Photography - 101

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Photography - 101
(the very basics)
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Before we get started
- These are only very simple explanations - I
could be wrong! - Mainly aimed at digital users -
Slideshow will be up on LUPS website
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Let there be light!
All photography is based on light
Exposure is the total amount of light allowed to
fall on the film/image sensor
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Too much light creates an over-bright image with
white spots parts of the image are Over-Exposed
Too little light creates an under-bright image
with black spots parts of the image are
Under-Exposed
Getting the best exposure can be difficult in
scenes with contrasting light
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Exposure can be controlled mainly through two
lens settings
Aperture
and Shutter Speed
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Aperture is the size of the gap light is let
through in the lens similar to an eyes pupil
Low f-stop High aperture Large gap More
light Higher Exposure
- Aperture is measured in f-stop numbers (e.g.
f/2.1 or f/8.3)
- The higher the f-stop, the lower the aperture,
the smaller the gap (and vice versa)
High f-stop Low aperture Small gap Less
light Lower Exposure
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Shutter Speed is the length of time the cameras
lens shutter is open in other words, how long
the camera spends taking the picture
Long Shutter Speed

Short Shutter Speed
- Long shutter speeds spend more time letting
light in, which can help in dark environments and
create artistic blur effects with movement -
Short shutter speeds spends less time letting
light in, which allows for quicker pictures and
the ability to freeze time in great detail
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- To get a good exposure on manual mode, you have
to make sure the aperture and shutter speed
balance each-other out correctly for the sort of
photo you want - Most digital compacts/SLRs on
automatic mode will judge the aperture and
shutter speed for you when taking a picture but
you can still change an exposure compensation
setting to alter what it thinks is correct if
it gets it wrong
On most SLRs you can switch on Aperture Priority
(you pick the aperture, the camera picks the
shutter speed), or - Shutter Priority (you pick
the shutter speed, the camera picks the aperture
compacts usually have this too) - depending on
which is most convenient for what you want
Remember Practice makes perfect!
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Blurry Blues
Have to be careful blur is not always obvious
at first!
Can be caused by low light, fast movement,
unsteady camera, falling out of focus, using
long zoom, slow shutter speed
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• Use a tripod or lean against something firm
• - Switch on self-timer or use a remote control
• (some cameras have anti-shake technology)

Switch on macro mode (and use a macro lens on
SLRs) when shooting close-ups
Focus
Make sure youre in focus and focusing on the
right part auto-focus sometimes gets confused
No Macro Macro
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The longer a picture is being taken, the more
chance there is that movement/unsteady camera
will cause it to blur so a fast shutter speed
is desirable for sharp snapshots (remember you
will have to compensate the aperture to keep it
in good exposure)
No flash Flash
Using flash creates enough light to allow a fast
shutter speed very good for capturing movement,
but short range and can lose background
ISO affects the cameras sensitivity to
light Low ISO less sensitive to light, slower
shutter speed (likely to blur in low light, but
little grain) High ISO more sensitive to light,
faster shutter speed (less likely to blur, but
more grain)
High ISO
Low ISO
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Getting the Light Right
Getting a picture thats not too bright or dark
is about getting the right exposure so make
sure your aperture and shutter speed are suitable
for the situation (and balancing each-other
correctly)
Shorter Shutter Speed - Shorter Exposure
Longer Shutter Speed - Longer Exposure
Longer shutter speeds (or long exposure) capture
more detail in dark scenes and can allow for more
elaborate light trail effects (though you might
not want one or the other, in which case you
could balance it with the aperture differently)
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Low ISO Low ISO,
Long Exposure High ISO, Long Exposure
Remember aperture, shutter speed, flash and ISO
all combine to affect the image be careful not
to forget what youve set them to!
No Flash
Flash

• Digital cameras sometimes get confused trying to
  recreate colours, and the picture goes a
  different tint because the cameras idea of white
  is off so we can change the white balance
  setting to compensate
• Automatic Usually guesses correctly, but not
  always
• Custom Focus on something white for it to
  remember
• Tungsten Indoors, under tungsten/incandescent/bul
  b lighting
• Fluorescent Under fluorescent lighting
• Daylight/Sunny Outdoors on a bright day
• Cloudy Outdoors on a cloudy day
• Flash To compensate for flash
• Shade In shaded areas

Flash can be essential for getting snapshots in
the dark, but can lose shadows, reflect off
surfaces and lose depth of colour
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Framing the Scene
- Digital screens/viewfinders tend to be more
accurate in framing the pictures you take
- Dont always (or never) shoot your subject in
the centre of the shot laying the scene out
according to thirds can be more
interesting/satisfying
- You can use Photoshop or other digital imagery
software to crop unwanted bits out of your photos
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- Vary between landscape and portrait - Try to
keep the horizon/background objects lined up
straight (unless you are throwing them off for
artistic effect) - Try zooming/not zooming where
it might not be expected
- Rather than capturing the whole of something,
try taking a strange angle and shooting just part
of it (perhaps close up in macro mode)
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Final things to remember
These are only guidelines every rule has an
exception!
Always remember your framing and exposure!
Theres a lot more to learn and discover!
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!