Lesson 18 – AutoFocus Fine Tuning (Back Focus and Front Focus)

In this photography lesson I will show you a simple method of testing auto focus in your camera, see if you have front or back focusing problem and how  to do an AF fine tuning.   INFORMATION FROM THE VIDEO: Your camera can have back focusing or front focusing problem.  If you focus on the eyes with the wide aperture (let assume around f/2), your DOF should be as it is show in this image: If you are focusing on the eyes and you get just nose in focus, you have a FRONT FOCUSING problem as it is shown in … Continue reading

Lesson 17 – Auto and Manual Focus

In this photography lesson we will be talking about auto and manual focus. I will show your how to change the focus setting in the camera from auto to manual. We will discus different auto focusing modes. I will also how your how to focus with a single focus point and when is better to use manual focus instead of auto.   INFORMATION FROM THE VIDEO: AUTOFOCUS MODES: NIKON                                  CANON AF-S (AF singles)                 One Shot – Once … Continue reading

Lesson 16 – How to Photograph the Moon

Video 1: In this photography lesson you will learn how to take pictures of the Moon, what will you need for it and how to set your camera. Video 2: This is quick Photoshop tutorial on how to add the Moon to your picture. Great for beginner to learn the basics of Photoshop.   SOME INFO FROM THE VIDEO: FOR TAKING PICTURES OF THE MOON YOU WILL NEED: 1. Good timing 2. Use a tripod 3. Cable release is a good idea 4. Use telephoto lens (200mm or longer) 5. Use Sunny 16 Rule – start: ISO 100 F16 1/125 … Continue reading

Lesson 15 – How to take pictures of Fireworks

Happy 4th of July! In this lesson I will show you how to shoot fireworks, what you will need for it and what should be your camera setting.   SOME INFO FROM THE VIDEO: FOR TAKING PICTURES OF FIREWORKS YOU WILL NEED: 1. Find a good location 2. Use a tripod 3. Use a cable release 4. Wide angle lens is a good idea 5. Set your camera to manual focus and set your focus to infinity on the lens 6. Put your camera in manual mode 7. Low ISO (100-200) 8. Aperture F8-F11 9. Use slow shatter speed. You … Continue reading

Lesson14 – Raw vs Jpeg

In this photography lesson we will be compering raw and jpeg files, their pros and cons, situations to use one or another.     SOME INFO FROM THE VIDEO:   RAW processing software : – Adobe Lightroom – Adobe Camera Raw (Comes with Photoshop) – Capture One – Picasa – Nikon Capture NX – Canon’s Digital Photo Professional (DPP) _____________________________________________ RAW in different cameras: NEF ( Nikon) CR2, CRW (Canon) SRF, SR2 (Sony) ORF (Olympus) PEF (Pentax) RW2 (Panasonic) MEF (Mamiya) _____________________________________________ JPEG files: PROS: 1. File size is much smaller 2. No need for postprocessing 3. Files are ready … Continue reading

Lesson 13 – Sunny 16 Rule

Did you ever wondered how back in the day photographers could get a good exposure without all this equipment we have now? They actually used a Sunny 16 rule. You will learn  about it in this photography lesson.     VISUALS FROM THE VIDEO: Exposure data: ISO 100   F/16   1/125 Camera:Nikon D7000 Lens: Nikon Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 Exposure data: ISO 100   F/4   1/2000 Camera: Nikon D7000 Lens: Nikon Nikkor 50mm f/1.4

Lesson 9 – Composition in Photography

In this photography lesson we will be talking about composition in photography including rule of thirds, symmetry, lines, patterns, curves, DoF, depth, framing… A lot of visual examples! TAKE A QUIZ TO TEST THAT YOU HAVE LEARNED IN THIS LESSON.

Lesson 8 – White Balance in the Camera

In this lesson we will be talking about white balance (color balance) and learning how to set different white balance modes including a custom white balance using grey card.  We also will be testing a different white balance modes under different light. Part 1:   Part 2:   VISUALS FROM THE VIDEOS: TAKE A QUIZ TO TEST THAT YOU HAVE LEARNED IN THIS LESSON.

Lesson 7 – Characteristics of Light

Light – is one of the most important aspects of photography. Every photographer should know how to see light and how to use it. In this lesson we will be talking about light and its characteristics. A lot of examples for better visualization and understanding.     VISUALS FROM THE VIDEO: TAKE A QUIZ TO TEST THAT YOU HAVE LEARNED IN THIS LESSON.

Lesson 5 – Depth of Field

In this photography lesson you will learn about Depth of Field (DoF) and how it is influenced by aperture, distance to the subject and focal length of the lens.     VISUALS FROM THE LESSON: TAKE A QUIZ TO TEST THAT YOU HAVE LEARNED IN THIS LESSON.