Photography 101: How to take good photos

Photography 101: What is Shutter Speed?

I love photography, especially travel photography,  and I’d like to help you out with some basic photography tips so you can start capturing the world with your DSLR.

The three most important terms in photography:

- Shutter speed
- ISO
- Aperture (also called F-stop)

These three things are the pillars that any great photographer builds his masterpieces upon. And when you know how to make them work together you will start creating some wonderful photos.

Let's talk about shutter speed, what it is, and why it matters

Shutter speed is the amount of time that your shutter is open. When you take a picture and hear that ‘click,’ that’s the sound of the shutter opening and closing. The shutter covers the camera sensor- basically the eye ball of the camera- and when the shutter opens we get a picture.

Shutter speed is measured in seconds, and if you see, 1/1000, that means the shutter is open for 1/1000 of a second. This is a pretty fast shutter speed. 1/125 is a fairly average speed. A slower shutter speed would be something like 2 seconds.

Why is shutter speed important? Two reasons. Movement and Light.

Movement:

Sometimes we take pictures of football games, or playing babies, or running horses- and these things all move. We can’t really stop them. So we have to input the right shutter speed to capture the image just how we want it.

I have three photos below that are centered around movement. Let’s look at the difference between the photos and their shutter speeds. The shutter speeds are 1/5 (Slow). 1/50 (A little slow). 1/2500 (Very fast).

Thailand fire show – Shutter speed: 1/5 –  This is a slow speed, and this allows you to see that the sparks are long and stretched. This creates a beautiful blur across the photo.

Thailand Fire show – Shutter speed: 1/50 – This is about ten times faster than the previous speed, and the sparks are not so blurred here. You can see each individual spark as it flies off the hot, spinning coals. The sparks are still slightly blurred, but not so much as the previous shot.

Snowball in face – Shutter speed: 1/2500 – This is a very fast shutter speed. You can see every detail of the snow ball as it breaks apart on my friend's face. Imagine what it would look like at a slower speed; you wouldn't get any of that sharp detail, especially for something as quick as a thrown snowball.

So you need to consider if your subject is moving or not. The snowball was moving fast and I wanted a very sharp picture, so that called for the fast shutter speed. However in Thailand, I wanted a beautiful, bright photo, with lots of color smeared across it- so I used 1/5.

You must also consider the movement of your own hand. If you have a steady hand, then you can do well in the slower shutter speeds, such as 1/5 or 1/50. If you know you have shaky hands, then you will need to keep a quicker shutter speed.

Light:

It’s important to consider the movement of your subject, but now you need to think about light as well.

Your camera won’t work without any light present, so we must ALWAYS consider how much light there is when we’re looking at our settings. A slow shutter speed, such as 1/5, lets in a lot of light, and so this is ideal for a night scene.

1/50 is a little slow, and is ideal for photographing indoors, as well as sunsets and sunrises- anywhere with minimal light.

1/400 is fast, and this lets in only a little light. Because of this, 1/400 must be used in a very bright area.

Below are some examples of bad photography. I used the wrong shutter speed intentionally, so you can see how shutter speeds can be misused.

 – 1/5 –  This is a cat in my back yard, but it’s hard to tell what it is. A 1/5 shutter speed lets in so much light that the picture is almost unrecognizable.

 – 1/50 –  Here, too, you can see that there is just too much light coming in through the shutter. The picture is recognizable, but it just doesn’t look good; the dust is practically white because there is so much light coming in.

 – 1/400 –  This is a photo of the same cat from above. While the 1/5 lets in A LOT of light, the 1/400 only lets in a little so this photo is too dark. If I had used the same shutter speed as I had with my friend and the snowball, (1/2500) this picture would just be black. 

In summary:

 – 1/5 –  Lets in a lot of light. Good for dramatic night shots. Makes moving objects blurred.

 – 1/50 –  Lets in a good amount of light. Makes moving objects a little bit blurry.

 – 1/400 –  Lets in a little light. Ideal for daylight. Ideal for stationary or slow moving objects.

 – 1/2500 –  Lets in very little light. Ideal for bright daylight. Makes moving objects incredibly sharp.

