“To me, photography is an art of observation... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.”

Since we are done covering photography basics of composition as well as some pointers, we’ll now look into some of the technical terms of the camera and how to control them for a better result.

Switch your camera to the manual mode and start experimenting. By taking photos of the same area, environment or object with multiple changes in settings you can get a fair understanding of how each affects your photography.

First, here are some of the technical terms you will be required to play with on manual mode.

-Aperture

-Shutter speed

-ISO

Aperture value is how far you want your lens to open up. The wider the aperture is, the more light travels inside your lens. However, you might get confused over your aperture values on the camera. The smaller the aperture value appears on your camera, the wider your aperture is open. Portraits mainly use a fully open aperture (smaller value on the camera) as it take the background settings out of focus and emphases on the face in front. Landscapes call for a smaller aperture (higher value on the camera), as it sharpens the background details, too.

Shutter speed is the time limit for which you allow the light to enter the aperture. If you opt for slower shutter speed with a hand held camera, then your pictures may come out blurry because of the hand shake. Use a tripod for slower shutter speeds. Slower shutter speed mostly go with smaller apertures as it increases the time for the light from a small aperture to enter.

ISO is your camera’s light sensitivity. You might need to alter that with any change in the surrounding light. In sharp sunlight, your ISO values may vary from 100-200. Filtered light calls for slightly higher ISO values approximately 400-800. While indoors your ISO values can go up to 3000. Extremely high ISO values can also cause your pictures to become grainy.

It should be noted that these are the settings that worked for me, in my experimentation methods, and they may vary for someone else. But only experimentation can get you your set of values as well as strengthen your hold on your camera.

-Momina.

"It's funny how the beauty of art has so much more to do with the frame than the artwork itself.”

“Whatever’s a right frame for a picture? Get it all in. Let them see the beauty I am surrounded with.”

And hence, we lay eyes on a picture that is crammed with an overwhelming amount of scenic natural beauty and unsightly elements. And that is exactly why you have a frame. A frame for capturing glorious landscapes. Frames for capturing portraits, street life. Everything and anything, basically.

Frames, when used rightfully, create the right emphasis and strengthen your composition. A beautifully put frame, which eradicates background noise and clutter can make even the most tedious objects look interesting. Of course there are other factors that contribute, but framing is one of the most essential one.

The most basic principle about setting a frame is taking your time. As mentioned in previous posts, it’s important to look around and choose the right setting, to feel what you want your observer to feel. Random clicks only rarely give you a good picture. There’s thought behind images, just like everything else.

Declutter your surroundings. Do you really want that bathroom sink to flaunt itself in the background of your picture? Or the trashcan? Give you background some thought. Clutter distracts the eye and makes the picture slightly unsettling.

The rule of thirds. Let’s try and stop putting the setting sun in the center of every picture. Move. It could make an equally good composition if it’s slightly to the left or the right. But then again, some things ought to be centralized too, but not the setting or rising sun. Not always. 

Similarly, try playing with the horizon line. Sit, crouch, and lie down. You never know how perfect a picture could be unless and until you allow yourself the leisure to switch angles and be bold. How long can we survive as an artist if we are too conscious about the dust on our denims or our wet boots? 

Sometimes you have to go closer, fill the frame and be a little mysterious about your objects. Keep the viewer guessing! Portraits, especially, that fill the frame are better, it’s almost like a conversation then, between the observer and the subject. Also, if you are trying to capture the pretty flowers you ought to walk a bit closer. Don’t wait for a better lens, walk closer.

Let's see if by putting these few pointers to mind we can improve our photography whether we use a costly camera or a mere phone camera,can we engage the viewer?