Search Results

  A. Evaluating Lighting Options   Seeing Light       Where an artist uses paint to put a vision on canvas, a photographer uses light to create images. This is why it is important to begin to not only see light and recognize its many qualities, but al...

B. Properties and Quality of light Quality of LightIn the process of evaluating the light from natural and artificial light sources, the photographer also considers the quality of light. This includes the characteristics of hard light (specular) and soft ...

  C.   Light Ratios     Getting Started The study of light ratios begins with the fundamental photographic idea of how to use f-stop, shutter speed, and ISO. As you have learned, the f-stop represents a quantity of light that reaches the sensor based on a...

D.   Types of Lighting       Lighting Photographers are called upon to photograph everything from people to products and from landscapes to real estate.  When it comes to creating great images of such a variety of subjects, lighting is key.  Photograph...

E. Lighting Techniques   Controlling Natural Light Natural light is unpredictable from day to day. Changes to natural lighting conditions occur with full sun, overcast skies, and heavy cloud cover. Each lighting condition changes the photographer’s approach...

F. Types of Flash   When it comes to lighting efficiency, flash photography provides the photographer with a powerful light source with plenty of options for controlling the output and use with modifiers. These can be classified into three primary categories...

G. Speedlights   Working with Speedlights   The power output of a speedlight varies from brand to brand and with different models. The versatility of a speedlight depends on the unit providing ample power and the ability to power the output down when nec...

H. Off-camera Flash Using a Flash Off-CameraThere are several compelling reasons to get the flash off-camera. Bringing an off-camera flash outdoors and on location provides the photographer with tremendous control over the lighting.       Control over the...

I.         Flash and Shutter speed     We saw earlier that the shutter speed has no bearing on the exposure of the flash, however, it is a critical component for proper exposure of ambient light. With this knowledge, we can create blended images that are c...

The Color Wheel A color wheel is a simple representation of primary and secondary and tertiary colors for any given color space. Not to be confused with the red, blue, and yellow color wheel you learned about in elementary school. Photographers mostly concern...

B. Utilizing the Natural Environment   ORGANIZING WHAT YOU SEE  Photography is about designing and composing an image that is visually pleasing or effective, and recording it technically correct on the sensor. So, as a photographer, it helps to have a techn...

C. Cropping In-Camera                       Cropping in the Camera Cropping your images in-camera can help save you time during post-production as well as help you see issues with the image as you are capturing it. Occasionally, it might be better to make...

D. Angle of View Perspective We discussed convergence as it relates to tall buildings, but these same distortions occur when photographing people. Sometimes we use these distortion effects intentionally to help convey the overall feeling of an image.  For...

E.     Composing Elements in a Scene    Elements in an image include foreground, middle ground and background as well as the subject and any props. The placement of the elements should work together to bring attention to the subject and the subject’s relatio...

E.     Composition and Lighting            Composition and Lighting Lighting can be used as a compositional tool to bring attention to the subject. The eye tends to go to the brightest part of a dark image and the darkest part of a light image.   This...

A. ISO, f/stops, and Shutter Speed              F-stops The f-stop, or aperture is the control in the lens that opens up or closes/stops down the diaphragm inside as a way to control the amount of light that reaches the film or sensor. These are often...

B. Utilizing the Exposure Triangle to Create Images      The Sunny 16 Rule The Sunny 16 Rule is less of a rule and more of a guide to help you quickly determine your f/stop and shutter speed in various outdoor lighting conditions.  Every situation that y...

C. Using a Light Meter                         Light Meters When it comes to measuring the intensity of light, there are two types of meters a photographer will use: a reflective meter or an incident meter. While both meters measure light, they operate...

D. Reading a Histogram                                           Histograms   Histograms are a graphic representation of the 256 tonal values of the pixels within the image. The horizontal graph represents the pixel’s numerical value from 0 (black) on ...

MODULE 5:  DIGITAL POST-PRODUCTION       A.    Processing and Backing Up Files       Computer Considerations Selecting a computer to handle digital workflow is an important decision, especially when image editing software consumes so much of the com...