March 28, 2011

Photo Tutorial: DSLR Cameras- The Basics

I've been trying to do this tutorial for a couple weeks now, but it kept getting away from me. I will be doing this tutorial in parts in order to keep the length down, so this post will just cover the basics. I'm also adding an ongoing photography tutorial feature to my blog, covering camera and photography tips, as well as editing techniques. Please keep in mind that I am not a professional, and everything I post here has come from many hours of research, practice and trial and error. I am simply passing on what I know and learn as I go, since I know many bloggers out there are looking to improve their photography. Of course, there are many resources out there to teach you photography skills, but my aim is to keep it in more simpler terms, since photography and the terminology can be overwhelming, especially for those with no prior experience.

For your reference, I use a Canon Rebel EOS XS 1000D which comes with a kit lens of 18-55mm f3.5-5.6. I normally use a prime 50mm f1.8 lens, and have been recently trying out a 28-135mm lens. Most of what I explain should apply to all SLR cameras, since many have the same features.

NOTE: It is important to remember that the camera is only a tool, it is up to the photographer to learn how to use the camera properly to achieve good results. It doesn't matter if you have the most expensive camera in the world, if you don't know how to use it your pictures will still suck. My best advice is to get out there and practice, practice, practice!

So here are the basics every photographer should know:

1. APERTURE & F-Stop

Aperture is simply the size of the opening in the lens, which is measured by the f-number or f-stop. It might be confusing at first, but you want to remember that the bigger the number (f/22), the smaller the opening, and the smaller the number (f/2), the wider the opening is. It might sound counter-intuitive at first, but you get used to it. F-stops can go from 1.4 all the way down to 22 and lower. The wider open the lens is, the more light is let in, thus allowing faster shutter speeds, which is essential for sharp photos and capturing action shots.

1. large aperture 2. small aperture


Depth of field determines how much of the scene is in focus. The closer you are to something, the more in focus it is, and the further you move away from it the blurrier it gets. If something is way too close to you however, it too can appear blurry.

To get a shallow depth of field where the subject is in focus and the background is blurred, you need a wider aperture (f/2.8 or f/4 is good for portraits and creates the blurred background, called "bokeh"). The wider open the lens, the faster the shutter speed, which reduces blurriness.

If you want more of the scene in focus, you need a smaller aperture (i.e, f/16). Most people say that lenses are at their sharpest at around f/8-f/13. The type of picture you're shooting will determine whether you need a shallow depth of field or not. If shooting a longer depth of field, you may need to use a tripod to reduce camera shake and blurriness.

shallow depth of field (f/2.5)

longer depth of field (f/11)

3. ISO

ISO is how sensitive your camera is to light. It can go from 100 all the way up to like, 6000 in high end professional cameras. Mine goes up to 1600. Simply put, it allows you to take photos in lower light without needing a tripod. Depending on how fast your lens is (meaning how wide the lens can open), you may need a tripod anyhow in extremely dark situations, but raising the ISO reduces that necessity. You should always start with the lowest possible ISO, because once you start raising it, the level of noise, or grain, increases. That's what causes that spotty appearance. Sometimes you want that grain for creative purposes, but usually for portraits and such you don't. Below is an example of shooting with a higher ISO:

This corner of my room was too dark. Lowering the shutter speed allowed light in longer, but caused camera shake and blurriness (ISO 100)

By raising the ISO, I was able to take the same picture with minimal blur and without a tripod, however, it added noise to the picture (ISO 800)

So those are three major elements in photography that you need to know in order to successfully use your camera. There is much more to learn and I will be going over more features in depth in future posts, such as taking sharp photos, taking self portraits, shooting even exposures, etc.

This tutorial didn't exactly turn out as planned, but there was so much information that I kind of overwhelmed myself trying to explain it. Plus, my tooth is killing me, which is making it hard to focus... no pun intended, haha. I have to have extraction surgery soon, blah.

I hope you found this a little informative; be sure to follow if you want to be updated on future posts! Like I said, I'll be going more in depth shortly. Please be sure to credit me if you choose to pass this information along. And feel free to ask me if you have any questions!

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