Photography Notes
Photography Basics
The Triangles of Photography
The three elements are:
ISO
Aperture
Shutter Speed
Photography
From Greek words: "photo" (light) and "graph" (drawing).
Photography = "Drawing or painting with light".
Light is the important.
Camera as extension of eye and mind.
Photograph to help others see what they overlook.
Camera Handling
Holding the Camera Steady
Feet shoulder width apart (standing); knees on ground (crouching).
Breathe in, snap photo, exhale.
Horizontal images—elbows tight to body.
Vertical images—one arm tight, other raised.
Hold the lens with a U shape by your left hand
Aperture
Opening inside the lens, like a human eye pupil.
Controls:
Depth of field.
Amount of light.
Flash power.
Measured in f-stops.
Lower #s: wider aperture, more light, shallow depth of field.
Higher #s: closed aperture, less light, greater depth of field.
Shutter Speed
Flap in front of the sensor that opens and closes to let light in.
Shutter speed: how quickly/slowly the shutter opens and closes.
Fast shutter for freezing motion.
Slow shutter for blurring motion.
Measured in fractions of a second (e.g., 1/100 means 1/100th of a second).
Slowest to hand-hold: th of a second.
Shutter Speed & Aperture Relationship: When one goes up, the other must go down to keep your exposure balanced.
ISO
Values: Typically 50 or 100 up to 25,600+.
Increases image brightness
Thinking Through a Scene (QQCD)
What's the QQCD of the existing light?
Quantity, quality, color, and direction.
What’s the purpose of the image?
Are you freezing or blurring motion?
Are you trying to show something in focus from top to bottom or do you want to make the subject stand out by blurring the background?
Determine composition, angle, & lens to be used.
Decide to shoot using ambient light only, add a reflector, or add a flash.
Add people and decide which pose fits the mood.
Direct subjects into that mood.
Capture image and adjust.
Lens
Focal Lengths: 18mm, 24mm, 35mm, 55mm, 85mm, 105mm, 135mm, 200mm, 300mm
Cropping
Cropping in Camera
Never crop at a joint (ankle, knee, hip, wrist, fingers, elbow, shoulders) to avoid an "amputated" look.
Posing
Posing Girls
Start with the feet and work your way up.
Point the toe & bend the knee of the leg closest to camera which will put the weight on the back leg.
Hips pushed away from camera. This should slightly make your subject bend forward at the waist.
If it’s a joint, bend it. Hand on hip, other on hair, jacket, earring, holding objects or another person’s hand…
Chin turned to lower shoulder. Chin up slightly to reduce neck area. Use higher angle if this area is a problem.
Give the hands something to do. Never let them fall out of photo. Bring to face/head area or behind neck.
Roll shoulder bones back for better posture or lean forward for a more feminine appeal.
Work with subject on the right expression.
The majority of women should be photographed from the shadow side of their face, which is short lighting.
Posing Guys
Start with the feet and work your way up.
Separate the legs so that he doesn’t stand so straight. This should put the weight on the back leg.
Chin should be more straight on to the camera. This projects an air of confidence, control, and masculinity. Chin up slightly to reduce neck area. Use higher angle if this area is a problem.
Give the hands something to do. Never let them fall out of photo.
Use shadows to chisel the jaw line. Shooting from the shadow side accentuates this.
Work with subject on the right expression.
If near a wall, lean forward with the shoulders off the wall.
Men can squat to the side, take a knee, lay back w/hands above head, sit and lean forward, or sit forward/hang or sit backward on a chair.
Composition
Arrangement of visual elements (shapes, tones, shadows, highlights, colors).
Guides the eye to important elements.
Contains just enough detail (not too few or too many).
Elements include diagonal/curved lines, negative space, depth (foreground/mid/background), horizon placement, patterns.
Rule of Thirds: Place elements along lines or intersections of a tic-tac-toe grid.
Balancing Elements: Balance the subject's weight with another object.
Leading Lines: Use lines to draw the viewer into the scene.
Symmetry and Patterns: Use symmetry/patterns or break them to create tension.
Background: Avoid busy backgrounds.
Depth: Create depth using foreground, middle ground, and background elements.
Framing: Use natural/man-made frames to isolate the subject.
Off Camera Flash (OCF)
*CONTROL THE AMOUNT OF LIGHT
*CONTROL THE QUALITY OF LIGHT
*CONTROL OF LIGHT
*CONTROL THE DIRECTION OF LIGHT
*CONTROL THE COLOR OF LIGHT
Practice Finding Your Manual Settings
Turn dial to M for manual exposure
Find your ISO button (move values up/down)
Find your aperture settings (move f stops up/down)
Find your shutter speed settings (move speeds up/down)
Find white balance settings (cycle through options)
White Balance
How your camera sees color.
Color Temperature: Mixing red, green, and blue to appear correct.
Average midday temperature: degrees Kelvin (K).
Warmer scenes: lower K.
Cooler scenes: higher K.
Care of Gear
Never leave camera/lenses/memory card in the Texas heat.
Batteries do not last as long in extreme heat or cold.
Protect it from condensation. Electrical components are damaged by moisture.
Intro camera to humidity gently so that it has time to adjust to new temp. Wiping doesn’t help the humidity to go away any faster!
Use a padded camera bag.
Buy an extra battery.
Dry lens cloth can be used to clean body and outside of lenses. Leave the interior cleaning to the pros.
Exposure Modes
Manual Mode (M)
Aperture Mode (A)
Shutter Speed Mode (Tv or T)
Auto Mode (Auto)
Program Mode (P)
Scene Modes (various icons)
Histogram
Graph that shows light distribution in a photo.
Indicates if the image is too bright or dark.
Option to view after each photo.
Overexposed areas will blink.