How do I design a conceptual lens schematic?

Question

I would like to attempt to create a schematic for a simple or small compound lens, but the process seems very daunting. I have thoroughly read 'Science for the Curious Photographer: An Introduction to the Science of Photography', and fully understand most of the lens concepts and the basis of optics like index of refraction, Snell's Law, etc.

Knowing this, what is the process of designing a lens, and where do I start? If you could provide any resources that would be very helpful.

Asked by Dylansq

Answer

I'd expect that virtually all lens design and analysis these days is done with optical design software like Zemax or Code V. Unfortunately, these products are priced for people and companies that make a (substantial) living working in the field. However, I have come across an optical design tool for Windows called OSLO that offers a free version with reasonable limitations. I've just downloaded it, and it comes with some relatively simple lenses in its library, like a Petzval 50mm f/1.8. It doesn't look like the easiest software to get started with, but there are some users' guides on the download page.

Answered by coneslayer

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What makes this Eggleston picture great?

Question

Being a little provocative here, I actually like the picture, but...

It is just a rusty toy, you can find one like it almost everywhere. OK, the perspective is a bit unusual, but the framaing is not flawless, we can see a bit of a car in the right. Besides that, what else do we have here? If I hadn't seen The Shining the picture would be more pointless to me.

Is it a piece of art just because we know the photographer who made it is an artist? It is quite easy to make a shot that looks alike, while all the real visual art before the 20th century actually required some serious technical skills.

Picture taken from http://www.mobrules.net/?attachment_id=756

BTW: Who came first Kubrick or Eggleston?

Asked by Paolo

Answer

I think the popularity of that image comes from its historical context. Up to then, the most highly regarded photographic work was black and white. Ansel Adams landscapes for example. Eggleston took images of everyday things, and in color. Reminds me of Andy Warhol, whom he seems to have been affiliated with.

He seems to have influenced a lot of other American photographers like Stephen Shore and John Baeder, with their shots of diners, road signs, rusty cars and other ordinary scenes.

This image makes me smile. Maybe the perspective, looking up, not at a mountain, but a tricycle! I don't really think it's about composition. It's possibly thumbing your nose at the art establishment of the time?

Answered by MikeW

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Is there any site with photos of photography masters?

Question

Is there some online collection of really great photos of great photographers, maybe with some comments giving hints on the reason of their greatness?

Asked by Paolo

Answer

If you want well-known masters of photography, then here are two sites.

Profotos has a lot of narrative about the photographers, with links to photographs.

Masters of Photography has a lot of images, but the site is littered with pop-up ads, so may put you off

Answered by MikeW

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I know the basic technical stuff, what now?

Question

I know the basic concepts:

• aperture, shutter speed, iso
• focal length and DOF
• I know what the rule of thirds is
• I have made some little jobs using Photoshop (most of them by intuition).

I want to make more professional-looking photos (most of all I'm interested in landscape and product photos). What should I learn? I was thinking two main topics should be:

• Lighting
• Color correction/enhancement in Photoshop

Any better/further subject I should consider? Is there a good book to step from "amateur" to "enthusiast"?

Asked by Paolo

Answer

Now is the time to take photographs.

There are definitely some books you can read that go beyond the technical basics. I highly recommended Michael Freeman's series The Photographer's Eye, The Photographer's Mind, and The Photographer's Vision.

But it sounds like you're mostly focusing on book learnin'. A book will never make you step up in your photographic skills without the practice to go along with it. It's really easy to read a lot of books and hang out on web sites without putting in the work — but putting in the work is what will produce the results. Malcom Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point, has an interesting theory that it takes roughly 10,000 hours of anything to become an expert. Put in time towards those hours.

As you take photographs, come back and take a look at the results with a critical eye. Think about what worked and what didn't. Choose your best few every month, even when it's hard to narrow things down. That self-critical process is a very effective tool. If you have two similar photographs that you can't choose between, make yourself choose one. Make some actual prints. Show people. (Don't get too hung up on web-forum "critique", though!) A local photography club might be useful, or it might not. The important thing is to make photographs, and to look at them. Don't get caught up in the secondary aspects (although you can do those too — that's basically what this site is).

Then, as you do that, you will come to specific things for which you realize you need to turn to expert advice and historical wisdom. That's when you look in a book, or ask a question here. You'll almost certainly discover that your understanding of even the basic concepts can go to whole new levels.

