Introduction to Photography

1. Introduction to Photography

2. Digital Photography • an image is captured digitally, stored electronically (instead of on film), and usually put onto a computer. • the image can be displayed, changed, enhanced, or manipulated. • We will be using Adobe Photoshop to enhance and manipulate our photos • The digital image is then available for output—to a Web page, to an e-mail, or to a printer

3. Taking a Picture • The actual process of taking a picture uses light • Once light enters a digital camera, a light sensitive computer chip receives it • The image is then usually stored on a removable storage

4. PIXEL • Pixel - a tiny square or dot of color • Digital images are made up of thousands. • When you blow up a picture you will be able to see these tiny squares • Megapixel - one million pixels

5. Digital Camera • A camera that captures images digitally so they can easily be viewed and edited on a computer or transmitted electronically

6. SLR • Single Lens Reflex • Inside the camera, a mirror reflects the image from the lens to the viewfinder • When the shutter is pressed, the mirror flips out of the way and the shutter opens to expose the film or sensor • SLR have lenses that are removable and can be purchased separately

7. Supplementary Material • Brief History of Digital Photography • http://www.bobbrooke.com/digitalstudio/digitalhistory.htm • Photography Information and Comparison Shopping • http://www.photo.net • Collection of Digitized Images and History of Photography • http://www.photographymuseum.com

8. Terminology

9. Resolution • Used several different ways in digital photography • pixel count resolution - number of pixels in an image

10. Image sensor resolution • Determines the megapixel size of the camera • multiplying the pixel dimension of the sensor • 1024 x 768; 786,432 pixels • less than 1-megapixel • 3264 x 2448; 7,997,616 • 8 megapixel camera • More megapixels allows for larger prints

11. Compression • Reducing storage size of an image by reducing the quality and detail • Digital images with high pixel dimensions can take up a lot of storage space • Can be referred to as quality, HQ, or SHQ on camera settings • Most cameras store images in a compressed file format • JPEG does good job of maintaing quality of picture while reducing the file to reasonable size • Compression normally occurs when the picture is first taken and and when you open, edit, and save an image in digital editing software • Copying, moving, backing up or e-mailing an image will NOT compress or alter the image

12. Zoom Lens • Brings the image closer without requiring you to move physically closer • Two different types of zoom lens on digital cameras: • optical and digital

13. Aperture • The size of the opening that lets light into the camera • Referred to as the f/stop

14. Shutter Speed • How long the shutter is open to let in light • Written as a fraction of a second

15. Exposure Value Compensation: (EV) • Some digital camera’s will let you adjust exposure value without directly adjusting shutter speed or aperture • Indicated as +1, +2, -1 or -2 • Adjusting exposure compensation tells the camera to increase or decrease exposure settings to lighten or darken the image

16. Shooting Delays • Start-up lag - refers to the amount of time it takes a camera to be ready to shoot after you turn it on • Shutter lag - Delay between the moment you press the shutter button and the moment the camera actually takes the picture • Buffer lag - the amount of time it takes the camera to record an image to the camera’s memory card.

17. LCD screen • Liquid Crystal Display • Screen on the back of a digital camera the displays the image before you shoot the picture and immediately after

18. Flash • Traditional photography compensates for low light • You may be better off not using flash at all • Instead may use your ISO options • Can attach separate flash to the camera • Some cameras allow you to set flash settings (low, medium, high)

19. Focal length • Measures the power of a lens • Indicates how much the lens magnifies the scene • You’ll see the focal length of a lens listed in millimeters (mm) • normal or standard lens is 50mm (same view as the naked eye) • Wide-angle less than 50 mm (covers a wider area than the normal eye can see) • Telephoto is greater than 50mm, often up to 500mm (acts like a pair of binoculars, but narrows view considerably) • Zoom lens slides between various focal lengths

20. Ratio’s • Digital SLR’s capture images in a 3:2 ratio • matches that of film when printed without cropping • most point-and-shoot cameras use a 4:3 ratio, which matches computer screens

21. Optical vs. Digital Zoom • Optical zoom actually magnifies the subject and preserves the quality of the image as you zoom in. • digital zoom is a feature of the software in a digital camera and enlarges the existing image and thus degrades the quality • There’s no digital zoom in digital SLR’s

22. Camera Features

23. Batteries • Rechargeable batteries • Lithium battery • Should always have back-up batteries when going to shoot

24. Histogram Display • small graph that shows up on some digital cameras when you play back the image you have just taken • Tells how well the colors are distributed in your image, from light to dark • Can also be found in some photo-editing software packages, allowing you to adjust colors even after you have taken the image • Photoshop has this feature called levels

25. ISO (International Standardization Organization) • Traditionally it referred to how sensitive film was to light • You had one ISO setting on a roll of film • Digital cameras still use ISO settings to indicate light sensitivity and can be changed with each picture • Low ISO settings (50-100) are best for bright lights, sunny • Higher ISO (like above 400) are better for low light situations • some digital cameras can go as high as 25,600 • Grains and noise can be associated with high ISO settings - however some cameras technology have made great improvements • In a low light setting, high ISO speed and fast lens often eliminate need for flash

26. Self Timers • Allows you to be a part of the picture • Some new cameras come with remote controls

27. Shooting modes • Many cameras give you selection of shooting modes • PortraitLandscapeSportsNight Shots • These settings are ok, when you don’t feel comfortable changing on your own • Adjusts its settings to what would be best in average situation

28. Spot Metering • Allows you to instruct the camera to automatically expose your subject based on particular portion of the image rather than averaging the light from the whole image • This can be helpful tool in varying light situations, particularly when the subject is lit differently from the background

29. White Balance • Adjust for different temperatures of light • Temperature in this sense means how the color white looks under different types of light situations • Sunlight, fluorescent light, flash, shade, etc. • Most digital cameras give you an automatic White Balance feature, and some include the ability to select or customize your settings

30. Stabilization • Generally with a telephoto (over 200mm) you’d need a tripod to hold it steady and eliminate camera shake • Some cameras include a stabilization feature that allows you to hold the camera in your hands and still create clear results • Canon calls this Image Stabilization (IS) • Nikon calls this Vibration Reduction (VR)

31. Filters • Some cameras have lenses that accept filters • Allow you to screw on or attach filters to the end of the lens • Also have clear filters that protect the lens from being scratched

32. Viewfinders • will vary in digital cameras • SLR will have an excellent viewfinder and you’ll see the same image as the camera as it looks directly through the lens • Some digital cameras have electronic viewfinders, looks a little more like screen has been placed over the image