Photographing Your Sewing Project
Kent Messamore
47 St. Andrews Drive
Bedford, NH 03110
KMessamore.com Enhanced-Images.biz KR-Training.biz
2/16/2013
What we will cover today
Exposure ISO
Aperture
Shutter Speed
Flash
Examples Background
Reflective Subjects
Camera Operation Auto
Program
Scene Modes
Aperture Priority
Shutter Priority
Manual
Exposure Compensation
Metadata
Depth of Field
Camera Shake & Tripods
Examples
Tripod Auto Flash vs Manual
Don’t Forget Detail
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Types of Cameras
Cell Phone
Compact (Point & Shoot)
Midrange
(Bridge)
Single Lens Reflex (SLR)
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Exposure
The amount of light that hits the sensor (Exposure) is controlled by:
- Size of the Aperture
- How long shutter is open (shutter speed)
- Sensitivity of Sensor (ISO)
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Quantity of Light
Quantity of light is an absolute. It can be measured by your camera very accurately
Quantity of light is called Exposure
Exposure can be controlled either Automatically in your camera or Manually.
Accurate Exposure makes the difference between a good photograph and a bad photograph
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Exposure
Quantity of Light or Exposure is controlled by three factors:
How wide is the lens
opening in your camera?
How sensitive to light is the
sensor in your camera?
How fast does the shutter
in your camera open and
close Shutter Speed
Aperture or f/stop
ISO
Quantity
of Light
Accurate Exposure can be achieved by
more than one selection of these three controls
Aperture Value
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These are standard f/stop numbers – 1.4, 2, 2.8, etc.
Some cameras allow for half stops; some allow for
third stops. You probably don’t need to know these.
Why should you care?
Aperture is a major control of Depth of Field
Aperture allows for blurring background
1/3 1/2
Stop Stop
f/14 f/13
f/13
f/10 f/9.5
f/9.0
f/7.1 f/6.7
f/6.3
f/5.0 f/4.5
f/4.5
f/3.5 f/3.5
f/3.2
f/2.6 f/2.5
f/2.2
f/1.8 f/1.7
f/1.6
One
Stop
f/5.6
300mm
1/2000
ISO400
f/3.5
100mm
1/2000
ISO640
Shutter Speed
Measured in Seconds or fractions of
seconds – 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500
1/125 is half the light of 1/60; 1/250 is
half the light of 1/125, etc.
Why should you care?
Slow shutter speeds cause blur in
your photos, e.g. blurring a
waterfall so that water appears to be
flowing rather than still
Fast shutter speeds can stop action,
i.e., hummingbird in flight
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1/8000 sec
f/3.2
ISO 1000
1/5 sec
f/22
ISO 400
ISO – Sensor Sensitivity
ISO is the sensitivity of your camera
sensor to light
Higher Values are more sensitive,
i.e. 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
Why should you care?
High ISO lets you take photos in
low light situations
Because of interaction between
sensor pixels, more sensitivity
generates noise
Noise shows up at high magnifications
typically in the shadow areas of your
image
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f/2.8
57 mm
1/125
ISO1600
f/5.6
400 mm
1/250
ISO1600
f/2.8
24 mm
1/100
ISO1600
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Exposure Quantity of Light or
Exposure is controlled by three factors:
ISO - How sensitive to light is the sensor in your camera? Higher ISO creates more noise in your photo
Aperture or f/stop - How wide is the lens opening in your camera? Higher f/stops yield increased Depth of Field
Shutter Speed - How fast does the shutter in your camera open and close. Slow Shutter Speeds cause movement blur in your photos. Fast shutter speed stops action.
Each Step in this diagram represents “One Stop”.
Most cameras allow for ½ or 1/3 stop increments
Pop Up Flash
Terrible Light
Flash is a tiny light source.
Smaller light sources produce
harsh light
Slightly above camera lens
sends light into subjects eye to
be reflected back into the
camera producing “Red Eye.”
Light hits directly on face
creating “flat” look – no
texture, shadows, or contrast
Worst kind of added light you
could have
If at all possible, don’t use it
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Camera
Eye
Red Eye
Pop Up Flash If you must use it:
Use a slow shutter speed to
capture as much ambient
light as possible
Move away from your
subject to reduce the quantity
of light from the flash falling
on the subject.
