How beautiful to take pictures with a digital camera. “A good camera takes good pictures.” Relationship between shutter speed, aperture and ISO.

With this article we open new project "I'm a photographer", in which we will share with you the experience of photographing. New lessons about all aspects of photography will be released weekly. Lessons will be focused on different levels of the reader: from a beginner to an advanced photographer. I will lead this project Konstantin Voronov, professional photographer and photography teacher.

Of course, each of us at least once shot with a phone or a simple “soap box”. However, many people want to not only take pictures for memory, but also get beautiful, high-quality photographs, enjoy the process of photographing, and when posting photos on the Internet, have a lot of “likes” under them.

How to become a photographer? Where to begin? Many people ask this question every day. To begin with, I will give a few general advice, which will help at the start not to make common mistakes, and dispel a few common misconceptions about photography.

Nikon D810/ 70.0-200.0mm f/4.0 SETTINGS: ISO 100, F4, 1/80 s, 95.0 mm equiv., 1.0 MB

Let's start with delusions.

Misconception #1.

“A good camera takes good photos”

This is not true. Good photos are not taken by the camera, but by the photographer. Many people before they start taking pictures on their own think that professional photographers get good, high-quality shots due to the use of expensive equipment. However, the camera is only a tool. How to use it, decides its owner.

If a person who does not know how to draw is given the best, most expensive brushes and paints, the result will be absolutely the same as when using the simplest and cheapest. Good brushes and paints will show all their capabilities only in skillful hands. It's the same with photography.

While working with students, I often came across beginners who had the most expensive, most professional cameras in existence. Did such students make shots better than others? No. On the contrary, their pictures were worse because they could not understand the complex photographic equipment designed for experienced professionals.

It is best to choose a camera not by its belonging to the professional class or the highest price category, but by how it suits your level of training and your tasks. For example, many expensive professional cameras, such as the Nikon D810, do not have automatic mode and scene programs at all (portrait, landscape, macro, etc.), which makes them incredibly difficult for beginner photographers to work with. : You have to dig into unknown settings for a long time. At the same time, many entry-level cameras, such as Nikon D5300 or Nikon D3300, are able to take great pictures on full auto: the photographer can only choose the most interesting subjects, without thinking about the technical side of the issue.

How to choose a camera? Choose not "the best professional camera”, namely the model that suits your skills and your tasks. To make the right choice, it is enough to understand how seriously you want to take photography, whether you are going to learn photography or just want to take pictures for memory.

Misconception #2

“Photography is easy!”

Like many creative pursuits, photography seems like a very simple thing until you do it yourself. For example, like playing musical instruments, dancing, singing… You look at a professional dancer and think: “how simple and natural everything turns out for him! It seems that there is nothing difficult in this! I can do the same!” But when you try to do at least a couple of dance moves on your own, it turns out that it’s not so easy: at least you need special training.

It's the same with photography: despite the seeming simplicity, taking good pictures is quite difficult. After all, it requires a lot of knowledge and skills. Moreover, both technical (how to set up the camera, for example) and creative (how to compose a shot, how to choose the right lighting). Sometimes we are talking about issues that seem to be indirectly related to photography. For example, how to plan a tourist trip to get a lot of good shots; how to make a child sit still while being photographed… By the way, we will cover all these topics within the framework of this project. Stay tuned!

On the other hand, when you have the necessary experience, photography is really easy and enjoyable. The camera does not interfere with getting good shots, and the composition is built intuitively. But for this you need to train, learn, gain experience.

Misconception #3

“To learn how to take pictures, it is enough to learn the technique and press the buttons on the camera correctly”

Shooting technique and parameters are only part of the necessary skills. And by the way, the part is the easiest. How to set the exposure? How to control focus? What is white balance? - all these issues of a technical nature are solved easily and simply, and with regular training they are fixed and remain with the photographer forever. This is the arithmetic of photography, two plus two. But photography is first and foremost art. But the creative component is much more complicated and not so unambiguous. How to compose a frame? What to show in the photo? What subject should be photographed? Photographers constantly suffer from these and many other creative questions and solve them with varying degrees of success. Of course, it is worth starting photography training from the basics, from technology. But it's too early to end there.

NIKON D5200 / 18.0-105.0mm f/3.5-5.6 SETTINGS: ISO 1100, F4.5, 1/60s, 38.0mm equiv., 1.0MB

Five tips for a beginner photographer

Council number 1. See good photos, paintings, movies!

The main problem of most novice photographers is not the lack of good photographic equipment or even a lack of some special skills. the main problem- lack of artistic taste. Build yourself a good artistic taste! See photos of famous photographers, visit exhibitions. By the way, when was the last time you were in the Hermitage and Tretyakov Gallery? Analyze the work of real masters: why did the artist or photographer decide to show this and that? How is the composition structured? How did the author work with light?

