Photography sem 1

exposure

the amount of light that reaches the camera’s sensor during a single photograph

aperture

the width of the camera lens opening, controls depth of field (amount of focus)

shutter speed

how long the camera stays open, controls motion blur

iso

the camera’s sensitivity to light, controls image noise or grain

rule of thirds

when you place your subject on the intersection of imaginary lines that cut the frame in thirds both vertically and horizontally (#)

balance

when the visual weight of one object or group of objects is balanced by another

symmetry

having the two halves of an image be exactly the same. Breaking a pattern or symmetry creates a sense of emphasis

leading lines

using lines in your scene to lead the viewer’s eye through the picture—hopefully to a focal point

cropping

taking out unnecessary space or objects in order to help create a focal point

bad merger

when objects on different planes (foreground, middle ground, background) blend together in an undesirable manner

background

when you use a background that is not distracting our attention from the subject OR you can use the background to help tell the story

natural framing

using an object in your image to frame another object. Also known as frame within a frame

point of view

the angle at which you shoot; this angle can affect how the subject is viewed. A low angle can make the subject seem bigger or more powerful/important. Whereas, a high angle can shrink your subject making them seem less powerful/important

rule of odds

having an odd number of objects. Our eyes go to the middle of a group and an odd number has something for us to look at there

leaving space

giving your subject breathing room by not cropping too closely. Do this especially when you have a subject that is in motion or looking off camera

orientation

how your camera is turned when shooting. Shoot horizontally when subjects are wider than taller or the image has horizontal lines. Shoot vertically when subjects are taller than wider or the image has vertical lines

visual weight

the idea that some elements in a frame will demand or grab our attention more than others and are therefore "heavier" than others. Items that are Larger / Warmer / More Saturated / Lighter / Have Patterns / Contrast are “heavier” or have more visual weight

contrast

Making something different in terms of color, intensity, value, or scale

relativity

the idea that the visual weight of any given color is completely dependent on the other colors in the frame

hierarchy

the idea that visual weight is distributed so that the most important elements are the most visually heavy and items of lesser importance are less heavy

proximity

the concept that happens when we see a repetition of multiple, distinct colors set close to each other within the frame and we begin to see them as one pattern or as one whole

white balance

used to adjust colors to match the color of the light source so that white objects appear white

auto

camera makes best guess (and not always right)

custom

photographer creates specific settings in the camera menu

daylight/cloudy/shade/flash

cool lights / camera adds warm tones

fluorescent

cool, green light / camera adds red tones

tungsten/incadescent/candle light

orange light / camera adds blue tones

depth of field

amount in focus

three factors that affect DOF

aperture, focal distance, focal length

why would someone use DOF

to bring emphasis or detail

shallow DOF

open aperture, decrease distance, zoom in (large focal length)

deep DOF

close aperture, increase distance, zoom out (small focal length)

four factors that affect motion in photography

shutter speed (slower shutter=more blur)

motion of subject (faster subject=more blur)

motion of camera (more movement=more blur)

distance of subject (closer subject=more blur). 

stop action

stops subject in action/no blur/fast shutter speeds

blurring

subject is blurred/background clear/slow shutter speed/still camera

panning

background blur/subj clear/medium shutter/camera moves w subject

burning

darker

dodging

lighter

sponging

saturate/desaturate

controls