Taking Quality Photographs - What Type of Lens Should You Use?

!9# Taking Quality Photographs - What Type of Lens Should You Use?

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The lens is the "eye" of your camera and plays the key role in capturing clarity, color and details of each image. Whether you are a specialized or a beginner photographer choosing right lens will definitely elevate your photography. With a point and shoot type of camera the lens is fixed which cannot be removed or replaced. Digital SLR cameras offer lens mounts where you can swap and use different type lenses.

Before diving into available types, the definition of focal length and the extend of the reach will help to clarify digital SLR lenses. When the subject of an image is in focus, focal length measures the distance between optical center of the lens and the digital camera sensor. It is measured in millimeters and displayed on the actual lens. For example a standard focal length is expressed as 1.4f.
Another useful information found on a lens is the extend of its reach: (From 35mm- To 80mm),(50-100mm), (200-400mm),and so on.

Available Types:
Lens types are classified as "Prime" which comes with fixed focal length and "Zoom" which has variable focal length.

Prime includes sub group of Standard (35- 80mm), Wide-Angle (15-28mm), Macro (50-100mm), Telephoto (80- 300mm) and Super Telephoto lenses (200-400mm).
Zoom comes with variations like: Wide-Angle to Telephoto or Standard to Telephoto coverage.

Even the point and shoot type of digital camera comes with a Standard 35- 80mm lens. Standard lens is also known as "normal-lens" The term "normal" is used for this type because it captures a scene just as the human eye sees it. Standard lens is great for everyday shots, such as flowers, people, or pets.

Wide-angle gives a broader view of a scene than a standard lens does. Because this lens captures a wide area it is used for photographing groups of people and landscapes.

Telephoto is used to enlarge pictures or for bringing distant subjects closer. A common telephoto comes with 75- 300 mm coverage. When you begin to move from the 35mm into something larger it is best to either use a tripod or a stabilizer. A stabilizer will help you hold the camera steady for clear shots even if your hand moves a little bit.
Super telephoto comes with 200-400mm lens. It is mostly used for capturing wild life or birds.

A Macro lens is designed to capture a tiny subject as a bigger image. Macro Photography is a type of shooting that magnifies the size of a subject. As it name implies it is great for close up shots, such as flowers, spider webs, insects and other small objects.

Digital zoom simply crops the image to a smaller size, and then enlarges the cropped portion to fill the frame.
Optical zoom works just like a digital zoom. The lens changes focal length and increase magnification as it is zoomed.

What Type of Lens Should You Use?
• For general shots like People, Pets, Flowers choose Standard.
• For Large Group of People use Wide Angle.
• For Landscapes use Wide Angle.
• For Architecture Shots choose Wide Angle.
• For Action and Sports use Telephoto.
• For Portraits the Standard lens works best however you can also use Telephoto.
• For Wild Life and Bird Photography use Super-Telephoto.
• For Close-Up shots and Tiny objects use Macro.

In the photography world lenses are maybe a small piece of equipment but they help to capture "better images".

Taking Quality Photographs - What Type of Lens Should You Use?

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How to Photograph Wild Animals

!9# How to Photograph Wild Animals

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Photographing static objects like bowls of colourful fruit on black Perspex with a stained glass backdrop casting multi-coloured washes across the image is relatively easy - Oh boy, I could be in trouble, I can't believe I just said that? I can just imagine hundreds of 'still life' and portrait photographers saying 'What did he just say, did I hear easy? Who is this guy?'

It is an accepted fact that photographing children and animals is reserved for the brave hearted - with oodles of patience and possibly some encouragement from Jack Daniels. I'm not sure who should take the credit for the phrase 'If you're looking for an organised and a tranquil shoot - stay away from children and animals', but whoever uttered that profundity knew what they were talking about. By the same token there are many photographers and movie makers who have stacked their awards on the mantle piece by producing stunning work.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to prevent you from taking pictures of your Jack Russell or your little toddler or even the neighbours' parakeet - if you're doing it for fun that's cool, but if you decide to take the subject more seriously, you're going to need some help.

The truth is if you're shooting in a controlled environment, you'll most probably have your camera mounted on a tripod with a bunch of assistants moving in and out tweaking the lights, dressing the shot meticulously through the lens creating a relaxed environment. The classic studio shoot. But you have to agree that photographing a Leopard chasing his lunch is a totally different ball game. Hitting a static target at the shooting range is difficult enough, but it takes a special skill to hit the same target if it's on the move. Moving objects create a whole new set of problems and mindset. Instead of the luxury of a composed lit frame with exact apertures and wide lenses, you are thrown into unpredictable moves that directly impact on your film speed, your focus, the amount of available light and the choice of lens. It also drastically increases the production of endorphins that jack up your adrenaline level.

Without getting hugely technical, for you to get a good shot of a moving Leopard, you have to be on a rapid-fire camera with a 100mm to 300mm lens, which is extremely restricting even for the more experienced photographer. If your subject is moving fast you have to frame, focus and fire on the fly (as they say) the majority of time, hoping to God you got it.

Longer lenses need more light than wider lenses. Most wide angle lenses have apertures of between 1.8 and 2.8, whereas 300 to 500mm lenses start with an aperture of between 5.6 & 11- so you do need light. If there isn't the required light aperture, you need to be on very fast film in order to enhance the available light and capture a hit-and-miss series of frames that you will either ditch in the bin or leave the podium carrying the award. Forgive me I'm a kind of purist when it comes to technology, I'm certainly up to speed with digital technology, but the test of the real artist, be it stills or movies - when it comes to measuring the heat of a light, understanding apertures and speed and what the latitude of a film emulsion does for the end product - is the ultimate art.

Okay, so where are we going with this? I suggest you start practicing on Peefer the parrot to get the feel of a moving object. You must understand that Peefer, your Labrador, your child or any other uncontrollable subject is not going to do what you want them to do - so if Peefer offers you a great profile shot, you can put money on it that as you hit the shutter, he will drop out of frame or give you a beautiful close-up of the back of his head. It takes a lot of practice and even more patience to get the perfect shot.

If you really want to learn about composition and action framing, take yourself and your camera off to the local sports stadium and snap at athletes or baseball players in action - it'll be your first step to shooting wildlife stills. Let me know how you do.

How to Photograph Wild Animals

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