MPS: Introduction to Photography Pack of Notes

Malta Photographic society

INTRO TO PHOTOGRAPHY for

young

teens

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WHAT IS A CAMERA? PAGE 04

DIFFERENT TYPES OF LENSES PAGE 08

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FRAMING YOUR PHOTOGRAPH PAGE 28

EXPOSURE VALUES PAGE 44

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WHITE BALANCE PAGE 54

UNDERSTANDING LIGHT PAGE 62

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what is a....

camera?

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WHAT IS A CAMERA

Shutter Release Button

Flash Hot Shoe Pop-Up Flash Power Button Mode Dial LCD Control Panel

View Finder Monitor

Dioptre Adjustment Control Play Back Button 5

Battery-Chamber

Tripod Mount

Command Dial Lens Mount Lens Release Button Lens Mount Index

Mirror

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LENSES

TYPES OF LENSES

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Lenses are a very important part of your photographic gear. Different types of lenses allow you to photograph multiple subjects for various purposes. In addition to allowing a photographer capture scene through various outcomes.

Before heading to different types of lenses and their capabilities, one should be informed of what lenses are made of and important functional parts.

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04 03 06 03 05

01 Filter Thread

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Focus Ring

This is a threaded section

This is a ring allowing a user

around the front element

to manually focus the image,

of a lens, allowing a user to

when your lens is set to

attached lens accessories, such

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as filters, hoods or lens caps.

Function Buttons These are a set of switches allowing a user to alter lens settings. For example, choosing your lens to ‘Auto Focus’ instead of ‘Manual Focus’.

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‘manual focusing’.

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04 Zoom Ring

Lens Mount

This is a ring, only found on

This is where an

zoom lenses, allowing a user

interchangeable lens is

to rotate and change the focal

attached to a camera body, or

length value, according to his

other lens attachments such as

likings.

lens tubes.

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Focal Length Indicator The focal length indicator is a marked line on your lens below your zoom values, this mark indicates on which focal length value your lens is set.

INTERIOR LENS ANATOMY: 01. Elements, are the individual glass sheets inside a lens. The Front Element is what we see as the front glass of our lenses, while the Rear Element is the glass sheet at the back 2. Lens Groups: Lens groups, can vary from separate to more than one element fixed together.

3. Aperture: This is an opening inside the lens from which light passes through straight to our camera’s sensor.

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DIFFERENT TYPES OF PHOTOGRAPHIC LENSES: PRIME LENSES

Prime Lenses are the ones with

quality images due to minimal

giving you a very shallow depth

a fixed focal length, meaning

elements inside the lens.

of field.

they do not allow a user to zoom in or out. However, when

A good prime lens, such as a

compared to zoom lenses,

35mm, 50mm, or 85mm, can

prime lenses offer better

go as low as f/2 or even f/1.4,

HOW TO IDENTIFY YOUR LENS This is an 85mm (Focal length) prime lens which is able to go as low as F/1.4 (depth of field)

This is a 24mm (Focal length) prime lens which is able to go as low as F/1.4 (depth of field)

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ZOOM LENSES A zoom lens is a camera lens that allows the photographer to capture a wide range of focus lengths with a single lens. A zoom lens allows you to reframe a scene quickly and easily while remaining in the same physical location.

HOW TO IDENTIFY YOUR LENS This is 24-70mm (Focal Range) zoom lens.

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TELEPHOTO LENSES A telephoto lens has a long focal length, which allows you

Camera shake is always a

to picture distant subjects or

concern with photography

magnify the subject in your

but it has the potential to

frame. A lens is classified as

be more pronounced when

“telephoto” if it has a focal

shooting with telephoto lenses.

length of 60mm or more.

Reducing camera shake will

Telephoto lenses are available

help ensure that your photos

in a variety of focal lengths,

are sharp and in focus. Many

ranging from “medium

telephoto lenses have built-

telephoto” (usually 70-200mm)

in stabilization, which can be

to “super telephoto” (more

very helpful when shooting

than 300mm), and can be zoom with a long lens. If your lens or prime lenses.

doesn’t have stabilization built in, consider using a tripod

Telephoto Lenses Bring Blurred

when shooting at longer focal

Backgrounds to Life

lengths.

