Chuck Adams Photography

Lastest Wedding Shoots

2012-05-25T19:39:00.001-07:00

Ask Chuck - Zooms vs. Primes

2012-04-04T19:46:00.000-07:00

“I’m doing some research into lenses for my Canon 5 D Mark II and have come across lenses being referred to as Prime lenses. What is a Prime Lens and why would I consider them instead of a Zoom lens?”
Canon EF-50 MM f 1.4 Thanks for the question, you’re not alone in asking it. As DSLRs come down in price I’m finding more and more readers are doing the upgrade and are asking questions about what type of lenses are best. Let me start by pointing you to introduction to DSLR Lenses post which will give you some definitions of different types of lenses. To recap from that post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&NR=1&v=bq4iMNqhTU4

What is a Prime Lens?

A prime lens is a lens that has one focal length only. They come in all focal lengths ranging from wide angle ones through to the longer telephoto ones.

What is a Zoom Lens?

A zoom lens is a lens that has a range of focal lengths available to the photographer in the one lens. These have become increasingly popular over the past few years as they are obviously a very convenient lens to have on your camera as they mean you can shoot at both wide and longer focal lengths without having to switch lenses mid shoot.
As you surf around different camera forums you’ll find people who argue strongly for both prime and zoom lenses. Each have their own fans and each will pull different arguments out about them. Let’s look at some of the pros and cons Zoom and Prime lenses:

Arguments for Prime Lenses

Let’s explore some of the common arguments for Prime lenses. Keep in mind that there are many prime lenses out there and that what follows are unashamedly generalizations.
1. Quality – while zoom lenses are improving considerably in the quality that they offer their users, prime lenses are known for being high quality and having the ability to produce clean, crisp and precise shots. This is an argument that often comes out in the prime vs zoom lens debate but it’s worth remembering that in every manufacturers range that there are some lenses (both zoom and prime) that are known for being exceptionally sharp and there are some that are known as being a little muddy. While it might be true that in general prime lenses are pretty high quality it shouldn’t be an assumption you make of every prime lens.
2. Price – prime lenses are generally simpler lenses in terms of construction. By the fact that they don’t need to zoom they generally have less moving parts and as a result they are generally cheaper to buy. Once again – there are many factors that determine the price of a lens (including quality) so not all prime lenses are ‘cheap’ (in fact some can be incredibly expensive at the Pro end of the spectrum) but do some searching around and you’ll find some that are definitely value for money. Renowned as usually being the cheapest lenses (but still not bad in quality) are ‘nifty 50′ lenses – or 50mm prime lenses, particularly from Nikon or Canon.

3. Weight – because of their simple construction you often find that prime lenses are smaller and particularly lighter lenses than zoom lenses in similar focal lengths. My two lightest lenses are my two 50mm lenses (I have the f1.8(pictured right) and the f1.4 – I’m still trying to work out which one to keep). They are great for heading out to locations where it is just not practical to haul lots of gear around with me.

4. Speed – in general prime lenses are faster (in terms of aperture) than zoom lenses. This is slowly changing as zoom lens improvements continue to be made by manufacturers but in the Canon range if you want extra fast lenses you’ll start with prime lenses (for example the 85mm and 50mm lenses for example). This allows you to shoot in lower light without the need for a flash.
5. Technique – one argument that gets pulled out against zoom lenses is that they make the photographer lazy. Instead of having to move around to find the best angle for the focal length they allow the photographer to stay in the one place and just zoom in and out. Some believe this sucks the creativity out of the process. I’m not sure about this one – while I do enjoy the challenge of using a prime lens (it definitely does mean you have to work harder and think about your shots a little more) you can still be a creative and hard working photographer with a zoom lens on your camera if you are aware of the temptation just to shoot from the one position all the time.

Arguments for Zoom Lenses

1. Portability (another perspective) – when prime lens proponents pull out the ‘weight/portability’ argument zoom lens lovers often argue that a point in favor of the zoom is that you only need to carry one lens instead of a range of lenses to have the same focal length range. Instead of carrying around a 14mm, 50mm and 85mm lens you could carry one lens that covers the full (or close to) range of focal lengths. You’ll also never have to change your lens and risk getting dust on your image sensor.
2. Price (another perspective) – similarly – while zoom lenses might be more expensive than prime lenses the cost of one lens in comparison to multiple lenses can often be comparable.
3. Flexibility – perhaps the biggest argument for Zoom lenses is the flexibility that the offer a photographer. They allow someone wanting to shoot at a variety of focal lengths the ability to quickly change perspective and add variety into their shots within a second (or a fraction of one if you’re a quick zoomer). This is ideal for many types of photography including weddings or sports where you have to constantly be looking for random shots and may not have the time (or ability) to physically move closer or further away from you subject.

So are Prime or Zoom lenses best?

Obviously there is a range of factors to consider and ultimately the decision will come down to a number of factors including the type and style of photography that you do, your budget, the need for portability, how often you’re willing to change lenses, the quality you’re after and the shooting conditions you’ll be shooting in.
My own approach with lenses is to go with both.