So remember, when you're in a place with a lot of light, you want a fast shutter speed.

Here are some good uses of shutter speed

Man on Truck – Shutter speed: 1/320 – This picture has great light, and very little movement. 1/320 allows me to let in all that light to catch the beautiful landscape. 

Thailand Beach – Shutter speed: 30 – When you're in a place with very little light, you will need a slow shutter speed, and a tripod. This photo  would have been pitch black at a faster shutter speed. And it would have been blurry if I hadn't had a tripod.

Thanks so much for checking out the blog. You can always comment below if you have any questions.

Coming soon: ISO settings. How to make pictures brighter, even at a fast shutter speed.

What is Aperture (F-stop) and why does it matter?

And please check out my friends' blogs! They're fantastic.

Wen is just starting her blog, but it's a lot of fun to read.

Renee travels around the world, takes beautiful pics, has awesome adventures, and makes kickass blogs.

Four days. Five countries. 1500 kilometers.

I was in Slovenia- a tiny country that borders Croatia, Austria, and Italy. I needed to be in Spain in four days, to meet my mother, who was flying in to see me.

Due to Europe’s budget airlines, a flight to Spain would have been cheap, quick, and simple. But that’s too easy- and boring. I wanted to see more of Europe, and try new food, and meet great people. So I decided to take busses, trains, and ride-shares from Slovenia to Spain. I traveled during the day, stopped in hostels at night, and got very little sleep through all of it. But hell, you’re only alive once- I say you go for the more interesting of the options you’re given.

Day 1. Ljubljana (Slovenia) to Milan (Italy). 

Ljubljana is a wonderful capital city. It’s modern, it’s clean, it’s small, and it’s a lot of fun to wander around.

Sadly, I only have three pictures of Ljubljana-

Refugees Welcome. (As they should be.) 

The best travel companion you could ask for. (She gave me the last piece.)

The river that cuts through LjublJana.

I took a bus from Ljubljana to Milan. The fare wasn’t much- around 20 dollars.

Milan was an interesting city. Much more graffiti than I would have expected, and REALLY good pizza. As always, I opted for the cheapest hostel, booking it from my wi-fi equipped bus. I was let off in the center of Milan and made my way to the hostel with Milan's metro system.

When you book hostels through websites such as Hostels.com, or HostelWorld.com, or Booking.com, the hostels generally give you directions on how to get there. I’ve found that they’re accurate about 90% of the time. I once spent two hours wandering around a coastal town in Vietnam because the hostel had posted the wrong address.

Arturo

But I arrived at this hostel without incident, and found myself sharing a room with a cool Mexican guy named Arturo. And that night I dined on pizza and beer (yum…)

Day 2. Milan.

I spent the next day exploring Milan with my new friend, Arturo.

Milan had lots of touts, as I expected, and the public parks were wonderful. The architecture was also great, and the city was fun to explore. While on our way back to our hostel, Arturo and I were stopped by two Indian tourists- a man and woman. They had paid for a city bus tour but were leaving Italy and had no use for the tickets. We gladly accepted the tickets, and then rode to our hostel in style, inside a double-decker bus. 

Milan Cathedral

Day 3. Milan (Italy), to Monte Carlo (Monaco), to Nice (France).

Milan had been pretty good to me, but I was excited to go to the next city. Monte Carlo. And after that, Nice, in France. I found a hostel in Nice, and decided to take a ride share to Monte Carlo, which is only a quick train ride from Nice.

Milan has lots of grafitti

I LOVE the ride-share website BlaBlaCar.com. I’ve used it a number of times, and have had really good experiences. Allow me to explain BlaBlaCar- it’s a ride-share program. So imagine that you’re driving from Paris to Brussels, and you need a little gas money. You would go onto BlaBlaCar and sell the available seats in your car- and anyone who needs to go from Paris to Brussels would buy a seat in your car. So if you have four available seats in your car, and you sell all four seats for $20 each- then you make a cool 80 dollars, and you get to drive with four nice people in your car. The website is in a number of countries abroad, but I am still waiting for it to come to America.

