Cph001 Cameras, Lenses and the Digital Image

CPH001 CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

Table of Contents

WELCOME ...... 6

THE PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESS ...... 7

DIGITAL CAMERA TYPES ...... 8

DSLR CAMERAS ...... 8

INTERCHANGEABLE LENSES ...... 9

INTEGRATED LIGHT METERS ...... 9

DEPTH OF FIELD PREVIEW BUTTON ...... 9

MIRRORLESS CAMERAS ...... 10

POINT AND SHOOT CAMERAS ...... 11

HYBRID CAMERAS ...... 12

CHOOSING YOUR CAMERA BODY ...... 13

LENSES ...... 15

FIXED LENSES (SMALL, MEDUIM AND TELEPHOTO): ...... 16

ZOOM LENSES (SMALL, MEDIUM AND TELEPHOTO): ...... 17

MACRO LENSES: ...... 19

WIDE ANGLE LENSES: ...... 20

REFLEX LENS ...... 21

FOCAL LENGTH ...... 23

CORRELATION BETWEEN FOCAL LENGTH, ANGLE AND PERSPECTIVE .... 24

FULL SIZE VS CROPPED SENSOR ...... 26

LENS DESIGNATION ...... 28

EXERCISE 1: ...... 30

LENS USES ...... 31

TELECONVERTERS ...... 32

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

FILTERS ...... 33

ND FILTER ...... 33

IR FILTER ...... 34

POLARIZING FILTER ...... 35

UV FILTER ...... 36

COLOUR FILTERS ...... 36

TRIPODS and MONOPOLES ...... 37

TRIPOD LEGS: ...... 37

TRIPOD HEADS: ...... 38

MONOPOLES: ...... 39

THE EMERGENCY TRIPOD ...... 39

EQUIPMENT CARE ...... 40

LENS CARE ...... 40

CAMERA CARE ...... 41

INSURANCE ...... 42

THE DIGITAL IMAGE ...... 43

DIGITAL IMAGE FORMATS ...... 44

JPEG FILES ...... 44

RAW FILES ...... 45

TIFF FILES ...... 46

EPS FILES ...... 46

LOCKED AND UNLOCKED FILES ...... 46

IMAGE SIZE AND RESOLUTION ...... 47

PIXELS ...... 47

IMAGE SIZE ...... 48

RESOLUTION ...... 48

FILE SIZE ...... 50

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

DPI ...... 50

CHANGING IMAGE SIZE ...... 51

IMAGE SOFTWARE ...... 54

MANAGING YOUR IMAGES ...... 56

PROCESSING RAW IMAGES ...... 57

PREPARING IMAGES FOR ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION ...... 57

PREPARING IMAGES using PHOTOSHOP 2020 ...... 58

PREPARING IMAGES using PAINT SHOP PRO 2019 ...... 62

EXPORTING IMAGES from LIGHTROOM CLASSIC 2020 ...... 68

THE BACK END IMAGE DATA ...... 72

CAMERA FAMILIARISATION ...... 74

BATTERY AND CARD ...... 74

EXERCISE 2: ...... 74

ATTACHING A LENS ...... 75

EXERCISE 3: ...... 75

FRONT AND TOP BUTTONS AND DIALS ...... 76

CAMERA MODES ...... 77

EXERCISE 4: ...... 77

SHUTTER BUTTON ...... 78

FLASH ...... 78

EXERCISE 5: ...... 79

VIEWFINDER CLARITY ...... 79

EXERCISE 6: ...... 79

MAIN DIAL...... 80

CAMERA BACK ...... 81

EXERCISE 7: ...... 82

MENU OPTIONS ...... 82

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

IMAGE QUALITY ...... 83

EXERCISE 8: ...... 83

PLAYBACK AND DELETE BUTTONS ...... 84

EXERCISE 9: ...... 84

INFO / DISPLAY BUTTON ...... 85

EXERCISE 10: ...... 85

DIGITAL DISPLAY ...... 86

SHUTTER SPEED ...... 87

EXERCISE 11: ...... 88

APERTURE SETTING ...... 89

EXERCISE 12: ...... 90

MANUAL MODE ...... 91

EXERCISE 13: ...... 92

DRIVE MODE ...... 93

EXERCISE 14: ...... 94

AF MODE ...... 95

EXERCISE 15: ...... 96

AF POINTS...... 97

EXERCISE 16: ...... 97

EXPOSURE COMPENSATION ...... 98

EXERCISE 17: ...... 99

TECHNIQUE ...... 100

HAND HOLDING YOUR CAMERA ...... 100

CONCLUSION ...... 101

ASSIGNMENT 1 ...... 102

PART A: IN THEORY… ...... 102

PART B: PHOTO ASSIGNMENT ...... 103

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

TASK 1:...... 104

TASK 2:...... 105

TASK 3:...... 106

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

WELCOME

Welcome to your Photography course.

Whether you are just starting out, looking for a career change, or just want to take better photos, our courses are designed to guide you through the technical side of photography, teach you how to take great images, how to manage and enhance your digital images plus give you an insight into the wonderful world of photography.

The word “image” is the start of the word “imagination”. Imagination is the start of a good image. Parts of the course may challenge you a little. Other parts will get your creative juices flowing. We will guide you all the way, keeping the technical stuff as clear and easy to understand as possible. By the end of the course, you will have the skills and knowledge to create images you only dreamed of.

To cater for all students, the course starts from the very basic, assuming you have little knowledge to begin with. There is an assessment to be completed at the end of each module. Some will be theory. Most will include a photographic assignment.

Make sure you do all of the exercises along the way. They are a very important part of learning.

Good luck with your studies, and most importantly, have fun!

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

THE PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESS

In simple terms, the job of the lens is to focus the image onto the sensor. The job of the sensor is to convert the light and colour information into electronic signals. The computer software inside the camera then converts these electronic signals into usable images. In other words, it reconstructs the image projected by the lens onto the sensor.

Let’s take a look at the difference types of digital cameras on the market today.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

DIGITAL CAMERA TYPES

Modern cameras today are complex. They have come a long way from the original camera obscure developed in the 1600’s, the Kodak Brownie in the 1900’s and the first digital camera prototype developed by Kodak in 1975. Modern cameras are now very clever, sophisticated, computer driven devices that are extremely capable and some are a little complex to get your head around.

It all starts with the camera body. When choosing a camera, the first step is to work out exactly what you intend to use is for, what features you need and other considerations that may be important. Our weapon of choice is a DSLR camera, but there are other options that might work well for you too.

DSLR CAMERAS

DSLR is short for digital single lens reflex. This is the digital version of the SLR camera. • D – Digital • SL – Single Lens • R – Reflex

In other words, the single lens (SL) is used to view the subject as well as to focus the image on the sensor. Reflex (R) refers to the mirror that is used to allow the dual function of the single lens to work. When you press the button to take a photo, the mirror jumps vertically out of the image path allowing light to pass through the shutter to the sensor at the rear of the camera. The shutter is in the focal plane inside the camera body, so there is no need for individual shutters in each lens, making lenses cheaper. Focal plane shutters can open and close much faster than

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

in-lens shutters, with speeds in excess of 1/8000 of a second. This makes them fast. You will learn more about this in Module 2.

DSLR cameras have features that enhance the process, giving you the power to change and create different images. Some of these enhancements include:

INTERCHANGEABLE LENSES The ability to attach the appropriate lens for any situation is the most important feature of DSLR cameras. As a professional photographer, this ability is a must. It gives you the versatility needed to take great images in most situations.

INTEGRATED LIGHT METERS The light meter inside the DSLR camera reads the light that will expose the image. It compensates automatically for light lost when using filters and adjusts quickly to changing light conditions if clouds drift across or a truck goes past causing a reflection. This makes it easier for you than using a light meter and it adjusts quickly without you even having to think about it.

DEPTH OF FIELD PREVIEW BUTTON The depth of field preview button keeps the lens wide open at the largest aperture until the image is exposed. This allows the image in the viewfinder to remain bright at all times, regardless of the aperture setting. This helps you to compose your picture and get the focus how you imagined it.

You will learn about these features and lots more as we work our way through the course.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

MIRRORLESS CAMERAS

A mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILC) is generally referred to as a "mirrorless camera". They are in a similar category to DSLR cameras. While mirrorless cameras can interchange lenses, the mirrorless camera does not have a mirror reflex optical viewfinder (hence the name mirrorless). The higher end models usually come with an electronic viewfinder (EVF). Rather than use a mirror to give you a preview (viewed through the eyepiece) of what you’re shooting, the digital sensor is always active and displays what it detects on a small electronic view screen where an optical viewfinder would be. Some mirrorless cameras do not have an EVF and rely solely on the LCD screen at the rear of the camera for a visual display. This is not recommended for portrait photography due to light and glare issues.

In general, any viewfinder plus a live view screen is better than just a live view screen. While live view screens can be great at times for framing landscape images, they can be awkward to use if your camera isn’t on a tripod because you need to hold it at arms length to see. In this position you cannot brace yourself adequately so camera shake

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

can become an issue. Also it looks unprofessional, and makes it difficult when you want to rapid fire.

Optical viewfinders are a factor in a lot of people sticking to DSLRs rather than switching to mirrorless. When you look through an optical viewfinder, you’re seeing straight out the end of the lens. This gives you a very clear, sharp view of the scene.

Mirrorless cameras are designed to have the advantage of smaller size, lighter weight, lower end models with lower cost than DSLRs but with flexible shooting modes and the ability to interchange lenses. It will be interesting to see where manufactures take these cameras. They are rumoured to be the way of the future.

POINT AND SHOOT CAMERAS

Point and Shoot cameras have advanced rapidly over recent times with huge improvements in picture quality and features. They are a great camera for taking your happy snaps and are designed to be used as the name dictates. Just point it and shoot. There is no viewfinder. Your only option for focussing the camera is the LCD screen on the rear. Unfortunately, with most you cannot change lenses or attach filters and have only a limited ability to change settings. This does limit your creativity. On the plus side, for what they are designed to do, they are compact, lightweight, easy to use, are very affordable and many can take very high-resolution images. Many have a multitude of preformatted shooting modes that use pre-set inbuilt camera settings tailored to specific subjects. This can be really helpful for those without the knowledge to make camera setting choices. Point and shoot cameras are not suitable for the serious photographer.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

The point and shoot camera was once a good option as an extra to carry in your pocket for “that moment” when opportunity presents and you are without your main camera. These days, we just use our smart phones for that.

HYBRID CAMERAS

Hybrid or Bridge cameras are a cross between the point and shoot and the DSLR. While similar in looks to the DSLR, lenses are usually not interchangeable, they are one level below in both functionality and price and can be a little disappointing in performance. On the plus side, like DSLR’s, these cameras generally have manual shooting modes which is a must have to give you control over the outcome of your images.