If you’ve ever wondered how a photograph with a

Common uses of Telephoto

subject in focus but a hazy

lenses are:

background was created, the solution is usually a telephoto lens. This technique is particularly popular in portrait photography. Shooting using a long lens and the widest aperture available will give you this effect. A 70-200mm telephoto lens, for example, shot at 200m with an aperture of f/2.8 can isolate your subject against a lovely, blurry background (also known as shallow depth of field).

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70-200mm - Portraits, Weddings, Sports, Wildlife 85mm - Portraits, Weddings 100-400mm - Sports, Wildlife 135mm - Portraits, Sports, Weddings, Wildlife 600mm+ - Sports, Wildlife

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MACRO LENSES A macro lens is one that lets you to focus incredibly near to a subject in order for it to seem huge in the viewfinder (and in the final image). "True" macro lenses can project life-sized subjects onto the camera's sensor at a 1:1 reproduction ratio, resulting in a 1.0x MM (Maximum Magnification) at the lens' MFD (Minimum Focus Distance, measured from the subject to the sensor), meaning that a 0.6" (15mm) long subject would be projected onto the sensor at 0.6" (15mm).

While this may not seem like much, consider that a subject measuring only 1.4 x.9" (36.0 × 24.0mm) will completely cover the frame of a full frame DSLR. When viewed on a large display, tiny details in your subjects become conspicuous features while using true macro lenses.

A macro lens is one which allows you to take sharp, detailed, close-up photos of small subject such as flowers, plants, insects, and products.

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WIDE ANGLE LENSES A wide angle lens is any lens

more than the borders, straight

Common uses of wide angle

with a short focal length

lines appear to curve around

lenses are Landscapes,

(usually between 14mm -

the edge of the image when

Seascapes, Interiors and

35mm) and a wide field of view. using wide lenses. The bigger This lens allows the camera

the optical distortion, the

to capture much more of the

broader the lens.

Architecture.

Wide Angle Lenses can also be

scene than a normal lens can,

manufactured in both Prime

making it great for architectural

and Zoom Lenses.

and landscape photography or any other application that requires the photographer to include more background information in the resulting image.

Wide angle lenses allow photographers to get as close to the subject as possible without excluding crucial elements in the background scene, giving viewers the feeling of being—as though they’re viewing the scene with their own eyes rather than through a photograph.

All wide angle lenses come in fixed (wide prime) and variable (wide zoom) focal length varieties.

Furthermore, because the lens is curved and the center of the image is magnified somewhat 19

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SUPER - WIDE ANGLE LENSES In a full-frame equivalent

lenses are generally preferred

of camera shake will be less

field of vision, an ultra-wide

when both foreground and

evident than lenses with longer

angle lens covers focal lengths

background in photos need to

focal lengths.

shorter than 24mm. Both prime be clear. They can approach and zoom lenses are included

infinity focus at close distances.

in this category. The photos produced by this lens have an

In terms of camera shake

extremely wide angle of view

and the necessity for image

and even more distortion than

stabilization, because ultra-

the wide angle lens. Because

wide angle lenses have such a

it can accommodate much

large field of vision, the effect

of the foreground as well as the surrounding objects in the frame, it is a favourite choice among architecture and landscape photographers.

Depth of field is influenced by a number of factors in photography, including aperture, focal length, camerato-subject distance, and sensor size. Without a doubt, focal length is one of the most important parameters influencing depth of field size.

Even when using relatively big apertures (f/2.8 for example), an ultra-wide angle lens has a very short focal length (16mm for example), resulting in a large depth of field (deep depth of field). Ultra-wide angle 21

FISH-EYE LENS A fisheye lens allows you to

On the other hand, because

take a photo that is even wider

of the shallow depth of field,

than a super wide angle lens.

it’s very impossible to isolate

This lens is primarily used for

your subject by blurring the

filming extremely wide angles,

background. This is something

such as 180 degrees.

to keep in mind while framing your shot so that you can

A typical circular fisheye lens

choose a background that isn’t

for cameras with a 35mm

cluttered.

sensor or film might have a focal length of 8mm to 10mm.

Fisheye lenses are generally

The focal lengths of full-frame

used for landscapes, extreme

lenses are typically 15mm to

sports or artistic photography.

