Photography 101: Digital Photo Formats

Although JPEG is the overwhelmingly popular choice for digital photo compression, there are several other options available that offer better image quality at the expense of higher file sizes.

Digital Photo Formats

The format of a digital photo depends on the type of compression used to store the image file. The letter at the end of the file name of a digital photo, something like ".jpg" or ".tiff" indicates the format in which your file has been saved. There have been numerous file formats throughout the history of digital photography but only a few have become the standard. The difference between the formats has to do with compression.

What is digital photo compression?

Compression is how digital device like computers and cameras reduce the size of a file by removing information that is unlikely to be noticed by the naked eye. Fine details and subtle gradations will be lost during compression and these changes will only be visible under strong magnification. Compression is required to make the size of digital photo files small enough for practical uses. More digital photos can be stored on a storage device when the size of each file is smaller.

What are common digital photo formats?

JPEG, which stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, has become the industry standard for digital photo compression. Indicated by the .jpg file extension, JPEG achieves about 10 to 1 compression without much perceivable loss in image quality, making it ideal for digital photos. Most compact digital cameras offer only JPEG format for digital photo output, but more advanced cameras offer other choices like RAW and TIFF, which have their own advantages and disadvantages.

File Sizes and Digital Photo Formats

A typical 5 megapixel digital photo in JPEG format takes up about 2 MB on a memory card or hard drive. This means about 500 such photos can be stored on a 1 GB memory card. In comparison, a similar digital photo stored in the RAW format takes anywhere between 30-40 MB of space, meaning only 25 such photos can be stored on a 1 GB memory card. This difference in file size makes JPEG the popular choice for most consumers.

Disadvantage of the JPEG file format

JPEG looses quality each time a digital photo is edited or saved. This loss is a result of the compression used for JPEG digital photos. Therefore it is important to save a master copy of a digital photo and edit copies of that file. Alternatively, ‘lossless’ compression formats such as TIFF prevents quality degradation due to edits and saves. Advanced digital cameras allow photos to be saved in these formats right off the camera, or digital photo editing software can be used to convert JPEG formats to TIFF or RAW.

RAW and TIFF digital photo formats

RAW is the format for digital photos where absolutely no compression has been applied, meaning it preserves every bit of information captured by the image sensor of the digital camera used. With the obvious downside that file sizes can be massive for digital photos stored in the RAW format, it is the purest form available for digital photographs. Furthermore, a RAW image has to be saved in another format such as JPEG or TIFF once it has been edited or manipulated.

TIFF retains almost as much information as RAW, but is much smaller and allows for easy editing using software. TIFF is also good for retaining color information. Typical file sizes for TIFF digital photo files are in the 4 to 10 MB range compared to the 30 to 40 MB range for the RAW format.

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Image Types: JPEG & TIFF Files

Digital Photography Primer Workshop

DIY Network's series on Digital Photography aims to present the basics of this craft to the uninitiated as well as beginning digital photographers. The first topic covered in the Intro to Digital Photography episode, the 'Digital Photography Primer,' talks about the basics and the differences between digital and film photography.

Photography, like so many other things in modern life, has gone digital. As a result, a large and growing number of individuals are opting for cameras that make pictures using pixels instead of film.

There are still plenty of traditional photographers out there -- professionals, diehards, artists and purists -- stubbornly holding onto their SLR cameras, 35mm film and darkroom equipment like bulldogs. But for many people, the ease and convenience of digital photography is just too tempting to resist. That's particularly true as the PC, which is helping to integrate digital photography into the mainstream, becomes a standard fixture in typical homes.

In this workshop, professional photographer Rick Sammons discusses some of the advantages, capabilities and special features of digital photography, and provides practical advice for successful use of digital cameras and related accessories. He also covers the role of the computer -- and specialized image software -- for displaying, printing, manipulating and electronically sharing your digital pictures.

