Let’s Talk about Shutter Speed

Cameras, both old and new, have one thing in common - they all have a small shutter that allows images to get captured through their sensors or film, as it opens. Shutter speed is the length of time it stays open to capture light. As one of the three pillars of photography (which also includes ISO and depth of field), it allows you to freeze motion or create a blurry effect in your images. Shutter speed is often measured in fractions of a second - modern DSLRs today can even go up to 1/8000th of a second. 

The shutter speed you need to use when you take photographs depends on the kind of subject you have. Most bird photographers usually use 1/2000th and up to get the best results, while shutter speeds for general purpose photography ranges from 1/250th to 1/500th. What does this mean? It means, the faster your subject moves, the higher shutter speed you need to use to freeze motion.

If you're going to use higher shutter speeds for your images, you must know that it also limits the amount of light getting captured in your sensor. Your images might get underexposed especially if you're shooting in a lot light environment. This is the reason why photographers need "fast lenses" in low light photography - using a lower F-stop counteracts with higher shutter speeds. If you read my story about simplifying depth of field, you already know that lower apertures allow more light to pass through the lens.

The use of longer shutter speeds can also be great in photography - many photographers like to play with long exposures (most DSLRs can have their shutters open for 30 seconds). This is great for making running water silky-smooth, or creating a "motion effect" in your images. For portrait and general purpose photography on a well-lit environment, just remember this formula - the optimal shutter speed to use (especially if you're not using a tripod), should be equal or more than the focal length of the lens. If you have a 50mm lens on a DX (crop sensor) camera, you should use shutter speeds 1/75th and up to get decent images. 

Camera ISO Simplified

Camera ISO is probably the easiest to understand compared to shutter speed and depth of field. It's simply, the level of your camera sensor's sensitivity to light - low ISO, means low sensitivity, and high ISO means, high sensitivity. Most modern DSLRs have a base ISO of 100, and it can go up to 4,000,000. To avoid digital noise in images, it's best to use your camera's base ISO most of the time. The only time you should use higher ISOs is when you're shooting in a low light environment.

(Left) Full image @ ISO2000. (right) Image cropped at 100%

What is digital noise? It is the grainy artifact you see in the image caused by increasing the sensitivity of the camera sensor. These grainy artifacts reduce image quality, making it more difficult to optimize through post-production. If you want to avoid grainy images, you will find the camera flash useful to shoot in lower ISOs. On the other hand, modern DSLRs nowadays allow you to shoot in higher ISOs without affecting the overall image quality.

When do you need to change ISO? Well, it depends on the kind of environment you have - this includes the lighting, subjects, and of course, the kind of image you want to capture. Let's say you want to take photos of your kids playing indoors, and you don't want to use flash at the moment. Of course, you make sure to have higher shutter speeds to freeze the moment, and higher F-stop to have everything in-focus. If the image is underexposed, it's best to bump up the ISO until you get the right exposure.

If your camera isn't capable of reducing noise at higher ISOs, you can still get rid of it through third-party applications that you can install in your computer. Adobe Lightroom for example, has a great tool for reducing noise without compromising image quality - just be careful with the settings though. I'll try to make a simple guide about this in the future. 

Depth of Field Simplified

If you try to look at your lens, you will see some writings indicating its product model and a few numbers that show its focal length and maximum aperture. This Nikon 18-55mm VR lens for example, has a maximum aperture of 3.5 on its wide end (18mm), and 5.6 on its long end (55mm). Since this is a variable aperture lens, its maximum aperture changes when you zoom in or out.

The aperture of the lens determines the depth of field in images – the smaller the value, the more you can blur the background of your subject. When the value goes up, the background becomes clearer in the image too. If you look inside the lens through its front element, you’ll see the aperture blades - these blades adjust the size of the hole inside the lens. Think of it this way – big hole = smaller aperture number, small hole = higher aperture number. Now you know how simple it is, let’s talk about how it affects the image.

When the hole inside the lens is big (meaning, small aperture number), it allows more light to pass through it. If you are outdoors, you might overexpose your image using a small aperture number, slow shutter speed and high ISO setting. For an outdoor shoot and you want to get a blurred background, it’s best to keep your ISO low, around 100-200, and faster shutter speeds to avoid overexposing your image (unless you are doing it on purpose).