Visiting exhibitions, viewing galleries of famous photographers and artists on the Internet is what will give you good luggage for your personal creativity. And vice versa: it is better not to watch bad, mediocre things.

Why is it important? Imagine what happens if a person who has never seen a single picture is given brushes and paints in his hands? Most likely, he will not understand what to do with them; at best, he will depict something in the spirit of rock art. For example, some isolated African tribes are unable not only to perceive an image on a plane, but even to distinguish colors that are not responsible for their survival, are not found in their environment. Because no one taught them this, they do not have the necessary experience for this. It is natural for a person to use what he has seen, accumulated experience in his life and work. This experience is a must. As photographers say, “you need to be seen”.

Council number 2. Travel more

As we know, lying on the couch at home, you can't take good photos! Get your camera out! Travel, walk, visit interesting places: exhibitions, festivals, sports events. Thus, you will witness interesting scenes for shooting, gain the experience necessary for shooting in various conditions. If we talk about landscape photography, then it is generally unthinkable without travel. By the way, as well as portrait: after all, often to shoot a good portrait you need to choose beautiful place, a good background, and only then take a beautiful picture of the model.

There is clean psychological aspect: on a journey, regardless of its distance, a person gains impressions, inspiration, and is charged with creative energy.

d810 iso f4.5 src="https://assets.prophotos.ru/data/articles/0001/6201/95209/thumb_700.jpg" width="700" height="467" itemprop="thumbnail"> Nikon D810/ 70.0-200.0mm f/4.0 SETTINGS: ISO 400, F4.5, 1/200 s, 200.0 mm equiv., 16.0 MB

Council number 3. Be self-critical

In order for there to be progress in your photography classes, and the number of beautiful shots to increase, you need to be critical of your work. You should not rest on your laurels, be able to see flaws in your work, even if everyone praises them.

For example, the toughest critic of my work is myself. I know better than any critic what and where the mistakes in my pictures lie. Analyzing my photos, I realize that I could have shot even better. And the next time I shoot, I try to do it. Believe me, you will get great pleasure from correcting your own shortcomings, and your pictures will become more and more beautiful!

Council number 4. Learn photography techniques

Any creativity begins with the technical foundations. Photography is no exception. To write books, you need to learn the alphabet, grammar, spelling of the language. Of course, modern cameras have excellent automation, which will allow you to get good shots at the touch of a single button, without thinking about any settings.

However, those who shoot in auto mode know that automatics often make mistakes: either the brightness of the picture is not the same, then the colors are not the same, then the sharpness is not there. But you really want to tell the camera how to do it! In order to fully control the shooting process and not depend on the quirks of automation, it is worth learning the fairly simple technical basics of photography. How is an image formed in a camera? What is exposure? What is white balance? How does focus work? Understanding how everything works and knowing how to set up your camera will allow you to take high quality pictures and have full control of the shooting process “from and to”. By the way, in the next lessons we will talk about these technical basics.

Council number 5. Do not buy a camera "for growth".

Many people buy the most advanced, professional tool as their first camera. However, one must understand that a professional tool requires professional skills. If I, without any preparation, stand up for lathe(which I never stood behind), I most likely not only will not produce a single detail, but I will also get injured. Fortunately, a professional camera does not injure anyone, but it is designed for trained users. For beginner photographers, it is better to look at models that are easier to learn.

Council number 6. Choose a camera with the ability to manually adjust all settings.

We will touch on the topic of choosing a camera more than once, but for now the most important thing is that in order to more or less seriously engage in photography and become a real photographer, you should master the technique of photography and be able to adjust the shooting settings on the camera. This can only be done on cameras that have manual shooting modes. These cameras include all SLR cameras. It should be said right away that the optimal types of cameras for photographers today are SLR cameras and compact cameras with interchangeable lenses - mirrorless cameras. Ordinary compacts ("soap dishes") often do not have all the necessary settings, which makes them unsuitable for serious photographers. We will talk more about what cameras are and how they are arranged in the next lesson.

A reflex camera can take amazing pictures in its beauty. However, without knowledge of the basics of photography, the chance of creating a real masterpiece is small. Practice and theoretical foundations will allow you to learn how to take pictures with a SLR camera in the shortest possible time from absolute zero.

