basic photography report

7/27/2019 Basic Photography Report

1/58

BASIC PHOTOGRAPHY


2/58

HISTORY

The word photography was first used by the scientist Sir John F.W.Herschel in 1839.

It comes from the French photographie which is based on theGreek (phos) light + (graphis) stylus / paintbrush

or (graph) representation by means of lines / drawing,together = drawing with light.

Photography is the science and art of recording images by means ofcapturing light on a light-sensitive medium, such as a film or

electronic sensor. Light patterns reflected or emitted from objects

expose a sensitive silver halide based chemical or electronicmedium during a timed exposure, usually through a photographiclens in a device known as a camera that also stores the resulting

information chemically or electronically.


3/58

THE PINHOLE The Chinese were the first people that we know of towrite about the basic idea of the pinhole camera. About

2,500 years ago (5th Century BC) they wrote abouthow an image was formed upside down from a

"pinhole" on the opposite wall.

About 2,400 years ago (4th Century BC) the famousGreek philosopher Aristotle talked about a pinhole

image formation in his work.

He wondered why "when light shines through a

rectangular peep-hole, it appears circular in the form ofa cone?"

He did not find an answer to his question and theproblem was not answered until about 1600 years later

in the early 1000s AD.


4/58

CAMERA OBSCURA The invention of the camera obscura is attributed to

the Iraqi scientist Alhazen and described in hisBook of Optics (1011-1021). English scientists

Robert Boyle and Robert Hooke later invented aportable camera obscura in 1665-1666. In the

1500s many artists, including Michelangelo andLeonardo da Vinci, used the camera obscura to

help them draw pictures.

This drawing below, made in 1652, shows an outershell with lenses in the center of each wall and aninner shell with transparent paper for drawing. The

artist entered by a trap door in the bottom.


5/58

HELIOGRAPHY In 1816 Frenchman Nicephore Niepcemade a

crude wood camera fitted with a microscope lens.

He invented Heliography around 1826, which he

used to make the earliest known permanentphotograph from nature

Louis Daguerre: Daguerreotype

Louis Daguerre (1789 - 1851), in collaboration withNicephore Niepce, invented the first practical

photographic process in 1837 which was widely

used in portraiture until the mid 1850s.
http://www.nicephore-niepce.com/http://c/Users/malen/Downloads/photography/photography_pg2.phphttp://c/Users/malen/Downloads/photography/photography_pg2.phphttp://c/Users/malen/Downloads/photography/photography_pg2.phphttp://c/Users/malen/Downloads/photography/photography_pg2.phphttp://www.nicephore-niepce.com/http://www.nicephore-niepce.com/http://www.nicephore-niepce.com/


6/58

CONTINUATION

A brass plate coated with silver was sensitized byexposure to iodine vapor and exposed to light in a

camera for several minutes.

A weak positive image produced by mercury vaporwas fixed with a solution of salt.

In 1839 the French government purchasedDaguerre's French patent and offered the

daguerreotype as "a gift free to the world". Daguerre, however, did maintain control of the

patent throughout the rest of the world.


7/58

HENRY FOX TALBOT - CALOTYPE In 1839 William Henry Fox Talbot presented a

paper to the Royal Society of London describing his

invention, the calotype.

This paper negative process, although producingan image inferior in quality to the daguerreotype,

had the great advantage of allowing multiple copies

to be made. Current film-based photography is

based on the same principle.


8/58

CARTE DE VISITE Photographic "visiting cards" were invented by

Andre Adolphe Eugene Disderi in 1854.

They were usually an albumen print mounted onto

card.Albums for the collection and display of cards

became a common fixture in Victorian parlors.


9/58

AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY The first aerial photograph showing the Place de l'

Etoile, Paris, was taken by Gaspard Felix

Tournachon (aka Felix Nadar) in 1858.

It was shot from an altitude of 520 meters in atethered balloon.

Dry Plate Photography

Dr Richard Maddox discovered a method of usinggelatin instead of glass as the plate material for the

light-sensitive solution.


10/58

CONTINUATION

This discovery led to the invention of dry platephotography, a less cumbersome process that didnot require the photographer to use a darkroom

tent for immediate plate development as had been

required by wet plate processes.Eastman Kodak Camera 1888

George Eastman introduced celluloid based film in1884, and the small portable easy-to-use box

camera in 1888. Photography could now reach themasses: once the 100 shots on the camera had

been taken, the camera was sent back to Kodak forfilm processing, new film was loaded, and the

camera was returned ready-for-use to the owner.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_camerahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_camerahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_camerahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Box_camera


11/58

TWIN LENS REFLEX CAMERA

The TLR camera has two objective lenses of the

same focal length. One of the lenses is the

photographic objective (the lens that takes the

picture), while the other is used for the waist-levelviewfinder system. The fixed mirror deflects the

light rays coming through the lens to a top screen,

which shows the image upright but laterally

reversed. Light from the object also goes throughthe taking lens, which is mounted on a common

panel with the viewing lens, and is projected on the

film. (1994 Encyclopaedia Brittanica, Inc.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin-lens_reflex_camerahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin-lens_reflex_camera


12/58

RANGE FINDER CAMERA

In 1913 a German design engineer, Oskar Barnack,

produced a prototype 35mm camera. In 1924 thecamera went into production at the Leitz factory in

Germany. It was called the Leica from the initials of

"LEItz CAmera".


