Is your camera always on Auto? Knowing how to use your camera manually unlocks more creative possibilities for you. Cameras have light sensors that detect how much light there is in your scene and do a pretty good job at “averaging” the light and getting you a sharp, well-lit photo. But that’s the problem. All your photos will be just average :) Your camera doesn’t really know what you want. Maybe you want your image dark with just a bit of light shining on your subject. Or maybe you want their eyes sharp but everything else blurry. Or you’re shooting sports, and you want to capture the ball’s motion.

If you're using a DSLR or mirrorless camera in Auto mode, it's like driving a Ferrari in first gear.

To shoot manually, you need to learn the camera's language, so you can tell the camera what you want it to do. The three main elements of this language are aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Once you understand these and how they work together, you can talk to the camera. So, let's learn this language.

Light goes into your camera, through the aperture and shutter, and ultimately hits the sensor. The aperture is essentially a hole, which you can make larger or smaller. The shutter is like a curtain that opens and closes. You can control how long it stays open. The sensor is a digital panel that reacts to the light it receives, and the chemistry of that results in your image.

Aperture is just a fancy way of saying "hole." The lens has a hole in it so light can pass through. You can make the hole larger or smaller depending on your needs. For instance, if you're in a dark environment, you can make the hole larger so more light can enter. If you are outdoors on a bright day, make the hole smaller to prevent too much light from getting in. That's it really: a larger aperture gets you a brighter image.

Just as we measure weight in lbs or kgs, we also need a unit for the aperture--so, whatever camera you use, you'll know exactly how bright or dark the image will be when you change the aperture size. The unit for aperture is called f-stop. We write it as a fraction with the letter f on the top and a number at the bottom (example: f/4). Whoever came up with this didn't care for simplicity, but all we care about is the number. Just keep in mind the number is a denominator, so a larger number means a smaller aperture. Lenses come with a fixed set of f-numbers that you can set (f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, up to f/22). So, for instance, if you are in a dark place, you need a large aperture (to let more light in), so choose a small f-number.

The shutter is a curtain that's always closed. When you click the shutter button, the curtain opens for a bit to let the light in, and then closes again. You can control how long it stays open. The longer it's open, the brighter your image.Take note: both the aperture and shutter control how much light comes in. The only difference is the aperture can change its size, and the shutter can change the duration it's open.

The shutter is a curtain that opens and then closes after a bit. The longer it's open, the more light that goes through, but we need to know precisely how long it's open, so we have a unit for it: shutter speed. Though it's called shutter speed, it's really a duration, and so it's measured in seconds. You'll typically see fractions like 1/60 or 1/30, but you can set longer durations, even 30 seconds or more if you want your photo brighter.

The aperture and shutter let light in (and you can change the aperture size or the shutter duration to control how much light you want in), but when the light ultimately reaches the sensor, the sensor decides how much of this light it wants to soak in. Kinda like how darker colors absorb more heat than lighter colors--given the same temperature, a black car would get warmer than a white car. In the camera, we call this ISO. When you increase the ISO, the sensor becomes more sensitive to light, and your photo turns out brighter. So, ISO gives you a third way to control the brightness of your image.At this point, you may be wondering why we need three ways to control the brightness. Don't worry--we're going to get to that in a bit.

The camera needs a certain amount of light to create a perfectly exposed image--not too bright, not too dark. Your job is to ensure the camera gets the light it needs. Let's use a bucket analogy. Your camera needs a bucket of light, and you have three mugs to pour light with--aperture, shutter, and ISO. Their contributions don't have to be equal. What matters is that the bucket is full. If it’s not full, your image is too dark. If the bucket overflows, it's too bright. This is popularly known as the exposure triangle, but I find the bucket analogy easier to understand.

So, the question is: why do we need three ways to control light? If all three are doing the same thing, couldn’t we just do with one? That’s next :)

Well, while I’m here, let me share a tip:

Whether you're using natural or artificial light, position your model so the light hits them from the side. This creates a bit of shadow on the other side which emphasizes depth and results in a more pleasing look. Without the shadow, the face will look flat.

