Use capture one as a software application
How to use adobe bridge – narrowing photos down by rating it 1 – 5 and choosing the different rates
choose setting auto. control colour balance using white balance and clicke on white.
canon 760
LTAL_Lau_PRINT.jpg
highest quality
Photoshop – use heal tool to get rid of sensor spots. clone tools
PORTRAITS
Phrase
Man’s Best Friend
For the second assignment I chose the phrase “A man’s best friend”. It’s very cliched but I couldn’t connect with the phrases provided from the assignment brief. I might change it throughout the assignment.
This story narrative inspired by my dog Benji. He’s 12 year this year and was adopted from RSPCA. Instead of capturing his day to day life I want to capture something that doesn’t happen too often. Maybe this would be more interesting? For this series, I will be taking photos of Benji having a haircut, done by me. I’m a very frugal person and will do anything to save a bit money. His usual haircut is around $80. The story will start with me walking him (to wear him out so he will sit still during the haircut process… hopefully), to me actually cutting his hair and taking a bath.
Story board
Inspirations
Since none of the phrase inspired me I decided to base my theme on my dog since I like to capture pretty and cute things and he’s cute and adorable.
Here’s some of the pet photographers I like and will be using their photos for inspirations.
Holy Montgomery
https://www.instagram.com/brindleberryacres/
Scruffy dog
https://www.instagram.com/scruffydogphotography/
Alicja Zmyslowska
Assessment
Your Work in Progress can take any, or all, of the following forms:
NARRATIVE
Narrative photography us telling a story with pictures also called storytelling photography, or visual storytelling, and often takes the form of a photo essay.
It can be either linear or non-linear.
Linear – Key events are in chronological order. Includes Introduction, body and conclusion.
Non-linear – also called systematic. Not in any particular order. More like photos shot within a chosen theme.
The types of photos that should be in a narrative series:
Non-linear example
Oculi- Alana Holmberg
https://www.oculi.com.au/ALANA-HOLMBERG/And-Holland-Has-Tulips/1
Linear example
Oculi/ Mathew About
https://www.oculi.com.au/MATTHEW-ABBOTT/The-Last-Outback-Truckies/2/thumbs
best time to shoot is an hour after sunrise
poly boards – reflectors
screens diffuser
NARRATIVE
What is narrative photography?
Narrative photography is telling a story with pictures. It is also referred to as storytelling photography, or visual storytelling, and often takes the form of a photo essay.
What is a photo essay?
A photo essay is a series of photographs that are intended to tell a story or evoke a series of emotions. Your photo essays should be able to stand alone, without a written article, and make logical sense to the viewer.
What is the difference between a linear and a non-linear narrative?
A narrative can be linear or non-linear. Linear narratives present stories in a logical manner by telling what happens from one point in time to the next. They follow a straight line—starting at the beginning, moving to the middle and proceeding to the end of the story. Non-linear narratives piece together a story where scenes may be presented outside this single logical sequence.
What is the story you want to tell?
When developing a visual story the most important thing to ask is “What is the story I want to tell?”
To help answer that question, consider the following:
How do I tell a story with images?
You can tell a story with one image, or with a series of images.
The types of image you can include in a narrative series are:
TIP: For every image, the photographer should ask themselves “How does this image propel the narrative?”
LIGHT
There are two types of lights – natural and artificial light
Natural Light
Natural light is light from the sun.
Artificial Light
There are two types of artificial light – flash/strobe and continuous.
Cloudy
Fluorescent
Led
Tungsten
It was dark and I had my ISO low so the photos came out blurry.
What is white balance?
White balance is a setting on your DSLR that determines how accurately the colours in your photos are reproduced.
COLOUR TEMPERATURE
What is colour temperature?
Different light sources – artificial lights as well as natural light at different times of the day and under different conditions – have different colours. These colours vary from warm (red/yellow) to cool (blue). We refer to these different colours by their colour temperature.
What are some of the different types of light?
Different types of light will produce different coloured light. Common lighting types include tungsten, fluorescent, neon, halogen, sunlight, cloudy and shade. A candle emits a reddish light, while shade has a blue tint.
How is colour temperature measured?The colour temperature of different light sources is measured in degrees Kelvin. Cool colours, like blue and white, generally have high colour temperatures, over 7000K. Warmer colours, like red and orange, lie around the 2000K mark.
How do we make sure we get the correct colour in our images?
The human eye is so highly developed that we don’t notice this change (much), however, camera technology (both colour film and digital sensors) are not as advanced. The key to capturing accurate colour is by using your camera’s White Balance settings (and shooting RAW!).
What white balance settings should I use?
There are three options for you to use:
Much of the time automatic white balance will suffice, but in certain lighting situations, such as shade or mixed lighting, it is preferable to use a white balance preset.
Activities
Light is the most important factor when capturing an image.
Learning how to see and capture light in all its forms is essential to developing your photographic skills.
For this lesson’s exercise, you will experiment with light by shooting a series of images, both indoor and outdoor, using a combination of artificial light, natural light and lighting modifers.