My Prime and Zoom Lenses

I’m lucky enough to have a budget that allows me this opportunity. I shoot with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II so these are all canon lenses – but I have a couple of 50mm lenses (see above) which are great for low light situations and those times when weight is a consideration as well as a 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens which is obviously for macro shooting but is also quite good for portraits (an added bonus).
I also have a few zoom lenses a 17-40mm, a 24-105mm (pictured above) and a 70-200mm which cover the full range of focal lengths that I generally shoot in.
As I mention above – there is generally a lot of variation between lenses (both prime and zoom). I find that there is especially a lot of variation in the zoom range of Canon (and I presume for other manufacturers too). Most DSLRs come with the option for a kit zoom lens which are generally of a much lower quality than a professional grade lens (in Canon Pro lenses are designated as being ‘L’ series lenses).
My advice to those shopping for a lens is that it’s well worth investing in quality lenses. The camera body definitely has an impact on the quality of your shots but lens quality is where you can really take your photography to the next level. Do some careful research before buying a lens and buy the best one you can afford (without re-mortgaging the house).

Working With Models: Ep 222: Digital Photography 1 on 1

2011-12-26T11:13:00.000-08:00

Photographers and Models 101

2011-12-26T11:10:00.001-08:00

ISO 1200 Magazine | Photography Video blog for photographers: Some tips on working with models by Mark Wallace

2011-12-26T11:05:00.000-08:00

ISO 1200 Magazine | Photography Video blog for photographers: Some tips on working with models by Mark Wallace: In this video Mark gives some tips on working with models. This video is focused on what to do before, during, and after the shoot. Mark...

DSLR Video: Canon Goes to the Movies

2011-12-21T20:40:00.000-08:00

by Ibarionex Perello

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December 01, 2011 — A few years ago, Canon came out of nowhere to change the world of video. The EOS 5D Mark II transformed how still photographers and cinematographers perceived and used motion capture. Now, Canon has announced three products that will continue to impact how we record video.

Each off these cameras is designed for a particular kind of user in mind, each of whom faces different challenges and who has different needs that have to be met. However, each model will help to shape how photographers and cinematographers will capture video whether it’s destined for the big screen, television or a computer monitor.

Canon EOS 1D X
Though there is much being made about the EOS 1D X’s impact on the world of still photographers, Canon has spent as much time considering how this camera will be used by those capturing video.

The full-frame DSLR (right) delivers some much welcome advances to video capture, including the ability to record continuous video up to 29 minutes and 59 seconds when the file size exceeds 4GB. It does this by splitting the video into two separate files, but without dropping frames. The files can be easily connected in a video editing application and its ideal for photographers who record lengthy clips such as for weddings or documentary work.

The camera finally includes the ability to add timecode, which has been unavailable in previous Canon HDSLR models. It is offered using two different settings: The “Rec Run” mode is ideally suited for single-camera applications because it resets to 00:00:00:00 (hours/minutes/seconds/frames) for each individual clip. The “Free Run” option is more suitable for multi-camera applications, because it allows for all the cameras used during production to be synchronized.

The camera offers a new edit-friendly compression format, which eliminates the need to transcode the recorded files before editing them in your video editing application. Users have the choice between the ALL-I or the IPB compression.

ALL-I is Canon’s designation for an intraframe compression method that compresses each individual frame of the movie file. This provides for greater quality frame grabs and also results in less CPU strain during postprocessing, because the computer does not to render interpolated frames when decoding and playing back files. This method allows for more precise editing because it allows for cuts in scenes on a per-frame basis, rather than a per-keyframe basis. This is also a good choice for editors using a computer that doesn’t have the processing power to decode and play back IPB files smoothly during the editing process.

The IPB applies compression by referencing the previous and next frame—creating smaller sizes and making it more suitable for recording long movies.

Audio recording is also improved in the camera with the additional of 64-step volume control that can be adjusted before or during recording. The 1D X’s built-in audio recording capability also features a built-in wind filter to cut down on wind noise when using the built-in monaural mic. The camera also includes the ability to record stereo using an external stereo audio port.

The rolling shutter, which creates a visual distortion when photographing fast action, has been reduced in the 1D X with the increase in processing speed by which image data is exported from the CMOS imaging sensor. The increase to a 16-channel dual-line read out is a big improvement over the 8-channel single-line readouts found in the EOS 7D and 1D Mark IV.

Performance is also improved as a result of the Dual DIGIC 5+ image processors, which are 17 times faster than the DIGIC 4 processors used in other HD-compatible EOS models.

The camera is scheduled to become available in early 2012 and has an estimated street price of $6,800.

Canon EOS C300
The Canon EOS C300 (right) will be the first camera from Canon’s Cinema EOS system, which are cameras and lenses designed specifically for the digital high resolution production industry, including motion picture and television. Though cameras like the 5D Mark II have been utilized by professional cinematographers, HDSLRs are still primarily designed for still capture. The EOS C300 is designed with for those shooters whose primary goal is to capture video.

Capable of capturing 4K-resolution, this camera provides start of the art high-resolution video capture in a form factor that resembles a DSLR, but is appreciable smaller than traditional motion picture cameras. Measuring 5.2 x 70 x 6.7 inches, this interchangeable lens system brings video capture to a whole new level.

