I teach two digital photo courses: Photo Fundamentals and Photo Techniques. Photo Fundamentals introduces the novice photographer to the principles of photography. I learned in the days of film cameras, wet darkrooms and chemicals. Today it is all about file formats and computer software. But the new technology hasn’t really changed the basic principles of the camera.

Creating pictures still requires a camera body, a lens and a light sensitive substrata. (Okay here is your first technical term: light sensitive substrata use to be film.) Today it is the CMOS or CCD sensor. Film reacted to light; the sensor records the records the photons hitting the pixel sites. Essentially, it is the same thing.

Point-and-Shoot and the digital SLR cameras come with pre-programmed settings that take all the guess work (and a lot of the fun) out of taking pictures. For most of you, the pre-programmed settings are just fine. You’ll never have any desire to explore that other side of the mode dial. And that is fine.

However, if you should change your mind and for all those budding photographers who have a passion to learn more, this series is your gateway to knowledge. Throughout the series I’ll use simple, plain English to explain all the technical photographic principles. Any technical terms (see light sensitive substrata above) will be explained. And where a picture is a better solution, I’ll use them. After all, this is a visual medium. So I assume a lot of you are visual learners.

I welcome your comments and questions. All will be answered. And if the answered still doesn’t meet your information needs, send me another email or post another comment. I will answer.

As I say in my course, some of the content will eventually make sense as we move through the sessions. I’ll present each principle/concept in simple terms and provide some creative exercises you can do on your own. By shooting the exercises, you’ll learn about the principle involved.

I’ll also post sample images that I have taken to for each exercise. If your images do not resemble mine, then post them or email them to me and we’ll discuss what might have gone wrong.

I tell all my students, “Photography is all about give and take.” As you progress through the articles/tutorials, you’ll begin to see what I mean. Also, remember the sooner you make your first 1,000 mistakes the closer you are to learning more about photography. As much as I teach I also learn every day about photography.

“Our personal growth can fuel our photography and our photography can fuel our personal growth.” - Brooks Jensen.

I hope you enjoy the journey as much as much as I do.

“Leap into the boundless and make it your home!” – Chuang – Tzu

The sensor on the consumer digital SLR cameras is an APS -size sensor. These are smaller than a 35mm film frame. The above lens on this type of camera is has a crop factor, focal-length magnification, or focal-length multiplier. So what do all these terms mean?

A lens has an angle of view, e.g. 24mm lens has a vertical angle of view of 53 degrees and a horizontal angle of view of 73 degrees. These figures apply to camera held in the landscape or horizontal format. A 50mm lens has a 38 degree vertical view and a 40 degree horizontal view. A 210mm lens has a 6 degree vertical view and a 10 degree horizontal view. As the focal length of a lens increases the angle of view decreases.

On an digital SLR with an APS-size sensor 50mm lens captures the same angle of view as a 75mm lens. That is were the multiplier or crop factor comes in. APS-size sensor digital SLR cameras have a crop factor of 1.5.

Wide angle lenses have barrel distortion. This means vertical lines tend to curve outward near the edge of the image frame. On an APS-size sensor digital camera, while a 33mm lens is the equivalent of a 50mm lens still has the barrel distortion of a 33mm wide angle lens.

The crop factor has advantages and disadvantages. Sports or wildlife enthusiasts will love the extra pull of a “longer” lens. Landscape and architecture photographers may not find the 33mm lens wide enough. They will have to move to an 18mm or super wide angle 10mm lens.

If you are from 35mm film background and find all this confusing, then you may want to move up to a full-frame digital SLR camera body, e.g. Canon 5D MKII. All your lenses will do exactly what you expect them to do.

Some camera makers make digital only lenses. These lenses are made to cover the smaller sized APS sensor. Since all lenses create a circular image, the image must cover completely cover the rectangular sensor. The digital only lenses tend to be lighter, smaller and less expensive, but only work on an APS-size sensor camera. They will not work on a full-frame sensor camera.

Some camera makers put the Image Stabilization (IS) in the lens, e.g. Canon; while some put it in the camera body, e.g. Nikon. They also refer to this feature by different terms. Canon – IS; Nikon – VR; Sigma and Panasonic – OS. IS in the lens makes the lens more expensive.

Auto focus uses virtually silent small electric motors to focus the subject. Each maker has their own term. Canon – USM; Nikon – SWM; Sigma – SWD; Sony – SSM.

Apochromatic glass is an expensive special glass used in one or more lens elements to reduce chromatic aberration. This is an optical defect that reduces an image’s sharpness and causes colour fringing at the edge of high-contrast pixels in an picture. This is especially true with telephoto lenses. Therefore, when considering the purchase of a long zoom lens, e.g. 70mm – 200mm, 100mm – 300mm, if may be to your advantage to invest in a top of the line lens made with APO glass. While fringing can be reduced during image processing, why have to bother with it in the first place?

How and where does one find the time, let alone the energy, to Twitter, blog, chat on Facebook, update a web site and don’t forget email? If content is king, then quality content is even more important.

This blog is about digital photography, the novice photographer and better pictures. People new to digital photography or analogue photographers making the transition may, at times, become over whelmed by all there is to learn. There is a lot. No longer is it a matter of “you click the shutter and leave the rest to us” as the Kodak ads used to say.

While capturing an image on a digital camera is simple, once you download that image file and look at it on your computer screen, you may find out that what looked great on the LCD may not look all that great on your PC. Now you start to ask questions, browse the Internet for simple solutions or check a few books out of a library. Or you may even buy some books on digital photography.

You soon learn, buying the digital camera was just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. It’s the 90% of the “iceberg” you don’t see below the surface that really scares you. Suddenly new and different types of technology raises its head and you feel snow under. There is so much to learn if you want to take really good pictures. I know I felt that way a number of years ago when I made the transition from analogue image making. But I persevered and, in time, it all made sense.

So here I am again at a technology threshold trying to create and maintain a comprehensive online presence – creating a quality web site with quality content, writing a blog that has meaning to more than just myself and maintaining a Facebook page where “friends” can join in the sharing of images and discuss photography. And learning all the technology that goes with it.

So I will persevere, take one step at a time and trust it will work itself out. As for Twitter, not really for me.

There is no one digital camera that meets everyone’s needs, contrary to what the camera ads preach.

Digital still image and video capture have merged. Modern Point-and-Shoot and digital SLR cameras now provide both features. Some cameras are better than others. But like any marriage of convenience, there are always compromises to be made. The camera manufacturers want you to buy their make and model. The camera stores simply want you to buy a camera – any camera. Oh and don’t forget all the extras – memory cards, filters, extra lenses, a camera bag, a tripod, etc.- to go with you new razzle-dazzle digital camera.

You can find all kinds of opinions on the web, in magazines or in your local camera store about which camera is the “best”, but opinions are just that opinions; nothing more. We are inundated with “expert opinions” all the time. In any field you care to mention, someone knows someone who is an expert and has “the” answer.

So rather than give you my opinion right now, I’ll give you some questions to ask yourself. How you answer these questions will help you make a more informed decision and a knowledgeable purchase.

What kind of pictures do you like/want to take?

• Do you want to shoot video? How important is the quality of the video to you. Not everyone needs to shoot 1080P movie/tv quality video. If you aspirations are Christmas and birthday parties, vacations at the cottage or down south, your kids sports, dance or theatre activities, and the like, then these are never going to make it to the Big Screen.
• Do you want to shoot still images? If yes, then what do you want to do with those images once you get them out of the camera? Share with family and friends on the web, load them on a digital frame, make small 3×5 prints and put them in a scrap book? Great! Or maybe you want to process them on your computer with the newest image software. Then print them, get them framed and hang them on your wall. Fantastic! You might even want to join a camera club for the fun, social and competitive value. Go for it!

How much can you afford to spend?

• You can spend a couple of hundred dollars or thousands of dollars on a digital camera today. Remember, this is an optional purchase. No one needs a digital camera to survive or even to live well. As hard as it may be, try to reduce the emotional input.
• Excellent Point-and-Shoot cameras can be purchased for a few hundred dollars. Entry consumer level digital SLR-like camera (fixed lens) can be bought for about $500.00 – $700.00. Entry level pro-sumer DSLR cameras will cost you about $700.00 – $1,000.00 (interchangeable lenses).

What make is the Best?

• Again, no simple answer.
• Point-and-Shoot – Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Sony, Olympus, Samsung, Leica (in no particular order of preference) as all good brands. You need to answer the first two questions, then touch and feel a couple of cameras and see how they feel.
• DSLR like (one fixed lens) - Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Sony, Olympus, Samsung (in no particular order of preference) These types of cameras offer one lens with a wide range zoom lens – 20 – 20+ optical zoom capabilities.
• DSLR (interchangeable lenses) - Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, Sony, Panasonic (in no particular order of preference) Go out and touch and feel a couple of brands and models and based on your answers to the above questions, make a purchase.

How many megapixels do I need?

• That depends on what you want to do with the images after you take them. You need about 7 – 9 megapixels to make a decent 8 x 10 print on an inkjet printer. If you’re only sharing pictures over the web, emailing them to family and friends or loading them on a digital frame then 5 – 6 megapixels are more than enough. Most cameras today meet this requirement.

That is about it. Sure there is more to digital photography than 4 simple questions, but at least this information will help you make a more informed decision once you decide to take the plunge.

A final thought, if you are waiting for the next latest and greatest camera to come along before you decide to buy, then you are in for a long wait. Technological advances in digital imaging are made every day. Once you buy your camera and are happy with it, stop looking with envy at the newest camera to come along a year from now. I can guarantee you there will be a newer and greater camera to in the future, but it will not help you take better pictures. If your goal is better pictures, then you need to look at the person behind the camera; not the camera.

I am now the very pleased owner of a 2007 Mazda MX5 that has 37,000 km and is in mint condition. It has never even seen snow, let alone road salt. I’m not sure how much rain it ever saw either. I looked the car over with a magnifying glass and could see only 3 small little marks on the surface paint (Dark Steel Grey). The interior (tan) is immaculate. The floor mats show 0 wear. Heck, it didn’t even look as though she ever sat in the driver’s seat. For those of you who care – it is a 6 speed manual, Bose sound system, GT racing package and goes like stink. (Just how fast “stink” goes I’m not sure.) So far no speeding tickets (not that I would every consider exceeding the speed limit mind you).

And yes the wife gets to drive it. Are you kidding? I have to live with the woman. So I drove it Friday and she took her turn today. I’m not sure who gets to sit in the driver’s seat on Sunday. Maybe we’ll share or maybe we’ll actually get some housework done. But don’t hold your breath. LOL

But why am I talking when a pic or two would be so much better.

And yes she is a soft top so on hot, warm and generally nice days, I’ll get to feel the wind in what is left of my hair.

Have a good day all and I’ll see you on the road.