L I F E L O N G L E A R N I N G C O L L A B O R AT I V E - F A L L 2 0 1 8 SNAPIX: PHOTOGRAPHY
SNAPIX OVERVIEW Introductions Course Overview 2 classes on technical training 3 photo shoots Other classes on composition, working the scene, common photography mistakes, photo editing, shooting creatively Class Format & Weekly Assignments Schedule Class Vote on location of October 17 Photoshoot Class Website (snapixclass.com ) and what's on it!2
OTHER STUFF Housekeeping How to Reach the Coordinators Questions from the Camera Game? Questions on How To Email Pictures? Have fun and take lots of pictures (it's free)! Let's get started...!3
T E C H N I C A L - PA R T 1 Today's Topics Basic Camera Settings 1. Enable blinkies and histogram 2. Chimping 3. Gridlines 4. Image quality: RAW or JPEG 5. Shooting modes - Auto, P, A, S (Tv for Canon), and M 6. ISO 7. White balance 8. Metering Modes 9. Focusing options Exposure Triangle Review of Your Photos!4
I M A G E P L AY B A C K S E T T I N G S LCD Screen / Information Display Enable: 1. Histogram and 2. Blinkies (Highlights warning) Nikon Canon Note: Use the luminosity (gray scale) histogram that shows overall brightness of a scene, not the RGB histogram (too much information!)!5
I M A G E P L AY B A C K S E T T I N G S LCD Screen / Information Display - Histogram Histogram Nikon Canon!6
I M A G E P L AY B A C K S E T T I N G S LCD Screen / Information Display - Histogram What is a Histogram Graphical representation of the tonal values of image Shows brightness of tones ranging from black (0% brightness) to white (100% brightness) Dark tones are displayed on the left side of the histogram, whites on left Vertical axis displays amount of tones (how many pixels) of that particular lightness.!7
I M A G E P L AY B A C K S E T T I N G S LCD Screen / Information Display - Histogram Shadow and Highlight Clipping If a portion of the histogram is touching either edge, it will indicate loss of detail, also called clipping. Highlight clipping are areas that are completely white ("blown out"); occurs if the graph is touching the right side of histogram Shadow clipping are areas that are completely black; occurs if the graph is touching the left side of histogram!8
I M A G E P L AY B A C K S E T T I N G S LCD Screen / Information Display - Histogram Why use a Histogram? It is the easiest way to achieve proper exposure Just by checking the histogram, you can tell if the image is underexposed or overexposed If the histogram goes past left edge, areas will be pure black and all detail will be lost If the histogram goes past the right edge, areas of white will be pure white and contain no details Note: Histograms & blinkies are usually based on a JPEG rendition of your image; if you are shooting a RAW file, your actual image will have greater dynamic range & clipping should be reduced!9
I M A G E P L AY B A C K S E T T I N G S LCD Screen / Information Display - Histogram PIXEL, SHMIXEL! - Just tell me what I need to remember! White is on the right (it rhymes!), black on the left Make sure that pixels don't go past the left edge (shadow clipping) or the right edge (highlight clipping) Don't worry about how the pixels are distributed in between left and right edges; different scenes will have different histograms That's it! Note: In some cameras, you can see the histogram before you take the picture rather than having to waiting until after to view it. Makes the process more efficient.!10
I M A G E P L AY B A C K S E T T I N G S LCD Screen / Information Display - Highlights Highlights mode ("blinkies") examples: In Highlights mode, blinking areas indicate blown highlights!11
CHIMPING What the heck is "chimping" & why should I do it? The term derives from the habit of a photographer looking at an image in the LCD & going "Ooh, ooh, ooh!" like an excited chimpanzee Strongly recommend you chimp your images Check histogram and/or blinkies for correct exposure Check focus by zooming in on subject to make sure details aren't blurry More pictures are ruined by incorrect exposure or being out of focus! Check horizon to make sure it is straight!12
BASIC SHOOTING SETTINGS Viewfinder - Enable gridlines Nikon Canon Why use? - Ensures horizon is level and verticals are vertical - Composition... but you may have to guesstimate Rule of 3rds Note: Some cameras have a built in electronic level or "virtual horizon" function to keep horizon level!13
BASIC SHOOTING SETTINGS Image Quality Options - JPG or Raw Most digital cameras save JPG files by default JPG is a compressed image format; some data is lost in the process of creating it If you're not a perfectionist & do limited editing, JPG is fine Raw files, however, contains all data captured by the sensor You can adjust exposure, color, and shadow & highlight detail of a picture on your computer much better than with JPG (Note: More on this topic in a later class)!14
