Transcript Digital Photography 101 for Library Applications Instructor: Jeanne Moje [email protected] An Infopeople Workshop Winter 2004 Workshop Agenda Digital Camera Overview Hints on Taking Photos Who Owns That Image? Photo Design.

Digital Photography 101
for Library Applications
Instructor:
Jeanne Moje
[email protected]
An Infopeople Workshop
Winter 2004
Workshop Agenda
Digital Camera Overview
Hints on Taking Photos
Who Owns That Image?
Photo Design and Repair
Managing Your Digital
Photo Collection
Digital Camera Overview
Why Digital Photography?
Advantage over film cameras
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Immediate feedback / results
Don’t need to develop film
Ease of image manipulation
Add interest to your web site
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Publicize and document library events
Pictures are worth a thousand words
Provide material for library displays
Overview of Digital Cameras
Lens types
Case sizes
Pixel depth
Zoom power
Storage media types
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Older memory formats
Newer memory formats
Alternative memory formats
Lens Types
Regular fixed lens
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with or without zoom
Digital SLR (single-lens reflex)
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More control over depth of field
Interchangeable lenses
Large format
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For incredible detail
in a large image
Huge file sizes
Digital Camera Case Sizes
Listed in order of price
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Compact
Micro
Medium
Large
Pixel Depth
Why would you want more pixels?
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3 megapixels
4 megapixels
5 megapixels
Foveon technology 3.4
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Three layers to each pixel
Equivalent to 10 megapixels
Pixel Print Comparison
To maintain quality, choose higher
megapixel settings if you need larger
print sizes
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1 megapixels ≅ 4 x 6
2 megapixels ≅ 5 x 7
3 megapixels ≅ 8 x 11
4 megapixels ≅ 11 x 14
5 megapixels ≅ 12 x 16
Zoom Power
Optical zoom changes the image by
moving the lens
Digital zoom changes the image by
cropping (enlarging the pixels)
Interchangeable lenses on SLR digital
cameras – expensive!
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Gives you more shutter speed control
Wide-angle, panoramic, specialty lenses
Types of Storage Media
Some can be used in multiple portable
devices
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Digital cameras, notebooks, PDAs, music
players, car stereo
Standardize on a flash memory type
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Secure Digital (SD) - up and coming
Compact Flash (CF) - still a good choice
Older Memory Formats
These formats are being phased out
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SmartMedia (SM)
MultiMediaCard (MMC)
Mini-CDs, floppy disks
Compact Flash (CF)
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More devices use CF that any other media
type
High capacity
Newer Memory Formats
Memory stick (MS)
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only used by Sony
xD-Picture Card
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Fujifilm, Olympus
Projected highest capacity
Secure Digital (SD)
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Projected highest use
Broadest support
Alternative Memory Formats
CF Mini hard drives
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IBM microdrive
Up to 1 GB in storage
Digital camera off-load units
Now For Our Camera Tour…
Finally, Taking Photos…
Before You Start
Practice with the camera
Double-check your camera settings
Carry extra batteries
Experiment with flash
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How close to subject?
Test red-eye settings
Hints On Taking Photos
Use a tripod or lean against stationery
object
Conserve batteries
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Limit use of
screen viewer
Is camera turned off
when not in use?
Automatic & Forced Flash
Automatic
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Fires automatically as required
Useful for ordinary photography
Forced Flash
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Photograph backlit scenes
Use outside in shade
Color correct
fluorescent light
Suppressed & Red-Eye Flash
Suppressed Flash
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Indoors where flash is ineffective
Photos taken through glass
Red-Eye Reduction
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Pre-flashes so subject’s
eyes appear more natural
Fires automatically
as required
Slow-Synchro Flash Types
Slow-Synchro
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Slow shutter speed for taking pictures of
people at night
Will show both subject and night time
backdrop
Recommend tripod
Red-Eye Reduction
plus Slow-Synchro
Example of Flash Icons
Red eye
reduction
Red eye
reduction
plus slow
synchro
Forced
flash
Slow
synchro
Suppressed
flash
White Balance Control
Will attempt to correct the color for given
light sources such as:
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Daylight fluorescents
Warm white fluorescents
Cool white fluorescents
Incandescent lights
Outdoors
Shade
Delayed Shutter Response
Anticipate shutter lag
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Shutter delay varies between cameras
Ask your subject to hold still!
Image-writing delay while the camera
stores the photo
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Some cameras are able
to store images
more quickly
Taking Photos of People
Avoid red-eye
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Use red-eye flash function
Ask subject to look away from flash
Use natural light
Don’t get too close
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Distortion
You can crop
image later
Flattery Or Kindness?
Avoid harsh shadows
Try different viewpoints
Use natural light instead of flash
Red clothing will overpower
skin tones
Hold Still!
Posing versus natural action
Take numerous photos of same pose
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Subject may relax
Pose will look more natural
Shutter lag makes natural
action shots difficult
Connect That Camera…
Connecting to a Computer
Install camera software
Check camera battery charge or plug in
power adapter
Choice of connections
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Camera to computer
Memory media to computer
Copy or move files from camera to
computer
Problems?
