BASIC PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS CONTENT

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1 1 Australian Photography Tours - E-book BASIC PHOTOGRAPHY CLASS CONTENT 1. PHOTOGRAPH COMPOSITION - LINE - SHAPE - FORM - TEXTURE SHAPE: A shape always has two dimensions, length as well as width. Shapes can be geometrical, rectangles, ovals and squares. FORM: A form always has three dimensions; length, width and height. Form can be cubes, pyramids, spheres or even cylinders. VALUE: This means the changes in the base colour. This is also determined by how much light is reflected or absorbed by colour. TEXT UR E: There are three kinds of basic textures: actual, simulated and the invented texture. Lines and shading can be used to create different textures as well. COLOUR: Three important points are hue, value and the intensity. Hue means the shades (colour), Value refers to the lightness or the darkness and Intensity refers to the brightness or dullness. SPACE: Visual perspective; this gives the illusion of depth. It also means the way you the photographer area within the frame. Real space is three dimensional and photographers use of space can greatly affect the entire composition of their image. - Remember the Rule Of Thirds 2. THE RULE OF THIRDS The rule of thirds states than an image is most pleasing when its subjects or regions are composed along imaginary lines which divide the image into thirds both vertically and horizontally: It is actually quite amazing that a rule so seemingly mathematical can be applied to something as varied and subjective as a photograph. But it works, and surprisingly well. The rule of thirds is all about creating the right aesthetic trade-offs. It often creates a sense of balance without making the image appear too static and a sense of complexity without making the image look too busy.

2 2 Australian Photography Tours - E-book 3. Composition tips Photographers take just one or two shots then move on. Although you can get good shots this way, it is better to slow down and take lots of photos of your subject, as you improve you will develop your "photographers eye" and the number of shots you take will reduce. Here are a few reasons why: IN CR EASES YO UR CHANCES O F G ETTING A SHARP P HOTO In nature, almost everything is constantly moving. Even on a seemingly calm day, branches will bounce in the air, and wildlife never seems to sit still for even a second. So, taking lots of shots can increase your chances of getting a shot when your subject is still. LIGHT I S CONSTANT LY C HAN GING Although the lighting is pretty constant during the day, it changes rapidly during sunrise and sunset. So, if you re photographing a landscape during these special golden hours it s helpful to take lots of shots to ensure you capture the most colourful moment. Clouds can diffuse sunlight, you may want diffused light or you may NOT want that soft light. Either way, taking lots of shots can help ensure you photograph your subject under the most perfect lighting conditions. EXPOSURE If you re new to photography, or still mastering the art of exposure, then taking a few different shots at different exposures can really help teach you about exposure. It ll also help ensure you get a properly exposed shot, so you don t have to correct the shot in post-processing, which usually creates a lot of ugly noise. IMAGE NOI SE Image noise is random (not present in the object imaged) variation of brightness or color information in images, and is usually an aspect of electronic noise. It can be produced by the sensor and circuitry of a scanner or digital camera. Image noise can also originate in film grain and in the unavoidable shot noise of an ideal photon detector. IN SPIRES N EW I DEAS FO R CO MP OSITIO NS Taking more shots of your subject forces you to slow down and be more patient, you start seeing your subject from different points of view. And, this can often inspire you to create new compositions or make small improvements to your first composition idea 4. GOOD CAMERA PRACTICES Brace yourself and your camera. This might include leaning up against a wall, kneeling or sitting, or using the viewfinder instead of the rear LCD (since the camera gets braced against your face). OPTI MI ZE HO W YO U GRI P T HE CAMER A It's important to hold your camera firmly but not tensely, and to use both hands. With large telephoto lenses, make sure to place one hand under the lens and the other on your camera. Make sure that your arms remain close to your body and in a comfortable position. PRACTI CE MAK ES P ERFECT

3 3 Australian Photography Tours - E-book Practice better shutter button technique. Always try to press the shutter button half-way first, then gently press the button with no more pressure/speed than necessary. Take a deep breath, exhaling about halfway, then pressing the shutter button. LEN S AN D CAMERA CLEAN ING If and when you get a second lens; three tips on changing lenses in the field. turn off the camera before detaching the lens. Adopt the technique of holding the camera with the lens mount facing down, dust and moisture will be less likely to get into the opening. Replace the screw on cover over on the lens mount of the lens you just removed before putting in away. Your camera bag or pocket will be dusty or dirty. Dust in the back of the lens will migrate into the camera if you don't keep it clean. 5. SAVING IMAGES RAW / JPEG / TIFF The RAW file format is digital photography's equivalent of a negative in film photography: it contains untouched, "raw" pixel information straight from the digital camera's sensor. Digital cameras normally "develop" this RAW file by converting it into a full colour JPEG or TIFF image file, and then store the converted file in your memory card. Digital cameras have to make several interpretive decisions when they develop a RAW file, and so the RAW file format offers you more control over how the final JPEG or TIFF image is generated. The best results are obtained by shooting in RAW but not all software handles RAW format images. The following links take you to websites from which economically priced software is available. The Fastone software is free to non-commercial users. - Fastone Image Viewer Paint Shop Pro