I met my driver at the bus station in Milan, and we were off. He was a stout, bald man who reminded me of the bar owner that had robbed me in Istanbul. He drove an old van, which was packed with 7 people- I made 8. Our driver was lovely. He was driving with his sister, mother, and father to Monte Carlo, and had sold the additional seats using BlaBlacar. Each seat costed roughly $25, which was much better than the bus ($37 - 72) and train ($50 - 65).

We hit heavy traffic while leaving Italy, but it was the best place to hit traffic. This is because the section of Italy near Monte Carlo is BEAUTIFUL. It’s honestly more than beautiful- it's a medley of rolling hillsides, covered with rocky outcrops, tiny houses, and bits of foliage here and there. The colors- luscious green and light brown and earthy orange blend together and paint the countryside- this is all opposite the rocky cliffs of a robust coastline. It is truly one of the best looking bits of scenery I’ve ever seen, and I think that only sections of western China can compare when discussing beauty of this magnitude.

No pictures for you- sorry. I was so mesmerized by it that I didn’t want to block my view with a camera.

I wanted to explore Monte Carlo more, but the traffic in Italy was so bad that we were late and had to hurry to catch our train. The last train out of Monaco is at something like 8 or 9 pm, and if you miss it there’s no other form of transportation to Nice- save for a hundred dollar taxi ride. We got there just in time to catch the train.

The ride to Nice was nice (see what I did there?), and a few of the passengers from the BlaBlaCar ride were also going, so it was fun to exchange pleasant conversation while winding through the countryside on our train. The land from Monte Carlo to Nice (the French Riviera) was truly astounding. Beautiful blue beaches nestled in between rocky cliffs. I would love to go back and visit the French Riviera- I always assumed it was a place for pretentious westerners with too much money, but it really was wonderful.

I arrived in Nice after the sun had gone down, and slowly made my way to my hostel. I stayed at a GREAT little hostel called Hostel Baccarat, and I highly recommend it. It had a fun, casual atmosphere, and was 20 euros a night (cheap for France), and it has its own kitchen so you can cook your meals and save money.

Nice was a great little city. I only had one day there, so I didn’t get much time to explore, but it just had such a wonderful feel it. The restaurants, and cafes, and the vibe of the city streets- it was really something. This is why I’m so saddened, because just a few days after I was in Nice, it got hit by a terrorist attack, which left 84 dead.

A few places I’ve visited have also been hit by attacks, such as Istanbul and Ankara, both of which I missed by a few days. Narrowly missing these attacks makes me nervous, but it does nothing to dissuade me from traveling- nor does it make me look at Muslims any differently. I have met many wonderful Muslims in my time abroad, and it’s not fair to punish a whole religion for the actions of a few assholes.

Day 4. Nice (France) to Barcelona (Spain).

I took an early morning train to Barcelona. I wanted to use BlaBlaCar, but all the available cars had been filled up by the time I searched for a ride. The train was expensive, costing me over a hundred dollars. The busses, much like my beloved ride-share, had all filled up. The train was comfortable and quick- not a bullet train- but close to it.

(Why the hell can’t America have trains like Europe?!)

Anyway, rolling into Barcelona felt like returning home, because I had already spent so much time in the city. And as I arrived, exhausted and hungry, I reflected back on my previous few days.

The wonderful little capital city of Ljubljana, with its unique architecture and fun, polite people. Milan, with its great cathedrals, rampant graffiti, and delicious pizza- and there was the day I had spent wandering around with Arturo. (I spoke with Arturo at some length about my time in a refugee camp in Greece, and he actually joined me when I returned there to volunteer. What a friend!) And then I thought of the amazing countryside in Italy, and the all too brief time I spent in Monte Carlo. And the great little hostel in Nice, and the fun vibe of the town.

As I made my way to the Barcelona airport to meet my mom, I reflected on all of this, and knew I had really had a wonderful four days.

My mom! Isn't she lovely
: )

Thanks so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Check out my friends' blogs! They're fantastic.

Wen is just starting her blog, but it's a lot of fun to read.

Renee travels around the world, takes beautiful pics, has awesome adventures, and makes kickass blogs.

Inside a refugee camp- a volunteer's perspective

A man from a small village in Iraq. He is
missing a leg and is confined to a
wheelchair.