BASIC SHOOTING SETTINGS Shooting Modes - Auto, P, A, S (or Tv), M Auto - the camera selects all settings Program - camera selects shutter & aperture but you can choose ISO* Aperture Priority - You set aperture & camera chooses shutter (you can choose ISO*) - Choose this mode when you want to control background blur Shutter Speed (aka Time Value) - you set shutter speed & camera chooses aperture (you can choose ISO*) - Choose this mode when capturing action and movement Manual - You have full control over aperture, shutter speed, and ISO* - Choose this mood to control both the background blur and movement * unless you're using Auto ISO, in which case the camera selects the ISO!15
BASIC SHOOTING SETTINGS ISO ISO controls your camera's sensitivity to light The lower the number the less sensitive your camera is to light For best image quality, use the lowest ISO possible Trade-off for low ISO is that you may need a slower shutter speed or bigger aperture Higher ISOs (i.e., more light sensitivity) are used under low light conditions - indoor sports events, concerts, birthday parties Trade-off for high ISO is "noisier" (grainy) shots Until you fully understand ISO, set your camera to use auto ISO Auto ISO allows camera to choose setting that will properly expose a picture.!16
BASIC SHOOTING SETTINGS ISO: Example Image on right shot with high ISO (3200) is much noisier!17
BASIC SHOOTING SETTINGS White Balance Setting White Balance can fix unrealistic color casts, so that objects which appear white in person are rendered white in your photo Color Cast Daylight White Balance - For now, suggest you use your camera's AWB (Auto White Balance) setting - Your camera will automatically correct for the "color temperature" of the light source, i.e., the relative warmth or coolness of white light!18
BASIC SHOOTING SETTINGS Metering Modes - How Your Camera Determines Exposure Matrix (Nikon) / Evaluative (Canon) - Default metering mode on most DSLRs - Bases exposure by averaging the brightness of the entire frame - You can use this mode for most of your photography Center-Weighted - Bases exposure on entire frame but more weight on center - Good for close-up portraits & large subjects in middle of frame Spot - Spot Metering only evaluates the light around your focus point - Can cause background to be severely under or overexposed - Good for bird photography or when subject is relatively small!19
BASIC SHOOTING SETTINGS Metering Modes Matrix/Evaluative Center-Weighted Spot!20
BASIC SHOOTING SETTINGS Focusing Options Single Focus (known as AF-S, S_AF, One-Shot or Single) - Best for still subjects - Depress shutter button slightly and camera finds focus point - Continue to hold down until you shoot (or after recomposing shot) - Typically used for portraits, landscapes and general shooting Continuous Focus (known as AF-C, C-AF, Al Servo, Monitor or Tracking - Best for moving subjects - Depress shutter slightly and hold until you shoot - If subject moves, your camera will do its best to keep it in focus - Typically used for sports and action shots Automatic Focus (known as AF-A, A-AF, or AI Focus) - Designed to be the one mode for any situation - In practice, it's better to only use when you don't know how to set focus mode - Initially behaves like single focus; switches to continuous focus if movement!21
SUMMARY - CAMERA SETTINGS Playback Settings Enable blinkies (highlights) Enable histogram Chimp your images 1. Get in habit of always chimping your images 2. At a minimum, check blinkies for blownout highligts 3. Check histogram - make sure: - pixels don't go past left edge (shadow clipping) & - pixels don't go past right edge (highlight clipping) 4. Zoom in to make sure image is in focus - can't fix in post processing! 5. Make sure horizon is straight!22
SUMMARY - CAMERA SETTINGS Shooting Settings - 1 Enable gridlines in viewfinder Image quality - JPG is fine if you do limited editing - Use RAW if you like to post process your images Shooting modes Auto - use if you're not sure or under changing light conditions Program - generally not that useful Aperture and Shutter Priority (semi-automatic modes): - Easy to use: you only need to change one setting & camera does the rest - Aperture priority is especially useful to control background blur & depth of field Manual - best if you want complete control or are doing studio work!23
SUMMARY - CAMERA SETTINGS Shooting Settings - 2 ISO - use Auto ISO White Balance - use Auto White Balance Metering Modes (how camera determines exposure) - Use Matrix (Nikon)/Evaluative (Canon) for general shooting - Use Spot metering if subject is relatively small in frame (bird) Focusing options: - Single Focus - best for still subjects & landscapes - Continuous Focus - best for moving subjects (sports/action) - Automatic Focus - better to avoid & use Single or Continuous - Manual Focus - only use on a tripod; crucial for night photography!24
EXPOSURE TRIANGLE Exposure Triangle shows the relationship between aperture, shutter speed, and ISO They work together to produce a photo that is properly exposed If one variable changes, at least one of the others must also change to maintain the correct exposure!25
EXPOSURE TRIANGLE - 1!26
EXPOSURE TRIANGLE - 2!27
L E T ' S TA K E A B R E A K!!!!28