Shallow depth of field blur backgrounds

Higher F-stop will get backgrounds in focus

If you are shooting a group photo, using a small aperture number will have other people in the picture out of focus. Since you want all of your subjects in focus, you need to shoot in a higher aperture number (I usually shoot groups in F8). Since the hole is smaller this time, you might get an underexposed image – there isn’t a lot of light passing through the lens. If the place isn’t that bright, it’s best to turn down the shutter speed, or bump up the ISO a little for better exposure. Landscape photographers usually take photos using higher F-stops (aperture number) since they want everything in the image focused. If you’re interested in landscape photography, the tripod is your best friend - It allows you to take super sharp images at slower shutter speeds.   

Busy Night at Market Market!

Visiting busy places in the metro is something that I don't do often, especially when it's not very accessible through public transportation. Fortunately, it was easier for me to visit this place with the new BGC bus terminal located near Ayala MRT. It's a huge place, and it's a nice place to hang out if you're getting bored with the shopping malls along EDSA, like Megamall or Trinoma. What I like most about this place is its open market, showcasing lots of food and souvenir items from provinces.

After a shooting event near the area, my friends and I just decided to chill in a cafe while taking snapshots.  Surprisingly, the mall closes earlier than I expected (while most shopping malls in the city closes at 10:00 or 11:00 pm, this one closes at 9:00pm). This will probably change this December, since a lot of people tend to shop longer in the holidays. 

Aside from the BGC bus in Ayala terminal, you can also get there through the jeepney terminal just beside the MRT station. You can also get there from Guadalupe - just find a jeepney bound to Gate 3 and you can drop of the shopping mall. For convenience, you might find Uber pretty convenient, and you can use the service as well when you get home. 

Essential Photography Tips for Beginners

Do you remember the first time you got a hold of a DSLR camera? It’s pretty overwhelming at first, and then you get frustrated after messing up a lot of shots. I just had a chat with my friend from Dubai who just got into photography – asked me a lot of questions and our conversation lasted for more than 2 hours. I’m not an expert, but I’m pretty sure I picked up a few things in my experience. I thought it would be great if I can share some of my insights here.

Your First Lens is The Only Lens You Need (For Now!)

With all the marketing stuff you see every day on the web, it’s pretty hard not to get hyped with the newest offerings from camera and lens manufacturers. If you’re just starting out, the best thing you can do is to go to outdoors and shoot – hone your skills! If you’re sitting right in front of your computer, you’re forgetting about the most important thing in photography – skills! Photographers many years ago didn’t have to rely on auto-focus and other tech gimmicks just to shoot great photos.

Be the Master of Your Camera – Use Manual Mode

I knew I had to use manual mode when I started learning photography. It took some time for me to get used to it, but it allowed me to take pictures that I really want. Try to get off the “P-mode” (this doesn’t mean Professional Mode), and learn how to change settings manually. Browse your camera manual to know more about settings and buttons that you’re going to use pretty often.

Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO – Understand How They Work

These things contribute a lot to the kind of image you’re going to make. Would you like to have your background blurred, or freeze the moment? Are you going to shoot in a low light environment and still get a decent photo out of it? With the right setting, you will be able to capture a moment in any kind of situation. This is the reason why you should be able to understand how these things work.

Rules of Composition

The rules of composition in photography were derived from great artworks many years ago. It gives character or emotion to photos that were captured with your tool – your camera. The rule of thirds, leading lines, etc. – you can find tons on information on the web about these things. However, you don’t have to follow these rules every time you take photos. There is also a difference, whether you are taking photos for others, or for yourself. Do not be tied up with these rules, but knowing these rules will definitely improve your photography skills.

Crop Factor for DX Cameras

If you’re a beginner, you’re probably using a DX camera – this means, the sensor of your camera is not as big as FX cameras (full-frame cameras). The crop factor affects the field of view in your images – for example, using a 50mm on a DX camera will give you about 1.5x crop factor. While you are using a 50mm lens, it actually acts as a 75mm lens. It also applies to smaller sensor cameras like the micro four thirds – the Olympus EM-1 for example, with a 2.0x crop factor. If you use a 50mm lens on a micro four thirds camera, the value would be 100mm.

