Photography 101
Part One
Equipment: camera, meter, flash, tripod
This article is a simplified photography course directed at new photographers out there who want to know where to start.
If you really want to learn photography the first thing you need is a good affordable and reliable camera. It must, and I repeat must, be able to shoot in fully manual and fully auto focus modes. (This leaves out any digital cameras on the market right now, sorry.) To really learn photography you must understand the equipment. You'll need to learn how manipulating the shutter speed, aperture, and focus will have a dramatic effect on your photos. Meters, if you have a camera that can work in a fully manual mode it should have an internal meter suitable for what you will be doing. Tripod, you're going to need one whether it's portrait work or landscapes you'll need one eventually. Luckily you don't have to spend a lot here. Just something lightweight and durable. Flash, you can buy a separate camera mounted flash, which is great if you can afford it. Consider what kind of photography that you will be doing though. If you're going to do mostly nature and landscape, you may only need the fill flash that comes with most cameras today. If you plan on doing portraiture alone you will want to consider a camera mounted flash that has an adjustable angle.
Film, film speed to be exact. Slower speeds (25 to 400) are intended for portraiture and landscape photography. Faster speeds (600 and above) are intended for actions shots and photojournalism. So first you need to know what you going out to photograph and make sure that you have the appropriate film for the job.
Now that you have the camera loaded with film consider shutter speed. Do you want to blur motion, or freeze it? If there is no motion at all what shutter speed do you need to expose the scene with natural light. From 1/60th and down to the bulb setting will blur most motion. For example if you want to blur the water in a waterfall, a setting of 1/30th should work. (You'll need a tripod though.) 1/125th is a normal setting for most shots. On many cameras the 125th setting is marked in a different color to make it obvious. If you want to freeze action you'll need to start with 1/500th and work up from there. The faster the motion the faster the shutter speed needed to stop motion. Many cameras go up to 1/2000th of a second. If you're trying to use natural light alone in a scene you will want to determine the aperture first and then see what shutter speed you need to properly expose the scene for available light. (Keep in mind sometimes there isn't enough light.)
Aperture, these are the set of numbers on your lens closest to the body of the camera. They can go from 1.8 to 22, and they are referred to as F-stops. These numbers determine how much light reaches the film inside of your camera. Most internal meters will blink on the appropriate aperture for the shutter speed that you've set, or the speed you've set will blink if your F-stop is correct for the speed. Both the F-stop and shutter speed can be changed to expose the scene correctly. Consider that the faster the shutter speed the more light will be needed to expose the scene correctly. This makes logical sense if you think about it. If the shutter isn't open as long, fast shutter speed, then there is less light able to make it to the film and so the scene must be brighter to expose correctly. To learn, bracket your shots. Take the first shot at the aperture suggested by your meter, move one stop up, take a photo, one down, take another photo.
Flash, I personally like shooting with natural light whenever possible and at most I use a fill flash. But if you're going to do portrait work then most of the time you may be indoors and you will need a flash sometimes. For the amateur the fill flash units that are on the top of most of today's cameras are wonderful for basic work. You will have to read your manual on your particular flash unit to learn what it can and can't do. This is where the camera that is fully manual and fully auto is great for the amateur. You can usually set it so that the camera will meter and set the flash output accordingly and then you still can control the shutter speed and aperture.
This week's assignment: Have several rolls of 400 speed film, find a subject that you can work with preferably something that won't move, and shoot one roll of film. Shoot some of the roll in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Bracket every shot, take notes on time of day and light conditions, and what your settings (aperture) were for each frame, keep the film speed the same for the entire roll. Have the film developed and examine the photos. You should be able to see a difference in each frame. You'll need to repeat this procedure until you feel that you understand the relationship between shutter speed and aperture, and every camera and meter has it's own quirks and differences, you're camera will act differently than someone else's. This way you will learn you own particular camera as well. Once you have a sense of how aperture works you won't need to bracket every shot you take, you may only need to do it in cases where you want to be extra safe on exposing the subject correctly.
If you have some specific questions please visit my Photography Forum at: http://kellypaalphotography.com/v -web/bulletin/bb/index.php
Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal
Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
Did you know that in many cases digital photos are... Read More
Fuji digital cameras entered the market in the late 90's.... Read More
The digital camera is essentially a computer-based device, whose core... Read More
You may have joined the photo-sharing craze to share your... Read More
These parameters are discussed at 2 levels: -Based on... Read More
The digital camera being a fantastic and technologically advanced device... Read More
The business of stock photography has drastically changed over the... Read More
How many people have pictures in a shoe box? In... Read More
It's hard to find sometimes but it's making a resurgence,... Read More
While it would be nice to live in a house... Read More
A photo buyer calls for a picture of pigs. It... Read More
Too many people have the idea that being paid to... Read More
IntroductionModern cameras are highly automatic in operation. They have auto... Read More
1. Myth: Digital photos are pixilated or fuzzy. Reality: most... Read More
Started in a single-room by three Japanese men in the... Read More
The path to picking a digital camera usually leads to... Read More
What have you done with the photos you've taken with... Read More
Elephants in the Sky[1980s, Lee Evens in Mali, Timbuktu/Africa]Advance: Lee... Read More
When buying a digital camera there are many things you... Read More
In a traditional camera, the lens was king. If the... Read More
One of the main reasons people buy digital cameras is... Read More
Family vacations, summer weddings and family reunions are in full... Read More
Think about Laurel and Hardy for a moment, or Charlie... Read More
I once heard a lady say to a photographer that... Read More
At a Photo Club meeting I attended recently, the President... Read More
It was widely reported in the press (15 September 1997)... Read More
Photos are a great way to share your travel experiences... Read More
Night photos can take on a somewhat magical quality you... Read More
Digital photography has taken off like wildfire these days, primarily... Read More
Imagine taking your new digital camera on a vacation and... Read More
Using a digital camera to take pictures is great. It's... Read More
With modern technology in the form of SLR digital cameras,... Read More
How many of the birthday party pictures you've seen are... Read More
We all love our animals. They do such funny, adorable,... Read More
We all want to make the most of our wedding... Read More
What Is... Exposure BracketingExposure bracketing is a simple technique professional... Read More
Even though Nikon entered the camera world by 1948, today... Read More
In the age of home phones and 8x10's we all... Read More
Kids grow up so quickly and while we are often... Read More
If you have hopes of becoming a professional photographer, or... Read More
The vast beauty and richness of the desert can be... Read More
Outdoor photographers shoot year round. That includes the hot summer.... Read More
There are way too many tape, disk and stick formats... Read More
Most digital cameras today boast of greater resolution and picture... Read More
There are also some excellent online courses available and some... Read More
So you have rushed out into the malls in a... Read More
Remember the good old photography days?Film camera in hand, you... Read More
The world of photography is an amazing one. It's been... Read More
Digital Imaging is a process where an electronic photograph, scanned... Read More
There are a large number of digital camera accessories available... Read More
So you recently bought a digital camera or perhaps your... Read More
Pre-Production:It's all got to start somewhere, so before you even... Read More
As you might imagine the paradigm shift from traditional film-based... Read More
Gone are the days when you would need to employ... Read More
Elephants in the Sky[1980s, Lee Evens in Mali, Timbuktu/Africa]Advance: Lee... Read More
1. Myth: Digital photos are pixilated or fuzzy. Reality: most... Read More
With such a fantastic device as the digital camera for... Read More
Almost all of us will have seen this particular photographic... Read More
Before you are able to take the kind of photos... Read More
When you're driving through the mountains somewhere, and you... Read More
Youv'e taken that perfect photo in the perfect light at... Read More
Purchasing a digital camera is a wise decision, particularly if... Read More
HP has started making digital cameras only recently. However, the... Read More
The photos you took of the party are really great... Read More
The digital camera is in reality a great possession with... Read More
Getting the most out of your digital video camera can... Read More
Photography |