The Basic Fundamentals of Photography

Choosing the Right Camera

While most cameras can produce good-quality photos, there are a few things to consider when choosing a camera. First, consider the type of camera you want. Most cameras fall into three categories:

• Compact or Smartphone Cameras
• Mirrorless
• DSLR

Compact cameras are smaller and less expensive than other options. However, they often have a limited zoom and produce less-attractive photos.  Though many mobile phone manufacturers are making major advancements in their camera technology making compact cameras more obsolete.

Mirrorless cameras are in the middle of the price range, but they’re lighter and more portable than DSLRs. They’re a great option for those who like the functionality of a DSLR without the bulk.  This is the most popular option for many photographers alike.

Finally, DSLRs are the most expensive option and are the most traditionally used by professionals. They produce high quality photos and have a ton of customisable options.

Consider the type of photography you want to do. If you want to take stunning landscape photos, a smaller camera may not be the best option for you. Likewise, if you want to take professional portraits, you may need a larger camera that has more controls.

Next, consider the camera’s sensor size. While there are lots of numbers on the camera’s specifications, the most important thing to know is the camera sensor’s size. The bigger the senor size, the better the quality of the photos. Other factors include software optimisations and megapixels.  Most entry-level Mirrorless or DSLRs offer around 24 megapixels, while more advanced models have upwards of 61 megapixels.

Finally, it’s important to consider how you plan to use the camera. If you’re taking indoor photos, a camera with a large zoom may be the best option to have variety of photos from wide to close ups.

If you’re taking outdoor landscapes, you may want to find a camera with a wide angle lens or a wide angle option so you can capture more beautiful scenery in the shot.

Basic Elements of Composition

The art of photography is more than just pressing a shutter button; it’s a creative process that begins with the selection of the right composition. It’s the way you frame the shot and use the elements of the scene to tell a story through the photograph.

There are five basic elements of composition that you should know as a photographer:

• Focal Point
• Rule of Thirds
• Leading Lines
• Contrast
• Symmetry

Each of these elements plays a key role in creating visually appealing images.

Focal Point

The focal point is the place in the photograph where your eye goes first. In basic terms, it’s the center of attention in the image. You can have multiple focal points in a single image, but only one should be the central point of the image.

Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is a simple way to create more visually appealing images. 

You often hear photographers talking about the ‘rule of thirds.’ This means that the focal points of your image should be placed at the intersection of the imaginary lines which divide your image into nine equal segments (two horizontal, two vertical).

This is not a hard and fast rule, and many photographers regularly break it but, as a general guide to image composition, it is a good place to start.

One common image you see is that of a lone tree in a field with the tree set off towards the top left or right of the image. This is a much more attractive composition than having the tree directly in the middle. It can be even more effective when there are lines, such as shadows, pulling your eye towards the subject.

Leading Lines

A photograph can have a sense of depth and dimension when you include leading lines in the photograph. They can be a bridge, a path, a river, or other elements. The lines create a sense of depth, making your image more engaging to the viewer.

Contrast

Contrast is the difference between two or more elements in a photograph. Generally, you want to create some contrast in your images to create visual interest. A simple way to do this is to have a wide range of tones in an image, such as light and dark or warm and cool tones.

Symmetry

Symmetry creates a sense of balance in the image and is generally used when the photographer wants to draw attention to the center of the image. You can create symmetry in several ways. You can shoot a scene straight-on with the subject in the center of the frame or frame a scene with the subject’s reflection.

Understanding Exposure

There’s a lot to know about exposure, but it’s an important concept for photographers to understand.

Exposure determines the brightness of your image. It’s how bright or dark your photo will be. A well-exposed photo has the proper brightness and doesn’t look too bright or too dark. Poorly exposed photos are either too bright or too dark, which can result in a lack of detail or even a blurry image.

There are three elements that contribute to a photo’s exposure:

• Shutter Speed
• Aperture
• ISO

These three factors are controlled by the camera’s settings.

In general, shutter speed controls the brightness of the image, aperture controls the depth of field, and ISO controls the image’s sensitivity to light.

The aperture is the size of the opening of the lens and shutter speed is the amount of time the shutter is open.

ISO is the sensitivity of the digital sensor. Since these three factors control exposure, it’s important to understand the relationship between them.

For example, if can use a slow shutter speed to illuminate a night scene with a high aperture to capture more light.  Yet, if there are moving objects in the scene, this in turn will cause motion blur.  Whether it’s the effect you want or not.

