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DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Dr. Olga J. Domingo


LAGUNA UNIVERSITY

Vision

Laguna University shall be a socially responsive educational institution of


choice providing holistically developed individuals in the Asia-Pacific Region.

Mission

Laguna University is committed to produce academically prepared and


technically skilled individuals who are socially and morally upright.
Course Code: CE 3

Course Description:
This course presents the aesthetic principles and technical
aspects of digital photography (e.g. camera, composition, lighting)
which aim to develop quality pixel-based photography. It introduces
students to creative and efficient uses of current tools and
technologies such as digital darkroom computer programs to enhance
images for various multimedia applications.

Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILO):

At the end of the course, the students should be able to:


1. Discuss important concepts on digital publishing.
2. Compare and contrast traditional and digital publishing.
3. Explain steps to conceptualization, design, and development of
materials for digital production and reproduction.

Course Requirements:

Class Standing 60%


Major Exams 40%
Periodic Grade 100%

Prelim Grade 60% Class Standing + 40% Prelim Exam


Midterm Grade 30% Prelim Grade + 70% (60% Midterm
Class Standing + 40% Midterm Exam)
Final Grade 30% Midterm Grade + 70% (60% Final Class
Standing + 40% Final Exam)

Note: Components of Class Standing are reflected in the OBTLP


and Grading Sheets.

Table of Contents
Module 1: Introduction to Photography
Introduction 1
Learning Outcomes 1
Lesson 1. Basic Operations of Camera 2
Lesson 2. How Images are created on Film or Digital 7
Lesson 3. Different Types of Cameras 9
Lesson 4. Basic Features of Camera 11
Assessment Task 1 13
Summary 13
References 13

Module 2: The History of Photography


Introduction 14
Learning Outcomes 14
Lesson 1. The History of Photography 15
Lesson 2. The Impact on Technology and the 18
Development of photography
Lesson 3. The Basic Elements of Photography before 22
Development of Cameras
Lesson 4. The Changing World of Stock Photography 33
Assessment Task 2 36
Summary 36
References
36

Module 3: Aperture and Shutter Speed


Introduction 42
Learning Outcomes 42
Lesson 1. Aperture and Shutter Speed Settings 27
Lesson 2. The Setting Influence of Aperture and Shutter 29
Speed
Lesson 3. The Common Camera Modes 30
Lesson 4. Nighttime Photographs using Aperture and 33
Shutter Speed
Assessment Task 3 48
Summary 48
References 48

LIST OF FIGURES

No. Title Page


1 Illustration of the Front of a Camera 2
2 Illustration of the Base of a Camera 3
3 Illustration of the Top of a Camera 3
4 Illustration of the Sides of a Camera 4
5 Illustration of the Back of a Camera 5
6 Incident and Reflected light 7
7 Converting light in forming images 8
8 Cameraphone 9
9 Compact 9
10 Bridge/Prosumer 10
11 System 10
12 Camera Obscura 15
13 The world's first photograph, taken by 16
Nicephone Niepce in 1826 from his
window in France
14 Boulevard du Temple, Paris, is a 17
daguerreotype taken by Louis Daguerre
circa 1838/39
15 Kodak Brownie Flash IV 20
16 Early 35mm Film Camera Photograph 21
17 F-stop values and the corresponding 28
aperture area
18 Shutter Speed Motion Comparison 29
Photography
19 Depth of Field f/stop comparison 30
20 Camera settings: 56mm at f/4, 1/160, 33
ISO 200
21 High Aperture: f/2, ISO 400, 1/125-second 34
exposure
22 Use slower Shutter Speed 35

LIST OF TABLES

No. Title Page


1 Dos and Don’ts when holding a Camera 6
2 Table 2. Different Camera Modes 10
3 Illustration of the Top of a Camera 3
4 Illustration of the Sides of a Camera 4
5 Illustration of the Back of a Camera 5
6 Incident and Reflected light 6

MODULE 1
INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOGRAPHY
Introduction

Every year, billions of photos are shot and shared, making photography more
popular than ever. If photography has never been more popular, it is largely due to its
simplicity. Modern cameras make it simple to shoot and upload photos, and editing software
can produce dramatic results. The disadvantage is that this exciting technology makes it
all too easy to overlook the fundamentals of photography.