This is a blog about what I saw and did in two refugee camps in Greece. I hope to give advice to anyone interested in volunteering, and to show what it's like to live in this environment. I volunteered with a wonderful organization called Drop in the Ocean, and I highly recommend them to anyone interested in volunteering.

Who are in the camps?

I met Syrians and Iraqis at my camps. These were broken into further subdivisions- Arabs, Kurds, and Yazidi. Some people were from big cities, and were highly educated. Others were from small villages and had little education.

An Iraqi man who invited us into his tent for
 coffee. We sat and spoke with him for
almost an hour.

What are the people like?

The people in the camps were very welcoming. I was invited in to many tents and offered coffee, tea, dates, or whatever they could spare. Despite the shittiness of a refugee camp, people were quick with a smile, and happy to have a conversation with me. The kids were always eager to play too, and I had a few great games of football(soccer).

Are refugee camps dangerous?

The camps are all run by the Greek military, so there is a constant military presence at the entrance of the camp. Most people living there are also very kind- so I never felt like I was in danger. But there are snakes: rubbish collects around the camp, which draws in mice and rats, and the snakes eat the rodents. One man showed me pictures he had taken of two dead snakes, each about 2 meters (6 feet) in length. I’m told only one species of snake in the area is venomous.

And while the camp never felt dangerous, it can be unpleasant. During distribution, people are always on edge. I’ve been pushed. I’ve had rocks thrown at me by angry children. I’ve been yelled at. I’ve had old women, and crying children, and frustrated men beg me to give them special treatment- and in order to keep the distribution from falling apart, I had to say no.

What are the living conditions like?
Conditions vary by camp, and they're hardly equal. Idomeni, which is now closed, had as many as 16,000 people, and was VERY rough. You can see pictures of tents among the rail road tracks. Families were also finding lodging inside abandoned trains. It was a border crossing that bottle necked when Europe shut its borders, and people kept arriving at the crossing, hoping to get through. Camps run by the military are generally cleaner and better, but are still no cake walk.

What's distribution?

The bulk of our work was spent on distribution. We handed out pretty much anything, from eggs, to t-shirts, to underwear. The two camps I was at had about 1,500 people in them. Each family in the camp had one tent, and each tent had one identification card. The tents, and correlating cards, had numbers like G12 or B93 or C15. A person would come to us, show their identification card, we would type their card number into the computer, and then give them whatever supplies we were handing out.

We called the people by sections- “now serving sections A, B, and C.” This way we’d only have to deal with 100 or so people at a time, instead of the whole camp. One time the army screwed us over, and called the entire camp for distribution, rather than doing as we had asked and calling a specific section at a time. This resulted in a small mob appearing at our tent. There was pushing, yelling, a manic teenage boy kicked over our supplies and had to be hauled away, and there were plenty of people who wanted to argue about not receiving enough. The lesson here… planning is key.

A good distribution is one that has been planned well. Everything from how the people enter the distribution area, to how they exit, to how the instructions are given, to how we arrange our goods, to how many people we let in at a time, to how we set up our team. Prepping for distribution really feels like preparing for battle- because so many things can go wrong, and the slightest mistake can have big consequences. Even though most people are peaceful and patient, it really only takes a handful of people to disrupt a distribution. 

Are there many kids in the camp?

These camps are about half children. And there are kids EVERYWHERE. We can’t do construction in the camp because kids will materialize out of thin air and poke their curious little heads into our business- it doesn’t matter if we’re stacking boxes of tampons, or sawing slabs of wood in half.

There are play areas for the children, a make-shift football (soccer) field, and a small playground. Each camp has a little school, but it’s not enough and the kids often get into trouble, for lack of things to keep them busy. I witnessed a lot of anger issues with some children. Lots of fights, lots of rocks thrown in anger, lots of tears- with little adult supervision to settle disputes. I witnessed two ten year old girls in a brutal fight, and when we pulled them apart we saw that one girl had deep fingernail gouges left in her cheek, red with blood. These are children who were used to structure, school, and a safe home- and now it's all gone- I think I would have emotional issues too. 

