Chapter 4

Working with Photography

Working with Photography

Photography

Photography is the process of fixing an image in time through the action of light.

Filmvs.Digital

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Consumer Level Cameras

• Consumer cameras have a fixed lens• Lens usually specifies an amount of zoom 5x, 10x• Large LCD to frame shots• Framing inaccurate• Can be very compact & light• Some can take movies• Cheaper than SLRs• Fewer moving components

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Professional Quality Cameras• Removable lenses• RAW format• SLR Single Lens Reflex• Accurate Viewfinder• Wider Aperture Range (lower light

conditions)• Narrower depth of field (can have more

blur out backgrounds)

Smartphone Cameras (a new era)

Will the point-and-shoot camera disappear in favor of the smart phone camera?

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How Eyes Work

• Light enters through the Iris• Passes through a lens• Reaches receptors in the Retina• There are two types of receptors:

cone shaped or rod shaped

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How Cameras Work

• Light passes through a lens• Lens has a shutter which opens and closes to let in light• Inside camera a CCD (Charged Coupled Device) or

CMOS (Complementary oxide semiconductor) chip records the light information

The Lens• The lens is an integrated optical system

made up of one or more elements of ground glass or molded plastic.

• The lens is designed to capture and manipulate light reflected from objects in the camera’s line of site.

Prime lenses• A lens with a single focal length is called a

prime or fixed focal length lens.

• Prime lenses are classified into six main categories:

• Wide-angle• Telephoto• Normal • Novelty (macro and fisheye)• Super-telephoto

Wide-angle lenses

Often used to capture broad vistas.

Wide-angle vs. Telephoto

Examine the side red door to see the difference between shooting with a wide angle and a telephoto lens.

Telephoto and Macro Lenses

Telephoto and macro lenses are vulnerable to camera shake. Increase shutter speed or use a tripod to eliminate image blur due to shaking.

The Iris

The iris is an adjustable plastic or metal diaphragm that regulates the amount of light striking the image sensor.

Iris

The ApertureThe aperture is the actual hole or opening created by the iris.

Aperture

The Shutter

• The shutter is a moveable curtain, plate, or other device that controls the amount of time the image sensor is exposed to light.

• Shutter speed is the length of time a shutter remains open.

Exposure TimeThe exposure time for this image was approximately 1/1000th of a second.

Higher ISOs

Electronic and analog media share many characteristics, including the degradation of image quality at higher ISOs.

The Decisive Moment Choose your

photo when an action is at its peak.

Light and image…

Light bends as itpasses through a camera’s lens, a

small opening, or peep hole.

Exposure time makes a difference in your shot…

1/1000th at f/5.61/60th at f/22

ExposurePhotoshop and other programs allow for some adjustments to be made in postproduction.

Flash Control

Images made in direct sunlight can benefit from fill flash.

Filters

A bluish filter was used to emphasize the blue light while allowing an exposure time that still showed the individual wisps of fog.

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Focal Length

• Distance between the center of the lens to the imaging device

• Determines magnification• Controls framing• Measured in millimeters• Can offer different perspectives• 35mm lens is considered normal

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Field of View

• How much of an image can be recorded by the camera• The framing capabilities of the camera

Depth of Field

• How much of an image stays in focus• Technically a specific distance but focus falls off

gradually on either side of the depth of field

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Posing• Learn to pose• Be patient with subjects• Treat subjects well• Bring along a poses book

Coverage• Take lots of photos• Practice

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Cropping

• Happens after the pix is taken

Planning & Design

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Story Development Process

1. Select Topic

2. Conduct Research

3. Design Storyboards

4. Collect Material

5. Develop Story

6. Take photos

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What’s Your Idea?

Idea generation or ideation is the creative process of developing approaches and solutions for solving a communications problem.

Write down all of your ideas – even the ones you don’t like.

Problem-solving

Think outside the box is a popular expression used by creative people to encourage the imagination to think beyond the obvious, familiar, and conventional.

What is a Storyboard?

• Storyboards are part of the or planning process that can include creating a logline, character development, scripting, and sound design.

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The Storyboard

• A storyboard helps you:

–Define the parameters of a story within available resources and time

–Organize and focus a story–Figure out what medium to use

for each part of the story

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• Instead of thinking "first part," "second part", "third part", "fourth part", think "this part", "that part", "another part", and "yet another part". It helps to avoid linear thinking.

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The Storyboard

Storyboard Example3 5

Camera Placements• Strive to use a series of shots from different camera

angles.• Try to find interesting camera angles rather than straight-

on.

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Visual Focus

• Always ask yourself, “Where do I expect my view to look?”

• Arrange your visual elements and camera so your viewers easily understand where to look.

• In most situations, do not position the subject centrally in the picture.

• Use the rule of thirds by visually dividing the width and height of the frame into three parts. Try to put the most important object at one of the intersections (top left, top right, bottom left, bottom right).

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Rule of Thirds

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Image 6. Used with permission.

Horizon Placement• In geographic terms, the horizon is where the sky meets

the ground. In art, the horizon is the eye level. In an exterior scene, they may or may not be the same line.

• Do not let the horizon (either artistic or geographic) split the frame in half.

• In most cases, lower the horizon.

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Horizon Examples

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Image 7. Used with permission.