This document provides an introduction to photography including: 1) A brief history of photography from its invention in the early 19th century including Nicephore Niepce creating the first permanent photograph in 1826. 2) Descriptions of the basic styles of photography including landscape, portrait, and documentary photography with examples. 3) An overview of some photography fundamentals including the exposure triangle of shutter speed, aperture, and ISO as well as different camera modes like program, aperture priority, and shutter priority. 4) A discussion of various composition tools and techniques used in photography such as the rule of thirds, leading lines, balance, and framing.

1. INTRODUCTION
To Photography
Paul Rodney Duran Arbiol ©2016

2. 2
What is Photography?
It is based on the Greek phos/phōtós meaning
"light", and graphê, meaning "drawing, writing",
together meaning "drawing with light".
The art, science, and practice of creating
durable images by recording light or
other electromagnetic radiation, either chemically
by means of a light-sensitive material such
as photographic film, or electronically by means of
an image sensor.

3. Short history of Photography
• Photography was invented in the beginning
of the 19th century
• Chemical photography was invented in the
1820s.
• The first permanent photoetching
(fundamental photography) was an image
produced in 1822 by the French inventor
Nicephore Niepce.
• He made the first permanent photograph from
nature (his View from the Window at Le Gras)
with a camera in 1826.
3

4. 4
Nicephore Niepce View from the Window at Le Gras

5. Rodney Arbiol, Dahican 2016

6. Topics to discuss ;)
• Types of Photography
• Gears
• Navigation of your camera
• Exposure Triangle
• Camera Modes
• Composition Tools
• Software Tools

7. Types of Photography

8. 8
There are three basic styles of
photography.
Landscape Portrait Documentary

9. 9
Landscape
Ansel Adams
shows spaces within the world,
sometimes vast and unending, but
other times microscopic. Landscape
photographs typically capture the
presence of nature but can also
focus on man-made features or
disturbances of landscapes.

10. 10
Ansel Adams Photographs

11. Rodney Arbiol, Epol Marilog, 2015

12. 12
Portrait Photography
Portrait photography is a photo of
a person or animal that shows an
emotional connection.
Holding Virgina - Sally Mann
Scared
Angry
Other…
What is the emotion shown in
this photo?

13. 13
The Dress - Sally Mann Boy and Car, New York City - Jerome Liebling, 1949
More Portraits
Portraits can be the whole body.

14. Rodney Arbiol, Airport Underpass, 2014

15. 15
Documentary
Documentary photography
presents a true scene
without changing
anything.
Good documentary
photographs make you
wonder what the story is
behind the photograph.Migrant Mother - Dorthea Lange

16. 16
Sports and Street Photography

17. Rodney Arbiol, Manny Pacquiao Promitions, Almendras Gym 2015

18. Rodney Arbiol, San Pedro Church, 2015

19. What kind of pictures do you
want to take? 

21. Compact Digital Cameras

22. Other Brands:
Pentax
Sony
Leica
Etc.
Digital Single Lens
Reflex Cameras
(DSLR)

23. Wide Lens (8-40mm)

24. Prime Lens (Fixed)

25. Telephoto (zoom) Lens (55mm-5200mm)

26. Sigma 200-500mm

27. Canon EF 1200mm f/5.6 L USM
Lens

29. Canon 5200mm - only three of this toys are around, all made in
Japan, and all in private hands. The lens focuses on objects 18-32
miles (30 – 51.5 km) away.

30. Tripod

31. Cards and Batteries

32. Essentials 

33. Better Have it and don’t need it,
than need it but don’t have it.

34. Camera Navigation

40. EXPOSURE TRIANGLE

41. Shutter Speed
Aperture ISO

42. Shutter Speed
• Dictates how fast/slow the shutter closes
• Freezes/Records Motion
• Can be seen as the fraction digits on your LCD
• Pros
– capture fast moving subjects
– Prolonged exposure can illuminate a scene
• Cons
– Fast shutter speeds dramatically reduces entry of light

43. Aperture
• Is responsible in letting in light.
• Depth of field
• Can be seen with the f symbol. (f2.8 – f22)
• Pros
– Larger apertures gives a shallow depth of field
– Lets you control the amount of light to enter the
sensor
• Cons
– When depth of field is too shallow, tendency of
blurring important details.
– Too much light washes out an image.

44. ISO (Sensor Sensitivity)
• Tells how sensitive the sensor is to light.
• Lower ISO gives almost perfect detail to subject.
• Has the word ISO next to a number.
• Pros
– Lowest number SO gives smooth detail to an image
– Can assist in low light conditions
• Cons
– Larger numbers gives out noise.