4 4 Australian Photography Tours - E-book 6. CAMERA SETTINGS WHITE BALAN CE C LO UDY D AY LI GHT T UNGST EN C USTO M White balance (WB) is the process of removing unrealistic colour casts, so that objects which appear white in person are rendered white in your photo. Proper camera white balance has to take into account the "colour temperature" of a light source, which refers to the relative warmth or coolness of white light. Our eyes are very good at judging what is white under different light sources, but digital cameras often have great difficulty with auto white balance (AWB) and can create unsightly blue, orange, or even green colour casts. Understanding digital white balance can help you avoid these colour casts, thereby improving your photos under a wider range of lighting conditions. Shade and Cloudy settings are often chosen by photographers because of their warm appearance. F STO P DEP TH O F FI ELD - AP ERT UR E In photography, the circle of confusion ( CoC ) is used to determine the depth of field, the part of an image that is acceptably sharp. A standard value of CoC is often associated with each image format, but the most appropriate value depends on visual acuity, viewing conditions, and the amount of enlargement. Properly, this is the maximum permissible circle of confusion, the circle of confusion diameter limit, or the circle of confusion criterion, but is often informally called simply the circle of confusion. source Wikipedia Although print size and viewing distance influence how large the circle of confusion appears to our eyes, aperture and focal distance are the two main factors that determine how big the circle of confusion will be on your camera's sensor. Larger apertures (smaller F-stop number) and closer focusing distances produce a shallower depth of field. The following test maintains the same focus distance, but changes the aperture setting: The depth of field does not abruptly change from sharp to unsharp, but instead occurs as a gradual transition. In fact, everything immediately in front of or in back of the focusing distance begins to lose sharpness even if this is not perceived by our eyes or by the resolution of the camera.

5 5 Australian Photography Tours - E-book SHUTT ER SP EED Depth of Field examples A camera's shutter speed can control exposure, but it's also one of the most powerful creative tools in photography. It can convey motion, freeze action, isolate subjects and smooth water. MODES MACRO S PO RTS- FLASH AV - MANUAL Achieving the correct exposure is a lot like collecting rain in a bucket. While the rate of rainfall is uncontrollable, three factors remain under your control: 1. the bucket's width, 2. the duration you leave it in the rain, 3. and the quantity of rain you want to collect. You just need to ensure you don't collect too little ("underexposed"), but that you also don't collect too much ("overexposed"). The key is that there are many different combinations of width, time and quantity that will achieve this. For example, for the same quantity of water, you can get away with less time in the rain if you pick a bucket that's really wide. Alternatively, for the same duration left in the rain, a really narrow bucket can be used as long as you plan on getting by with less water. In photography, the exposure settings of aperture, shutter speed and ISO speed are analogous to the width, time and quantity discussed above. Furthermore, just as the rate of rainfall was beyond your control above, so too is natural light for a photographer. ISO SETTINGS ASA - NOISE The ISO speed determines how sensitive the camera is to incoming light. Similar to shutter speed, it also correlates 1:1 with how much the exposure increases or decreases. However, unlike aperture and shutter speed, a lower ISO speed is almost always desirable, since higher ISO speeds dramatically increase image noise. As a result, ISO speed is usually only increased from its minimum value if the desired aperture and shutter speed aren't otherwise obtainable. Common ISO speeds include 100, 200, 400 and 800, although many cameras also permit lower or higher values. With compact cameras, an ISO speed in the range of generally produces acceptably low image noise, whereas with digital SLR cameras, a range of (or higher) is often acceptable.