Answered by mattdm

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Recommended photography magazines

Question

What are some internationally available magazines on photography that you would recommend to a photographer who's mastered the basics and is interested in widening his horizons, in terms of inspiration and technique?
Personally, I'm looking for something that does not focus on post-production or aquiring expensive gear.

Answer

I agree w/Staale, and to add to that, avoid any magazine that devotes an inordinate amount of space to gear reviews and advertising... well maybe keep one gear one around cuz they're fun to read :) But for mags that I actually derive inspiration:

• photo technique: great photography, great tutorials and very informative in both inspiration and actual technique
• Aperture: More of an 'inspiration' entry, its all photographs and artist's discussion on what they're doing and why
• B&W: Similar to Aperture but focusing solely on B&W

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What are good photography projects?

Question

I am currently in the middle of a year long photo a day project, and am beginning to think about what I will do once this is done.

What types of photography projects have you done?

Please keep answers to a single type.

Answer

Do the opposite: A day a photo. You are only allowed to take a single photo each day, so choose wisely. :)

This would not be something for a long running project, but you could try it for a few days, just to get a completely different view on photography.

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What do you recommend as a first step for hands-on learning about flash?

Question

So far, I am enjoying my new Speedlight (Nikon SB-700), but any good results I have gotten have been mostly luck. I'd really like to understand how to use it so that I can make intentional technical decisions (as opposed to relying entirely on accidents and tweaking).

Assuming that I have a decent understanding of ISO / Aperture / Shutter in non-flash photography, what would you recommend as a very first, hands-on step to systematically explore how to use my setup in flash photography?

I am perfectly willing to take 200 consecutive photos of the same object if you think it is instructive to do so.

(As part of the answer, I'm also looking for settings: TTL vs Manual vs Distance Priority? Manual exposure mode vs Aperture- / Shutter-priority? Center-weighted vs spot metering vs matrix? Slow/rear/no curtain sync?)

Answer

Easy. Strobist website Lighting 101

For specifics to Nkon CLS - Nikon CLS Practical Guide

For systematic assessment of ambient vs flash and other things, Neil van Niekerk's books On Camera Flash and Off Camera Flash

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Where can I get good criticism for my photos?

Question

So one way to learn something and to be good at it is to let others evaluate your work and tell you what they liked and what they don't. There are two types of people who can do this: photographers and non-photographers. Photographers will tell you what's wrong and right in your photo from photography perspective, non-photographers will tell you stuff like "wow amazing colors" or "this is so dark" but they won't talk about shutter speed or aperture cause they probably don't know about these stuff. So where can I get good opinions about my photos (especially from photographers). Are there any online fourms ?

Answer

While the technical critique of fellow photographers can be useful, I would rely a lot more on the layman's opinion. Unless, of course, you are shooting test targets.

Most of what we contribute to a photograph is an opinion. Discussing the grammar and spelling can only get you so far; it's the opinion that counts in the end. As long as the technical aspects of your photography (the equivalent of spelling and grammar) are well-enough developed to allow you to express that opinion, then you don't need a bunch of fifth-grade grammar teachers going over your work with a red pen. That will tend to leave you with purely documentary work. You captured an undistorted picture of what was there. Yay! If forensic photography or shopping mall "portraiture" is your goal, then that's not such a bad thing. I guess.

The "correct" exposure, shutter speed/aperture/ISO combination used to get that exposure, lighting ratio and composition are all largely subjective. Getting them textbook-perfect is just a jumping-off point, much like learning how words are spelled and combined to form sentences and paragraphs is a jumping-off point for effective writing. Your subject is just a list of facts. You want to tell a story, and it is your story that is being judged. You may have to commit some informed grammar infractions to make the story more effective; you probably have to bend the truth a little, and sometimes even lie outright.

The problem with relying on photographers' opinions is that, while they can point out obvious technical flaws, they're no better at judging artistic merit than anyone else. In fact, they're often worse — not because they have no aesthetic sense, but because they're looking with a technical eye. That is a bit of an over-generalization. There are photographic communities (like the folks at 1x.com) and individual photographers who can see the big picture first, but in the online enthusiast world you're much more likely to find a community of competitive "experts" who will be looking at histograms, putting composition rule overlays on your image to see if you've exactly followed, say, the "rule of thirds", and looking at your pixels instead of at your picture. And that's great while you're learning spelling and grammar, but once you've gotten the basics down it's a little less than useful.