This module will be tackling the cameras and their basic operations, features, and
types.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, the learner should be able to:


1. Discuss how camera works;
2. Learn what happens to camera when taking pictures;
3. Investigate how an image is created by camera; and
4. Learn the basic of photography and terminologies of camera.
Lesson 1. Basic Operations of Cameras (Taylor, 2015)

Modern digital cameras are far more complex than their film-based counterparts. A
digital camera is essentially a computer that is only used to take pictures. This entails a
large number of external dials and menu options to control the camera's functions, which
vary by model. Fortunately, once you've mastered one camera, it's usually simple to learn
another, especially if you stick to the same brand.

Figure 1. Illustration of the Front of a Camera

1. Infrared shutter release sensor: Allows you to fire the shutter from a distance.
2. Shutter button: Opens the camera shutter, exposing the digital sensor to light and
allowing you to take a photo.
3. Self-timer light: Flashes to indicate the duration of the self-timer before the shutter
fires.
4. Depth-of-field Preview Button: Closes the lens's aperture to allow you to preview
the degree of sharpness in a photo before taking it.
5. Lens Electronic Contacts: Allow the camera to communicate with the lens in order
to set the aperture and focus.
6. Reflex Mirror: The mirror reflects light from the lens up to the optical viewfinder.

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7. Lens Mount Index- Assists you in properly aligning your lens when attaching it to
the camera.
8. Lens Release Button- Disengages the lens mount, allowing you to remove the lens
from the camera.

1. Tripod socket: Allows


you to mount your camera
on a tripod for added stability
and to reduce camera
shake.
2. Battery compartment:
This is where the camera's
rechargeable batteries are
kept

Figure 2. Illustration of the Base of a Camera

Figure 3. Illustration of the Top of a Camera

1. Mode dial: allows you to select the appropriate shooting mode.


2. On/Off switch: This toggles the camera's power on and off.
3. Built-in flash: a small built-in flashgun that can be used as a fill-in light.

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4. Hot shoe: A mounting point for an external flashgun.
5. Secondary control dial: This dial is used to configure the camera's shooting and
menu functions.
6. Shooting option buttons: These are external controls that allow you to configure a
limited number of shooting functions.
7. Top-plate LCD: A small LCD that displays the camera's current shooting options.

Figure 4. Illustration of the Sides of a Camera

1. The flash button activates the built-in flash.


2. Microphone socket: Allows for the use of an external microphone when filming.
3. Remote release socket: This is where you connect an optional cable-type
remote release.
4. HDMI port: Allows you to connect your camera to an HDTV to view photos or
movies.
5. Digital interface: A device that connects your camera to a computer and allows
you to download photos and movies.
6. Memory card cover: A slot for storing photos and videos on a memory card.

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Figure 5. Illustration of the Back of a Camera

1. Menu and information buttons: Allow you to change camera settings and view
camera status.
2. The optical viewfinder displays the image that has been passed through the lens
and reflected off the reflex mirror.
3. LCD monitor: Shows camera menus, Live View, and Playback.
4. Live View/Movie shooting: Switches between Live View and Movie mode.
5. Playback button: allows you to review and edit your photos or videos.
6. Control dial: Used to configure camera settings when shooting photos or viewing
menus.
7. Delete button: Deletes all photos from the memory card.
8. AF button: Enables autofocus on the camera.
9. Zoom button: Enlarges images in Live View and Playback.

Picking up a camera, pressing the shutter button, and taking a picture is simple.
Making a good photo that you'd be proud to show others is more difficult. Many factors
influence whether a photo is good or bad, beginning with how you hold your camera while
shooting. No matter how interesting your subject is, sloppy technique will result in
disappointing photos. A good technique will increase your chances of taking a pleasing
photograph.

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Table 1. Dos and Don’ts when holding a Camera

Unsharpness in a photograph caused by camera movement during shooting is


referred to as camera shake. The most common cause is incorrect camera positioning. The
heavier the camera and lens combination, the more critical it is to properly support your
camera.

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Lesson 2. How Images are Created on Film or Digital (Taylor, 2015)

A light-sensitive surface known as a digital sensor can be found inside every digital
camera. When you press the shutter button to take a picture, the sensor collects and
records the amount of light that strikes it. This data is then converted in-camera into the
data required to create a digital image.

Millions of microscopic cavities known as photosites cover a digital sensor. When


exposed to light, light particles (photons) fall into the photosites. When the exposure is
finished, the camera counts the number of photons in each photosite and uses this
information to create a photo. The darkest areas of the image are those where the
photosites recorded the fewest photons. More photons were recorded in brighter areas.

Light either arrives at the camera directly from the light source (1), known as incident
light, or bounces off objects in the scene before arriving at the camera (2), known as
reflected light.

Figure 6. Incident and Reflected light

CONVERTING LIGHT

Light must be precisely focused onto the sensor in order to produce a sharp image.
This is accomplished through the use of a lens, which is a glass (or plastic) optical system.
Two physical mechanisms regulate the amount of light reaching the sensor.

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The first is the aperture, which is an iris inside the lens. The second is a mechanical
curtain known as the shutter, which is located directly in front of the sensor. These two
controls function similarly to a faucet, allowing you to turn on and off the flow of photons
reaching the sensor.

Figure 7. Converting light in forming images

When you press the shutter button, the shutter opens to reveal the sensor, remains
open for the shutter speed, and then closes. The camera analyzes the light and creates an
image, which is saved to the memory card.

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Lesson 3. Different Types of Cameras (Taylor, 2015)

Table 2. Different Camera Modes

TYPES OF CAMERAS PROS CONS

Camera phone • Simple to • Lens with a fixed


transport focal length
• Images can be • Image resolution
altered using and quality
apps. can be limiting

Figure 8. Cameraphone
(bloglovin.com)

• Simple to • There are a


transport limited number
• Inexpensive of physical
• Excellent zoom camera body
lens range controls
• a limited range
of modes of
photography
Figure 9. Compact • There is a lack
(photoworkout.com) of low-light
capability.
• Frequently
unable to shoot
RAW

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Bridge/Prosumer • More control over • Image quality is
exposure than lower than
compact or cameras for
cameraphones surveillance
• Relatively systems
inexpensive • Because the
zoom lens is
fixed, less more
Figure 10. Panasonic Lumix adaptable than
FZ200 (Image: dphoto.it) system cameras

System • Image quality • Bulky


• Expandable • More expensive
capability
• Versatile

Figure 11. Sony Interchangeable


lens (pdnonline.com)

Taking full control of your camera is essential for improving your photography. Many
smartphones and compact cameras prevent you from controlling certain aspects of
photography, such as exposure. It is strongly advised that you use either a bridge camera
(also known as a hybrid or prosumer) or an interchangeable lens system camera (or system
camera for short). The latter is preferable because, as the name implies, you can change
lenses to suit a specific task. System cameras can also be expanded by adding additional
accessories, such as flashguns. System cameras are divided into two categories: digital
single lens reflex (DSLR) and mirrorless.

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Lesson 4. Basic Features of Camera (McHugh, 2018)

1. APERTURE - A small aperture lets in less light and improves image sharpness; a
large aperture lets in more light and improves image sharpness.
2. SHUTTERSPEED - The shutter speed of a camera can control exposure and is one
of the most powerful creative tools in photography. It can, among other things,
convey motion, freeze action, isolate subjects, and smooth water. When there are
moving subjects in a scene, the shutter speed determines what appears frozen and
what appears blurred.

CAMERA SETTING ADVERSE EFFECT

FASTEST SHUTTER SPEED Higher ISO speed Increased image noise


Lower f-number Shallower depth of field
SLOWER SHUTTER SPEEDS Lower ISO speed Reduced handheld-ability
Higher f-number Decreased sharpness
It should be noted that the sharpness decrease occurs only if the f-number
increases to the point where visible diffraction occurs.