Built around an 8.3- megapixel Super 35mm CMOS sensor, the camera is available with either an EF or PL mount, the latter being compatible with a cinematographer’s inventory of cinema lenses. The sensor, which is larger than what is typically found in a traditional video camera, provides the look of a limited depth of field favored with film capture and reduced noise.

Several short films made with the new camera were showcased during the camera’s press announcement in November and demonstrated the camera’s ability to move beyond the limitations of DSLR video, including the issue of rolling shutter when capturing fast action.

Canon has also simultaneously announced its own line of cinema style lenses, which include a 14.5-60mm T2.6 L (above) and 30-300mm T2.95-3.7L lens, each of which will be available for in both the EF and PL mounts.

For those photographers who have been using their existing line of EF lenses for video capture, the camera provides built-in peripheral illumination correction, which reduces the appearance of vignetting.

The camera is scheduled to be available in 2012 and at estimated price of $20,000.

4K HDSLR in Development
Canon has announced the production of another 4K camera, which will be built along the traditional form factor of a DSLR. No model designation or price has been announced at this point, but they have provided a few details about the camera.

The camera is designed around a 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor that will provide 4K resolution at a frame rate of 24 fps with Motion-JPEG compression.

Just as digital created a new era for still photography, these cameras and those to come will create new visual possibilities.

Rangefinder - Groupon The Erosion of Our Industry

2011-12-17T13:12:00.000-08:00

Rangefinder - Groupon The Erosion of Our Industry

Groupon The Erosion of Our Industry

by Sal Cincotta

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Sal Cincotta

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June 01, 2011 — Let’s just cut right to the chase. I have no hidden agenda here, and I didn’t have a bad experience with Groupon. I am a big believer in our industry and the longevity of our craft. I fundamentally disagree with the Groupon craze and what it represents for our industry.

We are artists providing a unique and valuable service to our clients. “Unique” and “valuable” do not go hand-in-hand with coupons and off-the-wall margins. Groupon gets $0.50 on the dollar just to host your coupon. No matter how rosy your glasses, that’s an insane amount of money to burn.

Let’s break it down into logical pieces, and when it’s all said and done, if you still think participating in this is the right move for your business, I would love to hear all about it.

Horrible Margins
Right out of the gate you are giving up $0.50 on the dollar. So, if you put a coupon out there for $50, Groupon gets $25 just for hosting your coupon! If you’ve listened to us speak or have read any of our previous articles, you know how margins and Cost of Goods (COG) work.

So, not only are you already discounting your services in some cases by 50% of more, you also have additional hard costs that must come out of that $25 you actually receive. Again, I want to emphasize, 50% is lost right out of the gate, not including your discounted price. So, I would guess, when its all said and done, you are losing 75% from your normal pricing before you have delivered a single product or service.

Devaluation of Your Services
Never, and I mean never, operate from a position of desperation. This is a desperation move and one that will ultimately lead to the demise of your brand, and more than likely, your business altogether. If you embark on this path, you will almost never recover from being the low-cost provider in your market. So I guess as an upside, if you are looking to do 600 shoots a year and compete with your local chain studio pumping out $29.99 packages, this might be the right move for your studio.

If you are an artist, you must properly price and value your service. Why? It’s because you are a limited resource, plain and simple. We bring an artistic eye to the table along with unique products that allow us to differentiate our studio from the weekend warriors.

Have you ever seen Rolex go on sale for 50% off? How about Louis Vuitton? Maybe the Ferrari dealership runs a sale like this? Of course not. And the list could go on and on. Pricing has as much to do with your brand as everything else you do. It establishes value—both perceived and real.

You will almost never see these brands embrace a pricing structure like this. If you do, it’s a sign of giving up. You are basically saying, “yep, we don’t know what else to do, so let’s drop our prices and let someone else market our business for us. We give up.”

Commodifying Your Brand
Once your brand/product/service has been devalued you start positioning yourself and your studio as a commodity product/service. What is a commodity product? It’s a product that holds no perceivable difference between that of its competitors, ultimately, competing on price. Translation? You have now entered the slippery slope of price competition, attracting clients who are shopping based on price—not quality or service. Examples include: fast food, household cleaning supplies, gas stations, mall-based photo studios, etc. Are you getting the picture here?

This is the worst possible path to take your business down, and I promise you one of two things will happen: You will ultimately realize you cannot deliver on the high volume that comes your way for a multitude of reasons, or you will realize this is the worst thing you could have done for your business and try and get back to basic business principals. Either way, you will soon abandon this business model.

True Story
There is a studio in my local market that adopted this concept. They were, and are, a very established studio in the mid-market. They jumped on board the Groupon craze. Offered a location-based mini-session at $50, including the negatives. They booked 1000 sessions. You read it right, 1000 sessions. $25,000! [once you subtract Groupon’s take] They were going to be rich! Um, not really!

Let me school you on some math here. That’s 1000 mini session at 30 min per session. That is 500 hours of shoot time, which is not including burning DVDs, any travel whatsoever, scheduling calls, etc. Let’s say for arguments sake you are able to shoot 30 hours a week, which I think is very aggressive, that will take you 16-17 weeks to fulfill all those shoots. Over four months!!! That’s your entire shooting season.

