APOGEE PHOTO MAGAZINE: Know Your Camera by Noella Ballenger

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Know Your Camera: The Next Step

By now you should be getting more familiar with your camera and how the various controls and functions work. If you are using your camera for occasional family or vacation pictures, you will probably be happy leaving it on automatic and concentrating on the subjects. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that … in fact learning to put family and friends at ease in front of a camera is an art in itself. However, if you want to go forward in your understanding and utilize many of the special functions of the camera in a more artistic way, then you need to ask yourself one very important question. That question is: “What if …?”

In the late spring of 2001, my book, “Nature by Design” will be available through my website (http://www.noellaballenger.com). This book has been specifically designed as a workbook of creative ideas to improve your photography. I would like to share a portion of one chapter in the book that addresses setting up experiments to help you discover and learn more about photography and implementing your own ideas. By retaining that beautiful curiosity and wonder of a young child exploring their New World, you will find the way to express your finest creative self.

To begin, we need to always ask ourselves, What if … ? What if I tried it this way? Or, what if I tried it that way? What if I changed the “rules” and experimented by moving this or adjusting that? Just asking the question isn’t enough however. You need to set up some experiments to try to answer the “what if” question in such a way that you learn what to do … or what not to do.

So, how do we set up an experiment? Let me turn to my book and show you how I do it.

In photography you learn best by doing. To understand basic as well as advanced concepts, it is important that you experiment for yourself. In working with the camera, it is essential that you ask yourself the necessary questions and then systematically work out the answer. This book will help you set up experiments, but the journey to find the answers allows you to develop your intuitive senses and tap into the very essence of your creative spirit. You definitely don’t want to miss this trip!

To make this process more meaningful, I am going to use an exercise you will be doing very soon. In subsequent chapters, I discuss depth of field and exposure. I use this subject area only as an example for now to show you how to set up an experiment. You need to begin to think about setting up your own experiments so you can learn rapidly for yourself.

	In this series of experiments we have pinned cards along a deck railing. The rails are equidistance apart (roughly 6 inches). Focus was set to the 4 of spades and left for all shots. This shot is at f/16. Note that all of the card are in focus.
	This exposure was shot at f/8.Now only the 3, 4, 5, and 6 cards are now in focus.
	This exposure was shot at f/3.5. Now only the 4 of spades is in focus. All of these images were shot with a 50mm lens. Experiment to see how different lenses record the same scene.

A good location for learning about depth of field is a fence. I want to stand at an angle to the fence so that I can use it as a distance marker.

A. How much of my photograph will be in focus when I use the aperture setting of f/4 and how much when I use f/16?

B. Will the lens I use make any difference to what is in focus at f/4 or at f/16?

The first lens I will use will be a telephoto 300mm lens. Then I will use a “normal” (50mm) lens and my wide-angle (20mm) lens.

I select one spot on the fence and mark it with a playing card.. I focus on the playing card, check my exposure using the largest opening (f/4) on the lens and I choose the shutter speed to get the proper exposure.

I took frame one and I took notes. My notes contain information about what I was doing as well as what I was trying to do.

8. Change the settings, take a photograph and take notes.
My next shot, changing the F-stop and the shutter speed (to keep the exposure balanced) will be at f/5.6. Then I continue the experiment using f/8, f/11 and f/16. I will take notes.

9. Change lenses.
I will change my lens from a telephoto (300mm) to a “normal” (50mm) lens to a wide-angle (20mm) lens and repeat the exercise as I use each lens I own.

10. Redo the experiment and take notes.
I redo the experiment using all possible F-stops (and balancing the exposure) but not changing the focus or the distance to the ribbon.

11. Continue until you have finished the experiment.
I continue the experiment using all of my lenses from wide-angle to telephoto.

12. Process the film and transcribe your notes on the back of the print.
The film is processed and the notes are transcribed.

I learned that the F-stop as well as the focal length of the lens affect depth of field. I learned that when photographing with a large opening (f/4) the size of the area of what is in focus (the foreground to background width of the depth of field) is less than with a small opening (f/22). Also, when using a telephoto lens, the effect of the change in F-stop is more noticeable than with a wide-angle lens. I will create my own personal photo textbook with this information and my photographs.

14. Repeat the procedure as often as necessary with any concept you are learning.
This experiment wasn’t so difficult to do. I can do it with other concepts too. I just need to define the questions and to answer them by working the experiment systematically. I can do it!

Now that you have seen an example of a learning exercise, set up a format of your own that will help you do the exercises in this workbook. Remember you will learn and remember more by defining, developing and working through the questions on your own. By setting up your own examples and coming to your own conclusions your personal notebook will become a source of information, reminders and more questions to be answered. It is an on going project.”