13/58

SINGLE LENS REFLEX FILM CAMERA

Pentax Medium Format 6x7 SLR from the 1980s.

Used 120/220 roll film and featured an

electronically-timed focal plane shutter andinterchangeable lenses and prisms.

Asahi's first model, the AsahiflexI, went into

production in 1952, making it the first Japanese-

built 35mm SLR.


14/58

CONTINUATION

The historic Contax S (1949), the first pentaprism

SLR for eye-level viewing.

The first 35mm SLR, the Ihagee Kine Exakta,produced in 1936, had a left-handed shutter

release and rapid film wind thumb lever, folding

waist level finder and 12 to 1/1000th second focal

plane shutter.


15/58

DIGITAL SINGLE LENS REFLEX CAMERA

The basic operation of a DSLR is the same as a

SLR. For viewing purposes, the internal mirror setat a 45 degree angle reflects the light coming

through the lens up at a 90 degree angle into a

pentaprism where the image is inverted so it can be

seen through the viewfinder the right way up.


16/58

CONTINUATION During an exposure, the mirror swings up, the

aperture stops down to the selected size, and the

shutter opens exposing the electronic sensor

placed on the focal plane to light. At the end of theexposure, a second shutter closes back over the

sensor, the mirror drops back into place, and the

first shutter resets.


17/58

BEGINNERS GUIDELINES TO SIMPLE PHOTOGRAPHY

There are 3 things that affect your image quality in

photography; ISO, aperture and shutter speed. All 3of these things depend on one other factor which is

light. A photograph is basically a chemical process

in which light is exposed to film, or a sensor in

digital cameras, and registers an image.


18/58

CONTINUATION

Theres a device in the camera called the diaphragm, whichis directly connected to aperture. The different aperturesettings are called f-stops, and are represented by thenumbers you see on the image. The larger the number,

the smaller the aperture, so for example, an f-stop of f1.4would be very large, while an f-stop of f16 would be very

small. Typically, most consumer lenses have a range of f2to f16. Dont be overwhelmed by the technical terms andnumbers and things like that, once you try everything out

on the actual camera, it will all start to make sense. WhenI first went over the module on this it was all gibberish to

me, until I actually took some pictures trying all thedifferent settings. Thats when it all made perfect sense.


19/58

Now, usually a faster shutter speed will require a larger apertureto allow enough light into the camera, and a slower shutter speedwill need a smaller aperture to prevent too much light from gettingin. You see, shutter speed is how long the shutter is open to allow

light into the camera. Shutter speed is always measured inseconds. To demonstrate the effect of ISO, see the below image.Each photo was taken at 1/250th of a second, and the apertureset to f5.6, while the ISO was changed. The ISO is simply how

sensitive the film, or censor in a digital camera, is to light. Thelower the ISO is, the less sensitive it is to light. The higher theISO is, the more sensitive it is to light. You can see from the

photo, that at 100 ISO, the picture is quite dark. At 400 ISO, thepicture is better, and at 1600 ISO, the picture is far too bright.

Depending on the ISO you are using, your shutter speed will have

to be adjusted to allow the right amount of light for what you wantto achieve.


20/58

The more light that is available, the faster yourshutter speed can be. The type of light will also

change things, but that gets more complicated. All

light has a temperature in degrees Kelvin, which

also affects things. I wont get into that yet, as its a

little more advanced.


21/58

Now, lets talk a little about why shutter speed is

important. Its pretty simple, actually. The faster your

shutter opens and closes, the less you have to worry

about a blurry image. For most people, a shutter speed of

1/60th of a second is the slowest you can hand hold the

camera before experiencing blur due to camera shake. If

you are photographing a still object, or a slow moving

object, a fast shutter speed isnt as important. If you arephotographing a fast moving object, a fast shutter speed

suddenly becomes a necessity most of the time. Now

remember, the higher the ISO, the more sensitive the

film/censor will be to the light. So one might think its bestto always use the highest ISO possible, right? The correct

answer is; sometimes. In the next image we see

something new, called grain.


