Aperture. It's a hole that lets the light in and out of the "image plane," as Wikipedia calls it.
F-stop. The number scale on your camera, which from what I understand can range from 0.5 to as high as 256.
The smaller the number, the wider the aperture, and the bigger the number, the narrower the aperture. For those who have been in photography for a while, it might seem like a very simple concept, but for someone who's just starting out, it can be confusing (read: annoying). It's also something that I've been struggling to grasp. So, this weekend, I set out to wrap my arms around it.
The San Gennaro Feast in Little Italy was perhaps the perfect place for a lesson in proper exposure. Bright, white banners... dark, black tent interiors...
Ideal for pictures to turn out like this:
And this (okay, this wasn't taken at San Gennaro, but it's the only overexposed picture of the bunch):
Yikes.
Time to change the mode from automatic to manual mode.
I had originally thought manual would be the one for me because, in my mind, it meant more control. And in a way, it does give you more control because YOU are in charge of the image and the outcome. At the same, time, it was time consuming to have to actively and consciously flip all the switches -- change the f-stop, adjust shutter speed, take a picture, check it again, retake the picture. It's sure to be something that gets easier over time (I hope), but until it becomes second nature, I'm left with frustration.
Nick kept reassuring me that we could "fix it in post," but I didn't want to have to fix it. Why can't the pictures I take look great sans touch-up? But I guess that's a question many-a photographer asks him/herself. If camera lenses could see as well as the human eye, photography would be so much easier. Although, I have to say, I've become more aware of my surroundings since beginning this journey, looking at things with a different light, if you will. Is that weird to say? It's fascinating to me.
So, instead of trying to snap up every single thing I see, I might be better served by taking the few extra seconds to take a step back and figure out what I'm even taking a picture of. What do I want to focus on? What do I want to highlight, and what do I want to keep in the shadow?
Street photographer Elliott Erwitt once said, "To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them."
As always, comments and tips are welcome!
F-stop. The number scale on your camera, which from what I understand can range from 0.5 to as high as 256.
The smaller the number, the wider the aperture, and the bigger the number, the narrower the aperture. For those who have been in photography for a while, it might seem like a very simple concept, but for someone who's just starting out, it can be confusing (read: annoying). It's also something that I've been struggling to grasp. So, this weekend, I set out to wrap my arms around it.
The San Gennaro Feast in Little Italy was perhaps the perfect place for a lesson in proper exposure. Bright, white banners... dark, black tent interiors...
Ideal for pictures to turn out like this:
And this (okay, this wasn't taken at San Gennaro, but it's the only overexposed picture of the bunch):
Yikes.
Time to change the mode from automatic to manual mode.
I had originally thought manual would be the one for me because, in my mind, it meant more control. And in a way, it does give you more control because YOU are in charge of the image and the outcome. At the same, time, it was time consuming to have to actively and consciously flip all the switches -- change the f-stop, adjust shutter speed, take a picture, check it again, retake the picture. It's sure to be something that gets easier over time (I hope), but until it becomes second nature, I'm left with frustration.
Nick kept reassuring me that we could "fix it in post," but I didn't want to have to fix it. Why can't the pictures I take look great sans touch-up? But I guess that's a question many-a photographer asks him/herself. If camera lenses could see as well as the human eye, photography would be so much easier. Although, I have to say, I've become more aware of my surroundings since beginning this journey, looking at things with a different light, if you will. Is that weird to say? It's fascinating to me.
So, instead of trying to snap up every single thing I see, I might be better served by taking the few extra seconds to take a step back and figure out what I'm even taking a picture of. What do I want to focus on? What do I want to highlight, and what do I want to keep in the shadow?
Street photographer Elliott Erwitt once said, "To me, photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them."
As always, comments and tips are welcome!
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