Laymen might not be able to tell you exactly what you need to change in your process to improve a picture, but they will be able to tell you what they like and don't like. And sometimes it may be the case that what is disturbing them is exactly what you were trying to accomplish. It's that reaction to the story you are trying to tell that matters.

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Where could I find a detailed reference on all composition rules?

Question

I am looking for a good advanced reference about photographic/cinematographic composition rules. I have already checked this post:

Good books to learn photographic composition from?

but it doesn't look to be useful for me. What I am looking for is a book that describes in details the following rules: Rule of Thirds, Diagonal Dominance, Visual Balance, Depth of Field, and the like.

I already have a book about composition, Picture Composition for Film and Television, by Peter Ward, but it isn't very useful. For example, he defines the rules this way:

"The rule of thirds proposes that a useful starting point for any compositional grouping is to place the main subject of interest on any one of the four intersections made by two equally spaced horizontal and vertical lines."

Obviously, this definition is a simplified one, because the rule of thirds also propose, for example, that prominent lines in the image should be parallel to the horizontal/vertical lines.

Briefly, I want a book that contains every composition rule I can think of :-)

Any suggestions?

Answer

Have a look at "The Photographer's Eye". I found it superb and contains all the rules you can think of.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Photographers-Eye-Composition-Design-Digital/dp/1905814046/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1292253318&sr=1-1

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Is buying a camera and trying things yourself the best way to learn?

Question

I love photos and every thing related to them. I want to begin in this field as a hobby, then become a professional in time. Some people have advised me that the best way to learn photography is to "buy a camera and try to take photos and learn from your errors".

Is this good advice, and if so, what is the camera suited my case?

Answer

It depends on your discipline and self-criticism. If you can truly see the fault in your own work, then yes that is a great way to start.

What goes hand-in-hand with this is going to look at photos that you find awesome (books, galleries, museums, even online gallery of famous photographers). This gives you a baseline to know what is possible and lets you work out why you prefer their photographs to yours.

Then, shoot a lot and criticize and compare your work to your own previous and that of those you admire. Repeat until you are no longer advancing. After that you will need something else to break your learning plateau: photography books, courses, seminars, etc. Depending on the style of photography you seek, photo tours are an excellent way to learn.

As for the camera. You can start with anything with full manual controls but it helps greatly if you get a more advanced model so that those controls are more efficient. You can always upgrade later but if you buy into a system right away, it gets harder to switch. On the compact side you can do a lot with a Canon Powershot S95 for about $350.

Honestly, most people who come to my photography classes having a bought a camera already quickly learn they do not have what is best one for them once they learn about photography and what each type of camera and lens is ideal for. So, I personally recommend to learn as much as possible before jumping into a big investment. Technology will improve in the meantime.

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What resources would help me when I'm getting back into photography?

Question

The last time I did photography I was in high school, shooting black and white photos on film with an old, fully manual Nikkormat, and developing and enlarging them by hand.

The world of photography has changed a bit since then (even then, it was pretty retro to have a fully manual camera). I'd like to get back into it, but I'm not sure where to start. Are there any good resources for learning about modern digital photography, helping pick a camera, and learning about the basics of composition, light, color, post-processing, and the like?

Some particular areas I'm interested in are scenic photography, urban and architectural photography, outdoor action photography, and nighttime photography, in case that helps focus the answers (though I realize that is a rather broad set of interests).

Answer

First off, throw away all the advice about what make of camera to buy, photography is a creative act, not a tribal loyalty..
The plain and simple truth is that great photographs are made with all major makes of camera. What matters is to find a camera that fits you, ergonomically and emotionally (and financially). You can only do that by trying out a camera in your hand. So go and haunt your local camera dealers.

Then join a camera club. You will find that their competitions, exhibitions and social activities are an enormous source of stimulus and encouragement. There you will learn that photography is a creative act, that the camera club recognises and rewards creativity, not the brand of camera you carry.

Buy some books about creative photography. Here are some ideas:
Photography and the Art of Seeing by Freeman Patterson
The Photograper's Eye, Design and Composition by Michael Freeman
Learning to See Creatively by Bryan Peterson

You will need some software tools to perform three basic tasks
1) Capture/transfer your photos (usually comes with your camera)
2) enhance and manipulate your photos (Photoshop, Gimp etc)
4) organise your photo collection (Picasa is a low cost way of doing this)

Your photo collection will grow quickly and then you will need to think carefully about storage space and backup procedures.

