Lindelle Studios Digital Camera Blog

Author: Brian Lee


Resolution

The amount of detail that a camera can capture is called the resolution, and it is measured in pixels. The more pixels a camera has, the more detail it can capture and the larger pictures can be without becoming blurry or "grainy." High-end consumer cameras can capture over 12 million pixels. Some professional cameras support over 16 million pixels (megapixels), or 20 million pixels for large-format cameras. For comparison, it has been estimated that the quality of 35mm film is about 20 million pixels.

Exposure and Focus

Just as with film, a digital camera has to control the amount of light that reaches the sensor. The two components it uses to do this, the aperture and shutter speed, are also present on conventional cameras.

Aperture: The size of the opening in the camera. The aperture is automatic in most digital cameras, but some allow manual adjustment to give professionals and hobbyists more control over the final image.

Shutter speed: The amount of time that light can pass through the aperture. Unlike film, the light sensor in a digital camera can be reset electronically, so digital cameras have a digital shutter rather than a mechanical shutter.

These two aspects work together to capture the amount of light needed to make a good image. In photographic terms, they set the exposure of the sensor.

In addition to controlling the amount of light, the camera has to adjust the lenses to control how the light is focused on the sensor. In general, the lenses on digital cameras are very similar to conventional camera lenses -- some digital cameras can even use conventional lenses. Most use automatic focusing techniques.

The focal length, however, is one important difference between the lens of a digital camera and the lens of a 35mm camera. The focal length is the distance between the lens and the surface of the sensor. Sensors from different manufacturers vary widely in size, but in general they're smaller than a piece of 35mm film. In order to project the image onto a smaller sensor, the focal length is shortened by the same proportion.

Focal length also determines the magnification, or zoom, when you look through the camera. In 35mm cameras, a 50mm lens gives a natural view of the subject. Increasing the focal length increases the magnification, and objects appear to get closer. The reverse happens when decreasing the focal length. A zoom lens is any lens that has an adjustable focal length, and digital cameras can have optical or digital zoom -- some have both. Some cameras also have macro focusing capability, meaning that the camera can take pictures from very close to the subject.

Digital cameras have one of four types of lenses:

1) Fixed-focus, fixed-zoom lenses - These are the kinds of lenses on disposable and inexpensive film cameras -- inexpensive and great for snapshots, but fairly limited.

2) Optical-zoom lenses with automatic focus - Similar to the lens on a video camcorder, these have "wide" and "telephoto" options and automatic focus. The camera may or may not support manual focus. These actually change the focal length of the lens rather than just magnifying the information that hits the sensor.

3) Digital-zoom lenses - With digital zoom, the camera takes pixels from the center of the image sensor and interpolates (alters) them to make a full-sized image. Depending on the resolution of the image and the sensor, this approach may create a grainy or fuzzy image. You can manually do the same thing with image processing software -- simply snap a picture, cut out the center and magnify it.

4) Replaceable lens systems - These are similar to the replaceable lenses on a 35mm camera. Some digital cameras can use 35mm camera lenses.

Storage of Images

Most digital cameras have an LCD screen so you can view your picture right away. This is one of the great advantages of a digital camera -- you get immediate feedback on what you capture. Of course, viewing the image on your camera would lose its charm if that's all you could do. You want to be able to load the picture into your computer or send it directly to a printer. There are several ways to do this.

Although most of today's cameras are capable of connecting through serial, parallel, SCSI, USB, or FireWire connections, they usually also use some sort of removable storage device. Digital cameras use a number of storage systems. These are like reusable, digital film, and they use a caddy or card reader to transfer the data to a computer. Many involve fixed or removable flash memory. Digital camera manufacturers often develop their own proprietary flash memory devices, including SmartMedia cards, CompactFlash cards and Memory Sticks. Other removable storage device include floppy disks, hard disks (external, or microdrives), and writeable CD's and DVD's.

Regardless of what type of storage they use, all digital cameras need lots of room for pictures. They usually store images in one of two formats -- TIFF, which is uncompressed, and JPEG, which is compressed. Most cameras use the JPEG file format for storing pictures, and they sometimes offer quality settings (such as medium or high).

To make the most of their storage space, almost all digital cameras use some sort of additional data compression to make the files smaller. One compression routine takes advantage of patterns that repeat. The image can be reconstructed exactly as it was recorded, reducing the file size no more than 50%, often much less. Another compression routine called irrelevancy eliminates some of the more meaningless data, taking advantage of the fact that digital cameras record more information than the human eye can easily detect.

Hiring a Photographer

A skillfully photographed wedding album will be one of the most adored and precious items that is kept and loved many years after your wedding day. As well as conveying the emotions, romance, humour of the day, and everything synonymous with you as a couple, they are a testament to your relationship. Needless to say, such an important part of your lives should be captured by a highly qualified professional photographer.

So, what do we need to know?

Establishing open communication and an honest, helpful relationship with your photographer is important because your photographer is an important part of the day. The better photographers do more for you than simply take photographs. They help with planning, timing and even with the fine details.

It is important to have an understanding of the industry and basic business practices before embarking on a search for a professional photographer. The following information provides a behind the scenes understanding and should be used as a guide to help you select your photographer.

How much should we budget?

When starting out, it is hard to know what wedding photography costs, because photographers are not prone to advertising their prices. An important factor to remember, is that any price quoted will be a starting coverage or package price only. Every wedding is unique, as is every couple. Generally, the prices between different photographers reflect their qualifications, experience, skill, and creative style. The quality of the overall product and level of service will also vary with price.
Basically, like many services, you generally get what you pay for. Therefore, the more paid, the greater the quality of photography and professionalism.

Most photographers will have a starting package or coverage which allows for the time that will be spent together on the day and will either include a basic amount of photographs in a basic album (package) or a credit that will go towards an album afterwards (coverage). Starting amounts are usually around $1700 and generally will provide only about 20 to 30 photographs. Remember these are basic or starting amounts only and generally do not include all the extras you will want. Also, generally 20 to 30 photographs is not enough photographs to tell a full story of your wedding day, so most couples want more and better than the basic album.

You won’t really know what and how many you will need until you see the images, so you need to budget for the extras of additional photographs and a better album. Prices can range anywhere up to $8000 for a full photography package.Great photographs are hard to resist. A decision to employ a photographer based purely on price however, and not skill, generally ends in heartbreak, so think carefully before choosing a cheaper option. You will invest a lot of money on a wedding and all will be for only that one day, except the photography. This will be the one thing that you will have forever that will bring all the wonderful memories of that one day back. If money is an issue however, organise to get a better photographer, but spend a little less time with them on the day and choose a few less photographs. It will be the quality photography you remember, not the cost.

Why does wedding photography cost this much?

Photography today is expensive today because of labor and material costs. Good professional photographers also use professional equipment, film, labs and albums and unlike amateur products, these are higher in cost. There is the photographers high overheads and their time to consider. Even though you may only see them for about 15 hours before, during and after the day, they will also spend at least 30 to 40 hours producing your album. You really though, are paying for the value of a photographers style, experience, qualifications and expertise and not just for time, materials and overheads.

How should we choose a photographer?

A referral from family or friends is a good starting point.

From these sources it is best to only choose two or three photographers to start with. Picking more at the beginning will only be confusing. A lot of studios are now single operations, meaning there is only one photographer and they are usually the owner. Some have more than one photographer, and some are fairly high volume studios that call in part-time photographers to shoot for them. When choosing a studio like this it is important to meet the person that will be photographing your wedding so you can establish a trust based relationship before you even book with the studio.

Make sure the work you are viewing is that photographers work and look at complete weddings and a full set of the original images and not just the best shots from various weddings.

You cannot pick a photographer based on a brochure or a phone call price inquiry. The only way to establish the value is to meet with them, so make an appointment with the studio. In the initial inquiry allow about an hour so you can base a decision on the style, creativity and quality of the photos and albums as well as the compatibility and qualifications of the photographer. As photographers work weekends and some have days as a break through the week, evening appointments can often be arranged.

All photographers are qualified aren’t they?

No, contrary to popular belief. In this industry anyone can set themselves up to photograph your wedding and no qualifications are needed to become a ‘so called’ professional wedding photographer, which is pretty scary really. There are however photographers who do possess qualifications and you should consider these people in your choice.Viewing the photographers images and their professional manner is the first step in the decision making process. It is then advisable to check out their qualifications and professional status.

Why should I even bother booking a photographer when my Uncle Harry has a great camera?

Remember, it’s not the great camera that takes the photo, it’s the photographer. Although a friend or family member may be a great amateur photographer, they will not have the experience, equipment or knowledge of a professional photographer. Quality wedding photography does not happen by chance. It is created by a specialised professional who has a creative eye and a genuine love of people and wedding photography. Your photographer will also need to co-ordinate the flow of the day, know all the types of shots that need taking and must be able to do all of this in variable weather and sometimes difficult time constraints.

A specialist wedding photographer can provide a fantastic story telling role and will be able to help you before during and after the day.Before you dismiss the thought of using a professional photographer for financial reasons, perhaps look at ways you may be able to afford one. You may be able to re-prioritise the wedding budget, or you could ask guests to provide money towards the photography as a gift. Some photographers have credit vouchers and you can include them on the bridal gift ideas register. Most photographers also offer payments for you.