Where does the word photography come from?

What do we need in order to take and process photographs? A camera, time, patience, lenses, computer skills ... the list could go on almost indefinitely. However, we could have all the equipment we wanted but without light, there would be no photograph.

The first part of the word photography is derived from the Greek word phos, which means light. The second part, graphy, also derives from a Greek word, graphein, which means to write. And so we have photography, which in its most literal sense means light writing.

Experimenting with shutter speed

The shutter speed controls how quickly or how slowly the shutter opens and closes and affects the exposure of a picture and the clarity. Setting a slow shutter speed is essential when taking certain types of photographs, such as the night sky whereby you need to expose the picture long enough to capture any image beyond just blackness. It can also be used to demonstrate a blurred effect when something is in motion. This can be effective for some sports photography when you can to create an impression of speed and do not want to freeze the action. Imagine also a helicopter in flight … a slower shutter speed will blur the rotor blades and create the impression of movement. A fast shutter will freeze the action and might suggest the rotors have stopped turning!

I took some photographs of motorway traffic to demonstrate the effect of controlling the shutter speed. The shutter speed setting on my camera is TV (time value); on some cameras it is designated by an S. For the first picture, I set a slow shutter speed which resulted in the photograph below. It was important that I held the camera steady to take the picture and although I didn’t have a tripod, there was a guard rail across the bridge which I leant on. You can see in the picture that the background image, such as the road and trees, is sharp. The traffic meanwhile was moving while the shutter remained open and this has created the sense of motion in the photograph. The settings for this picture were shutter speed of 1/4 second with an aperture of f/32 and an ISO of 400.

I then increased the shutter speed to produce an image of traffic frozen into place. Looking at the picture, you would assume the vehicles are moving but there is no blur effect to confirm that this is the case. The settings for this photograph were shutter speed of 1/500 second with an aperture of f/5.6 and an ISO of 2000.

Experimenting with aperture settings

The aperture has a similar function to the pupil in the human eye. The aperture setting on a camera determines how much light is allowed through as the shutter opens and closes. Also known as depth of field, and indicated by the f-stop number on a camera settings, having control over the aperture has many uses, including close up photographs such as portraits or macro photography. To control the aperture, select the AV setting on your camera. This means you can manage the f-stop number and let the camera work out the rest of the settings.

A smaller aperture number (say f/4.5 for example) will allow more light in and reduce the depth of field. This means that objects towards the front of the photograph (such as a face) are in focus, while the background is blurred. This blurring effect behind the subject is known as bokeh (from the Japanese for ‘blur’ or ‘haze’).

To practise setting the depth of field I created an outdoors scene in which there was something happening close to the camera and there was also action further away. The first photograph has an aperture of f/4.5 so, as you can see, the depth of field is small and the background is blurred. The camera used a shutter speed of 1/60 second and an ISO of 125 for this photograph.

Next, I wanted to concentrate on the action both right in front of the camera, and further behind. To extend the focal range I set the aperture to f/27. As you can see, the action further back in the picture is now clearer and you can make out figures and a motorbike. The other settings for this photograph were shutter speed of 1/45 and ISO of 2500.

Catchlights in animals - daydreaming

Catchlights can be as effective in animal portraits as they are in pictures of people. Here's a photograph which I took of a young cat tucking himself away to have a rest from playing. On this occasion I used the natural light coming through a window to capture the reflections in his eyes.

Studio photography

While the photographer most probably enjoys taking photographs, not everybody enjoys having their photographs taken (photographers included!) It is important to try to make people feel at ease during a shoot, and encourage them to relax and enjoy themselves.
Communication is key here. If you don't talk to your client, they won't know what you expect of them and may become confused and frustrated by your animated hand waving as you try to position them. Clear, polite and friendly instructions can help to remove any barriers and will make it much easier for the client to understand your directions. Body language is also important in communicating with clients and a friendly face and genuine smile will go a long way to put a client at ease.
Shooting from a position slightly below the client can also encourage them to relax as they will feel that you are closer to their level than if you are towering over them photographing downwards. It can also help to ask the client to sit slightly sideways on. This will make them feel less vulnerable as they are effectively turning their 'cold shoulder' towards you rather than exposing their 'soft underbelly'.
The photo below was taken during my first studio shoot and was also the model's (Lisa's) first time at modelling in a studio. Lisa and I already have an easy rapport so I did not turn her too far from the camera for this photo. Instead I asked her to look towards the light source so that I could see the catchlights in her eyes. This gives added sparkle to the photograph and, along with her natural smile, really brings Lisa to life.
The shadow from her nose is quite pronounced on one side of her face, creating a similar effect to loop lighting. However, the final image is closer to Rembrandt lighting as the nose and cheek shadows meet to create a small triangle of light beneath Lisa's left eye.

