Smart_Photography_-_January_2016_

field in the foreground. Try various

compositions, including verticals.

Take the shots when the breeze

sways the rice fields. You may also try

using other shutter speeds closer to

1 second.

P or iA?

On my camera I have on the Mode

Dial, a ‘P’ as well as ‘iA’. Aren’t they

the same? (Pic)

A. D. Patel, Surat.

They are quite similar but at the

same time, a bit different. ‘P’ stands

for Program. In this mode, the camera

automatically sets the aperture

as well as the shutter speed for

the lighting condition and the ISO

sensitivity that you have set. In ‘iA’

(Intelligent Auto) mode, the camera

‘takes over’ completely; it even sets

the required ISO! Further, iA mode

may even examine the scene for

brightness and contrast, check if

there are human faces in the scene

(so that the focus may be set at

that point) and select an exposure

from ‘presets’ already stored in

the camera. So you see, both these

modes are ‘auto’, but ‘iA’ takes the

automation to the next level.

In my opinion, the ‘iA’ mode is

designed for absolute beginners (but

believe me, I too use it at times!). |SP

photographer. You photograph a tiger
drinking water. Then, using your skills
in using an image editing program, you
‘create’ five more tigers, all drinking
water together. Can you send this
photo to a photo competition? The
answer is a strict “No”. By doing that
you would not be telling the truth. But,
consider this for a moment. You do the
required editing (or manipulating, if
you prefer) and then hang that picture
in your sitting room. If asked, you say
that the picture is digitally enhanced/
manipulated. You have created the
image as a work of art. You do not
claim it to be the ‘original’ photo. In
this case, you are not trying to deceive
anyone and hence you have done no
wrong.

Some people think that what was
not in the original, cannot be added.
Remember, an artist (painter) starts
with a blank easel (paper). Do you
question him as to why he added some
trees, or the hut or the blue sky with
white clouds? No? Then why do you
ask a photographer? Photography, like
painting, is an art.

Some people think that what is
there in the original, should not be
eliminated. You take a portrait of a
friend. While doing so, you notice a
plastic wrapper besides your friend.
You remove the plastic wrapper and
then take the picture. You do that
before taking the photo, someone
else does that afterward. Same end,
different ways!

Of course, you need not agree to my
way of thinking. The choice is entirely
yours.

And by the way, have you ever noticed
that a product that you buy often
looks better on the packaging than
the actual product? By skilful use of
lighting and image editing, products
are often made to look better than
what they actually are. Do you think
that all the beautiful scenes that you
see in books are always the original?
And in a movie, when you hear the
sounds made by running animals, or
when you see a leopard with a kill on a
tree with the setting sun in the frame,
do you think that all that is how it
actually was?

Photography is now termed as ‘digital

imaging’; may be because editing is a

part and parcel of it.

I could write more... much more. But I

think I have made my point.

Raw to DNG

How much data will I lose if I

convert a RAW file into an Adobe

DNG file before I start processing it

in Photoshop? Or will the DNG file

retain all the data as Adobe claims?

Gustasp Irani

You will not lose any data if you

convert Raw to DNG. (Even if there is a

loss, the loss would be imperceptible).

I am sure some readers would like to

know as to why some photographers

want to convert their Raw files to DNG.

Raw is a proprietary format (meaning

that the data used in it is a secret of

the manufacturer) while DNG (Digital

Negative) is an open format. Some

people worry that if the manufacturers

stop the Raw format, they will be stuck

with images which they will no longer

be able to open. Since DNG is an ‘open’

format, they feel safer to convert their

Raw files to DNG, just in case.

Swaying Rice Fields

I am from Kerala. I want to create a

picture in which the

rice fields seem to

sway in the breeze.

Any suggestions?

Thomas Mathew, Palakkad,

Kerala

On a day which is

not too bright, set

your camera to its

lowest ISO (say ISO

100). Set the shutter

speed to say 1 second

(either in Manual

exposure mode or

Shutter Priority

mode). The camera

will suggest a narrow

aperture (like f/11

or f/16, depending

on the brightness of

the available light).

Frame your picture

so that you have

enough of the rice

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Smart Photography January 2016