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
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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
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photography
First photograph taken by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in France.
in 1826, on a bitumen coated aluminum plate
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photography
Exposure
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Stops
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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
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Film Speed
Film
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Film Speed
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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
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Film Speed
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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
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techniques
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photography
Film Speed
L o w ISO
H i g h ISO
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photography
Shutter Speed
Shutter
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photography
Shutter Speed
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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
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photography
Shutter Speed
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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
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techniques
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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
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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
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photography
Aperture
Aperture
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photography
Aperture
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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)
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Aperture
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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
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techniques
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photography
Aperture
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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
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photography
Av & Tv together
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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
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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
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techniques
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photography
Lighting - direction
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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
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techniques
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photography
Lighting - direction
Front lighting
Side lighting
top lighting
b o tt o m l i g h t i n g
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f o r b e tt e r
photography
Lighting - Colour
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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
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techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Lighting - Colour
Warm lighting
Cool lighting
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techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Lighting - Colour
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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
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techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Lighting - Colour
Flash/mid-day
Tungsten
Florescent
Cloudy
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techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Camera shooting modes
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All digital cameras have
various modes for shooting
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techniques
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photography
Camera shooting modes
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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
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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
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photography
Composition
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techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Lenses
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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
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Human eyesight is equivalent to
about 50mm
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techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Depth of Field
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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
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techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Depth of Field
Distant - deep DoF
Close - Shallow DoF
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techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Depth of Field
Small Aperture - deep DoF
Large Aperture - Shallow DoF
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techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
The rule of thirds
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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
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techniques
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The rule of thirds
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Also, when
composing
landscape
shots, the
horizon line
should be on
one of the
intersecting
lines
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techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Framing
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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
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techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Framing
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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
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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
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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
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The subject should face into
the image so that there is more
space in front than behind
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techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Portrait Techniques
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Subjects
usually
shouldn’t
be square
on to the
camera
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techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Landscapes
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Try to
include
an object
to create
sense of
scale
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techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Landscapes
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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
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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
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Focus on a detail within the
scene to add interest
Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Landscapes
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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
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There are no rules in
photography
Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
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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
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Subjects
usually
shouldn’t
be square
on to the
camera
Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
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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