3. FLASH - You can light the subject with your flash. It can be built-in, attached, or
remotely fired. When shooting in bright sunlight with high contrast, you can use your
flash to "fill in" the shadows, or as the primary source of light for a portrait.
4. AUTO FOCUS - The autofocus system of a camera adjusts the lens to focus on the
subject, which can mean the difference between a sharp photo and a missed
opportunity. Despite the apparent simplicity of the goal of sharpness at the focus
point, the inner workings of how a camera focuses are complex. Understanding how
autofocus works allows you to take advantage of its strengths while avoiding its
drawbacks.
5. SENSOR SENSITIVITY - It is an acronym for the International Organization for
Standardization, which establishes camera sensitivity standards. ISO determines
how much light is required during an exposure; a higher ISO requires less light for
a photo. ISO, like aperture and shutter speed, is set in stops, so ISO 200 makes the
sensor twice as sensitive to light as ISO 100.
6. IMAGE STABILIZATION - Depending on the manufacturer, image stabilization
comes in a variety of forms. IS (image stabilization), VR (vibration reduction), or SR

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are all abbreviations for it (shake reduction). These features, particularly with
telephoto lenses, can significantly reduce the effect of camera movement.
Stabilization allows handheld shots to be taken at shutter speeds that are 5 to 10
times slower than would otherwise be possible. Although this can improve results,
it cannot perform miracles and is usually most effective when combined with proper
handheld technique
7. ZOOMING BLUR - Zooming causes radial blur, mostly near the frame's edges, with
the center appearing relatively unblurred. The effect can be used to draw attention
to a subject in the center of the frame or to give viewers the impression that they
are moving quickly. You can achieve this look by using a tripod, a shutter speed of
1/15 to 1/2 second, or zooming while not moving the camera. To reduce the blurring
effect, try zooming during a portion of the exposure.

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Assessment Task 3

By individual:
1. Bring your own camera.
2. In the class, determine the type of camera that you are holding and identify
the different parts of it. Use the different terminologies in describing your
camera.

Summary

Modern digital cameras are far more complex than their film-based forefathers. A
digital camera is essentially a computer that is only used to take pictures. This entails a
plethora of external dials and menu options to control the camera's functions, which will
vary depending on the model. Fortunately, once you've mastered one camera, it's usually
easy to learn another, especially if you stick to the same brand (Taylor, 2015).

References

Books

McHugh (2018). Understanding Photography. No Starch Press. NY.


Taylor (2015). Digital Photography Complete Course. Darling Kindersley. NY.

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MODULE 2
THE HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY
.

Introduction

A camera is a lightproof instrument with a lens that catches incoming light and
directs it and the resulting image onto film (optical camera) or the imaging device (digital
camera). Photography, as a medium, is only about 200 years old. However, in that short
time, it has progressed from a crude process involving caustic chemicals and cumbersome
cameras to a simple yet sophisticated method of creating and sharing images instantly
(Bellis, 2021).

This specific module will entail the evolution of photography and what cameras look
like today.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, the learner should be able to:


1. Discuss the development of the first camera in the early 19 th century;
2. Investigate some of the advances made to cameras and photograph; and
3. Examine the development of digital cameras.

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Lesson 1. The History of Photography (Bellis, 2021)

The first "cameras" were used to study optics rather than create images. Arab
scholar Ibn Al-Haytham (945-1040), also known as Alhazen, is widely regarded as the first
to investigate how we see. To demonstrate how light can be used to project an image onto
a flat surface, he invented the camera obscura, the precursor to the pinhole camera. The
camera obscura has been mentioned in Chinese texts dating back to around 400 B.C. and
in Aristotle's writings around 330 B.C.

