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Photography 101 Part 1
Photography 101 Part One Equipment: camera, meter, flash, tripod This article is a simplified photography course directed at new photographers out there who want to know where to start. If you really want to learn photography the first thing you need is a good affordable and reliable camera. It must, and I repeat must, be able to shoot in fully manual and fully auto focus modes. (This leaves out any digital cameras on the market right now, sorry.) To really learn photography you must understand the equipment. You'll need to learn how manipulating the shutter speed, aperture, and focus will have a dramatic effect on your photos. Meters, if you have a camera that can work in a fully manual mode it should have an internal meter suitable for what you will be doing. Tripod, you're going to need one whether it's portrait work or landscapes you'll need one eventually. Luckily you don't have to spend a lot here. Just something lightweight and durable. Flash, you can buy a separate camera mounted flash, which is great if you can afford it. Consider what kind of photography that you will be doing though. If you're going to do mostly nature and landscape, you may only need the fill flash that comes with most cameras today. If you plan on doing portraiture alone you will want to consider a camera mounted flash that has an adjustable angle. Film, film speed to be exact. Slower speeds (25 to 400) are intended for portraiture and landscape photography. Faster speeds (600 and above) are intended for actions shots and photojournalism. So first you need to know what you going out to photograph and make sure that you have the appropriate film for the job. Now that you have the camera loaded with film consider shutter speed. Do you want to blur motion, or freeze it? If there is no motion at all what shutter speed do you need to expose the scene with natural light. From 1/60th and down to the bulb setting will blur most motion. For example if you want to blur the water in a waterfall, a setting of 1/30th should work. (You'll need a tripod though.) 1/125th is a normal setting for most shots. On many cameras the 125th setting is marked in a different color to make it obvious. If you want to freeze action you'll need to start with 1/500th and work up from there. The faster the motion the faster the shutter speed needed to stop motion. Many cameras go up to 1/2000th of a second. If you're trying to use natural light alone in a scene you will want to determine the aperture first and then see what shutter speed you need to properly expose the scene for available light. (Keep in mind sometimes there isn't enough light.) Aperture, these are the set of numbers on your lens closest to the body of the camera. They can go from 1.8 to 22, and they are referred to as F-stops. These numbers determine how much light reaches the film inside of your camera. Most internal meters will blink on the appropriate aperture for the shutter speed that you've set, or the speed you've set will blink if your F-stop is correct for the speed. Both the F-stop and shutter speed can be changed to expose the scene correctly. Consider that the faster the shutter speed the more light will be needed to expose the scene correctly. This makes logical sense if you think about it. If the shutter isn't open as long, fast shutter speed, then there is less light able to make it to the film and so the scene must be brighter to expose correctly. To learn, bracket your shots. Take the first shot at the aperture suggested by your meter, move one stop up, take a photo, one down, take another photo. Flash, I personally like shooting with natural light whenever possible and at most I use a fill flash. But if you're going to do portrait work then most of the time you may be indoors and you will need a flash sometimes. For the amateur the fill flash units that are on the top of most of today's cameras are wonderful for basic work. You will have to read your manual on your particular flash unit to learn what it can and can't do. This is where the camera that is fully manual and fully auto is great for the amateur. You can usually set it so that the camera will meter and set the flash output accordingly and then you still can control the shutter speed and aperture. This week's assignment: Have several rolls of 400 speed film, find a subject that you can work with preferably something that won't move, and shoot one roll of film. Shoot some of the roll in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Bracket every shot, take notes on time of day and light conditions, and what your settings (aperture) were for each frame, keep the film speed the same for the entire roll. Have the film developed and examine the photos. You should be able to see a difference in each frame. You'll need to repeat this procedure until you feel that you understand the relationship between shutter speed and aperture, and every camera and meter has it's own quirks and differences, you're camera will act differently than someone else's. This way you will learn you own particular camera as well. Once you have a sense of how aperture works you won't need to bracket every shot you take, you may only need to do it in cases where you want to be extra safe on exposing the subject correctly. If you have some specific questions please visit my Photography Forum at: http://kellypaalphotography.com/v-web/bulletin/bb/index.php Copyright 2004 Kelly Paal Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.