Read Full Article - Digital Photography Primer

Making the Jump to Digital SLR Photography

Factors to Consider When Looking for a Digital SLR Camera

by Rajendra Varma

Digital SLR cameras are a must for anyone serious about their digital photography. Although amateur photographers may find all the features of a digital SLR camera overwhelming, for those with more experience in digital photography, making the jump to a digital SLR camera will be natural. Not only do digital SLR cameras offer better quality digital photographs, but the creative flexibility they provide is unmatched by other digital cameras.

A compact digital camera may be much more convenient to carry and produce good digital photographs, it simply cannot match the possibilities offered by a digital SLR camera. The bulkier digital SLR cameras will be harder to carry around, but their size is required to hold the more advanced hardware they carry. Bigger image sensors mean cleaner image data processing.

Interchangeable lens allow a lot more possibilities and better optical quality than a compact digital camera's miniature lens.

Important Digital SLR Camera Features

There are a number of important features to consider before buying a digital SLR camera.

Resolution

Resolution is even less of a problem today in digital SLR cameras than it is in compact digital cameras. The latest digital SLR cameras have upwards of 10 megapixels resolution, which is good enough for extremely large prints. A 10 megapixels digital photograph can be printed into a good quality 20x30 print. Therefore, digital SLR camera resolution is not really a big factor.

Lens

Normally, when you purchase a digital SLR camera, it will come with a starter lens that is a multi-purpose zoom lens covering a wide range of focal lengths from wide angle to telephoto. Although the starter lens, or kit lens, will produce digital photographs, it will not fulfill the digital camera's potential. So if you do take your digital photography seriously enough to purchase a digital SLR camera, then you should also think about purchasing a good lens. Depending on your personal preferences, you could look into wide-angle lenses if you are into landscape photography, or a telephoto lens if you want to take wildlife or sports photography.

Image Stabilization

Modern digital SLR cameras have image stabilization to compensate for camera movement. Image stabilization will be especially important in low-light situations or high-zoom photos. Each digital SLR camera manufacturer have their own solutions to image stabilization.

Shutter Speed and ISO setting

Digital SLR cameras usually have a wider range of shutter speeds and ISO settings available than their compact digital camera counterparts. Nevertheless, there is a variety of digital SLR cameras out there that offer different capabilities, and not all will offer the same settings. If you anticipate shooting very fast actions shots, it is a good idea to look for fast shutter speeds.

Flash

Even though digital SLR cameras will normally have built-in flash, this may not be sufficient if you would like to do night photography or portrait photography, for example. You will want an external flash to achieve optimal lighting conditions for your digital photography.

Burst Mode

Burst mode allow you to shoot multiple shots in a short period of time, and will be important in fast action situations. The better digital SLR cameras will shot upwards of 5 frames per second.

Ergonomics

This includes camera design and appearance, but also ease-of-use in terms of menu settings and digital photo previewing. Button placements and other factors will determine whether you will learn to use the digital SLR camera naturally.

Other factors

The above are just some of the basic features to look at when making the jump to digital photography. Depending on how experienced a digital photographer you are, you may look at other factors such as focusing capabilities, image processing, white balance, and shooting modes.

It is important to understand that the camera is the most important part of your photography, and therefore it is advisable to invest in a good digital SLR camera if you are serious about digital photography and the quality of your photos.

Photography 101: Content in Digital Photography

Even with good techniques and composition, without content digital photography loses its substance. It is important to think of the content when you photograph something.

by Kelly Paal

Even if you feel that you already know what kind of digital photography you like to do, it’s always a good idea to try your talent at different aspects of digital photography.

Pictorial
This is a general term but it applies to any digital photographer who’s goal is simply to create beautiful photos. This breaks down into smaller subsets but the most popular form is landscape and nature digital photography. This is what I do and it’s tempting to go on and on but I will just say that this form of digital photography, to me, is a real art. At least that is goal to create art in photographic form. It is the goal of the digital photographer to use their abilities to capture an image in it’s moment of beauty and simplicity.