Figure 12. Camera Obscura


(Science Museum: Science City)

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With the invention of finely crafted lenses in the mid-1600s, artists began using the
camera obscura to help them draw and paint elaborate real-world images. Magic lanterns,
forerunners of the modern projector, also appeared around this time. The magic lantern,
which used the same optical principles as the camera obscura, allowed people to project
images, usually painted on glass slides, onto large surfaces. They quickly gained popularity
as a form of mass entertainment.

Figure 13. The world's first photograph, taken by Nicephone Niepce in 1826 from his
window in France (Bettmann / Getty Images)

On a hot summer day in 1827, French scientist Joseph Nicephore Niepce used a
camera obscura to create the first photographic image. Niepce engraved a bitumen-coated
metal plate before exposing it to light. The engraving's shadowy areas blocked light, but the
lighter areas allowed light to react with the chemicals on the plate.

When Niepce immersed the metal plate in a solvent, an image appeared gradually.
These heliographs, also known as sun prints, are regarded as the first photographic
images. Niepce's process, on the other hand, required eight hours of light exposure to
create an image that would quickly fade away. The ability to "fix" or "make permanent" an
image appeared later.

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Figure 14. Boulevard du Temple, Paris, is a daguerreotype taken by Louis Daguerre circa
1838/39 (pinterest.com)

Louis Daguerre, a fellow Frenchman, was also experimenting with ways to capture
an image, but it would take him another dozen year before he was able to reduce exposure
time to less than 30 minutes without the image disappearing. Historians consider this
innovation to be the first practical photographic process. He formed a partnership with
Niepce in 1829 to improve on the process Niepce had developed. Following several years
of experimentation and the death of Niepce, Daguerre developed and named a more
convenient and effective method of photography after himself in 1839.

Daguerre's daguerreotype process began with the images being fixed onto a sheet
of silver-plated copper. He then polished the silver and coated it in iodine, creating a light-
sensitive surface. The plate was then placed in a camera and exposed for a few minutes.
Daguerre bathed the plate in a silver chloride solution after the image was painted by light.
This method produced a permanent image that would not fade when exposed to light.

The disadvantage of daguerreotypes is that they cannot be reproduced; each one


is a one-of-a-kind image. The ability to create multiple prints was made possible by the work
of Henry Fox Talbot, an English botanist, mathematician, and Daguerre's contemporary.

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Talbot used a silver-salt solution to sensitize paper to light. He then shone a light on the
paper.

The background was blackened, and the subject was rendered in grayscale
gradations. This was a negative representation. Talbot made contact prints from the paper
negative, reversing the light and shadows to create a detailed image. He perfected this
paper-negative process in 1841 and called it a calotype, which is Greek for "beautiful
picture." This was the birth of Negative to Positive Process.

Lesson 2. The Impact on Technology and the Development of


Photography (Bellis, 2021)
Scientists and photographers were experimenting with more efficient methods of
photographing and processing by the mid-1800s. In 1851, Frederick Scoff Archer, an
English sculptor, invented the wet-plate negative. The invention of the dry plate in 1879
changed everything. This method, like wet-plate photography, captured an image on a
glass negative plate. Photographers no longer needed portable darkrooms; instead, they
could hire technicians to develop their images days or months after they were shot.

These early inventions come with the rise of other inventions and innovations:

Flexible Roll Film

George Eastman, a photographer and industrialist, invented film with a flexible,


unbreakable base that could be rolled in 1889. The first cameras used medium-format film
standards such as 120, 135, 127, and 220. All of these formats had a width of about 6 cm
and produced images ranging from rectangular to square.

Kodak invented the 35 mm film that most people are familiar with in 1913 for the
early motion picture industry. In the mid-1920s, the German camera manufacturer Leica
used this technology to develop the first 35 mm still camera. During this time, other film
formats were refined, such as medium-format roll film with a paper backing that was easy
to handle in daylight. Sheet film in 4-by-5-inch and 8-by-10-inch sizes became popular,
especially for commercial photography, eliminating the need for fragile glass plates.

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Kodak, Agfa, and other film companies introduced commercially viable color films
to the market in the early 1940s. These films made use of modern dye-coupled color
technology, in which a chemical process connects the three dye layers together to create
an apparent color image.

