Danella Photographic

The aperture priority shooting mode is designated usually as an “A” or an “Av” in the modes selection method of your camera. ( The A stands for aperture and the Av stands for aperture value. )

Many photographers prefer to shoot on Aperture Priority rather than a Full Auto ( “Green” ) mode or Program mode “P.” Now if you’re confused by what you have just read, go and get your camera and find the references to at least the “P” and the “A.” (You may not even have a green mode.) Do not continue until you’re certain about the above. If you’re still not sure about the aperture priority setting on your camera, either call us at 315-732-8442 or post your questions at the end of this article.

The most important element to learn about apertures is that f/4 is actually larger than f/16. The lower numbers represent larger openings formed by the diaphram blades inside the lens. If you have trouble remembering this fact, try thinking about the aperture numbers as fractions ( ie. 1/4 is larger than 1/16)

There are many reasons why photographers choose to shoot in Aperture Priority mode, but arguably the greatest reason is that the aperture partially controls the depth of field in the finished photograph. The wider apertures ( lower numbers ) produce photographs with a more defined line between what is in focus and what is out of focus.

This is a photograph of two cool photographers, but the sign in the background is very important. Shot at f/4.5, the photographers are separated from the sign and the important message is not readable. Nice focus for a portrait, but in this photo the sign is the key element.

Now, photographed at f/22, the all important sign and its even more important message snaps into focus. Same lens, same set up, different aperture. ( Note: The shutter speed changed as well, but this can be covered in another session. ) The photographer has taken control of the photo.
There’s more information about this topic, but for now take what you have learned and see what you can do with it. Try to control your photographs by using a specific aperture that best captures the subject as you see it.

Post your questions or comments below.

Anyone who has attempted to photograph reflective objects knows that grandma’s sterling silver tea service and an engagement ring have a lot in common - at least photographically. When a photographer begins to set up highly relective objects, it soon becomes apparent that what he or she is really taking a picture of is not the object itself, but more what is mirrored in the object’s surface.

Enter the new solution to the problems associated with reflective surface photography, Smith-Victor’s light tent. This handy, fully foldable light tent allows the lighting to be placed outside with the object placed inside. The camera lens is inserted into the opening. The reflections in the object are primarily white and the high key lighting that results adds a rich look to jewelry, electronic components, silverware and just about any small object that needs shadowless, glamorous, soft lighting. Here’s a typical result:

Smith-Victor portable light tents are available in different sizes. The medium size tent shown above is available at Danella Photographic for $ 79.95

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High intensity discharge lighting (halcyon) is found in most indoor and some outdoor sports arenas. These venues often include high school and college basketball courts and hockey rinks.

The following information was passed to us by local ( Upstate NY ) commercial photographer David Tewksbury. The research can be credited to Guy Rhodes.

Discharge lights cycle at 60Hz (in the US) and as you can see in these images http://www.sportsshooter.com/guyrhodes/wbtests/
They vary in both intensity and color balance.

The third frame on this site shows very dramatically the shift in both brightness and color balance through the cycle. This is why with fast shutter speeds under these lights you get such a variation of exposure and color balance, and why people strobe arenas.

The same person who did these tests has put together an animated GIF that shows the cycling in a gym. Pretty dramatic changes.

http://www.guyrhodes.com/photo/flicker_lapse.gif

Here is the explanation associated with the animated GIF

The burst was shot @ 8fps, ISO 1600, 1/2000th @ 2.8. I had the camera in auto white balance mode. Lining these frames up next to each other (twelve total in the animation) allows us to see the problematic pulsing these lights produce.

I’ll remind everyone that this flickering, including in the gym where this was shot, is TOTALLY invisible to the naked eye.

Notice the exposure and color variations across every surface of the gym as lights flicker at different times (wired to different phases of the building’s power).

This is why shooting under these lights at fast shutter speeds is hit-or-miss. Sometimes you’ll catch the lights as they peak, other times, you’ll catch the bottom of the wave as the brightness / color are at their worst.

If you’re lucky, the electricians have spread the different phases of power across the entire group of lights, rather than wiring large neighboring areas of lights on the same phase. At E.C. Central’s gym (where the time lapse was shot), we’ve lucked out. You’ll notice lights seem to be wired to different phases every third fixture. This means that by the time the light reaches floor level, the pulsing becomes very manageable, and the light stays somewhat even.

I’ve been to football stadiums, however, where entire poles of lights are on the same phase (meaning they all flicker at the same time), leaving entire percentages of the field in near darkness at the “bottom” of the flicker when shot in a burst, depending on how the lights are focused.

So if you are shooting under discharge lighting and need a shutter speed faster than 1/60th be aware that variations in exposure and color balance will occur.