ºÝºÝߣ

ºÝºÝߣShare a Scribd company logo

Beginning Digital Photography

?
?
L
LynnYenkeyPhoto

The basics of digital photography technology and what the beginner needs to know to expose and compose great pictures. Given as a workshop for Cornell's Campus Life in January 2010.

1 of 27
Beginning Digital Photography for Campus Life at Cornell Lynn Purdon Yenkey January 14, 2010 All photographs Copyright Lynn Purdon Yenkey
Intro & Overview ? How much camera do I need? ??(15 min) - camera options, megapixels, & storage media?the casual photographer needs to make quality pictures ? Upload pictures to the computer ?(3 min) - camera cables vs. card readers ? Edit pictures to crop, remove redeye, & more (15 min) - JPG compression (benefits and dangers) - demo of Picasa software for basic picture editing ? Basic photography concepts (20 min) ¨Ccomposition, exposure, what to think about before you click ? Q&A ? Resources
Mega what? ?Mega = million / pixel = light-capturing elements in a camera¡¯s sensor ?2048¡Á1536 sensor elements = 3,145,728 ~ 3.1 megapixels ? Defines the primary resolution of photos ?At the highest image quality setting ?Use camera settings to lower resolution and save disk space
How many megapixels is enough? ?What is the highest image quality you want to achieve? What do you want to do with your photos? ? Web: use the lowest resolution: in camera or save a new version ? Personal prints / home printer quality: average quality settings ? Gift quality prints, cards, fine art: high quality ?Cost: more resolution costs more, but less than it used to ? Beware of too many megapixels packed into small sensors ?Memory: shooting & storage ? Get extra storage cards if you plan to shoot a lot ? Faster cards mean faster shooting & downloading (MB/s) ? Archive! External hard drives, DVDs, online storage companies
Storage Card Memory Examples 32 MB 64 MB 128 MB 256 MB 512 MB 1 GB 1 megapixel 92 180 363 730 1460 2923 2 megapixel 34 70 140 283 567 1135 3 megapixel 25 51 105 212 424 852 4 megapixel 16 32 64 128 256 512 5 megapixel 11 25 50 101 203 407 6 megapixel 10 20 40 80 160 320 7 megapixel 9 18 38 75 150 301 8 megapixel 8 16 32 64 128 256 http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/expert/compactflash.mspx These numbers may vary by camera and assume using the highest quality image setting. How many images can you store on a memory card? How many will you shoot in an outing?
What size print can I make? ?What is your starting resolution? ?What is the output device? ?Photo lab: 240-300 ppi ?Home printer¡ªvarying resolution possibilities Megapixels at 300 PPI at 200 PPI 2 5.8" x 3.8" 8.7" x 5.8" 3 7.1" x 4.7" 10.6" x 7.1" 4 8.2" x 5.4" 12.2" x 8.2" 5 9.1" x 6.1" 13.7" x 9.1" 6 10.0" x 6.7" 15.0" x 10.0" 8 11.5" x 7.7" 17.3" x 11.5" 12 14.1" x 9.4" 21.2" x 14.1" 16 16.3" x 10.9" 24.5" x 16.3" 22 19.1" x 12.8" 28.7" x 19.1¡° http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/digital-camera-pixel.htm
Other features to consider ?Get good optics¡ªbetter lenses make better photos ?Optical zoom is better than digital zoom ?More controls mean more control ?As your skills grow, you might prefer more control ?Shutter lag: the best way to miss the moment ?Compare and get the least you can find (measured in fractions of seconds) ?Compensate by holding trigger half-way down to pre-focus and set exposure readings ?Battery life. Carry extras!
Uploading Images ?Camera software provided ?Camera is just another drive ?USB cable (drains camera battery) ?Digital media drives ?accommodate different card sizes ?Upload faster than cables
File Compression & Color Format ?JPEG: benefits and risks ?Small, med, large in camera ?¡°Lossy¡± compression. Data is lost on each re-save. ?Save a copy to edit & keep the original unchanged. ?Color space: ?sRBG for the Web¡ªsmallest color gamut. Some online printers now ask for sRGB. ?Adobe RGB: bigger color gamut, use for prints
Picasa Demo ?http://picasa.google.com ?Organize images on your computer ?Share images on web albums¡ªpublic and private ?Edit images ?Order prints ?Be creative: movies, collages, ?Free!
Exposure¡¯s Basic Ingredients ?ISO controls sensor¡¯s sensitivity to light ?Higher #s for low light or fast action (ISO 400 & up) ?Lower #s for bright daylight, blurring, finer quality ?Aperture / f - stop ?Controls volume of light reaching the sensor (like a faucet on high or low) ?Controls depth of field¡ªhow much or little is in focus ?Shutter speed ?Controls how long light reaches the sensor ?Controls appearance of movement¡ªblurs or stops action