Photographic Prints

Historically, linen rag papers were used as the foundation for photographic prints.
When properly processed, prints on this fiber-based paper coated with a gelatin emulsion
are quite stable. Resin-coating or water-resistant paper was the next photographic paper
innovation. The plan was to take regular linen fiber-based paper and coat it with a plastic
(polyethylene) material to make it water-resistant. After that, the emulsion is placed on a
plastic-covered base paper. As the dyes deteriorated, the image would literally vanish from
the film or paper base. Kodachrome, which first appeared in the first third of the twentieth
century, was the first color film to produce prints that could last a half-century. New
techniques are now being developed to produce permanent color prints that can last 200
years or more through the use of today’s technology.

Instant Photography

Edwin Herbert Land, an American inventor and physicist, invented instant


photography. In 1948, he unveiled the Land Camera 95, his first instant-film camera. Land's
Polaroid Corporation would refine black-and-white film and cameras that were fast, cheap,
and remarkably sophisticated over the next several decades. In 1972, Polaroid introduced
color film and the iconic SX-70 folding camera. In the 1970s and 1980s, other film
manufacturers, namely Kodak and Fuji, introduced their own versions of instant film.
Polaroid remained the dominant brand, but it began to decline with the introduction of digital
photography in the 1990s.

Early Cameras

The first cameras used in the daguerreotype process were created by opticians,
instrument makers, and, in some cases, photographers themselves. The most common
camera design was a sliding-box design. The front box received the lens. A second, slightly
smaller box slid behind the larger box. The focus was adjusted by swiping the back box
forward or backward. Unless the camera was equipped with a mirror or prism to correct this

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effect, the image would be laterally reversed. After inserting the sensitized plate into the
camera, the lens cap would be removed to begin the exposure.

Modern Cameras

George Eastman also invented the box-shaped camera, dubbed a "Brownie," which
was simple enough for consumers to use. An amateur could buy a camera with 100 shots
of film for $22. When the film ran out, the photographer mailed the camera with the film still
inside to the Kodak factory, where it was removed from the camera, processed, and printed.
After that, the camera was reloaded with film and returned.

Figure 15. Kodak Brownie Flash IV


(todocolleccion.net)

Major manufacturers such as Kodak in the United States, Leica in Germany, and
Canon and Nikon in Japan would all introduce or develop the major camera formats still in
use today over the next several decades. In 1925, Leica introduced the first 35 mm film still
camera, while Zeiss-Ikon introduced the first single-lens reflex camera in 1949. Nikon and
Canon would popularize interchangeable lenses and the built-in light meter.

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Figure 16. Early 35mm Film Camera Photograph
(Fine Art America)

Digital and Smartphones

Several companies were working on digital cameras by the mid-1980s. Canon was
one of the first to demonstrate a viable prototype, demonstrating a digital camera in 1984,
though it was never manufactured and sold commercially. The Dycam Model 1, the first
digital camera sold in the United States, debuted in 1990 and cost $600. The first digital
SLR, a Nikon F3 body attached to a Kodak separate storage unit, debuted the following
year. By 2004, digital cameras had surpassed film cameras in sales.

Most mobile devices, particularly smartphones, now include cameras. In the year
2000, Samsung released the first smartphone camera, the SCH-V200. Later, with the
release of the first iPhone in 2007, Apple pioneered the smartphone camera, and other
companies followed suit, including Google, which released its Google Pixel camera-
capable smartphone in April 2014. By 2013, smartphones with camera capabilities outsold
digital cameras 10-to-1. In 2019, more than 1.5 billion smartphones (most of which have
camera capabilities) were sold to consumers, compared to approximately 550,000 digital
cameras over the same period.

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Photographic Filters

In 1878, English inventor and manufacturer Frederick Wratten established one of


the first photographic supply companies. Wratten and Wainwright produced and sold
collodion glass plates and gelatin dry plates. Wratten developed the "noodling process" for
silver-bromide gelatin emulsions before washing in 1878. Wratten invented and produced
the first panchromatic plates in England in 1906, with the help of E.C.K. Mees. Wratten is
best known for inventing and naming photographic filters after himself, the Wratten Filters.
In 1912, Eastman Kodak bought his company.

