1. Course on
In Embassy of Finland, Nairobi, June 2012 Seppo Toikka

2. This course consists of:
7) Basic ideas and concepts in photography
8) Digital photography technique
9) Composition and subjects in photography
10) Digital editing, workflow examples
11) Other topics requested by you

3. Camera doesn’t matter
You can get amazing photos with
any camera
You just need to understand two things…
Amazing photos are about
composition and light, not about
the technical properties of the camera

4. Photo by Badruddeen (Flickr)

5. Don’t capture, convey
You can’t capture exactly what
you see, so don’t even try
Instead, try to convey the feeling!
Good pictures are all about conveying
emotions, making us feel something
The next time you feel the urge to take
a picture, focus on that feeling

6. Knowing your camera
Specific technical properties of
your camera are not important
Knowing how to use them to get
the best possible pictures is!
Every setting in your camera changes
the way it captures light and changes
the resulting photo

7. Exposure
Exposure = the amount of light
passed throught the lens to the
sensor surface
Change in exposure is measured
in stops (EV). +/-1 stop = doubling/halving
the amount of light passed through
the lens

8. Exposure example
When the camera’s dynamic range
cannot capture the whole tonal
range, you need to decide what tones
are most important
Virtually all cameras have the
possibility to adjust exposure
by at least +/- 2 stops(EV)

10. Adjusting exposure
In auto mode camera tries to figure
out the ”correct” exposure
You can adjust this exposure from
camera menus, or…
…you can use the half-press
shutter trick (just remember
that it fixes focusing too!)

11. Adjusting exposure (cont.)
Exposure is the combination of 3 things:
Aperture
Shutter speed
Light sensitivity of the camera sensor (ISO)

12. Focusing
In auto mode camera tries to figure
out the ”correct” point of focus
Focus points are shown on the
display as rectangular boxes when
you press the shutter half way

13. Focusing (cont.)
Point of focus defines the depth
of field, how much of the pictures
depth is in focus
Size of depth of field depends on
the distance of the focus point, the type
of lens and aperture of the lens

17. Camera blur
Even if the focusing is correct, photos
can be blurred
If the camera or the subject moves
while exposing the photo, this will
result in blurred picture

18. Camera blur (cont.)
Many cameras have built-in image
stabilizer (IS, OS, VR)
Without a stabilizer shutter speeds
slower than 1/30s will probably result
in a blurred photo

19. How to avoid blurred photos
Steady the camera against a support
Squeeze the shutter release slowly
Remember, the longer focal length (zoom),
the bigger risk of camera blur!

20. Motion blur
Even if the camera is held still, the
subject can move during the exposure,
resulting in motion blur
Learn how to avoid unwanted blurring,
but also how to use it to your advantage!

21. Shutter speed settings
Shooting modes also affect shutter
speeds
Sports mode keeps the shutter
speed as fast as possible
Landscape mode tries to maximise
the depth of field with the expense
of slower shutter speeds

22. Shutter speed settings (cont.)
Setting higher ISO will result in faster
shutter speeds
If all else fails, you can decrease the
exposure to increase shutter speed

23. Shutter speed 1/8s

24. Shutter speed 1/50s

25. Shutter speed
1/200s

26. Shutter speed 1/20s

27. Camera modes
Specifics of camera shooting modes
are unfortunately company trade secrets
Modes affect shutter speeds, depth of
field, color rendition and flash use
Nobody says that they need to be used
in situations described in the manuals!
Experiment by taking photos of same
subject with many different settings

28. Focal length
Focal length defines the angle of view
Longer lengths ”compress” targets
relative to their distance from camera
Keeping the subject size unchanged,
changing the focal length will change
the perspective and composition!
Don’t forget the ”leg zoom”!

31. Camera flash
If camera tells you to use flash, don’t!
Unless I say it’s ok…
Flash in low light will flatten any details,
especially in portraits
Learn how to use fill-flash, to combine
flash with light from other sources

32. When to use fill-flash?
Bright light, but subject is in shade
Night-time, when there are artificial
lights to provide some light
When using flash, the distance from
your subject makes all the difference:
don’t be too close!

35. Online
photocoursenairobi.wikispaces.com
Slides, example photos with
explanations, glossary
seppo.i.toikka@gmail.com

36. Homework
Find out how to adjust exposure
in your camera (+/- EV)
Find out what shooting modes your
camera has and take one photo from
the same place with every mode
When you see any photo, pay attention
to the light in that photo