A number of light sources and accessories were used for this shoot. To the left of the picture below is a red head light with a reflective umbrella. This creates the catchlights in Lisa's eyes and the shadow from her nose. To the right is a round light which creates the light on the left side of her face. 

I also took a series pictures of our studio photography tutor. The one below is my favourite. Although I missed a catchlight effect, I like the dramatic nature of the split lighting which shows his face half in light and half in darkness. This sort of lighting effect can create brooding and mysterious pictures which leave the viewer to wonder what might be hidden within the dark side of the features. There is something slightly impenetrable about this person. A single red head light was used to create soft light from the side of the tutor's face.

Catchlights

The eye is arguably the most important part of any portrait. As the saying goes, eyes are the windows to our souls and can express emotion, project feelings which are otherwise hidden, and give an insight into somebody’s character. Catchlights are the spots of reflected light visible in the subject’s eyes in a portrait photograph. Well sized and positioned catchlights can bring a picture to life and add intrigue and depth to the image.

Using a flash on a Digital SLR camera

Relying on a DSLR flash for portrait photographs can lead to images which look overly bright and harsh on the subject’s features. To reduce this, wrap some bubble wrap or thin paper (such as a piece of cigarette paper) over the flash.

Ideally avoid using the DSLR flash for portrait photographs but use a standalone flash instead which you can bounce off the ceiling rather than off the subject’s face.

Night Lights

There was an impressive lightning show over Wiltshire last night (18 September 2014). All the action where I live took place behind the clouds but I managed to capture a few shots. 

The challenge with this sort of photography is setting the focus as accurately as you can and making sure the shutter speed is appropriate. The camera needs to be in manual focus mode as it's too dark for it to autofocus. However, if it's too dark for the camera to pick much out, it probably means it's too dark for the photographer to pick much out too! Sometimes it's possible to set the initial focus using a light source out of picture, such as a street light. 

The shutter needs to be fast enough to catch the lightening but not so fast that the camera has no time to expose the shot and most of the image remains in darkness. Too slow and you risk missing the lightening altogether. Often it comes down to estimating where the optimum settings are most likely to sit, followed by trial and error, making small adjustments as you go.

Photography with a mobile telephone

Mobile telephones are incredible pieces of equipment. All that technology in one small unit. One of my favourite features on a mobile is the camera. Yes, it can be great being able to make and receive calls, send and receive texts, and browse the Internet but when the signal fails you, the camera will still work. There are all sorts of creative techniques which can be used with a mobile telephone camera but those are for another day. For now, I thought I would share a photograph which I took early this morning when out walking.

I like the mist in this photograph. I always find early morning or late evening good times for taking quite evocative pictures, especially as autumn approaches. The sky is a little bright and you can in fact see it more clearly in the reflection in the water. There is also a bit of sun glare at the bottom of the picture (the green spot being the most obvious). Overall though, I was pleased with the composition and the feel of the picture. Looking in from the outside, I wonder what the dog was looking at. Was he enjoying the view, watching something in the distance, or perhaps contemplating the day ahead. As his owner, I can say for certain that he was not thinking about jumping into the lake ... he hates swimming!

Welcome

Welcome to my photography blog and thank you for visiting. I invite you to join me on my journey as I develop from an enthusiastic amateur photographer into what I hope will be a more professional artist. 

I use the term artist to evoke images of someone who creates their photographs by seeing the beauty in a scene and reproducing this through their lens. This is by nature a subjective process; what I find beautiful might not appeal to others. However, many of the skills and techniques which I will develop on this path will be relevant to all photographers. The path will not always be smooth but even where there are obstacles or disappointments, there will be lessons to learn. This is why I hope you will walk with me and share my experience as I grow into a more accomplished photographer. 

On location at Ladye Bay, Clevedon