Understanding Your 1: Basics UUU103

Understanding Your Camera I

The Basics Objective

After completing this class, the student will have an understanding of

basic photography and basic creative DSLR camera functions. Materials

Items required for participation are the following: • Digital Single Reflex Camera • Camera Manual • Normal (50mm) Lens • DSLR Instruction Booklet (provided)

• Pen or pencil Standards Addressed

1. The definition of photography. 2. The function of the International Standards Organization rating for sensitivity to light and how it affects the exposure as well as the aesthetic look of a photograph. 3. The mechanics of the shutter and how it affects the exposure as well as the aesthetic look of a photograph. 4. The mechanics of the aperture and how it affects the exposure as well

as the aesthetic look of a photograph. Independent Practice

Record an image demonstrating: • a shallow depth of field • a medium depth of field • stopped motion • a blurred subject implying its motion • panning Michael Downey Head Instructor

[email protected] 908.458.6716

123 US HWY 46, Fairfield, NJ 07004 WWW.UNIVERSITY.UNIQUEPHOTO.COM

Michael Downey is the Head BE PATIENT Instructor of Unique University. He currently owns and operates Michael Downey Photography, Inc. out of Take Lots Somerville, . He has photographed hundreds of of Pictures moderate to high-end weddings throughout the northeast. Michael also Practice teaches during photo walks and workshops. His images can Makes Perfect be seen at New Century Artist Art Gallery in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. Have Fun!

Notes: NJ’s Only Camera & Video Superstore n 20,000+ Brand Name Products n Highly Trained Photography Sales Staff n Photography Classes n Digital Computer Lab n Photo Lab n Free Technical Support

Since moving to Fairfield in 2008, Unique Photo has become the center of photography in NJ. Our Superstore stocks over 20,000 items, including the latest digital and accessories from top brands such as Canon, Sony, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Leica, Fujifilm, Manfrotto, Epson, Lexar, and many more. We also have NJ’s best photo lab, NJ’s largest rental equipment program, NJ’s premiere camera trade-in program, and a Red House Roasters gourmet coffee bar and Wi-Fi lounge. Unique University® is the highly acclaimed component of Unique Photo®. There is over 2000 sq. ft. of learning space, including our state-of-the-art, 1000 sq. ft. main presentation hall.

Unique University’s mission is to help our visitors “Create Better Pictures” by providing photography education for beginners to professionals. With events daily, it is the place where photography groups such as local camera clubs, ASMP, PPA and others meet. We have a full curriculum of classes and seminars from world famous speakers such as Art Wolfe, Rick Sammon, Ron Wyatt, Michael Yamashita, Tyler Stableford, Lindsay Adler, and Will Crockett. We offer photography excursions to many places, including the

Meadowlands Racetrack, Lakota Wolf Preserve, Rutgers University Football, Botanical Gardens and Ballooning. Our technical classes include such topics as basic DSLR photography, DSLR video, lighting techniques, Adobe Photoshop, Elements anf Lightroom, composition, editing and printing, wedding photography, HDR photography, working with speedlites, one-on-one instruction, and much more. What is Photography?

Let’s begin with a very clear definition of photography. Photography is the art or science of recording light. Specifically, you are capturing the light’s direction, color, and intensity. A camera is a light recorder, just like a tape recorder is an audion recorder.

It doesn’t matter what’s in front of your lens because the subject is always in the light.

The subject is the direction,

color, and intensity of the light. photo-

A combining form meaning “light” (photobiology); also used to represent “photographic” or “photograph” in the formation of compound words: photocopy.

A combining form denoting a process or graphy- form of drawing, writing, representing, recording, describing, etc., or an art or science concerned with such a process: biography, choreography, geography, orthography, and photography. The Marriage

Photography is a wonderful marriage. It is the marriage of art and science. I’m the type of person that likes to save the best for last so I will begin by talking about the science aspect of photography. First, it is very important that we understand the photographic principles and techniques we use in order to create wonderful images.

Proper Exposure Every DSLR camera is designed to achieve proper exposure at any setting other than manual. It will always try to achieve an exposure of “18% gray”. In photography 18% gray is an accurate exposure but in the real world we seldom see things at a value of 18% gray. A great example of this is when taking pictures of polar bears playing on icebergs at the North Pole. When shooting in mid-day light, the camera would render these images a little darker than reality. It would expose the white bears and snow at 18% gray.

