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Join Steve Worth at Art Lab for an introductory course on digital photography essentials, covering camera settings, exposure basics, lenses, filters, HDR, enhancing, and printing. Learn about ISO, aperture, shutter speed, file formats, white balance, and how to manage file sizes and quality effectively. Discover the nuances of exposure control and metering techniques. Enhance your skills in capturing stunning images and maximizing your camera's potential in this comprehensive workshop. Suitable for beginners or enthusiasts looking to improve their digital photography skills.
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Intro to Digital Photography Steve Worth @ Art Lab artlabsi.org
What We Will Cover • Essential Camera Settings • Digital Files / Sizes / Formats • Exposure Basics • Lenses / Filters / Exposure Compensation / Bracketing • HDR – High Dynamic Range • Enhancing & Printing
Essential Camera Settings • File Size/Quality – Set to Largest • Fine on Nikon • Large (rounded not jagged curve) on Canon • Set Lens to Auto Focus “AF” on Lens • MF is for manual focus (in any camera mode) • Diopter – set sharpest for your eye • White Balance – set to Auto (AWB)
File Formats • JPEG – compressed, processed by camera • RAW – “digital negative” (biggest file) • TIFF – Tagged Image File Format (big file) Shoot JPEGs for this class (JPEG+RAW if you like to shoot RAW) JPEGs don’t need to be imported into the computer. RAW needs to be imported and processed.
File Sizes All files will be same size out of camera (presume Large or Fine): eg. 6000x4000 pixels • 300 ppi (pixels per inch) printing = 20”x13” • 72 ppi on-screen resolution = 83”x56” 6000x4000 = 24,000,000 = 24 Mega(million)pixels File size will vary: eg. 5.8MB, 7.4MB, depending on what’s in the picture
Exposure Basics 1) 2) 3)
Exposure Basics • ISO (film speed) • Aperture (lens opening, or “f-stop”) • Shutter Speed (time that lens is open)
ISO • ISO – “film speed”; sensitivity to light. • Less Sensitive ----------- More Sensitive • More Light Needed <------> Less Light Needed • 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400 … • Less Grainy “noise” <--------> More Grainy “noise” • Lower number needs more light (use lower number outdoors in sunlight), less grainy • Higher number needs less light (use higher number indoors at night), more grainy
Aperture “f-stop” • Aperture – means “opening” • Bigger opening---------- smaller opening • Less stuff in focus ---- More stuff in focus • More light enters--------- Less Light Enters • F-stops: 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32, 44
Same Exposure – Different f-stop Pretend you are shooting in Manual with an Exposure of F4, 1/60, ISO 400. Only change Aperture results in this:
Depth of Field – “what’s in focus” f1.2 - Nikon 55mm
Depth of Field f1.2 - Nikon 55mm
Same Tree f1.2 - Nikon 55mm
Shutter Speed • Shutter Speed – time that shutter is open; time that sensor is exposed to light. • 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000 • expressed as fraction of a second: “at a 60th” means 1/60th of a second. Camera shows 60 • More Light <-------------------------------> Less Light • 4” 2” 1” 2 4 8 15 30 60 125 250 500 1000 • Slower <-------------------safe---------------> Faster
Exposure Modes - Nikon • Auto – Full Automatic (ISO, Aperture, Shutter) • P – “Program” you set ISO; Auto Aperture, Auto Shutter • S – “Shutter Speed Priority” you set ISO and Shutter speed; Auto Aperture • A – “Aperture (f-stop) Priority” you set ISO and Aperture; Auto Shutter • M – Manual – Set ISO, Shutter, and Aperture
Exposure Modes - Canon • Auto – Full Automatic (ISO, Aperture, Shutter) • P – “Program” set ISO; Auto Aperture, Shutter • Tv – “Shutter Speed Priority” set Shutter speed; Auto Aperture • Av – “Aperture (f-stop) Priority” set Aperture; Auto Shutter • M – Manual – Set ISO, Shutter, and Aperture
EV (exposure value) = “Stop” • 0 = Correct Exposure • +1 = Double the light, Photo twice as bright • -1 = Half the light, Photo twice as dark • Each doubling or halving of shutter speed doubles or halves amount of light entering • Each doubling or halving of ISO doubles or halves amount of light entering • Each EV / stop doubles or halves exposure
Metering • Matrix/Pattern: every pixel in your photo will be measured and averaged out to “0 EV” • “0 EV” means Zero Exposure Value, or what your camera deems to be correct exposure. • Partial: Middle circle (diameter top to bottom) will be 60% of the exposure. • Spot: Middle dot will be your full exposure.
White Balance Simply Put: Make sure “White is White” in your photos. If White looks Yellow or Blue, there is a “Color Cast” and you need to go to Auto, or match mode to light source. Example, if looks “yellow”, move to “tungsten”. This will shift the scale so that 3200K is now what 5200K usually looks like. Best Bet: Keep on Auto.
Color Temp of Light Sources Another way to look at it is, Flash and Daylight are naturally around 5200K (which is Daylight/White Balanced). Tungsten, or “old school” light bulbs, are naturally around 3200K, which is more Yellow. If you are in Daylight or Flash on White Balance, and shoot in Tungsten light, your pictures are going to come out Yellow looking. Therefore you need to adjust your white balance to Tungsten, which tells the camera to make “yellow the new white” (LOL).
White Balance If in Daylight, shot will look as in Center. Left is Tungsten (will make your photo yellow if you shoot in daylight on Tungsten mode). Right is shade (if you put white balance on Shade, and shoot in daylight, it will make your shot blue.)
Lenses – Focal Length What is “Focal Length”? • distance between convergence and sensor • Represented in “mm” (50mm, 105mm, etc.)
Lenses – Focal Length • Normal Focal Length 50mm • Wide Angle < 50mm • Telephoto > 50mm • Zoom Lens: Multiple Focal Lengths • Wide, telephoto, and full-range zooms exist • Prime Lens: One Focal Length (no zoom) • Shutter speed >= focal length avoids blur
Focal Length - Same Objects Wide angle – distorts (looks more distant), Telefoto – compresses (looks closer together)
Sensor Sizes • Affects focal lengths of lenses • Some newer lenses designed for cropped sensor • EF-S (Canon), DX (Nikon) • Cropped sensor = 66% of 35mm negative • DX (Nikon), APS-C (Canon) • 1.5 x Multiplier for old/new full frame lenses • Full Frame = 100% of 35mm negative • FX (Nikon), EF(Canon)
Exposure Bracketing • AEB in Canon, BKT in Nikon • If your camera does not have, use Manual • If you do have, set and select options • Number of EV’s (stops) typically 3-9 available • EV “distance” between shots; 1/3 to 2 EV’s typical • Note: while in Exposure Bracketing: • Cycles through EV range every 3-9 shots, don’t forget to turn this off when done.
HDR Photography Steps • Use Photomatix Software or Photoshop • Camera preferably on a tripod • In Manual or Aperture Priority mode, set Aperture (eg. f8), set ISO (eg. 400), set your focus then switch to manual focus (so that depth of field remains the same) • Change exposure with bracketing or manually by changing just the shutter speed. • Good tutorial here: http://www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-explore/article/gsnc3qsr/high-dynamic-range-photography.html