Mgrp Braid

7/31/2019 Mgrp Braid

1/30

Mann 1

Tobias Mann

College Comp

Mr. Reynolds

May 7, 2012

AN INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOGRAPHY

It was a hot summer day in July, my family was back together and I was

a precocious little nine year old with a bicycle and a mission. I was going to be

biking into town with my big sister, and my baby brother. It was only my

second time biking into town and I was determined to make it all the way, and

go to my favorite book store, the Northern Lights Bookstore, where I was going

to get trading cards. In hindsight I dont really know what turned me onto

them. I just made up rules for my brother and I to play by, out in our tent by

the camp fire.

The sun had already begun to bake down onto the soft gravel road

outside our home, as we began our journey five miles into town, by the first

mile and a half I had begun to sweat profusely, but I wasnt ready to give up

just yet, I needed those trading cards too badly. As we neared Dairy Queen, on

highway thirty two, we took a left onto Arnold Avenue and headed toward

toward my sisters school. After a few more minutes, I would be in the cool

confines of the magical bookstore where, I would find cool gadgets, movies,

and games.


2/30

Mann 2

INTRO

Photography is an art form combining beauty with technology. Month after month, new

technology is developed new cameras, films, sensors, and software to complicate but also

innovate, unlike many art forms where the tools have already been developed. Photography has

become more accessible than ever with the advent of digital imaging. It seems that every family

has a point and shoot or at least some sort of camera in this day in age. With the abundance of

cameras, photography as a hobby has exploded. However not every camera is equal. The advent of

digital imaging allowed for a massive degree of miniaturization, permitting consumer cameras to

reach extremely small sizes. Unfortunately with this miniaturization, photography was divided.

Once I got there, I was disappointed to find they didnt have any cards

to sell. Discouraged I walked about hoping to find something to make this

endeavor worth the sweat I had poured into it. I happened upon a small black

case with something metallic glinting off the harsh fluorescent lights above.

Grabbing hold of the case I found a camera inside, and best of all the sticker

on the side read $2.00. Looking over the switches I found the lens extended

outward when I flicked the power switch, and with every click of the shutter

button a there was a bright flash, and the slow wine of it recycling, then a soft

whirr as some small motor attempted to bring a nonexistent frame into place. I

had to have it! With my remaining two dollars I got an episode of Indiana

Jones, and a pack of gum. We set forth on our way back to the house, stopping

briefly at Thrifty White Drug for something in a small green box containing

something which I would only learn later breathed life into my new toy.


3/30

Mann 3

When 35mm film was dominate the recording medium, quality was determined by your

choice of film, Unfortunately with the miniaturization of that recording medium in digital imaging

now called a sensor, image quality was divided between consumer and professional grade cameras.

The latter featuring drastically larger sensors, which allowed for comparable quality to film. This

divide came at a cost rending professional grade cameras extremely expensive. It did however put

the necessary photographic tools in the hands of nearly every household. Not only that, digital

cameras eliminated the frustration of mistakes which previously could only be discovered after the

film was processed.

People take up photography for their own reasons, but the vast majority start out with some

kind of point and shoot, or better yet with an old film camera. An old film camera forces one to

learn the dynamics of photography, which would be more difficult to learn with a point and shoot,

due to major degree automation. If you find yourself starting with a point and shoot there are a few

things that can help you get started. Playing with the settings to get an idea what level of control

you have is an excellent place to start.


4/30

Mann 4

It was one day before our first trip to Duluth of the

summer, nothing special, but it meant leaving boring old TRF

behind on a five hour journey in which I could pick my father's

mind clean to the point madness. Madness which much to my

delight never came. Every two weeks in the summer regardless of

gas prices and travel conditions two or three of us would head

down in my fathers truck a My father, an extremely patient man

of fifty-four at the time, had seen the world over and back and

had the pictures to prove it. From Green Bay, Wisconsin to San

Francisco, California, all the way to Vietnam. With every

chapter of his life he had documented it carefully with what

ever camera he access to, and saved the pictures to this day.

