1. How to use a camera, and tips on creating great photographs
Photography Basics
How to use a camera, and tips on creating great photographs

2. First: What kind of camera do you have?
There are two main types of camera that you will be using in this class.
Camera phone/Point n’ shoot
DSLR

3. Pros and Cons for the point n’ shoot
Portable
Easy to carry, as it usually will fit in a pocket or purse.
Unobtrusive
People tend to be more at ease and are more willing to be spontaneous when there’s not a giant camera point at them.
Easy to operate
almost everything is automatic.
Less control over your settings
Occasionally has a bad case of shutter lag
Typically requires a great deal of post production to create dramatic images.
*There are exceptions to every rule.

4. DSLR
DSLR stands for Digital Single Lens Reflex. This is the type of camera used by advanced amateurs and professionals as lenses can be changed and overall, the photographer is allowed to express themselves fully in the image if they know what they are doing.

5. Pros and Cons for the DSLR
Lots and lots of control over the how your photo turns out
Ability to change lenses
More powerful
Let’s be honest, people take you more seriously.
Bulky
Expensive
Fragile (relatively speaking)
Can make getting candid photos difficult

6. Terms ISO F-Stop Shutter Speed
Comes from the International Organization of Standardization.
Also known as “Film Speed”
F-Stop
Also known as Aperture
Works an awful lot like the human Eye
Shutter Speed
How fast will the image be recorded?

7. ISO
A.k.a. Film Speed, ISO refers to the film, or image sensor’s, sensitivity to light.
The lower the number, the longer the film or sensor needs to be exposed to light; a higher number means less time needed.
Photos will become grainy at higher ISOs.

8. A brief look at ISO speeds
An ISO of 300 or less will produce the clearest photos. These are mostly used for portrait photography or landscapes in bright light.
ISO 400 is the usual minimum speed for action photography or in low light situations.
ISO 800 and higher are for extremely low light situations or extremely fast movement. Expect photos to be grainy.

9. Photos at different ISOs

10. F-Stop or Aperture
Think of F-Stop as the mechanical equivalent of your eye’s iris. The iris will need to be opened wider to let in more light in darker situations and closed more in brighter situations.
Will show up as a number with an f in front of it
F-Stop is a little backwards, 5.6 is a large aperture, where as 16 is a small aperture.

12. What does F-Stop do?
Like your iris, the Aperture’s main job is to help focus the right amount of light, and therefore the image coming into the eye (or camera) to get the best quality image possible.
If you’ve ever had your eyes dilated, you know that an iris that is wide open is very blurry to see through.
Aperture controls the “depth of field”

13. Low Depth of Field
High Depth of Field
Notice things are in more focus with the smaller (f-20) aperture

14. Shutter Speed
Determines how long light is allowed to touch the film or sensor.
Longer shutter speeds will allow for motion blur
Shorter shutter speeds will allow for stopping fast action

15. Fast vs. Slow

16. Recap
ISO determines how much light the sensor needs to capture an image
Shutter speed determines how long the sensor is exposed to light
Aperture determines how much light is allowed through the lens when the shutter is released
All three work together to create an image.

17. For quick reference

18. From good to great… From great to AWESOME!
Tips for better photos
From good to great…
From great to AWESOME!

19. What Makes a Good Image? Composition Lighting Rule of Thirds Angles
Lines
Framing
Patterns
Texture
Lighting

20. 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

22. Avoid Mergers

23. Avoid Amputations
Avoiding cutting out parts or wholes of people or main subjects
Avoiding cutting out the path of a moving object

24. Off with her head! v
His too! v
Poor guy  ^
No more athlete’s foot

25. Rule of Thirds Don’t center your subject; it’s boring
Place it on one of the circled areas

26. Rule of thirds at work
Bad
Good
Fair

27. Working with Angles Low angle High angle Avoid centered horizons
Accentuate movement or action
Make subject look big, imposing or powerful
High angle
Eliminate unwanted backdrops
Make subject look smaller
Avoid centered horizons
Head and shoulders above horizon creates a feeling of importance
Try the 45 degree method to get rid of reflected flashes
Creates INTEREST!

29. BE CAREFUL WITH ANGLES!
Same girl.
No Joke.

30. 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

34. Natural 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

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

37. 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

41. Balance
Balance color and weight in a picture
Formal and informal

42. Symmetrical
Asymmetrical

43. 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

45. 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

47. 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

49. 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