FRITZ SCHNEIDERPEACHAM CYBERNETICS Introduction To Digital Photography I - Basics

Photography is not new 15 th Century 19 th Century 20 th Century 21 st Century “Camera Obscura”. Tintypes, Daguerreotypes, etc. Film, paper, wide- spread use. Digital, electronic transmission.

Human Vision Focuses on part of scene Adjusts rapidly to light Continuously flits around Limited color range Color lost in low light

Basics of Photography Subject Lens Imaging surface Image storage Image retrieval ()

Film Photography vs. Digital Subject Lens Film Developing Darkroom magic? Printing Subject Lens Sensor Memory Card Postprocessing Printing or Display or or…

How Photographs are used Film  To make small prints to pass around  To make large prints to display  To make slides to be projected Digital  To display on a screen  To send as  To share on the Internet  To build web sites  Occasionally to print out

Economic Differences FilmDigital Initial costModerateGetting cheaper Taking pictures Must buy film and developing Free!! Take all you want! Image display Must pay for prints (even if blurry) or own a slide projector. Need a computer

Characteristics of a Digital Camera Lens quality Size: Cell Phone vs. Pocket vs. Long Zoom vs. SLR Memory type: Internal, SD, XD, Memory stick Resolution in megapixels Zoom range Stabilization User interface Battery life

How many Megapixels? On screen? 1024 x 768 =.79 MP Finest printing is 300 dpi, the resolution limit of the unaided human eye. More allows you to crop it and still have detail. Bigger pictures take longer to save and need a larger memory card. Picture Size At 150 dpiAt 300 dpi 4 x MP2.16 MP 8 x MP7.2 MP

Sources of Information Magazines (but they are often out of date) Friends experience (not opinion) Reviews   Imaging Resources Ignore the salesman!

Basics of Photography Composition Focus Exposure

My Pet Peeve Here we are in …

Why are you taking the picture? To prove I was there To tell a story Because it’s beautiful

Composition: single subject Vs.

Composition: Rule of Thirds vs.

Composition: Lead the Eye

Composition: People add interest

Composition: Frame the subject

Focus: Depth of Field Wider aperture (f/2.8) has less depth of field Telephoto has less depth of field

Exposure The camera has limited range. It does not see what you see. Washed out highlights Lost shadow detail

Exposure: Special Conditions Spot metering setting Fill flash Check White Balance Half-press the shutter release Reduce exposure for snow, sunrise, etc.

Battery Life If you have one, use the eye-level viewfinder as much as possible: the screen uses power Turn off flash, be aware of red-eye feature Carry a spare battery