To understand how these three elements work together and how to control them, it’s important to understand their functions and how they impact the finished photograph.

Camera Controls

No matter what type of camera you are using, there are some basic controls you can use to help improve your photography. Even on a phone camera. The first thing you should do is learn what these are and how best to use them. This will involve some time and practice, but it is something worthwhile learning. It may be a bore but read the instruction manual for your device and learn what these controls do. Then take lots of photos to get used to them.

For those of you with a DSLR or modern smartphones, there are more functions to learn, but the main thing about this is the amount of control you will gain. Learn to use your f-numbers to adjust the depth of field (how much can be in focus). If you are in a darker environment, learn to adjust your ISO to increase light sensitivity, remembering that even the best cameras will give you grainy images if the ISO is too high. Learn to read the light meter on your DSLR and adjust your shutter speed accordingly.

This might all sound like challenging work, but it will pay off with instantly better results if you put in the time and effort.

Light Sources

If you are photographing people, then you have much more control over the available light for your shots than when shooting static objects. When using a smartphone, or a basic compact, then simply ask your subject(s) to move nearer to a source of available light to avoid the graininess often seen with these cameras. If indoors, increase the artificial lighting, always remembering to adjust your white balance to cope with this. Alternatively, move your subject closer to a window. These quite simple, but effective, remedies will improve the quality of your images.

Learning the proper use of your camera will overcome many of these problems but remember the limitations even these cameras have. Any lighting problems can be overcome, but studio lighting is a whole subject and not something we will be going into here.

Shooting Outdoors

When shooting outdoors we are reliant on the ambient conditions – weather, time of day, cloud cover and so on. There are, however, several things we can do to mitigate such problems. Many websites and apps will give you accurate weather predictions. This way, you can be prepared for adverse weather conditions if necessary. You can, for example, move a planned portrait shoot indoors.

The best time of day for many landscape and nature images is around sunrise and sunset. Early morning, or near sunset, you will get lovely soft light when the sun is low in the sky, and the golden hues which can dramatically improve any portrait or landscape. Just before and after dawn and sunset, we have ‘blue hour’ when your whole scene will be bathed in a bluish light giving you some fantastic effects. Remember, though, that using your camera’s controls may be more important at this time.

Observation

One area where beginners often run into difficulties is composition. Properly composing your image will lead to far better results. It may seem obvious, but people do not have trees growing out of their heads, nor does water flow uphill!

The fundamental mistake made by most beginners is not actually looking at what they are photographing. Often, we only pay attention to the main subject of our photo whilst ignoring the other elements. The solution is to actively survey the whole scene we have in the viewfinder or screen, and this applies to all types of cameras. Actively look from corner to corner, covering every part of your image. Pay attention to the horizon, check the background, foreground, everything. Doing this, you will rapidly get into the habit of avoiding that lampstand growing out of your subjects shoulder or the hideous industrial building in your landscape.

Different Types of Photography

There are many different types of photography, and it’s important to know what they are and how they differ.

There’s travel photography, fashion photography, street photography, nature photography, and much more. Each photography genre is unique and has its own rules and characteristics.

Additionally, there are different sub-genres of each major photography type. For example, there are sports photography and wildlife photography.

No matter what type of photography you do, it’s important to follow the rules of photography. Doing so will help you create better and more professional-looking images.

Editing Software

Photography isn’t about pressing the shutter button and snapping a photo. Sometimes, you need to edit your images.

There are a few different types of editing software out there, but the most common is image editing software.

There are many different image editing software programs out there, but some of the most popular ones include Photoshop, Lightroom, Luminar AI and Snapseed. Most editing software allows you to adjust the exposure, brightness, contrast, and other basic editing features.

Travel Photo Tips

When we take photos on our travels, we often like to record ourselves being there. Don’t be afraid to include people but pay close attention to placement. Take your time to ensure people don’t ‘photo bomb’ your photos.

Place people away from the background subject matter so we can see where you’ve been. It’s also a good idea to show people interacting with the world around them, not grinning inanely at the camera. Have the people in your shots looking off-camera towards the landscape. Even with their backs to the camera, people can add something to an image, as they are seen to be actively engaging with the world.

Conclusion

One of the joys of photography is that you never stop learning and improving. There are always new skills to be mastered. For those of you starting out on the journey, or those who wish to see some rapid improvement in your pictures, the advice above is a fantastic way to start.  Every photographer has a unique style, and developing your style takes time.

It is, though, only the beginning of a fascinating photography journey.