Download
1 / 33
420 likes | 623 Vues
Photography Merit Badge. Photography Merit Badge.
E N D
PhotographyMerit Badge • Beyond capturing family memories, photography offers a chance to be creative. Many photographers use photography to express their creativity, using lighting, composition, depth, color, and content to make their photographs into more than snapshots. Good photographs tell us about a person, a news event, a product, a place, a scientific breakthrough, an endangered animal, or a time in history.
Photography requirements 1. Explain how the following elements and terms affect the quality of a picture: a. Light-natural light/ambient, flash b. Exposure-aperture (f-stops), shutter speed, depth of field c. Composition-rule of thirds, leading lines, framing, depth d. Angle of view e. Stopping action (see shutter speed above)
a. Light-natural light/ambient, flash • One can define photography as "the recording of light rays". That's why taking a good picture depends so much on choosing the lighting carefully. • Ambient light = available, continuous light. E.G. natural light (sun, etc). But could mean indoor lights as well. • Flash = burst or strobe of light (thousands of a second usually).
Flash lighting • In auto mode the camera will automatically blast the subject with light from the built-in strobe if there isn't enough ambient light. Sometimes get "deer in the headlights" look. • Hard to establish natural looking pictures with on-camera flash (same angle as the lens). Creative workarounds: 1: Get the flash off the camera (cable, umbrella lights – expensive) 2: Bounce the light off the ceiling. We expect light to come from above. (most flashes now are tilt) 3: Attach a Diffuser. 4: Get Another Flash (again – can be expensive)
b. Exposure-aperture (f-stops), shutter speed, depth of field • f-stop or f-number = a hole. The circular hole in the centre of a lens through which light passes to reach the film. The size of the hole can be varied using the aperture control which in turn alters a diaphragm within the body of the lens. Measured in f-stops. f/2.8 f/8 f/16 More light -------------------------------- Less Light
b. Exposure-aperture (f-stops), shutter speed, depth of field • Shutter Speed • Anything that moves while the shutter is open will record as a blur on the film; therefore the shutter controls movement. • A fast shutter speed (high) will freeze movement • While a slow shutter speed will not. In general, you will want to avoid blurring; however, in some situations it may actually add to the picture. For example, a waterfall looks more realistic if you allow the water to blur rather than freezing it in mid-fall
b. Exposure-aperture (f-stops), shutter speed, depth of field Aperture The aperture controls what is known as depth of field. This refers to how much of the picture is sharp from near to far away. • The smaller the size of the lens opening (i.e., the larger the f-stop number [f11]), the more depth of field a picture has. • The larger the size of the lens opening (i.e., the smaller the f-stop number [f2.8]), the less depth of field a picture has (shallow). • Shallow depth of field can be used to focus more attention on a foreground subject, by blurring out the background. • This is very useful in portraits amongst other things and is one of the most important creative aspects of photography!
c. Composition-rule of thirds, leading lines, framing, depth • Basic Composition Guidelines • This section gives you some guidelines for good composition. • Rule of Thirds • Leading Lines • Framing • Remember that there are no hard and fast rules in photographic composition; indeed, half the fun is in finding new ways to look at things!
The Rule of Thirds The Rule of Thirds • Rather than putting an interesting element in the middle of the picture, it is often more effective to put it off-center. Imagine your scene divided into thirds, and place interesting elements where the lines intersect, as in the photo to the left. Similarly, horizons often look better 1/3 of the way to the top or bottom of a picture, rather than right in the middle.
Leading Lines • Lines leading into a photograph can add a sense of depth, as in the photo to the left. This photo also demonstrates the effectiveness of placing an interesting element off-center.
Framing • Framing subjects within borders, like the people at left framed by the wall and column, can help add emphasis to the subjects.
d. Angle of view • A camera's angle of view can be measured horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. • In photography, angle of view describes the angular extent of a given scene that is imaged by a camera. It is used interchangeably with the more general term field of view. • Lens types and effects • Focal length
Photography requirements 2a. Explain the basic parts and operation of a film camera or digital camera. 7 basic components: viewfinder focus mechanism shutter adjustable aperture lens body film alignment/CCD control
Parts of a Camera (film) • ...
Worth mentioning… • Film Speed • Film speed refers to the film's sensitivity to light. You might think you should use the fastest possible film so you can get fast shutter speeds and freeze motion even in low light, but (as always) there are tradeoffs. • The faster the film, the larger the clumps of silver ions on its emulsion. This means that the photograph will appear grainy; the clumps of silver ions will be large enough that you can see them individually. • That is why some photos you see of night football games look grainy -- in order to freeze the action, the photographer was forced to use very fast film. The price he paid was the graininess. In general, you should use the slowest film you can get away with. For still subjects (portraits, landscapes, etc.), you should probably use 100-speed or slower film, while for low-light action, 800 or even 1600-speed film is more appropriate. That being said, however, some photographers prefer the grainy, gritty look that faster films give.
