Capture The Magic Of Clouds

Clouds have been a popular subject with photographers since panchromatic film made it possible to differentiate them from the sky in photographs! They still remain popular. The inclusion of interesting clouds can make a landscape shot, and they are often worth photographing simply for their structural beauty. However, photographing clouds can present some problems for digital photographers.

Colour fringing explained

Expect to hear a lot more about colour fringing in digital photos as the pixel counts for compact digicams continue to rise, while sensors become smaller. At the same time, expect to see the true reasons for colour fringing misattributed more often than not. To ‘put you in the picture’ (so to speak), if you see coloured fringes along edges in a photograph it can be attributed to one of two effects: chromatic aberration or blooming. The problem is deciding which one is the cause.

Burst Modes – and How They Work

The burst (or continuous shooting) mode on a digital camera is a new feature for those who have never used a film SLR but a familiar one for most SLR users. However, the way it works – and the options provided – are quite different on digital still cameras (DSCs). Whereas film cameras were dependent on how quickly and accurately the motor drive could jump the film through the film gate, digital cameras rely on the speed of the data processing system and the size of the internal ‘buffer’ memory where the image is stored while it awaits processing.

Bracketing

Many cameras offer one or more bracketing functions. The most common is auto exposure bracketing (AEB), which involves taking a series of pictures of the subject while changing the exposure level. The normal practice is to take three shots, one under-exposing by 1/3EV, the second at the metered exposure and the third over-exposing by 1/3EV. This basic strategy is a kind of ø¢â‚¬Ëœinsurance policy’ for obtaining a correct exposure (there’s a good chance at least one of the three shots will be correctly exposed).

Bokeh

Photographers often use the Japanese term, ø¢â‚¬Ëœbokeh’ to describe the quality of the out-of-focus areas in an image produced by a camera lens using a shallow depth of field. Though it’s difficult to quantify, some lenses produce more attractive bokeh than others.

Ambient Lighting & Digital Camera Performance

Photographers can become obsessed by lighting, yet many of us ignore the effect the angle of the sun can have on the pictures we take. Most people know the best times for photography are early in the morning and late in the afternoon, and many are aware that the low sun angle produces elongated shadows, which lend definition to subjects. But sun angle can have other effects on the ways in which digital camera sensor records the tones in image files. Understanding these effects can not only help you to use your camera more effectively; it can also illustrate the value of having equipment reviewed in the lighting conditions that apply where you live.

Basic Composition Strategies

Photography has always been the art of selection; as the photographer, you choose what is in each image you capture – and also what’s left out. And it’s the skill with which you make these choices that determines whether other people will react favourably to your pictures – or view them with indifference.