Your Panorama

Memorable moments and sceneries are best remembered when they are captured in a blink of an eye. In other words, life’s instances are reminiscent when it is taken at an angle, in a different perspective, beyond imagination. Taking photographs may be a hobby, a profession, or just plain fun. It is these pictures that take you to the past, keeps you up with the present, and provides a window to the future – with the help of the camera, technology and of course, a creative mind.

Photography comes from the word photo, meaning, light or radiant energy. That is why photography is the art and science of producing images from light. However, this word means a lot more than it is defined encompassing everyday life and extraordinary ones.

CONCEPTS

1. Light – Different kinds of colors are absorbed by an object in a spectrum and the one reflected back is the color that the human eyes could see. It is essential to understand the direction of the light as different angles produce different shadows, having an effect to the subject. Digital cameras with specialized light settings are indeed important and should not be overlooked. Choose the setting that corresponds to the kind of light the subject is on. E.g. Incandescent – for scenes lit by incandescent light.
2. Exposure triangle
   • ISO – expresses the speed of photographic negative materials, denoting on the sensitivity of the image sensor to the amount of light. The lower the number, the less sensitive the camera is to light, making the grain finer and to get faster shutter speeds. The generally accepted normal ISO is 100. Auto mode for digital point and shoot cameras are when the camera automatically selects the ISO setting. Take note that increased sensitivity (ISO) to light signal can also result to more noise.
   • Aperture – the lens diaphragm on the camera. It is the size of the opening that you set in taking a picture, thus controlling the amount of light the goes through the lens. It is measured by F-stops that are calculated by dividing the length of the lens’ diameter by the focal length. Large aperture settings, such as f3 t f5, tolerate more light through the lens, making the subject the photo’s central element and minimizing the figures in the background. This is ideal for close-ups. Consequently, small aperture settings such as f16 to f32, ensures that the foreground to the horizon are in focus. This is ideal for landscape photography, as this has larger DOF (depth of field). For neither of these extremes f8 to f11 setups can demonstrate well-defined photos.
   • Shutter Speed – the rate at which the shutter is open to capture the scene. A wide range of shutter speed gives more liberty in taking pictures because it can be flexible at any situations, may it be sunny or cloudy.

The three concepts are interconnected to achieve the proper exposure needed.

3. Composition and Angle – these are the proper placing and position of the subject within the frame.  The angle at which the photographer takes the picture and the position of the subject can append significance, denotation, motion, mystery and life to the photograph. Certain positions such as placing the subject elevated connote a forceful subject while lower positions may imply passiveness or anonymity. However, this does not apply to all, as photography is art, it has no boundaries.

CAMERA TYPES

1. Ultra Compact – This type can be easily slipped through pouches, purses and pockets, which are great for photographers on the go. Unlike their heftier counterparts, these do not offer excessive manual intervening controls, but still take great pictures.
   • Canon Powershot SD780
   • Sony Cybershot TX1
2. Point and Shoot – Ideal for photographers who want to produce high quality images with least the amount of manual controls. Features include optical and digital zoom, movie mode and special image effects.
   • Panasonic Lumix ZR1
   • Samsung DualView TL225
3. Single Lens Reflex – this type uses a form of reflex camera wherein the reflecting mirror retracts when the shutter is released, enabling the photographer to see the accurate image to be captured.

• Canon EOS-1D Mark IV
• Sony Alpha A850
• Samsung NX10

The Magic of Photography

A camera is a multipurpose tool that most people would love to use because it is not difficult to use, and it has many features that would not only entertain but also satisfy a person in many ways. Since its discovery, it had been very useful to the society. It had contributed on the development of a lot of things and had significantly affected the lives of the people. Everywhere we go, we come across a lot of photographs, and it does not only fascinate us but it also tells us something about many things.

Taking photographs are our way of preserving memories. Our lives are filled with so many experiences that we want to have a memento of those wonderful things we have encountered in the past and remind ourselves of the life we had during those times like when we were still young or previous significant events. Our surroundings is also favorable to our eyes and since every now and then everything around us changes, we can’t help but reminisce the old times and scan our compilation of photographs that would, for some reason, make us feel happy. People take family pictures and other personal photographs that can be easily viewed when a person is not around. It somehow serves as a representation of the person to make people feel that they are around.

Photographs are also widely utilized in many businesses most especially in advertising. Photographs are easier means of informing the people about something and through the utilization of artistic styles and modifications, an individual easily grasps the information by merely looking at the picture. In the world of fashion, photographs are an important aspect of this field and these are used to capture unique and artistic images that will serve as a medium to attract the public about something. Magazines, newspapers and brochures are all filled with a variety of pictures and each picture is different from another. When people want to advertise something in print ads, pictures are always included too, easily grab the attention of the reader. It somehow serves as a potion to entice the public to try and use a certain product or service.