Examples

Ok, now head over to swamiphoto.com/tips and add your email, so you continue receiving these tips :)

Thanks,

Swami

Here’s today’s tip:

Photographers love to include oddities in their pictures. Whether it's someone in a group wearing a different coloured dress or a red flower in a bed of yellow flowers, including something that breaks a pattern can make your photo interesting. Odd things can create tension/conflict in your picture, which is an important aspect of storytelling.

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The answer is to incorporate patterns we find in the real world. When you are in front of a beautiful scene, it’s not good enough to just snap a shot of what’s in front of you. You have to look for these patterns in your scene and use them to craft your photo. There are several patterns that photographers look for, and today we’ll talk about a very common pattern: leading lines.

Anytime you see a line in your scene (whether straight or curved), see if you can take advantage of it. Examples might be train tracks, bridges, rivers, streams, pathways, roads…

A leading line in your photo does two things. First, it creates a sense of depth—because typically, a line starts from the edge of the frame and goes into your scene, so it’ll help your viewers to perceive the 3D-ness of the scene.

The second is that a line leads your viewer’s eyes through the frame. For example, you might place your main subject at the end of the line, making it easy for them to understand what you’re trying to convey. Or the line could simply move your viewers’ eyes from one part of the frame to another. Or the line could help to distinguish between two different aspects of a scene. There are many ways you can use a line to guide your viewers’ attention. Regardless of how you use it, a line gives your viewers a way to interpret your art, rather than leaving them stranded hunting around for the purpose of your shot.

Here are a few examples from my work:

Your turn: I want to see how you use leading lines in a photo. Shoot a picture with a leading line and share it with me. If you don’t practice, this lesson is worthless.

Next few lessons, we’ll look at other visual patterns that photographers look for.

The fundamental problem is that the world is 3D, but your photo is 2D. A photo is a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional world. The scene you see in front of you might have been breathtaking and may have made you go WOW…but when you took a photo of it—you lost a whole dimension. This is why photos rarely look as good as the scenes in real life. This is the big secret that the pros know (and won’t tell you).

The 3rd dimension is depth. Once you know how to introduce that sense of depth, the visual aesthetics of your photos take on a whole new meaning.

I’d like you to think about it. Tell me—how do you think we can introduce depth in our photos?

Let’s get back to photography…today’s tip is to go close. A lot of beginners are afraid to take close-up shots. I encourage you to close in on your subject’s face. You’ll get a much more engaging and interesting shot. When you zoom in to your subject’s face, you cut out all the other distractions in the scene, and so it’s easy to bring attention to your subject. Plus, in a close-up shot, you can see your subject’s expressions, the sparkle in their eyes, and whatnot—it just makes for a much more engaging type of shot.

Here’s an example…

Notice here how her face makes up almost 75% of the frame’s area. This is what we refer to as “filling the frame.”

I think people tend to take wide shots because they don’t really know what they are shooting. They don’t have a clear purpose for their shot, so they just frame everything in front of them. So…go close and own your shot. You'll start to see your photography becoming a lot more engaging, thought-provoking, and just a lot more interesting.

If your picture is not good enough, you're not close enough. —Robert Capa

Thanks for this insight, Swami! I hate it when people cut off feet in photographs. Can't afford to have my shoes being cut off!

Here’s Josh with his shoes. Hope you’ll remember this photo next time you take a full-body shot of someone 😆

Your subjects might have beautiful faces…but don’t forget their feet! Many people assume that to take a great photo, you need to tweak lots of fancy settings in your camera. But the truth is, it’s the small things like this that separate you from the rest. Just take a few steps back and make sure their feet are completely inside the frame, that’s it! (Of course, don’t do this if you are shooting from the edge of a cliff 🤣.)

Why is this important?

1. Attention to detail makes you look more thoughtful as a photographer.

2. Your subject might be wearing nice shoes—how can you assume they don’t want their shoes in the photo?

3. Feet are an important part of the body. Why would you exclude them?

Of course, this is assuming you’re intending to take a full body shot. If you’re going for a close-up shot, then that’s a different story which we’ll discuss soon.

Here’s a quick 3 min video driving home this point:

Your self-image is crucial to how fast you learn. Own the title, and start referring to yourself as a photographer. Take pride in it. It will change the way you think. It's an important step in your journey.

