Understanding Your Camera 1: Basics UUU103

Understanding Your Camera IUnderstanding Your Camera I

The BasicsThe Basics

Objective

Materials

Objective

Materials

After completing this class, the student will have an understanding of basic photography and basic creative DSLR camera functions.

Items required for participation are the following:• Digital Single Reflex Camera• Camera Manual• Normal (50mm) Lens• DSLR Instruction Booklet (provided)• Pen or pencil

Standards AddressedStandards Addressed1. The definition of photography.2. The function of the International Standards Organization rating for sensitivity to light and how it affects the exposure as well as the aesthetic look of a photograph.3. The mechanics of the shutter and how it affects the exposure as well as the aesthetic look of a photograph.4. The mechanics of the aperture and how it affects the exposure as well as the aesthetic look of a photograph.

Independent PracticeIndependent PracticeRecord an image demonstrating:• a shallow depth of field• a medium depth of field• stopped motion• a blurred subject implying its motion• panning

Notes:

Michael DowneyHead Instructor

michaeld@uniquephoto.com908.458.6716

123 US HWY 46, Fairfield, NJ 07004WWW.UNIVERSITY.UNIQUEPHOTO.COM

Michael Downey is the Head Instructor of Unique University. He currently owns and operates Michael Downey Photography, Inc. out of Somerville, New Jersey. He has photographed hundreds of moderate to high-end weddings throughout the northeast. Michael also teaches during photo walks and workshops. His images can be seen at New Century Artist Art Gallery in the Chelsea section of Manhattan.

BE PATIENT

Take Lots of Pictures

Practice Makes Perfect

Have Fun!

NJ’s Only Camera &Video Superstore

n 20,000+ Brand Name Productsn Highly Trained Photography Sales Staffn Photography Classesn Digital Computer Labn Photo Labn Free Technical Support

Since moving to Fairfield in 2008, Unique Photo has become the center of photography in NJ. Our Superstore stocks over 20,000 items, including the latest digital cameras and accessories from top brands such as Canon, Sony, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Leica, Fujifilm, Manfrotto, Epson, Lexar, and many more. We also have NJ’s best photo lab, NJ’s largest rental equipment program, NJ’s premiere camera trade-in program, and a Red House Roasters gourmet coffee bar and Wi-Fi lounge.

Unique University’s mission is to help our visitors “Create Better Pictures” by providing photography education for beginners to professionals. With events daily, it is the place where photography groups such as local camera clubs, ASMP, PPA and others meet. We have a full curriculum of classes and seminars from world famous speakers such as Art Wolfe, Rick Sammon, Ron Wyatt, Michael Yamashita, Tyler Stableford, Lindsay Adler, and Will Crockett. We offer photography excursions to many places, including the

Meadowlands Racetrack, Lakota Wolf Preserve, Rutgers University Football, Botanical Gardens and Ballooning. Our technical classes include such topics as basic DSLR photography, DSLR video, lighting techniques, AdobePhotoshop, Elements anf Lightroom, composition, editing and printing, wedding photography, HDR photography, working with speedlites, one-on-one instruction, and much more.

Unique University® is the highly acclaimed education component of

Unique Photo®. There is over 2000 sq. ft. of learning space,

including our state-of-the-art, 1000 sq. ft. main presentation hall.

It doesn’t matter what’s in front of your lens because the subject is always in the light. The subject is the direction, color, and intensity of the light.

A combining form meaning “light” (photobiology); also used to represent “photographic” or “photograph” in theformation of compound words: photocopy.

photo-photo-

Let’s begin with a very clear definition of photography. Photography is the artor science of recording light.Specifically, you are capturing the light’s direction, color, and intensity. A camera is a light recorder, just like a tape recorder is an audion recorder.

What is Photography?What is Photography?

A combining form denoting a process or form of drawing, writing, representing, recording, describing, etc., or an art or science concerned with such a process:

biography, choreography, geography, orthography, and photography.

graphy-graphy-

Every DSLR camera is designed to achieve proper exposure at any setting other than manual. It will always try to achieve an exposure of “18% gray”.In photography 18% gray is an accurate exposure but in the real world we seldom see things at a value of 18% gray.

A great example of this is when taking pictures of polar bears playing on icebergs at the North Pole. When shooting in mid-day light, the camera would render these images a little darker than reality. It would expose the white bears and snow at 18% gray.

Photography is a wonderful marriage. It is the marriage of art and science. I’m the type of person that likes to save the best for last so I will begin by talking about the science aspect of photography. First, it is very important that we understand the photographic principles and techniques we use in order to create wonderful images.

The MarriageThe Marriage

Notes:

Proper Exposure

The ISO setting dictates your digital camera’s sensitivity to light.ISO is an acronym for theInternational StandardsOrganization. Before the digital age, you may remember your parents talking about film. Film is assigned an ISO number to designate its speed rating or sensitivity to light. Prior to the 1980s, a film’s light sensitivity was designated by the ASA (American Standards Association) rating. The lower the ISO number, the less sensitive the film or digital sensor is to light.

Three Variables That a Camera Uses to Achieve a Good ExposureLet’s begin by talking about the three variables the camera uses to achieve 18% gray.

All of these have an impact on how a picture looks and each of thesecan be manipulated to vary the exposure.

How to Achieve a Good ExposureHow to Achieve a Good Exposure

The higher the ISO the more sensitive to light the sensor is.

In very bright situations you want to use lower a ISO but in very dark situations you want to use higher ISOs. My recommendation is to start somewhere around 400 to see of you can create the picture you want.

Higher ISOs have the effect of noise in an image. The actual ISO at which the noice occurs varies from camera to camera.

1 ISO Setting 2 3Shutter Speed Aperture

International Standards Organization

ISOISO 50

ISO 100

ISO 200

ISO 400

ISO 800

ISO 1600

ISO 3200

Low ISOFor Bright Conditions

Medium ISOFor Darker Conditions

High ISOFor Action, LowLight and Night

Photography

The effect is Noise or Grain

1 ISO Setting

Low ISO settings are recommendedfor bright conditions, when there isa lot of light.They have the least amount of noiseand best overall image quality.

Notes:

ISO 100

Low ISO SettingsLow ISO Settings

ISO 200

A great photographis a full expression ofwhat one feels about whatis being photographed in thedeepest sense, and is thereby,a true expression of what onefeels about life in its entirety.- Ansel Adams

Medium ISO settings are usedin darker conditions:

nDeep shadenDawn or dusknOvercast skies

Notes:

ISO 400

Medium ISO SettingsMedium ISO Settings

ISO 800

Photograph:a picture painted bythe sun without instruction in art.

- Ambrose Bierce

High ISO settings are often usedin action, low light, and nightphotography.

Notes:

ISO 1600

High ISO SettingsHigh ISO Settings

ISO 3200

I believe there is nomore creative mediumthan photography to recreatethe living world of our time..Photography gladly acceptsthe challenge because it is athome in its element: namelyrealism--real life--the now.- Berenice Abbott

A camera’s shutter is a mechanical curtain in front of the imaging sensor. It opens and closes at various speeds to let in either more or less light. Most normal shutter speeds are measured in fractions of a second.When combined with the size of the aperture opening, the shutter controls how much light reaches the imaging sensor. Shutter speedswill range from as fast as 1/8000th of a second to 30 seconds on most digital cameras. There is also a “BLUB” or “B” setting, which will force the shutter to stay open for as long as the release button is held down.

Fast Shutter Speeds Fast shutter speeds ensurethat the subject records nomovement. They are generally used in bright daylight and to freeze motion.

Shutter Speed Priority

Nikon/Olympus Canon

S TvIn the viewfinder you will see:

n 1/250th = 250

n 1/8th = 8

n 4 seconds = 4”

The shutter speed is the first number in theviewfinder.

Notes:

Shutter SpeedShutter Speed

1/1000th second

Slow shutter speeds recordmovement in the subject. Theyare generally used in deep shadeor low lighting conditions or tocreate motion blur.

Notes:

Slow Shutter SpeedsSlow Shutter Speeds

Panning Panning is a creative effectthat combines a slow shutterspeed with a moving camerafollowing the moving subject.

1/4th second

You’ve got to pushyourself harder.You’ve got to start lookingfor pictures nobody elsecould take.You’ve got to take the toolsyou have and probe deeper.- William A. Allard

Long shutter speeds refers to whenthe shutter of the camera is openfor longer than one second. Longershutter speeds are generally usedin night photography.

Notes:

Long Shutter SpeedsLong Shutter Speeds

Bulb ExposuresUsed when you can’t anticipate the action, and you want the exposure to last several seconds. Put the camera on a tripod with theshutter speed set to ‘B’ (bulb). Also usedwhen an exposure oflonger than 30” isrequired. Most DSLRcameras can’t be set forlonger than 30 seconds.

15 second

Life is aboutcapturing the momentin its beauty, and telling a story to everybeautiful moment.

- Blanca Acosta

The aperture is the diaphragm that opens and closes to modify theamount of light that reaches the sensor. A small aperture lets in a smallamount of light, while a big aperture allows for more light to reach thesensor. The aperture is also called f-stop. Aperture sizes are denotedby f numbers: f/32, f/22, f/16, f/11, f/8, f/5.6, f/4, f/2.8, f/2, f/1.4, f/1.The smaller the number, the bigger the aperture opening.

In bright light conditionsyou should use a smallaperture to cut back theamount of light to avoidover exposing your picture.

In low light conditionsyou should use a wide aperture to let more light reach the sensor.

Aperture Priority

Nikon/Olympus Canon

A Av

Notes:

ApertureAperture

f/22 DeeperDepth

of Field

ShallowerDepth

of Field

f/16

f/11

f/8

f/5.6

f/4

f/2.8

(More in Focus)

(Less in Focus)

LessLight

MoreLight

In the mode dial we can find:Fully Automatic Operations: Portrait,Landscape, Close-Up, Sports, NightPortrait, Kids, Flash Off.

Auto, Semi-auto, or Manual Operations: Manual Exposure, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority

Shooting Mode IconsShooting Mode Icons

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Not all the cameras have the same controls and menu settings.

Deep Depth of FieldA deep depth of field willkeep everything in focus,including objects or peopleclose to you, and everythingin the background. It is quitegood for landscape,architectural shots ortechnical photographs.

Shallow Depth of FieldA shallow depth of fieldwill only focus on the object or person you havephotographed. Everythingelse will be out of focus.This is useful for portraitsbecause it draws the eye tothe person photographedand softens any distractions in the background.

Depth of FieldDepth of Field

Depth of field is the zone of sharpfocus both in front of and behind thepoint of true focus. Depth of field isdependent on the aperture, the focal length of the lens, and the actualdistance to the subject.

f/22 f/2.8

Canon Nikon Sony Olympus

Shallow depth of field(wider aperture)

Portrait

Deep depth of field(smaller aperture)

Landscape

Shallow depth of field(smaller aperture)

Close-Up

Stopping the motion(fast shutter speed)

Sports

Stopping the motion(flash and slow shutter speed)

Night Portrait

Stopping the motion(fast shutter speed)

Kids

Stopping the motion/Shootingthe red of the sunset beautifully(fast shutter speed)

Sunset

Flash Off

Auto

BASIC MODES

CREATIVE MODESManual Exposure

Aperture Priority AE

Shutter Priority AE

Program

MAvTv

AS S S

PPPP

A AM M M

AUTO

Notes:

Sunlight from a clear skyentering a room from a window acts as a spotlight,brightly illuminating oneside of your subject.

Reflectors are simply anyitem used to reflect lighttoward your subject.Reflectors can be usedwith a flash or in place ofa flash.

Additional Light Flash SettingsAdditional Light Flash Settings

nWindownReflective wallnFlash nBounced nReflected nDiffused nCompensate

FlashON

FlashOFF

AutoFlash

AA

Notes:

Proper camera whitebalance takes into accountthe “color temperature” ofa light source, which refersto the relative warmth orcoolness of white light.Our eyes are very good at judging what is white underdifferent light sources, butdigital cameras often havegreat difficulty with autowhite balance (AWB) -- andcan create unsightly blue,orange, or even greencolor casts.

White BalanceWhite Balance

nWarm vs. CoolnYellow vs. BluenSunlight vs. CloudynDirect Light vs. Shade

The Color of Light

White balance (WB) is the processof removing unrealistic color casts,so that objects which appear white in person are rendered white inyour photo.

Sources of Light

Sunny

Cloudy

Incandescentor Tungsten

Fluorescent

Incorrect White Balance Correct White Balance

nUse the rule of thirds or golden rulenFill the framenBe aware of everything in the framenThink two dimensional

Notes:

The Rule of ThirdsThe rule of thirds is appliedby aligning a subject withthe guide lines and theirintersection points, placingthe horizon on the topor bottom line, or allowinglinear features in the imageto flow from section tosection. The main reasonfor observing the rule ofthirds is to discourageplacement of the subjectar the center, or preventa horizon from appearingto divide the picture in half.

The rule of thirdsis a compositionalrule of thumbin visual artssuch as painting,photography, & design

Artistic GuidelinesArtistic Guidelines

One sure way to keep fromincluding to much information in a photograph is to fill the framewith your subject and nothing butyour subject. Filling the frame from edge to edge leaves little doubt about what your intended target was.

Notes:

There are two ways to get closer: use a telephoto lensor get closer to the subject.

PeopleThe filling the frametechnique is particularlyimportant when takingpictures of people whosefacial features tend todisappear when you move more than a fewmeters away from them.Their expressions helpto tell their story.

Fill the Frame Filling the framefrom edge to edgeleaves little doubtabout what yourintended targetwas.

Sometimes objects thatare in another dimensionlook like they are in the same dimsension.

In the example of the twosiblings, the flowers lookas though they are just ontop of the head of theboy. This can be verysimply avoided by takingthe picture from anotherangle.

Be aware of everything in your field ofview. Don’t just focus your attention onthe subject. If something is distractingor disturbing elsewhere in the frame,viewers will likely pay attention tothat and the viewers’ eyes will strayaway from your subject.

Be Aware of Everything inthe Frame

Notes:

Think Two Dimensional

Change the wayyou look at thingsand the things

you look at change

- Wayne W. Dyer