It seems that as photography is progressing, people are becoming more concerned with all the built in features (marketing fluff) instead of actually just trying to learn the basics first. So I have decided to set up this journal as a guide which I hope many of you will learn from. Just note that this journal will not go into too much detail (Might go into more detail at a later stage). Here are some of the basics that every photographer should know.

Light
Outdoor: Best time to shoot is before and a short while after sunrise. After that the sun becomes way too harsh and contrast becomes too strong. On the other end it's also best to shoot right before and after sunset. Both of these conditions provide for soft lighting results where highlights are not blown out. I am of course not speaking about shade or night time shots. Shade does work quite often even in mid day (Just make sure that your background is not too bright). Night time photography has the potential to give great shots. But if you are going for that, you would need a fast lens (with a wide aperture) and/or a tripod to eliminate any shake. A camera with above average noise handling will also allow you to push up the ISO(Light sensitivity) without degrading the image too much.

Indoor: Indoor lighting is not that important when it comes to the time of day. You can produce great shots at 7:00 in the morning just as you would at 14:00 in the afternoon. It all depends on where and how the light is entering the indoor space. Natural light coming in from a window can provide the perfect light for portraits.

Composition
Rule of thirds: Imagine that the image is divided into 9 equally sized blocks.



To put it roughly, rule of thirds states that a subject or any strong lines (like the division between earth and sky) should be placed on the lines that make up these blocks or their intersections. Now this is something I see increasingly on DA, a total disregard for rule of thirds. You should have a very good reason for placing your subject in the center. Having a person appear dead center in the image with either sides being empty is something you do not want. There are some definite exceptions, for instance when you want a symmetric image. Obviously for this to work the subject has to be in the center, like a flower. The composition that makes a portrait shot even more difficult to “grasp” is when the subject is in the center and the image is taken horizontally. This creates masses of space on either side and too much negative (empty) space can really bring down an image. Also remember that rule of thirds does not mean a large part of the image will be empty. Change your point of view and distance to the subject. That way you can still follow the rule to a certain degree and fill the frame, thus eliminating any distracting negative space.

Lead-in objects: This relates mostly to landscapes. Basically it states that the foreground should have something of interest that leads the viewer into the image. Making sure that the foreground is not empty and has something interesting can really lift an image.

Aperture (The “F” designation on your lens)
Wide: This creates a shallow depth of field (DOF). Meaning that not much is in focus. This works well with most portraits. The idea here is to make your model stand out and a shallow DOF will help you achieve this. Just remember that a lot of lenses do not give you pin sharp results at their widest apertures, so check the lowest aperture of your lens that provides these sharp results and try not to go any lower.

Narrow: This creates a deeper DOF and is ideal for landscapes. Now don’t just go put your lens on F22 and expect sharp images. The problem is that when you go beyond F16, diffraction kicks in and causes the image to not come out as sharp as it can be. For full focus, make you focus point the spot about a third into the image from the bottom.

Shutter speed
There’s not really a good or bad aspect here when it comes to fast versus slow shutter speeds. It all depends on the type of image you are trying to take. Just remember that if you do not have any type of vibration reduction, 1/60th of a second is the slowest you should go for when shooting hand held. Below that the chance of you creating blurry images is dramatically increased. Fast shutter speeds is ideal for sport where as a slow shutter speed could help illustrate movement.

Essential SLR accessories
UV Filter: These are very cheap, clear filters that help protect the “glass” of your lens. What it also helps with is removing the haziness you find in some landscape shots. This is a much cheaper alternative than to replace the entire lens.

Cleaning kit: At some point you will need to clean you camera and lenses. I suggest buying a soft cloth and brush to remove any smudges and/or dust. Remember to clean your kit as soon as you get home from the beach. Sand and sea air can really do some serious damage.

Tripod: Although not a must have, a tripod can really help with those low light conditions where you don’t want to sacrifice shutter speed for noise levels.

Advanced SLR accessories
Flash gun/Built-in flash
For those who do not know, a flash gun is the piece of equipment that you can use as part of your body(which you attach onto the camera body) or separately when using multiple flash guns.
Examples: [link] | [link]
Some of you might be surprised about the fact that I list flash equipment under advanced. That is purely because a vast majority of people abuse it. I have seen countless photos where a person did not bother to consider all the aspects of flash and whether natural light would work better or not. Now if you truly know what you are doing, then flash can be an incredibly powerful tool, but until you know your camera well enough and have the basics under control, try to use natural light where possible.

Reflectors
One of the biggest issues I have seen using reflectors, is people taking a full body shot but only lighting up the top half. This can really degrade the image and artistic value, especially if you are using a gold reflector (One half is normal and other half is very warm). Before purchasing reflectors, go read up on the different types and what they are used for.
Example: [link]


I hope this helps. I tried to keep it as simple as possible. Just remember that you can’t always incorporate all these elements into a single photo. So compromise and see what fits best. Also remember that after you have the basics under control, practice is the most important thing that you can ever do to become a better photographer and artist...Comments are always welcome.

_{P.S.
Please note me with any possible corrections and/or additions.}

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