16mm.

Fisheye lenses have “barrel distortion,” which causes subjects in the center of the frame to bulge outwards and straight lines to curl erratically.

Curvilinear images are the name for this form of image.

Fisheye lenses have a wide apparent depth of field because they capture such a wide angle. Your photos will appear precisely focused from front to back as a result of this.

As a result, they’re great for photographing images with attractive foreground and background subjects.

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KIT LENS A kit lens, as the name itself

won’t give you a particularly

suggets, is the lens bought

crisp, clean image in terms of

along side when purchasing a

clarity.

new digital camera. Usually, this is the 18-55mm lens.

Variable apertures are common in kit lenses. Maybe you’ve

Even though, photographers

seen something like this before:

may not necessarily

You’re taking a photo with

compliment such lens, it has an

your lens completely zoomed

ideal focal range for beginners.

out and your aperture set at

An 18mm focal length enables

f/3.5. Then you decide to zoom

you to capture good wide angle in a little more. The aperture shots (ideal for architecture,

has suddenly changed – it’s

landscapes and seascapes).

now 5.6. What went wrong?

Adding to this, a 55mm focal

Variable aperture is the term

length can be used for portraits for this phenomena. The widest and close up shots of specific

aperture your lens can open

detail.

is determined by how far your lens is zoomed in. The lens

That said, kit lenses aren’t

can employ a greater aperture

always crisp. You can take

at longer distances, while

pictures with them, but they

the aperture closes at closer distances.

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TILT AND SHIFT LENS A Tilt and Shift Lens reduces

vertical straight lines without

vertical distortion - this is when

having to manipulate your

the plane of your camera’s

image in post-production.

sensor is not parallel to the plane of the item you’re photographing, vertical distortion occurs. The simplest technique to avoid distortion is to maintain the two objects as parallel as possible, which implies reducing camera tilt.

This is where the tilf and shift lens is required, by applying a straight perspective in relation to the image sensor, meaning, that this type of lens allows a user to photograph from a completely different perspective depending on the verticals of a scene.

How does this work?

Let’s say you are in front of a building and would like to photograph it. Standing just in front of it, and shooting from your own perspective will most probably result in having perpendicular edges. With the Tilt Shift lens, you are allowed to shift your lens in a parallel perspective with the building and achieving does perfectly

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How to Properly handle a Camera?

• Always make sure you are in a stable position.

• Always use both hands to have a good grip on your camera.

• Place Camera Strap round your neck for safety.

Cleaning a lens.

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Lens Cloths

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Wind Blowers

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Brushes

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Cleaning Solution

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Swabs

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Lens Wipes

Removing or Changing the Lens •

Step 1. Press the Lens Release Button, and rotate the lens to dethatch.

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Step 2. Align white marks on lens and lens mount.

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Step 3. Slide the lens into the lens mount, rotate your lens and lock.

Side Note: When handling your camera and lens whilst still detached, make sure they are facing downwards.

You do not want any dust particles to enter your sensors.

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FRAMING

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PHOTOGRAPH

How to Properly Frame your

PORTRAIT

LANDSCAPE

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The difference between a landscape and a portrait format is the orientation of a photograph. a Landscape photograph is horizontally oriented and a portrait is vertically oriented

Importance of a Foreground & a Background

Almost every photo has a foreground and a background; most also have some sort of midground.

The foreground is simply the parts of the image that are closest to the camera, the background is the parts that are further away, and the midground falls somewhere in the middle.

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Rule of Thirds The rule of thirds is a composition principle that recommends placing your subject on the left or right third of an image, leaving the other two-thirds empty. While there are different types of composition, the rule of thirds usually results in photographs that are visually appealing and well-composed.

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Golden Ratio The golden ratio is a proportion of 1.618 to one. For centuries, artists have utilised this ratio to create works of art ranging from paintings to architecture.

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Leading Lines

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Leading Lines

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Leading the viewers eyes.

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Lines can create a certain dynamic.

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Framing

Framing • Creates a frame to your subject • Makes your image look complete • Gives a better sense of 3D and multiple layers within an image.

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Symmetry

Symmetry • It can be more aesthetically pleasing.

• Easier to look at.