A hybrid might be an option worth considering if you are on a tight budget and don’t intend to work professionally as a photographer. In recent times, manufacturers have started fitting cameras in this class with super optical zoom lenses that are impressive in both range and capabilities. This brings some of these cameras back into the mix as a versatile option. The super optical zoom lenses often cover a range from 20mm to 600mm focal length. That is impressive.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

CHOOSING YOUR CAMERA BODY

This is purely a matter of personal choice. The Canon and the Nikon camera are two of the front runners in the DSLR category. The brands vary slightly in design, are weighted / balanced slightly differently so they have a different feel and each has their own little quirky ways which you will soon be mastering. Both offer good quality, excellent reliability and a vast array of lenses and accessories to go with them. There are also other good brands, so it would pay you to do some research of your own before taking the plunge.

If considering changing cameras, here are some suggestions:

• Sticking with the same brand as you are using now means you may still be able to use your existing lenses on your new camera body. A massive cost saving here. It also means you will be more familiar with the terminology plus the location of the buttons and the adjustment menus, so you will find it quicker and easier to become comfortable with your new camera.

• Go to your local camera store, find the one with the features you want then hold it. You don’t buy a pair of shoes without trying them on, so don’t hold back. Feel it, try it out and if the salesperson will let you, wander around a little with it in your hand (being careful not to wander too close to the store exit). You need to get a feel for it. Instinct will tell you if it is the right camera for you. Comfortable in your hand means confidence in your work. Try a couple of different ones and experience the difference.

• Look at the warranty it comes with. Some people advocate getting an extended warranty (if you don’t have to sell your Grandmother to afford it). Although things can go wrong, I have never had a camera malfunction nor the need for a repair.

• Don’t throw out your old camera. It may be a great back up or your saviour in a crisis. There will be situations where you take more than one camera to a job so you don’t have to be stopping to change lenses in the field.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

• Once you know exactly what you want, consider shopping online. There are some great savings to be had. Just make sure you buy from a reputable dealer that will be around in the future if you need to make a warranty claim.

• Don’t rush into anything. Be sure of what you need before making your final choice.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

LENSES

Your DSLR camera body cannot take an image without a lens attached to the front of it. There is a massive range of lenses on the market for all brands of cameras, purpose built for different situations. In the diverse world of photography, there is an array of lens options. When considering purchasing lenses, here are a few things you might like to put on your features list:

• GREAT OPTICS: A lens that is super sharp when wide open (widest aperture setting – more on this in unit 2) and razor sharp at the longest focal length. • AUTO FOCUS: An absolute must have for any photographer. • ZOOM or FIXED: There are times when we need to remain still and let the lens do the moving. This is where a zoom lens is worth its weight in gold. Fixed lenses have their place and can be considered sharper, but don’t offer flexibility. • FOCAL LENGTH: This depends entirely on the job you want the lens to do. In the next few pages, we will look at different focal lengths and what you might use them for. • SPEED: We need the lens to focus quickly and blur the background nicely (more about this one in unit 2). • IMAGE STABILISATION: The technology is there, so take advantage of it. Although it doesn’t help one little bit for subject movement, it can help keep things stable on your end when your arms are tired, the adrenalin starts pumping or the light is fading so you are forced to slow down your shutter speed. Let’s not forget windy days. That is when image stabilisation comes into its own.

Now we will take a look at the different types of camera lenses on the market today.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

FIXED LENSES (SMALL, MEDUIM AND TELEPHOTO):

Fixed lenses are exactly as the name implies. They are not adjustable. What you buy is what you get. They come in a range of sizes from small to medium to telephoto. Some people prefer fixed lenses as there are fewer moving parts so they are very reliable. They can be fast. The downside is that the only thing that moves is you, so you may have to adjust your position or get closer than desirable to get the shot you are looking for.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

ZOOM LENSES (SMALL, MEDIUM AND TELEPHOTO):

Zoom lenses give you the ability to frame your subject however you choose. You can zoom in to capture a close up or zoom out for a wider perspective. You can make adjustments on the fly. Zoom lenses offer great flexibility, providing multiple options without having to stop and change lenses or continually change positions. Zoom lenses are available in a massive range of sizes from standard to telephoto to super telephoto. They are fast to focus and extremely efficient. They also come in a huge range of sizes, mounts and qualities.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

A telephoto lens refers to a lens with a longer focal length than standard, giving a narrow field of view and a magnified image. They are used to look at things that are further away. Telephoto lenses can be either fixed or zoom lenses. They give you the opportunity to isolate the interesting in the distance. This would be helpful to the wildlife photographer in his quest to capture the big cat from a safe distance, the sports photographer photographing a surfing event without getting wet or the bird photographer waiting in the hide. Lenses from around 70mm upwards to 500mm are generally considered telephoto lenses. Lenses larger than 1000mm are in the extreme telephoto lens class. Lenses in this size range can cost you more than the price of a small car.

Telephoto lenses have a longer focal length. As faraway objects appear closer than they really are, the angle of view is reduced to a narrower focal point. This is a similar effect to looking through binoculars. If you use a wide aperture with a telephoto lens when photographing at a middle distance, it is easy to blur the background and create a great effect. This characteristic makes the telephoto lens a popular choice for a wide range of different photographers.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

MACRO LENSES:

Discover the tiny world. Perfect for flowers, insects, food, water droplets and a myriad of things in the tiny world. Macro lenses can create some spectacular images. The fine detail they can capture is captivating, but they are not the easiest of lenses to get the hang of using.

Some photographers like to use a 100mm macro lens for portrait photography because it allows them to work from slightly further away from their client than they would have to with a standard 50mm fixed lens.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

WIDE ANGLE LENSES:

Wide-angle lenses are often used to capture landscapes, house interiors and architectural shots. Objects close to the lens appear much larger than distant objects. They have a shorter focal length and a wider field of view than a normal lens. They are very short. The size range is generally from around 15mm to 40mm. In the urban photography arena, they are sometimes used for photographing broad street scenes, location shots or environmental portraits.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

REFLEX LENS

Reflex lenses are built totally differently to optical lenses. They use a system of mirrors to increase the focal length of the lens rather than lenses. They are mostly used for the ultra-long telephoto lenses from around 500mm onwards. The aperture is usually fixed making them quite slow to work with. Similar in design to the Cassegrain telescope, the light is reflected off a concave primary mirror at the base of the lens and reflected back to a small secondary mirror at the front of the lens. It then returns to pass through a hole in the centre of the primary mirror on its way to the sensor. All of the back and forth is what gives it the long focal length for shorter lens length.

The advantage of this is that they are compact and light weight for their focal length. As the design is relatively simple, they are generally priced accordingly.

There are a few disadvantages of the reflex lens. The slow fixed aperture definitely limits your options. They also can produce doughnut shaped highlights. It can be a unique look, but not suited to all situations. They are not quite as sharp and are more fragile than an optical lens.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

IN SUMMARY: The range of lenses on the market today is extensive and prices range from the affordable to more than the price of a small car. Before we go any further with lens choice, we need to understand focal lengths and the correlation between focal length, angle of view and perspective.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

FOCAL LENGTH

The surface of a lens is a convex curve. Therefore, the lens is thicker in the middle than it is at the edges. When the light from a distant object enters the lens, it is refracted (bent) due to the variation in the thickness of the lens. The rays of light pass through the lens and are focused at a distance behind the lens. The distance in front of the lens is known as the object distance and the distance behind the lens (between the lens and the sensor) is called the image distance or focal length. See the diagram below. This is the basis of how photographic images are captured.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

CORRELATION BETWEEN FOCAL LENGTH, ANGLE AND PERSPECTIVE

For those of you who are into mathematics and logic, there is an equation. It is based on the distance of the object being directly proportional to its size in the viewfinder and on the sensor. For example, an object that is one metre tall may look to be one centimetre tall in the viewfinder at a distance away of five metres. If the object is ten metres away, it will appear to be 0.5 centimetres tall in the viewfinder. This works for all but very close-up and macro work where it all changes, but let’s not go there at the moment. While we are doing the math, if you double the focal length of the lens, the object will be double the size in the viewfinder. Also, if you double the focal length of the lens, you will halve the angle of view. For example, a 50mm small format lens has an angle of view of 46º. A 100mm lens has half the angle of view (23º).

Confused? For the rest of us who are more visual than mathematical, the diagram below makes it easier to understand.

You don’t need to carry a calculator and make this type of calculation every time you get your camera out to take a photo. If you can understand the concept, it will help you to visualize what lens will work best at the distance you are from your object to get the image you want. Experience is your best teacher. The diagram below shows the angles of view from a cross-section of different focal lengths.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

The images below show you want you can see through the lens and subsequently capture in the camera using the different focal lengths. The angle of view is considerably different using a focal length of 18mm compared to a focal length of 300mm.

Image taken at 18mm Image taken at 55mm

Image taken at 80mm Image taken at 300mm

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

FULL SIZE VS CROPPED SENSOR

The sensor is part of the camera, so technically this topic should be back in the camera section but to me, it is more relevant to lens selection, so it has been included here. The earlier film cameras were known as 35mm cameras. This is because the sensor size in these cameras is 24mm x 36mm, giving a true 35mm image. The high end DSLR cameras today have this full-size sensor.

The main difference between these and the lower end DSLR cameras is that the lower end cameras have what is referred to as the APS-C sensor. It is considerably smaller at approx. 15.7mm x 23.7mm. To visualise this, imagine an image being projected onto a screen and it fills the screen right to all four edges. If you were to replace the screen with a smaller one, you will not be able to see the parts you could previously see at the edges. This is the same result which you get with a smaller sensor. Your wide angle lenses are not as wide and your telephoto lenses are even longer. With a lens factor of 1.5 times, your 35mm lens is now effectively a 52mm lens (1.5 x 35 = 52). Your camera book will tell you the lens factor of your camera.

This really makes little difference, and a competent photographer (such as yourself once you finish this course) can produce just as stunning images using a camera with an APS-C sensor as with a 35mm (full sized) sensor. Being aware of your lens factor will help you when choosing some of your settings in later modules.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

In the diagram above, we have demonstrated the difference between the full frame and the cropped sensor. As you can see, a crop body gives you a pretty significant advantage when it comes to “reach”. This results in a 300mm on a crop body giving you the same image as a 450mm lens on a full frame camera. That is a HUGE advantage for the wildlife photographer as it is a lot like having a built in teleconverter (more about them soon).

For the portrait photographer working close to your subjects, this is not overly helpful. Remember “WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET” and it is easy to work with either size sensor.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

LENS DESIGNATION

Here is what the lens jargon means:

EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

The example above is for a Canon lens. Nikon and other manufacturers use slightly different terminology (list to follow) for some features.

Breaking it down:

EF – This is specific to a Canon and denotes the quality series of the lens. Other manufacturers will have different letters here relevant to their lens types, mounting systems and quality groups.

75-300mm – This is the focal length. In this case, it means the lens zooms from a focal length of 75mm to 300mm (it is a telephoto zoom lens) f/4-5.6 – This is the maximum aperture (speed of the lens). It has a maximum aperture of f/4 at 75mm focal length and f/5.6 at 300mm focal length

IS – If the lens has any special features, they will appear here. IS stands for image stabilisation on a Canon lens. Different manufacturers have their own name and acronym for this feature.

USM – This indicates that the lens uses an Ultrasonic Motor for autofocusing.

