PHOTOGRAPHY

FIRST STEP
Cameras: 1. Digital Camera 2. SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera 3. DSLR camera (Digital Single Lens Reflex)
Other options are : point-and-shoot, rangefinder, viewfinder etc.

HOW DIGITAL CAMERA WORKS

A digital single-lens reflex camera (digital SLR or DSLR) is a digital camera that uses a mechanical mirror system and pentaprism to direct light from the lens to an optical viewfinder at the back of the camera. The basic operation of a DSLR is as follows: for viewing purposes, the mirror reflects the light coming through the attached lens upwards at a 90 degree angle. It is then reflected twice by the pentaprism, rectifying it for the photographer's eye. During exposure, the mirror assembly swings upward, the aperture narrows, and a shutter opens, allowing the lens to project light onto the image sensor. A second shutter then covers the sensor, ending the exposure, and the mirror lowers while the shutter resets. The period that the mirror is flipped up is referred to as "viewfinder blackout". A fast-acting mirror and shutter is preferred so as to not delay an action photo.
All of this happens automatically over a period of milliseconds.

TERMS YOU MUST NOT DREAD OF !

EXPOSURE
Exposure is the amount of light collected by the sensor or lens in your camera during a single shot.

If the shot is exposed too long the photograph will be washed out.

If the shot is exposed too short the photograph will appear too dark.

TERMS YOU MUST NOT DREAD OF !

The two primary controls your camera uses for exposure are shutter speed and aperture. SHUTTER SPEED - the amount of time the sensor is exposed to light. Shutter speeds are measured in seconds and more commonly fractions of a second. (1/2000 of a second is very fast and 8' seconds is extremely slow)

Understand the Speed

1/4000s : Sharp images of fast moving subjects of Athletes, vehicles under good lighting conditions 1/500s & 1/250s: Sharp images of people in everyday lives. 1/250 the max shutter speed can be used for panning at f11 1/125s: apt for landscape photography, 1/60s : apt for portraits during minimum light condition 1/30s : Mostly used for Panning photography, mounting on a tripod preferred for steady shots. Subjects moving with a speed of 48 km/h 1/15s & 1/8s : Purposeful slow shutters used for panning and deliberate art 1/4s & 1/2s & 1 : Used for motion blur effects and low light photography B (Bulb) : 1 minute to several hours, used for long exposures & light painting

Shutter : 1/20s Aperture : f/19 ISO : 400

Shutter: 1/2000 Aperture: f4.5 ISO: 400

TERMS YOU MUST NOT DREAD OF !

SHUTTER SPEED AND APERTURE

APERTURE - the size of the lens opening that lets light into the camera. Apertures are measured in something called f/stops (a very wide aperture is f/1.8 and a very small aperture is f/22.

f/stops

o Maximum aperture(f1.8) = More DOF Subject focus o Minimum Aperture(f22) = Sharpness Detail

Shutter: 1/60 Aperture: f/16 ISO : 400

TERMS YOU MUST NOT DREAD OF !

APERTURE SCALE
APERTURE SCALE
Each step in this typical scale of apertures represents a change of one f stop. Imagine that f22, the smallest aperture lets through one unit of light. F16would allow through 2 units of light, f1 1 4 units and so on. The widest aperture f1.4 lets through 256 times more light than f22.

Aperture

f1.4

f2

f2.8

f4

f5.6

f8

f11

f16

f22

Units of light passed

256

128

64

32

16

TERMS YOU MUST NOT DREAD OF !

SHUTTER SCALE

SHUTTER SCALE
Shutter Speed Units of light passed
1/4 1/18 1/15 1/30 1/60 1/125 1/250 1/500 1/1000

256

128

64

32

16

Lenses

COMPOSITION BASICS

Depth of Field - Depth Of Field refers to the range of distance from the camera at which the objects will appear to be in acceptable focus. Anything outside this range will start to appear blurred.

COMPOSITION BASICS

Golden Triangle - Golden Triangle uses the same golden ratio used in a Golden Ratio.

Some photographers find it also effective to remove one of the small triangles forming three triangular sections, a large triangle, a medium triangle and a small triangle, and fitting the three most significant parts of a scene inside these triangles.

COMPOSITION BASICS

The Rule of Thirds - The rule of thirds is a compositional rule of thumb in visual arts such as painting, photography and design. The rule states that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equallyspaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections.

ACCESSORIES
LENS

Photography is all about capturing light on a photographic emulsion or electronic sensor. So a photographic lens is very important. A photographic lens is an optical lens or assembly of lenses used in conjunction with a camera body and mechanism to make images of objects either on photographic film, or on other media capable of storing an image chemically or electronically.

ACCESSORIES
LENS

A lens may be permanently fixed to a camera, or it may be interchangeable with lenses of different focal lengths, apertures, and other properties.

ACCESSORIES
LENS HOOD OR LENS SHADE

In photography, a lens hood or lens shade is a device used at the end of a lens to block the sun, or any other light source in order to prevent glare and lens flare.

