COFFEE & CAMERAPHOTOGRAPHY FUNDAMENTALS FOR EVERYONE

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COURSE CURRICULUM

1. Overview and the Camera

2. Semi-Automatic Modes, Exposure, Aperture and Lenses

3. Shutter Speed

4. ISO and Focus, etc.

5. Composition

6. Post-Processing

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REVIEWISO

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BEFORE WE MOVE ON

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OPEN SHADE

• Open shade is found anywhere a shadow is cast.

• Open shade has low contrast and almost no shadow.

• With trees or other foliage you will need to watch out for harsh light sneaks • Don’t let any of that light fall on your subject.

• There is deep shade up close to the source of the shade• Don’t put your subject too far in the shade

• Use the edge shade located just before your subject would step into the harsh light. • Always put your subject at the shade’s edge.

• The light is softest with some direction still.

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WHAT IF YOU DON’T HAVE OPEN SHADE?

• Expose for the subject

• Create shade artificially

• Choose a different location

• Choose a different time of day

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TYPES OF PHOTOGRAPHY

AerialAdventure, Action

AmateurAnimal, Pet

Architecture, Real EstateArtistic

AstrophotographyAura

Black & WhiteCamera PhoneCommercialDigiscoping

Documentary

EventFashionFood

ForensicInfrared

Large FormatKirlianMacroMedical

MicroscopicModelingNatureNight

PanoramicParanormal

PeoplePinhole

Scenic / LandscapeSatelliteScientificSports

Stereoscopic (3-D)Stock

Time-lapseTravel

UltravioletUrban, Industrial

Water, Underwater

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COMPOSITIONThe art that goes with the science

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WHAT IS COMPOSITION?

• The view provided of the photo’s main subject and its placement in this or that part of the photo

• You see composition in museum art, on advertising posters, and, well, basically everywhere

• The arrangement of and connections between the shapes shown in the frame of a picture

• Composition is one of a photographer’s most important tools

• No less important than perfect sharpness, white balance, contrast, or technical quality

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COMPOSITION CONCEPTS

• Filling the Frame

• Rule of Thirds (and other rules)

• Balancing Elements

• Distracting Elements

• Repeating Elements (Rhythm)

• Leading Lines

• Symmetry and Patterns

• Perspective

• Background

• Scale

• Framing

• Cropping

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FILLING THE FRAME

• Use your Optical Zoom• Get closer to the subject, eliminating distractions, using the power of your lens

• Use your Legs• Get closer to the subject by moving

• Eliminate distractions by moving

• Note: Experiment with a fixed lens

• Crop your Shots• Choose a different camera orientation

• Crop out distractions in post processing

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RULE OF THIRDS

• Imagine that your image is divided into 9 equal segments

• The rule of thirds says that you should position the most important elements in your scene along these lines or at the points where they intersect

• Doing so will add balance and interest to your photo

• Some cameras offer an option to superimpose a rule of thirds grid over the LCD screen or in your viewfinder

“Avoid the Middle”

OTHER “RULES”Rule of Thirds

Rule of Thirds

Diagonal Triangle

Golden Spiral

Aspect Ratios

Golden Section

Other “Rules”

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BALANCING ELEMENTS

• Placing your main subject off center creates a more interesting photo

• but it can leave a void in the scene which can make it feel empty.

• Balance the "weight" of your subject by including another object of lesser importance to fill the space.

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DISTRACTING ELEMENTS

• Distracting elements divert the attention of the viewer from the subject

• Sometimes (not always) there are elements in the frame that you can remove

• Our eyes are good at distinguishing between elements in a scene

• Cameras flatten the foreground and background into two dimensions

• Try to find a plane or unobtrusive background

• Compose your shot so the background doesn’t distract

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LEADING LINES

• When you look at a photo your eye is naturally drawn along lines

• By thinking about how you place lines in your composition, you can affect the way we view the image

• Pulling us into the picture, towards the subject, or on a journey "through" the scene.

• Types of Lines

• Straight, diagonal, curvy, zigzag, radial, etc.

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SYMMETRY AND PATTERNS

• We are surrounded by symmetry and patterns

• Natural

• Man-Made

• Can make for great composition especially when not expected

• Break the symmetry to bring attention to some aspect of the scene

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PERSPECTIVE OR VIEWPOINT

• Take time to consider where you will shoot your subject from• Has a big impact on composition and can greatly affect the message

• Consider shooting• Above

• Below

• From the side

• From the back

• Far away

• Close up

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DEPTH

• Use your knowledge of depth of field to

• Bring attention to your subject

• Create depth by including objects in the foreground, middle ground and background

• Choose your depth of field depending on the subject

• If the landscape is the subject, increase the depth of field (smaller aperture) so that everything is in good focus

• Deliberately partially obscure one object with another

• Overlapping creates a greater sense of depth

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SCALE

• Gives the person looking at your photograph a frame of reference

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FRAMING

• The world is full of natural and man-made frames that help you emphasize the subject

• Use grasses, branches, fences to create frames

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AMPUTATIONS

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CHECKING THE CORNERS

• When composing a photograph, take your time

• Look for things that shouldn’t be in the final image

• Change your perspective if possible to remove them

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EXPERIMENTATION

• With digital we no longer have to worry about film processing costs or running out of shots on a roll

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SESSION 5 EXERCISE

1. Composition• Use any mode you prefer

• Compose a photo with good exposure using the rule of thirds

2. Composition• Use any mode you prefer

• Compose a photo with good exposure using leading lines

3. By Sunday, March 12, send me 1-2 examples that you’d like to discuss• Something you learned

• Something you have a question about