New products are launched into the market frequently with technological advances, plus new and improved features sporting new acronyms. It is near impossible to keep up with the latest. If you are not sure what some letters mean, google it.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

Initialisms that are used mainly by specific brands While some terminology is generic, some is specific to the brand. The following chart (courtesy of Wikipedia) contains a list of brand specific terms.

A Automatic flash. The flash unit automatically meters the scene (Nikon). Automatic aperture flash. The flash unit automatically meters the scene, but AA takes into account the camera's aperture and ISO values (Nikon). Advanced distance integration (Minolta, Konica Minolta, Sony brands). A ADI technology to take distance information into account in combination with TTL flash metering. AS AntiShake (Minolta, Konica Minolta brands). See IS in general usage. BL Balanced fill flash (Nikon). Broad-band anti-reflection (Tamron brand). Anti-reflection multi-coating of BBAR lenses to reduce transmission losses. Digitally corrected (Konica Minolta, Sony, Sigma brands). A lens designation to DC indicate lenses which feature improved lens-coating but cover the APS-C image circle only. Also used for defocus control (Nikon brand). Digital Negative, an open raw image format promoted by Adobe and used by DNG some camera manufacturers (f.e. Leica, Samsung, Ricoh and Pentax). Developed from the TIFF/EP digital image file format. DX DX (Nikon brand). A designation for APS-C sized image sensors. Electromagnetic diaphragm (Canon brand). A more accurate and faster EMD method of actuating a lens diaphragm. FX (Nikon brand). A designation for full-frame sized image sensors. See FF for FX general usage. Gold. A lens designation suffix applied to top grade Minolta AF and Sony Alpha G lenses. HSM Hypersonic motor. An autofocus motor (Sigma brand lenses). IS Image stabilizer (Canon brand). See general usage. Luxury. A lens designation suffix applied to top grade Canon lenses, usually L incorporating aspheric and low dispersion elements. OIS Optical image stabilization (Panasonic brand). See IS in general usage. OS Optical stabilizer (Sigma brand). See IS in general usage. OSS Optical SteadyShot (Sony brand). See IS in general usage. Piezo drive (Tamron brand). Autofocus mechanism that employs a piezo- PZD electric motor. RPT Repeat flash (Nikon)

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

Smooth autofocus motor (Sony brand). Autofocus mechanism that employs a SAM piezo-electric motor or micro-motor. SDM Silent drive motor. An autofocus mechanism (Pentax brand). Single-lens translucent (Sony brand). A variation of DSLR, but with fixed semi- SLT transparent mirror. Super multi coated (Pentax brand). Anti-reflection coating of lenses to reduce SMC transmission losses. SR Shake reduction (Pentax brand). See IS in general usage. SS SteadyShot (Sony brand). See IS in general usage. SSI SteadyShot INSIDE (Sony brand). See IS in general usage. SSS Super SteadyShot (Sony brand). See IS in general usage. Supersonic-wave motor. An autofocus mechanism (Minolta, Konica Minolta, SSM Sony brand lenses). Smooth trans focus. A special purpose lens for pleasant Bokeh utilizing an STF apodization filter, or an autobracketing function to achieve the same effect (Minolta, Sony brand lens). SWM Silent wave motor. An autofocus mechanism (Nikon brand lenses). T* Transparenz (Carl Zeiss and Sony brands). Anti-reflection coating of lenses T* to reduce transmission losses. USD Ultrasonic silent drive. An autofocus mechanism (Tamron brand lenses). Ultra multi coated. An ultra-multi-coating to reduce flare further (Samyang UMC brand lenses). USM Ultrasonic motor. An autofocus motor (Canon brand lenses). VR Vibration reduction (Nikon brand), see IS in general usage Weather-resistant (mainly Pentax brand). Cameras and lenses with water WR resistant seals.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_abbreviations_in_photography#Initialisms_that_a re_used_mainly_by_specific_brands

EXERCISE 1: Do a Google search on lenses for your camera. Take note of the different terminology your manufacturer uses and what it means.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

LENS USES

There are no hard and fast rules for what lens you use when, and no right or wrong answers. Making the right choice comes with experience and the development of your own individual style of photography. The table below is a guide that you may find helpful while you are learning.

FOCAL ADJUSTED LENGTH 35MM FOCAL LENGTH 35MM CATEGORY SITUATIONS SENSOR APS-C SENSOR Interiors, Landscapes, Architecture, 20mm 30mm Ultra wide-angle Oceans & Beaches Interiors, Landscapes, Architecture, 24mm - 35mm 36mm – 52mm Wide-angle Oceans & Beaches, vehicles, real estate This is a general purpose lens, suitable for most landscape and 50mm 75mm Standard lens general photography. Also suitable for photographing large groups of people Portraits, products, food, fashion, 70mm - 90mm 105mm – 135mm Short telephoto street, glamour, wedding photography Portraits, products, food, fashion, 100mm -140mm 150mm – 200mm Medium telephoto wedding photography, distant landscapes Wildlife, nature, fashion, food, 200-300mm 300mm – 450mm Telephoto products, sport Sport, wildlife, bird photography, 400-500mm 600mm – 750mm Super telephoto food Over 500mm Over 750mm Extreme telephoto Sport, surfing, wildlife Insects, flowers, detailed work, 100mm Macro 100mm Macro Macro commercial products. Extreme close up shots.

Portrait photography fits from standard lenses to medium telephoto lenses plus macro lenses at times for close up shots. If your camera has a different lens factor, you may need to make the necessary adjustments to the above chart.

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TELECONVERTERS

Lenses that give us the focal length we are often chasing in the world of photography can be over the top expensive, as in the need to sell a kidney to get one.

One option to make your lens “go further” is to use a teleconverter (or extender for Canon people). A teleconverter is a special type of optic that mounts between your camera and lens. It extends the focal length by a fixed multiplier such as 1.4X, 1.7X, or 2X. To work it out, a 500mm lens using a 1.7X teleconverter equates to 850mm.

That is huge, but it doesn’t come without a price. You lose 1 or 2 stops of light and with some, a touch of sharpness in your image. Also your lens will not focus quite as quickly or as accurately as it did before. The general rule is the less the multiplier, the less compromise, so be guided by that.

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FILTERS

The next item/s we need to consider for our kit is filters. A range of filters are available that attach to your lens to assist in counteracting problems or creating effects. Depending on your camera and type of lens, filters either attach to the front of the lens, or drop into a special holder. Filters can be made of glass, Drop-In Filter perspex or gel. Check them out next time you are in your camera store.

ND FILTER

An ND filter is short for NEUTRAL DENSITY filter. It reduces the amount of light and colour that enters the lens in equal amounts, which can in very bright situations, give you a greater choice of aperture and shutter speed options. This can be useful when trying to achieve slow shutter speeds during bright daylight conditions or when you want to slow the shutter speed without overexposing the image. Standard ND filters are available in a variety of strengths (levels of transparency). Graduated ND filters are also available. The strength varies across the filter for use when a part of the scene is brighter than the remainder.

ND FILTER – 4X ND FILTER – 8X ND FILTER - GRADUATED

ND filters may be handy at times, but the technology in modern cameras in recent years has seriously reduced the need to use them.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

IR FILTER

An IR filter is an INFRA-RED filter. It will block visible light and will only allow infra-red light to pass through to the sensor. I am referring to near infra-red light, not the far infra-red light used for thermal imaging. An IR filter will turn the sky very dark, and greens can appear almost white in colour.

https://www.ephotozine.com

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POLARIZING FILTER

A polarizing filter has a similar effect to looking at a scene with and without sunglasses on. Effectively it cuts the glare. The sky will become a rich, more intense blue and you will notice an increased contrast between the clouds and the sky. Heat haze and reflected sunlight are reduced and the colour saturation is increased. They are also great for counteracting reflections and improving clarity in water such as ponds, rivers, oceans, lakes and streams.

If you have only one filter in your kit here in Australia, make it a polarizing filter.

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UV FILTER

UV filters reduce the harshness of ULTRA VIOLET light. It lets most visible light through, and cuts off visible light only in the violet part of the spectrum. Therefore it can have a pale yellow colour. UV filters can have a warming effect on your image.

COLOUR FILTERS

Think of these more as effect filters. Filters are available in a variety of both solid colours and graduated colours. These are used to enhance the colours of the image. For example, a red or orange filter might be used to enhance a sunset. A blue filter might be used to enhance an ocean. Remember if you do a photoshoot using a colour filter, you cannot take it off again. I prefer to shoot the scene in colour as seen by the naked eye. Any colour changes or filtering can be done in Photoshop after the event. Why not capture the image as it really is and decide what you want to do with it later?

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TRIPODS and MONOPOLES

Put a tripod on your shopping list. A tripod is a definite for studio work and you will find yourself using it outside and on location at times as well. Although you will be largely shooting with fast shutter speeds, you will be looking for consistency in your shots and working very hard at times to get the lighting just right. Having the camera stationery is a must when doing this.

Tripods come in a range of different types, sizes, configurations and prices. They are very much an item that you get what you pay for. Price is generally a good indication of quality but if you have a limited budget, my money would be going on the camera and lenses. A cheaper tripod will still get the job done.

TRIPOD LEGS:

Tri means three, hence the name Tripod for a three legged stand to hold your camera still. The legs dictate how high the tripod stands and also how low it can go. Some fold out completely (pictured below - great for hiding in the brush – this is not the portrait photographer) while others stand tall with stabilising braces and variable legs for levelling up on uneven ground. The legs contribute greatly to the stability of the tripod.

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TRIPOD HEADS:

A standard tripod allows you to use your camera in a landscape orientation only. This is called a PAN HEAD. It comes with a handle used to rotate the head 360° in a circular motion.

Some tripod heads flip so you can use your camera in both a landscape and portrait orientation. This is called a BALL HEAD.

When using very heavy lenses, no matter how well you tighten up the screws, the camera head will drop, exactly when you don’t want it to. This has led to the advent of the GIMBAL HEAD. A gimbal head solves the issue. It is an awesome head that keeps everything exactly as you set it up and everything is smooth, movements are fluid and it is very responsive. The best option ever, but it comes with a very hefty price tag. Gimbal head tripods are popular with wildlife and sports photographers.

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MONOPOLES:

Mono means single. A monopole is a single pole that is height adjustable and screws into the underside of your camera to help you keep it upright and steady. It takes the weight of the camera for you and helps to make movements smoother.

Monopoles are used heavily by sports and wildlife photographers where extra stability is needed but also flexibility to follow the action in random directions quickly.

THE EMERGENCY TRIPOD

Keep two medium to large ziplock plastic bags in your camera bag or the glove compartment in your car. When you have forgotten your tripod (and it will happen), fill one of the bags with sand or dirt. There is usually something around that you can use. Put the filled bag inside the other bag so it is double bagged (you don’t want sand or dirt getting into your camera). Now use it like a bean bag. Nestle your camera in it, making sure it is nice and level and your lens is not obstructed. Crisis averted!

