Digital Media Notes
Composition Rules: Rule of 3rds, Repetition, Angle, Strong Subject, Framing, Leading Lines, Selective Focus
Composition: refers to the way a photo is constructed or planned to make the biggest possible impact.
Rule of 3rds: divide your picture into thirds both horizontally and vertically. subject should rarely be placed in the center of the frame.
Repetition: a repeating pattern works well to emphasize your subject. a little bit of variance within the repetition is even better
Angle: if you can change the range or viewpoint of your photograph, you automatically make it more interesting. changing the angle does NOT mean tilting the camera.
Strong Subject: photos should have a strong, dominant focal point and/or center of interest. keep your background simple to avoid distractions.
Framing: use natural elements to create a frame or border around the photo's subject, so your audience knows exactly what your focus is.
Leading Lines: a photo's lines direct a viewer's focus to the photo's subject.
Selective Focus: when a photographer narrows a pictureâs depth of field so that only part of the picture is in focus, it draws attention to that particular area.
Elements of Design: lines, shape, form, space, value, texture, color
Line: a mark made by a moving point, has a greater length than width. can be actual noticeable lines or the borders of edges of shapes. Horizontal, vertical, diagonal, curvy, zig-zag
Shape: a contained area. can be geometric (man-made) ex. square, triangle, circle. Can be organic (natural) ex. leaves, humans, puddles. shapes are 2-D and Flat
Form: a contained area. forms are 3-D with height, with, and depth. used to create a sense of space and substance. can be organic and geometric
Space: a mark made by a moving point. the area used or unused in a composition- positive space = the area the objects/subject takes up. negative space = the area around, under, through, and between. Gives the photo a 3-D feeling. Depth of field: foreground (closest)=bottom, middle ground, Background (farthest)=top. it can be crowded, open, near, or far. Atmospheric perspective: objects close = detailed, bright, sharp. objects far = blurred, dull/grey. One point perspective = one vanishing point. 2 point perspective = 2 vanishing points
Value: black and white and all the grays in between. dark to light. can add drama and impact to the composition. can give a sense of timelessness. train your eye to read color as black and white.
Texture: the surface quality. how an object feels, or how it looks like it feels. rough, smooth, bumpy, gooey, sharp. adds interest! sense of sight and sense of touch involved.
Color: the artistic term is HUE. need light to see color. use color schemes to enhance appeal or make an impact. = primary, secondary, intermediates
What makes art photography good? composition, exposure, lighting, and emotion
Photocomposition errors: mergers, intrusions, bright spots/holes, cropping of body parts, directional errors.
Mergers: this error occurs when two objects in a photo overlap strangely and appear connected.
Intrusions: this error occurs when an object intrudes onto the edge of the photograph unintentionally, which causes a distraction to the main subject.
Bright spots/holes: Bright spots are unintentionally bright or washed-out photograph areas. holes are unintentionally dark areas of photographs.
Cropping of body parts: this error is exactly what it sounds like. when a photo cuts off small amounts of someoneâs body, it looks unintentionally awkward or unnatural.
Directional errors: this error occurs when a subject is facing the edge of the photo rather than the middle of the photo. there isnât âroomâ for the subject to look or move.
What is a DSLR? Digital single-lens reflex. the camera has a viewfinder that sees through the lens through the lens by way of 45 degrees- angled mirror that flips up when the shutter fires and allows the light to strike the image sensor.
Mode settings: for specific conditions
AV: means aperture priority/value. manually control the aperture while the camera sets the matching shutter speed. choosing a larger aperture (f-stop) means the lens will get smaller and it will let less light in so a larger depth of field (more of the area in focus) but your camera will choose a faster shutter speed and vice versa. particularly useful to control a stationary object where you donât need to control the shutter speed.
TV: means time value or shutter priority. set the shutter speed and calculate the matching aperture. to photograph moving subjects (sports actions). a faster shutter speed will freeze the motion.
Flash: to increase light exposure
Self-timer: delayed shutter speed
Megapixel: the maximum resolution at which a digital camera can take photos in millions of pixels
Zoom: optical= the physical lenses inside the camera are used to enlarge a science. digital= electronically enlarging the pixels in the center area of a photo.
ISO: international standards organizations, how sensitive a camera is to light. low ISO= is not sensitive to light and is best for shots in good lighting conditions. high ISO= the camera will be suitable for photography in darker light.
Aperture: the diameter the lens opens. the larger the lens opens the more light is let in.
F-stop: measures the aperture size. the smaller the f-stop number the larger the lens (aperture diameter) is open.
Depth of Field: to the position of an image that remains in focus as the subject processes into space.
Shutter Speed: refers to how fast, or slow, the shutter (aperture) opens & closes
Focal Length: the distance between the lens and the image sensor when the subject is in focus, usually stated in millimeters.
Lenses: standard lens= will create an image similar in perspective and scale to what the human eye sees. telephoto lens= is good for capturing a large scene. wide-angle lens= is good for capturing a large scene. marco lens= are for close-up photography. fisheye lens= makes everything you take look like itâs in a goldfish bowl and creates extremely wide-angled images that appear convex/ circular.
List the 8 principles of design: emphasis, balance, unity, contrast, movement, rhythm, repetition, pattern
Emphasis: in a composition refers to developing a point of interest to pull the viewerâs eye to important parts of the body of the work. size, shape, color, placement, contrast
Balance: is a sense of stability in the body of work. balance can be created by repeating the same shapes and by creating a feeling of equal weight. symmetrical, asymmetrical.
Unity: is seen in a composition when all parts equal a whole.
Contrast: refers to the opposites and differences in the work. you can achieve variety by using different elements in your work, such as: shapes. textures, colors, values.
Movement: adds excitement to your work by showing action and directing the viewerâs eye throughout the picture plane.
Rhythm: is a type of movement in an artistic composition. it is seen in repeating shapes and colors. alternation lights and darks also a sense of rhythm.
Repetition: an element that occurs over and over again in a composition. can repeat the element in a consistent pattern. can repeat the element in a variation of the pattern.
Pattern: in photography can draw the eye, make us think, and turn the simplest objects into artwork. patterns in photographs create attention. Think of something easy to overlook. when framed to highlight the pattern, it became intriguing.