Littleton Photography Class - Session 3

Camera:  We practiced setting the shutter speed in manual mode, or finding shutter speed priority mode.  We found the control for the self-timer.

Terms:  stop - an increment of light.  The difference between a shutter speed of 15 ( one 15th of a second) and 30 (one 30th of a second) is one stop.  The difference between two adjacent apertures would also be called a stop.  Cameras in the 1800s had a piece of metal called a Waterhouse stop that determined the size of the aperture, and therefore how much light came into the camera.  You chose which stop to put into the camera based on how much light you wanted to come in.

A shutter speed of 15 lets in twice as much light as a shutter speed of 30.  A shutter speed of 60 lets in half of the light as a shutter speed of 30.

equivalent exposure- different combinations of apertures and shutter speeds will let in the same amount of light, but there are aesthetic reasons for choosing one or the other.  For example, if I start with an aperture of 8 and a shutter speed of 125, but I want to use a larger aperture for a shallower depth of field, I can change my aperture to 4.  That 's two stops more light.  Therefore, I have to change my shutter speed two stops to 500 to keep my exposure (the amount of light) the same.  If I start with f/8 and 125 again, and want to blur motion, I can change my shutter speed to 30.  Since I have changed my shutter speed to allow two stops more light, I must change my aperture to f/16 to keep the exposure the same.

Remember that aperture determines how large the opening is that allows light to come in.  It also controls depth of field.  Shutter speed determines how long the light strikes your image sensor, but it also determines how motion is recorded.

white balance - one of the properties of light is color.  We experience this every day, but perhaps have not really thought about it.  Morning light is cooler than evening sunset light.  Tungsten lightbulbs give off a warm, yellowish light.  Florescent bulbs give off a cool, greenish-blue light indoors.  Digital cameras have settings to compensate for these different colors of light.

 flash - an artificial light source.  Most cameras come with a built-in flash.  Your built-in flash is often not the best solution.  It produces a harsh light close to the camera lens that makes your subject look flat and without texture.  Often the subject is too bright and the background is too dark.  Accessory flash units that connect to a hot shoe on the top of your camera give much greater flexibility in intensity and direction of light, and can even be used off-camera. A wonderful web site for reading about off-camera flash is strobist.com.

Seeing:   This week, look for motion and light as you take your practice photos. Try to take both frozen action and blurred motion.  Give panning a shot.  Take both high key and low key photos, as well as a high contrast one.  Try a window lit, back lit, and reflection picture.  Have fun!

Motion photo by Carol Luallin        Dice photograph by Amy Parker

Rule of Thirds

An important tool for making your compositions work is called the rule of thirds.  It is also called the 9 zone grid.  If you divide the picture space into three even parts horizontally, then divide it again into three even parts vertically, you will have a grid like the one on the photo at the left.  Place the center of interest, the part of the photo you want the eye to go to first, at one of the intersections of the grid lines.  This works every time to make your compositions more interesting.  A bullseye may be great for darts, but can make your photographs boring and static.

Some cameras have a feature that places a 9 zone grid into your viewfinder as you are composing the shot.  This is a good way to practice until the rule of thirds becomes automatic and natural to you.

Littleton Photography Class - Session 2

Your camera:  set different apertures in manual or aperture priority mode
Take a series of photographs where the aperture changes and other variables stay the same.  Do you see the difference that changing the aperture makes?  Remember that the largest number (like f/22) is actually the smallest hole.

Set your camera for different ISO's.  The lower  numbers (like an ISO of 100) are for situations where there is lots of light.  The higher numbers are for lower light situations.  Newer and more expensive cameras do a great job even with very high ISO's.  See what your camera will do.

Terms:     focus - which part of your picture is sharp and clear.  If you're interested in understanding the technical details about how light is focused through a camera lens, Google "circles of confusion".
depth of field - the part of the image that is acceptably sharp. Depth of field is affected by 3 main variables, one of which is the aperture.  A large aperture (small number, like f/2.8) will create shallow depth of field.  Things in front of or behind the center of interest that you focused on will appear blurry and out of focus.  A small aperture (big number, like f/16) will have a greater depth of field.  Objects all the way back through your image may be acceptably sharp.

Blurriness caused by depth of field will affect only part of your image.  If your whole picture is blurry, you may have a problem caused by camera shake.  With slower shutter speeds and/or longer lenses, your breathing and heart beating can cause the camera to shake enough to blur your pictures.  Use a tripod.  Brace yourself against a stationary object.  If that is not possible, let all the air out of your lungs, then hold your breath, brace your arms against your side, and be sure to squeeze the shutter release button.  If you punch down on the top of your camera, you may be shaking the camera!

Seeing:  This week look for shapes - angular, geometric shapes and circles and ovals.  Try to notice the shapes of negative spaces, and objects and their shadows.  Look for framing as a compositional element. Take a silhouette.  Look for a repetition of shapes that forms an interesting pattern.  Try to use the rule of thirds.  Practice placing the horizon one third from the top, and one third from the bottom.

student photograph by Sean Palizza

Littleton Photography Class - Session 1

Welcome Photography students!  If you missed a class, or just want a review, you can find a shorter version of our class notes here.

On week 1 we looked at our cameras and instruction books to find our memory cards and battery compartments.  We found out how to format the memory card and recharge the  battery.  Everyone discovered whether or not their camera would allow manual settings or had an aperture priority or shutter priority mode.

Four important terms:
exposure - the amount of light in your picture
aperture - the size of the opening through which the light enters
shutter speed - the amount of time the light enters
ISO - in digital photography, a measure of the amplification of the information hitting your sensor
Aperture and shutter speed are the two most important factors determining your exposure.  ISO is next.

Seeing:  The most important factor in photography is not the equipment; it is the photographer.  Your eye, your heart, your mind are more important than anything else.  Yes, some people are gifted with a natural aptitude for seeing great photographs, but you can train your eye and your mind and become a better photographer.

Week 1 we looked for lines and perspective.  Lines are the easiest visual element to find, because they are everywhere!  Look for straight, curvy, and diagonal lines, lines that create direction, and lines that create structure.  Find some converging lines, linear patterns, and an example of aerial perspective as well as linear perspective.

If you don't have your instruction book, go to the manufacturer's web site and download one.

The photograph above is by Casey Etie.

Newborn Session

This is the little girl whose birth photographs have been posted here previously.  I thought you might like to see a few shots from her newborn session.

Taking Childbirth Photos

I've had a lot of questions about what camera and settings to use when taking childbirth photographs.  I used a Nikon D700 to take these.  The quality of photographs taken at higher ISO's is much improved over my previous Nikon camera.  I was able to use ISO's of 1600, 2500, even 3200 with good image quality.  Usually the hospital staff will ask that flash not be used.  With a camera like the D700 you can use high enough ISO settings that flash is not necessary.   I used shutter speed priority set on 60 so that I could hand hold.  It also helped that I have a f/2.8 lens.