Transcript Photography

“A great photo happens when a photographer sees a
situation unfolding in front of them that evokes an
emotion that the photographer feels deep down, in
the middle of their chest. And in a split second, they
then make a conscience choice of exposure, lens,
depth of field, lighting, body language, composition,
etc., and releases the shutter. The film is then
processed, scanned, laid out on a page, printed on a
press, driven across town to the newspaper carrier
who throws it on some guy's porch, who then opens
the newspaper and looks down at that photo ... And
if that guy gets the same feeling deep down in the
middle of his chest that the photographer did when
they viewed the situation in the first place, the
photographer has made a great photo."
--Nancy
L. Ford, photographer
Day 1: Basic Concepts to
Understanding Photography
Film vs Digital
• Film
– potentially better quality
photo (equal to 20 mp)
– better at high speeds and
low light
– better crispness and
vividness
– potentially better color
– longer print/source life
– camera is less expensive
• Digital
– immediate feedback
– viewing screen
– can see creative changes as
you adjust (on some)
– free if you don’t print
– easier digital manipulation
– no developing costs (some
storage and battery costs)
Types of Digital Camera
• Ultra-compact
–
–
–
–
–
–
Very small (1” thick max)
Generally Inexpensive
Simple and convenient
Images not as good
3.2-7+ megapixels
Limited or no zoom
Types of Digital Camera
• Ultra-compact
–
–
–
–
–
–
Very small (1” thick max)
Generally Inexpensive
Simple and convenient
Images not as good
3.2-7+ megapixels
Limited or no zoom
• Compact (Intermediate)
–
–
–
–
–
Still fairly inexpensive
Creative presets
Better lens & sensor
5-9+ megapixels
3-4x zoom
Types of Digital Camera
• Ultra-compact
–
–
–
–
–
–
Very small (1” thick max)
Generally Inexpensive
Simple and convenient
Images not as good
3.2-7+ megapixels
Limited or no zoom
• Compact (Intermediate)
–
–
–
–
–
Still fairly inexpensive
Creative presets
Better lens & sensor
5-9+ megapixels
3-4x zoom
• Prosumer (SLR-like, Ultrazoom)
–
–
–
–
–
–
Better lenses
Longer zooms, 10x or more
View through the lenses
7-12+ megapixels
Attachable accessories
May have Image Stabilization
Types of Digital Camera
• Ultra-compact
–
–
–
–
–
–
Very small (1” thick max)
Generally Inexpensive
Simple and convenient
Images not as good
3.2-7+ megapixels
Limited or no zoom
• Compact (Intermediate)
–
–
–
–
–
Still fairly inexpensive
Creative presets
Better lens & sensor
5-9+ megapixels
3-4x zoom
• Prosumer (SLR-like, Ultrazoom)
–
–
–
–
–
–
Better lenses
Longer zooms, 10x or more
View through the lenses
7-12+ megapixels
Attachable accessories
May have Image Stabilization
• Professional
–
–
–
–
More manual control
Changeable Lenses
Up to 12-20+ megapixels
More creative options
Batteries
• Alkaline--cheaper, but drain in 1/2 hour
• Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH)
–
–
–
–
Rechargeable
Environmentally friendly
Good for about 1,000+ charges
Don’t mix and match
• Lithium Ion
– Camera specific
– Good for about 500 charges
• AC adapter
– Especially good while downloading
• Carry some spares (No battery = No pictures)
Memory Cards
•
•
•
•
•
•
CF (Compact Flash)
SD (Secure Digital)
xD (Extreme Digital)
MS (Memory Stick)
MMC (MultiMediaCard)
SM (Smart Media)
Each camera will require a specific type. They are not always
interchangeable. Determine what you need.
What size memory card do I need?
• This depends on how many megapixels your
camera shoots per shot (look at camera specs).
• Shoot at highest resolution possible for
maximum quality.
Card Size in megabytes
64MB
256MB
512MB
1GB
2GB
5 mp
25
100
200
400
800
7 mp
19
76
152
304
608
8 mp
16
64
128
256
512
Number of images that can be stored
How many megapixels do I need?
