Of the 12 essential creative options, the first six revolve around the very light you’ll be allowing into your camera that makes up the structure of your image.
The Structure Of Your Image
Your first priority as a photographer is to control, create and manipulate light … after all, that’s what the word photography means, to literally write with light. It’s your responsibility to ensure that light you use is in focus, glare free and illuminates your unique message perfectly. To do this you have tools, three rudimentary in-camera controls and three intrinsic options to be exact. These are the aperture, shutter speed, ISO, flash, fader (variable neutral density filter) and polarizer.
Controls and Options
1. The Aperture gives you control of the depth of field found within the image (the amount of distance that is in focus in your image). It is controlled by the f/number you choose. Aperture size is the first structural decision you’ll make for every photo. It must be precise and cover your target area perfectly. If you mess this up, there is no fixing it later. Your data as well as your image will be corrupted, your subjects will be out of focus and your message hidden behind a wall of blur. The f/number is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. It’s from this setting that every other decision you’ll make is based.
2. The Shutter Speed is the amount of time the sensor is exposed to light. Choosing the correct exposure time setting is paramount. Too slow and and any action in your image (whether coming from your subject or you) will be blurry. Too fast and you’ll be forced to raise your ISO setting in your camera, creating unwanted noise and loss of clarity, color and contrast. It’s imperative that you choose the perfect setting for each and every photo.
3. The ISO is a mathematical formula that, when raised, can make your image appear brighter. It’s your goal as an artist to keep your image as clean as possible. To this end you have to choose this setting carefully, raising it only when you have to. Too low of an ISO setting could render your message too dark to see, too high of a setting could introduce a dangerous amount of digital noise, making your message unclear or completely unreadable.
4. The Flash is the photographers’ best friend. Without a flash you can not create, you can only react and improvise. With a flash however, you are free to visualize whatever you wish and make that dream a reality. You can change the world before you, adjust it to suit your bidding. The flash is the single most powerful tool you, as a writer with light, has. Don’t go another day without one.
5. The Fader (variable neutral density filter) is the only tool that allows a photographer to eliminate light without using any camera settings. It makes it possible to dream the impossible and make it happen totally in camera. The filter is extraordinarily easy to use and it is extremely inexpensive. With it, you’re free to visualize the entirety of motion, to use blur to your advantage, to choose any shutter speed or ISO you wish while not being bullied by your camera’s flash sync speed. With a fader your creative side is free, without it you are limited to what you see.
6. The Polarizer is the single-most important accessory a photographer can own. It is the only tool that eliminates glare. Without a polarizer, your light is dirty and your data corrupted. Its effects can not be duplicated in the computer. You either eliminate glare (which is hiding the most amazing colors you have never seen) or you shoot glare. You have to have one, you have to put it on your lens and you have to start using it now.
With these six options in play, the world is yours. If you can dream it, you can make it happen. These are your primary controls over light, it’s what makes the magic possible. The quicker you learn how these work and start putting them into your daily workflow, the quicker you’ll start making the incredible happen in your camera.
Next: Essential Creative Option #1 – The Aperture
This is post #2 of 16 of In Camera Magic: The 12 Essential Creative Options, a free online photography course for creating spectacular images right in the camera.