22/58

Grain is essentially how nice your photos look. Most ofthe time, you wont be able to tell the difference in grain at

standard print size of 4x6. However, if you ever have aphotograph youd like to enlarge, ISO suddenly becomes

very important. The higher the ISO, the grainier yourphoto will look. Below I cropped just the face of an image,one at 100 ISO and the other at 1600 ISO. The first photolooks smoother, while the second looks, well, grainy. Most

consumers wont need to be making a lot ofenlargements, so this doesnt always matter. But even anamateur will sometimes get that one perfect shot they just

would love to hang on their wall. Unfortunately, if thatperfect shot was taken with a high ISO film, or using a

high ISO setting on a digital camera, the size of theenlargement will be limited before it starts to look bad. Ifind for the average every-day John and Jane Q. Normal,

400 ISO is best. It gets more complicated of course ifyoure looking at it from a professional level, and I may

get into that another time.


23/58

Most likely, in the first frame, your eye is attracted to the figurine.This is because the back round is blurred, and unobtrusive. In thesecond frame still focused on the figurine, but a little distracted. Inthe last frame, your eye was probably drawn first to the red box,and when you look at the figurine, youre distracted by the box inthe center. So as you can see from the pictures, depth of field is

essentially the area in front and behind the object that is in focus..

Each photo was taken with the same ISO, but both the shutter

speed and aperture were changed. As you can see, the backround became less blurred the smaller the aperture. The entiretime I kept focused on the figurine. Anything in front of, or behindthe figurine would appear blurry. You can set things up howeverso that your depth of field is infinite (to a degree) and everything

is sharp. The further away something is, the more infinite the

focus can be. The closer it is, the more limited that becomes. Forexample, if taking a macro photo of a small insect, you can havethe insect in focus, but no matter what lens or camera you have,you can focus on both the insect up close and mountains in thedistance. The closer something is, the more limited the depth of

field will be.


24/58

Depth of Field is probably the most confusing tobeginners, because reading about it can be complicated,

as there are many different factors that will affect yourdepth of field. For example, a telephoto lens will have amore sensitive depth of field, while a wide angle lens willbe less obvious. Its easiest to tackle this one factor by

taking your camera out and just trying the differentaperture settings and distances from objects. Some

cameras will have a depth of field preview button, that will

show you in the viewfinder how the depth of field will look.This is a very helpful function to have, but if not, trial and

error must be used for the beginner.

The best thing to do is buy or rent an old, fully manual filmcamera. The biggest problem most beginners face is the

ease of automatic features. Buying a fully manual cameraforces you to learn these beginner concepts, which willaid greatly in how all you photographs will look in thefuture. My 2 favorite manual cameras are the Pentax

K1000 and the Canon AE-1 (But do not get the Canon

AE-1 Program, as it is largely automatic if you want it tobe).


25/58

The settings for all these functions will be available

on most digital cameras, not just SLRs. Chances

are if your camera is 3 megapixels and up, it will

have the right functions. Youll have to consult yourmanual for help on where to find them and how to

set them on your camera however.


26/58

TERMINOLOGIES Aperture: The lens opening that changes in

diameter,thereby determining how much light passesthrough to expose the film.

Aperture Priority Setting: An exposure setting takenwith a camera where the photographer chooses the

aperture setting and the camera sets the shutterspeed for proper exposure. If the photographerchanges the aperture, the camera automatically

changes the shutter speed to match. Aperture Ring: The ring located on the outside of the

lens, usually behind the focusing ring. It controls thesize of the aperture opening.


27/58

Auto Exposure Bracketing: A camera option that

automatically sets the exposure of the film to varied

shutter speeds and/or aperture settings.

Autofocus (AF) System: A common system on

SLR cameras where the camera lens automatically

focuses the image using a selected part of the

picture. Automatic Camera: A camera with a built-in

exposure meter that automatically does the work of

adjusting the aperture, shutter speed, or both for

proper exposure.

Automatic Setting or Program Exposure: An

exposure setting where the camera sets both the

aperture setting and shutter speed for proper


28/58


29/58

Finder or Viewfinder: The area on the camera

where the photographer views the subject area that

will be recorded on the film.

Fixed-Focus Lens: A non-adjustable camera lens,

which is set for a fixed distance.

Flash: A brief, intense burst of light from a bulb or

flash unit. F-Stop or F-Number: A number that indicates the

size of the aperture lens opening such as f/1.4, f/4,

f/5.6, f/16, and f/22. The larger the f-stop number,

the smaller the lens opening. F-stop determines

your depth of field.


30/58

Focal Length: The distance, as marked on the

lens, between the film and the optical center of the

lens when the lens is focused on infinity. The

distance is often listed in millimeters, such as

50mm.