So, they pretty much guaranteed that their entire summer calendar would be filled with these low-end shoots generating no additional revenue (shoot and burn to the maximum).

The unintended consequences of this little exercise? Customer service disappeared. Clients were now rushed through sessions. The “experience” was all but gone. And worst of all, existing clients who were used to paying the normal studio prices and rates bypassed the normal session fee and went the coupon route. And who can blame them? Why pay full price when you can get a deal? So now they’ve managed to cannibalize their existing client base vs. generating new clients and new revenue streams.

As result of this we booked two weddings from their missteps. I am not bragging at all. I want to help my fellow photographers. My point is simple: The clients who came to us told us about this and expressed how they felt rushed, the quality suffered and that was not something they were willing to sacrifice. After this experience they realized that you ultimately get what you pay for.

Back to the Basics
All right, I know what you must be thinking, great points, but if not Groupon, what should we do? We are struggling, competitors are everywhere and we need to make a change.

How about this as a simple solution? Instead of giving a random third party 50% discount on your product or service and then splitting the profits by 50%; take that 75% and reinvest it back into your business.

Please don’t misread my points here. There is nothing wrong with running some special promotions or discounts, but you can’t give away the house and think you are going to remain in business for very long.

We run specials all the time to boost sessions during our slow season. This doesn’t devalue our brand, nor does it impact our overall sales numbers. In fact, it helps the sales numbers by keeping the studio busy during our slowest time of the year.

If things are slow, run a 50% off session fee to get things moving. If that doesn’t work, refresh some of your sample work, refresh your pricing and packages, update your Web site, etc. Take a hard look at why things are slow and ask yourself some tough questions to ensure you are still relevant in your community. Work with local charities or booster clubs and offer some auction items to generate new leads. Check out GoogleAds to target your market online—it’s easy and cost effective.

I just quickly rattled off some simple ways to promote your business, all with a cost that is little to nothing to execute. If you have some dollars to throw away, which is what you will be doing with this coupon to the tune of 75% or more, why not invest that in a slew of things that can help promote and better your studio. Update your branding, update your client area, get a new Web site, send direct mail pieces, start a customer referral program, give gifts to your top ten clients, attend training workshops, upgrade your gear, etc.

Don’t give up and don’t resort to desperate measures for your business without exhausting every possible means available to you. Sure, you might see an instant jump in sales, but long-term, this model will implode on itself and ultimately damage your reputation and our industry.

Competing on price is never easy and unfortunately, this is typically a last resort for many businesses. Don’t let it be yours.

Salvatore Cincotta Photography is based in the St Louis Metro area with a focus on weddings, high school seniors and professional education for photographers. For more information, visit www.behindtheshutter.com

PocketWizard and High Speed Sync

2011-12-09T20:14:00.000-08:00

Creating Contrast with a Flash: Ep. 114: You Keep Shooting: Adorama Phot...

2011-11-07T18:58:00.000-08:00

You Keep Shooting: Episode 101: Foreground Interest: Adorama Photography TV

2011-08-14T14:51:00.000-07:00

One of the things I particularly like about Bryan Peterson (the guru on exposure) is his easy to understand explanation on how to get the most out of your camera and lighting. I find his method really easy to understand and follow. For those who like me find visual instructions easier to follow check out Bryan's stuff on You Tube.

You see it all the time – an arena filled with fans, the stars take to the stage and across all levels of the stadium, little pops of white light sparkle as people point their cameras toward the stage and shoot. Hundreds of people all end up with the same shot – a dimly lit stage in the distance and the perfectly exposed bald spot of the guy in the next row down. Not what you had in mind? To understand your digital camera's flash and what it is capable of, we need to talk about flash basics.

On-camera flash used with window light from the left side. So as not to become the main component of exposure, the on-camera flash was set to fire at -1 1/3 stops down from what the camera thought it should be. The reduced flash output provides some fill light to the face which would otherwise have gone to dark shadows had it only been lit from the window light.

Unless you are shooting with a true professional-level workhorse DSLR, your camera probably has a built-in flash. You may have even purchased an accessory hot-shoe mounted flash (or strobe, or speedlight – same thing). Camera manufacturers have made using flashes so automated that you'd think you wouldn't need to know anything about them – just turn them on and shoot. Well the problem is, even though there is a computer controlling the flash, somebody had to program the computer and like it or not, they cannot truly predict exactly what it is you are photographing nor can they predict how you want the photo to look. You have to wrestle some control away from the camera's brain and use your own to make some decisions. Relax, it's easy and if you invest some time experimenting you'll soon be able to achieve the look you want using flash.

Remember that the picture which the sensor on a digital camera delivers to your LCD or computer screen is composed of three key elements that determine the overall exposure (how light or dark the picture is):

1. How much light gets let in through the lens – Aperture

2. How long that light gets to hit the sensor – Shutter speed

3. How sensitive an ISO you have set

Using a flash during exposure adds a new element – a very short burst of light, usually effective only within close range, that lasts for somewhere 1/1000 sec to well under 1/30,000 sec. The flash can contribute some light to the overall exposure based on aperture and shutter speed, or it can provide ALL the light for an exposure if the aperture and shutter speed selected won't allow enough background light to hit and be registered by the sensor.