Shooting in RAW and Post-processing

RAW files contain all the information of the image you captured from your camera. This allows you to manipulate the image to your liking with the use of post processing software – Adobe Lightroom for example. JPEG on the other hand, is a compressed file – it’s smaller in size, but most of the information from your image has already been scrapped. Always make sure to shoot in RAW and learn how to use Lightroom – this is where you can optimize your images for the best results.

Join a Community

Joining a photography community, whether it’s online or locally, allows you to learn from experienced photographers. If you joined an active photography group in your area, you’ll have a lot of opportunities to practice without spending a dime. Just be friendly, even to some members acting like a “Picasso of modern photography”.

Lastly, try to read your camera manual. I know it’s boring, but you might learn a few more things just by reading what your camera is capable of. I’m not a big fan of reading books, but I actually read the entire manual of my D90 years ago – I learned a few tricks like setting up buttons for a different action, or letting me see a preview of the depth of field in the viewfinder. 

Why Keeping Your Nikon Kit Lens is a Good Idea

Most photographers start with a kit lens, whether it’s the 18-55mm for entry-level cameras, or the 18-105mm for high-end DSLRs. After discovering the type of photography they’re really into, they begin to start investing on better glasses, most of which are fast primes or zooms (this means that the lens have fixed and lower apertures). While it’s true that you can take great images with better lenses, it’s also true that you can still get shitty photos with a $1000 lens. It all goes down to the photography skills you have from years of experience. 

It’s a Good Lens

Lens assessment from www.dpreview.com on Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 VR DX

Most people criticize kit lenses for being cheap and plasticky – this doesn’t mean that these lenses can’t take decent photos. Especially with the 18-55mm lens that has the highest IQ (image quality) compared to more expensive kit lenses. It doesn’t have a lot of barrel distortion, and it’s super-sharp at apertures F8-F11. If you want to blur background for portrait shots, it can still perform decently in its long end at F5.6.

It’s Versatile

Left - Taken with 18-105mm VR DX, Right - Taken with 18-55mm VR DX

Do you know why DSLRs are often bundled with kit lenses? Well, it offers versatility and allows you to have a grasp of various kinds of photography – landscape, portraits, etc. If you find landscape photography to be your ‘thing’, you might want to purchase wide angle lenses in the future (for the sole purpose of landscape photography. On the other hand, keeping your kit lens as a general purpose lens is not a bad idea.

It’s Cheap

Joining a Buy and Sell Group in Facebook is great for picking up quality used lens

One of the best things about kit lenses is that it’s cheap as hell – In the Philippines; you can get a used kit lens for $60. If you’re looking for one, I would suggest the 18-55mm because of the reasons I stated above - A friend of mine just bought one for 2700Php (about $55). If you wanted more zoom, you might be able to get a used 18-105mm for about $100

I love using primes, but I still use my kit lens from time to time. While it does have its limitations, especially in low light scenes, it’s still great to use outdoors.  In photo walks, I try not to go below F8 for sharper images. You also have to be careful putting it on your camera since it doesn’t have a metal mount – it’s plastic, and it might break if you’re not careful. Also, it doesn’t have weather sealing so try to shoot with it in a fine weather. 

Sightings at MOA

The Mall of Asia has been one of the most visited places in the metro especially on weekends. Tourists don't miss the opportunity to shop, dine, and have a good time in this huge entertainment center. It takes a few minutes to get there if you live in Pasay - I thought it would be nice to get some snapshots this weekend.

Since the Christmas holiday is just a few weeks from now, you can already see lots of decors hanging on walls, trees, and shop entrances. The mini-amusement park just beside the bay is already operating in full swing. There are lots of new shops inside the mall, and the food court is still under renovation.

This place is freaking huge, but you'll get used to it after a few more visits. It's a great place for photo-walks, but I would suggest other places (like Binondo), for edgy photo concepts.