Digital Photography Fundamentals : Aperture, Shutter Speed and Perspective
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Transcript of Digital Photography Fundamentals : Aperture, Shutter Speed and Perspective
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY FUNDAMENTALS
“The important thing is not the camera but the eye.” – Alfred Eisenstaed
GETTING STARTED
DIGITAL SLR CAMERA
DIGITAL POINT & SHOOT CAMERA
WHAT IS A DIGITAL CAMERA?
Digital camera ミ A camera that captures the photo not on film, but in an electronic imaging sensor that takes the place of film.
WHAT IS AN SLR?
SLR - Single Lens Reflex - Means the camera has a viewfinder that sees through the lens (TTL) by way of a 45°-angled mirror that flips up when the shutter fires and allows the light to strike the image sensor (or film).
NOW WHAT?? HAS EVERYONE READ YOUR CAMERA MANUAL??
CAMERA MENU FUNCTIONS
FIND THESE ON YOUR CAMERA
NIKON CAMERA CONTROLS
WHICH ONE?
SCENE MODES
PROGRAM
CHARACTERISTICS OF PROGRAM MODE
Aperture and shutter speed are set by the camera, but can be shifted using the control dial, with the exposure staying the same
Unlocks some other settings in your camera that gives you more control over the final image : ISO setting, white balance, exposure compensation
Great for quickly getting a photograph without having to think too hard about settings
TV-SHUTTER PRIORITY
CHARACTERISTICS OF TV MODE
TV means time value
Shutter priority lets you set the shutter speed and calculates the matching aperture
Use when photographing moving subjects, such as some sporting action, you might want to choose a faster shutter speed to freeze the motion
Capture movement as a blur of the subject, like a waterfall, and choose a slower shutter speed
AV-APERTURE PRIORITY
CHARACTERISTICS OF AV MODE
AV means aperture value Manually control the aperture while the camera sets
the matching shutter speed Particularly useful to control a stationary object where
you don’t need to control the shutter speed Choosing a larger aperture (f/stop) means the lens will
get smaller and it will let less light in so a larger depth of field (more of the area in focus), but your camera will choose a faster shutter speed and vice versa
MANUAL
CHARACTERISTICS OF MANUAL MODE
Full control over camera settings such: shutter speed, aperture, ISO, white balance and exposure compensation
Gives you the flexibility to set your shots the way you want them to be
Can result in creative and non-traditional exposures
PORTRAIT MODE
CHARACTERISTICS OF PORTRAIT MODE
An automatic mode with emphasis on settings for a perfect portrait shot.
The ability of the camera to detect if there are faces in the image and to ensure they are all in focus
Sets a wide aperture of the lens so that the background behind your subject is softly focused (shallow depth of field)
LANDSCAPE MODE
CHARACTERISTICS OF LANDSCAPE MODE
Narrows the aperture, so both the subject and background stay sharp (deep depth of field)
Foreground, middle ground, and background are all in focus
Exposure compensation for entire frame
MACRO/CLOSE-UP MODE
CHARACTERISTICS OF MACRO MODE
An automatic mode with emphasis on settings for close-up photography
Commonly used to photographing flowers, insects and other small items
Somecameras may be able to focus when the lens is less than an inch away from the subject
Creates a very shallow depth of field
SPORTS MODE
CHARACTERISTICS OF ACTION/SPORTS MODE
Represented by an icon of a sprinter, this is perfect for taking pictures of moving objects
Also good for shooting children or pets in action Can give you higher shutter speeds to stop action,
along with a smaller aperture so that more of the action will be in focus
NIGHT PORTRAIT MODE
CHARACTERISTICS OF NIGHT PORTRAIT MODE
Usually symbolized by a figure against a dark sky with a star
Fires the flash to illuminate a nearby subject and then holds the shutter open long enough for the background to be exposed
FLASH
FLASH
CHARACTERISTICS OF FLASH MODE
