Reading a Photograph
Ansel Adams, The Tetons- Snake River 1942
Kevin Carter, Vulture and Child 1993
Eddie Adams, Execution of a Viet Cong Guerrilla 1968
Stanley J. Forman, Fire on Marlborough Street 1975
Timothy Fadek TIME Magazine 2010
Charlie Riedel 2010
Mason Inman- National Geographic
Taking Pictures
ISO
In traditional (film) photography ISO (or ASA) was the indication of how
sensitive a film was to light. It was measured in numbers (you’ve probably
seen them on film – 100, 200, 400, 800). The lower the number the lower
the sensitivity of the film and the finer the grain in the shots you’re taking.
In Digital Photography ISO measures the sensitivity of the image sensor.
The same principles apply as in film photography – the lower the number
the less sensitive your camera is to light and the finer the grain. Higher ISO
settings are generally used in darker situations to get faster shutter speeds
(for example an indoor sports event when you want to freeze the action in
lower light) – however the result is grainier shots.
ISO
Most people tend to keep their digital cameras in ‘Auto Mode’ where the
camera selects the appropriate ISO setting depending upon the conditions
you’re shooting in
When you do override your camera and choose a specific ISO you’ll notice that
it impacts the aperture and shutter speed needed for a well exposed shot. For
example – if you bumped your ISO up from 100 to 400 you’ll notice that you
can shoot at higher shutter speeds and/or smaller apertures.
When choosing the ISO setting ask yourself the following four questions:
Light – Is the subject well lit?
Grain – Do I want a grainy shot or one without noise?
Tripod – Am I using a tripod?
Moving Subject – Is my subject moving or stationary?
ISO
If there is plenty of light/ your subject is stationary and you want little grain, you
can generally use a low ISO rating.
If it is dark, you purposely want grain, or don’t have a tripod and/or your subject is
moving you might consider increasing the ISO as it will enable you to shoot with a
faster shutter speed and still expose the shot well.
Situations where you might need to push ISO to higher settings include:
Indoor Sports Events – where your subject is moving fast yet you may have limited
light available.
Concerts – also low in light and often ‘no-flash’ zones
Art Galleries, Churches etc- many galleries have rules against using a flash and of
course being indoors are not well lit.
Birthday Parties – blowing out the candles in a dark room can give you a nice
moody shot which would be ruined by a bright flash. Increasing the ISO can help
capture the scene.
www.digital-photography-school.com
When using Manual Mode, two ways to control light:
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Shutter Speed
Aperture
Shutter Speed
The amount of time the shutter is open.
Shutter speed is measured in seconds – or in most cases fractions of
seconds. The bigger the denominator the faster the speed (ie 1/1000 is much
faster than 1/30).
In most cases you’ll probably be using shutter speeds of 1/60th of a
second or faster. This is because anything slower than this is very difficult to
use without getting camera shake. Camera shake is when your camera is
moving while the shutter is open and results in blur in your photos.
If you’re using a slow shutter speed (anything slower than 1/60) you will
need to either use a tripod or some some type of image stabilization (more
and more cameras are coming with this built in).
Shutter Speed
When considering what shutter speed to use in an image you should
always ask yourself whether anything in your scene is moving and how
you’d like to capture that movement. If there is movement in your scene you
have the choice of either freezing the movement (so it looks still) or letting
the moving object intentionally blur (giving it a sense of movement).
To freeze movement in an image you’ll want to choose a faster shutter
speed and to let the movement blur you’ll want to choose a slower shutter
speed. The actual speeds you should choose will vary depending upon the
speed of the subject in your shot and how much you want it to be blurred.
Shutter Speed
Motion is not always bad –
For example when you’re taking a photo of a waterfall and want to show how
fast the water is flowing, or when you’re taking a shot of a racing car and
want to give it a feeling of speed, or when you’re taking a shot of a star scape
and want to show how the stars move over a longer period of time. In all of
these instances choosing a slower shutter speed will be the way to go.
However in all of these cases you need to use a tripod or you’ll run the risk of
ruining the shots by adding camera movement (a different type of blur than
motion blur).
Focal Length and Shutter Speed - another thing to consider when choosing
shutter speed is the focal length of the lens you’re using. Longer focal lengths
will accentuate the amount of camera shake you have and so you’ll need to
choose a faster shutter speed (unless you have image stabilization in your
lens or camera). The rule of thumb to use with focal length in non image
stabilized situations) is to choose a shutter speed with a denominator that is
larger than the focal length of the lens. For example if you have a lens that is
50mm 1/60th is probably ok but if you have a 200mm lens you’ll probably
want to shoot at around 1/250.