6 6 Australian Photography Tours - E-book EXPOSURE MODE TABLE E X P O S U R E M O D E S H O W IT W O R K S Auto ( ) Camera automatically selects all exposure settings. Program (P) Aperture Priority (Av or A) Shutter Priority (Tv or S) Manual (M) Bulb (B) Camera automatically selects aperture & shutter speed; you can choose a corresponding ISO speed & exposure compensation. With some cameras, P can also act as a hybrid of the Av & Tv modes. You specify the aperture & ISO; the camera's metering determines the corresponding shutter speed. You specify the shutter speed & ISO; the camera's metering determines the corresponding aperture. You specify the aperture, ISO and shutter speed regardless of whether these values lead to a correct exposure. Useful for exposures longer than 30 seconds. You specify the aperture and ISO; the shutter speed is determined by a remote release switch, or by the duration until you press the shutter button a second time. PRESET MODE TABLE P R E S E T M O D E S Exposure Mode Portrait How It Works Camera tries to pick the lowest f-stop value possible for a given exposure. This ensures the shallowest possible depth of field. Landscape Camera tries to pick a high f- stop to ensure a large depth of field. Compact cameras

7 7 Australian Photography Tours - E-book also often set their focus distance to distant objects or infinity. Sports/Action Night/Low-light Camera tries to achieve as fast a shutter speed as possible for a given exposure ideally 1/250 seconds or faster. In addition to using a low f- stop, the fast shutter speed is usually achieved by increasing the ISO speed more than would otherwise be acceptable in portrait mode. Camera permits shutter speeds which are longer than ordinarily allowed for hand-held shots, and increases the ISO speed to near its maximum available value. However, for some cameras this setting means that a flash is used for the foreground, and a long shutter speed and high ISO are used expose the background. Check your camera's instruction manual for any unique characteristics. 7. WHAT S SO SPECIAL ABOUT OVERCAST LIGHTING CONDITIONS? Overcast skies are special because of the soft and balanced light they produce. The clouds act as a natural diffuser, so the more clouds you have in the sky, the more balanced the light will be. This balanced light will eliminate virtually all shadows and reflections. So, what are these conditions good for? Well, two great examples are wildflowers and waterfalls. The secret to getting perfect light for your wildflower photos is to photograph them on an overcast day. B R I G H T SUN N Y D A Y S On a bright sunny day, the harsh rays of the sun will blow out the highlights of wildflowers and create some ugly dark shadows. The natural diffuser (clouds) helps balance the light to eliminate these shadows and cast a soft light on the flower (preventing those highlights from being blown).

8 8 Australian Photography Tours - E-book The soft and balanced light of an overcast day is also helpful for photographing waterfalls because it helps reduce contrast and reveal detail in the shadows. Another great benefit of photographing waterfalls / streams on overcast days is the need for longer shutter speeds. Since cloudy days are significantly darker than sunny days, you ll need a longer shutter to capture the scene. These longer shutters are great for achieving that silky water look like in the photo above. ANOTHER OPTION: CAPTURE THE GLOOMY MOOD If wildflowers and waterfalls aren t your thing, then perhaps you can just capture the stillness and gloom of overcast days. Maybe you know of a lone tree in a meadow somewhere, that looks especially lonely on a cloudy or overcast day. There s no rule that says all your photos have to be happy, so don t be afraid to capture the gloom PLANNING A PHOTOGRAPHY TRIP I never visit a new location with high expectations of obtaining good photographs on the first day. W H A T T O L O O K F O R - SI T E P H Y S I C A L A T T R I B U T E S The first trip is to evaluate the geographical features, light, flora, fauna, water and water features. In addition I am looking for ease of access, good parking, toilet facilities, restaurants / takeaways and the tourism value of the area Not all of these attributes are available at every location. Some have almost none and are photography locations only. To find a location that meets all of the above is unusual and very welcome. T O U R I S M A S P E C T S Look for other features which can generate interests and make it a good day out for you and your friends. It is great to find a location which offers addition opportunities after cessation of your session has finished. M E T H O D O L O G Y I do take some photographs for evaluation of the location on my computer, I use a point and shoot. This is followed up by several visits to the site at Dawn, Sunset and possibly during the day with planned shoots. My objective is to find locations for my clients, create a photograph library for the Australian Photography Tours website and create landscapes to sell. Your objective is probably to improve your photography and take photographs you can be proud of. Our methods should be the same and only the objective changes. E X A M P L E Last Sunday I visited a location in the Illawarra which I had previously dismissed. My wife Suzanne ed the location and feedback on the area. We found on investigation that this location ticks all the boxes.

9 9 Australian Photography Tours - E-book What a gem! We can run sunset and sunrise workshops, it has good light until late in the morning. There are water reflections, beaches, ruins, refreshments, good parking, little walking and toilets. We even saw an Egret fishing and swallowing its catch head first. This is a classical example of what I have described in Tourism Aspects and Methodology. The end result is the same, great photographs. On a final and very important note on safety: Go with a friend, preferably a photographer who won't become bored especially in the early hours of the morning or twilight if the location is out of the way. I rarely ever do this alone Above All - Have Fun! Australian Photography Tours is an Australian Tourism Accredited Business