INTRO TO PHOTOGRAPHY
CLASS 5
CLASS 4
Storytelling and the Decisive Moment
Homework
1. Landscapes. Remember to try using lines, shapes, colors, contrast, as well as rule of thirds, etc., to organize or design your image. Use the LCD screen to check your composition.
2. Nature and/or wildlife images.
3. Create images that tell a story or illustrate the decisive moment.
4. Shoot or bring a few pictures of whatever you want, things you like to photograph or images that you have questions about.
5. Optional: In addition to (not instead) the above, bring in some pictures of people or pets.
4. Review your camera controls. We have covered:
– Camera modes and how to shoot in Aperture Priority Mode
– How aperture, shutter speed and ISO affect exposure
– What ISO does and how to change it
– How to control depth of field and use it compositionally
– How to change your shutter speed and use shutter speed to stop action or blur movement
– Shutter’s rapid fire Servo Mode
– Exposure compensation
– What White Balance does and how to change it
Check your manual if you don’t understand how to use any of the above. I’ll leave time at the end of the next class to answer questions.
Upload up to 8-10 images to https://www.dropbox.com/request/xVgIjP82fzoD1GRTWwGL.
CLASS 3
Histograms and Exposure Compensation
Homework
– Shoot the light. Shoot some a) “contrasty” images – silhouettes, light against dark, picket fences, etc., b) colors in geometric shapes – square red barn, yellow triangle, etc., c) images with hard light, d) images with soft light and e) directional light, ie shoot something with side lighting, front lighting and back lighting.
– Experiment with Exposure Compensation. Try to intentionally overexpose and underexpose an image. Remember to put undo the adjustment when you are done. If you’re unclear on Exposure Compensation, read your manual or Google “how to use exposure compensation” for your camera.
– Edit a picture: adjust brightness/contrast and/or color adjustments, crop, remove blemishes, etc. Bring in the before and after. Use whatever software you like. Your computer came with an editing program already installed, or you can download software from your camera manufacturer’s website.
– Edit a new or existing image several different ways. Try to find multiple compositions within a single image by cropping it in different ways. Try a long panel shot, vertical (or horizontal, square, crop in a detail, etc. Don’t worry about losing resolution.
– Try to use rule of thirds, points/lines, and/or framing in your compositions.
Upload up to eight images to https://www.dropbox.com/request/xVgIjP82fzoD1GRTWwGL.
CLASS 2
Depth of Field
Shutter Speed
Points and Lines
Homework
– Experiment with depth of field, shooting both shallow and deep depth of field. Shallow depth of field: low f-stop, long-sit lens, close to subject. Deep depth of field: wide angle lens, high f-stop, not too close to subject.
– Find a moving subject and shoot it at different shutter speeds. Try rushing water, ceiling fan, traffic or anything else you can think. You’ll need a tripod in some cases, depending on how fast the subject is moving and the amount of light.
– Practice moving the focus points around. Learn to do it with your eye to the viewfinder and without looking at the buttons.
– Look for lines (leading lines, lines as visual interest,patterns etc.) and focal points. Try to use rule of thirds and framing in your compositions.
Upload up to eight images to https://www.dropbox.com/request/xVgIjP82fzoD1GRTWwGL.
CLASS 1
Homework
1. Practice using aperture priority mode and working with the exposure triangle.
– Know how to change your f-stop and be aware of how that affects your shutter speed.
– Know how to change your ISO setting. In normal light, you can stick with 100-800. Adjust it and/or your f-stop as necessary to ensure the shutter speed you want. Try to keep around 1/125th sec., but don’t go below 1/30th.
2.Review your manual’s sections on focusing. Pay special attention to how to change your focus mode and how to change your focus point.
2. Rule of Thirds. Take pictures using rule of thirds.
3. Work the Scene. Find a scene or subject and shoot it several different ways. Send/bring about three images to class.
4. Framing. 1) Find a subject and use other elements in the scene to frame it, and 2) use the viewfinder as a picture frame (check the edges and make sure you want those things in the picture).
Upload up to eight images to https://www.dropbox.com/request/xVgIjP82fzoD1GRTWwGL.