One last comment on Tripods and Monopoles. When you are getting started, a basic tripod will do the job. They are affordable and this is an item you can upgrade later when you get a better idea of your needs. For example, if you hike into national parks frequently, you will need one that is light and straps to your camera bag. If you take a lot of shots in open air, you will need one that is extremely stable. Start out with a basic tripod. You can buy them online for not a lot of money. It is something you can upgrade later if you choose. Most tripods are universal so they fit most cameras.

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EQUIPMENT CARE

Now would be a good time to talk about how to take care of your equipment.

LENS CARE

If you are not using your lenses constantly, do not keep them in your camera bag. Lenses are susceptible to mould, so storing them in a dark, airless environment is not advisable. Mould attacks the multi-coatings on modern lenses and can totally ruin the lens.

You can clean the front and back surfaces of the lens with a lens cleaner. The pre- moistened lens cleaning wipes marketed for cleaning spectacles available from your optometrist are the best. They are convenient and inexpensive. Always carry a couple in your camera bag. They are also great for cleaning ipads, iphones, smart phones, tablets and computer screens.

However, cleaning the outer lens surfaces will not stop mould forming on the lens elements inside the lens. These are impossible for you to clean yourself. Regularly inspect your lenses, particularly around the edges of the lens. This is where mould can start. Remember mould is a living organism. Once it takes hold, it can grow rapidly. The best defence is free-flowing air and sunlight. A safe, high shelf in your well vented office or studio would be an ideal spot for storing your lenses.

If you live in a climate with very high humidity, you are more likely to experience the mould problem. There are a range of de-humidifying cupboards on the market that could be the answer here. Worth doing some research on the net if you are interested.

Try to avoid changing lenses in the open air. They should be changed in a dust free environment. If this is not possible, do all that you can to protect both of the lenses and don’t forget about your camera body. Specs of dust that are not visible to the naked eye are most certainly visible on your images. Keep your front and rear caps on your lenses at all times when not in use.

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Most camera stores offer a cleaning service if you need to get your camera or lenses cleaned.

Your camera equipment is fragile. Lenses do not bounce well when dropped. Most of us will find this out the hard way at some point.

Invest in a good quality camera bag that will protect your lenses in transit and on location. If you are travelling across rough terrain, a little protection from the harsh bouncing would be advantageous. Good camera bags offer some padding to cushion the blows.

If using public transport (planes, buses, trains), think seriously whether you check your camera bag in or keep it with you. Bags have a tendency to be thrown, dropped and squashed in the course of being loaded, transported and unloaded. A percentage of bags also get lost or stolen. This could be disastrous if you are on a tight time frame and have a customer waiting.

CAMERA CARE

You can wipe your camera now and again with a damp cloth, then dry it and leave it in the fresh air for a while. Remove the battery first, and be as gentle as you can. Only do this with a lens attached or front cap tightly fastened on. Do not wipe your open camera body, and do not leave it sitting around without the front closed by a lens or cap.

Modern DSLR cameras can automatically clean the sensor on shut-off. This activates a vibration at ultrasonic speed that removes dust particles from the glass filter in front of the sensor. If this feature is activated, it should display on your screen when you turn your camera off. If your camera is not doing this, check your camera book to see if the feature is available and how to get it happening.

The digital sensor will need to be cleaned periodically. This is not an easy task, and one that I am not comfortable with attempting myself. Never touch the sensor with a

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cloth or a brush as it is extremely sensitive and can be damaged easily. Compressed air is a possible option. Read you camera manual for cleaning instructions and recommendations. Most camera stores offer a camera cleaning service. Also check the manufacturer’s website for further information.

If you are not using your camera every day, remove the battery. Without any apparent warning, batteries can leak. We have all at some point found an old torch we have not used in a while. When you turn it on it will not work. When you take the batteries out, there is corrosion on the terminals and a white, acid looking substance. This is due to battery leakage. The same can happen to your camera, and it is not always an easy or a cheap fix.

INSURANCE

As your camera equipment grows (and it will!), it grows in value. For working or want to be working professional photographers, consider it the tools of your trade. You cannot work without it, and if lost, stolen or damaged, you cannot work to get money to replace it, so think seriously about getting insurance.

When you get insurance, take a few minutes to actually read it. Pay attention to what you can claim and in what circumstances your equipment is not covered. For example: Your camera may not be covered if you do not have the neck strap attached and you drop it. If that is the case, attach the neck strap.

Your camera equipment may be covered on your home contents insurance. It is well worth taking the time to check. Find out if it is covered, and if it is covered if you are away from home. On some policies, you can add special coverage for items like this for only a small additional charge.

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THE DIGITAL IMAGE

In simple terms, the job of the lens is to focus the image on the sensor. The job of the sensor is to convert the light and colour information into electronic signals. The computer software inside the camera then converts these electronic signals into usable images. In other words, it reconstructs the image projected by the lens onto the sensor. The image is then saved onto the camera card or medium inside the camera.

The next step is to transfer the image files from the camera medium to our computer. The best option to do this is to remove the card from the camera and insert it into a card reader or card slot on your computer. From there, you can drag and drop your images onto your computer. Alternatively, you can use the USB cable that came with your camera to connect the camera directly to your computer. While this is an option, continually plugging and unplugging the cable to your camera can over time damage the camera.

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DIGITAL IMAGE FORMATS

There are a huge number of different image file formats. Many have been developed by different software companies for a variety of uses. Not all software programs can open or use all file types. Some of these include: JPEG, PSP, RAW, PNG, EPS, TIFF, BMP, BRK, CLP, DCX, DIB, EMF, FPX, GIF, HDP, IFF, IMG, LMB, MAC, MSP, PBM, PCT, and the list goes on.

We are only going to concern ourselves with four file types. These are JPEG, RAW, TIFF and EPS.

JPEG FILES

JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group. It is the most commonly used file format and is compatible with most software. Note there is no difference between a .jpeg file and a .jpg file. The .jpeg file extension was shortened to .jpg for compatibility with early versions of Windows.

When a file is saved as a .JPEG file, the process uses compression when saving the file in order to save space on your computer’s hard drive or your camera’s memory card.

The JPEG file format is called a ‘lossy’ file format because compressing the image degrades the quality of the image in the process of making it smaller. In some circumstances, you get options when saving a file as a .JPEG that will regulate the amount of compression. Keep in mind, the higher the rate of compression, the smaller the file size and the greater the loss of image quality.

Converting a file to a JPEG image is a good option to reduce file size to email images, use them on social media sites or use them in publications where image quality has to be balanced with file size and upload ability.

JPEG files are readable, visible and usable by most devices and software, and are the industry standard for sharing images across various platforms.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

RAW FILES Most modern DSLR cameras and some hybrid cameras have the ability to use the RAW format to capture images. It is called RAW because it captures the whole of the image straight from the sensor without any compression, adjustments or interference. It captures everything your camera can see.

The greatest benefit of RAW images is that it is ‘lossless’. All information that is captured remains, even after you have processed your RAW image. Any changes you have made can be undone at a later date without any loss of quality or integrity. If you have the ability, you should be shooting all of your images in RAW format. The file size of a RAW image is approximately twice the size of the same image captured as a .JPEG file. This is because all of the detail has been captured with no loss due to compression.

You cannot view RAW images on your computer without running them through a RAW image processor. If your camera can capture images in RAW format, the software that came with your camera will be able to process your RAW images in post-production. Most photographers use Adobe Lightroom or Adobe Photoshop. Both have extremely good RAW processing facilities. We will learn how to use them soon. As the RAW image has captured and saved so much more of your image, it gives you the opportunity to correct exposure and rescue some images you thought were irretrievable. For this reason alone, while you are finding your feet as a photographer, RAW images are worth their weight in gold. However, it cannot perform miracles, so correct exposure is always the best option.

Note: The file extension for files in RAW format varies depending on the brand and the age of the camera. Canon cameras use CR2 (Camera Raw 2). Nikon cameras call this NEF (Nikon Electronic Format). Sony use ARW (Sony Alfa Raw). Panasonic and Leica use RW2 and RWL.

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TIFF FILES TIFF stands for Tagged Image File Format. TIFF files are similar to RAW in that they are also “lossless”. However, once changes are made to a TIFF file, they cannot be easily undone. While most image programs can read TIFF files, they tend to be very large in size. By that, I mean very, very large in size. In comparison, a file may be 5mb as a .JPEG, 10mb in RAW format, and 100mb as a TIFF file (depending on the colour range in the image). Files of this size can be difficult to work with. They consume vast amounts of your computer’s memory, can lock up your computer or make even the simplest of tasks very slow and unnecessarily difficult.

EPS FILES EPS stands for an Encapsulated Post-Script file. EPS files are not photographic images. They are computer created files. They may contain multiple photographic images, text, shapes, drawings, special effects and multiple layers brought together to create artwork. With an EPS file, you have the ability to import it into a computer drawing program, separate the elements and manipulate the artwork any way you choose. They are primarily used in the graphic design and printing industries. If you are into photo art, EPS files are a good choice because you have the separate elements and no background. At any time, you can create a JPEG file from your working EPS file. If you get your photography business logo professionally done, you will probably be supplied an EPS file in addition to a JPEG file.

LOCKED AND UNLOCKED FILES One more important thing to know about your image files. JPEG and TIFF files are essentially LOCKED. They can be manipulated with photo editing software, but adjustments are limited. Exposure is set and cannot be changed. RAW and EPS files are UNLOCKED files. Major adjustments can be made to these file types.

One final word. NEVER GIVE YOUR RAW IMAGES TO ANYONE. If you do, you have absolutely no control over the end result.

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IMAGE SIZE AND RESOLUTION

This can be confusing. You may hear people talking about pixels, DPI, PPI or megabytes.

Let’s start at the beginning.

PIXELS All images from digital cameras are made up of PIXELS. The word PIXEL comes from combining the words “Picture” and “Element”. A picture is made up of lots of tiny elements. They are tiny squares of colour. These tiny squares, rows and rows of them (pixels) make up an image. Think of a tiled floor. Lots of tiles lined up in rows. These form your image. When you zoom in on a digital image on your computer screen to 1000% or larger, you will see the tiny squares that make up the image. These are the pixels.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

IMAGE SIZE Your camera sensor determines the dimensions of the pixels in your image. If your sensor has 2,000 by 3,000 receptors (tiny pixel squares), your image will have a pixel dimension of 2,000 x 3,000 pixels. Images are measured by the long side, so an image with a pixel count of 2,000 x 3,000 pixels is also referred to as 3000P.

RESOLUTION

In simple terms, RESOLUTION is the amount of information contained in an image. A good way to think of resolution is to think of the low and high pixel dimension images above as being one inch of your image, a bit like a tiled floor. The smaller the tiles are, the more there will be in every inch. That means greater the detail in your image, so a higher the resolution image. If the tiles are larger, there is less detail per inch in your image, so the lower the resolution of the image.

Image resolution is also referred to as PPI. This stands for PIXELS PER INCH. When we were talking before about pixels, we were using two figures to describe the images pixel dimensions. PPI is a single figure, and is related to the number of PIXELS PER INCH, not the number of PIXELS in the image.

