A far more elaborate exposure system divides the entire image area into a patchwork of zones, each of which

is separately evaluated. This system, commonly referred to as evaluative or matrix metering, is extremely
successful at delivering consistently accurate exposures over a wide range of unusual or demanding lighting
conditions. This is now widely used in modern cameras—from compacts and SLRs, to mirrorless cameras. As
good as they are, the exposure systems found in modern cameras are not perfect. There will be times when
you have to give the automation a helping hand—usually when the lighting is most interesting or challenging.
This is why it is so crucially important to understand what exactly constitutes “optimum exposure.” Optimized
dynamics Every photographic medium has a range over which it can make accurate records—beyond that, the
representation is less precise. This range, or latitude, is represented by a scale of grays on either side of the
mid-tone—from dark tones with detail (for example, dark hair with some individual strands distinguishable),
to light tones showing texture (for example, paper showing creases and wrinkles). If you locate your exposure
so that the most important tone of your image falls in theCOLOR COMPOSITION CONTINUED CORE SKILLS to
prefer working with analogous colors, so the viewer concentrates on forms and texture, whereas garden
photographers tend to seek out contrasting colors, for livelier results. A version of the analogous scheme is the
monochromatic, in which all colors are variants of the same hue. Such images—think of seascapes with their
infinite varieties of blue—offer tonal subtlety instead of color contrasts. Close-ups of flowers are often
rewarding because they offer narrow, subtle color shifts. Colors are said to clash where they lie opposite or far
from each other on the color wheel. While compositions with strong contrasts are appealing when initially
experienced, they are more tricky to organize into a successful image. Look for simplicity in structure and a
clear arrangement of subject matter—too many elements jostling for attention can lead to a disjointed,
chaotic image. Pastel colors Referring to pastel colors as the weak versions of a hue is accurate, but also does
them a disservice: it suggests that they are of limited use. Pastels are certainly more pale and less saturated or
vibrant than full-on colors. They are nonetheless vital tools for the photographer. Pale colors suggest
tranquillity and calm, and are gentle where strong colors are more vigorous. They evoke responses of peace
and well-being—which is why they are so popular for home interiors—and, for a photographer, they are also
important as counterbalances to strong colors. You can achieve striking results by simply concentrating on
pastel colors in their own right. You will find them where there is a good deal of light—which tends to dilute
colors—and where pastel shades have been used decoratively in architecture, interior design, or garden
planting schemes. The easiest way to create pastel-dominated images is simply to over-expose them: this can
be very effective for creating unusual effects in nature and landscape photography. Images such as these are
often associated with high-key lighting, since the presence of dark shadows tends to make even the palest of
colors look richer. Alternatively, many digital cameras can be set to record all the colors in a scene as pastels.
HINTS AND TIPS ▪ In some parts of the world, it is a good idea to avoid drawing attention to your presence.
Your search for an unusual camera viewpoint could attract the unwanted interest of officialdom. Even climbing
onto a wall could land you in trouble in places where strangers are not a common sight or photographers are
regarded with suspicion. ▪ As well as being discourteous, it might also be illegal to enter a private building
without permission in order to take photographs. You may be surprised at how cooperative people generally
are if you explain what you are doing and why, and then ask for their assistance. ▪ Try to be open and friendly
with people you encounter—a pleasant smile or an acknowledging wave is often the easiest, and cheapest,
way to elicit a helpful response from strangers. ▪ Prepare your equipment before making your move. Balancing
on the top of a wall is not the best place to change lenses. With manual cameras, preset the approximately
correct aperture and shutter time so that if you snatch a shot, exposure will be about right.INFLUENCING
PERSPECTIVE CORE SKILLS You can exercise control over the perspective of a photograph by changing your
camera position. This is because perspective is the view that you have of the subject from wherever it is you
decide to shoot. Perspective, however, is not affected by any changes in lens focal length—it may appear to be
so but, in fact, all focal length does is determine how much of the view you record. Professional
photographers know perspective has a powerful effect on an image, yet it is one of the easiest things to
control. This is why when you watch professionals at work, you often see them constantly moving around the
subject—sometimes bending down to the ground or climbing onto the nearest perch; approaching very close
and moving further away again. Taking a lead from this, your work could be transformed if you simply become
▲ Alternative views This wide-angle view (above left), shows an unremarkable snapshot of a beach, in Andros,
Greece. It is a simple image of the place, but it lacks an engaging interpretation or inventive viewpoint of the
scene. Once on the beach, the temptation is to take in a wide shot that summarizes the whole scene. Instead,
a low viewpoint that takes in the more mobile, observing the world through the camera from a series of
