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Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 Camera Settings
Chapter 2 Camera Equipment
Chapter 3 Environments, Settings and
Equipment
Chapter 4 Winter, Architecture and
Special Effects
Chapter 5 Post-Editing Techniques
Conclusion

Introduction
In this guide I will show you how to
clearly, quickly and simply understand
digital photography and how to use your
digital camera.
If you are new to photography, or simply
want to know more about the subject and
improve your skills, this short
beginners guide to digital photography
is ideal for you. It covers the basic
principles and its most popular aspects,
including:
Technical camera settings - showing you
what they do and how to use them

correctly.
Different camera equipment, such as
tripods, flash and multiple lenses, and
how to use them to achieve different
photographic effects.
Useful tips and tricks for photographing
in various types of settings, such as
portraits, landscapes, animals, sports,
special effects and much more.
An easy guide on how to simply edit
images later on the computer using
digital editing software such as Adobe
Photoshop and Lightroom.
While this book doesnt cover every
aspect of photographys limitless

versatility, it is a friendly introductory

start to this fascinating subject. If you
would like to find out more about this
interesting subject, and improve your
knowledge and photographic skills all at
the same time, please read on.

Chapter One
Camera Settings

The Shutter

The shutter mechanism sits in front of

the cameras sensor; the sensor is a
delicate, electronic component that lies
at the heart of the camera and gathers
light, transforming the data stored on the
memory card into an image in the form
of a JPEG or RAW file.
The shutter is comprised of a set of
metal or plastic curtains and an angled
mirror, directing light into the camera to
the viewfinder. When the shutter
release is pressed, the shutter curtains
open, and the sensor is activated. How
long the shutter is open is known as an
exposure, and how long it lasts depends
on the effect achieved. For example, to

capture light trails from passing cars, the

shutter should be open for a longer time.
For action shots, a short exposure is
needed to freeze the action crisply.
Exposure length also depends on light
availability; in poor lighting the
exposure needs to be longer to allow the
sensor to gather more light; bright
sunlight only needs a quick shutterspeed so as not to overexpose the
image.
Shutter speeds are measured in fractions
of a second, or whole seconds:
Shutter speed of 1/125th = o.008 seconds
(125th of a second)

Shutter speed of 1 1 second

Shutter speeds are described in stops
Each stop = x2 as much light as previous
stop 1/1000th = 1/500th 1 stop higher
than previous
1/500th = 1/2000th 2 stops higher than
previous

The Aperture

In every lens is an aperture - an opening

which differs in size depending on the
size of the lens. It controls the amount of
light that hits the sensor, much like the
function of the shutter. The larger the
aperture, the more light hits the sensor,
therefore a shorter exposure is used.
Alternatively, the smaller the aperture,
the less light hits the sensor, meaning a
longer exposure is used.
The aperture also has a great effect on
the depth of field. A small aperture will
have a vast depth of field, bringing both
foreground and background objects into
focus. A large aperture has a narrow
depth of field, meaning you can focus-in
on one particular object.

Lenses with bigger apertures are known

as fast. They are ideal in low-lighting
conditions when you need more light but
want to use a faster shutter speed. For a
nicer image, use a 50mm or 35mm lens
for a more intimate environment.
Aperture size is measured in f-stops; the
smaller the number, the larger the
opening relative to the focal length of the
lens.
Focal Length divided by diameter of
aperture = f-stop number
So a 100mm lens with an aperture
diameter of 25mm is f/4.

ISO

ISO means how sensitive the camera

sensor is: the higher the number, the
more the sensor will react to any given
light. A low ISO of 200 will require a
longer shutter speed than a 1600 ISO.
As with shutter speed and aperture, ISO
is measured in stops, each stop equals
twice the sensitivity. SO ISO 200 is a
stop faster than ISO 100. Remember that
ISO, aperture and shutter speed work in
relation to one another. For example, if
the exposure is correct but a setting is
changed, something else in the opposite
direction has to change for the same
exposure.
If shooting at 1/800th with aperture f/4

but then cut the speed to 1/400th then

close the aperture a stop to f/5.4 to get
the same amount of light coming in, or
keep the aperture the same and halve the
ISO.
Increasing the ISO creates noise; a
random speckled effect that becomes
worse the higher the ISO, but some
modern day cameras like models from
Canon and Nikon can still produce great
images at ISOs of 3200.

