Applications and principles of photography

There are many different camera controls on the camera that are used in photography. They all do different things to make sure that the pictures come out the best they can be.

Focus
The focus button on a camera allows the photographer to make the picture focus on a specific part. This could make the main focus clearer and sharper whilst the background is out of focus.

Aperature
This is the adjustment of the lens opening which is measured as an f'-number. This controls the amount of light that passes through the lens. The higher the f-number, the smaller the opening, the less light, the greater depth of field and the more diffraction blur. On DSLR cameras they have specific settings that mean different things. This is picture of the settings you can get:




The dial A means Aperature Priority.

This is a setting that allows the person using the camera to choose a specific aperure value and then the camera selects a perfect shutter speed to match which creates the perfect exposure. The main purpose of using this is to be able to control the depth of field. This is mainly used in landscape and portait photography since using a wide aperature gives you the opportunity to make the background seem out of focus and have the closest object appear really sharp and clear.


Shutter speed
This is the adjustment of the speed of the shutter which controls how fast or slow you can press the shutter button. Shutter speed may be used to control the amount of light striking the image plane; 'faster' shutter speeds decrease both the amount of light and the amount of image blurring from motion of the subject and/or camera.

When setting the shutter speed on the DSLR, you choose the TV which means time value on the dial. The camera will then calculate the appropriate aperture for the correct exposure shown in the view finder.

There are 10 options for slow shutter speeds:

- 1/1000

- 1/500

- 1/250

- 1/125

- 1/60

- 1/30

- 1/15

- 1/8

- 1/4

- 1/2

All of them are in fractions of a second.

 

Long shutter speeds are done in whole seconds:

- 1

- 2

- 4

- 8

- 16

- 32

- 60

White balance
White balancing adjusts the camera for the type of light or lighting conditions in the scene so it will look normal to the human eye.

ISO speed
 A measure of a film’s sensitivity to light. A 400 speed film is more sensitive to light than a 100 speed film. The fastre the film is makes it better in low light conditions.  The ISO (International Organization for Standardization) give state of the art specifications for products, services and good practice. This helps the industry by making things more efficient and effective.
This is a picture of the founders of the ISO pictured in London in 1946:

This is a picture of a high ISO vs low ISO using a DLSR camera:

There is a major difference between these images, the low ISO of 100 is blurry and unclear, which doesn't really make it look like an appealing photography.

However, the high ISO of 800 uses depth of field to make the object closest to the camera stand out more.The background is supposed to be blurry on that picture as it makes the main theme stand out more.

 

ISO is the level of light your camera lets in.. The lower the ISO number the less sensitive your camera is to light, whereas the higher the ISO number it increases the sensitivity of your camera which creates a lot better of a photograph.

Autofocus point
This is a function on a camera that allows it to autofocus on the main subject of the photograph. The makes it so it doesn't look blurry in the wrong places. 

Photoshop

Histograms

The most common place to find a histogram is in the levels box. The higher the line from this axis, the greater the number of pixels at that brightness level. You can view the distribution for each color channel separately or for the composite image as a whole.

Studio Lighting Techniques

High speed photography
High speed photography is where you can catch images such as glass breaking. For this you need an extremely fast shutter speed.

 

Black and white photography
Black and white photography can be used to create some powerful images and is only used in specific cases. Black and white effects are usually created after a picture is taken on some editing software however some cameras have the ability to take black and white photos already.

Smoke art photography
Smoke art photography is used to produce pictures of the pattern smoke creates. This can create some beautiful pictures.

Lighting

The sun is a photographers key lighting equipment however on days where the sun isn't doing it's best photographers will use special reflective systems to make it shine on the model/object. If you point it directly at the model the harsher it will make the picture.

To improve the way silver and white reflectors work and you're not outside then the best thing to do is shine a light directly onto the object/person. This creates a higher quality of image.

To create some high quality images that stand out better a good technique is to make sure the lighting is behind the person/object. To get a great look your lights must be extremely bright so often strobe lights are used. The technique can add effective shadows and make the picture look extremely professional.

If you're shooting a picture at night then the best way to make it look more vibrant is to have already existing lights on the shot for example, lamp posts. However bright lights and reflectors are brought to make the subject of the shot look more appealing and bright.

Tripods

How to put up a tripod:

- Make sure you have a space that is on flat ground and you won't be in anyones way.

