Introduction to Photography - Lesson 1

Transcription

1 - Photography is an amazing subject with an ever broadening appeal. As the technology becomes more freely available what was once the exclusive territory of the wealthy professional is now accessible to everybody, and with compact cameras and camera phones the majority of people have something available to them. Of course, simply taking snapshots is the tip of the iceberg that is photography. There are so many wonderful technical and artistic things to learn, enough to last an entire lifetime. Indeed many who develop an interest in photography will find it grows into a passion that will last as long as they live. Whatever your interest, and whatever your aims in photography this course will provide you with the groundwork you will need to go out there and capture whatever you want. By the end you will have a solid foundational understanding of photographic technique as well as a number of useful creative techniques for creating eye catching photos that stand out from the crowd.

2 Types of camera There are several different kinds of camera found on the market today. What kind you choose depends on budget and what you want to achieve with your photos. SLR The higher end of the hobbyist spectrum, the SLR offers the greastest creative freedom and versatility due to its interchangeable lenses. SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex, the system by which the viewfinder works. This is explained in greater detail on the next page. SLRs are available in both digital and 35mm film formats. Film SLRs are much cheaper but over time the running cost of buying film makes it more expensive. Digital SLRs have a very high initial cost but potentially zero running costs. PRO: Versatile, more creative control. CON: Bulky, expensive, complex. Bridge Camera As the name suggests these cameras bridge the gap between Compact and SLR. Bridge cameras offer manual control allowing for greater freedom than most compacts. However, they have a noninterchangeable fixed zoom lens. To make up for this most have a digital zoom however don t be fooled: this is actually just a cropped, forcibly enlarged version of the optical image. PRO: Cheaper than a SLR, More versatile than a Compact CON: Not as portable as a Compact, not as versatile as an SLR Compact Camera The classic point and shoot camera, the compact makes up the majority of the photography market. Designed to be taken anywhere these cameras are lightweight and very easy to use, literally being a case of pointing it at the subject and letting the camera do the rest. In recent years compact cameras have advanced by leaps and bounds with some specs to rival SLRs. While most continue to be point and shoot an increasing number are offering manual control. PRO: Relatively cheap, convenient and easy to use CON: Only some offer manual control, limited creative control. Designed for point & shoot Tutor s Tips Film SLRs are an excellent gateway in to photography. Offering all the versatility of a DSLR but due to their age and falling out of favour they can be purchased fully functional on ebay or in charity shops for the price of a restaurant dinner. Many places such as Jessops still offer developing, or alternatively we offer a course in film shooting and developing where you can learn to develop and scan at home.

3 How the camera works For the examples below we are using a digital SLR, however it must be noted that these same principles apply to every camera with only minor variations. A film is light-sensitive: When hit by reflected light from objects it causes a chemical reaction that imprints the image, reflecting the various intensities of light shining on it. The more light the greater the reaction. A digital sensor works in the same way but the process is electronic rather than chemical. The first diagram shows the various components of the camera. Note the position of the sensor in relation to the shutter and mirror. Before: The light is reflected by the mirror to the viewfinder, allowing the photographer to see exactly what is being captured. No light reaches the sensor at the time. Here we see how an exposure is obtained After: The mirror flips up and the light travels straight to the shutter covering the sensor. This shutter opens for a predermined time in order to expose the sensor to light.

4 FOCAL LENGTH The focal length of a lens is the term used to describe the angle of view a lens offers. This measurement is given in mm and is always found on the front or side of the lens. There are three common terms used to describe focal length. These are provided below with their mm range. Another thing to keep in mind when considering focal length is the effect that altering the focal length has on the perception of size and distance within the frame. The images below show the same image taken at varying focal lengths. Telephoto: Compresses distance Wide angle: Exaggerates distance and distorts size. Closer objects appear larger and distant objects appear smaller Standard (50mm) Telephoto (300mm) Wide Angle (18mm)

5 FOCAL POINT The focal point is where the shot begins: When we half press the button the camera s autofocus responds and picks an area to focus on. This happens so automatically we may not even think about it, we just hear the beep and see the red dot appear. However this is an essential part of your photograph, and incorrect focus is one of the most common errors people face when starting out in photography. The focal point is a key part of selecting what part of your image is in focus so we must ensure it is correct. Half Press your shutter The focal point appears as a red dot in the viewfinder. Set your focal point to the centre. (see manual for instructions) This ensures any time we half-press the shutter, the object in the centre is focused on. So long as you always point your camera straight at your subject this will keep it in focus Sometimes we may want to have our subject off-centre, so we need a new technique to do this. Once you have focused on the subject in the centre, do the following: Engage the focus lock. Half press and hold the shutter. While still half pressing the shutter turn your camera. Be careful not to lift your finger Fully press the shutter to take the picture The focus lock will hold your subject in focus even as you move the camera, allowing you to recompose your shot