Portrait
This can be people and even animals. It also includes wedding photography as well. This is an aspect of digital photography that can be a lot harder than it seems. Not only do you have to know your basic photo composition but you need to understand what makes each person look their best. You must know how to bring out their personality and character in the shot. If you love working with people this may be your field. It’s fun and challenging.

Photojournalism
Now this isn’t just press photography, though that is one aspect of it. It is also documentary photography as well, the latter doesn’t always need an event to occur right in front of you. Either way the purpose is to tell a story. Really good photojournalism shouldn’t need the text below it to tell you what is going on. It should be compelling and storytelling. Composition still plays a part in digital photography, you can’t tell a story if the story can’t be seen. And while these digital photos can be beautiful in their technical aspects they aren’t necessarily beautiful images. The story telling is as important.

Abstract
Probably not as common of a form of digital photography but I’m seeing it more and more. This is usually characterized by extreme close ups of detail of something, so much so that you can’t identify the original subject. But in this case that doesn’t matter since the abstract detail or pattern is the subject of the digital photo. (Color can also be the subject as well.) Basic composition still plays a part, maybe a bigger part in this form of digital photography.


About the Author: Kelly Paal is a freelance nature and landscape photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography. She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

Photography 101: Basic Composition

Basic information about the rules of composition in digital photography. Composition turns digital photography into an art.

by Kelly Paal

Now that you are beginning to understand how your camera works you can begin to understand basic composition in digital photography. I know that many people that I’ve talked to think that digital photography is just pointing your camera and taking a photo but it’s more than that. After you understand how your equipment works you can begin to get into the real art of digital photography and that art is called composition.

Basic Principles

1. Use all of your available space. Fill the image with the image. If the reason that your taking the photo is your daughter’s beautiful face then get closer. If you’re taking an image of the breathtaking valley before you. Fill the frame with the valley. Keep distractions out of the frame. They’re called distractions for a reason.


2. Look at the forms in your image. You almost have to look at the people or the landscape before you in their simplistic geographic forms. A good way to learn form is to practice taking photos of still life objects, that you can arrange into pleasing forms. A good digital photograph is always a beautiful arrangement of form. Whether it’s the beauty of a woman’s face, her features being forms, or a wonderful landscape, trees, rocks, and hills being forms.


3. Line or direction, motion. The direction of the forms in your photos is very important. Never have action or motion moving outside of your digital photograph. It will direct the eye away from your image. Diagonal motion lines are good, curves and “s” curves are better. The last two is probably way landscape photography is so popular nature is full of curves. Also never put a horizon line in the center of your frame.


4. Contrast, the difference between black and white. Now it is possible to have a beautiful photo with little contrast if that is your intention, this works best with color. But a lot of shots, some really beautiful shots have a nice balance of black, white, and grays. This can be manipulated for artistic purpose of course, but in the beginning you want to focus on trying to take digital photographs with equal amounts of black, white, and shades of gray.
   


5. Color, you may have to familiarize yourself with the color wheel. Whether you’re shooting nature or setting up your own shots in a studio you need to know what colors go together and why. Many of us have an instinct as to what looks good. When in doubt follow your instincts. Start out by taking shots of things that you think have pretty or beautiful colors. Show the photos to others and see if they agree. Digital photographers learn not only what they think is beautiful but what is universally beautiful as well.

Now the hard part practice all these principles at the same time. It’s not easy! Now you really know why digital photographers take years to really learn their craft.


About the Author: Kelly Paal is a freelance nature and landscape photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography. She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

Photography 101: Digital Photography Basics

A simplified digital photography course aimed at new photographers out there who want to know where to start.

by Kelly Paal

If you really want to learn digital photography the first thing you need is a good and reliable camera. It must, and I repeat must, be able to shoot in fully manual and fully auto focus modes. To really learn digital photography you must understand the equipment. You’ll need to learn how manipulating the shutter speed, aperture, and focus will have a dramatic effect on your digital photos. Meters, if you have a camera that can work in a fully manual mode it should have an internal meter suitable for what you will be doing. Tripod, you’re going to need one whether it’s portrait work or landscapes you’ll need one eventually to improve your digital photography. Luckily you don’t have to spend a lot here. Just something lightweight and durable. Flash, you can buy a separate camera mounted flash, which is great if you can afford it. Consider what kind of digital photography that you will be doing though. If you’re going to do mostly nature and landscape digital photography, you may only need the fill flash that comes with most cameras today. If you plan on doing portraiture only you will definitely need a camera mounted flash that has an adjustable angle.

Film Speed
ISO setting to be exact. Slower speeds (25 to 400) are intended for portraiture and landscape digital photography. Faster speeds (600 and above) are intended for actions shots and photojournalism. So first you need to know what you going out to digital photograph and make sure that you have the appropriate film for the job.

Shutter Speed
Now that you have the camera loaded with film consider the shutter speed. Do you want to blur motion, or freeze it? If there is no motion at all what shutter speed do you need to expose the scene with natural light. Shutter speed plays a very important role in digital photography. From 1/60th and down to the bulb setting will blur most motion. For example if you want to blur the water in a waterfall, a setting of 1/30th should work. (You’ll need a tripod though.) 1/125th is a normal setting for most shots. On many cameras the 125th setting is marked in a different color to make it obvious. If you want to freeze action you’ll need to start with 1/500th and work up from there. The faster the motion the faster the shutter speed needed to stop motion. Many digital photography cameras go up to 1/2000th of a second. If you’re trying to use natural light alone in a scene you will want to determine the aperture first and then see what shutter speed you need to properly expose the scene for available light. (Keep in mind sometimes there isn’t enough light.)

Aperture
These are the set of numbers on your lens closest to the body of the camera. They can go from 1.8 to 22, and they are also referred to as f-stops in digital photography. These numbers determine how much light reaches the film inside of your camera. Most internal meters will blink on the appropriate aperture for the shutter speed that you’ve set, or the speed you’ve set will blink if your f-stop is correct for the speed. Both the f-stop and shutter speed can be changed to expose the scene correctly in digital photography. Consider that the faster the shutter speed the more light will be needed to expose the scene correctly. This makes logical sense if you think about it. If the shutter isn’t open as long, fast shutter speed, then there is less light able to make it to the film and so the scene must be brighter to expose correctly. To learn, bracket your digital photography shots. Take the first shot at the aperture suggested by your meter, move one stop up, take a photo, one down, take another photo.

Flash
I personally like shooting with natural light whenever possible and at most I use a fill flash in digital photography. But if you’re going to do portrait work then most of the time you may be indoors and you will need a flash sometimes. For the amateur the fill flash units that are on the top of most of today’s cameras are wonderful for basic work. You will have to read your manual on your particular flash unit to learn what it can and can’t do. This is where the camera that is fully manual and fully auto is great for the amateur. You can usually set it so that the camera will meter and set the flash output accordingly and then you still can control the shutter speed and aperture.


About the Author: Kelly Paal is a freelance nature and landscape photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography. She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

Photography 101: The Basics of Metering and Exposure

To understand how cameras capture images, it is important to understand the basics of metering and exposure.

by Jennifer Clarkson

Typically, humans see their world in 16 "f-stops", or measurements of light reflecting off their environment. Digital cameras "see" no more than 5 stops at once. So the more contrast there is in the scene, the more stops of light there are to be seen. This concept means that correct exposure on your digital camera is critical to avoiding under- or over-exposure. To understand how a digital camera measures this light, let's start with the proper definitions of Exposure and Metering.

Exposure
Exposure is the quantity of light allowed to act on a photographic material. It is a product of the intensity, which is controlled by the lens opening (aperture), and the duration (shutter speed) of light striking the film or paper. Your digital camera's ISO setting, your aperture size, and your shutter speed directly impact the exposure of an image.

