Art of a Small Camera First published 2014 Copyright © GS Tyler, 2014 The moral right of the author has been asserted All rights reserved Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. www.flickr.com/photos/teapothill Table of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction Recommended cameras The megapixel myth Chapter 2 Getting Started How does a camera work? Take creative control Photographs versus snaps Narrative Composition Lighting Chapter 3 Farewell Point-and-Shoot The settings for this book Beyond point-and-shoot Chapter 4 Low-light Photography Camera shake Image stabilisation Fire in short controlled bursts Play the numbers game Motion blur Controlling the shutter speed Choosing a shutter speed Maximise what little light you have Low-light troubleshooter Chapter 5 Confusing a Light Meter Black cats and polar bears Bright lights in the background Exposure compensation Chapter 6 What’s Wrong with Full Auto? Your camera is not an artist How does point-and-shoot work? Why is the camera obsessed with using the flash? Chapter 7 Sunlight, Sunsets and Golden Light The first golden hour The noonday sun The second golden hour Sunsets and sunrises The blue hour The sun will always rise Chapter 8 When You're in a Hurry The six-foot rule Creative cropping Bright lights in the background Setting the exposure on the fly Shooting from the hip Impossible shots Chapter 9 Cityscapes at Night Pocket tripods Closing the aperture for sharpness Handheld shots Manual mode Dynamic range Chapter 10 Nightclubs, Parties & Abstracts Study the light Moving lights Posing and groups Chapter 11 Pets and Kids Chapter 12 The Final Frame Appendix Software & post-processing Creation of a digital image Noise reduction Blurring the background Zooming pros and cons Panoramas & image-stitching Smartphone cameras Superzoom cameras The ‘rules’ of composition The pros and cons of larger cameras Chapter 1 Introduction The small camera in your pocket is infinitely better than the professional camera you left at home. If you carry a smartphone or compact camera you are always subconsciously looking for pictures to take – even seasoned professionals use them. So if small cameras are so great why do keen photographers spend thousands on large cameras? There are several reasons, but one of the most important is light sensitivity. Large cameras only need the smallest amount of light to take a quality picture. If you used a small camera to take a photograph of the same scene, the picture would be blurred and grainy with faded, unnatural colours. Most people assume you need a flash in these situations, but flash light tends to be harsh and unflattering; it overpowers the beautiful natural light all around us, and kills the atmosphere. You don’t need a flash if you have a little understanding of light – nor do you need a large camera. Once you understand the role of light in photography it quickly becomes second nature. Photography is about art, light and the optics of the eye – it’s not about computers and electronics. I’m assuming you have no previous knowledge of photography and are more interested in art than technology. I will explain how a camera works from a technical point of view, but will keep it short and to the point. I will show you one or two simple techniques that allow you to take creative control of your camera, but only take a second more than point-and- shoot. But photography isn’t just about the camera, it’s about composition and narrative too. Novice photographers take pictures of people and objects: the experts paint stories with light. There’s no point in travelling light with a small camera, if you have to cart around a heavy tripod. The technique I will show you in this book will free you from the bulky tripod, allowing you to create beautiful handheld pictures, with vibrant colours and minimal grain, with very little light. All the photographs in this book were taken by myself, using a camera small enough to fit in a regular-sized pocket – there’s no cheating. When I started writing this book I set myself a rule: everything has to fit comfortably in one pocket of my jeans. If it doesn’t fit in one pocket, it doesn’t fit in this book. This technique is particularly well suited for a range of photographic subjects, including cityscapes at night: Street photography after dark: Parties and nightclubs: Demonstrations and protests: