Digital Photo 101:Terms & Concepts

It’s all about light!

Greek roots: “photo” (light) + “graphos” (writing) = writing/ drawing with light!

Light reflecting off objects goes through lens to capture image.

Exposure● how much light hit the sensor● too much light = overexposed● not enough light = underexposed● controlled by 3 factors: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO

The Exposure Triangle

- each of these settings affects the other two- each also affects some aspect of the photo

Aperturehow open or closed the hole that allows light to come in is

Aperture● also known as f/stop; expressed as f/(number)● Bigger number = smaller hole (yes, weird)● Affects depth of field (DOF), which is how far

back into the photo the focus goeso big aperture (small number) = shallow DOFo small aperture (big number) = deep DOF

“When would you want to use a LARGE aperture?

When would you want to use a SMALL aperture?

How can you use different kinds of depths of field (DOF) to your creative advantage?

Shutter speedhow long the image sensor is exposed to light

Shutter Speed

● Affects how sharpness of moving objects o Keep in mind when shooting w/o a

tripod/supporto Try for 1/125 or faster when camera is handheld

● Expressed in fractionso 1/25 = 1/25th of a secondo 2” = two whole secondso in viewfinder, will only show second number (25

= 1/25 of a second)

Both are exposed properly, but the one on the right captures the moment better.

15 minute exposure -- very long shutter speed

“When do you want to use a FAST

shutter speed?

What’s a situation where you could use a SLOW one?

ISOhow sensitive the image sensor is to light

ISO

● Higher ISO = more sensitive = can shoot in darker situations (and vice versa)

● Also affects “noise” levels - how grainy the photo iso Use the lowest ISO possible for best quality photoso Sometimes you have to sacrifice a little quality to get

a photo at all - concerts, outside at night, etc.

Both are exposed properly, but the one on the left is a much less noisy image.

“Why is it important to pick the lowest ISO possible?

When would you want to pick a high ISO?

“Rain in a Bucket” AnalogyReplace the idea of light with water.

You can’t control how hard it’s raining outside(amount of light available -- nighttime would be a mist, 2pm on a sunny day would be a downpour)

But you can control:- how long you leave the bucket out (shutter speed)- how wide the bucket opening is (aperture)- how much water you want to collect (ISO)

Fill the bucket = proper exposure!

Semi-Automatic Modes● AV (aperture value) - you pick aperture, camera auto-

selects shutter speed● TV (time value) - you pick shutter speed, camera auto-

selects apertureUse wheel near trigger to adjustViewfinder will show shutter speed and aperture

Questions?

?

BONUS: Composition tips and

tricks!

Rule of Thirds

- Helps create more interesting compositions- Put focal points where lines intersect

Cropping guidelines

Red = avoid cropping hereGreen = good crop spot

A good rule of thumb is to crop at the middle of a limb, not at a joint.

Looks like his feet have been amputated or there is a reason the photographer doesn’t want us to see his shoes.

Our minds can easily fill in the rest of the image here.

Get a fresh perspective

Try shooting from different angles - get below or above your subject.

Mundane subjects can be made interesting by showing it in a way we don’t usually see it.

Don’t forget -practice, practice,

practice!

Credits

Presentation created by Jordan Phillips ©2015

Thanks to these awesome sources for images and more!:■ slidescarnival.com (this template is called Benedick)■ pinterest.com/papthangal/camera-vintage/■ https://tgj2o-commtech.wikispaces.com/The+Exposure+Triangle■ http://www.ariacreative.ca/understanding-your-camera-settings/■ http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-64553-1.html■ http://nikon.com/about/technology/life/imaging/stabilization/index.htm■ http://techie-buzz.com/photography-tips/understanding-long-exposure-photography-and-the-technique-

invloved.html■ http://elliezenhari.com/camera/index.html■ http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/canon-t5/canon-t5-shooters-report.htm■ http://www.photovideoedu.com/Learn/Articles/jim-zuckerman-on-composition-the-rule-of-thirds.aspx■ http://everydayhdr.com/beginners-guide-hdr-and-composition/■ http://petapixel.com/2013/03/04/a-guide-on-good-and-bad-places-to-crop-on-your-portrait-subject/■ http://photography.tutsplus.com/tutorials/quick-tip-5-tried-and-true-portrait-cropping-techniques--photo-

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