Notes: How to Achieve a Good Exposure

Three Variables That a Camera Uses to Achieve a Good Exposure Let’s begin by talking about the three variables the camera uses to achieve 18% gray. 1 ISO Setting 2 Shutter Speed 3 Aperture All of these have an impact on how a picture looks and each of these can be manipulated to vary the exposure. ISO 1 ISO Setting The ISO setting dictates International Standards Organization your digital camera’s sensitivity to light. ISO 50 Low ISO ISO is an acronym for the For Bright International Standards Conditions ISO 100 Organization. Before the digital age, you may remember your parents ISO 200 Medium ISO talking about . Film is For Darker Conditions assigned an ISO number to ISO 400 designate its speed rating or sensitivity to light. Prior to the 1980s, a film’s light ISO 800 High ISO sensitivity was designated For Action, Low by the ASA (American ISO 1600 Light and Night Standards Association) Photography rating. The lower the ISO number, the less sensitive ISO 3200 The effect is Noise or Grain the film or digital sensor is to light. The higher the ISO the more sensitive to light the sensor is. In very bright situations you want to use lower a ISO but in very dark situations you want to use higher ISOs. My recommendation is to start somewhere around 400 to see of you can create the picture you want. Higher ISOs have the effect of noise in an image. The actual ISO at which the noice occurs varies from camera to camera.

A great photograph Low ISO Settings is a full expression of what one feels about what Low ISO settings are recommended is being photographed in the for bright conditions, when there is deepest sense, and is thereby, a lot of light. a true expression of what one They have the least amount of noise feels about life in its entirety. and best overall image quality. - Ansel Adams

ISO 100

ISO 200

Notes: Medium ISO Settings Photograph: a picture painted by Medium ISO settings are used the sun without in darker conditions: instruction in art. n Deep shade - Ambrose Bierce n Dawn or dusk n Overcast skies

ISO 400

ISO 800

Notes:

I believe there is no High ISO Settings more creative medium than photography to recreate High ISO settings are often used the living world of our time.. in action, low light, and night Photography gladly accepts the challenge because it is at photography. home in its element: namely realism--real life--the now. - Berenice Abbott

ISO 1600

ISO 3200

Notes: Shutter Speed

A camera’s shutter is a mechanical curtain in front of the imaging sensor. It opens and closes at various speeds to let in either more or less light. Most normal shutter speeds are measured in fractions of a second. When combined with the size of the aperture opening, the shutter controls how much light reaches the imaging sensor. Shutter speeds will range from as fast as 1/8000th of a second to 30 seconds on most digital cameras. There is also a “BLUB” or “B” setting, which will force the shutter to stay open for as long as the release button is held down.

Shutter Speed Priority S Tv Nikon/Olympus Canon

In the viewfinder you will see: n 1/250th = 250 n 1/8th = 8 n 4 seconds = 4” The shutter speed is the first number in the viewfinder. Fast Shutter Speeds Fast shutter speeds ensure that the subject records no movement. They are generally 1/1000th second used in bright daylight and to freeze motion.

Notes: Slow Shutter Speeds You’ve got to push yourself harder. You’ve got to start looking Slow shutter speeds record for pictures nobody else movement in the subject. They could take. are generally used in deep shade You’ve got to take the tools or low lighting conditions or to you have and probe deeper. create motion blur. - William A. Allard

1/4th second

Panning Panning is a creative effect that combines a slow shutter speed with a moving camera following the moving subject.

Notes: Long Shutter Speeds Life is about capturing the moment in its beauty, and Long shutter speeds refers to when telling a story to every the shutter of the camera is open for longer than one second. Longer beautiful moment. shutter speeds are generally used in night photography. - Blanca Acosta

15 second

Bulb Exposures Used when you can’t anticipate the action, and you want the exposure to last several seconds. Put the camera on a tripod with theshutter speed set to ‘B’ (bulb). Also used when an exposure of longer than 30” is required. Most DSLR cameras can’t be set for longer than 30 seconds.

Notes: Aperture

The aperture is the diaphragm that opens and closes to modify the amount of light that reaches the sensor. A small aperture lets in a small amount of light, while a big aperture allows for more light to reach the sensor. The aperture is also called f-stop. Aperture sizes are denoted by f numbers: f/32, f/22, f/16, f/11, f/8, f/5.6, f/4, f/2.8, f/2, f/1.4, f/1. The smaller the number, the bigger the aperture opening.