Chapter Two
Camera Equipment

DSLR Cameras
DSLR means Digital Single Lens
Reflex. To put it simply, it is a digital
camera that uses mirrors to direct light
from the lens to the viewfinder; a hole at
the back of the camera that you look
through to see what you are taking a
picture of.
On top of most DSLR cameras is a
Mode Dial: a circular control centre
where you can decide how much control
you want over the camera settings. For
example, you can put the camera in
automatic mode (commonly represented
by a green square) where the camera

makes its own decisions about the

metering (the cameras internal computer
decides the right exposure for the scene)
depending on how much light here is on
the particular scene. In auto, the camera
will choose its own ISO, aperture and
shutter speed, but the camera cant
always be trusted to make the correct
decisions, so learning the manual modes
is essential.
Switching to A or Av allows you to
set the cameras aperture, but the camera
will set the shutter speed it thinks is
correct. On S or Tv you can select
the shutter speed, but the camera will
select the aperture value. The most
control is given inM manual mode,

where full control of the shutter speed

and aperture is granted and with
experience and practice, youll get the
best images from your camera in this
mode.
WB: Choose from a menu of white
balance pre-sets included or use a white
piece of paper.
ISO: Button that lets you change the ISO
number balance.
METERING: Different metering
options include evaluative, centreweighted and spot.
DRIVE: To control the amount of shots
taken with the shutter-release button:
Singleshot mode for normal shooting or

continuous mode to fire continual shots.

Lenses

Prime: Fixed focal length (prime) lenses

generally give better visual clarity,
giving a refined and simple composition.
They are also very light weight and
easier to carry around. Prime lenses can
come in sizes of 50mm, 35mm
Macro: A lens suitable for taking
extreme close-up images of smaller
subjects. It can make the subject looklife size or bigger than the image than in
real life. Macro lenses can come in
varying sizes of 105mm, 65mm, 50mm
and 30mm.
Zoom: A zoom lens allows the camera
to change smoothly from a long shot to a
closeup, or vice versa, by varying the

focal length of the camera. Zoom lenses

are versatile and ideal for photographing
a variety of subjects, such as landscapes
and portraits, when you just want one
lens for both situations. Zoom lenses
also reduce the need to change the lens,
saving time and limiting the possibility
of getting dust on the camera's mirror
box or sensor.
Tripod
Using a tripod means the camera can be
fixed into place, level and completely
still for taking images. Tripods are ideal
for taking long exposure images as it
significantly reduces the possibility of
taking a blurry image that you would

take using a shaky hand-held approach.

Flash

Most DSLRs come with a built-in flash

which can be used in automatic mode
and semi-automatic mode giving you
control of when and where you need it.
Flash is good to use if you dont have a
tripod or cant find a fast enough shutter
speed to give you a blurfree image.
However, an external stand-alone
flashgun is the better option, which will
slot into the horseshoe on top of most
DSLR cameras.
Flashguns are more powerful, throwing
more light over the frame at once,
making it ideal for low-light
environments like at a concert. A
flashgun can also be adjusted and
pointed in different directions, as

opposed to the built-in flash which can

only point forward, creating harsh, unnatural shadows. Pointing the flashgun at
a side wall will create softer, more
flattering lighting on the subject that
looks more natural.

Chapter Three
Environment, Settings and Equipment

Portraits

With portraiture its best to think fast,

keep it simple, be creative, or break all
the rules! Thats the fun of portraiture
its a social photography. You can be
classic or completely different
depending on the mood and subject you
want to capture, and the story you want
to tell. Think about your composition,
lighting, colours, environment and trying
to make your subject look natural. A fast
lens with a larger aperture is ideal.
This way, the impressive depth-of-field
effects can be achieved, isolating the
subject from the background and putting
more emphasis on the face. A midranging aperture (f/8) makes the crucial
elements in the picture sharp and the

background defused so the subject pops

out!
Other items that come in handy when
taking a portrait are a telephoto lens,
flashgun, tripod and a reflector which
can used to reflect natural light toward
the subject.

Landscapes
Landscape photography is all about
telling the story of a place and making
the most of the available natural light.
Tips for getting the best landscape
photograph are to plan ahead, use a
small aperture, and stabilise your shot
by using a tripod to take longer
exposures to capture the scene without
blurriness.
To achieve the best possible landscapes,
shoot at dawn or sunset to make the most
of suns warm hues.
Other equipment that can help take better

landscape photographs is a graduated

filter, tilt-shift lens, head lamp, tripod,
ultra-wide lens and ND filter.

Animals
Set your camera up to take multiple
frames per second to take more photos,
as wildlife tends to move around a lot,
like fast-moving birds, for example.
Use an appropriate shutter speed,
preferably the fastest you can to get a
quick exposure, capture the motion, a
large aperture to give you more light to
work with, and a faster shutter speed,
resulting in a narrow depth of field to
isolate the subject.
Remember to keep moving to get the best
vantage point and better shot

composition, instead of zooming in and

stay steady, keeping your camera raised
and ready to reduce reaction time for
when the moment strikes!

Sport

In sport, we can create dynamic and

exciting images with plenty of activity.

Good practice ultimately gets you the

best shots, as well as good anticipation
and reactions.
With more experience, youll get better
at training and focusing your camera lens
on the movement; getting the timing right
by anticipating the action rather than
reacting to it.
To show movement, pan the camera by
focusing in on the subject and then
moving the camera, keeping the subject
in the same position, whilst holding
down the shutter button to demonstrate
speed in a photograph.
Experiment with different shutter speeds
and put the camera in shutter-priority

mode so the camera sets the aperture to

keep things simple. Use the zoom for
fast-moving subjects coming towards
you, and zoom out slightly, pressing the
shutter button as they come towards you
to capture the movement!
To find a good position get as close as
you can, take risks, and get plenty of
angles.

Indoor
With less light, the quality of light makes
a substantial difference in terms of tint
and direction. Indoor photography is
considerably more difficult than outdoor
photography.
External lighting is indispensable, as it
maximises the light, and makes day and
night shooting possible, so think about
investing in a light-weight lighting kit.
To get the best of the light indoors, shoot
in manual to avoid the cameras
exposure setting stepping in. Using a
higher ISO such as 1600 indoors is

beneficial, as it maximizes the light

indoors, and allows for a faster shutter
speed to reduce blur from overexposure.
Minding the white balance indoors is
crucial, so shoot on a RAW file so you
can more easily adjust the WB later in
editing if needed.

Night
With night photography, youre shooting
in even lower lighting conditions, so you
need to use as much available light as
possible, but still know your limits, and
be careful not to under or over-expose
the image.
Be careful not to use a too high ISO to
reduce noise in the image, know your
limits, and experiment with ISO settings
beforehand, to see which is best before
the big night shoot.
However, its always preferable to have
a sharp, noisy image than a blurry, clean

one; the noise can always be reduced in

postediting software.
Up the speed, and use fast shutters
speeds to capture sharp images, or use a
tripod for a longer shutter speed to
capture movement and reduce camera
shake.

Chapter Four
Winter, Architecture and Special
Effects

Winter

Snow can be tricky to shoot; presenting

unique challenges for your cameras
metering system. Getting a hand
overexposure compensation to avoid
long editing hours afterwards and
keeping an eye on your white balance
setting is the key.
Also remembering to keep warm in the
cold is important so fingerless gloves,
coats with pockets, and hand warmers
are essential as you subject yourself and
your camera to extreme weather
conditions!
Usually your cameras exposure meter
measures the brightness of a scene
correctly; however, a snowy scene is
extremely bright, making your metering

system falter at times.

The snow appears as a bright object to
the camera, so, as a result, it uses a fast
shutter speed to bring the brightness
down; this makes the snow appear a
muddy-grey colour and produces an
overall darker image. Heres how to fix
it.
Using Exposure Compensation: By
using exposure compensation you are
telling your camera to add or subtract a
certain number of stops to what it thinks
is the correct exposure, so for instance if
the camera gives you a reading of
1/250th, increasing to 1/500th gives you
1 stop higher, making your image half as

bright.
Correcting White Balance: Look in
your cameras manual to find out how to
change the white balance; in the menu
system, you can choose from different
pre-sets such as daylight, cloudy,
tungsten, fluorescent or even manual
white balance option.
Choosing an option such as daylight and
cloudy prevents the camera thinking for
itself, useful for when it gets things
wrong. To set the white balance
manually, take a photo of something such
as a piece of white paper and set it as
your manual white balance in the presets.

As a result, the white point in all your

images will be the same white on that
sheet; this is best if you want to be
precise.

Architecture
A modern city can be a playground for
photographers, with different,
interesting, versatile buildings
contrasting one another, making it a great
opportunity to grab terrific shots no one
else has taken. Heres some tips:
Go Higher! Photographing through glass
can be tricky, so if you can ,shoot from
an openair balcony to get a clearer shot.
Avoid other people getting in the way
and trying to get the same shot too!
Move your feet! To avoid making
repetitive, borrowing shots from low-

angle positions, simply move about.

Move further back to contrast the
buildings scale with others, and capture
it in the context of its surroundings.
Time your visit wisely! Try taking
photos just before sunrise or dusk: it
will be quieter, and the light from the sun
creates interesting light and colour
conditions. In the middle of a busy day
when the sun is straight overhead, its
extremely bright, which makes
photographing anything difficult.
Play with Your Depth of Field!
Highlight areas of the building to focus
on and others to blur away. This creates
a sense of scale, and an artier feel.

Special Effects:
Light Trails
Create fun and imaginative shapes by
drawing with light! All you need is your
camera, a tripod, a torch, and a sense of
adventure.
First minimize the light around you, turn
off all lights if possible so you can use a
long exposure speed to pick up as much
light as possible for a longer time when
drawing.
Set your camera to a small aperture such
as f/22 to allow you to control the

amount of light coming in. Most cameras

allow up to 30 seconds of exposure time
unless you can use the Bulb mode.
In bulb mode, the shutter stays open for
as long as you hold down the button,
giving you as much time to paint as
possible. You can use a remote control
shutter release if you can to avoid
camera shake when holding down the
button.
A tripod is essential to keep the image
stabilised and create a sharp final image.

Ink In Water
Possibly one of the simplest, yet coolest
special effects one can create in
photography, the ink in water trick is
easy to achieve.
It is best to use different coloured inks,
like an ink cartidge from a foundation
pen, instead of using food colouring, as
they disperse too quickly in water.
Get a vessel to place the water in, like a
fish tank, or a glass vase, and use a dark
background like a black piece of card to
allow the ink to stand out.

A tripod is recommended for this. To

ensure the ink is in focus, pre-focus your
camera beforehand to where you
estimate the ink will drop by placing a
ruler or similar object in the same
position, then put camera into autofocus
mode, focus, and then switch to manual
and leave it so it stays focused for when
you take the shot.
Experiment and play! There are no
hard fast rules; if you dont have a flash,
use a fast shutter speed and big aperture
to get the shot. You can even improvise
with a small lamp or bright laptop
screen to increase the light and highlight
the ink in the foreground. Have fun!

Chapter Five
Post-editing Techniques

Image File Types

In digital photography there are three
main image file types; RAW, Tiff and
Jpeg.
RAW is the file that holds the most data
and so is consequentially the best for
taking images on your camera because
there is more information captured
giving a better quality, whole image.
On most DSLR cameras you can choose
the option to shoot on RAW and Jpeg
mode, so you capture the image in a
RAW file and a JPEG file. This is the
best option, so check your camera

booklet for more information on how to

do this.
Now, when you have your RAW file on
the computer, you will want to convert it
into a Tiff file so it will retain most of
the image quality, and also allow you to
edit the image in post-editing software
like Photoshop. The Jpeg file is the
smallest image file with the least size
and data. A jpeg image gives a
condensed, automatically adjusted
version of the image you have taken,
affecting the sharpness, contrast, colours
and exposure of the image to give it the
best automatic edit.
Jpeg is best used for sharing online as it

is a small file with less data, so is quick

to download and share and easy to load
onto websites.
Once you have converted your RAW file
into a Tiff file and editing it, you can
save it as a Jpeg file to use online and
share with others easily, although it is
always best to keep a Tiff and Jpeg
version of the image just in case.

Photoshop

There are many different photography

editing software programs available, but
the most universally popular and used
are from the Adobe Creative Suite, in
particular the Adobe Photoshop and the
more advanced Adobe Lightroom
program.
Programs like Photoshop allow you to
edit the digital image file in postproduction to finely tweak and adjust the
final shot, or to dramatically affect the
image altogether. Whilst its better to
have your final image more or less
perfect before editing, here are a few
simple tools that can help enhance your
image even further.

Levels

The levels tool is used to adjust the

dark, middle and lighter tones of the

image file.
If the image is too dark for example,
simply adjust the lighter tones by
increasing it by moving the arrow up; if
the image is too light, increase the
darker tones and so on.
Be careful not to use the tool too heavily
so as to avoid a harsh tonal range; a
little goes a long way creating a more
subtle, natural affect.

Hue and
Saturation

The hue tool affects the different hues of

colour on the colour spectrum of the
image. For example, if you have an
overall green forest scene and would
like a more yellow hue, then you should
change the colour from green to a more
yellow hue on the colour spectrum and
vice versa.
The saturation tool affects the intensity
of the colours in the image. If the
exposure of the image is too bright and
the greens in the image are too bright,
then you can decrease the greens
vibrancy by adjusting the dial
downwards for a more subdued, earthy,
natural look.

Colour Balance

The colour balance tool affects the

balance of different colours in the image.

For example, if you feel the image is too
red, and would like to counterbalance
the red with another colour to make the
colours more true to the reality of the
image, you can adjust the colour levels.
The trick is to experiment to see what
feels right for that particular image. Be
careful and subtle with your adjustments
to create a more realistic effect.

Brightness and
Contrast

The brightness tool affects the exposure

of the image, lightening or darkening the
image quickly and easily. This tool is
ideal to use for very quick and subtle
editing when the image is mostly perfect.
The contrast tool is another quick and
easy tool to use right at the very end of
editing to give more or less contrast to
the entire image, giving a more polished,
crisp, sharp final image.

Conclusion
I hope you have enjoyed this first edition
of E-books on A Technical Guide to
Advanced Digital Photography for
Beginners.
If you have found this e-book useful and
would like to find out more information,
skills or techniques about digital
photography, please share your requests
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We really appreciate any feedback we
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Thank you.