To write or draw with light
Why do people take
Photographs?
Camera Parts
Digital camera
• captures the photo with
electronic imaging sensor
LCD Screen
Shutter Button
Flash
Camera Body
Lens
Camera Parts
iPhone:
To quickly open Camera
when iPhone is locked,
swipe up.
Camera Lens
Flash
Exposure Triangle
Exposure:
• amount of light captured by the camera.
ISO:
• measurement of a camera’s
sensitivity to light.
Shutter Speed:
• how long its shutter
stays open as the
picture is taken.
Aperture:
• small, circular
opening inside
the camera lens
• controls amount
of light reaching
the sensor
Aperture + Shutter Speed + ISO = Exposure Triangle
The aperture and shutter speed together control the total amount of light reaching the sensor.
Shutter & Aperture
Technical Terms
Pixel – Short for Picture Element, a pixel is a single
point in a graphic image
Megapixel = 1 million pixels
Technical Terms
Resolution = number of pixels in an image
PPI – Pixels Per Inch
Is it better to have more or less pixels?
DOCUMENTARY
Photo Types
Alfred Stieglitz, The Terminal, 1892
Alfred Stieglitz, The Steerage, 1907
DOCUMENTARY
Charles C. Ebbets, Lunch atop a Skyscraper, 1932
EXPRESSIVE
• Communicating an emotion
Dorothea Lange, Migrant Mother
Patrick Farrell , Untitled
EXPRESSIVE
William Klein, Gun #1
LANDSCAPE
• the natural environment.
Ansel Adams, Tetons
and the Snake River
LANDSCAPE
• the natural environment.
Eddie Soloway
ORGANIC SHAPE
• shapes based on natural objects such as trees, mountains,
leaves, etc…
Eddie Soloway
Ansel Adams, Roots
ABSTRACT
• emphasizes formal elements (line, shape, etc.) rather than
specific, recognizable objects
Eddie Soloway
PORTRAITURE
• to capture the personality of the subject or group of subjects on
film.
Candid
Posed
• Where the horizontal and vertical lines intersect makes an ideal
location for the more important parts of your picture.
• By locating your main subject at one of the four intersections you
give the subject more emphasis than if it was right smack in the
middle of the picture.
Visual Elements
Composition
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Line
Space
Texture
Repetition
Shape
Value
Color
Light
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Balance
Contrast
Central Focus
Background
Angle (vantage Point)
Framing
Setting
Lighting
Ambient Light
• natural light
Joe McNally
Artificial Light
• electrical light
Visual Elements
Texture: if you could touch the surface
of the photograph how would it feel?
How do the objects in the picture look
like they would feel?
Light: what areas of the
photograph are most
highlighted? Are there
any shadows? Does the
photograph allow you to
guess the time of day? Is
the light natural or
artificial? Harsh or soft?
Reflected or direct?
Line: are there
objects in the
photograph that act
as lines? Are they
straight, curvy, thin,
thick? Do the lines
create direction in the
photograph? Do they
outline? Do the lines
show movement or
energy?
Space: is there depth to the
photograph or does it seem
shallow? What creates this
appearance? Are there important
negative spaces in addition to
positive spaces? Is there depth
created by spatial illusions?
Focus: what areas appear clearest or
sharpest in the photograph? What do not?
Repetition: are there any objects,
shapes or lines which repeat and
create a pattern?
Shape: do you see geometric or
organic shapes? What are they
Value: is there a range of
tones from dark to light?
Where is the darkest value?
Where is the lightest?
Composition of the Photograph
Angle: the vantage point from which the
photograph was taken; generally used when
discussing a photograph taken from an
unusual or exaggerated vantage point.
Background: the part
of a scene or picture
that is or seems to be
toward the back.
Balance: the distribution of visual elements
in a photograph. Symmetrical balance
distributes visual elements evenly in an
image. Asymmetrical balance is found when
visual elements are not evenly distributed in
an image
Balance: the distribution of visual elements
in a photograph. Asymmetrical balance is
found when visual elements are not evenly
distributed in an image.
Central focus: (focal point); the objects(s)
which appears most prominently and/or
most clearly focused in a photograph.
Contrast: strong visual differences between
light and dark, varying textures, sizes, etc.
Vantage point: the place from which a
photographer takes a photograph.
Framing: what the
photographer has placed
within the boundaries of
the photograph.
Lighting can make or break your photo
When it comes to the direction of light, there are 360 degrees of possibilities. When the
light isn't working for you, change it by moving your position, your subject's position, or
the light itself, if possible.
High Front Light
(Sunlight)
Front Light
Side Light
Back Light
Photo Tips
Fill Flash
Flash Off
Photo Tips
Good
Better
ZOOM IN
Photo Tips
FOCUS
Photo Tips
Format and Orientation
Photo Tips
DISTRACTING BACKGROUD?
Simplify the scene
Photo Tips
Space to move
Fill the frame
Watch for mergers
WHICH IS THE
BETTER PHOTO?