Aperture
The size of the opening in the lens when a picture is
taken.
Depth of Field: Range of sharpness in a photo (how
much of the scene is in focus)
DOF is changed by adjusting the aperture:
Small aperture = more items in the scene are in focus
(example, f 22)
Large aperture = “fuzzier” photo (example, f 2.8)
Another way to think of it:
Small # f/stop (f/2.8) = Small (shallow) DOF = a
smaller area in focus, with the main subject as the
focal point.
Large # f/stop (ie: f/22) = Large (greater) DOF =
foreground and background in focus
Light
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Light is to the photographer what words are to the writer. Light isolates,
blends, emphasizes, de-emphasizes, reveals or reduces shape, enhances or
hides texture, creates atmosphere and mood, and can direct or distract the
viewer
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Become an observer of the characteristics of light while wandering around.
Learn how to read the light in photographs so that you can use techniques that
you see and like in your own photographs.
Technical Characteristics of light
1. INTENSITY
2. QUALITY
Hard light — Point sources: the sun; light bulb; electric flash, candle
Creates a sharp line between highlights and shadows
Soft light — Comes from broad sources — sky, rainy day, skylight, fluorescent
Subtle lines between shadow and highlights. Smooth gradients
3. DIRECTION
Emphasizes the shape and texture of the subject or object.
Discover the direction of the light by looking at the shadows, which always point
away form the light source.
Front lighting — flat no shadows
Side lighting — lights half the face
Back lighting — light coming from behind; “rim” lighting
Technical Characteristics of light
Natural light — sun or sky
Morning/ Evening light — softer quality, longer shadows, sun at a lower angle,
warmer colors
Overcast lighting – can be easier to shoot in since there are less shadows to contend
with. Less intensity and texture
Midday sunlight – worst time of day to shoot if you can help it. Shadows fill eye
sockets and face, often hot light on top of head and nose
Available light — Light that is not from the sun or under the control of the
photographer. Fluorescent light, light bulbs, stadium lights, street lamps, candles
Can be hard or soft and it can come from any direction
Using this light can be difficult sometimes because there may not be much of it, but
using it can help preserve the feel of the environment in which you’re shooting
Often have to work with very low amounts of light here....think high ISO, slow
shutter speeds and wide open apertures to help
Artificial light — Light which photographer controls, studio lights or electronic
flash, flashlights, reflector.
Using Light to Make a Statement
Mood
Separate planes
Imply depth
Reveal character and texture
Complement composition
Direct attention
Convey time of day or year
All of the characteristics of light contribute to creating highlights and shadows
in your photograph and these two elements are the major way of
communicating shape, texture, and surface information to our reader. Control
your light, don’t let it control you!
Composition
Composition is the design of the image, how parts work together. It works
secondary to the content, but is crucial to making a strong image. There are
many fundamentals and guidelines to good composition, but often they can be
broken. Sometimes they’re used in tandem or alone.
Compositional Devices
Focal point – Every image must have one main attention-drawing place within it.
Without a focal point the viewer’s eye will wander around the picture trying to
figure out what the picture is all about.
Rule of Thirds – Use this to avoid center of the frame syndrome.
Foreground Framing – Creates an illusion of depth in a photograph by using
objects or lines to frame other objects.
Foreground/Background Relationships — Shows scale and depth.
Leading Lines – Draws your viewer toward your focal point.
Repeated Patterns – Repetition of form is pleasing to the eye and draws attention
to your focal point. Try to fill your frame with the pattern then break the pattern
with your focal point (usually a human).
Compositional Devices
Camera Angle – Look for the unusual angle. Shoot high and shoot low. Go to
extremes. The unusual angle will “force” your viewer to look at your picture a
little longer. That’s what it’s all about.
Choice of Lens and Selective Focus – Use shallow depth of field to control what
you want to emphasize or play down in a photograph. (use deep depth of field
when layering is working well)
Vertical and Horizontal – Shoot both for visual variety and impact. We don’t see
vertically, so shooting this way often forces us to see in a different way.
Cropping — Do all the cropping you can in the camera – fill the frame!
Simplify the picture - Minimum Distraction = Maximum Impact
Common Errors in Composition
Bad backgrounds
Empty foreground
Weak focal points
Avoid “back shots”
Watch what is happening at the edges of the image
Tell the story. Composition should aid the goal but be subordinate to it.
Remember that composition is only one tool that we have to make great
compelling pictures. The use of light, color and CONTENT will also
contribute greatly, with composition to a great photo.