IntroductIon To Photography - Carleton University

Introduction tophotographyTips and techniquesf o r b e tt e r p h o t o g r a p h y

PhotographyJJJJGreek for “painting with light”Can be considered both an artand a science Photography is a science, becausethere are basic principles ofphysics that govern success Photography is art because itsbeauty is subjectiveTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

First photograph taken by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce in France.in 1826, on a bitumen coated aluminum plateTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

ExposureTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

StopsJJJJJJJJThe amount of light that strikesthe film/chip is measured in stopsand is also known as exposurevalue (Ev)A difference of 1 stop is adoubling or halving of thelight making the imageA stop is used to measure thedifferences 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 canexpose a photo quicklyTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Film SpeedFilmTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Film SpeedJJJJJJFilm speed is a measure of thesensitivity of the film or sensorin 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 nInternational Organizations ofSt a n d a r d s ( ISO ) n u m b e r . U s e d t o b em e a s u r e d i n A m e r i c a n St a n d a r d sA s s o c i a t i o n s ( ASA ) n u m b e r sISO n u m b e r s a r e u s e d i n b o t hfilm and digital camerasTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Film SpeedJJJJJJISO n u m b e r s c o m e i n a w i d erange, but standard numbersare 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600,and 3200ISO n u m b e r s a r e l i n e a r i n t h e i rrelationshipT h e h i g h e r t h e ISO n u m b e r , t h emore sensitive the film/sensor andalso the more noise or grain inthe imageTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Film SpeedL o w ISOH i g h ISOTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Shutter SpeedShutterTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Shutter SpeedJJJJJJControls the amount of timet h e s h u tt e r o r c u r t a i n i s o p e nS h u tt e r s p e e d i s m e a s u r e d i nfractions of secondsDepending on the camera, it mays h o w t h e s h u tt e r s p e e d w i t h o u tthe numerator, i.e. 250 instead of1/250Tips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Shutter SpeedJJJJJJJJC o m m o n s h u tt e r s p e e d s a r e1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60,1/125, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000A doubling or halving of thet i m e v a l u e (Tv) r e p r e s e n t s o n es t o p o f EVA f a s t s h u tt e r s p e e d f r e e z e s t h eaction of an imageC o n v e r s e l y , a s l o w s h u tt e r s p e e dblurs the action of an imageTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Shutter SpeedF a s t s h u tt e r s p e e dS l o w s h u tt e r s p e e dTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Shutter SpeedF a s t s h u tt e r s p e e dS l o w s h u tt e r s p e e dTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

ApertureApertureTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

ApertureJJJJJJAperture is the size of the holein the diaphragm that allowslight into the cameraThe larger the hole, the morelight that enters the camerain a given timeA p e r t u r e v a l u e s (Av) a r emeasured using f-stops,shown as f/# (i.e. f/16)Tips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

ApertureJJJJJJThe image at leftshows commonf-stop values andhow they appearA change of 1 f-stopdoubles or halvesthe light enteringthe cameraSmaller f-numbersrepresent widerapertures, andlarger f-numbers aresmaller aperturesTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

ApertureJJJJT h e Av c o n t r o l s t h e a m o u n t o fdepth of field in an imageThe wider the aperture, themore shallow the depth offield, and vice versaTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Av & Tv togetherJJJJJJThe wider the aperture used,the less time – i.e. the fasters h u tt e r s p e e d – i s n e e d e d t oproperly expose the imageConversely, the slower thes h u tt e r s p e e d , t h e s m a l l e r t h eaperture needs to beFor any image, there are anumber of combinations thatwill make a correct exposuref-s topShutters peed1.42111000 5002.845.6811161250112516013011518Tips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