ISO ?Controls sensor sensitivity to light ?Next level up means twice as sensitive to light ?High number = high light sensitivity ?Enables faster shutter speeds or smaller apertures ?Higher ISO adds noise (¡°graininess¡± in film) ?ISO 400 typical for sports outside ?ISO 1600 typical for low light ?Low number = low sensitivity ?Enables long shutter speeds or wider apertures ?Use to intentionally blur or defocus background (DoF) ?ISO 100 or 200 for bright daylight with slow-moving subjects or stills
Aperture ?How much light enters the lens opening ?Moving up or down one f -stop halves or doubles the lens opening (and the amount of light entering lens) f /2.8, f /4, f /5.6, f /8, f /11, f /16, etc. ?Inverse of shutter speed¡ªlarge aperture (smaller number) usually needs faster shutter speed ?¡°Aperture Priority¡± ¨C Av or A mode
Aperture and Depth of Field ?DoF is a defining characteristic of photography ?Low f - stop = more light, less DoF High f - stop = less light, more DoF ?f /2.8 ~ ¡°wide open¡±: smaller DoF (less is in focus) ?f /16: larger DoF: 2 ft to infinity in focus ?Focus to create interest ?get close and zoom or use macro
Using Depth of Field ? Small apertures (f #) shorten the area of focus, create blurred backgrounds (¡°Shallow depth of field¡±) ? Centers attention on what is sharp.
Shutter Speed and Movement ?Shutter speeds double (approx.) with each setting. 1 sec, ?, ?, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000 ?Inverse of aperture¡ª faster shutter speed needs wider aperture (smaller f number) ?Do you want to show movement or stop action? ?Low light needs longer time ?¡°Shutter Priority¡± ¨C Tv mode ?Shutter speed- based exposure
f /16 Rule ?Bright daylight ?Set shutter speed equal to ISO ?ISO 200, then shutter is 1/200 ¨C 1/250 sec ?Aperture = f /16 ?Shift aperture + shutter up or down (inversely) to get the desired setting. For ex: 1/1000 sec @ f /8
Shutter Speed and Movement ?Increase ISO to improve stop action or shoot in low light ?Chances of blur increase with low shutter speeds ?Pre-focus where you want to stop the action ?Experiment with showing movement or stopping it
Composition: Rule of Thirds ?A rule in visual arts to create balanced, interesting images ?Divide the image into thirds vertically and horizontally. ?Place the point of interest at one of the red intersections. ?Place horizon lines at thirds, not in the middle. ? Break the rule sometimes. http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/rule-of-thirds/
Rule of Thirds Careful composition improves even casual snapshots.
Lens Choices / Focal Length ?How much do you want to show? ?Wide angles ?Appearance of a larger depth of field so more is in focus ?Widest angles can distort corners ?Normal ?Similar view to what the human eye sees ?Zoom/Telephoto ?Compresses the subject and background ?Appearance of shorter depth of field ?Hand shake is also magnified, so you tend to require faster shutter speeds (& higher ISO)
Wide vs. Telephoto Can you see the giraffes?
Wide Angles Wide angles can distort what is closest to the lens Corner distortion, but overall effect OK
Change Your Point of View How do you really see the scene? What do you want the picture to make the viewer feel ?
Get Closer to Your Subjects
Be a lifelong photography student. ?Think about what you want to come away with. ?Get to know your camera. ?Experiment¡ªdigital images are free, so experiment & learn from mistakes. ?Give self-assignments: capture blur, mood in low light, fast action, different DoF¡­ try something new! ?Get close to your subjects. Move around! ?Have fun!
Resources Get Prints Online ? www.mpix.com ? www.kodakgallery.com or Kodak Kiosk in stores ? www.picasa.google.com ? www.walmart.com ? http://photos.live.com ? www.flickr.com ? www.shutterfly.com ? www.snapfish.com Camera Review Sites ? http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camera-reviews ? http://www.bestinclass.com/digital-cameras ? http://www.dcresource.com/ ? http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp Exposure ? http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/learning-exposure-in-digital-photography/ Megapixels ? www.digicamguides.com/learn/megapixels.html ¨C a good description of how mega you need to get ? http://www.digicamguides.com/print/ppi-print-size.html ¨C megapixels and printing ? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_camera#Image_resolution ¨C a good description and table of different sensors and their resolutions ? http://www.digicamguides.com/learn/digital-camera-terms.html ¨C general digital & photo terms Shutter Lag ? These specs change, so please read latest manufacturer information. ? www.cameras.co.uk/html/shutter-lag-comparisons.cfm ? www.nytimes.com/2007/05/10/technology/10basics.html?_r=2&oref=slogin