Zoom in to get closer
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Ambient Light
Flash Light
Camera Meter
Light falls off with distance sq
Pop Up Flash
If you must use it:
Use Flash Exposure compensation
if you have it, to reduce power of
flash
Use something over it to diffuse
light & make it softer
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http://www.garyfongestore.com/flash-accessories/delta-point-and-shoot-diffuser.html
What Pop Up Flash is good for
Fill flash
In outdoor shots with light from behind subject, shadow
falls on subject’s face
Pop Up flash can provide fill light to reduce shadows
Use Flash Exposure Compensation to prevent flash from
washing out subject. Achieve balance between natural light
and un-natural light from flash.
Stopping motion
Use when some ambient light but subject is in motion.
Set camera to capture ambient light with slow shutter speed
Instantaneous burst of light from Flash will freeze motion
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Flash Indoors
Fill Flash
Fill Flash
Results
Examples - Environment
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Examples - Background
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Examples - Background
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Auto f/2.8 1/60 Sec ISO200 Flash: on 36 mm
Examples - Background
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Auto f/2.8 1/60 Sec ISO200 Flash: on 36 mm
Auto f/2.8 1/15 Sec ISO200 Flash: off 36 mm
Examples – Fill the Frame; Create Your own Background
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Auto f/4.0 1/60 Sec ISO250 Flash: on 36 mm
Auto f/4.0 1/60 Sec ISO100 Flash: on 36 mm
Tripod Auto Flash vs Manual
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Auto f/4.0 1/60 Sec ISO100 Flash: on 36 mm
Manual on a Tripod f/8.0 4.0 Sec ISO100
Flash: off 36 mm
Examples - Reflections
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Auto f/3.5
1/60 Sec ISO250 Flash on
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Manual f/2.8
1.6 Sec ISO200 Flash off Tripod
Auto f/3.5
1/60 Sec ISO250 Flash on
Camera Operation
Read your manual
Batteries – Make sure it’s charged.
Memory card – Make sure you have room.
Don’t open battery compartment or memory compartment when on.
Date & Time.
Tripod socket.
Shutter button – two stages.
Take a lot of shots of a scene changing positions, distances, angles, settings.
When through shooting turn camera off.
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Dial Settings – Shooting Modes
Dial Settings – Shooting Modes
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Olympus
Sony
Canon 980
Kodak
Nikon 4300
Sony Cybershot Nikon d5000
Nikon d600
Set your camera
Auto Exposure Mode
Largest JPEG Image Format
Image Stabilization
Auto ISO
sRGB Color Space
Auto White Balance
Flash on
Auto Focus on JKM 2/16/2013 Enhanced Images 26
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Shooting - Auto Mode - All P&S Cameras have
Auto Mode that sets focus & Exposure Automatically. User has no control
Hold Camera as if you were a tripod – minimize camera shake
Frame the Image – Compose in view finder
Zoom the Lens – Zoom in and out to bring subject closer or further away
Auto-focus – press shutter button halfway down
Are you too close?
Is it too dark to focus
Auto-exposure – Camera adjusts aperture & shutter for correct amount of light onto the sensor
Auto-flash – Flash will automatically fire in low light situations. What is the indication that Flash will fire?
Auto-White balance – adjusts for color of light, e.g. sunny day, cloudy day, florescent lamp, tungsten lamp
Press shutter button fully down to take photo Take some Photos
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Shooting - Program Mode
For Point & Shoot Cameras, this is the most common setting.
Most P&S Cameras have a Program Mode that allows user some ability
to control image.
Camera still makes most of the decisions but usually allows:
Setting ISO, i.e. the Sensitivity of the sensor to light, allowing
shooting in low light situations
White Balance - adjusts for color of light, e.g. sunny day, cloudy
day, florescent lamp, tungsten lamp
Control of Flash: On or Off
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Scene Modes – Most P&S Cameras have Scene
Modes that allows user some ability to control image. What Scene modes
do you have?
Portrait – Blurs background to bring out
subject.
Infinity or Landscape – Shows detail in
foreground & background
Night – Take pictures in low light
Sports or “Kids & Pets” – increased shutter
speed to freeze action
Macro – for close ups
Portrait - Blur
background
Night shots - Open
Aperture Slow
Shutter Speed
Sports, kids
moving around -
Fast Shutter Speed
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Aperture Priority
Aperture-priority auto exposure:
You specify aperture, or f-stop; camera selects the shutter speed needed to produce a good exposure.
Control over aperture is important as setting affects depth of field, or distance over which objects in scene appear in sharp focus.
If you’re shooting portrait, for example, you can select an aperture that keeps the subject sharp while blurring the background.
This mode typically is Av or A on Mode Dial
Does your Camera have Aperture Priority?
