This document provides information about a BTEC Certificate unit on digital photography for media products. It outlines the unit content, learning aims, and assessment criteria. The unit will cover understanding production, exploring techniques, creating photographs, and reviewing work. Tasks include explaining why photographs are produced for media, demonstrating photography techniques, and analyzing different digital photography techniques. Students must describe, explain, and discuss techniques and their uses to achieve a pass, merit, or distinction grade. The document provides guidance on the tasks and technical aspects of digital photography to help students complete the required coursework.

1. BTEC
Certificate
UNIT 10
Digital
Photography
for a Media Product
By
K McCabe
Booklet 1
2013

2. Unit Content:
The Photography Unit is an internally assessed coursework unit. There are 4 key learning
aims: understanding production, exploring techniques, creating and reviewing.
Term 2 will cover the following:
Task 1:
Task 2:
Task 3:
A2
A1 & B3
B1 & B2
Why digital photographs are produced for media products
How digital photographs are produced, exported & stored
Exploring photography & digital photography techniques
The Assessment Criteria for the learning aims are as follows:
Pass
Task
1
Merit
Distinction
Describe the use of
photographs in two
different media products
Explain why photographs
are produced in two
different media products
Discuss why photographs
are produced in two
media products across
different media sectors
A2 D
A2 P
A2 M
A1 P
Explain how digital
cameras produce
photographic images
A1 M
Task
2
Demonstrate adequate
use of photography
techniques
B3 P
Demonstrate effective
use of photography
techniques
B3 M
Demonstrate confident
use of photography
techniques
B3 D
Task
3
Describe the techniques
used in the different
types of digital
photography for digital
media products
B4 P
Explain the techniques
used in the different
types of digital
photography for digital
media products
B4 M
Analyse the techniques
used in the different
types of digital
photography for digital
media products
B4 D
Task
2
Describe how digital
cameras produce
photographic images

3. Why are digital photographs
produced ?
Photographs are visual
communication
Look at the Image.
What is the purpose of
the image in the
media product?
Why is it in Black &
White?
What does the miseen-scene
communicate?
What does it
communicate
about both the
magazine and the
film?

4. Task 1
Create a visual annotated report
showing evidence you understand
why photographs are produced in
digital media products
Warning: Example.
Do not copy – this is
on architecture!

7. Key Word Bank
for Task 1
• Shorthand communication – of colour, lighting
etc.
• Mise-en-scene
• To anchor text
• To enhance text
• To market products
• Impact on audience

8. How are digital photographs
produced ?

9. Manual and Automatic
functions: the brain of the
camera
Shutter: the eyelid
of the camera
Lens: The
eye of the
camera
Aperture:
The size of
the pupil of
the camera

10. Other elements
of Digital Images
Flash: provides an instant light
source for the image
Lights: Artificial - Fluorescent
(appears whiteish) Tungsten
(appears yellowish) Natural from daylight, Sun, Moon
Image sensor:
Converts light into
electronic messages
Exposure: the
quantity of light
reaching the image
sensor
Colour Temperature: different light
sources produce different coloured
light. For example, a candle emits a
reddish light, while the midday sun's
rays have a blue tint. These different
colours can be expressed using a
number, and this number is known as
the colour temperature.
Colour temperature is measured
on the Kelvin scale, which is denoted
by the letter "K" or the word "kelvin"
after the number.
White balance: Our eyes automatically make
whites white . But the camera sees white
depending on the tempertaure of the light
source – so whites can be tinted with orange or
blue. The white balance needs to be adjusted to
reduce or increase the colour temperature

11. The Process
Size of
image:
Pixels

12. Task 2
• Create a guide to show you
understand the production and
process of digital photography

15. Key Word Bank
for Task 2
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Manual Mode (SLR)
Automatic Mode
Viewfinder
Lens
Image Sensor
Aperture (f stops, small, large)
Shutter (speed – fast, slow)
Memory (SD , Compact Flash etc.)
Flash
Exposure (under exposed, over exposed)
Colour Temperature (warm, cold)
White balance
Lights (tungsten, fluorescent, natural, artificial)
File Size
File type
File Storage

16. Exploring
Photography
• Techniques
• Framing
• Angle
• Composition
• Focus
• Types & Genres
• Locations
• Studio
• Events
• Night
• Action (moving objects)
• Portraits

