PHOTOGRAPHY FUNDAMENTALS


Made for my EDTEC 572 class, this video combines still photographs, text, and song to insist some simple concepts of photography composition.

Photography Fundamentals

Whether you are using a normal movie Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) camera, or a digital SLR (DLSR), you need to first assimilate some simple photography fundamentals in sequence to take good pictures.

The fundamentals are:

1) Exposure

2) Aperture

3) Shutter Speed

4) ISO

5) Metering System

6) Depth of Fields

7) Composition

We will plead the first 4 fundamentals photography and how they are inter-related here in the context of digital photography.

How are they related?

Basically, Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO together control how much bearing the sensor will receive, and to illustrate the ensuing image. You can also grasp the same bearing if you enlarge one of them and revoke the other one relatively.

Exposure

Exposure is the impulse when light strikes the sensor and the design is recorded.

Three factors mix to establish the scold bearing for a digital image:

a)      The volume of light in the stage strikes the CCD or CMOS sensor

b)      The length of time that sensor is unprotected to the light

c)       The attraction of the sensor

What does Exposure Control

The volume of Exposure time will establish how much light will set upon the senor and how much sum will be recorded. The longer the exposure, the more light and sum will be recorded. However, too much light will outcome in an overly unprotected (totally white) picture.

In the other hand, too little light will outcome in an under-exposed (no details, or even all black) pictures. So selecting the right environment for Aperture, Shutter Speed together with ISO is very important.

The camera, however, still give the photographer some control on the bearing to grasp sure outcome through Exposure Compensation (EV), selecting a Negative (-) worth will force the camera to regulate the bearing reduce than the normal value. Choosing a Positive (+) will force the camera to regulate the bearing aloft than it routinely would.

What is Aperture

An orifice is the non-static opening in a lens that allows light through.

It is made up of a array of overlapping steel blades called an Iris diaphragm to concede the size of the orifice to change from full hole to small hole.

This non-static opening determines the volume of light that falls on the sensor. The not as big the f-number (e.g. f-2.8), the bigger the orifice size.

What does Aperture Control

Aperture influences the shiver speed and the abyss of margin of a picture.

Under the same lighting condition & ISO setting, small orifice will need a longer shiver speed, while a big orifice will need a shorter shiver speed.

Big apertures like f2.8 or f4 have a shade abyss of field, which will furnish a design with forehead sharp, but the credentials soft/blur.

Smaller apertures like f22 have a larger abyss of field, which will furnish a design with both forehead and credentials sharp.

What is Shutter

Shutter is the device that opens and closes to control the time that light is authorised to pass through the orifice to the sensor.

It is totalled in seconds and can operation from 1/4000 for very quick camera to fifteen seconds.

What does Shutter Speed Control

Shutter speed control how relocating design will crop up in the picture.

Fast shiver speed will solidify relocating action, while a slower shiver speed will emanate a “motion blur” effect.

What is ISO

It is the tenure used in the normal movie photography to prove the attraction to light of the movie roll. The aloft the number, the more supportive it is.

ISO 400 is twice as supportive to light as ISO 200, and to illustrate can perform better in reduce lighting condition than ISO 200.

In DLSR, of course there is no more movie used. Instead, the ISO environment will discuss it the sensor how to handle if it is a normal film.

What does ISO Control

ISO will control how much how supportive the senor will conflict to light and the peculiarity of the image.

A low ISO will need more light and will furnish a better peculiarity image.

A tall ISO will need reduction light but will furnish sound in the image.

In a splendid balmy day outdoor, use a reduce ISO, like ISO 100 or ISO 200, while in low light condition, use a aloft ISO setting.

Further Reading

If you want to sense more about Composition, you might want to take a look at the essay Photography Fundamentals – Composition.