Resolution is important when we are talking about the quality of an image, and what we can effectively do with the image without it pixelating or distorting.

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Images for print will generally be 300PPI, which is 300 Pixels Per Inch. Images for the web are generally 72PPI (Pixels Per Inch).

We can use a simple mathematical equation of dividing the number of pixels along the side by the number of pixels per inch to give you the length of the side in inches. Do that for both sides and you will know what physical size your image is.

For example: If the image is 1000P x 800P and is 72PPI, we know the actual size of the image is 13.88 inches x 11.11 inches.

High resolution image Low resolution image – clearer with more detail – blurry with less detail.

A high resolution image is crisp and clear with good detail. A low resolution image is blurry and unclear, lacking detail.

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FILE SIZE MEGABYTES refers to the file size. That is how much physical space the images takes up on your computer or storage device. This gives an indication of the resolution and PPI but is not a measurement of either. A JPEG or RAW file that is large in size is likely to be a higher resolution image than a file that is small. There are exceptions to this, but we really don’t need to go there. Just think larger file size, should be a higher resolution image.

DPI Lastly, you may hear the term DPI. Don’t let this confuse you. It is not a term that should be used to describe image resolution. DPI stands for Dots Per Inch. It refers to the capability of a printer, scanner or other output device. Printers apply ink to a surface using a series of tiny dots. That is why they use the term Dots Per Inch, not Pixels Per Inch. As the dots are round (not square), they have to overlap slightly. If they didn’t, you would have gaps on your page. The results professional printers can achieve printing at different DPI settings depends on many

Roland Wide Format Printer factors including the type of ink, the nature of the media they are printing on, the capabilities of the printer and the resolution of the image. That is a whole other field and one best left to the professionals.

If you are looking to purchase a new printer for general home use, the general rule is the higher the DPI, the better the quality of the print and the more ink it will use. Consider what resolution you actually need for the type of printing you will be doing.

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CHANGING IMAGE SIZE There are times when you need your images to be as high quality as possible, and camera manufacturers are going to extreme lengths to provide us with cameras that have amazing capacity in this area. This is essential if your image is going to be used on a billboard or you want to blow it up and hang it on your wall or perhaps you are putting together a high end movie. There are other times when you might need to make your image smaller to upload to social media, use it on a website or upload it with your assignments.

Changing image size is quick and easy to do. It does help to understand what is happening to the image so you can make good decisions when you are telling your software what you want it to do.

Regardless of what image manipulation software you are using, a dialog box similar to this will appear.

We have two distinct sections we can change as follows: 1. Width and Height – dimensions are in pixels or you can change this to inches or centimetres. This is the physical size of the image. 2. Resolution – this is the number of pixels per inch which is the quality or density of the image.

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Option 1: Width and Height When we change the width and height of the image and leave the resolution as is, you are changing the physical size of the image, but keeping the resolution as is.

When we resize an image, the pixel count remains the same. None are lost and no extras are added. This is evident in the diagram above. What has changed is the physical size of the pixels. The resolution of the file remains the same. To an extent, you can reduce the size of an image without compromising the quality of the image. When you enlarge an image, no additional pixels are added to fill the gaps. The existing pixels are made larger.

A high resolution image has a high pixel count, so it can be enlarged a certain amount. This is generally done by the professional printer before printing your image on a poster or canvas, so you don’t need to worry about it. All images will however reach a point where the pixels have been made so large that the image is no longer crisp and clear. The stretched pixels lose their integrity. The image begins to blur, and not in a nice way.

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Option 2: Resolution When you change the resolution of an image, you are keeping the image the same physical size, but are changing the density of the pixels. The diagram below gives a clearer explanation of what is happing to the image.

Let’s assume our image begins at 300PPI. It is common for social media and websites to want your file at 72PPI. Regardless of the actual size of the image, it needs to be set to the correct number of pixels per inch. When you change the resolution of the image (change the resolution setting to 72PPI), you are asking the computer to reduce the number of pixels per inch. The computer determines which pixels it will discard, and permanently deletes them from the image. The image is now a lower resolution image. File size will be smaller. The discarded pixels are lost forever, so if you change the resolution of your image, make sure you use the SAVE AS command and give your image a new filename. That way, you will keep your high resolution image. Changing the resolution of an image is mainly used to prepare proofs for a client, or to optimise a file to email or upload to a website. When the image is going to be used as a small electronic version only, the lower resolution is adequate and ticks the other boxes for speed and efficiency.

When you attempt to increase the resolution of an image (go from 72ppi to 300ppi), the computer has to create intermediate pixels and insert them into the image. Which pixels, their colour and where they are placed is determined by the software you are using and the options you select. This is rarely successful and will not give you a crisp, sharp image.

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IMAGE SOFTWARE

In this area, there are two main things we are needing to do. Firstly, we need to be able to process our RAW images. Secondly, we need to be able to make any adjustments or corrections to our images. The image software of choice for photographers is overwhelmingly Adobe® Photoshop and Adobe® Lightroom Classic. Both are awesome programs. that allow you to categorise your images, bulk process images and use presets for fast editing. We will be looking at Adobe Lightroom Classic in detail in units further into this course. We will be looking at Adobe® Photoshop in great detail in this course, plus if you are studying the professional photography course, an additional unit of Adobe® Photoshop and 2 units of Adobe® Lightroom Classic are available as elective units of study. Both programs are part of the Adobe Photoshop® Family.

For more information about Adobe Photoshop, go to: http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html

The Adobe Photoshop® family includes: • Adobe Photoshop: Full featured image editing software. • Adobe Lightroom: A limited featured, cloud based image catalogue program designed to help you manage your cloud based images only. • Adobe Lightroom Classic: Full featured fast editing software designed for bulk processing of images. • Adobe Bridge: Manages files in and out of Photoshop. • Adobe Camera RAW: A RAW image processor that works with Photoshop. • Adobe Photoshop Express: A free image software App that bears little resemblance to Photoshop but allows you to do a few basic tasks to your images. • Adobe Elements: Cut down version of Photoshop that does not support RAW files.

Adobe software products and versions can be confusing. Adobe now only offers this software in the cloud based subscription version. Take a look at the Photographers Package. It includes both Photoshop and Lightroom Classic. It is the most cost effective and is exactly what you need for this course and into the future as a portrait photographer. Follow this link to find out more: https://www.adobe.com/au/creativecloud/plans.html?plan=individual&filter=all

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If you do not want to go down the Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom path, there are alternatives.

ALTERNATIVE IMAGE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

Corel has a range of image editing software packages that are worth a look.

Another option is PaintShop Pro by Corel. Version X3 was the first version to come out with a RAW image processor. Corel software is very affordable and can be a onetime only purchase price. Here is a link to their website:

http://www.corel.com/corel/

Aftershot Pro is Corel’s equivalent to Adobe Lightroom. It is a very powerful RAW processor and image cataloguer at an affordable price. You can also purchase it outright, so a one-time only purchase with no ongoing fees. Check it out on the Corel website link as above.

The computer elements of this course will be taught using Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom Classic. If you choose to use a Corel product, they have similar functionality. Screen layouts and terminology will vary slightly. While this may present a slight challenge, it is workable and it is not too difficult once you get your head around what you are trying to do.

Note: Our tutors are unable to provide in-depth support for alternate products.

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MANAGING YOUR IMAGES How you manage your images on your computer is entirely up to you. There is no right or wrong way. Here are a few things to consider:

• Cameras automatically give each image a numerical file name. It is extremely time consuming to manually change the file name for each image, so come up with a method of saving your images that does not require you to change them. • Files can be grouped quickly and easily using directory folders on your computer. • Always have a back-up copy of your original images stored on a separate hard drive or mass storage device. • Files deleted from your camera card DO NOT go to the recycle bin on your computer. • Post production of your images can take longer than doing the actual photo shoot.

You should very quickly find a way of working and saving your files that you are comfortable with.

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PROCESSING RAW IMAGES Images shot in RAW cannot be viewed on your computer without first processing them through a RAW processor. Once processed, you can save the image as a .jpg file from within Photoshop, or if you are working in Loghtroom, export your finished images as .JPEG files. For modules 1 and 2, you will be saving your images in your camera as .jpg files.

PREPARING IMAGES FOR ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION

When asked to submit images as part of your assignments, you will need to make your file sizes smaller so they can be uploaded with your assignments. All files must be smaller than 1mb in size.

Follow these simple steps below using Photoshop or Lightroom Classic to reduce the file size of your images. There are also videos in the Resource Centre you can watch that will take you through it one step at a time.

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PREPARING IMAGES using PHOTOSHOP 2020

• Open PHOTOSHOP • Open the .JPG image • Select IMAGE from the top menu bar. • Click on IMAGE SIZE

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

A dialog box will appear as below displaying the current dimensions of your image.

The dialog box is where you enter your requirements.

• Click on the down arrow next to Dimensions. Set this to pixels.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

• Make sure the lock (circled in red below) is locked. This will constrain the proportions. In other words, this will keep the image the same shape as the original and the image will not be distorted. • Enter 1000 in the box for the new size of the long side of your image. For a landscape shaped image (as pictured below), this will be the Width. If your image is a portrait shape, this will be the Height. • DO NOT CHANGE THE AMOUNT IN THE RESOLUTION BOX. • Leave the tick on the resample box.

• Click OK button when you are done.

Your image is now smaller and will appear smaller on your screen.

The next step is to save the image in the new size. To do this, we are going to use the SAVE AS command and give the file a new name.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

• Click on FILE from the top menu • Select SAVE AS

• Navigate to where you want to save your image. • Give it a new name. • Save as type: JPEG • Click on SAVE and you are done.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

PREPARING IMAGES using PAINT SHOP PRO 2019 Follow these step by step instructions to resample your images if you are using Paint Shop Pro. This is done in version 2019. If you are using an earlier version, the process is similar.

To get started, open your image in Paint Shop Pro.

• Select IMAGE from the top menu • Click on RESIZE

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

A dialog box will appear on your screen as follows:

Notice the height and width settings (by pixels). That is the current size of your image in pixels.

• Enter 1000 in the new measurement box adjacent to the largest original figure.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

In the case above, this is the width setting. If the lock is closed, the system will automatically change the setting in the other box for you, maintaining the same ratio. If the lock is open, click on it to close it.

• Click on OK when you are done.

Your image will now appear smaller on your screen. Note: This is not the actual size of the image. It is displayed at the same zoom % as the original image before you resized it. We can look at that soon. Let us save it first.

You do not want to lose your original image, so we are going to use the SAVE AS comment to save it as a new file. • Click on FILE on your top menu • Select SAVE AS

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

A dialog box will appear as follows:

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

FILE NAME: Give your file a new name. In the above example, I have added SMALLER to the image title. SAVE AS TYPE: Leave this as JPG JPEG COMPRESSION: Move the slider as far to the left as possible to get the best quality available FILE SIZE: The file size will automatically change as you move the compression slider. If you have done this correctly, the image size should be less than 1000 kB (1Mb).

Click on SAVE to save the file when done.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

To see the new actual size of your image, use the + magnifier to zoom in to 100%.