When do you need to use a flash?

There are no rules - a flash can be used anytime, and the more you understand how it relates to the exposure, the more creative and effective you can be with it.

You might use flash indoors or out when ambient light levels are low – the brief burst of light will help freeze subject movement and stop the blur from camera shake. You might use flash to illuminate the otherwise silhouetted subject of a portrait taken against the background of a radiant sunset. You might use flash at high noon on a sunny day to ease some of the dark and distracting shadows created under a person's nose, eyebrows and chin. And if you are close enough, say in the first row or two, you might use the short duration of flash to freeze your favorite musician as she windmills around the stage.

In any of these situations, simply popping up your built-in flash or popping on your accessory flash will likely give you fairly decent automated exposures. But to take your photos beyond an automated snapshot aesthetic you will need to do some experimenting.

Try This:

Get ready to waste some pixels playing around with some variables that you can set on your camera.

First make sure that you have not set your camera in ‘idiot-mode’ - the one where the camera decides when to pop up your flash by itself and restricts your ability to change settings. Start with P or A modes for best results.

You'll need to familiarize yourself with your camera and/or manual to be able understand the following:

1. Know how to dial in Exposure Compensation (+/- EV) to influence your camera to take a brighter or darker picture from what it thinks the picture should be.

2. Know how to dial in separate Flash Exposure Compensation (+/- EV) for the flash itself.

3. Know how to set your flash to fire in Slow-Sync mode.

Time to play...

Set your subject (human, statue, cooperative pet, flower...) within several feet of your camera – the further away from the camera the less effective the flash will be. (Remember the bald guy's head and the little dark speck of a performer on stage?)

Begin by taking a normal exposure without flash. Notice what you see and how the subject is exposed.

Now set your flash to fire and shoot another picture with the same composition. How has the light on your subject changed?

Begin playing with the Flash Compensation control. Take shots with the flash successively dialed down in -1/3 EV steps. Don't change anything else, but do examine how decreasing the flash's output changes the nature and intensity of the light on your subject. Now take shots with the flash cranked up toward +1 EV – what does that do?

Next, convince your subject to hang around a little more... Reset your flash compensation to 0 and begin dialing down (-EV) the camera's exposure. What starts happening to the background? Dial it down some more – sunsets take on a deeper glow, background lighting becomes darker and ethereal, daytime skies take on a new character. Now begin a series of shots where you dial UP (+EV) the exposure – notice what starts to happen.

Finally start making combinations of up/down EV for the exposure combined with up/down EV adjustments for the flash.

Setting the camera's flash to Slow-Sync mode encourages the camera to leave the shutter open a little longer during a flash exposure. The flash illuminates the performers while the slower shutter speed allows the ambient light from the tent ceiling to create a dynamic background.

TIP: If you are shooting in one of your camera's automatic modes and the background stays consistently dark no matter where you set your EV compensation, you may need to engage slow-sync mode. Without Slow-Sync set, your camera is probably restricting you to a minimum shutter speed of 1/60 second, which may not be long enough in darker situations to adequately expose the background. Slow-Sync allows the camera to select longer shutter speeds – at the risk of blurred backgrounds - which, depending on your desired outcome, can be a very desirable effect.

TIP: If you are shooting in one of your camera's automatic modes and the background stays consistently dark no matter where you set your EV compensation, you may need to engage slow-sync mode. Without Slow-Sync set, your camera is probably restricting you to a minimum shutter speed of 1/60 second, which may not be long enough in darker situations to adequately expose the background. Slow-Sync allows the camera to select longer shutter speeds – at the risk of blurred backgrounds - which, depending on your desired outcome, can be a very desirable effect.

If you really play with your camera's settings you can get some dynamic effects. Although the sky was not nearly this dark in reality, dialing in -3 EV for the general exposure made the background go rich and dark. Cranking the flash up to +1 at the same time allowed the grasses near the camera to be illuminated in strong contrast to the background

Outdoor Speedlight Portraits: Episode 201: Digital Photography 1 on 1: A...

2011-08-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

Next lession:

2011-08-02T18:59:00.000-07:00

Rule of thirds

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the visual arts rule. For the scuba diving rule, see Rule of thirds (diving).

Not to be confused with Rule of three.

This photograph of a sunset taken in the Thousand Islands region demonstrates the principles of the rule of thirds

The rule of thirds is a compositional rule of thumb in visual arts such as painting, photography and design.^[1] The rule states that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections.^[2] Proponents of the technique claim that aligning a subject with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition than simply centering the subject would.^{[citation needed]}
The photograph to the right demonstrates the application of the rule of thirds. The horizon sits at the horizontal line dividing the lower third of the photo from the upper two-thirds. The tree sits at the intersection of two lines, sometimes called a power point or a crash point^{[citation needed]}. Points of interest in the photo don't have to actually touch one of these lines to take advantage of the rule of thirds.^{[citation needed]} For example, the brightest part of the sky near the horizon where the sun recently set does not fall directly on one of the lines, but does fall near the intersection of two of the lines, close enough to take advantage of the rule.