ACCESSORIES
TRIPOD AND CAMERA CLAMP Tripods are used for both motion and still photography to prevent camera movement and give stability. They are necessary when slow-speed exposures are being made, or when telephoto lenses are used, as any camera movement while the shutter is open will produce a blurred image. In the same way, they reduce camera shake, and thus are instrumental in achieving maximum sharpness. A tripod is also helpful in achieving precise framing of the image, or when more than one image is being made of the same scene

ACCESSORIES
LIGHT METER A light meter is a device used to measure the amount of light. In photography, a light meter is often used to determine the proper exposure for a photograph. Typically, a light meter will include a computer, either digital or analogue, which allows the photographer to determine which shutter speed and f-number should be selected for an optimum exposure, given a certain lighting situation and film speed.

ACCESSORIES
FLASH, FILTER & MEMORY CARD Flash, filters and memory cards are optional. It comes with many variation which is subjective to the photographic need. A flash is a device used in photography producing a flash of artificial light at a color temperature of about 5500 - 6500 K to help illuminate a scene. A major purpose of a flash is to illuminate a dark scene.

A filter is a camera accessory consisting of an optical filter that can be inserted in the optical path.

Composing Your Photograph

Factors
Basic composition Mood and atmosphere Qualities of a good photo Basic composition Improving composition

Creating mood
Overall feel of a picture Created by Perspective Color Focus (isolation and distance) Weather and light Sunrise/sunset Misty, rainy days Sun vs. overcast

Characteristics of a good photo

Shape Line Pattern Texture Size and space

Shape
Tends to be noticed first, before texture and pattern Easiest and most recognizable composition tool Shape helps create a mood/character for the picture Search for the unconventional or surprise shape in objects

Creating shape
Common: o use backlighting to create a silhouette Uncommon: o side lighting with simple background o underexpose to focus on shape vs. color or texture

Line:
Lines create o Shape o Pattern o Depth o Perspective Line leads the eye o Focal point/subject o Diagonals o S-curves

Line creates perspective

Lines into the horizon show depth and perspective for the viewer Vanishing point o Point at which lines converge and vanish in to the horizon o Place off-center

Close-ups decrease perspective while wideangles can exaggerate it

Pattern
Orderly combination of shape, line, or color Pattern can help echo the character of a photo Catching attention o Random patterns o Slight variation in a pattern o Pattern in common places

Texture
Adds realism (sense of touch) to a photo Sharp (hard) light highlights texture Especially important for close-up and b/w shots Side lighting highlights texture Most portraits use front lighting to decrease texture on skin

Good photography depends exclusively upon the photographer, and the photographers ability to do two simple things: Firstly, the ability to see what you are looking at is essential. To recognize the potential of a subject or location in visual terms, to recognize the visual appeal of isolating particular elements, and viewing them from a specific viewpoint or camera angle.

Child with a hand granade in central park N.Y.C 1962 Diane Arbus

Giving perspective
Linear : Lines which converge into the distance Diminishing size : objects further away are smaller

Depth and perspective

Overlapping forms overlapping objects in a picture create depth and distance Selective focusing focusing on the foreground and blurring the background

Improving composition
Rule of thirds Simplicity Angle and perspective Framing

Simplicity
One strong center of interest Foreground or background should be simple or complimentary to center of interest Include foreground or background for sense of isolation, distance, depth, etc. Avoid mergers

Cut offs
Avoiding cutting out parts or wholes of people or main subjects Avoiding cutting out the path of a moving object

Give the object somewhere to go

Working with angles

Low angles Clear sky backdrop Accentuate movement or action High angle Eliminate cloudy sky 45 degree angles will cut glare Avoid centered horizons

Framing
Adds depth Should fit theme Helps subject fill the frame Can block unwanted subjects from view Watch focus on foreground Focus on foreground in landscape Focus on subject in portraits Auto-focus should be centered on main topic OverallDEPENDS ON CAMERA

Fill the frame

Would this picture look better if I was closer? Focus on subject Detail Start far and move closer Fill the frame with objects that fit Long range shots provide depth and perspective

Process your Pictures

Adobe Photoshop Adobe Photoshop Light Room Gimp Google Picasa

Adobe Photoshop
Manipulate or improve your photographs Comprehensive graphics program Lots of tools Wider perspective in improving art

Adobe Lightroom
Exclusively for photographers Less Manipulation Easier workflow Make your own presets Larger views Nondestructive editing User friendly interface

Gimp
Free- open source project Similar to Photoshop Google made their logo using Gimp Similar patterns and brushes like Photoshop

Google Picasa
Map Integration Simple interface Easy to publish Easy picture editing

Have an idea about the frames when you shoot People

My favorite Shots

Delhi 2011

The Denial

Innocence of Childhood

Light Painting

Fly Council

Deepu Shashidharan, Motherjane

Essence of Taste!

100 Strangers

Indian Rupee

A million reasons

Syam,Kaav

Thank you and Good Luck!

Aby mathew 500px.com/abymathw 9847811303 8907173670