Introduction to

photography
Tips and techniques
f o r b e tt e r p h o t o g r a p h y
Photography
JJ
Greek for painting with light
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Can be considered both an art
and a science
P h o t o g r a p h y i s a s c i e n c e , b e c a u s e
there are basic principles of
physics that govern success
P h o t o g r a p h y i s a r t b e c a u s e i t s
beauty is subjective

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
First photograph taken by Joseph Nicphore Nipce in France.
in 1826, on a bitumen coated aluminum plate

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Exposure

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Stops
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The amount of light that strikes
the film/chip is measured in stops
and is also known as exposure
value (Ev)
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A difference of 1 stop is a
doubling or halving of the
light making the image
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A stop is used to measure the
differences in Ev of apertures,
s h u tt e r s p e e d s a n d f i l m s p e e d s
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Fast means the camera can
expose a photo quickly

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Film Speed
Film

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Film Speed
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Film speed is a measure of the
sensitivity of the film or sensor
in a camera.
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It i s m e a s u r e d i n v a l u e s u s i n g a n
International Organizations of
St a n d a r d s ( ISO ) n u m b e r . U s e d t o b e
m e a s u r e d i n A m e r i c a n St a n d a r d s
A s s o c i a t i o n s ( ASA ) n u m b e r s
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ISO n u m b e r s a r e u s e d i n b o t h
film and digital cameras

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Film Speed
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ISO n u m b e r s c o m e i n a w i d e
range, but standard numbers
are 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600,
and 3200
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ISO n u m b e r s a r e l i n e a r i n t h e i r
relationship
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T h e h i g h e r t h e ISO n u m b e r , t h e
more sensitive the film/sensor and
also the more noise or grain in
the image

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Film Speed

L o w ISO H i g h ISO

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Shutter Speed
Shutter

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Shutter Speed
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Controls the amount of time
t h e s h u tt e r o r c u r t a i n i s o p e n
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S h u tt e r s p e e d i s m e a s u r e d i n
fractions of seconds
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Depending on the camera, it may
s h o w t h e s h u tt e r s p e e d w i t h o u t
the numerator, i.e. 250 instead of
1/250

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Shutter Speed
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C o m m o n s h u tt e r s p e e d s a r e
1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60,
1/125, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000
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A doubling or halving of the
t i m e v a l u e (Tv) r e p r e s e n t s o n e
s t o p o f EV
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A f a s t s h u tt e r s p e e d f r e e z e s t h e
action of an image
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C o n v e r s e l y , a s l o w s h u tt e r s p e e d
blurs the action of an image

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Shutter Speed
F a s t s h u tt e r s p e e d

S l o w s h u tt e r s p e e d

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Shutter Speed
F a s t s h u tt e r s p e e d

S l o w s h u tt e r s p e e d

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Aperture
Aperture

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Aperture
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Aperture is the size of the hole
in the diaphragm that allows
light into the camera
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The larger the hole, the more
light that enters the camera
in a given time
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A p e r t u r e v a l u e s (Av) a r e
measured using f-stops,
shown as f/# (i.e. f/16)

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Aperture
JJ
The image at left
shows common
f-stop values and
how they appear
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A change of 1 f-stop
doubles or halves
the light entering
the camera
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Smaller f-numbers
represent wider
apertures, and
larger f-numbers are
smaller apertures

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Aperture

JJ
T h e Av c o n t r o l s t h e a m o u n t o f
depth of field in an image
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The wider the aperture, the
more shallow the depth of
field, and vice versa

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Av & Tv together
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The wider the aperture used,
the less time i.e. the faster
s h u tt e r s p e e d i s n e e d e d t o
properly expose the image
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Conversely, the slower the
s h u tt e r s p e e d , t h e s m a l l e r t h e
aperture needs to be
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For any image, there are a
number of combinations that
will make a correct exposure
f-s top 1.4 2 2.8 4 5.6 8 11 16

Shutter 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
s peed
1000 500 250 125 60 30 15 8

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Lighting
JJ
Light is the essential
ingredient of photos
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One of the skills that
separates photographers
from snap shooters is the
ability to solve lighting
problems
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There are 2 primary factors
to consider for light:
direction and colour

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Lighting - direction
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The direction the light comes
from can make the image seem
flat or 3-dimensional
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Front lighting is easy to
photograph, but images are
generally flat
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Top lighting, such as from the
sun overhead, Also makes the
image flat, and shadows are
short and dark
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Side lighting will emphasize
texture and contours, and
create long shadows