Use

The rule of thirds is applied by aligning a subject with the guide lines and their intersection points, placing the horizon on the top or bottom line, or allowing linear features in the image to flow from section to section. The main reason for observing the rule of thirds is to discourage placement of the subject at the center, or prevent a horizon from appearing to divide the picture in half.^[3]
When photographing or filming people, it is common to line the body up with a vertical line, and having the person's eyes in line with a horizontal one. If filming a moving subject, the same pattern is often followed, with the majority of the extra room being in front of the person (the way they are moving).^[4]

A picture cropped without and with the rule of thirds

History

Excerpt from John Thomas Smith's illustrated book, published in 1797, defining a compositional "rule of thirds"

The rule of thirds was first written down^[5] by John Thomas Smith in 1797. In his book Remarks on Rural Scenery, Smith quotes a 1783 work by Sir Joshua Reynolds, in which Reynolds discusses, in unquantified terms, the balance of dark and light in a painting.^[6] Smith then continues with an expansion on the idea, naming it the "Rule of thirds":

Two distinct, equal lights, should never appear in the same picture : One should be principal, and the rest sub-ordinate, both in dimension and degree : Unequal parts and gradations lead the attention easily from part to part, while parts of equal appearance hold it awkwardly suspended, as if unable to determine which of those parts is to be considered as the subordinate. "And to give the utmost force and solidity to your work, some part of the picture should be as light, and some as dark as possible : These two extremes are then to be harmonized and reconciled to each other." (Reynolds's Annot. on Du Fresnoy.)

Analogous to this "Rule of thirds", (if I may be allowed so to call it) I have presumed to think that, in connecting or in breaking the various lines of a picture, it would likewise be a good rule to do it, in general, by a similar scheme of proportion; for example, in a design of landscape, to determine the sky at about two-thirds ; or else at about one-third, so that the material objects might occupy the other two : Again, two thirds of one element, (as of water) to one third of another element (as of land); and then both together to make but one third of the picture, of which the two other thirds should go for the sky and aerial perspectives. This rule would likewise apply in breaking a length of wall, or any other too great continuation of line that it may be found necessary to break by crossing or hiding it with some other object : In short, in applying this invention, generally speaking, or to any other case, whether of light, shade, form, or color, I have found the ratio of about two thirds to one third, or of one to two, a much better and more harmonizing proportion, than the precise formal half, the two-far-extending four-fifths—and, in short, than any other proportion whatever. I should think myself honored by the opinion of any gentleman on this point; but until I shall by better informed, shall conclude this general proportion of two and one to be the most picturesque medium in all cases of breaking or otherwise qualifying straight lines and masses and groups [sic], as Hogarth's line is agreed to be the most beautiful, (or, in other words, the most pictoresque) medium of curves.^[7]

Writing in 1845, in his book Chromatics, George Field notes (perhaps erroneously) that Sir Joshua Reynolds gives the ratio 2:1 as a rule for the proportion of warm to cold colors in a painting, and attributes to Smith the expansion of that rule to all proportions in painting:

Sir Joshua has given it as a rule, that the proportion of warm to cold colour in a picture should be as two to one, although he has frequently deviated therefrom; and Smith, in his "Remarks on Rural Scenery," would extend a like rule to all the proportions of painting, begging for it the term of the "rule of thirds," according to which, a landscape, having one third of land, should have two thirds of water, and these together, forming about one-third of the picture, the remaining two-thirds to be for air and sky; and he applies the same rule to the crossing and breaking of lines and objects, &c. ^[8]

It is interesting to note that even at this early date, there is skepticism over the universality of such a rule, at least in regards to color, for Field continues:

This rule, however, does not supply a general law, but universalizes a particular, the invariable observance of which would produce a uniform and monotonous practice. But, however occasionally useful, it is neither accurate nor universal, the true mean of nature requiring compensation, which, in the case of warmth and coolness, is in about equal proportions, while, in regard to advancing and retiring colors, the true balance of effect is, approximately, three of the latter to one of the former; nevertheless, the proportions in both cases are to be governed by the predominance of light or shade, and the required effect of a picture, in which, and other species of antagonism, the scale of equivalents affords a guide.

It is also interesting to note that Smith's conception of the rule is meant to apply more generally than the version commonly explained today, as he recommends it not just for dividing the frame, but also for all division of straight lines, masses, or groups. On the other hand, he does not discuss the now-common idea that intersections of the third-lines of the frame are particularly strong or interesting for composition.

References

^ Sandra Meech (2007). Contemporary Quilts: Design, Surface and Stitch. Sterling Publishing. ISBN 0713489871.
^ Bryan F. Peterson (2003). Learning to see creatively. Amphoto Press. ISBN 0817441816.
^ Bert P. Krages (2005). The Art of Composition. Allworth Communications, Inc.. ISBN 1581154097.
^ leadroom
^ Caplin, Steve (2008). Art and Design in Photoshop. Focal Press. p. 35.
^ Reynolds, Sir Joshua (1783). Annotations on The art of painting of Charles Alphonse Du Fresnoy. Printed by A. Ward, and sold by J. Dodsley. p. 103.
^ Smith, John Thomas (1797). Remarks on rural scenery; with twenty etchings of cottages, from nature; and some observations and precepts relative to the pictoresque.. printed for, and sold by Nathaniel Smith ancient Print seller at Rembrandts-Head May's Buildings, St. Martin's Lane, and I. T. Smith, at No 40 Trith Street Soho. pp. 15–17.
^ Field, George (1845). Chromatics; or, The analogy, harmony, and philosophy of colours. David Bogue, Fleet Street.

