The exposure triangle

A new technique for beginners...

Beginners tend to face problems why getting the right exposure. The shot has the perfect composition, perspective and everything, but unfortunately it's not perfectly exposed. Instead of getting frustrated with your camera and cursing, why not learn this technique called The Exposure Triangle? The concept is simple, tweak any one of them to compensate for the other. But first, let's go through what's in the exposure triangle...

The three components in the exposure triangle is:

• ISO
• shutter speed
• aperture

Exposure Triangle

The ISO is the sensitivity of the sensor. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive the sensor will be. But, there are drawbacks from this. Noise, a term of the presence for colour pixels where there should be none, will start appearing. Now, DSLRs these days offer the NR feature(Noise Reduction) but do note that this will degrade your picture quality.

Moving on to the shutter speed. Like our eye, we have to blink. Quite similarly, the camera has to do the same to take a shot. Shutter speed means the shutter of which it opens and closes. The shutter speed itself is a very crucial tool depending on what your subject is. If you're after motion, you'll be needing a slower shutter speed like 1/2 second all the way to 10 seconds. If it's sports, then obviously you'll be needing a (very)fast shutter speed like 1/500 second to catch the action.

Lastly, aperture. Aperture is a term for the size of the lens' hole. The bigger the aperture, the more light enters. Other than the increase of light entering, you'll also get a shallower depth of field or more commonly used as DOF. I love bokeh shots(the isolation of the subject from the background as an effect from the depth of field) as it gives an interesting look to your shot. Getting faster lenses is perhaps the most effective way to compensate. However, do note that primes can come in quite costly especially at the far telephoto end.

From Digital Photography School

Digital Photography School gave a really good example of this technique:

The Window

Imagine your camera is like a window with shutters that open and close.

Aperture is the size of the window. If it’s bigger more light gets through and the room is brighter.

Shutter Speed is the amount of time that the shutters of the window are open. The longer you leave them open the more that comes in.

Now imagine that you’re inside the room and are wearing sunglasses (hopefully this isn’t too much of a stretch). Your eyes become desensitized to the light that comes in (it’s like a low ISO).

There are a number of ways of increasing the amount of light in the room (or at least how much it seems that there is. You could increase the time that the shutters are open (decrease shutter speed), you could increase the size of the window (increase aperture) or you could take off your sunglasses (make the ISO larger).

Ok – it’s not the perfect illustration – but you get the idea.

How does it work?

The concept is simple. Tweak either one of the settings to compensate for the other. Let's say, you are shooting at an ISO of 100, aperture of f/3.5 and a shutter speed of 1/60 second. You need the said shutter speed and your lens' fastest speed is f/3.5 but yet your shot is underexposed. Boost the ISO! That being said, you should know your limitations. ISO performance is usually good until ISO 1,600. Any higher, noise starts popping up.

Conclusion

Investing in an external flash and a fast prime will help you get the perfect exposure without risking the ISO performance or the shutter speed. Right now, the Nikon 50mm 1.8D and 35mm 1.8G is a steal. As for Canon, the 50mm 1.8 EF is very cheaply priced and it's a must for those starting out. Zooms offer versatility but there's a huge price to pay.

What a Pro would do

1) Use as few lenses as possible
A pro will use only the important ones or what he/she really needs. Planning is a must for pros as it determines what lens they'll use. Portraits? An 85mm or 105mm. Macro? A 180mm perhaps. Or wedding photography? 35mm and 50mm.

2) Plan ahead
How do you think pros get to their work place so fast? Well duh, they plan - in advance. If they're shooting for an event, they usually do their research like the venue, the best way getting to the place, the time and so on. The whole point of doing this is to ensure that you get those 'wow' shots instead of just stoning at a corner wondering.

3) Stay focussed and sharp
Because you're a pro, people expect you to take pictures and do your job instead of slacking and stoning. Being blur in an event is an obvious no-no. Maybe for an enthusiast but not for a pro.

4) Show your 'pro' skill
Well, this is more of a should than a would. But anyway, since you're a pro why not show your skill? Not show off, dude. Post your shots on sites like Flickr perhaps and people might just praise you if they are good shots.

5) He/She is always out of the box
Pros generally should think out of the box. That's how they get shots that stand out from the others. If one is able to change the composition as well as the lighting, I think that would make a great image that stands out from others. Since everyone has creativity, its a matter of how creative you are.


Conclusion
Obviously a beginner can't be a pro immediately once he takes a camera and starts shooting. You need experience, dude. And time can only be one's friend in becoming a pro. Start by taking shots from a different angle and focus more on composition and lighting. Photography is all about creativity. Its just a matter of how creative one is.

What makes a 'pro photographer' a 'pro'?

Yes, yes. People just simply say something that really annoys me some times - Hey look! There's a pro photographer there with his DSLR! Are you really a pro with the gear you have or is it the skill that counts? Go to YouTube, and you'll find a whole lot of users buying pro gear, but some how or rather they aren't pros. I find it a bit odd. Things aren't were they supposed to be. But to me, I feel pros are those who have skill.

One who is able to shoot with two primes or so, and still get amazing pictures - that's what I call a pro. To me, the more gear you have, the more 'incompetent' you are. Don't get me wrong; there are called pro gear for a reason. And buying more and more lenses isn't going to help, either.

