subject you wish to display.

In this first photo, the camera is perpendicular with the scale, the camera is in macro mode and positioned 2 inches away from the scale. We find a fairly good focus all the way across the image, except for some fuzziness at the extreme left and right edges of the frame. (this is common)

If, however, we have the camera at a 45 degree angle to the scale, suddenly we find that the focus across the scale is limited to an area of about an inch. So, the depth of field (which is probably better defined as the depth of focus) is about one inch.

Now, to make matters worse (or shall I say "more challenging"), if you add a macro lens to your compact camera, as you magnify the view, you decrease the depth of field. Here is a macro lens image of the scale, again from 2" away, but as you can see the scale is greatly magnified by the macro lens. Even so, the camera is perpendicular to the scale and we have a fairly good focus across the entire frame.

But when we have the camera at a 45 degree angle to the scale using the macro lens, we find that the depth of focus is only about 1/4"

To help reinforce what we've learned thus far, I will use macro lens images of a yellow jacket. When the body of the bee is aligned left to right, the camera has no trouble providing a good focus along the entire length of the subject. That's because his body at this angle has little depth front to rear.

But when we rotate the bee 90 degrees, we discover that while his face and thorax are nicely in focus, his abdomen drifts into blur. That's because the DOF at this magnification is 1/4" and the bee is 3/4" long.

So, the angle of your camera relative to your subject in macro photography controls your depth of field and focus. It is to be noted that out-of-focus regions (which are known as the bokeh) are not always to be avoided. Bokeh can help accentuate the in-focus regions. It's really a matter of what you're trying to achieve photographically, and this post helps you understand how to use or minimize the shallow DOF associated with macro imaging.

The images of the bee were captured using a Canon Powershot. They came straight out of the camera (SOOC) and were not cropped to make them appear larger. You might be asking yourself how a point & shoot can get such great macros. Well, I cheated. The camera had a P&S macro lens attached. If you're interested in cheating with your camera, here's the link: Little BigShot.

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Closeup Focus Technique FHRS

2011-11-03T19:07:00.000-07:00

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Obtaining Good Focus with a Compact Point and Shoot Camera in Macro Mode

Have you ever taken a closeup shot (macro) and the camera reports to you that the shot is in focus, but the result is not exactly the focus you desired? There are 4 possible reasons for this and one technique to overcome it, which I call FHRS. Parts of this post pertain to shots taken on a tripod, but mostly this advice is for hand held macro photography.

FHRS stands for Focus, Hold, Recompose, Shoot, and I will explain the technique fully in this thread, but first, let's review the 4 causes of incorrect focus.

1 - Compact cameras have an auto-focus system. There are menu options allowing you to set various auto-focus methods. On most cameras, the default setting is the center of the frame. Other options include multiple points of focus, face detection and so on. But since most people use the center default setting, we shall discuss that.

Let's say you have a bracelet as your subject. It's circular and the main pendant or bead is at the bottom of the circle. The bracelet rests upon a textured cloth. When you take your shot, you center the bracelet in frame, the camera tells you that the shot is in focus and you take your shot. But the main bead is out of focus and you get great focus on the cloth texture in the center of the bracelet. That's because the camera focus is set to center, and your beads are at the periphery, so the camera set the focus upon the cloth, not the bead.

2 - Depth of Field (dof). Closeup photos have a shallow depth of field. For a visual explanation of dof, see this post: Understanding DOF. So, your lack of focus might be related to having the camera at an angle to your subject, and to correct this, the camera should be perpendicular.

3 - In hand held shots, no matter how steady and stable you think you are, it is possible for the camera to drift closer or further from the subject, and because of the shallow dof, the shot goes out of focus.

4 - Most people are not aware that they are moving the camera when they push the shutter button down, or when releasing it after the shot is taken. The camera takes the shot in a fraction of a second after the shutter button is pushed all the way down, so if your pressing action or lifting action causes camera movement during the exposure time, the image will have blur.

And now we shall discuss methods to improve macro focus.

Before we get into FHRS, these settings will help. If your camera has image stabilization, make sure it is activated. Set the camera to ISO 200 or 400 as this will force a faster shutter speed.

FHRS

Your camera's shutter button has 2 positions. You can press it half way down to the focus detente, and you can push it all the way down to the shoot detente. Next:

FOCUS and HOLD: Looking in your monitor, bring the camera toward your subject until you have the focus and composition you desire. Now press the shutter button half way to the focus detente and hold it there.

HOLD and RECOMPOSE: Continue holding the shutter button at the focus detente, look into the monitor to check the focus and if necessary, make adjustments to the camera position (or subject position if using a tripod) to refine your desired focus.

SHOOT: As soon as you see perfect focus in your monitor, press the shutter button the rest of the way down to take the shot. However, be aware that pressing and releasing the shutter button itself can cause camera movement and blur. So practice eliminating movement by pressing the shutter button gingerly. Also, once you press the shutter to shoot, it is a good idea to not release it until after the shot has been taken. This will eliminate any possibility of camera movement while releasing the shutter.

A little experimentation and practice goes a long way to create the union of camera to photographer. It's like riding a bike. After a fashion, you and the bike are one. Same with your camera, a union evolves through familiarity.

For a visual example of FHRS in action, go to Little BigShot and watch the video entitled "Macro Photography Technique" which perfectly demonstrates FHRS while attempting to capture hand held macros of seltzer bubbles on a slice of lemon.

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Rectangular Photos in Square Thumbnails

2011-11-02T08:48:00.000-07:00

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For online sellers. A trick to retain rectangularity in square thumbnails.

Front page thumbnails are square but your photos are rectangular. If you don’t crop your photos square, then parts of your items are clipped out in the thumbnail. A square crop obviously solves this problem, but some images are better served by rectangular format, so this thread presents a simple solution.

Example: I want to use this image to sell my vase full of flowers. Cropping it square is impossible because I would lose the bottom of the vase and/or the top of the flowers.

So, I upload it to my page uncropped and in my studio, it looks unprofessional; with important parts of the image clipped out. It is true that once the buyer clicks on this product, he can then see the full size image, but since this is the photo he sees first, I want it to make a good first impression.

Here’s a quick fix. The image is 600 × 800 (rectangular). So I open a new blank picture 800×800(square)and I fill the picture completely black. Then I copy and paste my picture into the black square and Viola! I have preserved the rectangularity in a square size, so when I upload it, this is what my customer now sees first.

This example was presented using a photo with portrait orientation (longer from top to bottom), but the same process also works for photos in landscape orientation (longer from left to right). I use a basic black border but of course you can use any color, texture or even text or a background image.

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