People usually are fond of visiting places anywhere in the world and there are many places are not yet discovered by most individuals. Through photographs, people are able to see places that they haven’t visited yet in their lives. It gives them an idea on which place to visit and what to things to expect. Furthermore, included in the scope of photography are places that no human has ever visited just like farther regions of our universe. Photographs provide us with a clear picture of many heavenly bodies for us to understand our surroundings. It also shows us many images outside our planet that we never thought that exists. We are able to witness what our own planet looks like and understands planetary and galactic movements through photography. Photography also gives us a clear picture of minute creatures that our naked eye could not see. This allows us to have a glimpse of how these creatures look like and supplement ourselves with additional learning. Also, we are able to understand our own body through studying photographs regarding our systems and bodily functions. Photographs somehow take us to places far more than what we can travel and give us a different kind of learning experience.

Photography also serves as evidence to many things that occur in our surroundings. In crimes and important events, photographs are utilized in documentation. There are also instances wherein the picture itself helps in solving a certain mystery just like the incident that killed a dozen of people when a hanging walkway collapsed; the aftermath image of a photographer helped in solving the case.

Motion pictures are also part of photography since during its early days; still pictures were utilized and were arranged in a sequential manner portraying a moving subject in the picture. It then provided people with a new means of entertainment.

Photography is definitely very useful to the people either to amateurs or experts it has something to offer. From unclear, low-definition and black and white pictures, to realistic, high-definition, colorful and more sophisticated form of a picture; it continues to please people with its variety of usage. The magic photography will forever be a part of the people’s way of living.

Guidelines for Digital SLR Photography for Beginners

Photography is a hobby not everybody is gifted with. As said, there is always a room for improvement. If it happens you bloomed and learned late about your great interest towards photography, or apparently you must have received a Digital SLR camera on your birthday, it’s never too late to say never to loving photography.

Here are some guidelines or tips for photography beginners on their way to achieve professionalism on the same field.

1. Camera manuals are purposely attached to guide the buyer of the SLR camera with whatever query might come in future use. Take the manual like your best buddy. Learn often things written on it. Be careful not to lose it by keeping it to a handy bag or a special place you are assured of not losing it.
2. To refrain from your actual lens from scratching, you need to buy a UV filter for each lens you own to replace easily scratched lens filter.
3. You should learn how to use basic camera settings. Basic SLR camera settings include ISO setting, aperture opening and shutter speed.

3.1   To have a better quality of photos, you need to maintain a 100 ISO setting. If your hand seems to be shaky in taking pictures, the picture might be blurry. It  would be best to maintain 150 ISO setting during night time.

3.2   A fast shutter speed is best suggested if you would like to take fast moving scenes. This way, the shutter opens and closes quick, making the exposure easily caught on camera. Static shots are used otherwise. These are shutter speeds to be used in picture-taking for moving objects: 1/1000s, 1/500s, 1/250s.

3.3  For aperture openings, the photographer must know that it functions to take a        sharp image which depends greatly on the type of the layout of the picture. There are two sizes for aperture openings, the small aperture opening and the large aperture opening. Small aperture opening which is used in taking landscape shots have the following recommended sizes: f/16, f/11 and f/8. While large aperture opening which is used in taking portrait images have the following suggested sizes: f/2, f/2.8 and f/4. Mainly, the function of this is having the focused object of the shot emphasized due to the blurring of the backdrop. This feature is known to be the most loved among photographers.

4. Strong tripod and a remote release are also necessary for photography other than UV     filters during shoots requiring long shutter speeds.
5. It is never advisable to change lens outdoors, especially on windy seasons. The lens could be dusty. Dust can affect the camera’s sensor. Even better, change lens indoors before you leave your house.
6. You may struggle for shaky shots at first. Using fast shutter speed can help. Using this feature could lessen the possibilities of taking blurry shots. Another tip to avoid camera shakes are holding the camera close to your body or resting on the camera on an object. You may also lean on a tree to minimize camera shaking.
7. When taking pictures, it is preferable to always press down the shutter button halfway before taking the final shot. This technique is used to have a preview of the image you are taking. Often, clear photos result from pre-focusing.

Having these guidelines would surely help digital SLR photography beginners in making their way to professional photographers. However, you should bear in mind that a professional photographer’s identity comes from experimentation. Be free in making your unique ways of taking shots as you see the difference of each and point out your personal style in making images out of digital SLR camera.