But on this Thursday evening he gave me something I will thank

him for forever.

HAVE CAMERA WILL PHOTOGRAPH

Your camera is your most important asset as a photographer, it is what makes you a

photographer, and without it you cant fulfill your purpose as one. There are many different kinds

of cameras but the two most common in households tend toward compact point and shoots, or

bridge cameras. These cameras are excellent for photography, but do not provide the shear quality

and control you can expect from professional grade cameras. With that said one of the most

important things to do, is to determine what level of control your camera offers you, explore your


5/30

Mann 5

cameras settings buttons and look for things like, ISO, aperture, shutter speed, white balance, or

focus. These are all important factors to how a photograph is going to come out. It is important to

learn about your instrument as the more you know and understand the better your shots will be.

Consumer Compact:

This type of camera is typical of point and shoots, offering short zoom lens with small

sensors and high megapixel counts. These cameras don't have a lot in terms of controls and

operate better as point and shoots than photographic instruments. They also suffer from high

noise (grain) because of their high megapixel and small sensor size combinations. On the other

hand these cameras are very affordable, and can be a good place to start developing your

understanding of the fundamentals of photography.

Super Zoom / Bridge Cameras

These cameras offer larger bodies featuring powerful zooms, and appropriate megapixel

counts for reasonable low light performance. These cameras work best for individuals on a budget,

who need a powerful telephoto lens. The major advantage for these cameras tends to be their larger

size and SLR styled look and feel. Bridge cameras typically feature an electronic viewfinder for

through the lens composition, making them, powerful choice, for starting photographers.

That Thursday my father slowly sauntered out of his study

holding what appeared to be a camera, but one that was obviously

very old, and very strange. The camera had a dull matte chrome

finish, and black leather accents, it was maybe three and a half

inches tall, five and a half inches wide, and two inches deep,

with a large black lens extending out another inch and a quarter


6/30


7/30

Mann 7

It means Single Lens Reflex. It means that what you see in

the viewfinder is how it is going to look on the picture, I

thought you might get a kick out of giving it a try.

I was right! It did mean something, but I wasnt sure how

it was supposed to work.

After he had extracted the film from the camera he handed

it back to me with the back hatch still open and proceeded to

teach me how to load the film into the camera, and that after it

was loaded he explained. You have to take three or so shots

right away to clear the exposed film from loading the camera,

that way none of your shots will get messed up. With that he

fired off four shots at the kitchen floor, it was ready to go.

Single Lens Reflex SLR


8/30

Mann 8

1. Lens 2. Mirror 3. Shutter 4. Sensor or Film 5. Focusing Screen 6. Condensing Lens 7.

Pentaprism 8. Eyepiece (image credit wikimedia)

SLRs have been the staple of photography for a long time, and even today they are the

go to camera amongst most professional photographers. SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex,

which means, what the film or sensor is exposed to when you press the shutter is what you see

through the viewfinder. The camera does this by bouncing the image up into a pentaprism with

a mirror, which then flips up to expose the film or sensor at the same moment the shutter opens.

This makes focusing the image extremely accurate. These cameras feature very large sensors

and high megapixel counts, which produce images of massive size and quality. The build quality

however ranges wildly from brand to brand and model to model. Many entry level SLRs have a

plastic over an aluminum body making them more fragile than more advanced models. However

this isn't true of all manufacturers, Pentax is known for making weather sealed SLRs. A lot of

research should be done before committing to brand or system.

Experimenting


9/30

Mann 9

Once you have determined what level of control you posses it is important that you

experiment with the cameras settings so you get a feel for how your camera works. Try your

cameras shutter or aperture priority modes, and see how they influence your photographs. Adjust

your ISO speed from 100 to 6400, and see how it affects your cameras shutter speed and aperture.

Find the button or menu entry that control exposure compensation and adjust it up or down.

Exposure compensation allows you to push the exposure up and down without having to manually

adjust aperture and shutter speed.

Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Cameras. MILC

These cameras are relatively new, first cropping up around 2009 as small SLR style

interchangeable lens cameras. However unlike SLRs they lacked a mirror box and optical

viewfinder, instead offering significantly smaller body sizes, large LCD panels, and sometimes

small electronic viewfinders. Like SLRs these cameras offer interchangeable lens systems,

often aligned with a standard such as Micro Four Thirds. These cameras offer SLR size sensors

with appropriately high megapixel counts, and deliver resolving power equal to that of the best

professional SLRs. Like any interchangeable lens camera, MILCs are expensive, and cost

about the same as an SLR system of equal or better build quality. In general these cameras will


10/30

Mann 10

cost around $900 for an entry level ILC and two lens kit. These cameras will however allow you

to achieve large prints, and mobility due to their small size.

After spending a few moments looking around I spied my sister playing

her guitar in the living room. After only a second there was a flash a whine and

a little whirr as the next frame was aligned for my next victim to be captured.

My next thought was of my brother, who had always been my best friend, a

snap and a whirr, another image captured. What would fill my frame next I

didnt know, but it was time to Indiana Jones.

Walking outside he told he to hold the camera to my eye and

tell me what I saw. Looking through the large glass viewfinder I

saw a blurry view of the world, and a vertical column of unlit

lights going up the left side of the finder, which were labeled

with numerical references scrawled into the glass next to them

going from 4 at the bottom to 1/2000 at the top.

Press half way down on the shutter button and see what

lights up. He said. But be careful not to press down all the

way.

Yeah, yeah dad, I know that! I exclaimed defensively.

Looking back into the viewfinder. I slowly pressed down on the

shutter until a small red light appeared at the bottom the

column. Pulling the camera away from my face with a confused


11/30

Mann 11

look on my face. I asked, What does a red light at the bottom

mean? I had already begun to go through in my head for all the

possible things it could be. I had seen ratios before and though

they might have something to do with shutter speed but who knew,

I had never really bothered with it on my camera in the past.

In response he replied change the aperture ring on the

lens and see what happens

The aperture ring was little more than a 5mm thick band

with numbers going from twenty-two, too two around the lens

barrel. As I turned the dial to the left the lights slowly began

to climb the column until it has reached the middle and read

1/250 in the viewfinder.

I asked, What does 1/250 mean? Hoping this time to

clarify what it actually meant.

He explained, The markings refer to the time in which the

film is exposed to light, it needs to be about 1/100s for the

camera to take a clear photo.


12/30

Mann 12

[A] Is For Aperture Priority

Aperture Priority allows you to simply set what you want your depth of field to be, via a

corresponding f-stop number and the shutter speed will adjust automatically for the lighting

conditions. Signified by an A or Av on most cameras today, this mode controls the size of the

opening allowing light into the camera. The size of this opening is generally represented by a f-

stop number ranging anywhere between f/0.95 to f/100, however most range between f/2.8 and

f/22, depending on your specific lens. The smallest number represents the widest opening and the

shortest band of focus, whereas any number increasing represents an increasing band of focus. For

example with the camera set to f/2.8 the band of focus might be one centimeter deep, anything in

front or behind will be blurred. On the opposite side of the scale at an fstop of f/22 the band of

focus would be infinite and everything would be in focus. The band of focus is called depth of

field, or DOF for short. Aperture priority mode can be very helpful when one begins shooting in a

very short controlled depth of field, for example in macro photography.


13/30

Mann 13

Shutter Priority: When?

Shutter priority exists on most cameras today, and unless you're using manual lenses it

should work on yours. Find your cameras mode dial look for an "S" or "Tv" this will let you set

shutter speed manually, and force the aperture to adjust automatically for it. As a general rule the

longer you leave the shutter open the smaller the aperture will become, whereas the faster the

shutter closes the wider the aperture will become. So if you're trying to shoot fast, set the shutter

speed to something like 1/1000 of a second or faster, and increase the ISO to help compensate. If

your trying to blur water, slow down the shutter speed to 11 seconds. This will slow down the

capture, and blur the water into a fine mist. When depth of field is second to slowing down the

camera, or the aperture will react predictably, shutter priority is a good place to start.

Looking back in the finder I experimented with the ring

directly in front of the one for aperture. I discovered that the

scene got clearer as I turned it.

Looking to my father, I asked, So I focus this thing by

turning this ring until the circle in the center of the

viewfinder lines up?

Yep, you have to focus yourself, they didnt have

autofocus when that camera came out. Dad explained.

After a few shots, I had the hang of the camera, and while

I didnt understand everything, I would quickly learn.

Manual: When and Why


14/30

Mann 14

The manual mode has become far less common today, with automation taking over, even

aperture and shutter priority have been lost on some cameras, but on those cameras that do feature

a manual mode, it can be one of the best learning experiences of using a camera. Manual mode

isn't actually all that manual. Manual mode requires the photographer to set the aperture and the

shutter speed manually. There is no exposure compensation, one compensates called stopping up

or down by adjusting either the shutter speed or aperture. A meter generally located at the bottom

of the screen reads your exposure. This mode isn't any more effective than shooting in one of the

priority modes it only forces you to slow down and think about the shot your composing. That

being said depending on your camera these settings can be rather difficult to adjust. On some

cameras there are dedicated dials for each component but on many smaller cameras these controls

are manipulated through a series of menu entries making it difficult to make use of them. That

being said it might be worth giving this shooting mode a try as it will force you to think carefully

about your composition.

The next day we left for Duluth and after a rather

uneventful ride in the truck we arrived in a very blustery and

wet Duluth. My hopes for making quick use of my new gadget were

dashed as the weather had failed to live up to expectations.

After filing slowly through the grocery store in Woodland we

made our way to our cabin a few miles away, through the sloping

hills of mid-eastern Minnesota. My disappointment showed and my

father gunned the engine as we reached to the top of a

particularly deep valley and my stomach lurched as we descended


15/30

Mann 15

rapidly toward the bottom, a small smile crossed my lips, but it

wasnt enough.

As unhappy as I was, I still managed to occupy myself going

over the camera with extreme scrutiny, I had been painfully

separated from it for the entire trip and I wanted very badly to

discover what secrets it had to hide. Scrawled across the top of

the camera were the words Pentax, and off to the left were the

words ME Super. The lens had some nonsense imprinted around the

lens element, and every dial had numbers imprinted in white

paint. I couldnt take it anymore.

Looking through the viewfinder I peered through the very

lens itself and spied the lamp across the room. Adjusting the

aperture ring to allow enough light I pressed the shutter down,

and in an instant I heard the slap of the mirror, the sharp

click of the shutter opening and closing, and another slap of

the returning mirror. Still not satisfied I took a step out the

door of cabin into a downpour and carefully calibrated the

camera for optimum results, another slap, a click, and a slap as

it returned to its original state. Then I looked disheartened

down at the frame counter, and realized there were but a few

shots left on that roll. Clasping the heavy black leather

eveready case back onto the camera I put it down, to get ready


16/30

Mann 16

for dinner, we were going out for pizza at my favorite pizzeria

Bulldog!

Wait, I don't have any of those, I have [P]

If you are using a point and shot or super zoom camera you might run into a problem with

the shooting modes described above, that problem being you don't have them. Now that doesn't

mean you need to get a new camera, it just means you have to be more creative. Looking at your

camera determine if it has a program or program shift mode represented by a P or Ps. If you

do you may have the ability to influence your cameras automatic exposure settings. Switching into

this mode see if your camera tells you the aperture and shutter speed most likely displayed at the

bottom of your display. As you move your camera about these numbers should automatically

change. Experiment with your cameras buttons and determine if you can influence your cameras

automatically adjusted perimeters. If you can, your camera has a program shift mode, that will give

you at least some control over your camera. Next determine if you have access to exposure

compensation. If you can't you're not entirely out of luck but a new camera might be a

consideration for the future should you decide to invest in photography. If you have discovered

that your camera only offers a program mode your left with one option tricking the camera into

making adjustments by changing the ISO speed. ISO indicates the sensors sensitivity to light. For

the most part this is set automatically on compacts but can be set manually on the majority of them.