Where to go if you have problems with
your camera
Camera batteries weak?
What if your computer won’t talk to the
camera?
Software updates and
other annoyances
Indoor Lighting
Fluorescent light is green
Incandescent light is red
North light bulbs are blue
“Color-corrected” light bulbs
are best
Use two light sources
if possible
Photographing Objects
Avoid parallax effect if object has straight
lines
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Align camera to object
Align lines of object with frame of
viewfinder or LCD monitor
Use a tripod or stand
Macro lenses
Lighting Objects
Lighting
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Two lights are best
45° angle to object
Measure distance of lights
Use a “color key” for fine reproductions
Camera Purchase Decision
Before You Choose
What is your budget?
Will it connect to your computer?
Evaluate your photographic needs
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Pixel depth
Power supply requirements
Memory needs (16 MB to 1 GB+)
Do you have other portable devices?
Zoom capability needed?
How To Choose A Camera
Try out cameras for a good fit
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Does it fit your hands?
Controls easy to locate?
Display screen large enough?
Light enough to carry?
Zoom power?
Purchase at a store or buy online?
Keep an eye on sale prices
Bookmarks Topics to Visit
Digital camera glossaries and
dictionaries
Digital camera overview
Vendor web sites for
digital cameras and
photography
Taking Photos Outdoors
Outdoor Lighting
Sunlight causes shadows
North light is blue
Overcast days
Indirect lighting best for people
Use fill-in flash or reflector
Taking Photos Outdoors
Sunrise, sunset
High noon
Overcast
Fill-in flash
Few filters available
for digital cameras
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Glare and reflections
Dust and smog
Legal Issues…
Do The Right Thing!
Get a signature release from your
subjects
Copyright considerations
Infopeople course materials
available
Signature Releases
Who owns that photograph?
If you put a photo of a person on the
web, get a signature release
Legal issues
Sample signature releases
Copyright Considerations
Again, who owns that photograph?
Legal issues
Get permission!
Protect your images
Bookmarks Topics to Visit
Infopeople course
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Library Laws For The Web Environment 2002
Signature release samples
Copyright law
The Art Part…
Photo Design and Repair
Design and color hints
Cropping
Resizing
Color correction
Design Hints
View as abstract artwork (turn the photo
upside down)
Save as black & white for a fresh view
Look at negative spaces
Avoid clutter
The Rule of Thirds in Design
Hum Beethoven’s Fifth
Imagine a tic-tac-toe grid on your image
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Line objects on the grid
Offset the focal point
within the composition
Check for proportions
of two-to-one
Value, Contrast & Luminance
Value
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Relative lightness or darkness of a color
Black & white photography helps you see
value
Contrast
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Difference between highest
and lowest luminance values
Luminance relates to light
Hue, Saturation & Brightness
Hue
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Intensity or gradation of color
Saturation
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Chromatic purity - has color
been diluted with white?
Brightness
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Brilliance of a color relating
to hue or saturation
Color Impact
Emotional impact of color
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What kind of message do you wish to
convey?
Reds “bleed”
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May overpower other parts
of the image
Color Hints
The rule of threes in color
Squint to see the values in the image
Check proportions of color
of two-to-one
Cropping and Resizing
Focus on the subject
Get rid of clutter
The web can only show so much!
Reduce image file size
Improve your design
Software Can Correct Color
Balance your color
Correct bad lighting
Punch up the values
Increase the hue
Photo & Graphics Software
Types of Software
Beginner
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Apple iPhoto, Hypersnap, LviewPro
Intermediate
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PaintShop Pro, Photoshop Elements
Advanced
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Fireworks, Photoshop
Camera software
Exporting for Web and Print
Exporting For The Web
Use “save as” - keep original safe
PC vs Macintosh color differences
Reduce image and file size
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Crop image
Resize image
Change file format
to jpg or gif
Set resolution to 72 dpi
Exporting For Print
Use “save as” - keep original safe
Use largest pixel size setting available for
camera
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You won’t be able to take as many photos at a time,
but the print quality will be greater
Save to highest quality
TIFF format setting
Talk with your printer!
Color-correct your monitor
File Extensions
JPEG (*.jpg) web graphics
GIF (*.gif) flat color web graphics
TIFF (*.tif) print graphics
PSD (*.psd) Adobe Photoshop
PNG (*.png) Fireworks
PDF (*.pdf) Adobe Acrobat
Proprietary extensions
Digital Photos Can Be Huge!
Managing disk space
Organizing your photos
Types of file management software
Infopeople course materials available
on digitization projects
Don’t forget metadata!
Bookmarks Topics to Visit
Graphics software vendors
Digital collections projects
Infopeople course materials
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Planning To Digitize Your
Treasures, 2000
Planning Your Digitization
Project, 2001
Creating Web Images
With Fireworks, 2002
Planning A Photo Session
Back To Reality…
What photos do you need (or want) to
take for your library?
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How / where will you use these photos?
What camera settings to use?
What is the subject matter?
Environment?
What kind of lighting?
Legal issues?
Summary and Evaluation
Overview of digital cameras
Hints on taking photos
Who owns that image?
Design and color hints
Managing your files and disk space