Your image is now ready to upload with your assignment.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

EXPORTING IMAGES from LIGHTROOM CLASSIC 2020 To save an image as a .jpg file from Lightroom Classic, we have to EXPORT the image.

• Open LIGHTROOM CLASSIC • Go to LIBRARY mode and select GRID VIEW Click on the image or images you want to export. The first image you select will be white. Subsequent images will be a light grey surround.

TIP: If you want to select images at random, click on the first one, then hold your Ctrl key down while you click on the other images you want to export. If you want to select consecutive images, click on the first image, then hold your shift key down and select the last image in the group.

You can do this either in the grid, or use the film strip at the bottom of your screen.

• Click on the EXPORT button toward the bottom on the left hand side panel.

Your EXPORT dialog box will open. Here is where you tell Lightroom exactly what you want it to do with the files it is exporting.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

In the top left hand corner of this dialog box, it tells you how may files you are about to export. Check this first.

EXPORT TO: Select from EMAIL, HARD DRIVE or CD/DVD. This is where you want your images to go to. To export the images to your computer, select HARD DRIVE.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

EXPORT LOCATION: This is where you want to save your images.

Choose export to a specific folder, or the same folder the original image is in, but in a sub-folder. In the demonstration above, we are putting the images in th =e same folder as the original, and in a subfolder called “Resized for Assignment”. Tick other options as required. Select from the available options for what you want Lightroom to do if it discovers existing files with the same name in that location.

FILE NAMING: Your images generally have a numeric filename given to them by your camera. As the camera has no idea whether you were at the zoo, the beach, a family picnic or backpacking through Europe, it uses numeric values for file names. When you export your images, you might want to give the images a name that is a little more meaningful. I like to use the Custom Name – Sequence option. This renames the images as it saves them, using the custom text you enter here and a sequence number. The sequence number is important if you are exporting more than one image at a time because your files cannot all have the same name. There are other options you can choose here if you prefer.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

FILE SETTINGS: • Select the image format to: JPEG • Although not the preferred option, one way of resizing your images is to set the maximum file size here. If you are exporting an image for your assignment, limit the file size to 1000 k (1mb). This will resample the images and keep the file size below 1mb.

IMAGE SIZING: • Tick RESIZE TO FIT • Select LONG EDGE • Enter 1000 in the pixel box • Make sure it is set to PIXELS

Once you have made your selections, you are ready to export the images. • Click on the EXPORT button and watch it happen.

NOTE: If your EXPORT button is greyed out, something is wrong. Look to the left of the button and there should be an error message like below:

Go back and fix the problem, then you should be able to click on EXPORT. You should see some activity on screen as your files are exported. This can take a few minutes depending on how many images you are exporting at the time.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

THE BACK END IMAGE DATA

When an image is taken, all of the details about the image are also captured. This includes the date and time it was taken, the camera type and model, the image size and resolution, the lens that was used, the mode the camera was in, and all of the camera settings including the aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focal distance, white balance, if the flash activated and anything else your camera feels is relevant. It can also record the GPS location where the image was taken if your camera has this function and it is active. The computer will add to this information any time the image is edited, giving the date, time and program that was used to edit the file.

This is all very important information.

To view the basic information in WINDOWS 10:

• RIGHT CLICK on your image file. • Scroll down to the bottom and click on PROPERTIES. • A dialog box will appear. • Click on the DETAILS tab. • Use the scroll bar on the right hand side to move up and down to view all of the information.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

To view more comprehensive information in ADOBE PHOTOSHOP: • Open the image • Go to FILE • Go to FILE INFO • A dialog box will appear • Select CAMERA DATA

To view this on a Mac:

A Mac computer should have built in tools to allow you to see the EXIF data on a jpg photo file. All you have to do is choose the image you want, then open your photo with Preview. • Go to Tools • Show Inspector • Click Exif Tab You should be able to see the Exif data for the image.

Browse through the different tabs to see all available information.

When processing raw files, this information automatically appears on the right hand side of your screen once the file is opened.

You are required to include the camera settings you used in all of your assessment practical tasks, so it is a good idea to get familiar with how to find this information.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

CAMERA FAMILIARISATION

The more familiar you become with your camera, the easier it will be for you to apply and master what you will be learning in the forthcoming units. Remember that little book that came with your camera. It is time to take it out, dust it off and start reading. If you didn’t get a manual with your camera (that is the latest trend by Manufacturers), go to the manufacturer’s website and you can usually download a copy for free.

Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything in the manual. By the time you are part way through this course, you will have a good idea about most of it.

We are going to start to get comfortable with the location of the different dials, buttons and controls and what they do. As everyone is using different cameras, you will need to take out your camera book and look things up as we work through this section.

BATTERY AND CARD

Do not store your camera with the battery loaded. If your battery leaks, it is likely to damage your camera. Store your batteries separately. Before we can start, you need to load a charged battery into your camera. If you haven’t already done so, put one in now.

Slide the lever to open the battery compartment. In most cameras, the battery will only go in one way. Never force it. If it will not go in, you are either doing it wrong or it is not the right battery for your camera. Close the cover once the battery is installed.

Insert your image capture card into your camera. As a general rule, the end with the little connectors goes in first. If the card is not sliding into place easily, you may have the card around the wrong way. Turn it around and try again. If it still does not slide in easily, check that it is the right card for the camera. Forcing the card in can damage both your camera and the card.

EXERCISE 2: Remove the battery and card from your camera, then put them back in again.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

ATTACHING A LENS

DSLR cameras cannot work without a lens attached.

To attach a lens, locate the LENS MOUNT INDEX. For Canon lenses, you are looking for either a red or white dot. Other brands may use different colours or symbols as markers. This is the marker to line the lens up correctly.

Locate the matching colour or marker on your camera body. Sit the lens on the camera body aligning the marker on the lens with the marker on the camera. Gently rotate the lens until you hear it click. Your lens should now be firmly attached.

To remove a lens, locate your LENS RELEASE BUTTON. It is usually on the front of the camera adjacent to where the lens attaches. Press the button and slowly rotate the lens in the opposite direction. Cap your discarded lens before storing it.

Put the cap on your camera body or attach another lens. Do not leave your camera body open. It is susceptible to dust and moisture entering the body of the camera.

TIP: Dust is your enemy. Do not change lenses in an unprotected environment. Choose a sheltered location and do it quickly and efficiently.

EXERCISE 3: If your camera has removable lenses, remove the lens, then re-attach it. Make sure you are working in a dust free environment before doing this.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

FRONT AND TOP BUTTONS AND DIALS

Your camera will have a mass of buttons and dials similar to the diagram below.

Top and Front view of Canon EOS 7D

Locate your power switch, and turn your camera on. A tiny LCD light should illuminate when the camera is switched on. Most cameras have an auto off function to preserve battery power. If your camera is not operational for a period of time, it will automatically shut down. The time is usually pre-set to around 1 minute. This can be adjusted.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

CAMERA MODES

Locate the MODE dial on your camera. It is usually a large round dial with an array of symbols on it.

Different cameras will have a different range of symbols. These are your different program options. We will explore them in more detail in the coming units.

If you have any symbols that are indicated by pictures, these represent fully automatic modes where the settings are pre-set for various situations. When you are Mode Dial on Canon EOS 7D using any picture symbols, you

have little control over the outcome of your images.

The symbols displayed as letters (excluding the P) are the modes where you have control over the camera. You decide on the appropriate settings for your situation and desired outcome.

Rotate the mode dial between the different modes. With some Mode Dial on Nikon D3500 cameras, you may need to depress the dial as you turn it. This is a mode lock so you cannot accidently bump it.

EXERCISE 4: Find the MODE dial on your camera. Familiarise yourself with the CAMERA MODES you have on your camera. Write down the letter that corresponds with the following modes: Manual, Shutter Priority Mode and Aperture Priority Mode.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

SHUTTER BUTTON

Locate your shutter button. This is the button that you depress to take an image. Test it out now by pressing it fully to take an image. Your lens will have focussed (if set to AF) and you have taken the image.

Now try that again, but this time, press it halfway in and hold it there. On some cameras, pressing it halfway activates the autofocus and the automatic exposure metering that sets the shutter speed and aperture. You should hear your lens focus, getting ready to take the shot. This is called pre-focussing. Depress the shutter button fully to take the shot. In later modules, we will be exploring techniques that incorporate pre-focussing.

FLASH

Your camera may have a pop-up flash. If you are using your camera in an automatic mode, the flash will pop up and go off when the camera considers it necessary. If you are using your camera in a manual mode, you will need to activate the flash yourself when you wish to use it.

Locate your FLASH button on your camera. The symbol may resemble a lightning bolt. With your camera turned on, press the button. Your flash should pop up. To de- activate it, simply push it down gently with your hand. You may also have a button for RED EYE REDUCTION. When activated, the flash will give a short burst before the main burst. This is designed to prepare the subjects eyes for the full flash, reducing the impact.

Notice on the top of your camera you should have something that looks a bit like two railway tracks with some silver flash sync contactors in-between them. This is your HOT SHOE flash mount. A hot shoe flash is a higher powered flash unit that you can purchase that attaches here on your camera. It works similar to the built-in flash, but has more power and is a little more flexible. Most cameras do not come with a separate flash unit. If you want one, you have to purchase it separately.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

High end DSLR cameras designed for professional use do not come with an inbuilt flash. An array of flash units are available to be purchased separately.

EXERCISE 5:

If your camera has a pop-up flash, locate the button that activates the flash (makes it pop up). Activate the flash and take a shot. Push it back down to de-activate it. If you have a hot-shoe flash for your camera, attach it now and check your can get it operational.

VIEWFINDER CLARITY

Everyone is different and has different eyesight. You need to adjust your camera so that you are getting the clearest image possible in your viewfinder. Your camera may have a tiny wheel called a DIOPTIC ADJUSTMENT KNOB that you can use to sharpen the image you are seeing. Locate the Dioptic Adjustment Knob on your camera. It is generally located very close to the eyepiece of the camera. Turn the camera on, and aim it at a solid colour wall. Adjust the knob turning it left or right until the autofocus points in your viewfinder are as clear as possible.

EXERCISE 6: Locate your Diopter adjustment wheel and following the instructions above, set this now.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

MAIN DIAL

Every DSLR camera has a MAIN DIAL. This is the main dial that you use when changing your camera settings. It is generally located very close to the shutter button, because you operate it using your shutter finger while you are looking through your viewfinder. What the dial actually does depends on what mode you have the camera in, and what sequence of buttons you have pressed prior to turning your main dial. If you are in shutter priority mode, moving this dial will change your shutter speed. If you are in aperture priority mode, adjusting this dial may change your aperture setting. It is a multi-function dial that you will become very familiar with as you work through the course. We will come back to this one soon.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

CAMERA BACK

On the back of your camera, you will have a whole lot more buttons and dials.

Back of Canon EOS 7D

Your camera may not look the same as the one pictured above. Different brands and different models have different features and designs, so you will need to use your camera book to locate the functions and features on your camera.

