Exposure Triangle
- Aperture
- Controls amount of light that enters camera
- Fixed in camera, can be controlled by lens
- Specified in terms of f-stop
- Lower numbers mean more light\
- Lower numbers have more depth of field (focus)
- Shutter speed
- Determines how long light is permitted to enter camera
- Shutter speed and exposure time refer to same concept, where faster shutter speed means a shorter exposure time
- ISO
- Low number— less sensitive, needs more light, gives more details
- High number— more sensitive, needs less light, photo can have noise
- Low numbers less noisy
- 200-400 usually best
- Camera usually come with a “native ISO,” a range where the camera will come out well and without noise
Other Aspects of the Camera
- Wheel thing on top is to switch between exposure presets
- Where there’s a camera icon with the word auto (or just the word auto)
- M— manual
- White balance
- Process of removing color casts so objects that appear white in reality appear as white in photo
- Has to take into account the ‘color temperature’ of a light source
- Refers to relative warmth of white light
- Essentially how the camera interprets temperature of the picture
- Usually has some presets for inside light types, sunlight, cloudy days, and staying in the shade
- Depth of Field
- Smaller aperture— greater DOF
- Larger aperture— shallow DOF
- Zone of sharp focus
- Extends in font of and behind subject and gets deeper in both directions as you “stop down” lens
Rules of Composition
- Rule of thirds
- Image separated into 9 equal boxes
- Points of interest fall on intersections of boxes
- Leading lines
- Leads eyes to subject (think about line of sight in yearbook pictures)
What makes a good photo?
- Truth and accuracy
- Storytelling
- Action
- Expressions and emotion
- Sense of place
- Technique
- Patience!
- Don’t be afraid
- Pay attention
- Not only for pictures but for safety
- Keep. Shooting. A great shot may come up out of nowhere
Tips
- Usually better to move rather than to move subject, especially in photojournalism
- Vary angles to avoid harsh lighting (i.e. straight forward shot at noon outside not as interesting as with angled shot to get shadows)
- Lead room for action shots (helpful for yearbook!!!)
- Choose how much headroom to leave (space between top of head and end of frame)
- It’s okay to use flash outside to create proper lighting and capture subject appropriately
- Set camera to appropriate image size:
- Print 4x6 (3:2) is norm
- Slideshow 16:9 norm for video
- Stills for video should be in landscape (NOT portrait)