• Can be used to lead attention to your subject

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Balancing Elements

Balancing Elements • Creates a balance in your image • Looking for similar weight on both sides of the image • Looks easier on the eyes.

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Headroom/ Looking Space

Headroom & Leading Space

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Giving space to your subject where to look at.

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Makes the image less claustrophobic.

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Different Types of Shot Sizes Eye Level •

This is the simplest and most commonly used camera angle.

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An Eye Level angle will create a more intimate perspective between the subject and viewer.

Low Angle •

A Low Angle shot will make your subject look more gigantic.

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This effect can apply a more:  Dominant look to your subject  Dynamic visual

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It is recommended not to use this angle in portrait sessions, as a low angle shot may result in an unappealing looking individual.

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Worm’s Eye View •

The worm’s eye angle is very similar to the low angle, only from a lower perspective

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This perspective makes your subject look even bigger.

High Angle •

This angle creates the opposite effect of a low angle.

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A High Angle creates a less powerful subject. Also making your subjects appear smaller than they are.

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Bird’s Eye View •

The bird’s eye angle is very similar to the high angle, only from a higher perspective

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This perspective makes your subject look even smaller.

Dutch Angle •

A Dutch Angle creates a dynamic visual to your shot.

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It can also be used to suggest the illusion of movement, and adventurous aesthetics

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Different Types of Shot Sizes Additional Personal Notes

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Exposure Values

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EXPOSURE VALUES

APERTURE Value

Depth of Field The zone of acceptable sharpness within a photo that will appear in focus Also…

The closer your subject is to the camera, the shallower your depth of field becomes.

Therefore, moving further away from your subject will deepen your depth of field.

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SCOPE OF PHOTOGRPAHY Depth of field also supports the Scope of Image.

With Shallow DOF, the viewer is being led to the main focus of the image, in this case being the model.

With Deep DOF, the background can be competing with the foreground, therefore, distracting the viewers’ eyes.

UNLESS...

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SCOPE OF PHOTOGRPAHY You would like to give importance to the whole image.

Where both the Foreground and the Background are in Focus.

In this case DEEP DOF is used

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SHUTTER SPEED Value The length of time allowed for the digital sensor inside the camera being exposed to light.

Speed of Subject •

This can also lead to varying the Shutter Speed Value.  For example a racing car will not need the same shutter speed as a running athlete.

 In order to Freeze both Images, most probably:  Running Athletes > 250th of a second (1/125)  Racing Car > 2000th of a second (1/2000)

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Scope of Photograph •

What would you like to achieve from your photograph?

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To Freeze the Movement?  Using FAST Shutter Speed  Yet not allowing much light to pass through your lens

Scope of Photograph •

What would you like to achieve from your photograph?

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To Capture the Motion?  Using SLOW Shutter Speed  Using a Tripod  And Allowing light to pass through your lens

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ISO Value The higher the number, the more sensitive the camera is to light Different camera’s will adopt to ISO values differently depending on their camera sensor capacity

ISO Value •

The Higher the number, the Brighter the image

BUT •

The Higher the number, the more grain (a.k.a noise) you will get.

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It is always recommended to keep a low ISO Value

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ISO Sensitivity vs

Noise

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Usually, up till 640 ISO Value, the image will still have good quality

However..

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As you exceed that limit, Noise will appear.

This varies between different camera sensors. Certain higher quality sensors are capable of reaching up to 1600-2500 ISO values without Noise.

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White Balance

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WB

colour temperature 55

colour temperature...

Color temperature is a term used to describe how a light source emits light. On a range of 1,000 to 10,000 and it is measured in degrees Kelvin (K).

The warmer the color temperature (for instance red), the smaller the kelvin measure (1000K), and the cooler the color temperature (blue), the larger the kelvin measure (10,000K).

Photographically speaking, things get tricky when the scene you are photographing has multiple light sources with different color temperatures.

This situation is known as mixed lighting. Imaging entering a room with candle light sources (approx 1000K) and LED lights (approx 7000K).

What would you do to get a realistic colour temperature?

