Basic Photography for Yearbook Students

Understanding Your Camera

Camera SettingsCreative Modes

Auto – automatic mode

AV or A – Aperture Priority

TV or S – Shutter Priority

M – Manual Mode

Scene Modes – Portrait, Landscape, Sports

Automatic Mode

The camera has all the control; there is no customization options.

All your settings (aperture, shutter speed, ISO) will be chosen for you by the camera

Auto Mode is best used when you are in a hurry. However, you will lose all artistic freedoms.

When in doubt, shoot in Auto.

Aperture Priority (AV or A)

Manually control the aperture while the camera sets the shutter speed to match

Allows better control of depth of field

Useful when shooting still objects or situations where depth of field is a priority

Shutter Priority (TV or S)

You control the shutter speed while the camera calculates the aperture to give you the best exposure.

To photograph moving objects (like people playing sports), set the shutter speed to a higher setting to capture the motion

When dealing with a still objects or people, lower the shutter speed to allow more light in the lens

Manual Mode

You have full control over all the settings of the camera (both shutter speed and aperture)

Allows for the maximum amount of creativity, and maximum amount of control over an image

Can be challenging to understand, but is also the most useful and flexible camera setting

Portrait Mode

A Portrait is simply a photograph of a person.

Portrait mode is identified on your camera with an icon of a woman’s head

Portrait mode is an automatic mode with optimized settings for taking a portrait

Portrait mode sets a wide aperture so the person is in focus and the background is softly focused (depth of field!)

Landscape Mode

Optimized so the entire image is in focus

This setting is not for taking photographs of people or in a situation where the is a subject and a background.

Best used in situations where you’re trying to get everything in focus -- the entire soccer team on the field, the football stadium, the school building, a picture of the whole baseball field

Sports Mode

Sports mode is identified by an icon of a sprinting man

Perfect for taking pictures of objects in motion (or people playing sports!)

Gives you higher shutter speeds to stop motion

Sports mode is best used in natural light (outdoors)

Quick Reference Sheet

Pictures of one person or a few people together – portrait, manual, aperture priority

Picture of one player running down the field/to a base/around the track – sports mode, shutter priority, manual

Pictures indoors of players (basketball, volleyball, etc) – manual or auto

Pictures of larger groups of people (5 or more) – manual or auto

WHEN IN DOUBT, SHOOT IN AUTO!

What is Shutter Speed?Shutter Speed is the length of time the shutter is open when taking a photograph.

Shutter speed is measured in fractions of a second (1/25, 1/50. 1/200, etc)

The lower the number, the more light allowed.

When capturing motion (in sports), higher shutter speeds stop motion.

What is Aperture? The aperture is the hole within the camera lens through which light travels.

Think of the aperture of the camera lens like the pupil in your eye. The darker it is in a room, the more light you need to see, so the larger your eye gets.

Aperture is noted by a number (ex: 1.4, 2.0, 5.6, etc…)

The smaller the number, the larger the hole in the lens, the more light accessible.

Aperture also controls the depth of field.

Depth of FieldWhen you want a subject in the foreground of an image to be in focus and the background to be soft (or out of focus), the aperture setting needs to be a low number (1,4, 2.0, 3.5)

When you want the entire photograph to be in focus, you need a larger aperture setting (5.6, 8, 11, 22, etc…)

Photo Basics

Find your subject Who or what are you photographing?

Set your focusHold the shutter button down halfway until your subject is in focus, then press all the way down. This will ensure your intended subject is in focus

CompositionPay attention to what is around your subject. Is there an object seemingly poking out of a person’s heads? Is the background of your intended image cluttered? Will changing your shooting angle improve the photo?

Rule of Thirds

Photos are divided into thirds using two horizontals lines and two vertical lines, creating a grid with 9 equal sections.

Rule of Thirds (cont.)

Placing your subject at the intersections of the grid adds visual interest to a photograph

Avoid placing important subject material in the center square

Why? The human eye in naturally drawn to these intersection points. Placing your subject at any one of these intersection points creates a more interesting and dynamic photograph.

Rule of Thirds (cont.)

Photography is Storytelling!

Portrait versus CandidPortrait – artistic representation of a person where they are often looking at the camera. Portraits are strong in expression but are lacking is story.

Candid – an image captured without a posed appearance. These types of images tell a story, set a scene, or capture a moment. The subject is often engaged in activity and is not looking at the camera.

When to use? If you’re doing a write up on one or two people – take a portrait

If you’re doing an article on a group, organization, club or team – use candids