As promised, here is a recap of lesson 2.
Before I begin, though, I want to make sure everybody knows when our next meeting will be. I think we decided that the last Wednesday of each month is our designated day, right? So, that would mean April 29th. Same time, same place.
Also, don't forget to do your homework. Even if you don't think your pictures are spectacular, post them (yes, I mean
YOU!). :) This class is meant to teach - and hopefully we'll all improve in our pictures over time. I hope B doesn't mind me sharing, but she took some pictures of her tree blossoms and just didn't feel like she could tell the difference with the pics. She then posted them on her computer and put it up as the wallpaper and could totally see the blurred background! Your pictures are better than you think they are! I hope B posts her pics soon!
I also hope you are inspired to get out there and start shooting!!!! Sometimes I feel like an entire month of waiting for the next class is too long..... so, I'm going to be posting some other information/homework assignments here on the blog. Hopefully that will get us out there are practicing our new knowledge. So, check back often!
ISO
•ISO, or film speed, is really just a setting to determine how quickly an image will be captured by either the film or digital sensor.
•It uses numbers such as:
100, 200, 400, 800, etc.
•ISO depends on your surroundings and the amount of light available.
•Do you remember consulting the back of the film box for the handy reference guide that suggested what film speed should be used when?
•The higher the ISO, the quicker the image will be captured and the less light that is required. 800, 1600, 3200
•The lower the ISO, the longer it takes for the image to be captured and the more light you will need. 100, 200
100 ............200........ 400 .........800........ 1600
Outdoors... In the Shade .................Indoors
Bright Light.... Overcast.............. Low Light
............................................Indoors w/light Sports/Action
The higher the number, the quality of the image drops (grainy, noise).
SHUTTER SPEED
The camera's shutter speed is a measurement of how long its shutter remains open as the picture is taken. The slower the shutter speed, the longer the exposure time. When the shutter speed is set to 1/125 or simply 125, this means that the shutter will be open for exactly 1/125th of one second.
•A faster shutter speed will freeze action.
•A slower shutter speed can create a blurred effect.
1/1250th of a second
5 seconds
•When you set your SS, you will see numbers like 60, 120, 250, 1000, etc. These #s actually represent 1/60th of a second, 1/120th of a second, etc.
•The higher the bottom number, the faster the shutter speed.
•You will also see SS for seconds. These are marked with a “. If it says 1”5, that means 1 ½ seconds. If it says 30”, then the shutter will stay open for 30 seconds.
Anything slower than 1/60th of a second, you will need a tripod. If you're trying to capture fast movement, usually 1/1000th of a second is a good choice.
YOUR HOMEWORK
* Turn your camera to “S” or “Tv” mode. This allows you to choose the shutter speed while the camera chooses the correct aperture.
•Find your kitchen sink, a hose, a brook, a rain puddle, or anything with running water that has some “splash”.
•Bump up your ISO to 1000 or 1600 if your are indoors.
•Set your SS to 1/80th of a second and take a picture.
•Set your SS to 1/1000th of a second and take another picture.
•If you have a tripod, try taking the picture again with a really slow SS (1/2 second or a full second).
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•For those with point and shoot cameras, take the first picture in action mode (fast SS), and then take the next one in landscape mode (slow SS).
1/80
1/1000
YOUR EXTRA HOMEWORK
•You are going to be doing a “photo shoot.”
•Practice: Getting closer, shooting at eye level, focus on the eyes and take lots of pictures. Try different angles, shoot 360, and look for interesting lines/patterns.
•Choose a subject (a person) and take at least 50 pictures. I recommend taking the pictures outside.
•Experiment with different aperture settings.
•Choose your favorite 2 and post them on the blog. Easy enough, right?
Okay, I know.... I didn't just choose one subject...and Ididn't quite take 50 pictures of the same person, but you get the idea. These are pics I took yesterday of my house guests. Notice a few things:
* I focused on their eyes.
* I shot at eye level (or just above eye level)
* Notice the rule of thirds. I placed a pretend "tic-tac-toe" board in the viewfinder, locked my focus on their eyes, and moved my subject (or eyes) off center. I lined the subject up with either a line or intersection of my tic-tac-toe board.
* I shot close. I cut off both of their heads (this helped with the fact that they didn't really have their hair done much -- and it was cold and windy).
* I shot both of these pictures using 2.8 aperture and zooming in. This means I shot my lens WIDE open causing the background to blur.
* In order to "try" and get a natural smile (kids these days are just used to saying 'cheese' or smiling some ackward smile), I laughed really loud and tried to make them laugh (you should see some of the others with their posed smiles).
* I also experimented in photoshop. Some pictures just look better in black and white and a little touch up.
f/5.6
f/ 36