By setting the ISO low you will not only ensure little noise, but also that the aperture is wide open,

which is great for close ups and portraits. Setting the ISO high may allow the aperture to close

down but that is more dependent on the light conditions, the best way to close down the aperture is


17/30

Mann 17

look for a landscape mode on your camera. The landscape mode closes down the aperture to ensure

a focus range of infinity, not great but better than nothing.

The rain had abated for now and having found seating near

the windows at Bulldog Pizza started talking, but first our

classic game of hangman, my dad went first. Six letters, I

guessed R, the first letter was revealed. RHYTHM I exclaimed

happily, he always used it and I always guessed it right away,

but for me it never got old. It was my turn now and I put spaces

for five letters down underneath a new hangman. I chose AGENT,

as the last movie we watched before leaving on our trip had been

The Hunt For Red October. The movie starred Alec Baldwin who

played a CIA agent assigned to determine the true intention of a

defecting nuclear sub commander, played by Sean Connery.

Connerys character had been placed in command of the Red

October, a massive stealth submarine, invisible to sonar, and

designed to strike first. Unfortunately my chosen word didnt

fool my father, who deciphered it quickly.

Our meal still hadnt arrived so I took the chance to pull

out the pentax and take a picture of my dad. Carefully pressing

the camera to my face, I adjusting the focus, and the aperture

so that enough light found its way into the camera to form a


18/30

Mann 18

viable picture, with the other hand I slowly clicked the shutter

button a short click, and the clack of the mirror going up, then

nothing the viewfinder went dark, the click of the shutter, and

a final clack as the mirror fell back into place revealing my

father to me again. My father still smiling asked for the

camera,

Let me see that, I want to take a picture of you. He said

He slowly adjusting everything, then the iconic sound of

clack, click, clack filled the air. As he pulling the camera

from his face the waitress walked in with our pizza. It was time

to chow down.

ISO

This is something your going to be changing a lot on any camera. ISO is a throwback from

the film days, representing films sensitivity to light, and consequent grain. Depending on your film

a high ISO could mean unbearable film grain or only moderate grain. The same is true of digital

cameras. In the film days anything ISO 200 or lower was considered low sensitivity low grain, 400

everyday sensitivity, and moderate low grain, ISO 800 was considered high sensitivity high grain,

and anything greater than 800 was considered specialized. These days on some high performance

professional equipment grain, called noise in digital, is moderate all the way up to ISO 12800.

According to Michael Burgess Typical day-to-day speeds are 100 (for bright conditions), 200 (for

general use) and 400 (for low light or subjects that need a fast shutter speed to freeze subject

movement).(Getting The Best From Your 35mm SLR Camera, 35) Noise is a limitation of


19/30

Mann 19

miniaturization, as the sensors got smaller to accommodate smaller bodies and more powerful

zooms, millions of pixels were downsized and packed on to minuscule sensors, because of this, the

sensitivity of compact cameras is limited severely, and the need for in camera noise reduction

came about. On any camera you should be setting the ISO for the lighting conditions manually or

on strictly configured automatic mode. On compacts ISO 100-400 is an acceptable range, and on

more advanced cameras ISO 100-800/1600 is acceptable, and on professional grade cameras ISOs

as high as 12,800 may or may not be effective.

After dinner we found our way down to Fitgers and the malt

shop. Even though it was cold outside we didnt care we wanted

our chocolate malts. After the woman handed us our ice-cream we

began to make our way down the sloping steps down to the

boardwalk when I happened to look at the water. There were bands

about the water alternating like stripes, going back and forth

between areas that looked as though they were being pelted with

hail, too clear glassy water which looked calm and unaffected.

Pulling the camera up from my chest and quickly unsnapping the

leather eveready case, I pressed the camera into my eye and

focused to infinity. The light was good, and the shutter fast, I

heard the click of the shutter and the clack of the mirror then

let the camera drop back down around my chest, fastened about my

neck by a strong nylon strap. I hesitated and pulled on the


20/30

Mann 20

winding lever to bring a new frame into place, then pulled the

camera back up to my face to take another picture just be sure.

I looked over and laughed. My father had his HP digicam pressed

up to his face doing exactly the same.

When he had finished I asked him, What do you think caused

it? It looks like oil.

I dont know, but it sure is a cool effect. He responded

after looking at it carefully.

It had begun to mist again and we headed back to our cabin

to get some rest and listen to the radio show put on by the

university ever Friday night. This time it was a reenactment of

H.G. Wells War Of The Worlds, and it was sure to be good.

Grovers Mill never seemed so exciting.

The Fundamentals

Light is everything to a photographer, it is color, contrast, it breaths life into each photo,

and makes an art out of capturing it. As such understanding how our camera manipulates light to

form an image is crucial to making good photographs. So when is the best time of the day to take

pictures, and what days aren't going to render the best results. It works kind of like this. The days

you don't want to go outside are going to be the best days to take pictures, and the days you can't

stand to be indoors are probably the worst days to be doing so. The most interesting photos I have

taken have been in stormy conditions, moments from a down poor. If you want to take

unbelievable macro shots of flowers, go out right after its rained and the sky is still murky. The


21/30

Mann 21

richness of your images will be unbelievable. On days where it is bright and beautiful you may run

into some trouble taking pictures. For this reason I advise using neutral density filters to act as sun

glasses for your camera, that isn't possible on all cameras, so stop your camera down by one full

stop, using the exposure compensation button located on your camera. Knowing when to grab your

camera is one of the best talents of a photographer.

Composing a shot is a lot less about technique than about acquiring an eye. There are quite

a few ways of composing a shot, but the first step forget what you've heard about composition, and

compositional taboo. Lets start with the rule of thirds, a classic compositional technique that is

similar to mentally overlaying a tic-tack-toe board over your image and placing the subject at one

of the intersections. Many cameras offer a display mode that achieves this making practicing this

technique very easy. When framing, two important compositional attributes to consider are

diagonals, and overlapping subjects. Diagonals work by tricking your eye into following a path

that other wise might be over looked. Overlapping subjects can add depth to your shot, but can also

cause problems. It is important to avoid bad tangents, where an overlapping subjects edge lines up

perfectly another subjects edge. Another technique to consider are patterns. Patterns breed interest

in an audience allowing them to imagine the big picture based upon only a small portion of reality.

While it may seem simple, acquiring an eye for photography can take some time, I know it did for

me, so be patient and practice. Take a ton of pictures and go back and search for your mistakes,

then correct them the next time you go out.

Horizontal Vs. Vertical, it seams like a rather straight forward question which orientation is

going to yield the best image for your specific situation, but another factor to consider is

presentation, you photos might end up published somewhere at some point and most published

materials are printed in portrait. The best recommendation I can give is take both consider that you


22/30

Mann 22

might decide later that the other was more appropriate in hindsight and you will have something to

fall back on. Horizontal can be especially useful when photographing a city, landscape or group

photograph, it is also the default orientation of most cameras.

The next morning my father had gotten up extra early to try

to mow our at the time, insignificant lawn and spray some grass

killer. Our property had gone through many owners previous to

us, and even at the time we had owned it for twenty-two years,

longer than anyone else. One of the previous owners had kept

horses there and had seeded the ground with an obnoxious weed

called ryegrass. It grew to a height of about six feet, and gew

extremely densely making it nearly impossible to reclaim the

land, as even after chopping down grass one had to burn the soil

and dig out the roots before normal grass could take hold again.