2b. Explain how an exposure is made when you take a picture. • When the shutter button is depressed, three things happen virtually at once. • the reflex mirror flips up to get out of the way of the light transmission. In so doing, it covers the focusing screen. • the lens "stops down" to the aperture chosen for the exposure by moving a series of metal blades • curtain (shutter) moves horizontally, which uncovers the film opening for the set time.
Photography Requirements • 3A. Differences between a film camera and a digital camera. • Digital camera: Points of light are detected and each point (called a pixel) is assigned a value representing color and intensity. The collection of pixels is saved to some kind of electronic media, flash card, magnetic disk, optical disk or maybe something entirely different. The resulting file can be read by imaging software and the photo can then be printed. Film camera: Points of light are detected and each point is recorded by a grain of chemical material that is light sensitive. The chemical material can be processed in a lab and turned into negatives and/or prints or transparencies. The resulting image can be put in a book, framed and put on your desk or just thrown into an old shoebox.
Photography Requirements • 3b. Advantages/disadvantages • Advantages of a Digital Camera:Instantly see the picture you just took.Delete unwanted pictures.Never buy film again.Many advanced features in a small form factor.Don't have to print every pictureComplete control of the final print after editing on computerNo risk of negatives getting scratched or lost (but can lose cd's or scratch them)Can store hundreds of pictures without having to change "film"Disadvantages:Generally higher cost per print (although getting cheaper)Not as large of a dynamic range as film (less detail in highlights and shadows)Larger up-front investment.More sensitive to shocks and dropping.Lower quality than film (although the gap is closing)Can be battery hogs.Shutter Delay is too long on low end models.Generally poor low-light focusing ability
3) Digital vs. Film Cameras • The main differences between a digital and film camera: • a film camera focuses light onto light sensitive film. • a digital camera focuses light onto a light sensitive computer chip. The small computer in the camera saves the image on the chip to a file. • Light is shined through the film onto light sensitive paper to make a picture. (Enlarger) • The file is sent to a computer which prints a picture on paper (computer printer).
4. Do ONE of the following: a. Produce a picture story using the photojournalistic technique of documenting an event. • Process your images and select eight to 12 images that best tell your story. Arrange your images in order, then mount the prints on a poster board. If you are using digital images, you may create a slide show on your computer or produce printouts for your poster board. <OR> b. Choose a topic that interests you to photograph for an exhibit or display. Photograph and process your images. Choose 20 of your favorite images and mount them on poster board or display on compare slide show.
Photojournalism • Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism (the collecting, editing, and presenting of news material for publication or broadcast) that creates images in order to tell a news story. • Timeliness — the images have meaning in the context of a recently published record of events. • Objectivity — the situation implied by the images is a fair and accurate representation of the events they depict in both content and tone. • Narrative — the images combine with other news elements to make facts relatable to the viewer or reader on a cultural level.
For us… • 4) The Picture Story • Ideally, this will include around 8 photos glued or taped to a poster board, with captions under each to tell the story. Good photo story ideas include: the parts of a troop meeting; a boy scout parade; a day at the fair; a day in the life of a pet dog/cat.
5a. Discuss with your counselor the career opportunities in Photography • Religious or school ceremonies and weddings • Sports, Portrait , Studio, or Eg. Senior pics onsite, etc • Videography • Commercial • Images used for books, advertisements, catalogs, and wide media • Fine arts gallery or commercial news • Scientific photography (medicine or science) • Dangerous • Natural disasters, accidents, or military/civil conflicts • Have to have good coordination, eyesight, creative ability, and be highly technical with equipment. • Very competitive and usually do not make a lot of money unfortunately ($20,000 - $60,000)
5b. What education is required to become a photographer? • Many answers - Many successful photographers have no “degree”. But … • Some employers may require a related degree or other accreditation, it really depends on the nature of the position and/or preference of the employer. One can acquire a degree in photography from a prestigious universityDepends on the job and experience • Some are very specific (Underwater Photography Degree, Wildlife ) • Requirements: • 1) Primary learning • 2) Practice what you learn. Today's digital cameras3) Secondary Learning: Take continuing education • 4) Passion: (Very competitive) • 5) Experience: can be obtained through assisting established photographers.6) Tertiary Learning: Stay current with the advances (sometimes expensive) • 7) Higher Learning: If you wish to be highly successful as a professional, a liberal arts degree would be a minimum.
