TAKING BETTER PHOTOS ON ANY DEVICE

Transcription

1 TAKING BETTER PHOTOS ON ANY DEVICE Sarah Dudik Public Information & Marketing

2 HOW TO TAKE BETTER PHOTOGRAPHS The device you use isn t as important as how you are looking through it Any device can be used to take good photographs Key elements that make good photographs are: Composition (what is included or excluded in the photograph) Lighting Subject position Photographer position Correct camera settings

3 PHOTOGRAPHY BASICS Aperture The diaphragm that controls how much light gets into the camera Also controls how much of your picture (from background to foreground) is in focus Shutter Speed The camera s curtain or shutter controls how much action is stopped in the photo Works with the aperture to determine exposure ISO How sensitive the camera sensor is to light For best image quality, try to keep it as low as possible

4 APERTURE: DETERMINING DEPTH OF FIELD Aperture The aperture controls how much light hits the sensor Wide aperture = smaller number (f/2.8) = less of the picture in focus Small aperture = larger number (f/22) = more of the picture in focus

5 LARGE DOF VS. SMALL DOF Shallow depth of field (large aperture) keeps the focus on the subject

6 LARGE DOF VS. SMALL DOF Shallow depth of field (large aperture) eliminates background distractions

7 SMALL DEPTH OF FIELD

8 LARGE DEPTH OF FIELD Ansel Adams (f/64) Smaller aperture is good for landscapes, allows whole photo be in focus from foreground to background

9 SHUTTER SPEED: CAPTURING MOTION Shutter Speed The shutter is the curtain that opens to let light into the camera and hit the sensor Pressing the button opens the shutter resulting in the click you hear Shutter speed is typically in fractions of a second (1/30, 1/500) Try to stay above 1/60 unless you have a tripod so you don t get camera shake For sports or fast action, try to stay above 1/250 If you are using a flash, make sure your shutter speed is 1/250 or below

10 SHUTTER SPEED: CAPTURING MOTION

11 SLOW SHUTTER SPEED Slow shutter speed shows motion

12 FAST SHUTTER SPEED Fast shutter speed stops motion

13 FAST SHUTTER SPEED Good lighting helps when using a fast shutter speed (can use a flash to assist)

14 FAST SHUTTER SPEED The camera can stop things faster than the human eye can see

15 FAST SHUTTER SPEED The camera can stop things faster than the human eye can see

16 ISO: LIGHT SENSITIVIT Y What is ISO? How sensitive your camera is to light Bright light low ISO (ISO 100) Low light high ISO (ISO 1600) Best practices for ISO Use the lowest ISO possible for the scene A higher ISO should be used sparingly, causes noise resulting in lower image quality Yes, your ISO can be too high!

17 ISO: LIGHT SENSITIVIT Y

18 EXPOSURE: THE KEY TO A GOOD IMAGE Aperture/shutter speed/iso relationship All three elements affect the amount of light in your image They need to balance each other to have a good exposure You can t adjust any of these three elements without adjusting the other two accordingly Small apertures need more light, so use a higher ISO and slower shutter speed Large apertures take in a lot of light, so you can use a lower ISO and a higher shutter speed

19 EXPOSURE: THE KEY TO A GOOD IMAGE

20 EXPOSURE: THE KEY TO A GOOD IMAGE Most of the time you will exposure for the midtones, not the shadows or highlights

21 EXPOSURE: THE KEY TO A GOOD IMAGE Overexposed photographs happen when the camera lets in too much light. Details in the light areas of the photographs are lost.

22 EXPOSURE: THE KEY TO A GOOD IMAGE Underexposed photographs happen when the camera doesn t let in enough light. Details in the dark areas of the photographs are lost.

23 WHEN TO USE A FLASH A flash can be helpful in dark situations Try to avoid always using a flash and look for good light If you are taking pictures in the shadows near bright light a flash can balance out your exposure Don t get too close to your subject!

24 BAD FLASH Step away from the wall! Bad flash creates harsh shadows and highlights, can emphasize the wrong thing or everything

25 GOOD FLASH Good flash use adds a pop of light where needed

26 COMPOSITION Composition is what you choose to include in your photograph Lighting Look for natural light Watch your shadows and bright spots Backgrounds Avoid busy backgrounds Look at the edges of the photograph avoid bright colors/objects that distract the viewer Subject Move your subject closer to the camera Don t have your subject right in the middle of the photograph

27 BACKGROUNDS Pay attention to your backgrounds keep it simple

28 BAD COMPOSITION Consider lighting as part of the compostion

29 COMPOSITION: RULE OF THIRDS Rule of thirds adds visual interest to your photograph

30 GOOD COMPOSITION Use perspective and leading lines have one element of the photograph closer to the lens

31 GET ON THEIR LEVEL When taking pictures of children, try getting down on their level.

32 Focus on the eyes that s where people look first IT S IN THE EYES

33 CANDID PHOTOS Try a candid photo (not posed) instead of getting everyone to look at the camera These types of images can better capture emotion

34 BASIC TIPS FOR GOOD PHOTOGRAPHS Steady your camera Lean against a wall Prop it on a table Use two hands to stabilize Pull your hands into your body Get a tripod! Practice - more than one photo gives you a much better chance of success Wait waiting just a few seconds and looking through the camera can get you better results

35 PHOTOGRAPHY BASICS Camera modes Each camera has different modes venture out of auto mode! Modes are automatic settings for aperture and shutter speed Focus Focus is not camera shake Depth of focus (how much of the picture is in focus) is determined by the camera s aperture Exposure Your eye sees a wider range of colors than a camera Underexposed too dark, overexposed too light

36 SOURCES Exposure Guide B&H Photo Video blog