FRITZ SCHNEIDER PEACHAM CYBERNETICS

Introduction To Digital Photography

I - Basics

Photography is not new

15th Century19th Century

20th Century

21st Century

“Camera Obscura”.

Tintypes, Daguerreotypes, etc.

Film, paper, wide-spread use.

Digital, electronic transmission.

Human Vision

Focuses on part of scene

Adjusts rapidly to light

Continuously flits around

Limited color rangeColor lost in low light

Basics of Photography

SubjectLensImaging

surfaceImage storageImage

retrieval

()

Film Photography vs. Digital

SubjectLensFilmDevelopingDarkroom magic?Printing

SubjectLensSensorMemory CardPostprocessingPrinting or Display

or e-Mail or…

How Photographs are used

Film To make small prints

to pass around To make large prints to

display To make slides to be

projected

Digital To display on a screen To send as e-mail To share on the

Internet To build web sites Occasionally to print

out

Economic Differences

Film Digital

Initial cost Moderate Getting cheaper

Taking pictures

Must buy film and developing

Free!! Take all you want!

Image display

Must pay for prints (even if blurry) or own a slide projector.

Need a computer

Characteristics of a Digital Camera

Lens qualitySize: Cell Phone vs. Pocket vs. Long Zoom vs.

SLRMemory type: Internal, SD, XD, Memory stickResolution in megapixelsZoom rangeStabilizationUser interfaceBattery life

How many Megapixels?

On screen? 1024 x 768 = .79 MPFinest printing is 300 dpi, the resolution

limit of the unaided human eye.

More allows you to crop it and still have detail.

Bigger pictures take longer to save and need a larger memory card.

Picture Size

At 150 dpi

At 300 dpi

4 x 6 0.54 MP 2.16 MP

8 x 10 1.8 MP 7.2 MP

Sources of Information

Magazines (but they are often out of date)Friends experience (not opinion)Reviews

www.dpreview.com Imaging Resources

Ignore the salesman!

Basics of Photography

CompositionFocusExposure

My Pet Peeve

Here we are in …

Why are you taking the picture?

To prove I was thereTo tell a storyBecause it’s beautiful

Composition: single subject

Vs.

Composition: Rule of Thirds

vs.

Composition: Lead the Eye

Composition: People add interest

Composition: Frame the subject

Focus: Depth of Field

• Wider aperture (f/2.8) has less depth of field

• Telephoto has less depth of field

Exposure

The camera has limited range. It does not see what you see.

Washed out highlights

Lost shadowdetail

Exposure: Special Conditions

Spot metering settingFill flashCheck White BalanceHalf-press the shutter

releaseReduce exposure for

snow, sunrise, etc.

Battery Life

If you have one, use the eye-level viewfinder as much as possible: the screen uses power

Turn off flash, be aware of red-eye featureCarry a spare battery