More Related Content

Beginning Digital Photography

  • 1. Beginning Digital Photography for Campus Life at Cornell Lynn Purdon Yenkey January 14, 2010 All photographs Copyright Lynn Purdon Yenkey
  • 2. Intro & Overview ? How much camera do I need? ??(15 min) - camera options, megapixels, & storage media?the casual photographer needs to make quality pictures ? Upload pictures to the computer ?(3 min) - camera cables vs. card readers ? Edit pictures to crop, remove redeye, & more (15 min) - JPG compression (benefits and dangers) - demo of Picasa software for basic picture editing ? Basic photography concepts (20 min) ¨Ccomposition, exposure, what to think about before you click ? Q&A ? Resources
  • 3. Mega what? ?Mega = million / pixel = light-capturing elements in a camera¡¯s sensor ?2048¡Á1536 sensor elements = 3,145,728 ~ 3.1 megapixels ? Defines the primary resolution of photos ?At the highest image quality setting ?Use camera settings to lower resolution and save disk space
  • 4. How many megapixels is enough? ?What is the highest image quality you want to achieve? What do you want to do with your photos? ? Web: use the lowest resolution: in camera or save a new version ? Personal prints / home printer quality: average quality settings ? Gift quality prints, cards, fine art: high quality ?Cost: more resolution costs more, but less than it used to ? Beware of too many megapixels packed into small sensors ?Memory: shooting & storage ? Get extra storage cards if you plan to shoot a lot ? Faster cards mean faster shooting & downloading (MB/s) ? Archive! External hard drives, DVDs, online storage companies
  • 5. Storage Card Memory Examples 32 MB 64 MB 128 MB 256 MB 512 MB 1 GB 1 megapixel 92 180 363 730 1460 2923 2 megapixel 34 70 140 283 567 1135 3 megapixel 25 51 105 212 424 852 4 megapixel 16 32 64 128 256 512 5 megapixel 11 25 50 101 203 407 6 megapixel 10 20 40 80 160 320 7 megapixel 9 18 38 75 150 301 8 megapixel 8 16 32 64 128 256 http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/expert/compactflash.mspx These numbers may vary by camera and assume using the highest quality image setting. How many images can you store on a memory card? How many will you shoot in an outing?
  • 6. What size print can I make? ?What is your starting resolution? ?What is the output device? ?Photo lab: 240-300 ppi ?Home printer¡ªvarying resolution possibilities Megapixels at 300 PPI at 200 PPI 2 5.8" x 3.8" 8.7" x 5.8" 3 7.1" x 4.7" 10.6" x 7.1" 4 8.2" x 5.4" 12.2" x 8.2" 5 9.1" x 6.1" 13.7" x 9.1" 6 10.0" x 6.7" 15.0" x 10.0" 8 11.5" x 7.7" 17.3" x 11.5" 12 14.1" x 9.4" 21.2" x 14.1" 16 16.3" x 10.9" 24.5" x 16.3" 22 19.1" x 12.8" 28.7" x 19.1¡° http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/digital-camera-pixel.htm
  • 7. Other features to consider ?Get good optics¡ªbetter lenses make better photos ?Optical zoom is better than digital zoom ?More controls mean more control ?As your skills grow, you might prefer more control ?Shutter lag: the best way to miss the moment ?Compare and get the least you can find (measured in fractions of seconds) ?Compensate by holding trigger half-way down to pre-focus and set exposure readings ?Battery life. Carry extras!
  • 8. Uploading Images ?Camera software provided ?Camera is just another drive ?USB cable (drains camera battery) ?Digital media drives ?accommodate different card sizes ?Upload faster than cables
  • 9. File Compression & Color Format ?JPEG: benefits and risks ?Small, med, large in camera ?¡°Lossy¡± compression. Data is lost on each re-save. ?Save a copy to edit & keep the original unchanged. ?Color space: ?sRBG for the Web¡ªsmallest color gamut. Some online printers now ask for sRGB. ?Adobe RGB: bigger color gamut, use for prints
  • 10. Picasa Demo ?http://picasa.google.com ?Organize images on your computer ?Share images on web albums¡ªpublic and private ?Edit images ?Order prints ?Be creative: movies, collages, ?Free!
  • 11. Exposure¡¯s Basic Ingredients ?ISO controls sensor¡¯s sensitivity to light ?Higher #s for low light or fast action (ISO 400 & up) ?Lower #s for bright daylight, blurring, finer quality ?Aperture / f - stop ?Controls volume of light reaching the sensor (like a faucet on high or low) ?Controls depth of field¡ªhow much or little is in focus ?Shutter speed ?Controls how long light reaches the sensor ?Controls appearance of movement¡ªblurs or stops action
  • 12. ISO ?Controls sensor sensitivity to light ?Next level up means twice as sensitive to light ?High number = high light sensitivity ?Enables faster shutter speeds or smaller apertures ?Higher ISO adds noise (¡°graininess¡± in film) ?ISO 400 typical for sports outside ?ISO 1600 typical for low light ?Low number = low sensitivity ?Enables long shutter speeds or wider apertures ?Use to intentionally blur or defocus background (DoF) ?ISO 100 or 200 for bright daylight with slow-moving subjects or stills