Lesson 3. The Basic Elements of Photography before the Development


of Cameras (Andrews, 2018)

Crucial Innovations in the Invention of Photography


From an ancient optical apparatus to the advent of color film, learn the stories
behind eight of the most important steps in the development of photography

1. Camera Obscura: 5th century B.C.


Long before there was the camera, there was the camera obscura. Literally
translated as “dark chamber,” these devices consisted of darkened rooms or
enclosed boxes with a tiny opening on one side. When sunlight passed throu gh
this “pinhole” and into the chamber, it projected a hazy picture of the outside
world onto a wall or screen. This optical phenomenon was almost certainly known
to the ancients—both Aristotle and the Chinese philosopher Mozi mentioned it —
but a full account of how it worked didn’t arrive until the 11th century, when the
Arab scholar Alhazen described a working model. The camera obscura later
became a popular tool during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, particularly
after inventors began using biconvex lenses to brighten its images. Astronomers
used it to protect their eyes while observing the sun and solar eclipses, and artists
employed it as an aid in portraiture and landscape painting.

2. Photochemistry: 18th and 19th centuries


While the camera obscura allowed for the viewing of images in real time,
several centuries passed before inventors stumbled upon a method for

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permanently preserving them using chemicals. A major breakthrough came in
1725, when the German professor Johann Heinrich Schulze found that silver salts
darkened when exposed to light. Fascinated, Schulze cut the letters out of a piece
of paper and placed it on top of a silver mixture. “Before long,” he recounted, “I
found that the sun’s rays…wrote the words and sentences so accurately or
distinctly on the chalk sediment, that many people…were led to attribute the result
to all kinds of artifices.” Others later built on Schulze’s research, and in 1827, a
French inventor named Joseph Nicéphore Niépce used a camera obscura and a
pewter plate coated with a light-sensitive material called Bitumen of Judea to
capture and “fix” an image. His eight-hour-long exposure of the courtyard of his
home is now considered the world’s first photograph.

3. Daguerreotype: 1837
Photography’s next giant leap came courtesy of Louis Daguerre, a French
artist and inventor who partnered with Niépce in the late 1820s. In 1837, Daguerre
discovered that exposing iodized silver plates to light left behind a faint image
that could be developed using mercury fumes. The n ew technique not only
produced a sharper and more refined picture, but it also cut the exposure time
down from several hours to around 10 or 20 minutes. Daguerre christened his
new process the “Daguerreotype,” and in 1839, he agreed to make it public in
exchange for a pension from the French government. After some tweaking to
shorten the exposure process to less than a minute, his invention swept across
the world and gave rise to a booming portrait industry, particularly in the United
States.

4. Calotype: 1841
Around the same time that “Daguerreotypomania” was taking hold, the
British inventor William Henry Fox Talbot unveiled his own photographic process
called the “Calotype.” This method traded the Daguerreotype’s metal plates for
sheets of high-quality photosensitive paper. When exposed to light, the paper
produced a latent image that could be developed and preserved by rinsing it with
hyposulphite. The results were slightly fuzzier than Daguerreotypes, but they
offered one key advantage: ease of reproduc tion. Unlike Daguerreotypes, which
only made one-off images, the Calotype allowed photographers to produce
endless copies of a picture from a single negative. This process would later
become one of the basic principles of photography.

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5. The Wet-Collodion Process: 1851
Daguerreotypes and Calotypes were both rendered obsolete in 1851, after
a sculptor named Frederick Scott Archer pioneered a new photographic method
that combined crisp image quality with negatives that could be easily copied.
Archer’s secret was a chemical called collodion, a medical dressing that also
proved highly effective as a means for coating light-sensitive solutions onto glass
plates. While these “wet plates” reduced exposure times to only a few seconds,
using them was often quite the chore. The plates had to be exposed and
processed before the collodion mixture dried and hardened, so photographers
were forced to travel with portable darkroom tents or wagons if they wanted to
take pictures in the field. Despite this drawback, the wet -collodion process’s
unparalleled quality and cheap cost made it an instant success. One of its most
famous practitioners was Mathew Brady, who used wet plates to produce
thousands of stunning battlefield photos during the Civil War.