External links

How to use the rule of thirds in Digital Photography
Rule Of Thirds "how to" How to use the rule of thirds
A simple explanation of Rule Of Thirds
Rule Of Thirds explained with examples

Understanding Aperture – A Beginner’s Guide

2011-07-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

Understanding Aperture – A Beginner’s Guide

Aperture is one of the three pillars of photography, the other two being ISO and Shutter Speed. Without a doubt, it is the most talked about subject, because aperture either adds a dimension to a photograph by blurring the background, or magically brings everything in focus. In this article, I will try to explain everything I know about aperture in very simple language.

Before reading any further, I highly recommend reading about what a DSLR camera consists of.

1) What is Aperture?

Simply put, aperture is a hole within a lens, through which light travels into the camera body. It is easier to understand the concept if you just think about our eyes. Every camera that we know of today is designed like human eyes. The cornea in our eyes is like the front element of a lens – it gathers all external light, then bends it and passes it to the iris. Depending on the amount of light, the iris can either expand or shrink, controlling the size of the pupil, which is a hole that lets the light pass further into the eye. The pupil is essentially what we refer to as aperture in photography. The amount of light that enters the retina (which works just like the camera sensor), is limited to the size of the pupil – the larger the pupil, the more light enters the retina.
So, the easiest way to remember aperture, is by associating it with your pupil. Large pupil size equals large aperture, while small pupil size equals small aperture.

2) Size of Aperture – Large vs Small Aperture

The iris of the lens that controls the size (diameter) of the aperture is called “diaphragm” in optics. The sole purpose of the diaphragm is to block or stop all light, with the exception of the light that goes through the aperture. In photography, aperture is expressed in f-numbers (for example f/5.6). These f-numbers that are known as “f-stops” are a way of describing the size of the aperture, or how open or closed the aperture is. A smaller f-stop means a larger aperture, while a larger f-stop means a smaller aperture. Most people find this awkward, since we are used to having larger numbers represent larger values, but not in this case. For example, f/1.4 is larger than f/2.0 and much larger than f/8.0.
Take a look at this chart (image courtesy of Wikipedia):

The size of the circle represents the size of the lens aperture – the larger the f-number, the smaller the aperture.

3) What is Depth of Field?

One important thing to remember here, the size of the aperture has a direct impact on the depth of field, which is the area of the image that appears sharp. A large f-number such as f/32, (which means a smaller aperture) will bring all foreground and background objects in focus, while a small f-number such as f/1.4 will isolate the foreground from the background by making the foreground objects sharp and the background blurry.

Image on left shot at f/2.8, Image on right shot at f/8.0

As you can see, just changing the aperture from f/2.8 to f/8.0 has a big effect on how much of WALL-E is in focus and how visible the background gets. If I had used a much smaller aperture such as f/32 in this shot, the background would be as visible as WALL-E.
Another example:

Mailboxes - Aperture set to f/2.8

In the above example, due to the shallow depth of field, only the word “Cougar” appears sharp, while everything else in the front and behind of that word is blurred. If I had used a larger aperture such as f/1.4 and focused on one of the letters, probably only that letter would have been sharp, while everything else would have been blurred out. The larger the aperture, the smaller the area in focus (depth of field).

4) Lens Apertures: Maximum and Minimum

Every lens has a limit on how large or how small the aperture can get. If you take a look at the specifications of your lens, it should say what the maximum (lowest f-number) and minimum apertures (highest f-number) of your lens are. The maximum aperture of the lens is much more important than the minimum, because it shows the speed of the lens. A lens that has an aperture of f/1.2 or f/1.4 as the maximum aperture is considered to be a fast lens, because it can pass through more light than, for example, a lens with a maximum aperture of f/4.0. That’s why lenses with large apertures are better suited for low light photography.
The minimum aperture is not that important, because almost all modern lenses can provide at least f/16 as the minimum aperture, which is typically more than enough for everyday photography needs.

This 50mm lens has a max. aperture of f/1.4

There are two types of lenses: “fixed” (also known as “prime”) and “zoom”. While zoom lenses give you the flexibility to zoom in and out (most point and shoot cameras have zoom lenses) without having to move closer or away from the subject, fixed or prime lenses only have one focal length. Due to the complexity of optical design for zoom lenses, many of the consumer lenses have variable apertures. What it means, is that when you are fully zoomed out, the aperture is one number, while zooming in will increase the f-number to a higher number. For example, the Canon 18-135 lens has a variable maximum aperture of f/3.5-f/5.6. When zoomed fully out at 18mm, the lens has an aperture of f/3.5, while when fully zoomed in at 135mm, the lens has an aperture of f/5.6. The heavy, professional zoom lenses, on the other hand, typically have fixed apertures. For example, the Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS Mark II lens has the same maximum aperture of f/2.8 at all focal lengths between 70mm and 200mm.
Why is this important? Because larger maximum aperture means that the lens can pass through more light, and hence, your camera can capture images faster in low-light situations. Having a larger maximum aperture also means better ability to isolate subjects from the background.
If you have any questions, comments or feedback, please post them in the comments section below.