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Lighting - direction

Front lighting Side lighting

top lighting b o tt o m l i g h t i n g

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Lighting - Colour
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The colour of light is
measured by temperature
in Kelvin (K)
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The colour of natural light
changes through the day
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Humans respond psychologically
to different colours, therefore
the colour of a photo will
affect emotional responses
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Light that is in the reds, oranges
and yellows is said to be warm.
Conversely, cool light is blue
in tone

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Lighting - Colour

Warm lighting Cool lighting

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Lighting - Colour
JJ
When taking a photo with
a digital camera, the White
B a l a n c e s e tt i n g o f a c a m e r a
will affect the colour cast
of the image, balancing the
lighting of the subject
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T y p i c a l w h i t e b a l a n c e s e tt i n g s
of a camera include: Tungsten,
Florescent, Shade, Sunny, Cloudy,
Flash, Auto and Manual
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Filters can also be used to
affect the colour of light in
the image

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Lighting - Colour

Flash/mid-day Tungsten

Florescent Cloudy

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Camera shooting modes
JJ
All digital cameras have
various modes for shooting

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Camera shooting modes
JJ
Scene Modes take the guess work
o u t o f s e tt i n g p r o p e r e x p o s u r e
M o d e s i n c l u d e p r e s e t s f o r t a k i n g
p h o t o s i n a v a r i e t y o f s e tt i n g s
such as at night, on the beach or
snow, or for portraits
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Manual modes allow for more
creative control
a G r e a t e r u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f
c a m e r a s e tt i n g s i s r e q u i r e d

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Composition

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Lenses
JJ
The length of a lens is measured
i n m i l l i m e t r e s (mm), o r e q u i v a l e n t
for point-and-shoot cameras
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Low numbers are considered
wide lenses, while high numbers
are considered long lenses
A w i d e l e n s , i . e . , 1 8 mm, i s u s e f u l f o r
landscape photos
A l o n g l e n s , i . e . , 3 0 0 mm, i s u s e f u l
for close-ups of wildlife
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Human eyesight is equivalent to
about 50mm

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Depth of Field
JJ
D e p t h o f f i e l d (DoF) i s t h e z o n e o f
acceptable sharpness
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DoF is controlled by aperture
and distance to subject
T h e c l o s e r t h e s u b j e c t ,
t h e s m a l l e r t h e DoF
T h e w i d e r t h e a p e r t u r e ,
t h e s m a l l e r t h e DoF

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Depth of Field

Distant - deep DoF Close - Shallow DoF

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Depth of Field

Small Aperture - deep DoF Large Aperture - Shallow DoF

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
The rule of thirds
JJ
The rule of thirds states that
when composing your photo,
place the centre of interest at a
junction of the lines that trisect
the image

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
The rule of thirds
JJ
Also, when
composing
landscape
shots, the
horizon line
should be on
one of the
intersecting
lines

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Framing
JJ
Framing is using a foreground
object to frame the subject of
the photo
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The frame should be appropriate
to the subject
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The frame should have its own
aesthetic value
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Render the frame sharply,
or blur it away

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Framing

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Fill The Frame
If your pictures arent good
enough, youre not close
enough.
R o b e r t C a p a , W o r l d W a r II p h o t o j o u r n a l i s t

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If you cant get closer to your
subject, use a longer lens to fill
the frame
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Filling the frame refers to the
primary subject, not extraneous
objects

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Fill the frame

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Portrait Techniques
JJ
The subject should face into
the image so that there is more
space in front than behind

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Portrait Techniques
JJ
Subjects
usually
shouldnt
be square
on to the
camera

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Landscapes
JJ
Try to
include
an object
to create
sense of
scale

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Landscapes
JJ
Horizon Line should be placed
to emphasize either the sky or
the land

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Landscapes
JJ
Horizon Line should be placed
to emphasize either the sky or
the land

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Landscapes
JJ
Focus on a detail within the
scene to add interest

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Landscapes
JJ
Try to use a line that will lead
the viewers eye into the picture

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
Final tip

JJ
There are no rules in
photography

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
JJ
The subject should face into
the image so that there is more
space in front than behind

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
JJ
Subjects
usually
shouldnt
be square
on to the
camera

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
JJ
Horizon Line should be placed
to emphasize either the sky or
the land

Tips and
techniques
f o r b e tt e r
photography
The end
Tips and techniques
f o r b e tt e r p h o t o g r a p h y