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I have mentioned SLR cameras a few times on this site. I have received a few emails asking what “SLR” means and what the difference is from a regular point and shoot camera.

SLR stands for “single-lens reflex.” This means that when you look thru the eyepiece of the camera, you are seeing the exact same thing that the lens will “see” when it captures the picture. This is usually done using an angled mirror in the camera body. When you press the shutter on the camera, this mirror moves, revealing the film or sensor to capture the image.

The opposite of the SLR camera is the point and shoot camera. With these cameras, you are basically seeing a video of what the lens sees. When you press the shutter button, you are basically taking a freeze frame from that film.

SLR cameras offer a lot of opportunity for photographers but there are also some cons.

Pros

• SLR cameras give you the ability to change lens for different kinds of shots. You can have one for portraits, close-up photography, zooms, etc.
• There is almost no lag when taking a picture. This is one of the best features. You press the button, and the image is taken. No more trying to time the shot just right.
• Startup is very, very fast.
• There are so many settings and options to change for creativity.
• Photos taken with a SLR are usually very crisp and clear.

Cons

• SLR cameras are usually more expensive. (Although they are much more affordable in the last few years.)
• They are usually bigger than point and shoot cameras. If you have a huge zoom lens, they are much larger.

Overall, SLR cameras are incredible to use. If you want to be serious about photography, an SLR camera is the only way to go. In fact, the strange thing about an SLR camera is once you have one, photography is so much more interesting and enjoyable.

I recently made an Amazon.com list titled Getting Started With An SLR Camera. Yes, buying the items from the list will give a cut to FMP, but the reason I made it was so many people were asking what I recommend. This was the easiest way to do it. If you can find a cheaper (reliable) price elsewhere, go for it. I own and use all of the items on the list and I feel they are the best recommendations for someone who wants to dip their foot into creative photography. If you have any recommendations to add to the list, please feel free to leave a comment about it.

Tell me if this sounds familiar. You are going to take a photo of your family so everyone lines up facing the sun and you snap the shot. Everyone has shadows under their eyes and mom hates the way tht her wrinkles look. Is that about right?

When people start taking portraits, a common mistake is to assume that you don’t need the flash while taking photos on a sunny day. This is false. In fact, famed photographer Derrick Story offers, “that the one killer tip that will inprove your pictures more than any other is to turn on your flash for outdoor portrais.”

The reason is simple. Regular outdoor light is hard to control. If is it shining across the face, the texture and bumps will show. If it is straight on the subject, the shoadows will be strong.

So, what to do? Mr Story suggests that you “finda comfortable spot for (the subject) to stand in the open shade…with a complimentary background.” Next, you’ll want to turn on your flash. Now, as you take the shot, the subject will be lit with the flash. This light will come from their front so the light smooths over texture and blemishes. However, your camera will still recognize the bright background. This is called “Fill Flash.” It “fills in” the shadows and angles.

There are some things to consider:

• The flash will drain your battery faster. Be sure to have a backup.
• Stay close to your subject. Most flash only travels about eight feet. External flashes will travel further.
• Changing your ISO to 200 will let give you a little more room to play with the flash.

Below is a picture I took at my sister’s wedding. It was in Las Vegas in the middle of the Summer so it was hot, bright, and everyone was sweaty. Using the fill flash really brought out the vibrant colors of the flowers and softened the shadows from the strong sun.

The “exposure” refers to the amount of light that reaches the image sensor. This amount of light is controlled by:

1. Aperture- The aperture determines how big the opening is for the light to pass thru. Aperture is expressed in f-numbers. (e.g f/8 or f/5.6)
2. Shutter Speed- The shutter speed determines how long the light will be allowed to reach the image sensor.

Hopefully you’ll be able to get just the right exposure for your images. If you use the automatic modes on your camera, it will usually do a pretty good job in selecting the aperture and shutter speed for your shot to be properly exposed. However, if you like to try your hand at the manual settings, you may see that your photo is overexposed or underexposed.

• Underexposed- Not enough light to expose the image properly. You’ll see that your image is too dark.
• Overexposed- Too much light was allowed to reach your image sensor. Often, the brightest areas will be burnt out and you won’t have detail in those areas.

If you are wondering how to expose an image, I would take my chances with underexposing the photo. Usually, an underexposure will allow you to use a photo editing program to pull some detail out.

Of course, to be really safe you’d want to use a technique called Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB). With AEB turned on, you can take one picture at normal exposure, one picture at an increased exposure and one at a decreased exposure. Most SLR cameras have a setting that makes it easy to set up AEB.

Depth of field is the area of acceptable sharpness in a photo both in front of and behind the plane of focus.

A Shallow depth of focus (dof) is a picture where the subject is in sharp focus and the backgroun and/or the forground is soft or blurred. This best for portraits as it helps the viewer focus on the person. You’ll also see this in macro shots like flowers and bugs.

An extensive depth of field will be found in an image with a reasonably sharp focus from front to back. This is best for landscapes so you can see everything. Also, you’ll be sure to have an extensive depth of field when taking pictures of large groups. You wouldn’t want your darling niece blurry in the back row while your Uncle Frank is clear as can be in the front row.

There are three main things that determine your depth of field:

1. Aperture: When you use a narrow aperture, such as f/8 or f/11, you will see an extensive depth of field. Reversely, a wide aperture (f/4 or f/5.6 for example) will give you a shallow depth of field. We’ll talk more about aperture is a later “FMP Defines” post.




2. Camera To Subject Distance: The further you are from your subject, the larger the depth of field will be.




3. Focal Length: Focal length is determined be how much of a scene your lens can “see”. For instance, a wide-angle lens may have a 110 degree angle of view. This would result in seeing more of the picture and in turn would provide a greater depth of field. A shorter length, or being zoomed in on a subject will lessen the depth of field.