Time for a Rant

Here is a little complaint that doesn't have a thing to do with photography. I said that I would occasionally do this, so here goes. We have a pronoun problem with our language. The problem is that we need a pronoun that is not gender specific. For a long time we used the masculine to represent the entirety of mankind as well as the subset that I am sure some of you would call the lesser part. Perhaps you are right. Perhaps I am about to reinforce your criticism. That's fine, but I just absolutely refuse to use the set of feminine pronouns to be all encompassing. When I read a text by an author that does that, the writer's ethos erodes for me. Torrential, flooding rain will not ameliorate drought conditions, and using the feminine set of pronouns for five or six hundred years will not "make up" for all the transgressions that preceded our time. I use "he or she" and similar usages. That tactic is a bit clunky, but until we invent a new word, that is my style. Anyone care to comment, suggest a new pronoun, and solve this problem? Please help.

Depth of Field - Huh?

What is Depth of Field?
In photography, depth of field refers to how big of a slice of reality is in focus when you take a picture. I know it is at first a confusing concept, so think about this analogy. Pretend you are standing beside a pond on a farm and a leaf is floating on top of the water. For our example, let's say the pond is brackish. When you look at the leaf can you see the bottom of the pond? No. Now pretend you are standing beside a well-maintained swimming pool and a leaf is floating on the water (just landed and the pool boy hasn't been able to skim it out yet). When you look at the leaf can you see the bottom of the pool? Yes. Now instead of visibility (whether or not you can see the bottom), think of sharp focus. Depth of field refers to how much both behind and in front of an object (the one you are focusing on) will be in focus. There are a couple of terms associated with this effect, and you should memorize their meanings. Forget about my analogy at this point because these terms are not referring to water!

Shallow Depth of Field - the camera will only deliver a sharp picture of the object it has focused on. The objects behind and in front of the object of focus will be rendered blurry.

Deep Depth of Field - the camera will deliver a sharp picture of the object of focus and the objects behind and in front of the object of focus.

Let's use a couple of examples. Let's say you take a photograph of a cala lily. Only part of the flower appears sharp in the photograph. Everything else is blurred. That is shallow depth of field. Here is an example I photographed.

Now lets say you have an object 200 feet from a house and you want to take a photograph that renders both the house and the object in focus. Here is an example that I photographed that illustrates this scenario.

Notice that the house is not in perfect focus. However, if I had used a similar camera setting as the one I chose for the cala lily, you would not even be able to tell that there was a building behind that chair.

What are the settings? Depth of field is controlled by what we refer to in photography as the aperture setting. These settings are represented by a number preceded by a lowercase f, such as f 4.5.

What does it mean? For our purposes, just know that, 1) the larger the number, the greater the depth of field, and 2) the larger the number, the lesser amount of light coming through the lens. I'll discuss point 2 in a minute. Regarding point 1, the picture of the chair was probably taken with the camera set to f 16, and the cala lily was probably photographed with the camera set to f 2.8.

I really should say camera lens was set to f 2.8 or f 16 because, and this is important, the aperture also refers to the diameter of the device in the lens that controls the amount of light that is allowed to strike the film or digital sensor (point 2). Shutter speed is one of the variables used to control proper exposure and aperture is another. Therefore, you cannot just arbitrarily select a high number like f 11 of f 16 when you want everything in focus. You must also select a slower shutter speed so that the photograph will be properly exposed.

There are a couple of other factors that affect depth of field. I won't try to explain the physics behind these factors because it would make your head hurt , and I'm not all that familiar with the reasons myself. Fortunately, the explanations don't matter in terms of practicality. Just know the following:

Things That Control Depth of Field

1. A small aperture such as f 16 will render things if focus that are behind and in front of the object the camera focuses on. The opposite is true. A large aperture such as f 2.8 will only render the object the camera focuses on as sharp.

NOTE: The confusing thing is the fact that a small aperture is f 16 and a large aperture is f 2.8. Of course, 16 is a greater number than 2.8, so the logic here seems backwards. It is, so just memorize these facts.

2. A wide angle lens has a greater depth of field than a normal lens. A telephoto lens has shallower depth of field than a normal lens.

3. Photographing things close up yields a shallower depth of fiels than does photographing things at a distance.

Confused? I hope not, but if you are leave a comment.