Keeping your photo simple helps to bring focus to your story. If it’s complicated, your viewers’ eyes will hunt around the image. They’ll wonder what your picture is about. Let’s look at five ways to take simple photos:

Find an Uncluttered Space

When you’re out shooting (especially portraits), look for open space if possible. Trees, shrubs, poles, and other objects can make your background look too busy.

Remove Clutter

Look around and see what you can remove. You could do this while editing, but sometimes it’s not easy, so it’s best to pay attention when taking the shot.

Here’s a landscape example where I removed some clutter from the scene.

Blur the Background

Blurring your background brings attention to your subject, but also hides clutter. Here’s an example, where you have no idea what’s in the background because I blurred it.

Get Close to your Subject, or Zoom In

By closing in, you’ll have more of your subject and less of the background. You’ll fill the frame with your subject. Here’s an example with distracting trees in the background. By zooming in, I had less of the background to deal with.

One Photo, One Subject

What’s your favorite movie? How many “heroes” were in it? Just one person, or one couple, or one concept? Right? Same in photography. Feature one main thing in your photo, and craft a narrative around it.

Here’s an example. There were many people there that day, and I could have shot the scene with everyone on the dunes. But by having just one person in the shot, I was able to craft a story around this girl climbing up the difficult dunes on a hot, sunny day, working hard, and not giving up. Reminds me of the song “Climb Every Mountain” in the movie The Sound of Music. At least, that’s my narrative.

Remember, simple ≠ easy. Easy is the opposite of difficult, and simple is the opposite of complicated. We don’t want complicated. Getting to simple takes work, but it’ll take your photo from being a snapshot to a great shot. Watch the video for a more in-depth discussion.

Basically: don’t feel like you gotta center your subject in all your shots. Be bold and move your subject to the side—it gets more attention.

This isn’t rocket science right, it’s first-grade Math. Imagine your frame is folded into three parts (vertically and horizontally)—you’ll get 4 intersecting points, right? Just place your subject in one of those points. Done.

Let’s look at some examples:

See how I placed his eye on the intersecting point?

Applies to vertical photos as well.

Works with the lines as well, not just the points. My subject here is the lighthouse. Rather than placing it at the center, I placed it near the line.

Sometimes, I won’t use the rule of thirds. An example is reflections. Emphasizing symmetry was more important here, so I aligned it dead center.

Here also, I didn’t use the rule of thirds. There’s a kind of symmetry with a group of people, so I’ll typically place groups at the center.

We looked at this example yesterday—it’s basically the rule of thirds. The horizon is positioned near the top third line.

The reason this rule works is because it’s a law of nature. Our eyes are naturally drawn to the sides rather than the center. By placing your subject in one of the points, the viewer’s attention will instantly fall on your subject. It’s an important rule to understand well—I highly recommend you watch this video again, where I explore all the nuances of this rule.

Here’s a quote to remember:
“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.” —Pablo Picasso

Btw, none of this will matter if you don’t practice.

Swami

Here’s an example where I kept the horizon at the top. Why? Because the ground with the sliding rock is more interesting than the sky.

Here, I kept it at the bottom, because the sky is way more interesting with the double rainbow. I wanted more of the sky and less of the ground.

Before taking a shot, always ask yourself, “who/what is the hero of my shot?” And then find a way to emphasize your hero. Moving the horizon up or down, away from the center, is one way to emphasize what’s interesting. Watch this video where I elaborate more on this.

Have a nice weekend!

Swami

Keep your horizon straight! If your image turns out slant, straighten it later using a photo-editing tool. Straight horizons are especially important in landscape photography because you can typically see the horizon in landscape shots. If it’s not straight, it’ll look obvious.

Why should your picture be straight? Well, because we see the world straight. If it’s not straight, something will seem off to the brain. When you hang up a frame on your wall, you make sure it’s straight right? Same with photography.

Does this look right?

Or this?

There are some exceptions. Sometimes I’ll slant my image on purpose. Here’s an example:

I slanted it to emphasize his emotions. As long as you do anything with intention and purpose, it’s fine.

In the video, I discussed a few tips and techniques on how to keep your pictures straight. Do watch it again to refresh your memory.

Have a nice day!

Swami

P.S. If you signed up for my WhatsApp group and haven’t been added yet, it’s because I’m still figuring out the right group for you. Thanks for your patience!

Every time you take a shot, you’re faced with an important question: where in the frame do you place your subject?

