Lifestyle Photographer & Creative Freelancer
What did you think of my photography basics series? Did I leave anything out? Do you have unanswered questions?
Don’t know what I’m talking about? Here’s the series:
I want to be a photographer. How do I get started?
Photography Basics: Editing Photos
If you do have any unanswered questions, please do feel free to leave them in the comments, email them, or turn to my Blog Frog Community. You all are wonderful! Go out and take beautiful photos!
Want to be a photographer, but don’t know how or where to start? You’re not alone. I’ve been asked that question many times! Here are some pointers:
Did that help any? Do you have any questions or comments? I’d love to answer them!
Always have a great shot SOOC (strait out of the camera). It will save you lots of time in the editing process. If you have a really great SOOC shot, you should be able to get by with your basic photo editing. If you have a bad SOOC shot, you will spend tons of time editing only one photo. In the long run, it is better to know your stuff and shoot right the first time. It will save you tons of time and you will get great shots!
Do you have a question about editing photos or a photography related question in general? I’d love to answer any question(s) you may have to try and help you out! Just hit the “Email Hannah” button at the top.
Aperture is the size of the opening in your lens when you take a photo. The larger the opening, the more light will get in – the smaller the openinging, the less light will get in. Those different openings are called f-stops.
small f-stop = large opening
large f-stop = small opening
Therefore, when you set your aperature, keep in mind the lighting. If it’s darker where your working, use a larger opening (smaller f-stop). If it’s brighter where your working, use a small opening (large f-stop).
Make sense? Have questions?
I’m exposure challenged. If you want me to explain exposure to you in a blog post, I’m not your gal. Ree is.
Shutter speed is simply this: how fast your camera snaps the shot. It’s easy peasy.
Shutter speed in low light:
If you are in a low light situation, your camera’s shutter will have to stay open longer to let more light in. In this kind of situation, if you aren’t using a tripod you’ll probably get a blurry shot.
Shutter speed in normal light:
If you are in a spot with normal light, your camera will snap the shot faster. Why? It’s because the more light there is, the shorter amount of time your camera will have to hold the shutter open.
It’s really easy. Really.
This probably won’t be as confusing as ISO, you’ll be glad to know. 
Composing a photo is just one way you can let your creativity flow. It’s what makes a photo uniquely beautiful. 50 people could take the same photo and not have the same compensation.
I see a lot of people get in the habit of standing in front of their subject, snapping the shot, and leaving it at that. It might be quick, but you don’t get a great shot! Next time, when taking a photo, get different angles and place the subject differently in your photos.You might sit down and take it, get up higher, or stand to the side of your subject(s).
When shooting people, don’t always have them looking and smiling at the camera; catch them doing something else. Catch the little moments you’ll want to remember- not necessarily the smile. Also, when taking photos of little ones and babies, remember to get down on their level.
This might seem confusing at first. You might not get it today or even tomorrow. It’s okay. It will start to click and become more natural. I know. I was the same way.
What is ISO, you ask? It is the digital equivalent of film speed. The higher the ISO is, the less light needed to make the exposure and the faster the shutter speed is. Also, the higher the ISO is, the more grainy your image is going to be.
If you honestly know what I’m talking about in the above paragraph, kudos to you. Most likely, though, you didn’t really understand. That was the photography savvy way of saying things.
Here is the photography savvy definition of ISO in a more understandable form. Say you were taking a photo of someone, but the place you were in/at was dark. Turn up your ISO. It will let in more light in darker lighting. Therefore, when you have brighter lighting, you can turn your ISO down. Beware, though, that if you turn up your ISO too much it can make the photo grainy and/or you’ll need a tripod. In most cases, that won’t happen, though.
Every {digital} camera should have an option to change the ISO. It doesn’t matter if you have a point and shoot or a larger camera. Dig out the manual and go into the menu and find it.
Play with the ISO! I would really enjoy seeing your photos! Upload them to someplace like Flickr or email me with them. I really do want to see them! If you have some questions, concerns, or general comments, please leave them in the comments.