Genie in the Camera

There is a micro processor in my Camera.

Yes indeed there is one. But there is also one in my washing machine too!

The chip in the camera is equipped with burnt in data and commands for the camera. Just imagine the chip as a half naked genie (think Barbara Eden in ‘I dream of Jeannie’). The Canon Eos 40D uses the Digic III image processor.

When the camera is set to automatic mode, the many eyes and hands genie will in a nano second;

• assess the quality of the lights entering,
• reach out to open the aperture to the correct size,
• adjust the lens barrel to get the sharpest focus,
• hold the shutter just long enough for the correct amount of light to hit the sensor,
• mind the white balance so that the white is white, not blue or yellow
• And not to forget to form the image of your subject in the sensor.

But photography is more than just a record of things or person at that specified time. Sooner or later I wish to exercise my creativity. And also to produce something attractive. Bit by bit I would like to take over some of the controls so that there is kind of input. After all I want to be known as the person who takes the picture, not just the camera.

Things you should know.

It goes without saying that we want nice and decent looking pictures. If you are reading this article you probably not getting what you want (no pun intended), you want to improve your skills or you have nothing better to read. Unless you intend to spend the rest of your life using the automatic mode in your camera then read on. (I am in caustic mode today owing to toothache. I just found out that the treatments I need will cost me RM2,300. Now I do not know which is more painful).

For a start these are the things that you must know when using a DSLR.

1. You cannot see your subject by looking at the back led screen. You have to look through the viewfinder. Don’t laugh. It happened to me and it was embarrassing.

2. Lens comes with a cover. Remember to remove cover before shooting. Always put cover into your pocket. If not you will be buying it for a long time.

3. Unless you have fully charged extra batteries on hand, then do not treat the led screen as a cinema. You will regret it when some fantastic photo opportunity comes along just when the camera runs out of battery from you showing the last 200 shots for the twentieth times.

4. Remember memory card have finite storage space. Unlike our brain, we have to transfers the data to some other source so that we can store new ones.

5. Always make sure your battery has juice (power). Better still invest in an extra battery. There are still places on this earth where you cannot charge your batteries. There is nothing more frustrating to know that you have a camera but no power! It is like a limp ****!

Miu Miu's thoughts.

If you have been following this blog, the chances are that you own a DSLR camera and are new in photography. I have been in this position before and I know the problems too. In fact I am still learning. In most cases people find the manual too technical and boring to read. But it is a place to know the bits and pieces of your camera. Articles in the internet are either too difficult or inadequate. I hope my writing is a bridge between the two extremes.

Most people buy a PnS (point and shoot) camera for easy usage. Some of the higher ends PnS in the market are now equivalent to a good basic entry level DSLR. It is a shame most user will only use the automatic mode. So if you are going to use the auto mode exclusively in your DSLR, then I suggest you buy a PnS. For a start it is cheaper, lighter and less bulky.

Buying a DSLR does not just end there. As your interest and skills grow you will start to acquire bags, tripods, filters, batteries, external flash, memory cards and etc. Very easily we get sucked into the belief that if we get a better piece of equipment, our photograph will be better.

1 Read up on photography as much as possible. You will learn something new.

2 Remember the best camera in the world is the one you are holding. So get to know the in and out of it.

3 The camera is just equipment. You are the person that takes the picture. So the more you shoot the better you become.

4 Get a mentor, someone with experience who can guide you.

5 Learn to use a good photo editing software. Remember all cameras have limitations. The software will help you overcome some of these.

6 Enjoy photography. It gives you pleasure. Winning prizes and awards are just recognitions. Do not let them cloud your objective i.e. the enjoyment.

My Thoughts

Why do I take phototgraphs?

• I enjoy it and it gives me pleasure.
• Make beautiful and interesting picture no matter what subject.
• Practice my photographic skills so that I may improve
• Because I am good at it and I want people to enjoy it too.

What do I expect from my viewer?

• Intelligent and critical comments. 
• An emotional respond.
• Undivided attention when looking at my pictures.

The Camera and Eye.

Some knowledge of the eye will give a better understanding of the camera.

The Eye.

• Basically the human eye is an orb with a dark interior. To enable the eye to see, reflected lights must enter the eye. At the back of the eye is the Retina. The Retina is light sensitive and contains different types of cells.  One type of cells can distinguish shapes and another colours.  The shapes and colours make an image which is then transferred from the Retina to the brain via the optic nerves. This make you 'SEE'.

• Lights enter the eye through an opening, the Cornea. Behind the Cornea there is a transparent lens. The ancillary muscles around the lens flex and relax changing the lens shape causing the focal length to vary.  Different focal lengths bring different objects in different distance into focus.  This way you see every object clearly whether they are near or far.

• In between the Cornea and the lens there is a circular flap with a round opening in the center. The flap is the Iris and the opening, the Pupil. The Iris is the coloured part of your eye. This is the reason why you have brown eyes and your Mat Salleh (Westerners) friends are blue. The Pupil  always look black because it shows the dark interior. The Pupil reacts instantly to lights. When the outside is very bright, the Iris opens up and this make the Pupil (the hole) very small preventing light from entering. So when it is dark outside, the Iris will close,  the Pupil dilates to allow more lights to enter.

