Taking photos with a digital camera

The goal of this page is to enable people take a best photograph using a digital camera. No prior knowledge of photography or any technical knowledge is necessary.

Basics of Digital Camera

• A digital camera mainly consists of a lens, sensor, processor and storage elements. The lens focuses the subject on to the sensor. Sensor converts the received light from the scene to an electrical signal, The electrical signal is digitalized and then saved to the storage element(Memory card like SD card). The processor coordinates all these activities. As long as the sensor is exposed to the scene it collects light reflected from the scene.
• Opening in the lens(aperture value) controls the amount of light reaching sensor and shutter(can be compared to a door) that allows the sensor to be exposed for a certain time. For fast moving objects shutter opening and closing has to be fast. If the shutter speed is slower than the moving object speed then the image will be blurry.
  • Imagine a sliding door with variable size of a hole at the center of a door. The rate at which door opens and closes corresponds to shutter speed of the camera. So if one wants to see a fast moving Ferrari on the other side of the door, then the door has to be opened and closed very fast i.e large shutter value. If the door has a large hole then lot of light is allowed inside. The size of a hole in a door can be compared to the aperture value.
• The scene has to be captured with correct "Exposure". The image should be a replica of a real scene. If the image is over-exposed then the overall image is brighter than a real scene and if it is under-exposed then the image is darker than the real scene. Aperture, Shutter and Sensitivity(ISO explained later) determine the exposure of the image.

1. Compose the picture

• Photography is an art, Composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients. Composition is the first and most important aspect of photography.
• Every photograph must tell a story. Highlight the subject and isolate it from the surroundings.
• There are many composition rules like symmetry, rules of third, simplify, patterns, lines and so on.
• In the above example, the pumpkin is placed using rules of third. This makes the photo appealing and interesting.

2. Set Aperture or Speed Priority Mode

Aperture value controls the amount of light reaching cameras sensor and Shutter value controls the time for which light is allowed to reach a sensor. Aperture value is the property of lens while shutter value is the property of camera.

Aperture Priority Mode

• Aperture value of the lens is determined by the user and the camera automatically calculates the shutter value to get the correct exposure.
• Aperture priority mode is used to fix a certain depth of field. Depth of field means only a certain range of objects are in focus.
• Aperture value ranges depends on the lens.A lower aperture value(example 1.4) allows a lot of light than a higher aperture value(example 8).
• Bokeh is the esthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens.
• Lower values of aperture produce good Bokeh effects such that only subject is in focus and the background is out-of-focus.
• Unless photography of fast moving objects is required, Aperture mode is the most frequently used camera mode by professionals.
• A lens with lower value of aperture(like 1.4 or 1.8 or 2.8) is expensive since it allows a lot of light even in dark conditions. Bokeh is also a landmark of many appealing photographs.

In the above example, as we move on towards the right, the image was captured with more aperture value! We can see that as aperture value increases we have more depth of field. That means more dolls are in focus. In the first image(aperture 2) only the extreme right doll(green cap) is in focus. The second image(aperture 4) has middle doll in focus. Finally the third image(aperture 7.1) has every doll in focus.

Shutter-priority Mode

• Shutter priority mode will be useful to capture moving objects. Shutter value is set by the user and the camera automatically calculates aperture value to get the correct exposure.
• Shutter value indicates how fast is the camera sensor exposed. For example, a shutter speed of 125 means the camera sensor is exposed to 1/125 of the second.
• To capture fast-moving objects a higher shutter value is required otherwise picture will be blurred.
• In a full-frame digital camera, the shutter speed should be at least = 1/focal length of a lens to avoid any blurry effects.
• In the example shown below, water droplets are clear at shutter value 2000 and becomes blurred and milkier as shutter values decrease. This means to capture fast moving objects(clearly capture water droplets) we need higher shutter value. By reducing shutter value, the droplets become blurred(not sharp) and eventually turns to a milk color at a shutter speed of 2 seconds. This is an example, actual shutter values depend on the actual speed of water!

3. ISO

• ISO indicates the sensitivity of a camera sensor. Less ISO is required in case more light is available(lot of light) and high ISO is required for low light level situation(night, dark).
• High ISO means more light and more noise. In the above example, the green rectangular region is magnified to show the effects of noise at higher ISO.
• To keep things simple, set camera to ISO automatic so that the camera chooses ISO automatically. This will use force camera to set highest ISO(and also noise). So it may be required to limit ISO values. For aperture mode, minimum shutter value has to be set so that images are not blurred(without a tripod).
• Depending on the quality of sensor in the camera, maximum usable ISO value is limited. In any case more ISO means more noise !
• For photographing static objects at night using a tripod, ISO can be set to 100 in aperture priority mode so that the camera automatically chooses the right shutter speed for correct exposure.

4. Metering Mode

• Metering mode determines how the camera sensor will measure the scene information and set the correct exposure.
• "Matrix mode" is useful for most situations. The entire scene is used for evaluation.
• "Spot Mode" Subject is significantly darker or lighter than its surroundings. Only the center spot region is used for evaluation. For example to capture moon in the dark sky, focus on the moon and then use spot mode to get the correct exposure.
• "Average-weighed mode" This mode is in between spot mode and matrix mode. About 75% of the exposure is determined by circular pattern at the center of frame and 25% of exposure is determined from the area around the center.

