Basic Photography

{or how to take better pictures} You don’t take a picture… You make it

What you need to take this courseA Digital CameraThe Manual – Tip#1 Know your cameraA USB thumb drive (for the projects) You don’t take a picture… You make it

About this ClassClass is 4 meetings 2 hours each1st hour a review of last weeks projects2nd hour new materialClass 1 – Introduction to the Digital WorldClass 2 – Exposure, Light and FlashClass 3 – Composition and ArtClass 4 – Review and Intro to Photo Editing Software You don’t take a picture… You make it

DSLR and PnS You don’t take a picture… You make it

Each has strengths and weaknesses Know the limitations Work within those limitsTrying to force the camera outside it’s limits usually results in poor images.Causing photographer FRUSTRATION You don’t take a picture… You make it

Which one is from a dSLR and don’t take a picture… You which is from a PnS camera? You make it

The one on the left is from a PnS (Nikon p5100) You don’t take a picture… You make it

For now,,,,stay within yourcamera’s limits.You don’t take a picture… You make it

Megapixels how many dotsPixel - picture element Smallest element that carries color information 30086 megapixels 2000 You don’t take a picture… You make it

Useful Image Size ChartMegapixels Screen (72dpi) Print (300dpi) X by Y 0.5 3x5 NR 600x800 2 8x10 3x5 1200x1600 4 11x14 5x7 1700x2300 6 16x20 8x10 2000x3000 10 25x40 13x17 2592x3888 You don’t take a picture… You make it

Digital ZoomBlows up a portion of the image at the expense of quality You don’t take a picture… You make it

Optical ZoomThe lens ability to enlarge the subject and maintain image quality You don’t take a picture… You make it

Optical ZoomJust like taking a few steps toward the subject. Image size will not change. You don’t take a picture… You make it

You don’t take a picture… You make it

Exposure recording the lightCombining Sensitivity Duration Intensity You don’t take a picture… You make it

Choose a bright sunny daySeal the room from light with black plastic then cut a dime sized hole You don’t take a picture… You make it

How to hold the CameraReduce SHAKEHold close to your body.Elbows in…Don’t hold your breathUse a brace, any braceLow light…use a support. You don’t take a picture… You make it

Support Yourself Tip - Make use of anything that will help you be steady You don’t take a picture… You make it

Portrait & LandscapeYour camera works just fine when tilted 90°Turn your camera to properly frame the subject. You don’t take a picture… You make it

Make the frame work for you! You don’t take a picture… You make it

First Class Project Photo a Day Bring any camera with you.Create a photo which uses any of the concepts presented in class Bring your best with you to class. You don’t take a picture… You make it

Day 2 Day 3 Day 1 Day 4Daily Photo Challenge - Example Day 5 Day 6 You don’t take a picture… You make it Day 7

Automatic Modes You don’t take a picture… You make it

Help with Specific SituationsReduced Light Indoor Outdoor LandscapePortraitSportsMacro – Close UpChild and PetFireworks You don’t take a picture… You make it

Portrait Mode Smart cameras use facial recognition to set focus Reduce flash power Higher shutter speeds to reduce shake You don’t take a picture… You make it

Landscape Mode Higher aperture Flash off Higher saturation You don’t take a picture… You make it

Sports Mode Fast shutter speeds Reduce motion blur You don’t take a picture… You make it

Macro Mode Repositions lens elements for ultra close ups. High aperture for maximum DOF You don’t take a picture… You make it

Let the camera help,Choose the right mode for the subject You don’t take a picture… You make it

Let’s Talk Light! You don’t take a picture… You make it

Light has it’s own Color You don’t take a picture… You make it

Color CorrectionInternal white balanceColor correction cardBest guess – manualwhite balance settings You don’t take a picture… You make it

Tint Neutral You don’t take a picture… You make it

Know the lightYou don’t take a picture… You make it

Different Light…. Different ResultsBright Sunlight can make photos look flat and washed out with harsh shadows.Evening Light creates highly saturated warm colors.Indoor Lighting can cause color casts. You don’t take a picture… You make it

Different Settings, Different ResultsDaylight Setting Full Sun Shade CloudyIncandescent SettingFlorescent Setting Daylight Balanced FlorescentAutomatic You don’t take a picture… You make it

The Mechanics behind the CameraThe handout goes into nerd like detailIn class we will just touch the surface You don’t take a picture… You make it

The Exposure Triangle Aperture Shutter Speed ISO sensitivity You don’t take a picture… You make it

Zone 9 lightest Zone 4 mid gray Zone One 1 darkest You don’t take a picture… You make it

at f/5.6Shutter Speed 1/500 1/250 1/125 1/60 1/30 F/stop f/2.8 f/4 f/5.6 f/8 f/11 at 1/125 sec. You don’t take a picture… You make it

Shutter SpeedShort 1/500th sec Long 1/20th sec You don’t take a picture… You make it

Aperture Mechanical opening that regulates how much light enters the camera through the lens.You don’t take a picture… You make it