Try a Tripod

I know this tip won't be for everyone, but everyone can at least consider it. Tripods are great tools. Ever notice that socket with threads in it on the bottom of your camera? That is where the tripod attaches. I suggest using a small and portable tabletop tripod. You can obtain one of these for under twenty bucks. A tripod will keep the camera absolutely still when you are shooting in low light, such as street scenes at night. Photographers have traditionally used cable releases when shooting from a tripod. A cable release is a cable that is screwed into the camera's shutter release and allows the photographer to trip the shutter without shaking the camera. Your point and shoot camera probably doesn't have a place for a shutter release. That is not a problem, because what you do is use the self-timer to trip the camera. The delay of the self timer will allow the camera to stop resonating from any vibrations started when you press the shutter. However, if you need the shot at the exact moment, such as when that butterfly finally lands on that flower, you won't want to use the self timer. In these situations, you must be very delicate when pressing the shutter button. You can do it; it just takes practice. For either method a tripod will steady your camera and enable you to get a sharp photograph.

Current Events

Last Saturday I photographed an event for RSVP Magazine. I enjoy RSVP photo shoots. The hardest part for me is having to dress in more formal attire than I usually wear. A RSVP type of shoot is one in which I use a flash mounted to (well actually on a device that locates it above) the camera. I approach people, introduce myself, and ask if they will pose for a photograph. Almost everyone is quite willing. I sometimes wonder about the tiny percentage that refuse. Why do they?

You can read RSVP magazine online.

I photographed the Orpheum Gala last November.

Shutter Speed: What is it?

Shutter speed refers to the length of time a camera shutter remains open. The shutter is located in front of a digital camera's sensor and prevents light from reaching that sensor until the shutter release button (or self timer) opens it. The amount of time the shutter remains open is variable and expressed in fractions of a second known as shutter speed. A typical average shutter speed is 1/125 of a second. We usually refer to slow shutter speeds as those that are 1/30 of a second and slower. It used to be an adage that one could not hold a camera steady enough to get a sharp photograph when using a shutter speed slower than 1/60 second. However, technology such as image stabilization make today's cameras capable of obtaining sharp photographs with slower shutter speeds, that is—up to a point. Most all point and shoot caneras will allow the shutter to remain open longer than anyone can hand hold a camera and obtain a perfectly sharp shot. It is with these slow speeds that I urged you to experiment with last post.

By the way, why does the shutter stay open longer in lower light? The reason is that the amount of time the shutter remains open is one way the camera controls the amount of light reaching the sensor. Bright light makes a proper exposure quickly. Dim light makes a proper exposure slowly.

What is the another way a camera controls the exposure? The size of the opening in the lens is called the aperture. The camera aperture works just like the pupil in you eye. I'll talk more about aperture in a later post.

One last thought. The other variable in exposure control is ISO, formerly and sometimes still referred to as film speed. More on that later.

Break Some Rules 01

Perhaps you have heard of certain rules in photography, such as "never place the subject in the center of the frame," or "always shoot with the sun at your back." There are others and we will play with some of them in later posts. These adages of course are not rules, but merely guidelines that will aid in getting good photographs a high percentage of the time. Don't be trapped by them. Step out of the box. Most of us have learned that we want sharp, in-focus pictures. Certainly this is true if you want to photograph you kid's birthday, or relatives and pets—that sort of photo. Experiment with some UNSHARP photos. Shoot in lowlight and try to keep the camera still but let the subject move. Shoot in lowlight and move the camera toward your subject as smoothly as possible.

Another technique, one that is quite likely to yield a good photograph, is to follow your subject as it moves left to right, or right to left across the frame. Above is a photograph I took during one of the free concerts at the shell in Overton Park here in Memphis. Again, a low light situation is going to yield the most noticeable results because the camera must select a slow shutter speed. I'll expound on what I just said in the next post.

Back Up Your Image Files

One of the most important things you SHOULD do is to routinely save your photographs to at least two DVDs or CDs. The BEST thing to do is to have archival quality prints made of your photographs. I suggest you do both for your favorite and most important images. The rationale behind creating prints is derived from the fact that technology is constantly changing, and the media we use to store our files may not be compatible with future technologies. It is also important to consider the fact that recordable CDs and DVDs may not be as stable and long-lasting as you assume. These discs ARE light sensitive. Store them in a dark, temperature-controlled environment, and keep them out of excessive humidity. Keep multiple copies, but in different geographic locations (a relative's house or safety deposit box).