Aperture Priority f/22 Less Deeper Light Depth of Field (More in Focus) f/16 A Av Nikon/Olympus Canon

f/11 In bright light conditions you should use a small aperture to cut back the f/8 amount of light to avoid over exposing your picture.

f/5.6 In low light conditions you should use a wide aperture to let more f/4 light reach the sensor. Shallower Depth of Field f/2.8 More Light (Less in Focus)

Notes: Shooting Mode Icons

In the mode dial we can find: Fully Automatic Operations: Portrait, Landscape, Close-Up, Sports, Night Portrait, Kids, Flash Off. Auto, Semi-auto, or Manual Operations: Manual Exposure,

Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority

P T AR N

SC

Not all the cameras have the same controls and menu settings. Depth of Field

Depth of field is the zone of sharp focus both in front of and behind the point of true focus. Depth of field is dependent on the aperture, the focal length of the lens, and the actual distance to the subject.

Deep Depth of Field A deep depth of field will keep everything in focus, including objects or people close to you, and everything in the background. It is quite good for landscape, architectural shots or technical photographs.

Shallow Depth of Field A shallow depth of field will only focus on the object or person you have photographed. Everything else will be out of focus. This is useful for portraits because it draws the eye to the person photographed and softens any distractions in the background.

f/22 f/2.8 Canon Nikon Sony Olympus BASIC MODES Portrait Shallow depth of field (wider aperture) Landscape Deep depth of field (smaller aperture) Close-Up Shallow depth of field (smaller aperture) Sports Stopping the motion (fast shutter speed) Night Portrait Stopping the motion (flash and slow shutter speed) Kids Stopping the motion (fast shutter speed) Sunset Stopping the motion/Shooting the red of the sunset beautifully (fast shutter speed) Flash Off

AUTO Auto CREATIVE MODES M M M M Manual Exposure Av A A A Aperture Priority AE Tv S S S Shutter Priority AE P P P P Program

Flash Settings Additional Light Flash Settings

n Window n Reflective wall n Flash n Bounced AA n Reflected Flash Flash Auto n Diffused ON OFF Flash n Compensate

Sunlight from a clear sky entering a room from a window acts as a spotlight, brightly illuminating one side of your subject.

Reflectors are simply any item used to reflect light toward your subject. Reflectors can be used with a flash or in place of a flash.

Notes: White Balance The Color of Light White balance (WB) is the process of removing unrealistic color casts, n Warm vs. Cool so that objects which appear white n Yellow vs. Blue in person are rendered white in n Sunlight vs. Cloudy your photo. n Direct Light vs. Shade

Sources of Light Proper camera white balance takes into account the “color temperature” of a light source, which refers Sunny Incandescent to the relative warmth or or Tungsten coolness of white light. Our eyes are very good at judging what is white under different light sources, but Cloudy Fluorescent digital cameras often have great difficulty with auto white balance (AWB) -- and can create unsightly blue, orange, or even green color casts.

Incorrect White Balance Correct White Balance

Notes: Artistic Guidelines The rule of thirds is a compositional n Use the rule of thirds or rule of thumb golden rule in visual arts n Fill the frame such as painting, n Be aware of everything in the frame photography, n Think two dimensional & design

The Rule of Thirds The rule of thirds is applied by aligning a subject with the guide lines and their intersection points, placing the horizon on the top or bottom line, or allowing linear features in the image to flow from section to section. The main reason for observing the rule of thirds is to discourage placement of the subject ar the center, or prevent a horizon from appearing to divide the picture in half.

Notes: Fill the Frame Filling the frame

One sure way to keep from from edge to edge including to much information in leaves little doubt a photograph is to fill the frame about what your with your subject and nothing but your subject. Filling the frame from intended target edge to edge leaves little doubt about was. what your intended target was.

There are two ways to get closer: use a telephoto lens or get closer to the subject.

People The filling the frame technique is particularly important when taking pictures of people whose facial features tend to disappear when you move more than a few meters away from them. Their expressions help to tell their story.

Notes: Be Aware of Everything in the Frame Change the way you look at things Be aware of everything in your field of and the things view. Don’t just focus your attention on you look at change the subject. If something is distracting or disturbing elsewhere in the frame, viewers will likely pay attention to - Wayne W. Dyer that and the viewers’ eyes will stray away from your subject.

Think Two Dimensional Sometimes objects that are in another dimension look like they are in the same dimsension.

In the example of the two siblings, the flowers look as though they are just on top of the head of the boy. This can be very simply avoided by taking the picture from another angle.

Notes: