InFocus - Common Issues

Here we bring you answers to a few questions that are often put to our tutors by newcomers to photography. These are common faults which regularly come up when taking photos.

Q. Why are the people in my photographs so far away?

A. When taking a photograph, many people fail to look into the whole viewfinder or study the whole viewscreen. They aim the camera and once it is in the general direction of their subject they are happy. Some cameras, such as the compact type, also tend to show a smaller area than area covered by the lens.

To overcome this, hold the camera right up to your eye and before you take the picture look at the whole viewfinder area. If there is a lot of space around your subject, either move in closer or zoom in with a zoom lens (if available) until the frame is filled completely with your subject.

When photographing one or two people, it is best to turn the camera vertically so the subject fits the frame better. This cuts down on wasted space in the image and composes people much better.

Q. Why do people in my photographs often have red eyes?

A. Many people blame themselves for the problem of red eyes in pictures. This of course is not the fault of the photographer or the people in the images.

Red eye is caused by the flashlight of the camera reflecting off the back of the eye.

This happens because the flash on the camera is too close to the lens. The light passes through the retina and lights up the back of the eye. With compact cameras this is a very common problem. In order to make the camera 'compact', the result is that the flash is too close to the lens.

The problem is worsened in a darkened area, where flash would definitely have to be used. Our eyes dilate and our pupils become bigger in order to compensate for the lack of light. When this happens there is a much greater chance and more pronounced red eye affect. This is much the same affect as dazzling an animal with the headlights of a car or flashlight at night.

To reduce this affect, camera manufacturers have Red eye Reduction facilities in many of their cameras. How this works is that a number of 'flashes' are emitted before the picture taking flash. The idea is that the first few flashes will close the pupils in the subject(s) eyes before the picture is taken. This method of course only reduces the red eye effect and seldom eliminates it.

The surest way of eliminating red eye is to move the flash as far from the lens as possible. This, naturally, is not possible with compact cameras, but is easily achieved with cameras that use separate flash units which can be held off camera.

Many digital editing programs have tools for removing red eye from an image. Most are quite apt at doing a perfect job.

Q. When I get my 35mm photographs enlarged to 10" x 8", some of the picture is missing at the edges. Why is this?

A. This is very simply because the 35mm image frame is not proportional to 10"x8". The image size on a 35mm film is 36mm x 24mm. This is a proportional ratio of 3:2. The proportional ratio of the 10"x8" paper is about 2.5:2. This actually isn't as confusing as it sounds.

Imagine that you have a rectangle of 2 1/2" x 2". Now try and fit a rectangle of 3" x 2" into it. The 3"x2" rectangle is 1/2" too large okay. Therefore you have to cut off 1/2" of the 3"x2" rectangle to fit them properly. The same thing happens to the width of your negative when enlarged.

Print sizes are standardised to suit many types of negatives. Unfortunately some sacrifices are made in cases such as the one we just discussed. In fact most print sizes, even the en-prints you get back from the processor do not show the whole image on the negative. Try comparing your negative and the print that came with it. More than likely there is a bit missing off one edge.

Digital cameras can also suffer from this problem. This is because the proportion of the image sensor inside the camera may be slightly different to the standard print sizes. However most commercial processing systems remedy this by providing an option to show the full image, even if a border may appear on the print.

The best way to ensure that you get everything in the image onto a print is to allow a certain amount of space at either side of the view. If you are photographing a group of people for example, allow space for an imaginary person on either side of the group.

Q. What's the 'best' lens for Landscape zoom or fixed (prime) lens ?

A. For landscape photography a fixed focal length lens is usually the preferred choice. There are a few reasons for this.

• One is that the image sharpness of a fixed focal length lens is better, in particular around the edges of the image. This is assuming that the two lenses compared are of equivalent quality. Having said this, the difference is extremely slight and would only be noticed on very large enlargements.
• The fixed 28mm lens will tend to be faster, normally f2.8 which makes for a brighter viewfinder. Zoom lenses tend to be around f4 or f5.6 for the same focal length.
• Weight is another consideration, fixed lenses are lighter because they have fewer parts within them, which also makes them smaller.
• Another advantage of the fixed focal length lens is the control of depth of field.

Zoom lenses, because of their design, have very poor depth of field markings. This makes it difficult to calculate depth of field. Fixed lenses however have very accurate depth of field scales that used correctly, will ensure good sharpness throughout the image. With any bit of experience in landscape photography you will soon learn that the control of depth of field is important.

Join our Landscape Photography Course to find out more about lens choice and everything else relating to taking better landscape images.

School of Photography.com Full Length Courses

If you want to learn more about all kinds of photography, take a look at our complete full length courses. All are tutor assisted with examples, full text and projects.

• Basic Photography Course For the beginner, this tutor assisted level 1 course assumes you have little or no knowledge of photography. Suitable for both digital and film users.
• Digital Photography Course This course shows how to capture digital images, use manipulation programs to add effects and enhancements, and print and display your work. Includes image restoration.
• Glamour Photography Course This level 2 course assumes you know your way around a camera. It takes you further with studio lighting setups, home studio, model portfolios, posing guide, multiple lighting guide, model releases, make up and more.
• Freelance Photography Course This level 2 course is essential if you want to make money with your camera. Imagine being paid to be do something you love doing, well you can now with School of Photography.com.
• Black and White Photography Course Have you ever wanted to learn how to develop film at home? Then go on to make your own prints using an enlarger in a darkroom? Then this level 2 course is the right start for you.
• Landscape Photography Course Find out how to improve your landscapes with this level 2 course. Packed full of illustrations, examples, full text and projects.

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