MORE RESOURCES: The Face Magazine: Culture Shift review – rebellious fashion photography with a raucous sense of fun The Guardian Tale of Two Weegees at the International Center of Photography National Review The Street Photographer Who Captured New York’s Fabulous Unknowns The New York Times Meet the duo using hair and photography as a medium to consider Africa and the African diaspora Wallpaper* Is Photography Actually an Art Form? The Phoblographer Ethical Photo Editing: Maintaining Integrity in Yearbook Photography Walsworth Yearbooks Gallery to open annual photography show Bowie News - McBroom Wins Grand Champion at San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo Photography Contest The Fayette County Record Works by Armineh Johannes Part of Chelsea Int’l Photography Competition The Armenian Mirror-Spectator Canadian Citizen Xiao Guang Pan Charged with Unauthorized Drone Photography of Cape Canaveral Defense Installations The Maine Wire Rania Matar’s “SHE” explores women’s resilience in new Middlebury Museum of Art photography exhibit The Middlebury Campus Photo Focus: The magic of photography Charleston City Paper Axel’s Shoot Out salutes three Vermont photographers Waterbury Roundabout Echoes of Beijing: Liu Shiming’s Sculptures and Lois Conner’s Photography in Dialogue, NYC Arte Fuse New photography exhibition launched at Stonehenge Yahoo News UK Grosby Group Celebrates 27 Years Covering the Academy Awards: A Legacy of Iconic Photography EIN News Ron Rosenstock remains in the picture at JCC Art Gallery, will be celebrated at gala - Worcester Mag Beyond the lens: S&T’s student photographer looks to the future Missouri S&T News and Research Photography Exhibit Chronicles Pandemic Time on the Island The Vineyard Gazette - Martha's Vineyard News Recovery and connection through art Homer News Minimalist Winter Photography Fstoppers Asheville photographer named 2024 Photographer of the Year, work displayed in Times Square Citizen Times Detroit photographer opens historical hip-hop exhibit Oakland Press John Blakemore obituary The Guardian Will Douglas photographs the Brentford Penguins – the football club that turns no child away It's Nice That Local Photographer Wins Major Award For Photos In East Palestine Wheeling Intelligencer Photos That Capture the Soul of San Francisco The New York Times 23 local artists recognized for their work during annual contest; reception is Saturday Times Reporter Are Photography Festivals Still Worth Your Time? The Phoblographer Documenting Black Seaside – past and present – has become a passion for one photographer. Monterey County Weekly iPhone 16e specs show it’s missing 3 key camera features – including the latest Photographic Styles TechRadar After 15 Years, I Finally Got My Vision Back. Here’s How It’s Affecting My Photography The Phoblographer B&H Photo Announces Bild Expo 2025 - A Two-Day Celebration of Photography, Content Creation, and Filmmaking PR Newswire The roots of American photography are firmly in Cincinnati, new documentary declares The Cincinnati Enquirer Through the Lens: Student Photographers on Campus The Dartmouth Photographers Stay Rooted At YUAG New Haven Independent Black and Baroque: The story of She Shoots 317 photography Indianapolis Recorder Paul McCartney announces Beverly Hills photography exhibit The Music Universe. What makes Bloomington unique? These European photographers plan to capture it on film. The Herald-Times Black history reimagined through a photographer’s lens BayStateBanner This photographer just broke the world record for the most headshots taken in an hour. Can you guess how many he captured? Digital Camera World A' Camera and Photography Equipment Design Award Announces Comprehensive Prize Package for 2024 EIN News ‘I want my photos’: Local bride in battle with photographer to get wedding pictures - Boston 25 News Designer Priya Ahluwalia and photographer Nick Sethi talk about their creative process and the need to innovate Harpers Bazaar India Personal Focus: Former Southern Living photographers show their favorite images at Aldridge Gardens Over the Mountain Journal Hannibal Arts Council exhibits opening Feb. 28 feature photography, graphite drawings, oil and acrylic paintings Muddy River News The American Dream, Through Foreign Eyes The New York Times 9th Xposure photography festival gets under way in Sharjah, UAE Digital Camera World "My images tell a story of art, science and culture all in one frame," says astrophotographer Josh Dury Digital Camera World BG Arts Council seeks entries for ‘Perspective: Photographers of NW Ohio’ BG Independent News How Huntsville-native + photographer Miles Whitmore is changing the creative scene in Huntsville Hville Blast |
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