  • 13. Aperture ?How much light enters the lens opening ?Moving up or down one f -stop halves or doubles the lens opening (and the amount of light entering lens) f /2.8, f /4, f /5.6, f /8, f /11, f /16, etc. ?Inverse of shutter speed¡ªlarge aperture (smaller number) usually needs faster shutter speed ?¡°Aperture Priority¡± ¨C Av or A mode
  • 14. Aperture and Depth of Field ?DoF is a defining characteristic of photography ?Low f - stop = more light, less DoF High f - stop = less light, more DoF ?f /2.8 ~ ¡°wide open¡±: smaller DoF (less is in focus) ?f /16: larger DoF: 2 ft to infinity in focus ?Focus to create interest ?get close and zoom or use macro
  • 15. Using Depth of Field ? Small apertures (f #) shorten the area of focus, create blurred backgrounds (¡°Shallow depth of field¡±) ? Centers attention on what is sharp.
  • 16. Shutter Speed and Movement ?Shutter speeds double (approx.) with each setting. 1 sec, ?, ?, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000 ?Inverse of aperture¡ª faster shutter speed needs wider aperture (smaller f number) ?Do you want to show movement or stop action? ?Low light needs longer time ?¡°Shutter Priority¡± ¨C Tv mode ?Shutter speed- based exposure
  • 17. f /16 Rule ?Bright daylight ?Set shutter speed equal to ISO ?ISO 200, then shutter is 1/200 ¨C 1/250 sec ?Aperture = f /16 ?Shift aperture + shutter up or down (inversely) to get the desired setting. For ex: 1/1000 sec @ f /8
  • 18. Shutter Speed and Movement ?Increase ISO to improve stop action or shoot in low light ?Chances of blur increase with low shutter speeds ?Pre-focus where you want to stop the action ?Experiment with showing movement or stopping it
  • 19. Composition: Rule of Thirds ?A rule in visual arts to create balanced, interesting images ?Divide the image into thirds vertically and horizontally. ?Place the point of interest at one of the red intersections. ?Place horizon lines at thirds, not in the middle. ? Break the rule sometimes. http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/rule-of-thirds/
  • 20. Rule of Thirds Careful composition improves even casual snapshots.
  • 21. Lens Choices / Focal Length ?How much do you want to show? ?Wide angles ?Appearance of a larger depth of field so more is in focus ?Widest angles can distort corners ?Normal ?Similar view to what the human eye sees ?Zoom/Telephoto ?Compresses the subject and background ?Appearance of shorter depth of field ?Hand shake is also magnified, so you tend to require faster shutter speeds (& higher ISO)
  • 22. Wide vs. Telephoto Can you see the giraffes?
  • 23. Wide Angles Wide angles can distort what is closest to the lens Corner distortion, but overall effect OK
  • 24. Change Your Point of View How do you really see the scene? What do you want the picture to make the viewer feel ?
  • 25. Get Closer to Your Subjects
  • 26. Be a lifelong photography student. ?Think about what you want to come away with. ?Get to know your camera. ?Experiment¡ªdigital images are free, so experiment & learn from mistakes. ?Give self-assignments: capture blur, mood in low light, fast action, different DoF¡­ try something new! ?Get close to your subjects. Move around! ?Have fun!
  • 27. Resources Get Prints Online ? www.mpix.com ? www.kodakgallery.com or Kodak Kiosk in stores ? www.picasa.google.com ? www.walmart.com ? http://photos.live.com ? www.flickr.com ? www.shutterfly.com ? www.snapfish.com Camera Review Sites ? http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-camera-reviews ? http://www.bestinclass.com/digital-cameras ? http://www.dcresource.com/ ? http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp Exposure ? http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/learning-exposure-in-digital-photography/ Megapixels ? www.digicamguides.com/learn/megapixels.html ¨C a good description of how mega you need to get ? http://www.digicamguides.com/print/ppi-print-size.html ¨C megapixels and printing ? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_camera#Image_resolution ¨C a good description and table of different sensors and their resolutions ? http://www.digicamguides.com/learn/digital-camera-terms.html ¨C general digital & photo terms Shutter Lag ? These specs change, so please read latest manufacturer information. ? www.cameras.co.uk/html/shutter-lag-comparisons.cfm ? www.nytimes.com/2007/05/10/technology/10basics.html?_r=2&oref=slogin

Editor's Notes

  • #5: 1000 x 667 JPG 72 dpi at 65% quality is 193 KB