Many of the kids, troubles aside, are actually very sweet. They’re eager to help, and jump at the opportunity to carry a box, or to help us prep for distribution. Once a 13 year old boy asked us if we were hungry- when I told him yes, I was hungry, he disappeared and returned with a shopping bag full of croissants and juice boxes. Enough for our entire work team.

A handful of the kids can be trouble makers, and can cause problems for us, but the vast majority of them are bored, intelligent, kind children, eager to fill their time with something meaningful. I really treasure the time I spent with them, playing, teaching, and learning from these kids. 

How long is the work day?

We (the volunteers) worked 7 days a week, often starting our shift around 9 or 10 am, and getting home around 8 or 9 at night. Some days were longer, some shorter. I’d say the average day was about 10 hours with a one hour break in the middle somewhere. I think the longest shift I ever had was a 14 hour day, although the coordinators were very clear that people could take a day off if they needed the rest.

What's the cost of volunteering?

Most of us shared an apartment building with several rooms, which ended up costing us 15 euros a day, each. Others stayed in a nearby hotel which was 20 euros a day. It was also vital to have a car because the camps have no public transportation. In the low season a car can cost 10 euros a day, in the high season it can be 50 or 60 per day. I was there in the high season, and four of us shared the cost of the car- it ended up being about 12 dollars a day, after being split among us. Gas is VERY expensive in Greece, with a liter of diesel costing about 1 euro, and a liter of unleaded costing about 1 euro and 35 cents. That’s over 5 dollars a gallon for unleaded gas. Some German volunteers drove to Greece and then slept in their van- this saved them money on both lodging and a car rental.

Food in Greece isn’t expensive- a good restaurant will run you 7-10 euros with a nice beer and a hearty meal. A gyro is about 2.50 euros. Supermarkets are abundant and you can buy groceries for about the same prices in the US.

As you can see, the cost of volunteering, unless you plan on sleeping in a car, can get expensive.

Organizing our new warehouse

How are the distributed goods organized?

We get a lot of donations- shirts, toys, shoes, etc- and we need a secure place to keep them, so we have a warehouse. We also need to know exactly how many of a particular item we have before we can hand them out, because we don’t do distribution unless we have enough for everyone. This is how we avoid heated arguments and 

The warehouse, after DAYS of organizing.

fights- if there are not enough supplies for everyone, then people are much more willing to cut in line, and argue, and yell, and fight. I spent many grueling hours in the warehouse- counting, labeling, stacking, sorting, folding, recounting, restacking… ugh… just thinking about it makes me crazy.

Why volunteer?

This is the largest refugee crisis since World War II. With millions in need, and the governments not doing nearly enough, it falls on people like you and me to clean up the failures of our politicians, and get to work. It’s the duty of anyone with a conscience.

But volunteering is so rewarding too. It’s wonderful to meet these people from such diverse backgrounds and hear their stories. And it’s fun to work beside a great team of volunteers. This experience has taught me so much about the world, and has introduced many friends into my life, volunteer and refugee alike.

What's the best part about volunteering?

My favorite part of all this was the opportunity to walk around and speak to people one on one. To hear their stories, to learn about their hardships, their joys, their ambitions. To speak with the kids, and play with them, and hear all about their lives. The moments that will stay with me are all the intimate conversations I had with the people I met.

What's the worst part about volunteering?

A wound received by a 'barrel bomb' in Syria-
an explosive that is dropped from a helicopter,
and showers shrapnel on all nearby. This man
has no bones beneath the scar, as they were
removed after his injury. 

There are some real difficulties with volunteering. The long hours. The head aches of distribution. The annoyance that the people we’re there to help can sometimes yell at us, or lash out at us. There’s the language barrier, and all the frustrations that come with clashes of culture. But honestly, the worst part of this experience is feeling like I’m just a tiny bandage on a massive wound. This crisis is so big, with so many key players involved, and everything I did was all a short term solution. I helped to feed, and clothe, and care for people- but it doesn’t mean anything if they can’t get to a place of safety. What these people need, more than anything I can give them, are open borders. Not being able to give them that, and not knowing if they’ll ever get it, is probably the thing that frustrates me the most.