Photographs must of course be seen so it is worth investing in the very best screen that you can afford.

Finally your good photos should be exhibited, at the very least in your home. That means printing. But you can delay the decision about printing equipment since there are so many reasonably priced printing shops.

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Is an SLR camera a must when learning?

Question

I'm starting to learn how to shoot. Up until now I've only used point-and-shoot cameras mostly on automatic settings. My view is there are basically three classes of cameras sold by the major manufacturers:

1. Point-and-shoot: for those who want nothing to do with photography
2. Advanced: (Canon's G series, or Panasonic's LX) - some settings, but not complete flexibility
3. SLR: The "real deal"

My question is, if I want to learn how to shoot good photographs, can I start with a camera from the 2nd category, instead of an SLR? There are still options for manually setting the ISO, aperture and shutter speed on those models, I just don't understand how lacking they are and if they would hinder my learning.

Answer

An SLR is not a requirement. In fact, a high end point and shoot in not even required, but either will make the process easier.

The PowerShot SX20 IS, or the PowerShot G11 are two extremely good point and shoot cameras, and both have a majority of the features included in a entry level DSLR.

The main features that a high end point and shoot will miss are larger sensors and interchangeable lenses:

• interchangeable lenses - The possibilities that arise with the ability to change your lens are nearly endless. In fact, once you move to a SLR, the lenses are more important than the body. (Keep in mind that non-SLR cameras are now available with the ability to switch lenses, such as micro-four-thirds models)
• larger sensor - The camera sensor in a point and shoot is much smaller, which limits the size of the individual pixels, decreasing the color saturation and increasing noise. The size differences can be seen in the image below. A point and shoot sensor is generally in the 1/2.5 - 1/1.6 range.

Besides that, as long as you have the ability to use some manual features, you should be able to learn a lot, and the camera will be far less limiting that a lower end point and shoot.

In particular, you want a camera that has the P (Program), Av (Aperture Priority), Tv (Shutter Priority), and M (Manual) "Shooting Modes". These are the modes where you can really control the exposure.

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What can a photographer learn from art history?

Question

I normally wouldn't consider this a question of photography, except for the fact that several answers on this question made note that art history was something important to the education they received in art school.

What are important principles for a photographer taught through art history and what are resources (they need not be free or online) that I can learn them from (apart from art school - which will never happen for this working father)?

Answer

Having an art school background means that I've had to sit through any number (dozens, probably) of Art History classes... Some of the big 'principles' that come out of art history include:

• A strong sense of that which has come before. So many photographers approach photography in a vacuum... Having no idea (and often not caring) that art is built on the shoulders of who came before. Knowing something about Art History makes it possible to speak to whether a work is derivative (a capital insult in the art world), or homage (often a complement to both the person giving and getting the homage).
• Beginning photographers (especially ones who've only been photographers in the 'digital era') often rely on luck, volume (quantity of shots taken), and post-production corrections in order to get good photographs. An Art History education really trains the mind to be deliberate in all aspects of photography (lighting, subject, background, DoF, etc.) This is because spending a lot of time looking at the different ways others handle those same problems heightens awareness of them in the work you're doing, and having a library of techniques to draw on to emulate will often strengthen the work.
• Reoccurring patterns and motifs are illuminated. To watch how (for example) art's portrayal of the devil over the course of 500 years has evolved can inform my own work. Maybe a less extreme example... It is possible to see something like 'short lighting' being invented by observing painters draw inspiration from one another over the course of centuries.
• All of the above which leads to the 'big' principles of art history... A strong history of R&D in the art world- Rip off and Duplicate. Art evolves as the result of artists building liberally on other artists work over time, and there's no reason that Photography shouldn't draw from that well too.

In terms of resources:

• Crash on the floor in the Art section at a local 'big box' book store and leaf through all the big glossy books (and maybe you thought computer related books were expensive... I only manage to find $100+ books in the art section! I never buy, just look).
• The library can also great for looking at art. They also are less likely to frown at you if you spend hours looking but don't buy anything. :-)
• Paradoxically I often find the internet to be a hindrance to actually studying pieces of art... But that just may be me. I tend to find that most of time the pictures on the internet are too small to really get much out of... On the other hand, its never been easier to read the written histories of great (and more obscure) artists, which can really add depth to the works as you view them.
• Finally, there's absolutely nothing like actually viewing paintings (or photographs, for that matter) 'in person.' Visit a museum. Visit a gallery. Visit lots of 'em. If you're lucky enough to live somewhere that gets traveling exhibits that come to town, go see them, or go on vacation somewhere that has a reputation for great art.