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Shutter Priority
Shutter-priority auto exposure:
you select shutter speed; camera selects aperture needed to expose the picture properly.
Since shutter speed determines whether moving objects appear blurry or “frozen” in place, gaining control over this exposure setting is especially important if you shoot action pictures.
Shutter-priority mode is usually labeled S or Tv (time value) on the camera’s exposure dial.
Does your Camera have Shutter Priority?
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Manual shooting – With point & shoot cameras,
Manual shooting is cumbersome at best.
You specify both aperture and shutter speed to precisely control exposure.
Most cameras display an exposure meter that lets you know whether your picture will be properly exposed
Meter
Does your Camera have Manual Exposure? What is the Aperture or f/stop range? What is the Shutter Speed range?
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Exposure Compensation
Photos taken in Automatic Modes have exposure calculated by the camera
Camera doesn’t always get it right
Cameras have “Exposure Compensation” that allows manual over-ride of the camera exposure value by a + or - factor
Exposure Compensation
Icon
Metadata
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Whenever you take a photo with your camera,
the camera records a great deal of information
about the photo.
Access this data by opening the photo in
Microsoft Photo Viewer and going to
File -> Properties
Image Size
Image f/stop,
Shutter Speed,
& ISO
Camera Shake
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Shutter speed greater than 1/60 second to
eliminate Camera shake. Image
stabilization may improve that by a stop.
Hold your Camera as if you were a tripod
Use both hands to hold the camera
Stand as steadily & stable as possible on both legs or lean on a tree or
building.
Cameras set focus when you press the shutter button half way down. Learn
to take your time and press half way down and give the camera time to focus
properly before you press the shutter button all the way down.
Learn to press the shutter smoothly
Breath, exhale, & shoot
Elimination of Motion Blur
Use a Tripod or something to rest
your camera on: a fence, a car
window, bean bag.
Good accessory for Point & Shoot
Cameras, is a Gorilla tripod. Acts as a
tripod, but legs can also be bent
around a tree branch.
If using a tripod, use a shutter release
or the self timer
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Monopod
Beanbag
Approximately 1/3 of the DOF is in front of the focus point; 2/3 in back
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Depth of Field What is sharp in your Photograph
Focus Point
Focus Point
Shallow DOF
Large DOF
1/3 2/3 Distance: The greater the distance from the subject,
the greater the DOF. If you want more DOF, Step
back. If you want less DOF move close up
Lens Focal Length:
Increasing focal
length reduces
DOF. Decreasing
focal Length
increases DOF.
Telephotos
typically have
small DOFs; Wide
Angle lenses have
large DOF.
Watch out for
Zoom Lenses as the
DOF changes as
you Zoom in and
out.
f/stop: Decreasing aperture
(increasing f/stop) gives you greater
DOF; Increasing aperture reduces
DOF. Less DOF – Open your lens;
More DOF – Stop it down.
Depth of Field
As the Aperture goes from f/11 to f/2.8, the background is clearly Blurred.
This is the impact of Depth of Field
If telephoto Lens was used we could completely blur out the background
ISO = 200 Lens = 58 mm Aperture = f/11 Shutter Speed = 1/25 Sec.
Enhanced Images
ISO = 200 Lens = 58 mm Aperture = f/2.8 Shutter Speed = 1/400 Sec.
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Enhanced Images
Depth of Field
ISO = 200 Lens = 58 mm Aperture = f/5.6 Shutter Speed = 1/100 Sec.
ISO = 200 Lens = 300 mm Aperture = f/5.6 Shutter Speed = 1/80 Sec.
As the Lens focal length goes
from 58 mm to 300 mm, the
background is clearly Blurred.
This is the impact of Lens Focal
Length on Depth of Field.
Great for Headshot Portraits as
the distracting elements in the
background are removed.
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Impact of
Aperture on
Depth of
Field
Same photo
with focus on
a single
flower. Only
change is
Aperture
f32 - Sharp
front to back
f2.8 –
Blurred in
foreground
&
background
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Tripod Auto Flash vs Manual
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Manual f/9.0 3.2 Sec ISO80 Flash off
Auto f/3.2 1/60 Sec ISO80 Flash on
Tripod Auto Flash vs Manual
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Manual f/16 2.5 Sec ISO80 Flash: off
Lens: 36 mm
Auto f/2.8 1/60 Sec ISO80 Flash: on 36 mm
Don’t forget Detail
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Manual f/16 2.5 Sec ISO80 Flash: off
Lens: 133 mm Optical
Auto f/2.8 1/60 Sec ISO80 Flash on
Lens: 532 mm Digital