Basic photography— Art, composition, and computer principles AEE 211 February 24, 2003

What makes these images effective?

Overview Basic composition Working with the computer Mood and atmosphere Qualities of a good photo Improving composition Working with the computer Files Scanning Printing

Creating mood Overall feel of a picture Created by Perspective Color Focus (isolation and distance) Weather and light Sunrise/sunset Misty, rainy days Sun vs. overcast

Characteristics of a good photo Shape Line Pattern Texture Size and space

Shape Tends to be noticed first, before texture and pattern Easiest and most recognizable composition tool Shape helps create a mood/character for the picture Search for the unconventional or surprise shape in objects

Creating shape Common— Uncommon— use backlighting to create a silhouette Uncommon— side lighting with simple background underexpose to focus on shape vs. color or texture

Line Lines create Line leads the eye Shape Pattern Depth Perspective Focal point/subject Diagonals S-curves

Line creates perspective Lines into the horizon show depth and perspective for the viewer Vanishing point Point at which lines converge and vanish in to the horizon Place off-center Close-ups decrease perspective while wide-angles can exaggerate it

                                      

Pattern Orderly combination of shape, line, or color Pattern can help echo the character of a photo Catching attention Random patterns Slight variation in a pattern Pattern in common places

Texture Adds realism (sense of touch) to a photo Sharp (hard) light highlights texture Especially important for close-up and b/w shots Side lighting highlights texture Most portraits use front lighting to decrease texture on skin

Using light for depth Sometimes hard light is inappropriate for illustrating shape and depth Soft side lighting can give a sense of shape and depth without high contrast Portraits Still life When shape/depth is more important that texture

Size and space 2D pictures distort depth, relative size, and distances Include reference item Include parts of the fore- or background Use a frame Be creative—maybe you want to distort

Giving perspective Linear—Lines which converge into the distance Diminishing size—objects further away are smaller Aerial perspective—atmosphere creates haze, which lightens objects farther away

Depth and perspective Overlapping forms—overlapping objects in a picture create depth and distance Selective focusing—focusing on the foreground and blurring the background

Improving composition Rule of thirds Simplicity Angle and perspective Framing

Have a strong center of interest Take pictures at different angles with different compositions Work around the rule of thirds

Simplicity One strong center of interest Avoid mergers Foreground or background should be simple or complimentary to center of interest Include foreground or background for sense of isolation, distance, depth, etc. Avoid mergers

                                    

Cut offs Avoiding cutting out parts or wholes of people or main subjects Avoiding cutting out the path of a moving object

Give the object somewhere to go

Working with angles Low angles High angle Clear sky backdrop Accentuate movement or action High angle Eliminate cloudy sky 45 degree angles will cut glare Avoid centered horizons

Framing Adds depth Should fit theme Helps subject fill the frame Can block unwanted subjects from view Watch focus on foreground Focus on foreground in landscape Focus on subject in portraits Auto-focus should be centered on main topic Overall—DEPENDS ON CAMERA

Balance Balance color and weight in a picture Formal and informal Symmetrical and asymmetrical

Symmetrical Asymmetrical

Fill the frame Would this picture look better if I was closer? Focus on subject Detail Start far and move closer Fill the frame with objects that “fit” Long range shots provide depth and perspective

                  

Digital issues File formats Scanning Printing

Native file formats Format used by computer program Retains ability to edit within native program Unreadable on WWW or graphics programs Product families (Adobe, Microsoft, etc.) Examples .ppt, .doc, .mix

Nonnative file formats General formats that multiple programs can open .gif, .jpg, .tif, .bmp Formatting cannot be undone within a program – picture must be reedited Save pictures in both native and nonnative file formats

Resolution Quality of the pictures on a screen, print, or file DPI = dots per inch (printer) PPI = pixels per inch (screen) More resolution means higher file size Different file types contain more or less information (resolution)

Resolution and bits

Tagged Image File Format Very flexible and can be opened by most programs Saves as pixels Scan as a .tiff or as a native file format if possible

EPS files (vector) Only some programs use: FreeHand, Illustrator, CorelDraw Saved as separate images not as pixels – no resolution lost with resizing Use the “Options” button under PRINT in PageMaker to save as EPS

Graphical Interchange Format Great for the WWW 8-bit – 256 colors (indexed color) Usually set at 72 pixels for the WWW Allows for transparency NOT used in printing

Portable Network Graphic 24-bit (millions of colors) Transparency with jagged edges Alternative to the .gif Newer computer programs only

Joint Photographic Experts Group 24-bit color Lossy compression You can usually set your compression here Best for WWW pictures

Portable Document Format Embeds all data into a single file Fonts Format Pictures Text Works on any computer with reader Standardizes your document Work on WWW and as attachments

Postscript files Will print on any postscript printer Do not need program to output data Print to file Make sure you know what kind of printer you are dealing with

PNG – GIF – JPG - TIF

General rules Scan a photo as a .tiff file For web pictures, use .jpg For print pictures, use .tiff or vector format at a minimum of 300 dpi When possible, scan/save the picture at the size to be used – 300 dpi will look poor if enlarged

RGB Color Red-green-blue Monitors and scanners determine level of the three to put on a pixel Light directly into the eye = cannot look the exact on paper Out of gamut (cannot be printed in CMYK format)

CMYK Mode Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Key (black) Commercially output documents or special printers Four-color printing Process colors Color bounces off object and onto your eye Get a process book or color guide to select (Pantone, Tru-Match, Agfa)

Comparing the two RGB have smaller file sizes RGB has some features that the other does not Convert between the modes at the end or you will lose information

Understanding resolution Resolved to our eyes = realism and accuracy Printer = DPI Monitor = bit depth (colors displayable) 72 ppi is good enough for electronic photos

Understanding pixels Picture elements (dots) per inch Standard monitor displays 640 by 480 pixels 640 by 480 1024 by 768 More pixels requires more RAM, which may mean lower bit depth

Enlarging with pixels