17. What are the main elements within the frame?
What might have been left out, outside of the
frame?
Photographs do not need to show the FACTS of the view,
they are a representation of what the Photographer SEES
1.Framing

18. Elements of
Framing
• Distance & Size – close-up, macro,
medium shot, medium long shot,

19. 2. Composition
Sketch where you
would place the
following
objects/subjects
within a
photograph?
• A man walking
alone?
• A smiling baby?
• Trees and
mountains

20. Elements of
Composition
Rule of Thirds How
does it work?
(Remember Photographers
often like to break rules.
Why?)
Focal point
How does it work?
Foreground
Background
Eve Arnold

21. Balance
The eyes naturally
seek balance and
symmetry
....but balance is not
always interesting in
an image

22. 3. Line
Horizontal lines
are the most
powerful in
images
• Straight
• Sloping
• Broken

23. • Travelling through an image – what
order do you look at the elements
in this image?
Steve McCurry

24. 4.Viewpoint or
Angle
Look at the
images.
Decide what
alternative
vantage point you
could use and
briefly explain
what difference it
would make.

25. 5. Depth
Where is the focal point in this
image?
What are the other significant
points of interest in this image?
How has this been achieved?
Ian Berry

26. 6. Light
The word Photography comes from Greek (Photo and
Graph translate as Light Writing)
Light is essential for an image
What is significant is:
•What type of light is being used? (natural or artificial)
•Where is it coming from?
•What impact or effect does it have on the subject and
background in terms of contrast?
Light from a small or directional
light source appears hard
(spotlights etc. creating dark, hard
shadows)
Light from a large source appears
soft (sunlight or several ‘fill’ lights
– no shadows)

27. What impact does the light
have in terms of contrast?
• Images are a series of tones – light and dark.
• A high contrast image includes more tones at
either end of the spectrum (black and white)
whereas a low contrast image contains more
mid-tones (greys etc.)
• Directional light increases contrast (high
contrast) whereas more natural, large light can
minimise contrast (low contrast)
What type of light? Why? With what impact?

28. 7.Speed and
Movement
Changing the shutter speed (the eyelid)
means the motion speed of the image is
changed.
A fast shutter speed (eyelid open and closing
at a fraction of a second) captures an image
frozen in time
A slow shutter speed (eyelid opening and
closing very slowly) captures an image of
movement
Which kinds of photography might use fast or
slow shutter speeds? What difficulties might the
photographer have taking an image with fast or
slow shutter speeds?

29. 8. Depth of Field
• A shallow depth of field allows for a small area of
the image to be in focus
• A large depth of field allows for the whole image
to be in focus.
• Depth of field is created by controlling the
Aperture (the size of the eye – the hole through
which light enters the camera) .
• Aperture is measured in F numbers. The lower
the number, the widest aperture and a shallow
depth of field . The higher the number, the
smallest aperture and a large depth of field.

30. Name the depth of
field and the impact.

31. Genres of
Photography
Look at the list of photography genres/locations.
What might be the issues/ techniques needed
to take good shots in these locations or
conditions?
Location
Exterior Location
Shots
Studio
Event photography
Night shots
Action shots
Portraits
Issues/Difficulties/techniques needed

32. Task 3
• Create a visual report on different
photography techniques and how
they relate to the location,
conditions and genre of
photography.

35. Key Word Bank
for Task 3
• Photography techniques o Framing – macro, landscape, shot size (medium,
close-up, long shot etc.)
o angle – high, canted, low, wide
o composition - rule of thirds, focal point, balance,
line
o Focus – large and shallow depth of field
o Zoom
o Shutter Speed – fast and slow
o Aperture – small and large
o High and low Contrast
o Soft and harsh tones
o Lighting – natural, artificial, directional lighting
o Exposure
o Colour temperature
o White balance
• Types of shots - Exterior location shot, studio, events,
night, action, portraits
• Practical considerations
• Impact on audience

36. Still to do...
• Create your own digital
photographs for a media product
based upon a brief
• Develop concepts
• Show evidence of understanding of
practical considerations
• Produce photographs
• Edit images
• Review and self-evaluate your
digital photography skills in
terms of technical skills and
creative fulfilment of brief.