Transcript
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DSLRPORTRAITURE

Alex Harvey-Brown

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Plan of the weekend

INTRO WHY A DSLR & WHAT MAKES A GOOD PHOTO? THE HOLY TRINITY OF DSLR PHOTOGRAPHY COMPOSITION ISO

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MOBILE Phone 8mpxl Camera NIKON DSLR with 50mm f/1.8 lens

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What makes a good portrait?

LIGHT

DEPTH OF FIELD

CONTRAST(FIGURATIVELY AND LITERALLY)

EYES

COMPOSITION

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YUSUF KARSH

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CECIL BEATON

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CHARLENE SHREUDER

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The Exposure Triangle

APERTURE

SHUTTER SPEED

ISO

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APERTURE

Remember: The lower the ‘f-number’ or

‘f-stop’ the WIDER the aperture

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APERTUREEFFECTS ON IMAGE QUALITY

SQUINTING gives you a larger depth of field.So does having a small aperture/high f-stop.

The smaller the F-Number (therefore the wider the aperture) the shallower the depth of field.

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APERTUREEFFECTS ON IMAGE QUALITYLIGHT

Wider apertures let more light into the camera, smaller apertures do the opposite.

Great in dark situations and keeps the shutter speed FAST and ISO DOWN.

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Wide aperture prime lenses:Perfect for portraits!

<-85mm f/1.8

Zooms with wide apertures, known as ‘fast zooms’ are VERY expensive.

Fast prime lenses have a fixed focal length but are cheaper…and more creative!

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EXERCISE

• SWITCH TO ‘A’ or ‘Ap’ – Mode / Keep ISO to 300/400

• The camera will manage your shutter speed, so you can manually adjust your aperture’s size.

• Try shooting different objects close to you at your lowest f-number (widest aperture setting) and again at the highest f-number (smallest aperture).

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SHUTTER SPEED

The length of time that the camera’s film or sensor are exposed to light.

Time, measured in fractions of a second that the shutter is OPEN.

1/8000 - 30 seconds / *Bulb

*Bulb - an option that allows you to keep the shutter open indefinitely.Only usable with

shutter release cable.

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EFFECTS ON IMAGE QUALITY

SHUTTER SPEED

-Faster speeds give sharper images when hand holding.

-No lower than 1/80 when hand holding.

1/400 1/60 1/30

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EFFECTS ON IMAGE QUALITY

SHUTTER SPEED

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Exercise 2

• Set your camera to Shutter Priority Mode ‘S’ or ‘Sp’ – the camera will manage the aperture setting, allowing you control of the shutter speed and exposure time.

• Experiment with different shutter speeds and capture the party popper’s motion, either freezing it – or capturing the movement.

• Start by trying the following speeds 1/30, 1/100, 1/500

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ISO (international standards organisation)

• Dictates the camera sensor’s sensitivity to light.

• The higher ISO number, the higher the sensitivity.

• High sensitivity keeps the shutter speed higher, but increases grain/noise.

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The Photographer’s Juggling Act

ISO

Aperture

Shutter

Speed

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COMPOSITION

The rule of thirds A solid guideline to discourage placement of the subject at the center, or prevent a horizon from appearing to divide the picture in half.

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COMPOSITION

The rule of thirds In portraits – try to align the eyes up with the line of the top third.

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COMPOSITION

• The classic rule of thumb: ‘Fill the frame’ • Zooming into a face will always give a feature to a photograph

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COMPOSITION

• The classic rule of thumb: ‘Fill the frame’

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The Impact of Lighting

http://vimeo.com/63602119

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Portraiture Tips

Even lighting on the face is essential. Always try and shoot in the shade but avoid mottled light from leaves! Clouds are a natural diffuser – cloudy conditions usually provide perfect light.

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Portraiture Tips

Get a vintage look – get creative and use sun flare to your advantage.

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The best Lenses for portraits

Ideal mix of wide aperture and long focal length.

Fast zooms and prime lenses are perfect.Prime lenses much cheaper.

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Portraiture Tips

In bright sun? Turn the subject’s back to the it and light their face with flash or a reflector to balance.

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Tip: Focal length compression

120mmZoom lenses compress features, great for portraits!

200mm

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Useful Accessories

Reflectors/diffusers

Off camera flash / speedlight

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