The document provides an overview of key concepts for controlling light in photography including aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and depth of field. It also discusses the tools all great photographers use related to light, composition, portraiture, capturing action, and moments. Guidelines are provided around photo ethics and when to use or not use certain photos based on content and context.

1. Midterm review
JMC59 | Fall 2009

2. Digital cameras

3. Three ways to control light
Aperture: how much light gets in
Shutter speed: how long light is let in
ISO: sensitivity of image device

4. Aperture
F-stop is the measurement of the opening
F1 is very wide opening letting in lots of light
F32 is a small opening letting in little light

5. Aperture
Your camera likely has F2.8-F8
A full F-stop change either doubles or halves the amount of
light coming into the camera
Involved in depth of field, which we will cover shortly

6. Shutter speed
Determines how long light comes in
1/15th of a second would be a long exposure letting
lots of light into the camera
1/2000 would be a short exposure, letting in very little light
Slow shutter speeds allow blurring of the subject
Fast shutter speeds stop the action

8. ISO
The sensitivity of light of a photosensitive surface
Film is measured in ISO, and better digital cameras have
this adjustment
Low ISO indicates low sensitivity to light, but generally
higher resolution with less “noise” or “grain”
A 100 ISO setting is twice as sensitive to light as a 50 ISO

9. 100 ISO

10. 1600 ISO

11. Depth of field
How much of the photo is in focus
Controlled by...
Aperture
Subject’s distance from the camera
Focal length

12. DOF: Aperture
The more wide open the aperture, the less the depth of field

13. F11 aperture

14. F2.8 aperture

15. DOF: Distance from camera
The closer the subject, the less depth of field
The farther away, the more depth of field

18. Focal length
The greater the focal length (zoomed or telephoto),
the less the depth of field
Therefore, for the greatest depth of field you would need a
wide angle lens, with a closed aperture, and a subject at a
good distance

19. Photography

20. 5 tools all great photographers use
•Light
•Composition
•Portraiture
•Action
•Moment

21. Light
• Light has four properties: quantity, quality, direction and color.
• A successful photographer can discern between front light and back light.
• Shoot in the first and last two hours of daylight because of the direction and
warmth of the sunlight.
• Cloudy days allow you to shoot during all daylight hours, because the clouds
diffuse the light.
• Color of light is controlled by the source: daylight, incandescent and
fluorescent are the three main sources (flash is basically the color of the sun).

22. Front light

23. Back light

24. Back light

25. Composition
• Capturing the attention of the viewer and the movement of the eye through
the photograph.
• Rule of thirds
• Leading lines
• Juxtaposition
• Emphasizing the foreground or background by changing camera angles

26. Rule of thirds

27. Leading lines

28. Leading lines

29. Leading lines

30. Juxtaposition

31. Camera angle

32. Portraiture
• Formal
• Informal
• Environmental

33. Formal

34. Informal

35. Environmental

36. Action
• Three ways to deal with action
• Stop action
• Pan shot (moving the camera with the subject so the background blurs)
• Blur shot (camera stays still, subject blurs against background)

37. Stop action

38. Pan shot

39. Blur shot

40. Moment
• You must do two things to be a successful photographer...
• Truthfully and accurately portray a subject, scene or event.
• Evoke an emotional response in the viewer.
• We accomplish this by capturing moments, those life-telling gestures and
juxtapositions, the action and reaction of subjects, scenes and defining
moments of events.

41. Photoshop
• resolution for print, web, tv
• how to convert to BW
• Burn and dodge - define
• Patch tool - what it does

42. Type
• serif
• sans serif

43. Photo ethics
• what questions would you ask yourself
before running a questionable photo

44. To use or not to use
• Virginian-Pilot photo usage rules...
• When in doubt, use common sense. Know privacy rules
and laws. Shooting the photo usually is not the
problem. Publishing the photo may be. Using sound
judgment, the photographer should almost always
shoot the picture. The editing process will determine
whether the photo will be used. The photo editor, page
editor and news editor will also help determine
publication. Some photos should be approved by a
deputy managing editor, managing editor or the editor.

45. Some Red Flags
• Virginian-Pilot...
• Death
• Nudity or sexual content
• Exaggerated grief
• Blood or other body fluids
• Photo is too good to be true (it may be set up)
• Vulgar words or gestures (these may be hidden in a photo)
• Cheap shot (zipper open, food on the face)
• Unflattering expression not related to the event or situation
• People performing dangerous acts
• Violence
• Racial stereotypes
• Photos that may otherwise shock or appall readers

46. To use or not to use
• Virginian-Pilot cont’d...
• GUIDING QUESTIONS
• Is the photo appropriate to the story?
• Is the news value worth upsetting the reader?
• Is the photo from this community or from far away?
• What are the paper’s general standards of taste?
• Do you need to pass the photo through the top editor?
• Does it pass the "breakfast table" test?

47. Design
• hierarchy
• elements of good hierarchy and good
design
• grids
• the design process
• alternative ways to tell stories

48. Hierarchy
• Dominant image
• Dominant headline
• Things get smaller as you go down the page
to draw your eye through the page

50. Grids

54. Giant pig threatens mankind

55. Giant pig threatens mankind

56. Design process
• What is the story I am trying to tell?
• How do I tell that story through design?
• What elements do I have to tell the story?