5. Set focus mode to Auto-focus(AF) and set the number of focus points

• Auto focus mode will ensure that scene is sharply focused automatically be the camera.
• Select the auto focus mode, AF-S for static scene and AF-C(Preferred) for continuous/dynamically changing scenes.
• Set the number of focus points(at least 9) that are used in the camera.
• Set the focus point to the target in focus(red rectangle in the example). For example in portraits, the focus point can be set to eyes. In case of static objects(AF-Static) the number of focus points can be less since focus points are fixed, however for moving objects (AF-Continuous) more focus points are helpful.

6. White Balance(WB)

• White Balance allows user to adjust camera so that images look natural. Automatic WB should be enough for most cases.
• In tricky situations select the correct WB(Incandescent or Fluorescent or Direct sunlight or Cloudy or Custom) using the camera's LCD screen so that image on the LCD matches the real scene.

7. Picture Control

Picture control has a great impact on image quality that influences skin tone, color, shadows and so on. A combination of sharpness, contrast, brightness, hue and saturation controls is referred to as picture control(in Nikon).

To begin standard picture controls such as Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait and Landscape can be used depend on the context.

- Sharpness indicates the sharpness of subject corners in the image.

- Contrast is the perceived difference between dark and light parts of the image.

- Adjusting contrast will either provide soft(reducing contrast) or harder(increasing contrast) image tones.

- Brightness adjusts the overall image brightness.

Saturation is represented by the steepness of the slopes of the curves. In the above example, blue has maximum saturation and red has least saturation. As saturation increases color appear more pure. Hue is the wavelength within the visible-light spectrum at which the energy output from a source is greatest. In the above example red, green and blue has same Hue.

It is recommended to redefine own picture controls using standard picture controls(Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape) based on the requirements. For example extending Vivid picture control with increased sharpness(+3) will give a sharp vivid image.

8. Film Simulation Mode

• Some cameras provide analog film equivalents that can be captured on digital cameras. For example Black and White, Partial filters(red only) and so on.
• These film modes will drastically improve the appearance of the image scene. It is important to understand the purpose of each film simulation mode so that it can be used at appropriate situations.
• In the above example, first image has red filter the second image has green filter and last image has blue filter.
• Using black and white filter for photography produces interesting and appealing results. There are many professionals who specialize in black and white photos for creating everlasting impressions.

9. Important Settings

Aperture or Shutter Priority Mode

White Balance (Default Auto)

ISO (Default Auto)

Metering Mode(Default Matrix)

Standard Picture Control (Sharpened!)

Standard Film Mode

Though there are many controls in the digital camera, these important settings would be good enough to start with, depending on the scene other settings will be required.

The key idea is to concentrate on composing scene and have less variable camera/lens parameters !

10. Constant Settings

Auto Focus AF-C

Image Quality = JPEG Fine

Image Size = This depends on camera resolution and the need to print.

Color Space = sRGB

Vignette Control = Normal

(In some cameras exposure control is required. In some camera models this may not be required.)

Megapixel Myth

• Rather than asking "How many megapixels is required", the most important question should be "What is the target print size". Please do not judge the quality of a camera just by megapixel size !
• Printed magazine quality has a resolution of 300dpi (300 dots are printed within 1 inch). Of course recently there has been a trend for HD printer with 2400dpi !
• So considering 6 Megapixels, we have 3008 pixels width. That means if we have 300dpi (300 pixels), then 3008/300 approximately 10 inches & 1688/300 approximately 6 inches.
• Similarly for other megapixels the possible print sizes can be calculated. We have considered Nikon D600 in the example below. But the concept applies to any other digital camera.

More than the camera, the creativity and involvement of the photographer is important. Having the best or most expensive camera equipment will not guarantee great photos !

It is just like telling that every Ferrari driver will become a champion like Michael Schumacher.

So please avoid Canon-Nikon-Sony-Fuji-XXYYZZ comparisons. Instead start comparing photos and learn the composition and creativity aspects of photography.

Recommended Digital Cameras

My recommended digital cameras according to the price segment. In any case, the best camera is the one that's with you!

Budget up to 200 Euros

• Canon S90
• Canon IXUS 500 HS

Budget less than 500 Euros

• Canon S120
• Sony RX100

Budget 500 to 1000 Euros

• Sony RX100 III
• Canon PowerShot G7 X
• Fuji X30
• Ricoh GR
• Leica C
• Leica D-Lux
• Olympus PEN E PL7
• Fuji X-Pro1
• Nikon D3300
• Nikon 5200
• Nikon 7100

Budget 1000 to 2000 Euros

• Fuji X-T1
• Fuji X-Pro1
• Leica X
• Leica X-E
• Fuji x100T
• Nikon D610
• Canon 6D

Budget greater than 2000 Euros

• Sony Alpha a7s
• Nikon D750
• Nikon D810
• Nikon D4
• Canon Mark 5D III

Disclaimer

The purpose of this document is to provide quick tutorials in photography in layman's language. This document provides concept of digital photography and is independent of camera manufacturer.

So some of the settings may not be available in some cameras. There are many techniques and settings that is not covered in this page like Manual Mode. However using above mentioned techniques one can still capture the best photograph. I accept no liability for the content of this document, or for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.

Any views or opinions presented in this document are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of my employer.

In case things are not self explainable, please send your valuable suggestions and feedback to me, Last Updated: 30 January 2015

Happy Photographing !