LightingJJJJJJLight is the essentialingredient of photosOne of the skills thatseparates photographersfrom snap shooters is theability to solve lightingproblemsThere are 2 primary factorsto consider for light:direction and colourTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Lighting - directionJJJJJJJJThe direction the light comesfrom can make the image seemflat or 3-dimensionalFront lighting is easy tophotograph, but images aregenerally flatTop lighting, such as from thesun overhead, Also makes theimage flat, and shadows areshort and darkSide lighting will emphasizetexture and contours, andcreate long shadowsTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Lighting - directionFront lightingSide lightingtop lightingb o tt o m l i g h t i n gTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Lighting - ColourJJJJJJJJThe colour of light ismeasured by temperaturein Kelvin ( K)The colour of natural lightchanges through the dayHumans respond psychologicallyto different colours, thereforethe colour of a photo willaffect emotional responsesLight that is in the reds, orangesand yellows is said to be “warm”.Conversely, “cool” light is bluein toneTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Lighting - ColourWarm lightingCool lightingTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Lighting - ColourJJJJJJWhen taking a photo witha digital camera, the WhiteB a l a n c e s e tt i n g o f a c a m e r awill affect the colour castof the image, balancing thelighting of the subjectT y p i c a l w h i t e b a l a n c e s e tt i n g sof a camera include: Tungsten,Florescent, Shade, Sunny, Cloudy,Flash, Auto and ManualFilters can also be used toaffect the colour of light inthe imageTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Lighting - ColourFlash/mid-dayTungstenFlorescentCloudyTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Camera shooting modesJJAll digital cameras havevarious modes for shootingTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Camera shooting modesJJScene Modes take the guess worko 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 takingp h o t o s i n a v a r i e t y o f s e tt i n g ssuch as at night, on the beach orsnow, or for portraitsJJManual modes allow for morecreative control a Greater understanding ofc a m e r a s e tt i n g s i s r e q u i r e dTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

CompositionTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

LensesJJJJThe length of a lens is measuredi n m i l l i m e t r e s (mm), o r e q u i v a l e n tfor point-and-shoot camerasLow numbers are consideredwide lenses, while high numbersare 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 rlandscape photos A l o n g l e n s , i . e . , 3 0 0 mm, i s u s e f u lfor close-ups of wildlifeJJHuman eyesight is equivalent toabout 50mmTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Depth of FieldJJJJD e p t h o f f i e l d (DoF) i s t h e “ z o n e o facceptable sharpness”DoF is controlled by apertureand 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 DoFTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Depth of FieldDistant - deep DoFClose - Shallow DoFTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Depth of FieldSmall Aperture - deep DoFLarge Aperture - Shallow DoFTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

The rule of thirdsJJThe “rule of thirds” states thatwhen composing your photo,place the centre of interest at ajunction of the lines that trisectthe imageTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

The rule of thirdsJJAlso, whencomposinglandscapeshots, thehorizon lineshould be onone of theintersectinglinesTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

FramingJJJJJJJJFraming is using a foregroundobject to “frame” the subject ofthe photoThe frame should be appropriateto the subjectThe frame should have its ownaesthetic valueRender the frame sharply,or blur it awayTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

FramingTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Fill The FrameIf your pictures aren’t goodenough, you’re not closeenough.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 tJJJJIf you can’t get closer to yoursubject, use a longer lens to fillthe frameFilling the frame refers to theprimary subject, not extraneousobjectsTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Fill the frameTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Portrait TechniquesJJThe subject should face intothe image so that there is morespace in front than behindTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Portrait TechniquesJJSubjectsusuallyshouldn’tbe squareon to thecameraTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

LandscapesJJTry toincludean objectto createsense ofscaleTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

LandscapesJJHorizon Line should be placedto emphasize either the sky orthe landTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

LandscapesJJHorizon Line should be placedto emphasize either the sky orthe landTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

LandscapesJJFocus on a detail within thescene to add interestTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

LandscapesJJTry to use a line that will leadthe viewers eye into the pictureTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

Final tipJJThere are no rules inphotographyTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

JJThe subject should face intothe image so that there is morespace in front than behindTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

JJSubjectsusuallyshouldn’tbe squareon to thecameraTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

JJHorizon Line should be placedto emphasize either the sky orthe landTips andtechniquesf o r b e tt e rphotography

The endTips and techniquesf o r b e tt e r p h o t o g r a p h y

Techniques for beTTer pho Tography FIlm spEEd J iT is measured in values using an inTernaTional organizaTions of sTandards (iso) number. used To be measured in american sTandards associaTions (asa) numbers J film speed is a measure of The sensiTiviTy of The film or sensor in a camera. J iso numbers are used in boTh film and digiTal cameras