As a general rule, the buttons on the left hand side of your display screen include your main menu button and the remainder relate to your images. Those on the right hand

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

side of your display generally relate to your camera settings. The number of buttons and menu options will depend on how technically advanced your camera is.

EXERCISE 7: Find the diagram of the back of your camera in your camera manual. If you do not have a manual for your camera, google the camera manufacturer, do to their website and download a copy. Familiarise yourself with the different buttons on the back of your camera.

MENU OPTIONS

The menu button is your way into the settings for the inner brain of your camera. Think of it like the operating system of your computer. What options you have will depend on the operating system of your camera. Most of the settings you will set and forget. Some you will change from time to time depending on what you are doing.

Locate the MENU OPTIONS section in your camera handbook. Turn your camera on, and press the MENU button. Your camera menu will display on your screen. Your camera will have either a wheel or directional arrows and a set button. Use these to navigate your way through the menu buttons and make selections as required. To exit the camera menu, re-press the menu button.

It is in this menu options section where you set the language, time and date on your camera, format your camera card and set a whole host of other options from the brightness of your LCD screen to what light metering, white balance and image quality settings your camera uses.

As there is such variation in the different cameras, it is impossible to walk you through all of the options contained within this section.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

IMAGE QUALITY

The image quality is where you set how you want your camera to save your images. This is found within the camera menu system. Find this section in your camera book and follow the instructions. Press your MENU button to bring up your camera settings menu. Use your arrows or wheel to navigate to QUALITY, then press your SET button to select it. A range of file saving options will appear. As we get further through this course, we will be changing this to RAW. In the meantime, it is fine to leave it set to large JPG.

You may have more than one option for jpg – small, medium and large. Selecting small instructs the camera to use more compression and make the image smaller. Selecting large instructs the camera to use less compression and make the image larger.

You may also be able to select .jpg plus RAW. This will save each image you take in both formats. This is unnecessary in most cases and will fill up your camera card very quickly.

EXERCISE 8: Following the instructions above, use your camera menu system to tell your camera to save images as large .jpg files. Leave it on this setting until you get further into the course.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

PLAYBACK AND DELETE BUTTONS

Locate the PLAYBACK button on your camera. It usually resembles a play symbol on a stereo or movie player. Press the PLAYBACK button, and the last images you took should be displayed on your screen. Use your directional arrows to review previous images you have taken. Use the DELETE button to delete unwanted images. To exit playback, press the PLAYBACK button again.

EXERCISE 9: Take a few random images from were you are sitting. Now following the instructions above, scroll through and view them on your LCD screen. Delete one of the images.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

INFO / DISPLAY BUTTON

Somewhere adjacent to your screen should be a button that changes what displays on your screen. Pressing this button will usually turn your display on and off. On some cameras, pressing this button while viewing images in PLAYBACK mode will change what you see in the display. Most DSLR cameras have several options, including the image, the image information, the image histogram and various combinations of each. Once you select the desired display setting, pressing PLAYBACK again will save the setting and exit.

For now, set this so that your screen displays your image plus camera settings used to take the image. You may want to include the histogram when you are further into the course. Different brand cameras manage this quite differently and have different options, so you will need to read through your camera book and find out how to do it. It is important.

EXERCISE 10: Following the instructions above, scroll through the available display options in your camera and set it as instructed.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

DIGITAL DISPLAY

Your camera has a digital display showing you the current settings. Depending on the brand and model of the camera, this will either be on the LCD screen at the rear of the camera or in a separate display panel on the top or rear of the camera or both.

Display panel from Canon EOS 7D

The information displayed varies with different manufacturers and different models. In all models, the essential information is there. Don’t worry if it all looks too hard at this stage. All will be revealed as you work your way through the course.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

SHUTTER SPEED

Your camera will have a range of shutter speed that ranges anywhere from 1/2000th of a second to 30 seconds. Locate the shutter speed within your digital display.

• Put your camera into SHUTTER PRIORITY MODE (S or Tv on your MODE DIAL depending on the brand of your camera). • Using your main dial, turn it as far as it will go in one direction. • Now turn it slowly back in the other direction, watching the shutter speed display change as you turn the dial.

Remember you are working through a range of shutter speeds somewhere between 1/2000th of a second to 30 seconds. Take note of how your camera displays the shutter speed. It does not display the fraction, so 1/500th of a second will show just the 500. For shutter speeds that are 1 second or longer, the display will have a symbol next to it as below.

Become familiar with how your camera displays shutter speeds and the range of shutter speeds you have available using the camera / lens combination you are working with. Different lenses have different capabilities, so changing lenses may give you a different range of available shutter speed and aperture settings.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

Some cameras will display the shutter speed as a fraction if a fraction of a second. Others will presume you know it is a fraction of a second and just display the number.

EXERCISE 11: Attach your favourite lens to your camera. Set your camera to shutter priority mode. Determine which dial on your camera changes your shutter speed in shutter priority mode. Follow the instructions above and check out the range of available shutter speeds. Note how your camera displays the shutter speeds for fractions of a second and actual seconds. If you have more than one lens, try this with your other lenses. Are they all the same, or are their differences?

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

APERTURE SETTING

Your camera will have a range of aperture settings that ranges anywhere from f/1.2 to f/32 depending on the speed and quality of your lens. Locate the aperture setting within your digital display.

• Put your camera into APERTURE PRIORITY MODE (A or Av on your MODE DIAL depending on the brand of your camera). • Using your main dial, turn it as far as it will go in one direction. • Now turn it slowly back in the other direction, watching the aperture setting display change as you turn the dial.

The f/ is not generally shown in the display, so an aperture setting of f/4 will display as 4.0. Some will display as F4.0. Once the aperture setting goes past 10, it will display as a single number, so an aperture setting of f/11 will display as 11.

Become familiar with how your camera displays aperture settings and the range of aperture settings you have available using the lens you are working with. Different lenses have different capabilities, so changing lenses may give you a different range of available shutter speed and aperture settings.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

EXERCISE 12: Attach your favourite lens to your camera. Put your camera in Aperture Priority mode. Determine which dial on your camera changes your aperture setting in aperture priority mode. Follow the instructions above and check out the range of available aperture settings. Note how your camera displays the aperture settings. Does how it displays change as the number gets bigger? If you have more than one lens, try this with your other lenses. Are they all the same, or are their differences?

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

MANUAL MODE

When you are working in Shutter Priority mode, you choose the shutter speed and the camera will determine a suitable aperture setting to match it with in the given light conditions to expose the image correctly. When in this mode, your main dial will change your shutter speed.

Similarly, when you are working in Aperture Priority mode, you choose the aperture setting and the camera will determine a suitable shutter speed to match it with in the given light conditions to expose the image correctly. When in this mode, your main dial will change your aperture setting.

When you are in full manual mode, you decide what shutter speed and aperture setting you want to use to expose the image correctly. That means you will be setting or changing both the shutter speed and the aperture setting. Your main dial can only change one setting. It cannot change both. That means there is another dial that will change the second setting.

Take a few minutes now and identify the dials that change your shutter speed and aperture setting. To do this: • Put your camera into MANUAL mode (M on your mode dial). • Rotate your main dial, watching which setting changes as you do it. In most cases, your shutter speed will change as you rotate your main dial. • Identify / confirm which setting is changing when you rotate this dial. On a Canon camera: • Look for a rotator wheel on the back of your camera. This will likely be it. Try rotating it in either direction and see if this changes your aperture setting. On a Nikon camera: • You will likely have an aperture adjusting button that you need to depress and keep depressed as you rotate your main dial. Try this, rotating your main dial in either direction and see if this changes your aperture setting.

For other brands, check your camera book. Make sure you spend a little time getting familiar with how to change your settings. You will need to know this for the next unit.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

EXERCISE 13: Attach your favourite lens to your camera. Put your camera in MANUAL mode. Follow the instructions above and determine which setting your main dial changes. Now determine which dial or combination of dials adjust your other setting when in Manual mode. Get familiar with making these changes.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

DRIVE MODE

Drive mode is different to Camera mode. Drive mode is where you tell the camera what you want it to do when you press the shutter button. Sounds obvious right – you want it to take the shot. Yes, it does that, but modern cameras give you options for this too.

These options include:

• Single: This is normal photography mode. Press the button once, you get one image taken when you press it.

• Continuous: This is a burst mode. Press the button once, you get a continuous series of images as long as you hold down the shutter button. You can choose from two burst-mode settings: ▪ High-speed continuous: Captures a maximum of around 5.3 frames per second (fps). ▪ Low-speed continuous: Captures a maximum of around 3 frames per second (fps). The actual number of frames you can record per second depends partly on your shutter speed. If you are using a slow shutter speed, the camera may not be able to take the maximum number of images. The speed of your memory card also comes into play here. A slow card may not be able to record the images fast enough. Some of your other settings can also affect speed which affects the number of frames you can record.

• 10-Second Self-Timer/Remote Control: This is how you put yourself in the picture. Select this mode, depress the shutter button, and run into the frame. You have about 10 seconds to get yourself in place and put a smile on your face. • 2-Second Self-Timer/Remote Control: This works the same as the 10 second self-timer. You just have to run faster!

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

Your camera may have some of these modes, all of these modes or maybe some different modes.

Note: Nikon refer to the Drive Mode as the “Release Mode”. Other manufactures may use a different term. If you are having trouble finding this in your camera manual, search for “single” or “continuous” or “self-timer”.

EXERCISE 14: Locate the DRIVE MODE button on your camera or go into the camera menu system and find where you change or control the camera drive mode. Scroll through the different drive modes you have available, watching the symbols change on your camera display. Head outside and try each one out so you get a good idea of what they do. Think about when you might use each of the options you have available. Make a list of your options and write down next to each when you might use it.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

AF MODE

AF is camera speak for Auto Focus. There is nothing worse than a blurry, out of focus image. One of the beautiful things about modern DSLR cameras is the autofocus feature. Like everything else, you have options:

• Continuous Focusing Mode: AI Servo AF (Canon) and AF-C (Nikon) stands for Continuous Focus. This mode is most useful for wildlife or sports photography because when you depress the shutter button, the camera goes into action and begins to focus. It detects the subject’s movements and continually refocusses to keep the object sharp within the viewfinder as you track the object. This mode uses a lot of battery power because it is continuously focusing and refocusing.

• One Shot Focusing Mode: One-Shot AF (Canon) and AF-S (Nikon) stands for single-focus. In this mode, when you depress the shutter release halfway, the camera focuses on the subject just once – there’s no continuous adjustment. This mode saves battery power and is ideal for subjects that aren’t moving.

• Automatic Autofocus Mode: AI Focus AF (Canon) and AF-A (Nikon) stands for Automatic Autofocus. This is a newer mode, so not all cameras will have it. In this mode, the camera’s focusing computer jumps back and forth between AF-C and AF-S (Nikon) and One-Shot AF and AI Servo AF (Canon) depending on the situation. This is the default autofocus mode on cameras that have this feature. The camera retains focus if you change subjects or your subject moves.

