Digital Photography What do you need to Know?

Advantages of Digital Camera over Film Cameras Speed: Images recorded by the camera can be transmitted directly into the computer without processing. Conservation: Film and chemicals are not expended. Safety: There is no exposure to processing chemicals.

Disadvantages of Digital Camera over Film Cameras

Historical Perspective on Digital Imaging Let’s face it…digital photography has only been with us for about 10 years. It is still in its embryonic state. Digital technology continues to evolve and become more technically sophisticated as quality keeps getting better and costs incrementally get less each year for higher resolution cameras.

Is there a really difference between traditional photography and digital? Digital photography is another form of the photographic medium, and a background in traditional photography will allow you to go further, faster, in the digital realm however it is not imperative.

Analog vs. Digital A digital system is one that uses discrete values (often electrical voltages), especially those representable as binary numbers, or non-numeric symbols such asbinary numberssymbols lettersletters or icons, for input, processing, transmission,icons storage, or display, rather than a continuous spectrum ofcontinuous values (ie, as in an analog system).analog

What is Digital Imaging? A digital or electronic, image is one that has been produced with a computer or camera. The machine (or digital camera) takes (captures) a visual image and translates it into a series of mathematical values ones and zero's, or bits of information. The image can be acquired via digital camera or by scanning any two-dimensional image such as a photograph, printed page, or any other type of picture. Even a three-dimensional object can be placed on a scanner and its surface captured. The scanner then digitizes the image and displays it electronically on the monitor.

What happens when you take a digital photograph Digital images are made up of pixels. Pixels (short for picture elements) are the small sections of color and/or tone that together form a digital image. Pixels form an image like pieces of a mosaic. A digital image is a grid of pixels. When the pixels are viewed together in proper registration, the image is formed. When there are enough pixels and they are small enough so as not to be individually discernible, the digital image can achieve photo quality. Increased magnification of any digital image will eventually show the individual pixels,as in the enlarged section in the image at right.

Digital Photography is based on the Pixel - Picture Element The more pixels per square in the better the quality of the image - it is that simple. Pixel—(Picture Element) The smallest element of a digitized image. One small dot of light among the many dots that makeup an image on a computer screen.

Digital Imaging Methodology and Imaging Options An understanding of resolution issues is critical to getting good photographs (output)

Let’s Talk Pixels, File Size and Resolution They all interrelate!

Megapixel Megapixel—A unit equal to one million pixels. The higher the resolution, the more pixels in an image and therefore the greater the image quality. An image file that is 1 megapixel (MP) can make a photo realistic print of 5 x 7 inches; a 2 MP file can make an 8 x 10-inch print; a 3 MP file can make an 11 x 14-inch print.

Resolution The number of pixels in an image. A higher number correlates to a higher quality image. More is ALWAYS better! Minimum 240 resolution Needed for photo quality Ideal

Digital Camera vs. Scanning (Negatives/Prints) Better off scanning negatives than prints for higher quality output (photographs)

File Formats File types are mathematical formulas that help the computer read the colors in the file. There are hundreds of file types. Tiff Tagged Image File Format (Universal Format - High Quality) Gif Graphic interchange format (For the Web) Jpeg Joint Photographer’s Expert Group (Web or Prints) Png Portable Network Graphic In every graphics application, when you save your file, the program asks you, “What file format would you like to save this as?” In the land of print work, most labs will use the Tiff file format. They will create a Tiff file and save it at 300dpi. The Tiff file is a big file format.

Basic procedure for getting better digital photographs with Photoshop Or minimum 240

Most of rules are the same (composition, content, creativity) equipment, but the process is very different. Getting the latent image from camera to print is vastly different.

Some Basic Shooting Tips 1. Don’t always shoot standing up (eye level) 2. Stay away from busy / chaotic backgrounds 3. Use flash Outdoors (Opens Shadows)) 4. Move in close to your subject. 5. Rule of Thirds - Don’t place subject in middle of frame 6. Ask Yourself what is my main subject before shooting. 7. Know your flash's range 8. Watch the light - Light is the key to great photos 9. Take some vertical pictures - vertical subjects like people 10. Be a picture director - direct your subjects when possible

Great Web Resources

Let’s take some Pictures!