Photography 101
Exposure Triangle
How the Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO work together to make the correct exposure.
Camera Modes
Aperture Priority- put your camera on "A."
It determines the depth of field.
f/1.8 is the shallowest depth of field, whereas f/22 is the deepest depth of field.
Shallow depth of field is where the foreground is in focus and the middle and background are out of focus. Best for photographing food, babies, close up of flowers, etc.
Deep depth of field is where the foreground, middle and background are in focus. Best for photographing landscapes.
When in doubt, f/8 is great! because it's a happy medium- the foreground and middle ground will be in focus.
Shutter Priority- put your camera on "S."
It determines movement.
For fast moving subjects, use 1/750 second or faster.
To capture a "blur" or nighttime photography, use 1/30 second or slower.
If you want to take photos at night, do about 1/3 second or slower.
Note: if your shutter is slower then 1/60th of second, use a tripod!
Program Mode- put your camera on "P"
The camera determines what the best exposure will be, based on what it sees in the scene.
ISO
Determines the sensitivity to light
The brighter the subject, the lower the ISO.
Outside in the sun, 100- 400 IS0 (super bright, 100, cloudy, 400)
Inside, 800- 2000 ISO, adjusting as you see fit.
Please note that the higher the number, the more chance you have to have "noise"- large pixels that decrease the quality of the photo
Again, use a tripod whenever you can- if you have a tripod, you can use a lower ISO since the shutter speed will be longer.
Compositional Terms
Rule of thirds= most important subject is in the third quadrant of the photograph
Leading line= a pathway carries your eyes through the photograph
Simplicity= the subject is straightforward with a plain background
Symmetry= the two subjects are parallel and echo each other
Framing= your subject is framed by something like a window frame, gazebo, tree branches, etc
Crop= your subject is close up and shows detail and texture
Vantage Points= Where you stand when you are taking the photograph. Be sure to vary your position when taking the shot!
Worm's eye view- you are down on the ground
Bird's eye view- you are high above the subject
Side angle- you are to the side of the subject
Elements of Art
The building blocks of design
Color= warm colors/red, orange, yellow cool colors/ blue, green Primary colors: red, yellow, blue Monochromatic: shades of one color
Line= the first thing you see is a line throughout the composition
Value= the light and dark of a photograph
Space= how something goes out in the distance, or positive and negative space
Shape= organic- in nature inorganic- manmade (i.e. you would not see a rectangle in nature)
Form= three dimensional
Texture=surface detail of a subject, i.e. detail of fur
Principles of Art
The glue that sticks the design together
Unity= all elements work together, even unusual objects (i.e. the girl holding a monkey in a golden field)
Proportion= how something looks in size compared to another, i.e. a small person next to a mountain
Rhythm= repeated elements, like several sailboats in a row
Harmony= everything meshes together, like a sunset on a lake
Balance= symmetry- butterfly wings
Emphasis= the first thing a person looks at
Variety= something unusual in the photograph that you wouldn't see ordinarily
How the Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO work together to make the correct exposure.
Camera Modes
Aperture Priority- put your camera on "A."
It determines the depth of field.
f/1.8 is the shallowest depth of field, whereas f/22 is the deepest depth of field.
Shallow depth of field is where the foreground is in focus and the middle and background are out of focus. Best for photographing food, babies, close up of flowers, etc.
Deep depth of field is where the foreground, middle and background are in focus. Best for photographing landscapes.
When in doubt, f/8 is great! because it's a happy medium- the foreground and middle ground will be in focus.
Shutter Priority- put your camera on "S."
It determines movement.
For fast moving subjects, use 1/750 second or faster.
To capture a "blur" or nighttime photography, use 1/30 second or slower.
If you want to take photos at night, do about 1/3 second or slower.
Note: if your shutter is slower then 1/60th of second, use a tripod!
Program Mode- put your camera on "P"
The camera determines what the best exposure will be, based on what it sees in the scene.
ISO
Determines the sensitivity to light
The brighter the subject, the lower the ISO.
Outside in the sun, 100- 400 IS0 (super bright, 100, cloudy, 400)
Inside, 800- 2000 ISO, adjusting as you see fit.
Please note that the higher the number, the more chance you have to have "noise"- large pixels that decrease the quality of the photo
Again, use a tripod whenever you can- if you have a tripod, you can use a lower ISO since the shutter speed will be longer.
Compositional Terms
Rule of thirds= most important subject is in the third quadrant of the photograph
Leading line= a pathway carries your eyes through the photograph
Simplicity= the subject is straightforward with a plain background
Symmetry= the two subjects are parallel and echo each other
Framing= your subject is framed by something like a window frame, gazebo, tree branches, etc
Crop= your subject is close up and shows detail and texture
Vantage Points= Where you stand when you are taking the photograph. Be sure to vary your position when taking the shot!
Worm's eye view- you are down on the ground
Bird's eye view- you are high above the subject
Side angle- you are to the side of the subject
Elements of Art
The building blocks of design
Color= warm colors/red, orange, yellow cool colors/ blue, green Primary colors: red, yellow, blue Monochromatic: shades of one color
Line= the first thing you see is a line throughout the composition
Value= the light and dark of a photograph
Space= how something goes out in the distance, or positive and negative space
Shape= organic- in nature inorganic- manmade (i.e. you would not see a rectangle in nature)
Form= three dimensional
Texture=surface detail of a subject, i.e. detail of fur
Principles of Art
The glue that sticks the design together
Unity= all elements work together, even unusual objects (i.e. the girl holding a monkey in a golden field)
Proportion= how something looks in size compared to another, i.e. a small person next to a mountain
Rhythm= repeated elements, like several sailboats in a row
Harmony= everything meshes together, like a sunset on a lake
Balance= symmetry- butterfly wings
Emphasis= the first thing a person looks at
Variety= something unusual in the photograph that you wouldn't see ordinarily