camera controls: blur, depth of field, close up

Camera ControlsDepth of Field, Close Up, Blurring

A2 Photography

James Bell for Harlow College

Camera Controls

Recognise the creative controls in camera operation for:

• Depth of Field• Close – up photography • Recording motion (Blurring)

SLR camera

aperture

SLR cameraMain camera controls.

Aperture

Shutter Speed

ISO

Digital SLR cameraAperture.

The aperture adjusts the size of the opening through which light passes to the image sensor.

Note: The main f stops in your camera are 2.8,4.0, 5.6, 8,11,16,22, 32. for each increase in f stop value the amount of light entering the camera is reduced by a half.

SLR cameraAperture.

Change aperture value for creative effects.

• Large aperture = low f.stop = narrow depth of field.•Small aperture = high f.stop = wide depth of field

SLR cameraAperture.

Narrow Depth of field

SLR cameraAperture.

Narrow Depth of field

SLR cameraAperture.

Narrow Depth of field

SLR cameraAperture.

Narrow Depth of field

SLR camera

Aperture.

Task 1. Narrow Depth of field

• Working in groups of three photograph two people, one occupying the foreground the second in the background about 2 m behind.

• Selectively focus on the person in the foreground and take a photograph with the camera set to aperture priority and selecting the lowest f.stop possible (f2.8, or f3.5/f4.0)

• Take a second Photograph selectively focusing on the person in the background.

• Evaluate & Compare the photographs, determine which regions of the shot are in and out of focus.

• You should extend the narrow depth of field study to photographing objects, objects and people etc.

SLR camera

Aperture.

Task 1. Narrow Depth of field

• Also create your Image Bank exploring depth of field.

• Produce a contact sheet, straight images and evaluate

• Create a work diary with progression.

SLR cameraAperture.

Wide Depth of field

SLR cameraAperture.

Wide Depth of field

SLR cameraShutter speed.

Measured in fractions of a second.

1/500 1/250 1/125 1/60 1/30 1/15 1/8 1/4 1/2 1”

increasing motion blur

Note: reducing the shutter speed from 1/60th of a second to 1/30th increases the amount of light exposure by a factor of 2.

SLR cameraShutter speed.

Shutter speed means timing and duration of opening and closing of the shutter curtain at the back of the camera. A fast shutter speed will freezes action while slower speed creates blurring effect.

Capturing movement (Motion blur)

Guess the camera speed

SLR camera

Aperture.

Task 1. Narrow Depth of field

• Working in groups of three photograph two people, one occupying the foreground the second in the background about 2 m behind.

• Selectively focus on the person in the foreground and take a photograph with the camera set to aperture priority and selecting the lowest f.stop possible (f2.8, or f3.5/f4.0)

• Take a second Photograph selectively focusing on the person in the background.

• Evaluate & Compare the photographs, determine which regions of the shot are in and out of focus.

• You should extend the narrow depth of field study to photographing objects, objects and people etc.

SLR cameraShutter speed.

Shutter speed means timing and duration of opening and closing of the shutter curtain at the back of the camera. A fast shutter speed will freezes action while slower speed creates blurring effect.

Capturing movement (Motion blur)

Nikon D3, 70-200mm zoom lens, aperture F16, shutter speed 1/3rd of a second

SLR cameraShutter speed.

Capturing movement (Freeze frame)

Guess what shutter speed is required to capture this image?

SLR cameraShutter speed.

Capturing movement (Panning)

SLR cameraShutter speed.

Tripod and long exposure.

SLR cameraShutter speed & Blur

Jean Henri Lartigue

SLR cameraShutter speed & Blur

Wiliam Klein

SLR camera

Aperture.

Task 2. Capturing Motion Blur

• Working in groups of two – three photograph movement as Blur..

• You will work with shutter speeds of 1/30 second or longer

• You may choose to hold the camera static or Pan to capture the motion of e.g. cars.

• Also create your Image Bank of Blur

• Produce a contact sheet, straight images and evaluate

• Create a work diary with progression.

SLR cameraRelationship between shutter speed and aperture.

The relationship apples for a given ISO setting.

Close up Photography

Close up portraits:

SLR camera

Close up.

Task 1. Narrow Depth of field

• Working in groups of three photograph two people, one occupying the foreground the second in the background about 2 m behind.

• Selectively focus on the person in the foreground and take a photograph with the camera set to aperture priority and selecting the lowest f.stop possible (f2.8, or f3.5/f4.0)

• Take a second Photograph selectively focusing on the person in the background.

• Evaluate & Compare the photographs, determine which regions of the shot are in and out of focus.

• You should extend the narrow depth of field study to photographing objects, objects and people etc.

Close up Photography

Close up portraits:

Photo by David Terrazas

Close up Photography

Close up portraits:

• INTIMATE• EMOTIONAL• OFTEN shot at low f stop to limit

the depth of field.

• Focus on the eyes using a low f stop examine the picture and identify what areas of the picture are in focus/out of focus

• This exercise will enable you to work with depth of field

Photo by David Terrazas

Close up Photography

Close up portraits:

• The Photographer Chuck Close used a narrow depth of field in his portrait of Kate Moss (2007)

• The photograph was created using a 19th century dageurotype process

• The rational for his approach may be viewed here http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/9724849/Chuck-Close-gets-up-close-and-personal.html

Close up Photography

Close up portraits:

• The Photographer by Steve McCurry

• Close up photography with narrow depth of field

• Sharbat Gula, Afghan Girl, at Nasir Bagh refugee camp near Peshawar, Pakistan, 1984

MacroClose up Photography .

Photography producing photographs of small items larger than life size.

MacroClose up Photography .

MacroClose up Photography.

Technical aspects

1) MagnificationMacro photography has to do with the size that your subject is projected onto your camera’s sensor. If you have a one-inch subject, its projection at “life-size” would be one inch on the camera’s sensor.

When an object is projected at life-size onto the sensor, it is at “1:1 magnification”. If an object is projected at half of life-size (say, that one-inch object takes up just 1/2 inch of the sensor), it is at 1:2 magnification. With 1:10 magnification or smaller, you aren’t really shooting a macro photo anymore.

MacroClose up Photography.

Technical aspects

2) Working Distance Is the distance between your sensor and your subject at the closest possible focus distance of your lens.

A working distance of ten inches means that, with a camera/lens combo of eight inches long, the front of your lens will be two inches from the subject at its closest focusing distance.

The best macro lenses, as you might expect, have large working distances — a foot or more. The working distance increases as the focal length of the lens increases.

MacroClose up Photography.

Technical aspects

Tips for macro

Use a tripod

Explore aperture, the lower apertures may not be suitable as the depth of field is limited

Use additional lighting (flash)

Focus manually (decide where your point of focus should be).

MacroClose up Photography .