changing positions rather than a single, static viewpoint. Bear in mind that with some subjects—still lifes, for
example, and interiors or portraits—the tiny change in perspective between observing the subject with your
own eyes and seeing it through the camera lens, which is just a little lower than your eyes, can make a
difference to the composition. This difference in perspective is far more pronounced if you are using a studio
camera or waist-level finder on a medium-format camera. Using zooms effectively One way to approach
changes in perspective is to appreciate the effect that lens focal length has on your photography. A short focal
length gives a MOVEMENT BLUR CORE SKILLS MOVEMENT BLUR CORE SKILLS The generally accepted advice is
that you should hold the camera steady when capturing pictures. Any movement during exposure causes the
image to move across the sensor. If that movement is visible, it is seen as a blur, which causes the image to
look unsharp at best and, at worst, quite unrecognizable. Nonetheless, there is certainly a place for pictures
that display a thoughtful or expressive use of subject blur. Try it and see The effects of exposure during
movement are unique, and no other recording medium represents the blur of movement in quite the same
way as a camera. However, since what you capture in the image will vary with the level of movement of the
subject and with distance, its effects are hard to predict. Experiment freely with different settings and evaluate
results on a computer monitor, rather than the camera’s review panel. With experimentation and experience,
you will find that brighter areas quickly become too bright when overlapped. At the same time, dark areas
tend to be reduced by overlapping with lighter areas. The net result is a tendency to overexpose. You can
exploit this to create high-key images or set exposure overrides to force tones to be darker, which helps to
maintain intense colors (see pp. 38–9). The tendency to overexpose also means that results are best in dull
light with a limited number of light-sources. Contrasting blur The appearance of blur is usually enhanced when
it is seen in contrast against sharply defined forms or shapes. By the same token, sharpness appearLENS
FOCUSING Spreading light reflected from or emitted by every point of a subject radiates outward, and those
rays captured by the camera lens are projected onto the focal plane to produce an upside-down image. The
subject only appears sharp, however, if these rays of light intersect precisely on the sensor plane (achieved by
adjusting the lens’s focus control). If not, the rays are recorded not as points, but rather as blurred dots. If the
image is reproduced at a small enough size, then even dots may appear as points, but as a subject’s image
diverges farther from the sensor plane, so the dots recorded by the camera become larger and larger, until, at
a certain point, the image appears out of focus—the points have become large enough to be seen as blurred
dots ▲ Massed pattern Even the massive crowds in this street in Kolkata, India, are organized. The receding
parallel of the road, the glint in power lines, and the differences in scale of people can all be used to make
sense of what initially appears to be chaos. ▼ Rhythmic elements The ghostly silhouettes of trees in Palaia,
near Pisa in Italy, organize the space into an irregular but discernible rhythm of lights and darks, with the more
or less regular negative spaces between the trunks. Seen together, they create an ambivalent mood—
mysterious, yet calm. TRY THIS Look out for patterns whenever you have a camera at hand. When you find an
interesting example, take several shots, shifting your position slightly for each. Examine the pictures carefully,
and you may find that the shot you thought most promising does not give the best result. Often, this is
because our response to a scene is an entire experience, while photographs have to work within the
proportions of the format.
Chimping is short for “checking image preview” and seems very appropriate for photographers who
exclaim “Oo! Oo! Ah! Aah!” while reviewing their images on the camera’s LCD screen. If you allow yourself to
be distracted by the preview image, you will miss many shots. It also breaks the rhythm of shooting, and
interrupts the concentration you should be applying to the subject. Try to reserve your reviewing to rest
breaks and moments when you are sure nothing is going on. You do not have to go as far as some
photographers, who tape up their camera screens to wean themselves off the habit, but turn off the preview
and you will find you photograph more, and become more attuned to your subject.
Photographers have the good fortune to be able to build on the experience of centuries of painting and
graphic art with the unique visual tools of photography. Photographic composition arises through the joining
of elements such as angle of view, perspective, depth of field, color, and tone with the visual structures that
generations of artists have found effective in their work. Any photographic composition can be said to work if
the arrangement of the subject elements communicates effectively to the image’s intended viewers. Often,
the best way to ensure a striking composition is to look for the key ingredients of a scene and then adjust your
camera position and exposure controls to draw those elements out from the clutter of visual information that,
if left competing with each other, would weaken the photograph’s impact. Composition is not only about how
you frame the picture; it is also how you use aperture to control depth of field, focus to lead the viewer’s
attention, and expose to use light and shade to shape the image. If you are new to photography, it may help to
concentrate your attention on the scene’s overall