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What are good online or DVD tutorials for my new DSLR?

Question

I recently purchased Nikon D7000 and would like to learn how to use it properly and want to learn photography using it. Can anyone suggest good online tutorials which I can look at or any DVDs which I can purchase?

Answer

Try out this website from Nikon. It contains an interactive digital tutorial on how to use the D7000. It should be helpful in learning about your new camera.

Nikon D7000 Digital Tutorial

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What are good online or DVD tutorials for my new Nikon D7000?

Question

I recently purchased Nikon D7000 and would like to learn how to use it properly and want to learn photography using it. Can anyone suggest good online tutorials which I can look at or any DVDs which I can purchase?

Answer

Try out this website from Nikon. It contains an interactive digital tutorial on how to use the D7000. It should be helpful in learning about your new camera.

Nikon D7000 Digital Tutorial

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What is an easy way to remember the full stop scale?

Question

If you were teaching someone new to photography the full stop scales, is there a better way then flat out memorizing these values? Does anyone have an easy way that they remember the scale? Would it make more sense as a type of mathematical equation without getting overly complex?

Aperture Full Stops:

1, 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32, 45, 64

Shutter Full Stops:

1/1000s, 1/500s, 1/250s, 1/125s, 1/60s, 1/30s, 1/15s, 1/8s, 1/4s, 1/2s, 1s

Obviously the shutter stop scale is very easy to remember, but how can I use the square root to determine the aperture easily in my head?

Answer

F-stops deal with doubling/halving the amount of light hitting the sensor. Everything revolves around twos.

With the shutter speed, it's easy to understand, as you say. Every shutter f-stop is (roughly) half/double the amount of time as the previous one. Personally, I don't even bother paying attention to the numerator ("1/") part of the shutter speed; I've drilled it into my head that bigger denominator = faster = less light = darker exposure.

Note that shutter speeds aren't exactly doubles/halves. I think that this is just because manufacturers think people like to see "round" numbers. At the fast end, that means 1000, 500, 250. At the slow end, you need more accuracy, so you have true halving of speed (1, 2, 4, 8). Then, they have to make the numbers meet in the middle, so they start to fudge the numbers a bit (15 is almost 8 * 2, 125 is almost 60 * 2). (I'm a programmer, so personally, I'm fine with seeing a shutter speed of 1/1024s :-) )

Aperture is a bit trickier. Double the light means doubling the area of the aperture, which is where the squares/roots come into play (Area of a circle = pi * r^2). That's a pain to mentally calculate, but there is an easier trick to consider: every two stops represents a doubling (or halving) of the aperture's f-number:

1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64.

If you know those, then you can guesstimate the in-between stops by calculating slightly less than half of the average of the surrounding f-stops:

1.5 -> 1.4, 3 -> 2.8, 6 -> 5.6, 12 -> 11, 24 -> 22, 48 -> 45.

As with shutter speed, bigger number = smaller aperture = less light = darker exposure.

Something similar happens with ISO. Each doubling of the ISO value represents a stop, which you can trade off (with consequences) with stops of shutter and aperture. Note that this transition is reversed though: bigger number = more sensitive = more light = brighter exposure. The common ISOs are:

50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800

And just to be complete, there's another similar scale with flash power:

1 (Full power), 1/2 power, 1/4 power, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, 1/64, 1/128

This is very much like shutter: bigger denominators (forget the numerators) = less power = less light = darker exposure. (Note that true powers of two is fine here).

Honestly though, I don't bother with any of these mnemonics myself. I usually do "three clicks of my control wheels on my camera" when I want to go up/down one stop. (My camera, and many others, set one click of the control wheel to be 1/3 of a stop.) The absolute numbers aren't usually as important as the amount of change relative to "where you are now".

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What blogs should I be following if I am learning photography?

Question

I am beginner and looking for sites/blogs.

Answer

I love Digital Photography School. It has a variety of tips and interviews and challenges. Beginners and pros alike should check it out.

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