45. Camera Modes
Getting out of AUTO

47. PROGRAM MODE
the camera will adjust both the
aperture and the shutter speed
to produce what it judges to be
the best exposure for the scene
or subject you're
photographing.
However, you can manually
override the camera's choice,
'shifting' to a different
combination of aperture and
shutter speed. It's by doing
this that you effectively enter
Program Shift mode.

48. Aperture Priority (A/Av)
The photographer sets
the aperture that you
wish to use and the
camera makes a decision
about what shutter speed
is appropriate in the
conditions that you’re
shooting in.
Most people use
Aperture Priority Mode
when they are
attempting to have
some control in the
Depth of Field Area
Rodney Arbiol 2014

49. Shutter Priority (S/Tv)
The photographer choose
the shutter speed that you
wish to shoot at and let
the camera make a
decision about what
aperture to select to give a
well exposed .
Most people switch to
shutter priority mode
when they want more
control over how to
photograph a moving
subject.shot.
Rodney Arbiol 2015

50. Full Manual (M)
This mode lets you control
every detail of your
photograph from the
Aperture to your shutter
speed and ISO settings.
This will make you in
control of whatever setting
you want to accomplish
whatever effect you want
on your image or photo.

51. “Real Photographers” use whatever
tools they have to accomplish a job.
Don’t be afraid to use different
settings.

52. Composition Tools

53. Composition Tools and
Techniques
• Rule of Thirds
• Contrast
• Point of View
• Proximity
• Leading/Lead-in Lines
• Diagonal Rule
• S-Curves
• Natural Frames
• Balance (Symmetry)
• -/+ Space
• Landmark / Identity
Some of the basic techniques/rules
used by almost every photographer.

54. Rule Of Thirds
The Rule Of Thirds is based on the fact that the eye is
naturally drawn to a point about two thirds up a
page. The picture is divided into 9 equal sections by 2
horizontal and 2 vertical lines.

55. The subject, or the most significant parts of
your photograph, is positioned along any of
these lines preferably in the points where the
lines intersect.

56. Rule of Thirds
Rodney Arbiol, Panabo 2016

57. 57
Contrast
Contrast refers to the
brightness between
the light and shadow
areas of a picture.
Does this photograph have contrast?
Mapplethorpe, Orchid and Leaf in White Vase 1982

58. CONTRAST
Rodney Arbiol,
Panabo 2016

59. 59
Point of View
Try selecting an unusual point of view.
Eye Level
Above
Below

60. Proximity
Rodney Arbiol, Indak-Indak sa Kadalanan
Kadayawan 2016

61. Leading/Lead-in Lines

62. The Diagonal Rule
The Diagonal Rule states that a photograph looks
more dynamic if the objects fall or follow a diagonal
line. The diagonal line doesn't have to be an actual
line and it doesn't have to be a straight one. It could
be the edges of a river, the top of a forest, or even an
imaginary line connecting the different objects in the
scene.

63. By placing natural elements that form a line along
these diagonal guides makes the picture more
pleasing and dynamic.

64. If there are no imaginary or real
diagonal lines that can be seen
within a scene, sometimes a simple
change of position or elevation is
enough to produce a useful angle on
the objects in the scene. A sufficient
amount of Perspective Distiortion
from a wide angle lens may also
help.

66. Rodney Arbiol, Canibad, IGACOS 2016

67. “S” Curve
Another dynamic composition tool is to
include a “S” curve. As the name suggests, a
major element of the composition would be
an object such as a stream, path, railing, or
other curved object that creates an “S.”

68. • If the S is right facing and starts in the lower
left corner and exits the upper right corner –
the feeling for most English speaking people is
that the picture is moving away from the
viewer.
• If the “S” is reversed, and starts in the upper
left corner coming down to the lower right,
the picture seems to be coming towards the
viewer. This effect is from, I believe, learning
to read left to right.

71. Natural Frames
Rodney Arbiol,
Cape San Agustin,
Parola, 2016

72. Balance
Rodney Arbiol, Canibad 2015

73. Positive and Negative Spaces
Rodney Arbiol, Guang-Guang, Mati 2015

74. Rodney Arbiol, Panabo 2016

75. Landmark / Identification

76. Know the rules, then slowly
break them.

77. Software Tools

78. Photographer’s Post
Processing Tools
• Adobe Lightroom
• Adobe Photoshop
• Picasa
• Color Efex Pro
• Etc.

79. Daghang Salamat.