- Spread all three legs of the tripod out as far as they go, then depending on how high you want your tripod pull out the leg extension, check to make sure each of the tripods legs are level. 

-Attach the camera to the tripod by using the quick release button and then screw it in.

 Tripods help make an image look clear and if you have the camera on a certain setting then you won't ruin the picture with an unsteady hand. Tripods are also good for helping frame a perfect picture because you can keep the camera still.  

 This is a helpful video on how to set up a tripod:

Preparing Camera To Shoot

- The most important thing you need to do is check the battery life of your camera or make sure that you are taking spares with you when you're on your shoot. 

- Then you insert the recording media. Make sure you have a memory card with enough space on for the shoot, then insert it where the camera has the slot, then close the cover and when the camera is turned on the number of shots will be displayed on the LCD monitor of how many pictures can fit on the memory card like (p. 32).

- Then you need to select recording size.

- You then need to set the diopter, this means that you have to make sure that the points in the viewfinder look as sharp as possible.

- Now you need to select auto or manual focus, this all depends on what object you are taking pictures of.

- Then you need to select the metering mode depending on how bright the subject or the area you are shooting. 

- You have to set the white balance, the reason you need to set a white balance is so that anything that is white in the pictures looks white.

- Then you select the shoot mode depending on the area or the type of shot you're wanting to take.

Adobe Bridge

Renaming
You can rename a whole batch of photos on Adobe. To do this all you have to do is select all the images that you want to rename, click tools, click rename batch and then it renames all the files with the same name but adding a number. This can make it easier to find any pictures that you want.

Labeling and Grading
To label and grade an image you have you have to select the image that you are wanting to rate. You have to left click on the image and select the star rating that you wanting to give it or press the 'CTRL' button and the number between 1-5 that you are wanting to rate it.

Filtering
After you have gave your images a star rating you can then filter the image. On the left hand side of the program there are drop down boxes titled as 'Labels, Ratings, File Type.' All you have to do is click the filter button.

Rotating
On Adobe there a two little buttons that you can click to rotate the picture either left or right 90 degrees.

Creating Contact Sheets
To create a contact sheet you have to select the images you want to use and go to OUTPUT. After that all you have to do is organise how you want it to look and then save it, it will be saved as a PDF file

Creating Slide Shows
All you have to do is select the images you want to use, click on view and then just simply select 'Slide Show.'

Composition

Composition is very important when it comes to photography. By knowing more about how to frame a photograph can help make your picture look even better.

Rule Of Thirds

The rule of thirds is a guideline which applies in photography to composing visual images, it can also be applied in films, paintings and also in many designs. The guideline shows that the image is divided into nine equal parts. By using these points in your photographs it creates more interest in the composition of the photograph instead of just centering the subject in the middle.

 

Pinhole Camera

A pinhole camera is a simple camera without a lens and with a single small aperture - effectively a light-proof box with a small hole in one side. Light from a scene passes through this single point and projects an inverted image on the opposite side of the box. The 'photographer' would then trace the image which would appeal life-like.

Camera Obscura

 This consists of a box or room with a hole in one side. Light from outside of it passes through the hole and hits the surface inside where it is reproduced, upside down, but with colour. The image can be projected onto paper, and can then be traced to produce a highly accurate representation.

Usig mirrors it is possible to project a right side up image. Another more portable type is a boz with an angled mirror projecting onto tracing paper placed on the glass top, the image being upright as viewed from the back. As a pinhole is made smaller, the image gets sharper but the projected image because dimmer. Some practical camera obscuras use a lens rather than a pinhole because it allows a larger aperture, giving a usable brightness while keeping focus.

Daguerroetype

 Louis Daguerre and Joseph Nicephore Niepce invented the first photographic method of taking photographs which was name the daguerroetype, in 1836. Louis Daguerre coated a copper plate with silver, then treated it with iodine vapor to make it sensitive to light. The image was developed by mercury vapor and fixed with a strong solution of ordinary salt. When taking a photograph the object/person would have to keep very still because the speed of the shutter was extremely slow.

Calotype

Calotype or Talbotype is an early photographic process introduced in 1841 by William Henry Fox Talbot. His method including using paper coated with silver idodide. Talbot made his first successful camera photographs in 1835 using paper sensitized with silver chloride, which darked in properotion to its exposure to light. The paper had to be exposed in the camera until the image was fully visible which -with a very long exposure- would typically take an hour or more to produce an acceptable picture.