Metering
Metering is the process of calculating the best exposure from the existing light conditions.

When your digital camera meters a scene, it measures the amount of light in the scene and calculates the best-fit exposure value based on the metering mode (see below for details). All meters are designed to produce midtone results - neither black nor white, neither light nor dark, but somewhere in between. Metering systems are typically calibrated to a value of 18% gray in digital cameras because a typical scene reflects the same amount of light as this gray value. As a result, scenes with high contrast can give the automatic exposure a difficult time.

The metering mode on your digital camera defines which information in the scene is used to calculate the exposure value. Metering modes depend on the digital camera and the brand, but are mostly variations of the following three types:

1. Spot (Partial) Metering
   Spot metering is a method of metering that only uses a small spot in the centre of the composed scene. The size of the spot varies with the brand of digital camera, but typically ranges from 1% to 3.5% of the image area. Partial metering covers about 9.5%. Spot metering allows you to meter the subject in the center of the frame (or on some digital cameras at the selected AF point). This type of metering is useful for brightly backlit, macro, and moon shots. Use this metering method when your scene has significant differences in brightness (e.g. between foreground and background) or for subjects that require precise measurement, such as close-up digital photography.


2. Center-weighted Average Metering
   Center-weighted metering is averaged over the entire scene with emphasis placed on the center area (typically 75% based on lighting conditions at the center and 25% outside). It assumes that you will be composing with the subject in the middle of the frame and most of us know this is not always the case. Center-weighted metering is probably the most common metering method implemented in nearly every digital camera and the default for those digital cameras which don't offer metering mode selection. Most centre weighted systems have greater sensitivity in the bottom half of the frame, which, when used in landscape format, cut down the influence of the bright sky on the exposure. Be careful when using this mode for portrait photography when the camera is turned on its side.


3. Matrix or Evaluative Metering
   Matrix was introduced to the world in 1988 with the Nikon F4. This is probably the most complex metering mode, offering the best exposure in most circumstances. Essentially, the scene is split up into a matrix of 3 to 16 or more, typically 6 metering zones which are evaluated individually, taking into account such factors as the focusing point in use, subject size, position, distance, overall lighting level, front and back lighting and color. The overall exposure is based on an algorithm specific to that digital camera, the details of which are closely guarded by the manufacturer. Often they are based on comparing the measurements to an on-board database of images. Matrix metering uses a microchip that has been exposed to literally thousands of picture-taking situations. As you point the digital camera towards your subject, matrix metering recognizes its light/dark pattern and reads the light accordingly.

If you test your spot meter on various parts of a scene you've composed, you'll no doubt prove to yourself that there is a vast range of light and shadow, but since the film or digital card cannot record more than a five stop range, what difference does it make? You will still end up keeping the same two or three exposures that were created using center-weighted or matrix metering.

Both center-weighted and matrix metering prove accurate in 90% of one's picture taking efforts. That should boost your confidence in choosing them when you realize that nine out of ten pictures will be a correct exposure! In either center-weighted or matrix metering modes, you can aim, meter, compose, and shoot when your subject is frontlit, sidelit or under an overcast sky.


Author: Jennifer Clarkson is a Canadian photographer living in Ottawa. For a more information on exposure, aperture, and depth of field, please visit her website at Jennifer Clarkson Photography

Article source: Articlecat.com

How To Master Digital Photography Basics

by Connie Fillmore

With the advent of digital cameras, the cost of photography has plummeted considerably, with the result that there has been a surge of interest in the field. Greenhorns in this area however, need not fret. Sharpening up on your digital photography skills is easy, provided you have the basics at the tip of your tongues, or is it, at the tip of your lenses!

Mastering the basics of digital photography, first and foremost involves knowing all about pixels and resolutions. These are the parameters that have a direct bearing, and quite a lion's share on the quality of the images being generated. The more the pixel count, the better the resolution or clarity of the picture and the better it turns out when enlarged. So it is obvious that the fastidious photographers prefer robust pixel values. However, with the market flooded with digital cameras of various makes, you can hope for a good bargain. Let us discuss a few basics of digital photography.

