LEARNING THE BASICS
Photography (2005)
– John Ingledew, ‘Loading…’
Photographs enlighten our lives; photos allow us to treasure
things, ‘with photography you don’t lose anything again’ (Nan Goldin, quoted
in: Indledew, J., 2005, p. 8).
Photographs immortalise the world around us: ‘confronted
with our fading memories and mortality, we all want to make a permanent
impression on the world and to leave a record of ourselves and our lives.
Photos grant everyone this wish’. (Indledew, J., 2005, p. 9).
Photography holds immense power; they can dissolve taboos,
influence public opinion and even impact upon governmental policy to elicit
change (Indledew, J., 2005, p. 11). It is due to this power potential that I
believe photography is an art that is imperative to understand when studying
the impact media has on society, social thinking and the culture of ideology –
to what extent can photography or even a single photograph inspire a viewer to
criticise their own outlook on the world, perhaps even to alter or reverse
their thinking completely?
Ingledew, J. (2013) Photography.
London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd., pp. 6-265.
Three golden rules: Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO
Aperture – ‘F’ numbers
Location on camera:
aperture setting dial on the front of the camera in front of the shutter
button.
Aperture is the amount of light that passes through the
lens during exposure – it is the iris of the camera’s eye. Changing the
aperture changes the diameter of the
camera lens. The aperture is adjusted by rotating the ring of the lens and
therefore altering the size of the diaphragm:
a set of thin metal blades which make up the aperture.
Aperture settings are expressed as ‘F’ numbers – the
higher the number, the smaller the aperture opening allowing for a smaller
amount of light to pass through the lens (F/22 is the smallest, F/2.8 is the
biggest). Wide apertures like F/2.8 provide a shallow depth of field, perfect
for portraits and when selecting a specific object focus in a composition.
Narrow apertures like F/16-20 produce a large depth of field, perfect for
landscapes and when everything in frame is desired to be in sharp focus.
Shutter Speed
Location on
camera: rear dial at the back of the camera, next to the LCD screen and
behind the shutter button.
Shutter speed indicates the time for which the sensor is
exposed to light. Shortest shutter speeds can be 1/8000sec, with the longest
being 30 seconds or more. Short shutter speeds will produce a sharp, snapshot
image, with long shutter speeds creating a motion
blur effect depicting the movement and travel of objects/content.
ISO
Location on
camera: hold down ISO button to the left of the LCD screen and use the
front dial to alter the number.
ISO controls the light sensitivity of the camera sensor.
The higher the ISO number (e.g. 150, 400, 800), the higher the sensitivity to
light (ISO 100 is less sensitive to light than 400). ISO 100-150 is typically
used in ideal light conditions, with ISO 400 used for cloudy conditions and 800
for very dark conditions. A high ISO also creates a noise effect, producing a graining
of the image, which can be used artistically to portray perhaps a grunge or
sinister feel image.
Ingledew, J. (2013) Photography.
London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd., pp. 6-265.
Garrett, J. and Harris, G. (2008) Complete Photography Course. London: Collins, pp. 8-39.
Image 1: https://indiahikes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Aperture-diagram-Indiahikes.jpg (Accessed 24 March 2019)
Image 2: https://static.bhphotovideo.com/explora/sites/default/files/speedvalue_1.jpg (Accessed 24 March 2019)
Comments
Post a Comment