Maritza Torres 1 Maritza Torres Professor: Fiss English 1102 Genre Product Final Draft Photography Photography is like

composing an essay. An author carefully selects words, ideas, and examples that will be incorporated throughout the essay. Just like an author a photographer cautiously decides on the elements that will be utilized for an image. A photographer uses elements such as focus, lighting, contrast and background to depict an intended subject. Determining other photographer's intended message and analyzing how it is supported by visual elements can help one obtain a better image. Photographers use many different kinds of equipment to convey their vision. Its not the equipment that is important, but how one as a photographer sees things. Photography is capable of communicating what words cannot; it is simply a matter of choosing the correct elements.

Photographers shot in multiple camera modes; Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority or Manual Mode. This allows one to have greater control of the camera, and helps establish more creative images. Not only this, but each mode challenges the photographer at distinct levels. Aperture Priority, also known as f/stop, which are the metal blades that allow a certain amount of light into the camera can drastically change an image. Setting the correct aperture can be relatively confusing when beginning to shot. New photographers mainly run into confusion because large apertures are given f/stop smaller numbers and smaller apertures have larger f-stop numbers. For instance f/2.8 is in fact a much larger aperture than f/22. Therefore misusage of Aperture, can lead to a poor quality image. Shutter Speed on the other hand is like a curtain moving across the image sensor/film in other words the length of time the image is exposed to

Maritza Torres 2 film/media.

Shutter speed is measured in seconds or in most cases fractions of seconds. In various cases one will most likely be set on shutter speeds of 1/60th of a second or faster. This is because anything slower very difficult to use without causing camera shake. Camera shake can be defined as camera movement while the shutter is open and results in blur in ones photos. Manual mode on the other hand is the most complex camera mode. Reason being that the photographer has to manually set the modes required to take a picture. This would include shutter speed and aperture.

The modes stated previously are highly important, but other factors also have an affect. Film Speed/ISO (International Organization for Standardization) numbers indicate how sensitive to light the film or a sensor is within a camera. The higher the ISO number, the more sensitive it is to light so you can take pictures in lower light situations or use faster shutter speeds and/or smaller apertures. For example ISO 100 is like being outside and moving into an indoor environment, when youre outside you see fine, but once inside, everything is too dark for you to see. ISO 1600 is like getting your eyes dilated at the doctors office --- as long as youre in the dark office, your vision is somewhat obscured, but once you step outside into bright sun, the

Maritza Torres 3 light is too much for your eyes. Each ISO level incorporated within a camera is used to obtain proper lighting, inside or outside, day or night. After one is able to set ones camera in an appropriate setting, composition is what follows. Composition is defined photographically as the way or manner a photographer arranges picture elements within the frame of the photograph. When the viewer looks at the photo, the arrangements of these elements should immediately draw their attention to a strong center of interest (the subject of the photo).

By visually defining the subject of the photograph for the viewer, the photographer is able to tell a story through the image. Good photographs convey one story simply and concisely. The simpler the story, the better it is the job of the photographer to tell that story to the viewer. One of the problems beginning photographers encounter in regards to composition is putting too many elements in the picture. Without a strong subject or center of interest, the viewer cannot pick out what they are supposed to be looking at. The meaning of the image is readily apparent. If a picture element is not integral to telling the story of the photograph, it should not be included in that image. It will only serve as a distraction, pulling the viewers attention away from what the photographer intended to communicate. It is important to keep in mind 4 basic concepts when composing and image. 1. Eliminate distracting picture elements that dont relate to the story. You can either use a shallow depth of field to blur out unimportant picture elements or you can reframe your shot to eliminate them completely from your image. 2. Use the Rule of Thirds when composing an image. 3. You can lead action into the frame of your image --- create the illusion of action coming

Maritza Torres 4 into the frame by allowing more space in front of a moving object instead of behind that object (which would make it appear as though the subject of your image is leaving the frame) 4. Dont let the horizon spilt the image into two equal portions. Place the horizon either above or below the center of the image. Overall capturing an image is extremely complex, but also very rewarding. One is able to see things through a different prospective. Again like an essay there is room for mistakes, and revision. It takes time to obtain a final draft, but practice makes perfect. One learns to work with a particular style and improve along the way.

Maritza Torres 5 Works Cited. "Composition." Composition. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2013. Johnson, Dave. "Choose an Appropriate Camera Shutter Speed." 30.9 (2012): 92. Print. Johnson, Dave. "Master Your Camera's Exposure Modes." 29.9 (2012): 81. Print. Johnson, Dave. "Quick Tips for Shooting Distinctive Photos." 29.7 (2012): 80. Print. Rowse, Darren. "5 Elements of Composition in Photography." Digital Photography School 5 Oct. 2013. Elements of Composition in Photography Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 16