Unfortunately the weather had not held up to expectation and

mowing wasnt really much of an option, so as my dad worked with

the chemicals, I took a walk with my new best friend.

Walking down good old Lavis Road is a little creepy, if

you're not used to it of course, the trees grow close to the

road and the ditches are shallow where a creek flows along the

side of the road before entering our property, where it

disappears slowly making its way back to the Lester River. As I


23/30

Mann 23

walked along a s small brown and white butterfly kept following

me, landing on the road and then flapping way as I got closer.

Try as I might I couldnt get the camera close enough, and the

lens didnt have the reach to bring the butterfly in close

enough to be much more than a spec on the road. Hearing my dad

call TOBY! I turned, and ran back towards the cabin. The

weather had changed drastically and while it was still too cold

to go swimming we decided we were going to go down to our water

hole a few miles down the road, and see if we couldnt get any

good pictures.

Macro Photography The art of close up shooting

These shots become popular among starting photographers as they are fun, interesting,

abstract and fairly easy to call artful. These shots are actually fairly easy to shoot, especially with a

compact point and shoot. The small sensor does a lot to allow close focusing which would be

impossible on larger cameras without specialized optics or correctional filters. Another factor

aiding compacts is a dedicated macro setting on most of them, represented by a flower. This mode

tells the camera to open its aperture wide and puts a priority on focusing closer to the camera. On

more advanced cameras the same effect can be achieved by switching to aperture priority, setting

the aperture to its widest opening and switching to manual focus. On some cameras close focusing

can be a problem. According to Daniel Lezano Close up filters screw to the tread of a lens and

serve to increase the lens magnification(The Photography Bible, 149) At this point is more about

composition and careful consideration than any setting on your camera. According to Tom Ang


24/30

Mann 24

One of the secrets underlying good close-up photography is avoiding unwanted highlights

intruding on the image.(Digital Photography, 50) So keep an eye on the background of your shot

too.

Digital Photography

Digital photography took the dark room to a new level as software replaced development

solution and enlargers. With this a whole slew of software sought to fill the gap in the post

production process. Many confuse the use of Photoshop with fakery, and while it can be a lot of

fun and an excellent waste of time to put light-sabers in the hands of kittens, it isn't what

Photoshop is really used for in photography. When digital became dominant over film photography

the effects attainable in a darkroom were misplaced. In actually the vast majority of effects used by

photographers in Photoshop had their start in a darkroom. Digital photography introduced few new

problems which only existed in poor quality films, such as white balance incongruities, which

couldn't be corrected without the help of software like Photoshop.

Its important to understand that there is a lot that can be achieved in Photoshop, but for the

vast majority of people it goes far beyond their needs especially for the retail price, which stands at

$700. A bit much for anyone only just entering the world of photography. Thankfully Photoshop

isn't your only option and there are even free alternatives. Photoshop is by far the most advanced

piece of image manipulation software, and no competitor comes close, but the closes thing to it is

actually free. GIMP is an open source multi-platform image manipulation program designed as an

alternative to Photoshop. Although like Photoshop, GIMP has a steep learning curve and is

intended as a professional tool.

In digital photography you need to be processing your photos, even if it is just to adjust the

exposure. The camera does a lot of the guesswork that was once engineered into the film.


25/30

Mann 25

Familiarizing yourself with levels, curves, and hue & saturation in your software of choice is an

important step in becoming successful.