Spain. In Pictures

Spain is a wonderful country. The food is great. The people are kind, outgoing, and always seem cheerful. The architecture is stunning. Spain is just... well, it's Spain. What else can I say?

Cadiz

Cadiz is a wonderful town in far, south west Spain. It can be reached by bus and train, and it's really worth the trip.

The biggest cathedral in Cadiz. It's 5 euros to go inside and is ABSOLUTELY worth it.

Inside the Cadiz Cathedral. It's one of the most interesting churches I've seen. Inside are several little 'chapels' like this, as well as a spooky crypt beneath the church.

 The view from the top of the Cadiz Cathedral.

There were huge bells on the roof of the cathedral. There was no warning before one went off, and a poor German guy was right below this bell when it went off.

We stumbled upon this elaborate ceremony, involving hundreds of people, where they moved this fancy Jesus statue from one church to another. The other church was literally across the street, and the procession lasted over an hour- so they walked VERY slowly. They had a whole marching band too!

Getting his picture on. 

Here's what he was trying to shoot.  You can see the Cadiz Cathedral in the center.

Cadiz, like many Spanish towns, is a maze of little alleys, each a treasure trove of food, culture, and architecture.

 

 Cadiz has a lovely beach.

One of many fountains around town.

Barcelona

Barcelona is a great city- beautiful and exciting and full of great architecture. It is also Spain's most expensive city.

A street performer blows balloons at night. A child has the time of her life chasing them down. 

Two huge fountains in Catalunya Square. You can see the silhouette of statues before the second fountain.

The national museum of Cataluna, in Park Montjuic, Barcelona. Park Montjuic is MASSIVE. 

Statues in Park Montjuic.

 La Sagrada Familia. A large Roman Catholic church designed by Spain's favorite architect, Gaudi.

Madrid

There is an Egyptian temple, built in 200 BC, in the heart of Madrid. The photo was taken from inside it, seeking shelter from a sudden down pour.

A street performer. This guy was great, and really seemed to enjoy his work.

A puddle. 

A silhouetted statue of Pope John Paul II.

My Dad, getting a pic of the statue.

Toledo

Toledo was a wonderful little town, just 45 miles south of Madrid. Buses from Madrid were 5 euros and ran every hour or so. Trains also depart frequently, and cost about 12 euros one way.

The town seems to be known for two things- convents, and knives. Both could be seen everywhere. I've been to maybe 8 or 10 towns in Spain, and never have I seen such a fascination with blades as here. I saw a life size replica of Frodo's Elven sword from Lord of the Rings, as well as a million other cool blades. No idea why...

Toledo seen from outside the city. There is a touristy little 'train' that runs in, around, and outside the city. Take the little choo choo to get this shot.

Another shot from outside the city. 

In the center of town, there is the Cathedral. It makes the pics you take so much more interesting.

Like this one.

And this one.

Oh, and this one.

Here's the cathedral at night. Don't mind the man on the scaffolding in the foreground. He's taking apart the stage after a huge concert.

The view from our hotel bedroom. 

More puddles.

Marbella

Marbella is a tiny little town in which I spent a month working in a hostel. It's mostly full of retired British people, and British University students looking to get drunk as fast as humanly possibly. Nice town, but it wasn't so special.

Puerto Banus

No pictures of Puerto Banus. It's an overpriced town next to Marbella, full of wealthy people driving their rented Maseratis and Ferraris. There are much more interesting places in Spain to visit. Like Ronda.

Ronda

Ronda is a small town in southern Spain. It was an hour's bus ride from my hostel in Marbella, and the ride was only a few Euros each way. And boy, was it worth the trip...

The flat bits are all vineyards and agriculture. 

The town itself is raised, built upon these high cliffs.

You want to visit Ronda.

Spain is such a lovely country. I really enjoyed all of it, and I hope you enjoyed the pictures!

Side note: I will be returning to the refugee camps in Greece this summer, and am trying to raise money for the people there. I am selling pictures to make money, and encourage anyone interested in helping out to buy a print. You can check it out here.

If you'd like to learn more about my experience in a refugee camp, then please go here.