The Camera

1. The camera is an electro-mechanical device that imitates the human eye.

2. The camera has a black chamber.  The dark interior prevents admitted lights from escaping.

2. The camera lens mount (the hole in the front of the camera) is the Cornea of the eye. This is where directed lights enter the camera. If you use a DSLR, (digital single-lens reflex) the lens mount are made in such a way that it can only receive proprietary lenses.  In other words the camera and the lens mount must be compatible in order to connect.   This opening is a very sensitive part of the camera.  It houses the electrical connections between the camera body and the lens. The connections are usually plated in gold. You can see them as little golden dots located on the rim of the mount. The corresponding connectors are located at the back of your lens. Once properly connected, the camera is able to send electrical impulses telling  the lens what to do.e.g. shorten or lengthen the barrel (focusing).

3. Unlike the human eye, the camera lens is located in front of the Cornea (lens mount). The lens is actually a collection of optical glasses housed in a cylindrical barrel. The lens barrel is usually inscribed with the focal length (mm) of the lens e.g. 50mm or 18-55mm. Do not worry about these numbers.  Explanation later.

4. At the back of the lens there is a series of blades that form a diaphragm. This is equivalent to the Iris in the human eye.  The diaphragm size control the size of the hole formed in the center.  This hole is the same as the Pupil in the human eye.  In Photography this hole is the Aperture.  The aperture setting is based on a standard. (more of the Aperture later).

5. The sensor (Retina) of the camera is located inside and back of the camera. Like the retina it captures external reflected lights and then formed the image before storing it in the memory card. Different camera models and brands use different type (proprietory) of sensors e.g CMOS (Canon),   Of course it goes without saying the more expensive camera utilises a bigger and better sensor.

6. There is an additional mechanism in a camera called the Shutter.   It functions exactly like the window  shutter slates.  In a camera the slates are place closed and in front of the sensor.  When you clicked on the shutter release button  to take a picture, the slates open allowing the reflected lights to reach the sensor.  In a camera you can control how long the shutter remains open.  This is the shutter speed and it is noted in seconds or a fraction of it (sec) e.g. 1/30, 1/60 etc.

Another important component in a digital camera is the microprocessor.  The Canon 40D utilises the DIGIC III image processor (more of this later).  Now that you have some insight into the camera you will appreciate it as a marvelous piece of technology!

The Four Noble Truths.

Do you know the four noble truths in photography?

1. A camera can only take a picture when there is light. Light must fall on the object, which is then reflected into the camera so that 'image of the object' is ‘seen’ by the camera. When light enters a camera we call it 'an exposure'. So no light means no picture.

2. Too much light reflected from the object will result in a 'too bright' picture. Such picture has many bright and white patches when printed. Such picture has many missing details. This make bad picture. In photography we call this 'overexposed'. So too much light makes bad picture.

3. Likewise too little light makes very dark picture. Such picture when printed has many dark and black patches. Like overexposed picture, this picture also has many missing details. We called this 'underexposed'. So too little light makes bad picture too.

4. Therefore a good photograph must have the correct amount of light entering the camera.

And every photographer will tell you their own version of what constitute a good exposure.

On the other side of the coin.

Sometimes a photographer will deliberately underexpose a picture to give it an edgy mood. This kind of picture is called a 'low key' picture. And on the opposite side a photographer will overexpose a picture for a 'high key' effect. These deliberate actions are used for 'aesthetic' purposes.

Miu Miu's first oracle

Photography has never been more popular and accessible. In an instant a hand phone becomes a camera (just like Transformer?). I say, some of these pictures are really good too. But can you be a serious photographer using a mobile phone camera? Well there is really no hard and fast rules in this matter. I guess it is people perceptions. It is like a surgeon cutting a patient with a kitchen knife.

I guess a good picture will always be a good picture, no? Someone said the best camera in the world is the one you are holding. That is why I always bring along my PnS (point and shoot) with the DSLR. The important thing is to get your shot. The quality of course is a different matter la.

Why do I start this blog? Well lately many friends have been asking questions about camera and photography. Guess I am saying the right things because they came back and ask some more!

Seriously there is really no two ways about getting better skills.

1. Read up as much as you can. There are thousands of photography articles in the net. Since the net is so accessible there is really no excuse.

2. Get to know people with the same passion. Pick each other brain. The more passionate they are the more willing they want to share. It’s just like golf, asks Tiger Wood about his stick and he will have plenty to tell!

3. And if you really like photography you will shoot any thing. Be it your fingers and toes! And believe me, the more you shoot the better you become. (Actually the more you shoot the more familiar you get with your camera. With familiarity you have better control and chances are you get better pictures).

4. I do not know about you but photography for me is something to enjoy, not something I need to study and pass examination. I know you can take a degree in this but for the most of us it is just play. And PLAY = FUN. Although sometimes you cannot escape the technicalities (after all it is science) but honestly the less of it the better! Why complicate things, right?

5. The only thing that you cannot learn is the ability to see things with your ‘eye’ (I do not mean the two peepers on your face). This, I am afraid is impossible to explain. Some people just have this ability to capture aesthetic in a visual form. Make sense? So look at as many photographs as possible and see how others people interpret their ideas. If you get inspired then go out and shoot some pictures!

Remember I am not a professional photography just a regular bloke who like fiddling with the camera and messing with digital imaging. I started with a Canon 350D in 2006 and is now using a 40D. Of course I would like to own a better camera (a common illness that afflicts most people in photography) but it is always the same old story. No money lah. Since I have not made any money selling any of my images, you can gauge how good I am. Well it will not stop me from fantasizing that one day I shall be the next Annie Leibovitz, just like my secret ambition of being the next American top male model!

So let’s get this Oracle going, ask and I may just reveal the answers and even some secrets to you.