Digital Photography & Imaging: Week 11

WEEK 11 (01/11/2021)
Adena Tan Sue Lynn (0345769)
Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media
Digital Photography & Imaging 

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Lecture

Digital Photography

Exposure Setting

Exposure: The amount of light which reaches the camera's sensor or film.

Figure 1.1.1 Exposure Setting

Figure 1.1.2 Parts of Camera

Main Parts of Camera:

1. Camera Body
   - Shutter
   - Image sensor
   - LCD screen
   
2. Camera Lens
   - Aperture / Iris

Figure 1.1.3 Iris, Shutter Speed, ISO

• Shutter speed & aperture are the only two camera settings that affect the actual luminous exposure of an image.
• Camera ISO affects brightness of photos.

Figure 1.1.4 Iris

Figure 1.1.5 Iris

Iris/Aperture:

• Controls the flow of light that enters the lens
• Measured by f-stop, which is indicated by sequence of f-number. (etc: f/1, f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, etc)
• The lower the f-number, the larger the lens opening is.

Figure 1.1.6 Shutter

Figure 1.1.7 Shutter Speed

Figure 1.1.8 Shutter Speed

Shutter:

• A small plastic sheet that opens & closes in order to allow light onto the film/prevent light from reaching film. 
• Shutter speed is measured in seconds. (EX: 1/1000s, 1/500s, 1/250s, 1/125s, 1/60s, 1/30s, 1/15s, 1/8s, 1/4s, 1/2s, 1s, 2s, 3s, etc)

Figure 1.1.9 ISO

Figure 1.1.10 ISO

ISO:

• Refers to sensitivity of film. (Light gathering ability)
• For digital photography, refers to the sensitivity (signal gain) of camera's sensor. 
• Common settings are 100, 200, 400, 640, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, etc.
• The lower the number of ISO, the lesser the sensitivity of the camera is to light and finer the grain.

Lens Perspective

Figure 1.2.1 Lens

Types of Lens:

• Wide Angle Lens
• Standard Lens
• Tele Lens

Figure 1.2.2 Camera Lenses

Figure 1.2.3 Camera Lenses & Their Shots

Using the appropriate lenses are important to obtained the desired framing and angle of view.

Figure 1.2.4 Types of Camera Lenses

Each lens is designed for their own specific purpose. They can be characterized using focal length. 

Figure 1.2.5 Focal Length

Figure 1.2.6 Focal Length

• The shorter the focal length, the wider the angle of view.
• The measurement (in mm) from the optical center of a camera lens to the camera's sensor.

Figure 1.2.7 Depth of Field

Figure 1.2.8 Lens Aperture Chart

Depth of Field:

• The proportion of the image that is reasonably sharp & in focus.
• The smaller the aperture used, the greater the depth of field.

Figure 1.2.9 Wide Angle Lenses

Wide Angle Lens:

• Ideal for large areas in the frame
• Useful for landscape/street photography.
• In wide angle lenses, almost everything is in focus, unless subject is very close to lens.

Figure 1.2.10 Standard Lens

Standard Lens:

• Offers a fairly accurate representation of the human eye's view in terms of visual angle & perspective.
• Images using this lens are perceived as more natural.

Figure 1.2.11 Tele Lens

Tele Lens:

• Isolates a subject that is far away.
• Allows to photograph subjects @ a distance because of their magnification

DSLR vs Smartphone

Pros

• Familiar device
• Good quality
• Easy to learn

Cons

• Still limited
• Good, but not the greatest
• Non-ergonomic build

Smartphones vs DSLR = Convenience vs Quality

• DSLR cameras are designed to capture images
• Phones are designed to carry out multiple functions
• Phone cameras limit by sizes due to the size of lens & size of sensor.
• Entry level DSLRs have larger lenses & sensors than mobile phones

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Practical

During Mr Martin's practical session, we were challenged to take photos under two types of lighting: 

Side Lighting

Figure 2.2.1 Side Lighting

Rembrandt Lighting

Figure 2.2.2 Rembrandt Lighting

Overall, I found the process interesting despite some difficulties to understand how light falls on the subject at first. However, I did highly enjoy moving the lights around to be able to see what it did for the overall image in the end. I am very grateful to have attended this class, as I do not think I would have had the luxury to experience such hands on work if I had not.