Zoom And Tele Lenses
Going digital has also meant that you can click away merrily at anything and everything under the sun. This will only help you get well up on the nitty-gritty of the zoom modes. The Optical Zoom of a camera is worth tinkering with. The "Telephoto" mode makes your subject appear larger while the "Wide Angle" mode is all about cramming a lot of a scene into your picture and hence the elements of the picture appear smaller.

Focusing
 Toying with the controls of your digital camera is a good way of getting a hang about the different picture modes and hence be able to put them to good use. For instance, instead of relying on the instruction manual, see for yourself that the Portrait Mode actually sharpens your subject and de-focuses the background. For those who are not yet comfortable with the exposure, focus and flash parameters can take the help of the Auto Mode in the awkward initial stages.

Lighting
There is no such thing as a photography gene. Good photographers weave magic with their cameras, but this magic is all about getting the lighting and flash issues straightened in their photographs. Shooting in the early morning light is advisable if you want to avoid the harsh glare of the midday sun and in case of night photography, filming during the twilight hours or just as the moon is rising gives you the best results. You should not shoot with the sun directly in front of the lens.

Using the Flash
The flash is quite a lure for the novice photographer but results are not always satisfactory. This is because improper use of the flash function leads to the marring of good photos. In fact, the flash really leads to underexposure, and thus ungainly shadows in night photography. While you are using this feature, inch closer to your subject and thus make sure that all the areas of the picture are equally lighted up.

Shutter Speed
The shutter speed is one area that many newcomers to digital photography is quite oblivious to. But you will be amazed at the dramatic results that mere varying the speeds can bring about. The rule of thumb: fast shutter speeds "freeze" the action, while slow values will result in a blur. Slow shutter speed also let more light enter into the camera, so this is an option worth considering when you need to shoot in low light conditions.

The basics of digital photography are not hard to master. And being well versed in them will help you capture reality in all its essence.

Basic Skills In Digital Photography

by Low Jeremy

Basically, there is not much difference between using a digital camera and a manual camera. In fact, most experts believe that using a digital camera actually spoils the photographer, making everything so easy for him. Still, there are many who remain daunted by the prospects of using a digital camera especially when their training comes mainly from manual photography.

There are a number of skills that one needs to learn before switching to the digital format. Read through and find out some of the things that you need to develop.

Computer Skills
Digital photography involves dealing with computers. In fact, operating the digital camera is like operating a small computer. There are functions that are actually similar to the computer like formatting and delete and a whole lot of other things. You need to be familiar with the functions in order to be able to maximize the digital camera.

In addition, you also need to be really familiar with computer when storing your picture files and adjusting your photos. With this, you need to be able to perform computer tasks such as cutting, pasting, copying, renaming and opening and closing of files and folders.

There are a number of good books that provide tutorials that will enhance computer skills as well as teach you some of the basics in using the computer with regards to photography. Most books in digital photography will for sure contain sections that deal with computers.

Knowledge of Graphic Programs
One can actually adjust photos and create a whole lot of effects with the use of graphic programs such as the industry standard Adobe Photoshop. One can actually change the size of the photo, alter the pixels and even change the format into different file types. One good thing with digital cameras is the fact that one can actually alter the pictures taken before printing it.

With the use of these programs, one can erase flaws, sharpen some features of the photo, blur the background and even transfer one photo with another. If one is really good, you can even create one new photo by cutting different elements in various photos and put them all together.

Working Knowledge of Digital Camera Functions
As mentioned before, working with a digital camera is similar to working with a small computer. In order to maximize the digital camera, you need to master the functions including adjusting the various levels such as the shutter speed, the brightness, the contrast. There are even digital cameras that you can actually use as a manual camera; you just need to learn to adjust the functions.