6 DRIVE MODE Now that our subject is in focus we want to take the picture. When we fully press the shutter a variety of different things can happen: This is controlled by the drive or release mode in your camera. When you open the drive mode menu you should find several symbols greeting you. NOTE: In some cameras the drive mode is a switch on the body rather than a menu SINGLE FRAME The default mode for your camera. Every time you press the shutter it takes a single picture. This grants you the maximum control over every picture you take CONTINUOUS SHOOTING In continuous mode the camera continues taking pictures for as long as the shutter remains held down. How quickly this happens is referred to as the FPS, or frames per second. SELF TIMER This creates a slight delay between the shutter being pressed and the picture being taken. This delay can vary between 2-12 seconds. A common use for the self timer is to avoid shake caused by pressing the shutter when using a tripod REMOTE CONTROL NOTE: Not all cameras will have this feature If your camera possesses an infrared receiver then you can trigger the camera remotely using an infrared trigger. Useful for completely hands free photography

7 MENUS Being complicated pieces of digital equipment modern cameras often require a lot of tinkering before you begin in order to set up the camera the way you want. The nuts and bolts of camera operation are controlled through a series of menus, each one giving the user access to particular settings and options. SHOOTING DISPLAY The default display for your camera, appears any time you turn it on or press the shutter. This menu displays all the creative input you can have on a shot and is the main means of controlling these. Exposure, Focus Mode, Drive Mode and Colour settings can all be controlled from this menu. PLAYBACK MENU Allows you to instantly look at any photograph that you have taken. This seemingly simple act is hugely important as it allows you to evaluate a picture at the time of taking and instantly remedy any errors. The playback menu also includes additional information about the photograph, including an exposure histogram and a full record of camera settings. SETUP MENU Individual cameras can be heavily customised, turning on and off certain features depending on the owner s preference. Most menus are separated into tabs for camera, playback and custom options. Cameras can have only a few features or several dozen so reading your manual is the best way to learn. Common features include battery saving & focus beep adjust.

8 RESOLUTION The output of a digital camera is a digital file. It is something people often don t think about, and even when they do it is often misunderstood, however in order to ensure the maximum quality of our images we must look at this. Resolution is most commonly known as the Megapixel number, which serves as a useful shorthand to describe the number of pixels, and thus the size of a digital image PIXEL DIMENSIONS 3000x x2736 PIXEL NUMBER 6,000,000 pixels 9,980,928 pixels MEGAPIXEL RATING 6 MEGAPIXEL 10 MEGAPIXEL Higher resolution digital images produce higher quality results. In the example below we can see a 10MP image and a 1MP image. Note how the 1MP image looks less sharp and more pixelated. The main reason we would be concerned with resolution is if we are printing out images. Larger digital files can print out larger images. A rough guide to print sizes can be found below: MEGAPIXEL RATING 2 MEGAPIXEL 4 MEGAPIXEL 6 MEGAPIXEL PRINT SIZE (Inches) 6 x 4 10 x 8 / A4 15 x 10 / A3 TIP: You can save space on your memory card by shooting at a lower resolution. If you intend to print an A4 photo then you will not see any benefit above 4MP.

9 RAW vs JPEG The digital image your camera produces can be saved in two formats. Each of these has their advantages and drawbacks. JPEG JPEG files are the image file most people will be familiar with. Known as a compressed file format, JPEGs emphasise economy and space saving. Every time a JPEG image is saved it is compressed to save space. This has an effect on the image quality JPEG Quality You can control the compression and quality of your images inside of your camera. It is advisable to set your JPEG quality to the highest available in order to ensure the best quality images are produced. RAW RAW is your camera s uncompressed file type. As the name suggests RAW files preserve all the raw data of the photograph, making them higher quality and much more versatile. They are primarily used for digital editing: Straight out of camera RAW files appear duller than JPEGs but they can take much more digital manipulation and produce higher quality results. RAW PROS Higher Quality. Better for editing Easy white balance CONS Large file size Specialist software needed JPEG Smaller file Size More in-camera options Better instant results Lower quality Unsuited for editing