1 Lens Alignment -

1. 1 Lens Alignment - Each lens you use will have a similar red dot. It allows you to align, twist and click the lens in place more easily.

2. 2 Flash Pop Up Button Press this to activate the pop up flash.

3. 3 Lens Release By pressing this in, you allow the lens to be twisted and released. Note : Try to change lenses out of dusty areas and try to have the camera switched off.

4. 4 Depth of Field preview The depth of field determines how much of an image is in focus..

5. 5 Lens contacts These line up with the contacts of any compatible lenses, allowing the cameras auto focus and other settings to work in time with your lens's settings.

6. 6 Mirror This mirror allows you to see, through the viewfinder what you will photograph by reflecting the image up. Never touch the mirror with your fingers.

7. 7 Grip Grip that is usually rubberized for more effective handling of the (sometimes cumbersome) digital SLR cameras.

8. 8 Shutter Release Button Without wanting to state the obvious, this takes the picture at whatever settings you have made. A half press will start the auto focus and exposure calculations.

9. 9 Focus Assist Beam Most modern Digital SLR 's have this now. It illuminates the subject in poor light to assist the auto focus. It will sometimes be used as an indicator for the self timer function.

10. 10 Pop Up Flash Most cameras have a built in flash which, when on full auto, will pop up and fire when required.

11. SIDE VIEW

12. TOP VIEW

15. Checking focus On the top right corner of the back of the camera, there are two buttons. One has a - symbol and the other a + symbol. While in movie mode you can zoom in with the + symbol to 5x and 10x to check focus. Hit the same button to go back to regular viewing. 

16. Inserting the battery The Canon Rebel T3i uses an LP-E8 battery. It is important to insert the battery with the notch pointed inward, and facing toward the front of the camera.

17. Inserting the memory card To insert the memory card, slide the side door toward the back of the camera. Insert the card with card-face pointed toward the back of the camera as shown below.

18. Autofocus and image stabilizer Most Canon lenses come with an autofocus switch, and sometimes a switch for the image stabilizer. It's important to make sure the autofocus switch is set to AF to enable autofocus. Conversely, if you want to manually focus a shot then set this switch to MF and use the front ring on the lens to bring a shot into focus.

19. Keep your elbows inward, and feet spread apart – one slighting in front of the other – to increase stability.

20. How the digital sensor works - Each digital image is made from millions of tiny squares, known as pixels. - Essentially, an image is recorded by tiny microlenses (pixels) which make up the cameras sensor -

21. All Pixels are not created equal! -A digital sensor is essentially made up of millions of tiny micro-lenses (pixels)‏ - Pixels are analog devices which record light and color data - Larger Sensors contain larger pixels, which are much better and collecting this data

22. Full-Frame versus APS-C Sized Sensors 2006-06-01

23. Exposure is the total amount of light allowed to fall on the film/image sensor Too much light creates an over-bright image with white spots: parts of the image are Over-Exposed Too little light creates an under-bright image with black spots: parts of the image are Under-Exposed Getting the ‘best’ exposure can be difficult in scenes with contrasting light

24. Aperture is the size of the opening in the lens that allows light through the lens – similar to an eye’s pupil Low f-stop = High aperture = Large opening = More light = Higher Exposure High f-stop = Low aperture = Small opening = Less light = Lower Exposure

25. Aperture Aperture, measured in f stops, determines the size of the opening in your lens, which controls how much light strikes your filming during an exposure. The smaller the number, the larger the opening. The larger the number, the smaller the opening. Oo o o o oo f2.8 f4 f5.6 f8 f11 f16 f22 Each f stop change lets in either 2 times or ½ the amount of light, depending on whether you open or close up.

26. Depth of Field

27. Depth of Field • Changing the aperture of a camera also changes the amount of the image that is in focus – this amount is called the depth of field

28. Depth of Field • Depth of field can vary between shallow and deep • Large Apertures give shallow depths of field (small f numbers) • Small Apertures give deep depths of field(large f numbers)

29. Creative Use of DOF • Separate your subject from the background • Give a feeling of space or distance to a scene • Highlight an area of the image

30. Types of Lenses for cameras • Removable – for DSLR cameras • Fixed – on compact cameras • “Prime” Lens (Fixed focal length) • Zoom – most common(Range of focal lengths)

31. Depth of Field • Apart from using aperture, the DOF can also be changed by varying: • Focal Length (varying magnification)

35. “Don't shine a flashlight through it. I didn't do it, I swear, but I think the moon is on fire.” “I actually do most of my Florida and Georgia area outdoor wedding and landscape shoots from my rooftop now.”