...white balance. white balance balances the

to neutral. Instead of whites

The good news is, adjusting

color temperature in your

appearing blue or orange,

white balance is very easy.

image. How does it do this? It

they should appear white after

You can do it in your camera,

adds the opposite color to the

correctly white balancing an

as well as in post-processing

image in an attempt to bring

image.

software.

the color temperature back 56

Setting

White Balance Most cameras come with the option to manually set or adjust white balance. Typical settings include “sun”, “shade”, “tungsten” and “fluorescent”.

Some cameras come with the option to manually set a color temperature by choosing a specific Kelvin value.

The following are all the presets found within a digital SLR and their use in photography.

AUTO WB

FLASH WB

INCANDESCENT/ TUNGSTEN WB

This will automatically remove

This has similar use to the

This is mainly used in low

coloured casts from your

fluorescent WB. It warms up

light conditions. Tungsten is a

photo. Usually this setting

the colour temperature in

setting that cools the colour

produces a very close realistic

order to compensate with the

temperature and giving it a

image.

cold temperature of flash

blue tint to compensate with the warm surrounding light.

FLUORESCENT WB

DIRECT SUNLIGHT WB

CLOUDY WB

Unlike tungsten wb,

When shooting during the day,

When shooting on a cloudy

fluorescent is used for getting

there will still be cold light rays

day, diffused sunlight by clouds

brighter and warmer shots

coming from the moon, so

will have a blue tint. The cloudy

while compensating for the

setting your camera to daylight

wb adds red and yellow tints

cool shade of fluorescent light.

wb will add yellow tint to your

making your overall image look

image to compensate the blue

warmer.

hues.

SHADE WB This is similar to the cloudy wb, only emits even more reds and yellows to compensate with the even cooler temperature shade produces.

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If you look at this photo, you could think it’s blue; nevertheless, it was most likely taken in an overcast setting, resulting in a cold color temperature. In this situation, a cloudy WB would be required to provide warm tones and balance out the overall blue effect.

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If you look at this photo, you could think it’s too warm; most probably it was taken during what is known as the golden hour. Therefore, in order to compensate with the warm lighting from the sunlight, you’ll need to set your WB preset to Incandescent/Tungsten WB. This setting is usually used for indoor lighting, however, in this case it would be ideal to compensate with the warm colour temperature by emitting blue tints.

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Looking at this photograph you’d think that it is already set with the correct WB. However, when taking photos outside in direct sunlight, the blue rays of the moon are reflected upon our subject and creating a slight cool colour.

That is why, in this case we shall use the Direct Sunlight WB in order for the camera to emit slight yellow hues to compensate with the cool colour temperature produced by the moons’ reflection.

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Taking photos in a cold environment where little to no sunshine is visible will create a cold colour temperature on your overall photograph.

This will require you as the photographer to set your camera on a Cloudy WB. As it may suggest, this pre-set will make the camera emit warm tones to compensate with the cold colour temperature created by the diffused sunslight.

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How does

an image nartive 62

Impact

LIGHT

light

Natural Light Natural light is very easy to find, it’s free and you can use relatively cheap modifiers to manipulate the direction of light.

However…

Natural light can easily vary depending on location, season, and time of day.

When photographing in natural light during mid-day, sunlight tends to produce natural white colour with extreme contrast. While when photographing during the golden hours of sunrise/sunset, you get warm colours with medium contrast.

vs Artificial Light Artificial light, allows you to shoot at any time of day, without being concerned about the availability of light or weather.

In addition to allowing you to produce any specific light setups when creating particular moods.

However…

Working with artificial lights will consist of extra costs (light sources, stands, batteries, cables etc.) , and time allowance for setting up and down your equipment.

And not to mention, a dedicated space or studio where to hold your session.

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&

Light Equipment

IN PHOTOGRAPHY

Lighting Setup

Flash Gun

Light Equipment •

Flash Gun  A.K.A Speedlight flash.  This is usually attached to the hot shoe and automatically fires when a photo is taken

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Studio Strobe Light

Studio Strobe Light  A larger light source that is connected to an AC power.  Connects to your camera with a trigger, and automatically fires when a photo is taken

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Sync Triggers

Light Equipment •

Sync Triggers  The master trigger is connected to the camera, whilst the slave trigger is attached to the light strobe.  This synchronizes the shutter release press making the strobe to fire when taking a photo.

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Light Stands

Light Stands  Light stands are used to mount light strobes and firmly hold during a photo session.