• Manual Focus: Usually when you point the camera in a direction, it looks for something to focus on. It does not always choose what you want it to, and re- adjusting or changing which focus nodes it is using (more about that soon) will change the focus. Sometimes the camera will not find anything to focus on. When this happens, the camera cannot focus and therefore it cannot take the shot. When you are shooting star trails or light painting, the camera will not be able to find anything to lock the focus on. This is when you need manual focus mode. This mode allows the camera to take the shot anyway. There are other uses for manual mode, and some advanced photographers maintain manual focus mode is the way to super sharp images. For now, we will stay away from this one, and take

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

advantage of the technology the camera companies have been working very hard to provide us with.

NOTE: Your lens may have an AF/MF switch. Switching the lens switch to MF puts you in Manual Focus and overrides whatever setting you have set within your camera. Switching back to AF switches the AF mode back to that set inside the camera.

• Eye AF Mode: Eye AF is Face Detection taken one step further. Sony was the first to introduce Eye AF in 2013, but it only really took off when it was made to work in continuous AF (C-AF) mode. In this mode, the camera looks to identify an eye in the scene and makes this the focus point. It will track the eye around the frame and keep it sharp. Eye AF is really useful for portrait and wedding photographers because it ensures the eyes are sharp. It also means that photographers can shoot at wider apertures because they don’t need the security of the extra depth of field when they know the eyes are sharp. Not all cameras have this feature and in some, it is not as effective as it could be.

EXERCISE 15:

Locate the AF MODE selector on your camera or go into the camera menu system and find where you change or control this feature. Scroll through the different options you have available, watching the symbols change on your camera display. Try each one out so you get a good idea of what they do.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

AF POINTS

Depending on your camera settings, when you depress the shutter half-way, you might see a series of tiny squares in your viewfinder. These are called Focus Nodes. The camera uses these nodes to focus.

The Focus Nodes that light up when you depress the shutter half-way are the nodes that are currently active. The active nodes create the focus point within your image. That part of the image will be sharp and in focus (we hope) and depending on the aperture setting you have chosen and a few other factors, the balance of the image may not be as sharp or in focus. This is where Depth of Field comes in. We will talk more about this in Unit 2.

Some cameras will have more nodes that others. You can change which nodes are active or which group of nodes are active usually by pressing a button.

In some cameras, what Focus Nodes you have available is governed by what AF Mode your camera is in.

Note: Nikon refers to these focus nodes as AF Area Nodes.

EXERCISE 16: Locate the button or menu item on your camera that changes the active nodes. Look through your viewfinder as you press the button. You should see different groups light up as you work your way through the available options. Practice changing which nodes are active. You need to be able to do this quickly and easily.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

EXPOSURE COMPENSATION

When you look through your viewfinder, you will likely see a little graph. This is your exposure compensation graph. It looks something like this:

When you are working in an automatic or semi-automatic mode, the camera will determine correct exposure for you. It calculates settings so the exposure is on the 0. When determining these settings, the camera is basing its calculations on their being an even mix of highlights, mid-tones and shadows in the image. There will be times when this is not the case (for example: predominately white or predominately black scenes, scenes with a lot of shadows). This will result in the computer under or over exposing the image. This is where exposure compensation comes in. In the menu system of your camera, you can change the result by moving the exposure from the 0 to + or – up to 3 stops (or more on advanced cameras). It does not revert back to 0, so if you change it, don’t forget to change it back after your session is completed.

If working in any automatic or semi-automatic camera mode, you will need to make changes here if you wish to under or over expose your image.

If you are working in full manual mode, you are the one making the exposure decisions. That is a good thing. Here is where this little graph can become your new best friend. You can use the exposure compensation graph as a guide. When you look through the viewfinder, the graph is displayed, and the indicator shows you where the current combination of settings you have selected falls according to perceived correct exposure. This is a quick and easy guide to help you make adjustments on the fly. You can adjust your shutter speed or aperture to move the indicator closer to 0 or where you want it to be. If you cannot see the indicator on your graph, that means your settings are way off. Keep adjusting until the indicator comes back on your graph.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

EXERCISE 17: Go into the menu system on your camera and find where you can change the exposure compensation setting.

Put your camera into P (Program) mode. Set your exposure compensation to 0 and take a shot. Now set it to each of the minus settings and take a shot at each setting. Now set it to each of the plus settings and take a shot at each setting.

Using your image playback, scroll through the images you have just taken and look at the differences in the exposure. Those set to a minus setting should be underexposed (progressively getting darker) and those set to a plus setting should be overexposed (progressively getting lighter).

Make sure you return your exposure compensation back to 0 before you exit.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

TECHNIQUE

Now that we have the equipment sorted and you are starting to get comfortable with it, we need to look at your technique.

HAND HOLDING YOUR CAMERA

• Stand with your feet about 30cm apart with one foot slightly further forward than the other. • Bend your knees slightly to keep yourself nice and stable. • Pick up your camera with your right hand using the hand grip. • Put the camera strap around your neck. • Put your left hand under the lens with your thumb and second finger on either side of the zoom adjustment ring. • Tuck your arms in close to your body. • Look through the eyepiece and focus the camera on your subject. • Depress the shutter button halfway. • Check the exposure display in the viewfinder and adjust your settings if required. (more about this in the next unit). • Breath in, then slowly start to exhale. • Depress the shutter button all the way and take the shot as you continue to exhale.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

As a general rule, with good technique, you can safety hand hold your camera for shutter speeds of 1/40th of a second (1/60th of a second if you are over 50) or faster. Anything slower, and you are best to use a tripod.

CONCLUSION

This unit is a gentle introduction into the world of photography. The focus was all about getting you familiar with camera equipment, the versatility of different lenses, how the image capture process works, and understanding images and how to manage them.

Now that we have mastered the basics, we will be moving into the technical side of photography and putting you in control of your camera.

To complete Module 1, you are required to do the assignment below and submit it to your tutor for assessment.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

ASSIGNMENT 1

PART A: IN THEORY…

NOTES: • ALL ANSWERS TO THE THEORY QUESTIONS ARE CONTAINED WITHIN YOUR UNIT WORKBOOK AND YOUR CAMERA MANUAL. EXTERNAL RESEARCH IS NOT REQUIRED. • GIVE SHORT WRITTEN ANSWERS THAT HIT THE KEY POINTS.

1. What type of lens would you choose to photograph the following: a. Wildlife b. Fashion / Portraits c. Motorsport d. A landscape scene

2. Select the two statements below that are correct.

a. The shorter the focal length, the narrower the perspective. b. The shorter the focal length, the narrower the angle of view. c. The shorter the focal length, the wider the angle of view. d. The longer the focal length, the narrower the angle of view. e. The longer the focal length, the greater the perspective.

3. What is the difference between a pan head and a ball head tripod?

4. What is the difference between a .jpg file and a RAW file?

5. What camera are you using and what DRIVE MODES do you have on your camera?

(Note for Nikon users: Nikon refers to drive modes as release modes).

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

PART B: PHOTO ASSIGNMENT

NOTES: • ALL TASKS RELATE TO MATERIAL TAUGHT IN THIS UNIT WORKBOOK. • IN YOUR “IMAGE STORY” WRITTEN ANSWERS, INLCUDE: o WHAT CAMERA SETTINGS YOU USED o ANSWERS TO ANY QUESTIONS ASKED WITHIN THE TASK • IMAGES MUST BE SAVED AS .JPG FILES AND LESS THAN 1MB IN SIZE FOR UPLOAD WITH YOUR ASSIGNMENT. Refer to page 57 for instructions on how to prepare your images for upload. You can also watch a video demonstration on how to do this. Log in to the website and select the resource centre from the top menu.

To do this assignment, set your camera to the following settings: • P (program) mode • Save images as .JPG files

NOTE: In a classroom environment, your tutor is able to see what you are doing and has a good idea if you understand what you are learning. In an online environment, your tutor does not have this advantage, so this is done through the evaluation of your image “story”. This gives your tutor an insight into your thinking at the time of doing your tasks, the steps (if any) you took when problem solving and enables him/her to provide more meaningful assistance. For this reason, throughout your course, the image “story” you enter with each image is worth 50% of the mark for the task.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

TASK 1: You are going to take a series of 4 (four) images of the same scene using different focal lengths.

SUBJECT: An outside landscape scene looking far into the distance.

IMAGE 1: Use your lens with the smallest focal length that you have available and set it to a small focal length you have. (18 to 25 would be ideal). Take a shot. IMAGE 2: Increase your focal length to somewhere in the range of 35-50 and re-take the same scene. IMAGE 3: Increase your focal length again to somewhere in the range of 50-75 and re-take the same scene. IMAGE 4: Increase your focal length to the largest you can go and take another image of the same scene.

NOTE: You may have to change lenses to get this range of focal lengths. If you don’t have this large a range available, use four settings ranging from your smallest to your largest. As long as they are different, you will get the same trend. Remember also, if you can’t adjust your lens, you can increase your focal length by moving further away from your object or decrease it by moving closer.

REVIEW AND ANALYSIS: Download the images onto your computer and compare them. Choose the ONE image you like the best. Resize the image ready to upload with your assignment.

INCLUDE IN YOUR ANSWER: Explain the differences you noticed between the images, what focal length you settled on and why. Make sure you include the FOCAL LENGTH of your chosen image (refer page 72 – Back end image data)

NOTE: UPLOAD ONE IMAGE ONLY FOR THIS TASK.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

TASK 2: You are going to take a series of 4 (four) images of the same scene using different focal lengths.

SUBJECT: A person or flowering shrub

DISTANCE: Stand approximately 2 metres away from your chosen subject.

REVIEW AND ANALYSIS: Download the images onto your computer and compare them. Choose the ONE image you like the best. Resize the image ready to upload with your assignment.

NOTE: UPLOAD ONE IMAGE ONLY FOR THIS TASK.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

TASK 3: You are going to take a series of 4 (four) images of the same scene using different focal lengths.

SUBJECT: A tiny object no bigger than a golf ball.

DISTANCE: Move in as close as you need to. If your camera will not focus, move back a little.

REVIEW AND ANALYSIS: Download the images onto your computer and compare them. Choose the ONE image you like the best. Resize the image ready to upload with your assignment.

NOTE: UPLOAD ONE IMAGE ONLY FOR THIS TASK.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

Save a copy of your final images in a safe place. We may need them again towards the end of the course.

CPH001 – CAMERAS, LENSES AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

Well done! You have now completed Module/Unit 1. Module/Unit 2 will be available to download once you have uploaded this assignment.

Assignments are marked within 5-7 working days.

You can begin work on your next study unit, but do not upload your next assignment until you have received notification back from your tutor that you have successfully passed this unit.

THIS IS COMPETENCY BASED TRAINING. THAT MEANS YOU MUST ACHIEVE THE REQUIRED STANDARD FOR EACH UNIT.

YOUR ASSIGMENTS WILL BE GIVEN A MARK AS FOLLOWS:

COMPETENT: This means you have passed and are good to go on to the next unit. or NOT COMPETENT: This means you have not passed and need a little extra help to reach the required standard. Your tutor will include in the image what part or parts of the assignment you have to re-do, and will provide assistance to help you. You get several opportunities to do this and your tutor will work with you every step of the way.