Aperture The physical opening of the camera lens Called F-Stop Higher the “F” number the smaller the opening F/22 small F/1.2 big You don’t take a picture… You make it

Depth of FieldShallowDOF You don’t take a picture… You make it

Depth of Field Long DOFYou don’t take a picture… You make it

Depth of Field MACRO Very Short DOFYou don’t take a picture… You make it

Increasing the SensitivityISO more sensitivity at the expense of “noise” You don’t take a picture… You make it

ISO ISO 2500ISO 200 You don’t take a picture… You make it

Digital NoiseYou don’t take a picture… You make it

Changing any setting impacts the exposure value (or EV)EV=Shutter Speed+Aperture+ISO You don’t take a picture… You make it

When there’s not enough light…What can we do when there just isn’t enough light other than buy expensive equipmentAdd light- Flash, lamps & reflectorsMove to a brighter spotTip – Make the light work for you You don’t take a picture… You make it

The miss-understood On Camera FlashOften used as a primary light source…WHAT?RED-EYEHARD SHADOWSFLAT IMAGESWASHES OUT COLORSUSED as a FILL LIGHT You don’t take a picture… You make it

The On Camera FlashCan work well as a fill light with other light to reduce shadows. You don’t take a picture… You make it

Second Class ProjectTake a walk with your camera and take at least 50 photos. Remember you still have to take a photo a day! You don’t take a picture… You make it

Know your camera! Use the manual. Keep notes to look up later. You don’t take a picture… You make it

Learn the basicsAbout, light, shutter speed & aperture You don’t take a picture… You make it

Photography is Art You don’t take a picture… You make it

Photography is ArtTherefore many of the basic concepts of art and graphic design apply.Most strong images use many of these “rules” along with placing a subject in context with the environment or PURPOSLY removing the subject from the surroundings.Photos can tell a story without any words known as a Photo Essay( photo album?) You don’t take a picture… You make it

Out of ContextRemoving what isn’t needed. You don’t take a picture… You make it

InContext You don’t take a picture… You make it

Rule of 3rds Offset the subject away from the center of the frame Using 3rd lines. Most dynamic points are at the intersections Square frames become an exception You don’t take a picture… You make it

Rule of 3rds You don’t take a picture… You make it

Applied Rule of 3rds! You don’t take a picture… You make it

Beyond the Rule of Thirds You don’t take a picture… You make it

The Rule of ThreeOr the rule of odd numbersStates that odd numbers are more interesting than even quantitiesMostly for PortraitsCan be used with any clearly defined subjectsSubjects should relate to each other People Same Type of Animal or object You don’t take a picture… You make it

Perspective Change your point of view to make your subject stand out. You don’t take a picture… You make it

Contrasts Contrasting Shapes Sizes Color Light to Dark You don’t take a picture… You make it

Negative SpaceYou don’t take a picture… You make it

Repetition Similar shapes and lines help to tie a composition together You don’t take a picture… You make it

Repetition of Shapes You don’t take a picture… You make it

Leading Lines Look for the leading lines that lead your eye through the picture. Converging lines create depth. You don’t take a picture… You make it

Copy those who are successfulEventually you will create your own style after all you’ll learn more from the successful than from the mediocre! You don’t take a picture… You make it

The Masters Henri Cartier-BressonFrom this image we learn about leading lines You don’t take a picture… You make it

The Masters A master of capturing personality warts and all You don’t take a picture… You make it

The MastersFrom this work we learn about shape and form You don’t take a picture… You make it

The MastersElliot Erwitt Here we see repetition You don’t take a picture… You make it

The MastersWilliam Christenberry Develop a theme or body of work You don’t take a picture… You make it

The MastersJan Groover This image shows us contrasts You don’t take a picture… You make it

The Masters Philippe HalsmanLearn to think out of the box, be creative! You don’t take a picture… You make it

The MastersClyde Butcherfrom Clyde’s workwe learn patience.Sometimes we justhave to wait for theright moment You don’t take a picture… You make it

Practice! Practice! Practice!The more you shoot the better you will get! You don’t take a picture… You make it

Review – 11 TipsKnow Your Camera!Watch the lightChoose a clear subjectPut the subject in context include what is needed and remove what is notLook for bad things in the backgroundLook for odd things sticking into the frame You don’t take a picture… You make it

Review – 11 TipsUse light to your advantageSupport the cameraUse the self-timerUse the correct modeLook for new and interesting perspectives You don’t take a picture… You make it

Final Class Project Can you take an every day object and make it art?Use perspective, lighting and location to create an interesting “artsy” imageBring your favorite in for class You don’t take a picture… You make it

Next week Software How to “tweak” an image How to fix common problemsGimp, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements And Picasa You don’t take a picture… You make it

SoftwareThe combination of digital cameras and image editing software gives the photographer almost limitless control of the final image. You don’t take a picture… You make it

Basic Photography

by Michael Richter on Apr 03, 2011

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Basic Photography — Presentation Transcript

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