Auto- Flash Off Flash On (mandatory flash, useful for filling in shadows
when shooting in daylight) Auto + Red-eye reduction- Flash On + Red-eye reduction Soft Flash (Diffused flash) Slow-sync flash (Second-curtain flash)
USE THE FLASH TO STOP MOTION
OR TO ILLUMINATE DARK AREAS
SLOW SYNC FLASH
DIFFERENT WAYS TO MAKE A GOOD PHOTOGRAPH
Control exposure Aperture Shutter speed ISO
EXPOSURE TRIANGLE
UNDERSTANDING EXPOSURE THE WINDOW EXAMPLE Imagine your camera is like a window with shutters that open and
close. Aperture is the size of the window. If it’s bigger more light gets
through and the room is brighter. Shutter Speed is the amount of time that the shutters of the window
are open. The longer you leave them open the more that comes in. Now imagine that you’re inside the room and are wearing sunglasses
(hopefully this isn’t too much of a stretch). Your eyes become desensitized to the light that comes in (it’s like a low ISO)
.There are a number of ways of increasing the amount of light in the room (or at least how much it seems that there is. You could increase the time that the shutters are open (decrease shutter speed), you could increase the size of the window (increase aperture) or you could take off your sunglasses (make the ISO larger)
APERTURE
The aperture of a lens is the diameter of the lens opening
The larger the diameter of the aperture, the more light reaches the film / image sensor
Aperture is expressed as F-stop, e.g. F2.8 or f/2.8
The smaller the F-stop number (or f/value), the larger the lens opening (aperture) (inverse relationship)
Controls depth of field
APERTURE
F-STOPS
IS THIS SHALLOW D.O.F?
IS THIS?
SHALLOW OR DEEP D.O.F.?
Depth of Field EXERCISE Pick a partner Stand away from your partner Take a photograph of their face only with your lens
unzoomed Zoom in and shoot but only fill the frame with their
entire face again See the difference in depth of field
SHUTTER SPEED
SHUTTER SPEED
Shutter speed is the amount of time that the shutter is open
Shutter speed is measured in seconds – or in most cases fractions of seconds
It is not in isolation from the other two elements of the Exposure Triangle (aperture and ISO)
Long shutter causes blur and fast shutter freezes motion
Shutter speed is used to stop action 1/1000 sec
Or shutter speed can blur motion1/15 sec
FAST OR SLOW SHUTTER SPEED?
FAST OR SLOW?
SHUTTER SPEED EXERCISE
Everyone pick a partner Step outside the classroom Capture an image of action (jumping, spinning, etc.) Stop the action with a fast shutter speed Blur the action with a slow shutter speed
ISO SETTINGS
ISO speed ミ A rating of a film's sensitivity to light. Though digital cameras don't use film, they have adopted the same rating system for describing the sensitivity of the camera's imaging sensor. Digital cameras often include a control for adjusting the ISO speed; some will adjust it automatically depending on the lighting conditions, adjusting it upwards as the available light dims. Generally, as ISO speed climbs, image quality drops.
ISO SETTINGS
Characteristics of ISO
Low light conditions use higher ISO Action shots use a higher ISO Keep ISO lower in bright light The higher the ISO number the more noise is
generated in your photograph When you enlarge your image you can see the noise
FIND YOUR WB BUTTON
WHITE BALANCE
The process of removing unrealistic color casts, so that objects which appear white in person are rendered white in your photo
Takes into account the "color temperature" of a light source, which refers to the relative warmth or coolness of white light
Needs to be adjusted under various light sources: tungsten, fluorescent, sunlight, cloudy, etc
ADJUST WHITE BALANCE?
ADJUST WHITE BALANCE?
WHITE BALANCE EXERCISE
Pick something or someone and take photographs of them while adjusting the WB on your camera to it’s various settings
Notice the difference in lighting
TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT YOUR CAMERA CONTROLS
VIEWFINDER MENU
FOCUS MODES
SELF TIMER
CAMERA MENUS
CAMERA MENUS
WHAT MAKES A DIGITAL PHOTO?
Pixel ミ Picture Element: digital photographs are comprised of thousands or millions of them; they are the building blocks of a digital photo.
CHOOSE JPEG or RAW
uncompressed (an 8 megapixel camera will produce a 8 MB Raw file) the complete (lossless) data from the camera’s sensor higher in dynamic range (ability to display highlights and shadows) lower in contrast (flatter, washed out looking) not as sharp not suitable for printing directly from the camera or without post
processing waiting to be processed by your computer
RAW
JPEG compressed fairly small in file size (an 8 megapixel camera will
produce JPEG between 1 and 3 MB’s in size) lower in dynamic range higher in contrast and sharper immediately suitable for printing, sharing, or posting on
the web processed by your camera
PROS AND CONS
RAW files are bigger and take more space on your memory card
RAW files need post production RAW files are better quality RAW files give you much more control over how the
image will look Better for professional photographers
JPEG files are smaller in size and take less space to store JPEG files do not need any post production JPEG files loose richness, detail (sharpness), color range JPEG files give you less ability to control the final image Better for snapshots
FIND YOUR EV
EV-EXPOSURE COMPENSATION
CHARACTERISTICS OF EV
EV means exposure value The range over which you can manually over or
underexpose to lighten or darken the image Usually, the range of adjustment goes from +2 to -2
EV in 1/3 steps
AEB- AUTOMATIC EXPOSURE BRACKETING
CHARACTERISTICS OF AEB
The camera automatically takes three or more shots with a different exposure for each frame
One image at the camera measured exposure, a second at a negative exposure compensation (usually -1/3 EV, though some cameras allow you to specify the amount), and a third at a positive exposure compensation (usually +1/3 EV, though some cameras allow you to specify the amount)
Useful option for taking HDR scenes
VIEWING MENU
IMAGE METADATA
HISTOGRAMS
HISTOGRAM
Simple graph that displays where all of the brightness levels contained in the scene are found, from the darkest to the brightest
Displays a photographs dynamic range In camera light meter
READING THE HISTOGRAM
HIGH KEY
LOW KEY
WHAT MAKES A GREAT PHOTOGRAPH?
MAKE GREAT PHOTOGRAPHS
THOUGHTFUL TIMING COMPOSITION (RULE OF THIRDS) PERSPECTIVE
PHOTOGRAPHS CREATE MEANING
SNAPSHOP VS. PHOTOGRAPH
RULE OF THIRDS
RULE OF THIRDS
Refers to the placement of the subject within the frame of your photograph
Places the main subject off center and away from the center of the frame. As a result, photos can look more dynamic and interesting
Place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines
PLACE OBJECTS AT INTERSECTIONS
RULE OF THIRDS
PERSPECTIVE
Perspective is the way that an object appears to the eye
Dependent on focal length and picture angle Creative way of looking at your photographic subject Example ALEXANDER RODCHENKO, BILL BRANDT,
HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON
PERSPECTIVE
PERSPECTIVE
IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS Practice photography on a regular basis Avoid common photographic mistakes like over
exposure, under exposure, or blur Look at photographs of others to inspire Read your manual and learn about your camera
functions Learn better compositional techniques Don’t be afraid to experiment
PERSPECTIVE EXERCISE
Find an object/subject Shoot 36 different ways (using rules of perspective and
composition) Get creative with angles 30 minutes
COOL PHOTOGRAPHY QUOTES
A LITTLE ABOUT ME… B.A. & M.F.A. Photography Professor of photography/online lecturer TRAVEL & FREELANCE photographer Worked in Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Hong Kong,
Macau, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and Central America, Canada, Europe (all over) and USA
www.inthefray.org www.favelite.com Paris Metro Project with Brazil www.alexandracopley.com www.taquerias.blogspot.com www.youramexica.blogspot.com book called ‘Transmigrants’
THANKS! Connect with me! TWITTER, FACEBOOK, FRIENDFEED (ALEXANDRA COPLEY)
www.twitter.com/alexandracopley www.facebook.com/alexandracopley www.alexandracopley.com