Photography course, class 1
- 1. Course on In Embassy of Finland, Nairobi, June 2012 Seppo Toikka
- 2. This course consists of: 7)Basic ideas and concepts in photography 8)Digital photography technique 9)Composition and subjects in photography 10)Digital editing, workflow examples 11)Other topics requested by you
- 3. What camera should I get? Any camera will do Just remember… ”The best camera is the camera that is with you”
- 4. Camera doesn’t matter You can get amazing photos with any camera You just need to understand two things… Amazing photos are about composition and light, not about the technical properties of the camera
- 5. Camera vs. the eye ”What you see is not what you get” The eye: Camera: Extremely wide angle of vision Angle of vision varies Extremely narrow angle of focus Same focus in the whole picture Large dynamic range Small dynamic range Eye focus moves constantly across Image is taken in a fraction of a the field of vision second
- 6. Don’t capture, convey You can’t capture exactly what you see, so don’t even try Instead, try to convey the feeling! Good pictures are all about conveying emotions, making us feel something The next time you feel the urge to take a picture, focus on that feeling
- 8. Light Photography = drawing with light Always pay attention to the light! Different light can change details, contrast, colors, focus of attention, shadows, mood, etc…
- 9. Light (cont.) Backlight, frontlight, sidelight, diffused light, (shade) Keep in mind, that the intensity of artificial light decreases rapidly for subjects further from the light source
- 10. Exposure Exposure = the amount of light passed throught the lens to the sensor surface Change in exposure is measured in stops (EV). +/-1 stop = doubling/halving the amount of light passed through the lens
- 11. Exposure (cont.) Sunlight is appr. 1 000 000 times brighter than full moonlight (20 stops) Dynamic range in digital cameras varies from 7 to 14 stops
- 12. Exposure example When the camera’s dynamic range cannot capture the whole tonal range, you need to decide what tones are most important Virtually all cameras have the possibility to adjust exposure by at least +/- 2 stops(EV)
- 13. +1 EV
- 14. +0,5 EV
- 15. +0 EV
- 16. -0,5 EV
- 17. -1 EV
- 18. -1,5 EV
- 19. Common exposure troubles Subject is in the shade and background is lit in direct sunlight Shooting inside, with windows showing daylight Backlit subjects in bright sunlight
- 20. There is no correct exposure! Automatic camera settings do a good job in most situations, but it doesn’t know what you want Decide what tones are most important, and try to position them in the middle of the tonal range by adjusting EV
- 23. Composition Composition is about leading the eye through the picture A good composition keeps the eye ”looking for more” and doesn’t let it wonder beyond the edges and away
- 24. Leading the eye Attention is first focused to areas that are: Brightest High contrast Most colorful In focus
- 25. Leading the eye What keeps the attention in the picture is: Familiar shapes Contrasting opposite colours Patterns Avoid distracting, unneccessary details!
- 32. Online photocoursenairobi.wikispaces.com Slides, example photos with explanations, glossary seppo.i.toikka@gmail.com
- 33. Homework Find out how to adjust exposure in your camera (+/- EV) When you see any photographs, try to figure out what is the lighting like in that photo If you want to know the technique behind a specific photo, send it to me