ARTIFICIAL LIGHT
Flash only – harsh shadows on one side of the face
Flash with reflector – shadows are not as harsh, lights are more diffused
Flash with reflector and diffuser – soft shadows, diffused lights
NATURAL LIGHT
Shot in Shutter priority (S/Tv)
D
Aperture
The lens is the eye of the camera; the aperture is the pupil.
The aperture can be dialed down to a small hole or dialed up to a large hole.
The aperture seting affects the brightness of your photo with respect to the scenes available light.
A large aperture (hole) lets more light in therefore the image will be brighter.
A small aperture (hole) lets less light in therefore the image will be darker.
The secondary effect of adjusting the aperture is shallow or deeper depth of field (the range of distance of objects in focus)
A larger aperture (hole) = brighter image = shallower depth of field (DOF)
A smaller aperture (hole) = darker image = deeper depth of field (DOF)
Shutter
The shutter is the eyelid of the camera; a mechanised cover which blocks light from the recording chip until it is opened briefly to record the shot.
The speed with which the shutter is opened can be controlled in fractions of a second (eg. 1/200th of a sec, 1/ 1500th of a sec)
The shutter speed setting effects the brightness of your photo with respect to the scenes available light.
A fast shutter speed will reduce the light recording time and produce a darker image.
A slow shutter speed will lengthen the light recording time and produce a brighter image
A secondary effect of adjusting the shutter speed is increased or decreased motion blur on moving subjects
A slow shutter speed = brighter image = increased motion blur on moving subjects.
A fast shutter speed = darker image = decreased motion blur on moving subjects (crisp freeze frame).
ISO
The ISO effects the retina of the camera (recording surface or chip)
The ISO is a value of sensitivity of the sensor to light.
The ISO setting effects the brightness of your image with respect to the scenes available light.
A high ISO number will increase the sensors sensitivuty and produce a brighter image.
A low ISO number will decrease the sensors sensitivity and produce a darker image.
A secondary effect of adjusting the ISO is increased or decreased digital noise
A high ISO = brighter image = increased digital noise
A low ISO = darker image = minimal if any digital noise
CLASS NOTES
ISO
What is ISO?
ISO refers to the level of sensitivity of your camera to light. In traditional/film photography, ISO was the indication of how sensitive a film was to light. In digital photography, ISO measures the sensitivity of the image sensor.
How is ISO measured?
ISO is measured using the following numbers (and more):
The lower the ISO (e.g. 100), the less sensitive your camera’s sensor is to light, while a higher ISO (e.g. 3200) increases its sensitivity. Each number represents a ‘stop’. Like shutter speed, these increments either half or double the sensitivity. So, every time you double the ISO setting, you halve the required exposure time, and vice versa.
How does ISO affect my images?
A higher ISO setting makes your sensor more sensitive to light, meaning that you can take photos in darker conditions without the need to use a flash or a tripod. However, increasing your camera’s ISO comes at a cost — it also increases the amount of digital noise present in your photo, reducing the image quality. Noise is the digital equivalent of film grain, and it shows up as lots of tiny coloured dots, which are particularly noticeable in the darker areas of your photo.
Which ISO should I choose?
Generally, you should always aim to use the lowest ISO setting possible, because this will give you the best image quality. The lowest ISO on DSLR cameras is 100 (or 200 on some Nikons), a setting with good contrast and fine detail.
Characteristics of low ISO:
Characteristics of high ISO:
When should I choose a high ISO?
Possible scenarios might include sporting events held indoors or at night, concerts, galleries and long exposure photos of the night sky.
Does ISO affect my aperture and shutter speed settings?
Yes! Capturing a correct exposure is a balancing act between shutter speed, aperture and ISO. As one increases to allow more light in, one (or both) of the other two settings must decrease to maintain the same exposure level, and vice versa.
A brief summary of the three fundamentals of exposure
ACTIVITIES
Full Sun
Shade
Low Light
Artificial Light
CLASS NOTES
APERTURE
What is aperture?
Shutter speed is a fairly simple concept to understand because we all understand the notion of time (and fractions of it).
Aperture, on the other hand, is a little different. Aperture (meaning ‘opening’) is an iris in the lens — a small set of interlocking blades that control how much light enters the camera. A bigger hole (or ‘larger aperture’) will allow more light, meaning a brighter image; a smaller hole (or ‘narrow aperture’) allows less light, meaning a darker image.
How is aperture measured?
Aperture is measured in ‘f-stops’. An f-stop (e.g. f/8) specifies the size of the hole, and is a number that refers to the ratio of the size of the aperture to the focal length of the lens. A high f-stop number (e.g f/22) means that the aperture hole is small; a low f-stop number (e.g f/4) means that the aperture is large, or wide open.
TIP: Moving from one f-stop to the next either doubles or halves the amount of light allowed in to the camera.
What does the aperture do?
Much like shutter speed, aperture plays both a technical and creative role. First, the aperture (like shutter speed) controls the amount of light let in to the camera’s sensor, thereby affecting the exposure. Second, the aperture affects how much of the image is in focus, something referred to as depth of field.