Focal-Plane Shutter: The shutter system oncameras with a built-in lens. When the shutter is

pressed an opaque curtain containing a slit moves

directly across in front of the camera film, exposing

the film.

Focus: The act of adjusting the focus setting on a

lens in order to sharply define the subject.

Hot Shoe: The area on a camera that holds a small


31/58

Image Stabilization or Vibration Reducing: A

lens with an internal system to detect camerashake and compensate for it.

Internal Flash. A flash integrated into the body of

the camera, usually on the top.

Lens: Optical glass or a similar material thatcollects and focuses light to form an image on film.

Lens Hood or Shade: An attachment located at

the front of a lens to keep unwanted light fromstriking the lens and causing image flare.

Light Meter or Exposure Meter: An instrument


32/58

Light Meter or Exposure Meter: An instrument

that measures the light reflected from or falling on

an object for proper exposure. Cameras often have

an internal light meter but external light meters aremore effective.

Macro Lens: A lens which changes the perspective

to focus from an extremely close distance to infinity.

Manual Focus: The process of setting the focus

using the focus ring on the lens instead of using the

camera's auto-focus system.

Manual Setting: An exposure setting where theaperture setting and the shutter speed are both set

by the photographer. It gives the photographer

more freedom in choosing shutter speed and depth

of field when composing.


33/58

Motor Drive or Continuous Mode: An electronic

mechanism that advances the film to the next frame

and continues taking photographs. Continuous

mode is often used in Sports Photography.

Normal Lens: A lens that does not change the

perspective of the image like a telephoto or wide-angle lens.

Reflector: Any device which reflects light onto a

subject.

Shutter Blades: A movable cover in a lens that

controls the aperture setting and the time when

light reaches the film.


34/58

Shutter Priority: An exposure setting taken with a

camera where the photographer chooses the

shutter speed setting and the camera sets theaperture for proper exposure. If the photographer

changes the shutter speed, the camera

automatically changes the aperture to match.

Single-Lens-Reflex (SLR) Camera: A camera inwhich you view the scene through the same lens

that takes the picture.

Soft Focus Lens: A special lens that creates soft

outlines in the image.

Telephoto Lens: A lens which changes the

perspective to make the object appear closer.


35/58

Time Exposure: An exposure that takes seconds

or minutes to complete.

Tripod: A three-legged support that holds thecamera steady.

Unipod: A one-legged support that holds the

camera steady.

Wide-Angle Lens: A lens which changes theperspective to make the objects appear in a wider

field of view.

Zoom: A lens which changes the perspective like atelephoto or wide-angle lens. The zoom, though,

has a wide range of focal lengths, allowing the

photographer to change the perspective from close

in to far away.


36/58

EXPOSURE TERM

Bracketing: The process of taking a series of

photographs of the same subject through a range

of exposures, both lighter and darker, to insure a

correct exposure. Some SLR cameras havesettings that allow automatic bracketing.

Film Speed: Your choice of film speed as reflected

in an ISO number.

Highlights: The brightest areas of a subject.


37/58

ISO Number: A rating of the film's sensitivity to

light. The higher the number, the more sensitive or

"faster" the film; the lower the number, the lesssensitive or "slower" the film.

Overexposure: The washed-out, overly bright

areas of a photograph due to too much lightreaching the film.

Shutter Speed: The duration for which the aperture

will remain open. On an SLR camera the shutter

speed can be adjusted. The numbers represent

either seconds or fractions of a second. For

example, 1 = 1 second, 15 = 1/15 second, 60 =

1/60 second, etc.


38/58

Tone: The degree of lightness or darkness on

a print.

Underexposure: The muddy, dark areas of a

photograph due to too little light reaching the film. White Balance: A function on the camera that

compensates for different colors of light being

emitted by different light sources.


39/58

LIGHTING TERMS

Ambient Light: The natural, available light in ascene.

Backlighting: The light coming from behind thesubject.

Bounce Lighting: Light that is bounced off areflector to give the effect of ambient light.

Diffuse Lighting or Soft Lighting: Lighting thatis low or moderate in contrast.

Existing Light: Any available light regardless oftime of day and at any location.


40/58

Fill Flash: A technique to brighten dark shadow

areas, often used when the subject is located in thedark shadow.

Fill-In Light: Light added to the existing light by

use of a lamp, flash or reflector.

Frontlighting: Light shining from the direction ofthe camera toward the subject.

Sidelighting: Light shining on the subject from the

side relative to the camera, often casting longshadows.


41/58

EXAMPL

ES


42/58

AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY


43/58


44/58


45/58


46/58


47/58


48/58


49/58

DAGUERREOTYPE


50/58


51/58


52/58

DRY PLATE


53/58


54/58


55/58

WET PLATE ERA


56/58


57/58


58/58

THE END!!

basic photography report

Documents