To me, a 35mm and a 85/105mm is enough for any photographer to shoot almost anything. The 35 can handle wide angle and street or candid photography whilst the 85/105 will just handle everything else; macro, telephoto and portrait photography.

Why I chose Nikon

I chose Nikon. And I'm proud to say that. Some chose Canon. Others chose Sony. Its all down to personal preference. We can't all go around discriminating other brands. But heck, I do it :P Anyway, going back to the topic. There are very good reasons why I became a Nikon-ian instead of a Canon-ian(sounds weird) or a Sony-ian.

1) It can practically see in the dark

Nikon DSLRs are just magnificent. They can literally see in the dark. Compared to Canon's or Sony's, the ISO performance on Nikon's are god-like. I usually shoot at ISO 800, but if I'm forced to(since I don't have an external flash and a fast prime at the current moment) shoot at high ISO's, I will. Of course, ISO 6400 will give you very noisy results but its better than Canon's ISO 6,400. Most of my night candids are shot at ISO 3,200 max.

2) Ergonomics master

Pretty gay way of saying it. To me, Nikon's are just perfect when it comes to ergonomics. Especially the higher end models, like the D7000, D300s, D700, etc. Their grip is just perfect. Should you use a pro lens like the 24-70mm f2.8 things just gets better and better. One of the main reasons why Nikon gets my vote when it comes to ergonomics is that they placed the thumb dial at the back of the camera opposed to the oddly-placed finger dial at the top of the camera. This makes one handed operations much easier on Nikon DSLRs. Buttons are placed more sensibly on the Nikon. Canon's previous layout was OK, but they've changed them to a more, weird layout(look at Canon's latest lineup of DSLRs).

3) Brilliant wireless flash system

Nikon uses this wireless flash system called Creative Lighting System(CLS). Not sure about Canon's wireless flash system, but heard that there were problems or it was just too sophisticated for rookies. For Nikon, its quite simple. First, make sure your camera and flash supports this feature - D70, D70S, D80, D90, D7000, D200, D300, D300s, D700, D3, D3x, D3s and SB600, SB700, SB800, and SB900. The D3000, D3100, D5000 and SB400 won't support this feature, sorry guys ):

4) Sharp lenses

Yes, Nikon does have a few sharp glasses. I was actually surprised by how sharp it was at the price you were paying for. The 18-55mm VR is a good example. As a kit lens for the cheaper bodies, it costs only RM400+. However, in terms of sharpness, it rules. We're not talking about build quality, or the smoothness of the bokeh here. One of the main reasons why I hate it, is because of its autofocus speed. Its so slow, it struggles to focus on my brother when he rides on his bike(yes, its very slow). I do get him focussed in shots, but rarely.

5) Compatible with lenses since 1959

Call me a Nikon fanboy, but Canon only supports lenses till 1985 - the great divide. That's when Canon decided to flush their previous system and all the lenses before it. That's when they came up with EOS(Electro-Optical System). And because Nikon didn't flush their system like what Canon did, we Nikon users get to choose from a wide variety of lenses. But do note that lenses at that time are manual focus(meaning you have to focus yourself) and you need a camera that is able to meter these lenses. The D200, D300, D700, D3, D3x, D3s will meter these lenses.

Now you have 5 more reasons why you should shoot Nikon (:

How to make your lens SHARPER

Sharpness. Yes, all everyone cares about is sharpness. And its one of the gimmicks camera manufacturers usually use against us innocent consumers. 'Softness' is a term that basically means that it isn't sharp. Usually, lenses will have this softness at different focal lengths. Depending on the lens, different lenses will have different amount of softness. Even huge, large, heavy pro lenses still do have softness like the Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8.

But, if you do know how to use a lens, a cheap RM300+ lens might be sharper than that pro lens you're dreaming about. It all depends on whether you know how to use your lens or not. If you're given the 24-70mm f2.8 and if you don't know how to use it, softness still might appear.

Okay, cut to the chase. How do you sharpen your lens??
Simple. It should work for all lenses. Cheap, old, expensive, you get the point. Anyway, its quite simple. Simply, stop your lens down to two stops. Depending on what aperture your lens has, it's usually in the f7.1/f8 zone unless you're buying fast zooms or primes with apertures at f1.4 - f2.8. Check your manual for further reference.

Should you buy a sharp lens?
Well, its hard to decide. I don't do lab tests. And my tests are usually not-so-scientific tests. But what I can say is, it does help. But should you buy an expensive lens over a cheap lens that has almost the same optics? Not necessarily. You're most probably paying for the better build quality, bokeh, less distortion, etc.

Should you buy third party gear

Third party gear/accessories have been quite popular recently. I think its a must have for beginners, since they're new to photography and they just want something cheap and practical. Pros use these too, but seldomly. Don't get me wrong, third party brands are there for a reason - to provide a cheaper alternative than the already expensively-priced manufacturer's lenses. Take the Tamron 70-200mm f2.8 for an example. I'll compare it to Nikon's equivalent Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8. In terms of price, the Tamron is definitely cheaper which makes it a no-brainer. The Tammy(a nickname for Tamron's lenses) is priced around RM2,800 whereas the Nikon is priced at RM8,200. Yes, the numbers don't lie. The Tammy is about cheaper than the Nikon. Quality-wise, they're practically almost the same. Better yet, Tamron is said to be sharper than Nikon and its labelled Macro which allows it to get up close to get macro shots(not 1:1 reproduction ratio, sadly).