What is depth of field?
Depth of field (DOF) is the area of your image that is in focus.
A large depth of field — signified by a larger f-stop number (e.g. f/16) — means that more of your image will be in focus whether it’s close to your camera or far away.
A small, or shallow, depth of field — signified by a smaller f-stop number (e.g. f/4) — means that only part of the image will be in focus and the rest will be blurred.
SHUTTER SPEED
What is shutter speed?
Shutter speed refers to the length of time a camera’s shutter is open for, and subsequently how long the digital sensor (or film) is exposed to light in order to capture the scene.
How is shutter speed measured?
Shutter speed is measured in seconds or, in most cases, fractions of seconds (e.g. 1″, 1/2, 1/15, 1/125, 1/1000). The larger the denominator, the faster the speed (i.e. 1/500 is faster than 1/30 which, in turn, is faster than 1/4).
How does shutter speed affect my images?
The shutter speed plays both a technical and creative role. First, changing the shutter speed alters the amount of light let in to the camera, thereby affecting the overall exposure. Second, adjusting the shutter speed allows the photographer to either freeze or blur motion.
Here are some guidelines for selecting shutter speed:
Together, these make up what is known as the exposure triangle and form the foundation of successful photography.
Capturing a correct exposure is a balancing act between shutter speed, aperture and ISO. You can use both shutter speed and aperture to alter the amount of light that strikes the sensor, however, as one increases, the other has to decrease to maintain the same exposure level, and vice versa. For example, as your aperture opens, and lets in more light, your shutter speed will have to increase (i.e. a faster shutter speed) in order to compensate — if you want to maintain the same exposure level. If your aperture narrows, and lets in less light, your shutter speed will need to decrease (i.e. slower shutter speed) to balance that out.
NOTES
Aperture 22 – Result was a very blurry photo. Maybe if I used a tripod, it would eliminate the camera shake.
RAW FILE
PROS
CONS
JPEG FILE
Things to consider when shooting in JPEG File.
NOTES
COMPOSITION
Depth
Photography is a two-dimensional medium, so it’s important to choose our composition carefully to convey the sense of depth that was present in the actual scene. To create depth in a photo, add objects in the foreground, middle ground and background using techniques such as:
Depth of Field
Landscapes warrant vast depth of field (DOF) to provide a sense of distance to the viewer.
When shooting with a wide-angle lens, a small aperture and from a long distance away from the subject, the photographer is taking advantage of the various ways to maximize his or her depth of field. Capturing an image like this with the knowledge that two-thirds of the total depth of field will exist beyond the point of focus ultimately means that the photographer has wasted more than half of the DOF. This is where calculating the scene’s hyperfocal distance comes into play. As a general rule of thumb, focusing at detail around the one- third mark from the bottom of the image is a good starting point. Understanding the lens in use is further crucial to a sharp image. An aperture around f11 provides the sharpest image.
SHUTTER SPEED
Shutter speed is the length of time your camera shutter is open, exposing light onto the camera sensor – it’s how long your camera spends taking a photo. Shutter speeds are typically measured in fractions of a second, when they are under a second. For example 1/4 means a quarter of a second, while 1/250 means one two-hundred-and-fiftieth of a second (or four milliseconds).
Motion
When you use a long shutter speed, you end up exposing your sensor for a significant period of time. The first big effect of shutter speed is motion blur. If your shutter speed is long, moving subjects in your photo will appear blurred along the direction of motion. This effect is used often in advertisements of cars and motorbikes, where a sense of speed and motion is communicated to the viewer by intentionally blurring the moving wheels.
Slow shutter speeds are also used to photograph objects at night, or in dim environments with a tripod. Landscape photographers may intentionally use long shutter speeds to create a sense of motion on rivers and waterfalls, while keeping everything else completely sharp.
Shutter speed can also freeze motion. If you use a fast shutter, speed, you can get rid of motion from fast moving objects, like birds flying or cars driving past.
Zooming
An image with the ‘zoom effect’ involves altering the focal length during the exposure and creatively depicts the subject travelling toward or away from the viewer.
Method:
Panning
Panning is a technique used in photography to capture a moving subject through a horizontal movement.
Note: The trick to a successful pan is to keep the lower part of the photographer’s body still and rely on rotating the body from the waist up.
Light Trails
CLASS NOTES
How do you want to capture the scene and/or subject? Do you want to freeze motion or blur it?
Here are some guidelines for selecting shutter speed:
What is camera shake and how do I avoid it?
Handheld vs. tripod.
NOTES
Higher shutter speed number – freezes motion.
Lower shutter speed number – blurs motion.
Result for 1/2 was very blurry and looks overexposed? Not sure if it’s meant to look like that? Maybe using a tripod would produce a better photo?
This technique was quite enjoyable.
Result for 1” was very blurry as opposed to 1/30 which the car/subject was clear.
Zoomed in. I like the 1/4 effect.
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