Introduction to photography Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r p h o t o g r a p h y Photography JJ JJ Greek for “painting with light” Can be considered both an art and a science • Photography is a science, because there are basic principles of physics that govern success • Photography is art because its beauty is subjective Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography First photograph taken by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in France. in 1826, on a bitumen coated aluminum plate Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Exposure Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Stops JJ JJ JJ JJ The amount of light that strikes the film/chip is measured in stops and is also known as exposure value (Ev) A difference of 1 stop is a doubling or halving of the light making the image A stop is used to measure the differences in Ev of apertures, s h u tt e r s p e e d s a n d f i l m s p e e d s “Fast” means the camera can expose a photo quickly Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Film Speed Film Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Film Speed JJ JJ JJ Film speed is a measure of the sensitivity of the film or sensor in a camera. It i s m e a s u r e d i n v a l u e s u s i n g a n International Organizations of St a n d a r d s ( ISO ) n u m b e r . U s e d t o b e m e a s u r e d i n A m e r i c a n St a n d a r d s A s s o c i a t i o n s ( ASA ) n u m b e r s ISO n u m b e r s a r e u s e d i n b o t h film and digital cameras Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Film Speed JJ JJ JJ ISO n u m b e r s c o m e i n a w i d e range, but standard numbers are 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, and 3200 ISO n u m b e r s a r e l i n e a r i n t h e i r relationship T h e h i g h e r t h e ISO n u m b e r , t h e more sensitive the film/sensor and also the more noise or grain in the image Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Film Speed L o w ISO H i g h ISO Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Shutter Speed Shutter Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Shutter Speed JJ JJ JJ Controls the amount of time t h e s h u tt e r o r c u r t a i n i s o p e n S h u tt e r s p e e d i s m e a s u r e d i n fractions of seconds Depending on the camera, it may s h o w t h e s h u tt e r s p e e d w i t h o u t the numerator, i.e. 250 instead of 1/250 Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Shutter Speed JJ JJ JJ JJ C o m m o n s h u tt e r s p e e d s a r e 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000 A doubling or halving of the t i m e v a l u e (Tv) r e p r e s e n t s o n e s t o p o f EV A f a s t s h u tt e r s p e e d f r e e z e s t h e action of an image C o n v e r s e l y , a s l o w s h u tt e r s p e e d blurs the action of an image Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Shutter Speed F a s t s h u tt e r s p e e d S l o w s h u tt e r s p e e d Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Shutter Speed F a s t s h u tt e r s p e e d S l o w s h u tt e r s p e e d Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Aperture Aperture Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Aperture JJ JJ JJ Aperture is the size of the hole in the diaphragm that allows light into the camera The larger the hole, the more light that enters the camera in a given time A p e r t u r e v a l u e s (Av) a r e measured using f-stops, shown as f/# (i.e. f/16) Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Aperture JJ JJ JJ The image at left shows common f-stop values and how they appear A change of 1 f-stop doubles or halves the light entering the camera Smaller f-numbers represent wider apertures, and larger f-numbers are smaller apertures Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Aperture JJ JJ T h e Av c o n t r o l s t h e a m o u n t o f depth of field in an image The wider the aperture, the more shallow the depth of field, and vice versa Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Av & Tv together JJ JJ JJ The wider the aperture used, the less time – i.e. the faster s h u tt e r s p e e d – i s n e e d e d t o properly expose the image Conversely, the slower the s h u tt e r s p e e d , t h e s m a l l e r t h e aperture needs to be For any image, there are a number of combinations that will make a correct exposure f-s top Shutter s peed 1.4 2 1 1 1000 500 2.8 4 5.6 8 11 16 1 250 1 125 1 60 1 30 1 15 1 8 Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Lighting JJ JJ JJ Light is the essential ingredient of photos One of the skills that separates photographers from snap shooters is the ability to solve lighting problems There are 2 primary factors to consider for light: direction and colour Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Lighting - direction JJ JJ JJ JJ The direction the light comes from can make the image seem flat or 3-dimensional Front lighting is easy to photograph, but images are generally flat Top lighting, such as from the sun overhead, Also makes the image flat, and shadows are short and dark Side lighting will emphasize texture and contours, and create long shadows Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Lighting - direction Front lighting Side lighting top lighting b o tt o m l i g h t i n g Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Lighting - Colour JJ JJ JJ JJ The colour of light is measured by temperature in Kelvin (°K) The colour of natural light changes through the day Humans respond psychologically to different colours, therefore the colour of a photo will affect emotional responses Light that is in the reds, oranges and yellows is said to be “warm”. Conversely, “cool” light is blue in tone Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Lighting - Colour Warm lighting Cool lighting Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Lighting - Colour JJ JJ JJ When taking a photo with a digital camera, the White B a l a n c e s e tt i n g o f a c a m e r a will affect the colour cast of the image, balancing the lighting of the subject T y p i c a l w h i t e b a l a n c e s e tt i n g s of a camera include: Tungsten, Florescent, Shade, Sunny, Cloudy, Flash, Auto and Manual Filters can also be used to affect the colour of light in the image Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Lighting - Colour Flash/mid-day Tungsten Florescent Cloudy Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Camera shooting modes JJ All digital cameras have various modes for shooting Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Camera shooting modes JJ Scene Modes take the guess work o u t o f s e tt i n g p r o p e r e x p o s u r e • Modes include presets for taking p h o t o s i n a v a r i e t y o f s e tt i n g s such as at night, on the beach or snow, or for portraits JJ Manual modes allow for more creative control • a Greater understanding of c a m e r a s e tt i n g s i s r e q u i r e d Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Composition Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Lenses JJ JJ The length of a lens is measured i n m i l l i m e t r e s (mm), o r e q u i v a l e n t for point-and-shoot cameras Low numbers are considered wide lenses, while high numbers are considered long lenses • A w i d e l e n s , i . e . , 1 8 mm, i s u s e f u l f o r landscape photos • A l o n g l e n s , i . e . , 3 0 0 mm, i s u s e f u l for close-ups of wildlife JJ Human eyesight is equivalent to about 50mm Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Depth of Field JJ JJ D e p t h o f f i e l d (DoF) i s t h e “ z o n e o f acceptable sharpness” DoF is controlled by aperture and distance to subject • The closer the subject, t h e s m a l l e r t h e DoF • The wider the aperture, t h e s m a l l e r t h e DoF Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Depth of Field Distant - deep DoF Close - Shallow DoF Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Depth of Field Small Aperture - deep DoF Large Aperture - Shallow DoF Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography The rule of thirds JJ The “rule of thirds” states that when composing your photo, place the centre of interest at a junction of the lines that trisect the image Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography The rule of thirds JJ Also, when composing landscape shots, the horizon line should be on one of the intersecting lines Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Framing JJ JJ JJ JJ Framing is using a foreground object to “frame” the subject of the photo The frame should be appropriate to the subject The frame should have its own aesthetic value Render the frame sharply, or blur it away Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Framing Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Fill The Frame If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough. R o b e r t C a p a , W o r l d W a r II p h o t o j o u r n a l i s t JJ JJ If you can’t get closer to your subject, use a longer lens to fill the frame Filling the frame refers to the primary subject, not extraneous objects Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Fill the frame Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Portrait Techniques JJ The subject should face into the image so that there is more space in front than behind Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Portrait Techniques JJ Subjects usually shouldn’t be square on to the camera Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Landscapes JJ Try to include an object to create sense of scale Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Landscapes JJ Horizon Line should be placed to emphasize either the sky or the land Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Landscapes JJ Horizon Line should be placed to emphasize either the sky or the land Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Landscapes JJ Focus on a detail within the scene to add interest Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Landscapes JJ Try to use a line that will lead the viewers eye into the picture Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography Final tip JJ There are no rules in photography Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography JJ The subject should face into the image so that there is more space in front than behind Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography JJ Subjects usually shouldn’t be square on to the camera Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography JJ Horizon Line should be placed to emphasize either the sky or the land Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r photography The end Tips and techniques f o r b e tt e r p h o t o g r a p h y