We jumped in my dads Green 1998 Chevy Silverado and headed

down lavis towards Lakewood, which consisted of little more than

a school, a fire department, and the town hall. Passing the

school we headed down a great big hill and took a left on

Maxwell Road until we hit the end of the road and took a left

onto to the gravel access road, the secret access way to our

water hole. It wasnt exactly a secret as anyone familiar with

the area went there, but more oftIt wasnt long before I had run through

every frame the film had to offer me I offering up the camera dejectedly to my

father whom anticipating this problem purchased a number of what appeared

to be more green boxes. Upon further inspection of the boxes I realized it was

film for my camera. I now forced my dad to show me how he loaded the film

into the camera. I was fascinated. I shot more rolls of film than I could count

that summer, but I never could take enough.en than not you could go

swimming without any interruption of embarrassment. The water

was gushing down the waterfalls in a torrent sending a fine mist

upward, the suns rays intermittent amist the newly forming

clouds. It seemed our beautiful morning was going to give way to

a stormy afternoon. Thankfully because of our relative inablity


26/30

Mann 26

to do anything we had made the decision to drive home that

afternoon, and yet I was unwilling. I didnt want to leave this

adventure behind let alone put the camera away for any amount of

time. As we attempted to enjoy our final hours in Duluth we shot

picture after picture of the raging waters, stained rust red by

the iron of the soul following a thin path down the heavy rocks

and boulders defining the Lester River. I reached down to wind

the camera again felt resistance, i had reached my final frame,

my heart sank.

Cropping

This seems like it would have ended up in the software section of this paper, but cropping

transcends digital photography entirely and is deserving of its own separate acknowledgement.

Cropping is one of those things that gets over looked far to often and needs to be rethought.

According to Tom Ang One of the simplest, and often one of the most effective, changes you can

make to image proportions is to crop them(45) No matter how good your original composition is

unless you are framing for every possible aspect ratio one needs to experiment with different crops.

If you are having trouble with this concept I recommend shooting on square aspect ratio and

cropping later. Yes you will lose some resolution, but what does that matter when it might mean

the difference between sale or no sale. Don't limit yourself, even if the crop seems excessive.


27/30

Mann 27

As we packed up our things and walked back to the car. My

father asked if I wanted to drive down the other six bridges on

seven bridges road, the first of which we had gone over to get

here. I responded Yes, but my fun was over and now I just

wanted more film and get this stuff developing ASAP. At the end

of the drive we reached the highway and drove over to the gas

station to fill up. When my dad returned he handed me a little

white box. A broad smile crossed my lips. Thanks Dad! were my

first words out of my mouth to him.

The drive home couldnt go fast enough as I contemplated

what I would take pictures of next, first I would need to stock

up on film and figure out how I was going to get it developed. I

was pretty sure I could get it done at Thrifty White Drug, but I

hadnt been there in years. I also needed to learn more about

photography so I could make good use of this gift. My next stop

would be the library for sure. I will never forget this trip.


28/30

Mann 28

General Rules

As a photographer there happen to be a few general rules you just can't escape, the most

important being never be without a camera at hand. If you have a good smart phone your already

set with a very good piece of hardware, but it goes beyond that. Don't sell you point and shoot to

get a bigger better camera, keep it and leave it in your coat pocket, and remember you always will

have it with you. Remember a half rate camera is still better than none. Never shoot in automatic,

or program, always shoot in aperture/shutter priority or manual. Take complete control over your

of your camera, and always zero your settings when your done so you don't end up shooting at ISO

1600 in broad daylight. And no matter how you feel about it always wear your camera strap,


29/30

Mann 29

replace it, wear a shoulder strap I don't care, but unless of course you want to be labeled an

amateur from the get go.

It wasnt long before I had run through every frame the film had to offer

me I offering up the camera dejectedly to my father whom anticipating this

problem purchased a number of what appeared to be more green boxes. Upon

further inspection of the boxes I realized it was film for my camera. I now

forced my dad to show me how he loaded the film into the camera. I was

fascinated. I shot more rolls of film than I could count that summer, but I never

could take enough.


30/30

Mann 30

Work Cited

Ang, Tom.Digital Photography An Introduction. New York: DK Publishing, 2007. Print.

Burgess, Michael. Getting The Best From your 35mm SLR Camera. Sussex: Photographers'

Institute Press, 2004. Print.

Lezano, Daniel. The Photography Bible. UK: F+W Publications, 2004. Print.

SLR cross section. 2007. Wikimediamr

Documents

Mgrp Braid