Wow. Just got done with my first class and I am even more excited now then I was before....
Class today was pretty chill. First we went over our syllabus and that's when we were told that we will be going on five location shoots over the next month - We will be going to the Japanese Friendship Garden, the Phoenix Art Museum, Sky Harbor Airport, Arizona Falls and The Desert Botanical Gardens. I am so excited to have the opportunity to explore, shoot and learn at locations that are so full of inspiration and beauty.
After we reviewed the syllabus, our teacher covered "The Photo Four." I am familiar with the concepts of The Photo Four but I am not totally comfortable with them when it comes to actually applying them in practice.
Below is an outline of Lesson 1.
The Photo Four
1. Aperture
>Aperture is the opening in the lens through which light passes to expose the film or digital image sensor. Aperture is also referred to as f/stop. The more open the aperture is, the more light it allows in.
> In combination with shutter speed, aperture is your cameras primary way of regulating the exposure of your photos.
>Aperture can be confusing because a smaller f number represents a larger opening in the lens. For example f4 is much more open then f32. This is because all f numbers are assumed to be fractions therefore, when you are working with f4, you are really working with f 1/4 which is equal to .25 versus f 1/32 which is equal to a very small number, .03125, to be exact. So when working with an f number, always make it into a fraction by putting a 1 on top of it and that will help you remember whether or not it makes the lens opening bigger or smaller.
> Aperture has a direct relationship with depth of field (DOF). DOF is the distance in front of and behind your subject that's still in focus. A large aperture such as f4 (think 1/4) equals a smaller depth of field because the lens is wide open. A small aperture such as f32 (think 1/32) equals a bigger depth of field because the lens opening is much smaller.
>Generally speaking in low light you will want to use a larger aperture in order to let more light in.
>Aperture priority is a great way to shoot when you really want to focus on a particular subject.
2. Shutter Speed
> Shutter speed is how long the shutter remains open when taking a picture. This also effects how much light is exposed to the image sensor. Shutter speed is equal to exposure time.
>Adjustments to shutter speed will effect aperture and vice versa, therefore in manual settings if you change one, you will most likely need to adjust the other.
>Typically a larger aperture requires a faster shutter speed, otherwise too much light will get in and your picture will become over-exposed.
>Having too slow of a shutter speed can cause fuzziness.
>Shutter priority is typically used for fast action shots.
3. ISO
>ISO is the sensitivity of the image sensor. The lower the ISO number, the less sensitive your camera is to light. An ISO of 100 is a typical ISO level that, in a well lighted area, results in little or no noise.
> A higher ISO, allows your camera to be sensitive to more light but it can also create more noise in your photo, so it's important to take your pictures at the lowest possible ISO that you can, depending on the lighting.
>A lower ISO will result in a sharper image.
4. Focus
> Focus is the clarity or distinctness of an image.
>As photographers we can control what is in focus in our pictures and what is out of focus.
>Eye's will always be more attracted to the sharpest point of an image - we tend not to look at things that are out of focus.
>Today, many cameras allow us to manually control the focus of our camera.
>If you are trying to take a picture and the Auto-focus isn't allowing you to shoot what you are trying to shoot, simply switch over to manual focus and you will be able to get your shot.
Random tips learned throughout the lecture:
-Using a tri-pod and a longer shutter speed can help with shots in dark settings (that is, as long as the subject is still).
-Photomark on McDowell and 22nd street gives student discounts.
-Bigger photosites in your lens allow for sharper images - but lenses with larger photosites also cost more :)
-Lingo: if someone says, "stop down" that means close your aperture a bit... If someone says, "open up" that means use a larger aperture.
-Always have your camera manual with you.... You never know when you'll need it, no matter how long you have had your camera.
-And lastly, don't get into the habit of shooting imperfect shots with thought in mind that you can fix it later in photoshop. You'll save time and frustration by just taking the shot right the first time.
That's all I have for you today folks. Life is good.
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Got it. Noted. Thanks. ;o)
ReplyDeleteAperature F Stop Numbers
ReplyDeleteIt has helped me quite a bit when I learned the F stop number isn't directly referring to the size of your aperture, but how much light is in your scene. f/0 is dark, f/20 is bright. If, keeping shutter speed and ISO constant, the brightness of your subject is as dim as f/2.8, you better set your aperture to f/2.8 if you want a correct exposure.
Depth of field is a by-product of the aperture. So, f stop doesn't directly refer to that either. So if you have a subject as bright as f/16 but you want a shallow DOF, you have to monkey with your ISO and/or shutter speed to bring the brightness of your subject down enough to use an aperture that also gives you a shallow DOF.
Hi Peter! Thanks so much for your comments. Your view on aperture is very helpful.
ReplyDeleteWhat you are saying is that if your scene is dark you will need a lower f stop number (bigger aperture to pick up more light), if your scene is bright you will need a higher one. Correct?
That's a very cool way to look at it. :)
Well... The f-stop describes how much light there is, not (necessarily) the size of your aperture. I think of it like: "The room is dark." "How dark?" "Eh, f/2." (Of course, f/2 at a certain ISO and speed for a certain exposure.)
ReplyDelete