PHOTOGRAPHY 101 ERIC KIM A GIFT TO YOU Dear friend, I wanted to write you this book on how to take better photos. I know you started off with your iPhone, and started to show keen interest on making better images. I taught you the “rule of thirds” and other basics; but now it is time for you to take your photography to the next level. So consider this a handbook or a manual of sorts; for you only. I am also writing this book in hope that other people (similar to you, still relatively new in photography and wanting to learn more) will find it helpful as well. Always, Eric Dec 5, 2015 i 1 PHOTOGRAPHY EQUIPMENT WHAT CAMERA SHOUD I BUY? I wanted to have more manual controls. I wanted to do things like control my shutter speed, and also aperture (which is how much light the lens allows in, which also controls “depth-of-field”— which To start off, one of the first things on your mind is probably “what is how blurry the background is when you shoot (also called camera should I buy?” “bokeh”). Let me be honest with you— I regret spending so much time, effort, At the time, Flickr was still relatively new, Instagram wasn’t around, (and especially money) on all the gear and cameras and lenses I ac- Facebook was still in its infancy. The only way to share photos was cumulated over the years. They call it “Gear Acquisition Syndrome” either Flickr, photography forums (I was part of the “Black and White (G.A.S. is a fun acronym) in which we become dissatisfied with our Vision” forum on FredMiranda.com), and creating your own “Photog- photography, and hope that by upgrading our camera (or getting raphy Blog.” So the interesting thing was at the time, my photos had the newest and shiny camera) will help “inspire us.” very limited reach. I would say I was a lot happier in this phase, First of all, let me share my personal story with you: when I just had my simple point-and-shoot camera, had it constantly with me in my front pocket, and just documented my everyday life. I started off similar to you; I was 18 years old, had a keen interest in photography, and for my high school graduation present, got a Then of course, I discovered the “gear forums” where I wanted to Canon point-and-shoot camera for my college present from my learn what was the “best” bang-for-the-buck camera (that had a de- mom. The first week was a love affair. I brought “her” with me every- tachable lens), and could allow me to create the out-of-focus blurry where I went; and I think on the first month I had the camera I aver- background photos you saw everywhere on the internet (later discov- aged at least 1000 photos (mind you, my SD card was probably ered this to be called “bokeh”). Furthermore, I wanted a bigger cam- 512MB max). I loved how photography gave me the way to docu- era (it looked more “professional”), and I also wanted to learn man- ment my life experiences and helped me create “art” (as I’ve never ual controls, so I felt that I was controlling my camera, rather than been good at painting or drawing). Oh yeah, and I also have a terri- my camera controlling me. I also wanted to have better “image” qual- ble memory. ity with my photos— I wanted images that were sharp and popped with high-resolution, color, and clarity. Anyways, although I was quite happy with the images I was making, I felt technically limited by the camera. I discovered things like “expo- I did some research and discovered this thing called a “DSLR” (Digi- sure compensation” (adjusting the brightness/darkness of the cam- tal Single Lens Reflex— don’t worry too much about the technical era), the “macro” mode (being able to focus really close, like taking concepts, but the basic idea is that the camera has a mirror, and photos of flowers and insects), and also how to add the “rule of also sees what your eye sees). The “DSLR” cameras also allowed thirds” overlay to my LCD screen (to help me better compose). you to put on different lenses. 3 MEGAPIXELS ARE OVERRATED of-focus blurry photos) in your photography. Also the 4/3rds means that the aspect ratio of the images is 4x3 (length versus height). I have found that Micro 4/3rd camera sensors look as good as The common misconception with digital cameras is the more DSLR sensors (APS-C and Full-frame) on a computer screen. You megapixels, the better the image quality. That is the biggest myth. only tell a difference when you zoom in 100% (but if you’re not go- Without getting too technical, the megapixels a camera has dictates ing to print your photos super-big, you don’t really ‘need’ a APS-C how big you can print the photo— yet it doesn’t necessarily mean it or Full-frame “DSLR” sensor). will have good image quality (a bit hard to explain, but just trust me APS-C sensors: (also known as “crop” sensors; most of these sen- on this one). You can make fabulous large prints (12x18’’) with just a • sors are in lower-end DSLR cameras, and magnify your focal 8-megapixel camera. So for now, know that it doesn’t matter how length (lens) by a factor of 1.5x or 1.6. This is a bit difficult to ex- many megapixels a camera has, but the quality of the image sensor. plain, so just ignore it for now. But the point to know is that for most What is an “image sensor”? photographers, a micro 4/3rd sensor and an APS-C sensor is most you will ever need). Well— it is like the eye of the camera, which takes in all of the light and information of your scene, and renders it into a bunch of 1’s and • Full-frame sensor: (this is what everybody wants, and is available 0’s (binary data), and spits it out into what is a digital image. So basi- in “professional” cameras like the Canon 5D, 6D, 1D as well as the cally an image sensor is the eye, brain, and computer behind your Nikon d600, D700, and D800 series. Also found in the Sony a7- camera. series cameras). Now before you go off and buy a “full-frame sen- sor”— honestly know that I think full-frame is a bit overrated (will Generally the bigger the image sensor the better-- because bigger explain later). image sensors have more detail, information, and quality. But not al- ways. There are different types of image sensors (I’m listing them from small size going up to a bigger size). I think for 99% of photographers (you and me included); you will never “need” a full-frame sensor. The only people who “need” a full- • Cameraphone sensors: (really small); like in the iPhone frame sensor are wedding and commercial photographers who want • Compact sensors: (usually found in most consumer point-and- super-high low-light performance (without “noise”— those little shoots) speckles that show up in your photos if you shoot at night without a flash). Also having a full-frame sensor allows you to get more • Micro 4/3rds sensors: (a compromise between a DSLR-sensor and “bokeh” or out-of-focus in your photos (which brides and people get- a compact sensor; most cameras with micro 4/3rds sensors have ting headshots love). extremely fast autofocus, but don’t allow for as much “bokeh” (out- 4 BOKEH IS OVERRATED pens is that you soon fall into a “treadmill”— and you just keep buy- ing more cameras, lenses, and your camera bag just accumulates more and more shit— and then your camera bag is so heavy that A lesson I really want to drill into you: bokeh is overrated. Let me re- you don’t even take it with you wherever you go. You end up letting peat that— having photos with a “shallow depth-of-field” (your sub- all of your gear accumulate dust on the shelf, and you just end up ject is in-focus but the background) is overrated. If I could give my- taking photos on your iPhone (like you did when you started off). self one piece of advice when I started off was this: you don’t need a f/1.4, f/1.8 (or even a f/2) lens. This will save you so much time, frus- Rather— pick a camera that is small and compact enough for you to tration, and money. always carry with you everywhere you go. Why is bokeh overrated? Don’t get me wrong; when I started photog- I also know that you are on a budget, and I don’t want to recom- raphy, my first DSLR was a Rebel XT (EOS 350D) and I got a 50mm mend any cameras that will break the bank. So here are my per- f/1.8 lens, and shot everything at f/1.8. What is this “f/1.8” I talk sonal recommendations: about? Pretty much the concept is that the smaller the “f-stop” num- ber (also referred as “aperture”) the shallower your depth-of-field. 1. Ricoh GR II (~$550): The best bang-for-the-buck camera that has Therefore if the aperture or f-stop of your lens is at f/1.8, your subject an APS-C (DSLR sensor).