10/13/2014

Photography 101
Imee Ramos-Garcia

A key term in Media and

Photography is Composition

What does it mean?

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Composition

Composition is how
picture is constructed
There is a subject
We are concerned how
the subject is presented
and communicated

How it relates to the

surroundings
How tone, color and
contrast are used in the
photograph to add impact

Activity:
Pick a subject from around the area
(object/person) and photograph it/
them in a symmetrical composition

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Rule of Thirds
Is a basic way of framing shot.
Dividing your frame into an imaginary grid, align the subject
along an intersection of the vertical and horizontal line
Creates a more interesting and dynamic visualization; gives
the illusion of motion by causing the viewers eyes to
move away from the center.

Activity:
Frame and photograph a subject
using Rule of Thirds

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Neutral Space

When youre using the Rule

of Thirds you may leave a
large empty space or
neutral space in the frame.
Neutral spaces can be
used to give emphasis to
the main subject.
The composition can also
be balanced by including
other objects in the frame.

Activity:
Compose and photograph a
subject with a neutral space

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3 main variables when taking Photos

1.

2.

3.

Aperture also known as the Iris, it controls amount

of light entering the lens.
Shutter Speed also affects the amount of light
entering the lens, but also controls action by freezing
or blurring objects in the frame.
ISO the speed of the film. Controls the films
sensitivity to light.

The aperture value is numerical and

represented with an f

The higher the value, the smaller the hole (therefore

more light is needed to get an image). ---The bigger the
depth-of-field.
The smaller the number, the bigger the hole. ----The
smaller the depth-of-field

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How does aperture affect your shot?

The lower the f stop the shorter/ shallower the depth-of-field; your subject
will stand out better from the background.
With a lower f stop less light will also enter the lens you might need to
compensate with a slower shutter speed or use more light

Activity:

Put the camera/ DSLR on AV (aperture priority)

mode
Take multiple (5-10) shots of the same subject,
each one adjusting the f stop.

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Shutter Speed

The amount of time the cameras shutter is open and

lets light on to the imaging chip.
Captures action as it happens.
Different effects can be achieved by varying the length
of time the shutter is open.
Short speeds can range from 1/1000s - 1/16000s
Common or normal speeds are 1/60 1/250
Longer speeds can be 1 sec or more.

How shutter speed freezes action

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Moving lights are very

effective at long shutter
speeds (slow or motion blur)

High shutter speeds are used to

catch something that is beyond
the capabilities of the naked eye

Activity:

Adjust your camera to TV (shutter speed

priority) mode and shoot a series of
photographs of subjects or people
moving, vehicles passing by, or dropping
water.

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Contrast

Contrast is the variation of colors or range in a photograph

It is the effect of the amount of light falling on an image as well as
the photographers combination of aperture and shutter speed
Contrast is usually described as high, medium and low
Low contrast images usually have very subdued lighting while high
contrasts have very deep darks and brighter light areas

Activity:

Shoot examples of high, medium and low

contrast use a combination of aperture
and shutter speed to achieve your effect
Experiment with different lighting conditions
(bright sun, desk lamps, dimly-lit rooms,
etc.) to create different contrasts

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Recap
Its not the camera, its the photographer!

Move closer to your subject fill the frame

Be conscious of light and exposure

Let your photos tell a story theres a
difference between a snapshot and a
photograph

Keep shooting!

Thank you!

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