Filed Under: Digital Photography, Guides and Howtos

As borrowed from:Mansurovs Photography blog site.

ISO Speed

2011-07-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

ISO SPEED

So to better understand shooting in low lite situations in relationships to newer DSLR's, here's a quick tutorial on understanding what exactly the ISO really does:

The ISO speed determines how sensitive the camera is to incoming light. Similar to shutter speed, it also correlates 1:1 with how much the exposure increases or decreases. However, unlike aperture and shutter speed, a lower ISO speed is almost always desirable, since higher ISO speeds dramatically increase image noise. As a result, ISO speed is usually only increased from its minimum value if the desired aperture and shutter speed aren't otherwise obtainable.


Low ISO Speed (low image noise)	High ISO Speed (high image noise)

note: image noise is also known as "film grain" in traditional film photography

Common ISO speeds include 100, 200, 400 and 800, although many cameras also permit lower or higher values. With compact cameras, an ISO speed in the range of 50-200 generally produces acceptably low image noise, whereas with digital SLR cameras, a range of 50-800 (or higher) is often acceptable.

UNDERSTANDING EXPOSURE

Achieving the correct exposure is a lot like collecting rain in a bucket. While the rate of rainfall is uncontrollable, three factors remain under your control: the bucket's width, the duration you leave it in the rain, and the quantity of rain you want to collect. You just need to ensure you don't collect too little ("underexposed"), but that you also don't collect too much ("overexposed"). The key is that there are many different combinations of width, time and quantity that will achieve this. For example, for the same quantity of water, you can get away with less time in the rain if you pick a bucket that's really wide. Alternatively, for the same duration left in the rain, a really narrow bucket can be used as long as you plan on getting by with less water.
In photography, the exposure settings of aperture, shutter speed and ISO speed are analogous to the width, time and quantity discussed above. Furthermore, just as the rate of rainfall was beyond your control above, so too is natural light for a photographer.

2011-07-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

Canon U.S.A. : Canon Professional Services

2011-07-26T19:29:00.000-07:00

Canon U.S.A. : Canon Professional Services

Chuck Adams Photography

2011-07-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

Ask any photographer (professional, amateur, or casual shooter) what photography means to them, and you’ll get as many answers as there are stars in the sky. This is a good thing. This means that fifty people can be taking the same shot of a single scene and almost all of them will come up with their own unique take on it.

Photography like any art is broken down into two aspects. You have the nuts and bolts discussion on how to use the camera, and how far you can stress the camera to get the shot you want. The other part is the crafting an image to bring out a reaction from the viewer. Without the former skills under your belt the latter becomes much harder.

However, it’s the two as a whole that drives what I think photography is. My belief is a picture is pure emotion. That could be pain, anger, suffering, joy, silliness, sadness, tranquility, etc. However, it must evoke an emotion. If it doesn’t it has failed.

Note, I’m stating “emotion” and not a “story.” Each person that sees just the picture will overlay their own story on the picture. If as a photographer you have to handhold the viewer as to what the story is you have failed. You can add scene details through a header or a short blurb, but the image should stand without them.

Why? Because more often than not the photo is out of your control. You take a picture and give it to someone. They may or may not accept your “version” of the story you tell, but they can’t deny the emotion within the shot.

This is important because photos have different meanings to different people. A bride’s wedding book has a lot of personal meaning to her, because it was her day. It was the day everyone focused on her. Her children, her children’s children, or a historian may not have such a strong emotional bond to those images. They are a “slice of life” to them. An event that happened that could be studied to explain how things were done in the past. Thus to make it have any meaning to others there has to be a strong independent emotional feeling from the pictures.

I’m not saying that storytelling is wrong in photography. I truly believe it has it has a place in series and collections. Storytelling through series is as old as cave paintings, but unless you want an isolate image to lose power you need to ensure it has an emotional appeal of its own. Images that lack this are weak links, and honestly should be limited or culled.

Most photojournalist understand this idea. They are looking for the raw emotions when they are out photographing for a story. They are never sure how many photos will be used by the periodical and in what order. So they need to ensure that each image is captivating, because it maybe their picture that draws the reader seeing a headline “Hundreds Displaced in China” to read the article instead of skipping due to a lack of any personal bond to China or the people being displaced.

So my advice, take it or leave it as you wish, is to always go for the emotion. It will be the strongest shot that you can ever take.

http://www.chuckadamsphotography.com/

Chuck Adams Photography

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Next lession:

Rule of thirds

Contents

Use

History

See also

References

External links

Understanding Aperture – A Beginner’s Guide

Understanding Aperture – A Beginner’s Guide

1) What is Aperture?

2) Size of Aperture – Large vs Small Aperture

3) What is Depth of Field?

4) Lens Apertures: Maximum and Minimum

ISO Speed

ISO SPEED

So to better understand shooting in low lite situations in relationships to newer DSLR's, here's a quick tutorial on understanding what exactly the ISO really does:

UNDERSTANDING EXPOSURE

Canon U.S.A. : Canon Professional Services

Chuck Adams Photography