Universal Tips

• It is better if you photograph an uncountable number of objects. This will ensure harmony and good perception of the picture by the audience;
• Use the widest aperture possible. It allows you to achieve a clear display of the main subjects of the shooting and blur the general background;
• Draw three imaginary stripes across the frame, and three vertically. For correct composition, it would be better if the subject is located at the intersection of these imaginary lines;
• Try not to have anything superfluous in the frame. This will draw more attention to the subject itself;
• For a harmonious composition, you can place the subject right in the center, leaving free space without secondary details on the sides;
• Try to have an S-curve in the photo. It can be roads, sculptures, the coast, and so on. It will make the picture more saturated, dynamic and expressive;
• When shooting distant plans (horizon, sea), capture a small object from the foreground in the frame. This measure makes photos more voluminous, addictive;
• A good effect in photography is the complete filling of the frame. Thus, the image becomes more personal deep. On one side you can leave free space;
• Look for a frame in the frame (from branches, architectural arches). With it, your picture will simply change;
• Try to achieve maximum balance. It should not be that one part of the photo is overloaded with houses, cars and people, and the second part remains pristinely empty;
• Watch for contrast. The subject being photographed must not blend into the background. The general background, in turn, should be lighter or darker than the object being photographed;
• Choose the right shooting point. When photographing a portrait, as when photographing children, the lens must be held at the level of the model's eyes. When shooting in full growth - at the level of the belt.

DSLR autofocus

Autofocus can work in two modes: selective and automatic mode. It usually has three to nine focus points. In different modes, shooting is also done in different ways:

• In automatic mode, as the name implies, the camera itself determines which point to focus on. Priority is given to points closer to the center of the frame. Autofocus is aimed at an object that contrasts sharply with the general background. If there are no points on the central part of the scene that you can catch on, autofocus is directed to points located on the periphery. With a paired plot, the possibility of incorrect focusing is very likely;
• To avoid errors, you can adjust the focus yourself, on the center point. If the point you want to focus on is located on the periphery, you need to place the subject in the center of the frame, slightly, not completely, pressing the shutter button. Autofocus will appear in front of your eyes. Point it at the object you want and start composing the frame according to your ideas. Then just press the shutter button. Wherever the subject is located, it will turn out clear;
• Very handy tracking mode. The camera constantly focuses on the subject, whether you are shooting something or not. Thus, there is no need to wait until the autofocus is focused, and the shooting time is reduced. Tracking mode is very convenient when shooting moving objects. Focus accompanies the subject as it moves, and you can take a picture at any moment;
• In Liv mode SLR cameras you can turn on the face recognition function. This makes it easier to shoot, because the focus is automatically set on the face of a person if he is in the frame.

Creative modes: tips for choosing the right one

There are three types of creative modes: Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual. They make life much easier for the photographer, but only if the person knows how to use them correctly:

• aperture priority. Denoted by symbols Av or A. The aperture value is set independently, but the shutter speed for obtaining a standard exposure is set in automatic mode. Used for portraits, landscapes, and generally all scenes where control over depth of field is important;
• Shutter priority. Denoted by symbols TV or S. The shutter speed is set independently, but the aperture for obtaining a standard exposure is set in automatic mode. Used for shooting sports competitions, children's parties and any other dynamic scenes;
• Manual mode. The camera prompts you exactly what shutter speed, aperture and sensitivity settings are needed, and the photographer independently chooses what to add to the exposure. You can increase or decrease the values ​​as needed. Used in conditions of stable illumination, when the camera's metering may be wrong, for example, when shooting at night or when shooting lightning. Manual mode is often used in studio shooting.

Flash operation

For those who are just learning to photograph with a SLR camera with a flash, the following 3 tricks will be of interest:

• Flash on the forehead. The most primitive approach. Can be used when shooting people and interiors. With a flash in the forehead, there is a high probability of undesirable effects: too black background, red eyes;
• Illumination of the object being photographed. Ideal for portraits and night time photography;
• Flash to the ceiling or wall. Universal reception. As a result, we get a soft, diffused light that softens the shadows and gives a natural light pattern.

Common mistakes beginner photographers make

• Often cropped legs and arms, tree branches sticking out directly from the head of the person being photographed get into the frame. In order to avoid mistakes, try to ensure that the frame does not include anything superfluous;
• When shooting a group of people, novice photographers often walk too far, which makes the expression on the faces illegible, the photograph itself is poorly perceived. Try to get as close as possible to take the photo;
• In the photo - a whole heap of objects, the real one is mixed, there is not even anything to catch the eye. To prevent mistakes, focus on one object, while the general background should not be too colorful;
• Flare appears in photographs - spots and circles arising from sunlight. To prevent an error, make sure that too much sunlight enters the camera lens;
• If the emphasis in the plot of the composition is on horizontal lines (houses, architectural objects), often beginners allow a slight, as it seems when shooting, tilt, which turns into a photograph as an example of how not to shoot. Hold the camera straight, otherwise there will be an effect as if the photographed objects roll down;
• Photos are blurry. To prevent a problem, make sure that the focus area is on the subject you are shooting.

Conclusion

If you know the theoretical foundations, you can save a lot of time that you don’t have to spend on understanding and correcting your mistakes. Do not try to scrupulously learn all the recommendations. Information is better absorbed if it is constantly used in practice.