Grips

Light Equipment •

Grips  Grips are commonly used to hold light modifiers such as reflectors, or additional light sources.

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Light Meter  Light meters are a hand held device, metering the power of light, and

Light Meter

helping a photographer set his/her exposure values.

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Light Equipment •

Incandescent Bulbs  Incandescent bulbs, are light sources producing a tungsten (warm) light.  These colour temperatures range from 3000K to 3400K  Such bulbs are able to produce highly focused light due to their attached barn doors.

However..  Be very careful while handling as these can become dangerously hot

Light Equipment •

Compact Fluorescent Light  Fluorescent light have been introduced to replace Incandescent bulb, due to being better energy savers.  These lights also have a longer life span,

However…  Fluorescent lights produce softer light, and bulbs can be very expensive to buy.

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Light Equipment •

LEDs  LED’s can be a very good lighting gear for beginner photographers, due to their continuous light source, allowing one to instantly see the differences as being modified.

However…  LEDs are not as powerful as strobes or speedlight

Reflector Light Modifiers •

Reflectors are light modifiers used to bounce off existing light and directs it back to your subject.

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Very useful as soft fill light.

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Creates catchlight in your portraits

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Very affordable

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Soft Boxes Light Modifiers •

Mainly used to diffuse light, making it appear as soft and even.

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It reduces harsh shadows.

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The shape of a soft box can vary, it comes in a rectangle, square, octagon and a long strip.

Umbrella Light Modifiers •

Similarly to a soft box, an umbrella softens light and distributes it evenly around your subject.

However…

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This can allow less control over light direction, when compared to a soft box.

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Soft boxes offer a broader light distribution.

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Diffuser Light Modifiers •

A diffuser is a semi transparent material used to cover concentrated light sources.

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This is used to soften light sources and reduce the spot light effect.

Gels

Light Modifiers •

Gels are semi transparent coloured materials, used in theatres, movie productions, photography and event productions.

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These light modifiers are placed in front of a light source, producing coloured light to create a particular mood or fix colour temperatures.

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Barn Door Light Modifiers •

Barn doors are usually attached to light strobes, used to direct and shape light.

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These can also create spectacular aesthetics when used with harsh light and no diffusion.

Beauty Dish

Light Modifiers

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This type of light modifier is usually used for fashion shoots, particularly for face and shoulder shots.

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A Beauty Dish really highlights the make up and hair of ones subject, in addition to being highly creative.

Snoot

Light Modifiers •

A snoot is a modifier attached to the front part of a studio light.

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Similarly used as a barn door, to create a controlled direct light.

Flag

Light Modifiers •

A flag is used in both photography and moving image to block light (creating shadows, provide negative fill, and protect the lens from flares)

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Lighting Set-Ups Front Light •

This direction of light brings out details in your subject with minimal shadows.

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Shadows will only fall on the background.

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Front light can be the easiest to shoot, however, it may be considered as flat or boring.

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Side Light

Side light creates a more interesting visual, this adds depth and shadows to your subject.

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You need to be careful where light shadows fall, as slight adjustments of light direction can create a more flattering image then the other.

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Back Light

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Back Light is the most difficult to correctly exposed, however, when properly done it can create a spectacular effect.

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This creates a halo pop-up effect round your subject, while producing a dark shadow in front, ending up with a silhouette.

Hard Light

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Harshly refined shadows.

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More contrast.

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More dramatic outcome.

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Available Light

LIGHTING SET-UP

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Single Light

LIGHTING SET-UP

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Top Lighting

LIGHTING SET-UP

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Under Lighting

LIGHTING SET-UP

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Back Lighting

LIGHTING SET-UP

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3-Point Lighting LIGHTING SET-UP

Key Light

Key Light

Key Light

Fill Light

Fill Light Back Light

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Low Key Lighting

LIGHTING SET-UP

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High Key Lighting

LIGHTING SET-UP

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Malta Photographic society

INTRO TO PHOTOGRAPHY for

young

teens Malta Photographic Society, 137, Old Bakery Street, Valletta Contact details: 99001961 www.mpsmalta.com Tutor: Zayden Camenzuli Email: zayden.camenzuli@ilearn.edu.mt Sponsored by:

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