• More MP = Allows bigger, better images, and
digital cropping of your pictures
• Shoot at highest resolution possible for
maximum quality pictures and most control
Megapixels needed (with no cropping)
For screen display -- 2+ Megapixels needed
For a snapshot (3x5) -- 3+ Megapixels needed
For an 8 x 10
-- 5+ Megapixels needed
Picture file formats
• Jpeg—suitable for e-mail, computer, Internet, printing
– most common file type
– loses crispness with each resizing, resaving
– various levels of compression (good, better, best)
• Tiff—very good form for pictures to be printed
– retain crispness and clarity best
– larger file size
– uncompressed (will not lose quality when edited)
• RAW—best for high end photography, printing
– uncompressed, unprocessed image
– must be edited with software
• Gif—suitable for Internet and line art
– least clear but fastest loading on Internet
– smallest file size
Archiving Photos
• A normal inkjet print may not last
• Save the original, unedited photo (like saving a
negative)
• DVD’s can store up to 15,000 photo quality
images (7 x more than regular CD’s)
• CD’s are more reliable and stable than DVD’s
• Gold foil disks last 100 years. Normal disks last
7-10+ years.
• Don’t leave images on computer w/o backing
them up.
• Or . . .
Use Online Resources
• Digital photo albums like Picasa by Google
– http://picasa.google.com/
• Online hosting and photo albums like flickr
– http://flickr.com
– http://flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/
• How does this work?
– http://23thingsonastick.blogspot.com/2007/11/
thing-7-more-flickr-fun.html
Outputting Pictures--dpi
•
•
•
•
•
dpi = Dots per inch
Higher the dpi, the better the resolution
On Screen – 72/96 dpi
Small Prints (3 x 5) -- 200+ dpi
Larger Prints (5 x 7 and up) -- 300 + dpi
Printing Picture--300 vs 72 dpi
Test Area
Lowest Resolution
72 dpi
Highest Resolution
300 dpi
Printing Tips
• Get a good printer
– one that uses at least 4 colors
– get highest dpi possible--some say 4800 x 1200
should be minimum standard
• Use photo paper
– paper brand should match printer brand
• Allow 24 hours to dry before framing or
scrapbooking
• Use a good editing program to improve
photo before printing
with matching paper -- w/o matching paper
Basic Camera Use
Holding the Camera
• Hold camera with two
hands
• Hold steady
• Tuck elbows in
• Have firm feet
• Hold breath, then
press carefully
• Or use tripod
Turning On The Camera
• Shoot setting
• View setting
Focus the Camera
• Shutter button--depress 1/2 way and hold
• Use focus points
• Focus, hold and move to off-center subject
Zooming
Optical
• Optical Zoom
– like film cameras
– lens extends/contracts
• Digital Zoom
– begins to crop into picture
– lose overall image size/resolution
– better to crop on computer
Digital
Viewing Pictures
• Be sure camera is on view setting
• Use 4 way selector button to scroll through
pictures
– Left is back
– Right is forward
Intermediate features
• Delete
Pictures
– Camera
typically
must be in
play mode.
– Pressing
button
deletes
displayed
image
Intermediate features
• Flash control
– Camera in
shoot mode
– Usually a
button that
allows you to
toggle
through
settings.
– Settings
appear as
icons in
window
Using a flash
• General Settings
–
–
–
–
automatic (It will fire when needed)
fill flash (It will fire but with less light)
red eye reduction (Strobes first, then fires)
off (Camera will adjust for shot w/o flash)
• Inside
– only effective for about 10-15 feet
– use red-eye reduction setting if needed
– flash off may result in blurrier pictures
• Outside
–
–
–
–
fill flash--w/in 5 feet in sun or on cloudy days
full flash--greater than 10 feet in sun
take portraits in shade with flash
may not need flash at all
Understand Menu Options
• Menu Options
– Image quality/
resolution (good,
better, best)
– File type (Jpeg)
– ISO (film speed)
Setting Film Speeds--ISO
ISO
Speed
Use
Grain
100
Medium/Slow
Outdoor or
bright light
Fine
400
Fast
Indoor or dim
Fast outdoor
Medium
Very Fast
Very dark or fast
Course
(Sports indoor
or at night)
1600
Compensate For Low Light
Shot at 400 speed
Shot at 1600 speed
Freeze Action Better
Shot at 100 ISO
Shot at 1600 ISO
Setting Film Speeds--ISO
ISO
Speed
Use
Grain
100
Medium/Slow
Outdoor or
bright light
Fine
400
Fast
Indoor or dim
Fast outdoor
Medium
Very Fast
Very dark or fast
Course
(Sports indoor
or at night)
1600
Typical Setting Options
Canon Rebel
Olympus
Most new point and
shoots have menus with
multiple presets.
Know Your Camera
Study the
manual!
Practice
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Turn camera on
Hold the camera properly & Focus
Take several pictures
View them back
Delete at least one picture
Zoom in and out
Try to take a picture with and w/o flash
Open the menu and change the image quality to best
Try to change the resolution, film speed, creative
setting--Then restore original settings