Here’s the guideline: if your subject is facing right, place them on the left, so there is a natural sense of direction. If you put them on the right, the viewer might sense an awkwardness—almost as if the subject is walking out of the frame. 

Here’s an example. The subject is facing right, so I placed her on the left.

Here’s another example. The subject is facing left, so I placed him on the right.

Here’s a bad example. Though the subject is facing right, he is on the right side of the frame. Can you feel the awkwardness? It’s as if he’s going to walk out of the frame…

Why not place your subject at the center? Sure you can, but then, in photography, we like telling stories. By placing them at the center, you’re not really taking a stance. By placing them at one end, you’re telling a little story. You’re emphasizing something. And that will make your viewers think.

Adios,

Swami

P.S. Join my WhatsApp group where I can see your photos and give you feedback. More details here.

As we get to the end of the first set of lessons, let’s start recapping the concepts we’ve learned so far. We still have a bunch of composition guidelines and basic lighting ideas to talk about before we transition over to the second chapter—understanding your camera and harnessing its full power—but, meanwhile, let’s recap.

In the last lesson, we saw how to take group shots in the sun. Most people make the mistake of making their subjects face the sun because they think that brighter is better. But that’s not a good idea, because your subjects will squint if they’re facing the sun. Also, weird shadows might form on their faces. The sun should be behind your subjects. You, the photographer, should face the sun. Yes, their faces will be darker, but just turn on your flash to light up their faces. If you are able to find shade, that would be the best option—go to the shaded area and take the shot there. But, if there is no shade, use the above flash technique.

Btw, in case you missed my last email, I’m inviting you to join a “mastermind” group to fast-track your learning. I highly recommend it if you’re serious about getting better with your camera.

Have a nice day!

Swami

There are two kinds of learning—passive and active. Passive learning is when you just consume information—reading and watching things, and doing nothing else—you might feel great that you’re understanding new things but your skills don’t really develop that way. The actual learning happens when you:

• Practice regularly.

• Struggle and make lots of mistakes in the beginning.

• Ask lots of questions (even silly ones).

• Share your progress and practice-work with others (even if it’s embarrassing).

• Get someone to point out your blind spots.

• Team up with others at a similar stage as you are in, keeping each other accountable.

This is called active learning, and it’s the surest way to pick up a new skill. Your brain builds up a chemical called myelin that helps you master complex skills. Myelin does not build up when you just consume information. It’s in the struggling process that you develop myelin. You should not try to bypass the struggle stage.

So, with that in mind, I’m forming “mastermind” groups for all of you. The goal is to give you a forum to ask questions, learn together, get your images critiqued, and make new friends who are on the same journey as you. These groups are designed to be small (about 7 in a group) because we interact more effectively in smaller groups. It’s completely free to join. I’m doing this because of my love for photography, and my belief that I can help you master this art (I will have optional weekly coaching sessions for a fee, but more on that later). My only requirement is that you are serious about becoming a better photographer and that you will commit to practicing. If you’re interested, please fill out this form so I can place you in the right group: https://forms.gle/LbmT9VL3YX9JnekWA.

Teens and parents are welcome (and encouraged). Also, if you have friends interested in photography, let me know so I can group you together—we learn better with friends.

Let me know if you have questions.

Swami

P.S. If you’re interested in knowing more about how myelin works, I highly recommend The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle.

Would you like to join a Whatsapp group with me for more personal guidance on your photography? If you are serious about improving your skills, it’s important to practice, get your photos criqtiued, and know your blind spots. These are small groups of about seven people who are at around the same stage in photography as you are. If you are interested, please fill out this form so I can place you in the right group: https://forms.gle/LbmT9VL3YX9JnekWA.

Have a nice weekend!

Swami

In this video, I show you 5 different ways to KISS.

Let me give you a recipe that the pros use to take a captivating shot. Use this recipe next time you shoot a landscape, and you’ll see how everyone goes wow over your photo!

As you can see, some of the best tools at your disposal are not in your camera but out in nature. Shooting at Golden Hour or Blue Hour can make a huge difference to your shots. Try it out and see for yourself.

Question for you: do you think about light when taking photos? Do you look up sunrise and sunset times when you go out to shoot? Do you consider the weather? Let me know!

Happy Weekend!