6. Dry Plates: 1871-1878


For most of the 1800s, the panoply of noxious solutions and mixtures
involved in using a camera made photography difficult for anyone without a
working knowledge of chemistry. That finally changed in the 1870s, when Robert
L. Maddox and others perfected a new type of photographic plate that preserved
silver salts in gelatin. Since they retained their light -sensitivity for long periods of
time, these “dry” plates could be prepackaged and mass -produced, freeing
photographers from the annoying task of preppin g and developing their own wet
plates on the fly. Dry plates also offered much quicker exposures, allowing
cameras to more clearly capture moving objects. In the 1880s, photographer
Eadweard Muybridge used dry plate cameras to conduct a series of famous
studies of humans and animals in motion. His experiments have since been cited
as a crucial step in the development of cinema.

7. Flexible Roll Film: 1884-1889


Photography didn’t truly become accessible to amateurs until the mid -
1880s, when inventor George Eastman began producing film on rolls. Film was
more lightweight and resilient than clunky glass plates, and the use of a roll
allowed photographers to take multiple pictures in quick succession. In 1888,
Eastman used flexible film as the primary selling p oint of his first Kodak camera,
a small, 100-exposure model that customers could use and then send back to the

24
manufacturer to have their photos developed. Eastman’s camera was remarkably
easy to use—he marketed it to Victorian shutterbugs under the slogan “You press
the button, we do the rest” —but its coated paper film produced fairly low quality
photos. Film would improve by leaps and bounds with the introduction of celluloid
a year later, and remained the standard means of photography for nearly a
century until the advent of digital cameras.

8. Autochrome: 1907
The yearning for color photography was practically as old as the medium
itself, but a viable method didn’t arrive until 1907. That was the year the French
brothers Louis and Auguste Lumière—perhaps better known as early pioneers of
cinema—began marketing an additive color process they dubbed “Autochrome.”
The Lumieres found the key to their invention in a most unlikely place: the potato.
By adding tiny grains of dyed potato starch to a panchromatic emulsion, they were
able to produce vivid, painterly images that put all past attempts at color to
shame. Autochrome would reign as the world’s most popular color film technique
until 1935, when a more sophisticated color process arrived in the form of th e
Eastman Kodak Company’s legendary Kodachrome film.

Lesson 4. The Basic Elements of Photography (Maentz, 2022)

Here are the 5 Fundamental Elements of Photography:

1. Light

Light is the most fundamental element that all photographs need because it
illuminates the scene or subject. Whether it be natural or artificial light the quality and
direction of light is what's important. Light helps to create a particular mood within the
photograph and can bring emphasis to key elements within a frame. Likewise, light can
help create depth and accentuate the textures in an image by creating a mix of highlights
and shadows.

Everyone knows there have been countless books and tutorials on this subject and
this article isn't the place to go into depth with this. However, we should recognize that light
is probably the most important tool we have to use as photographers, to create better quality
and beautiful images.

25
Procession by Jacob Maentz

In the above photo, artificial candle and street lights helps set the solemn mood of
the photo while illuminating the subjects. Natural light in the image below mixes with smoke
to create a number of highlights and shadows giving some depth, mood and texture to the
photo. The way the light hits the smoke also makes the photo more dramatic.

26
Charcoal worker by Jacob Maentz

2. Color

Other than black and white photography, like light, color helps to set the mood of an

entire image and can play a significant role in touching the viewer on an emotional level.

Color can also be used as a compositional tool where contrasting colours play a very

important role.

Color is one of the main factors responsible for making a photo feel mysterious,

exciting, sad, or gloomy. Evoking emotions is important in creating strong images and color

is one of our primary tools to do this. Again, this is an in-depth topic which this article will

not go into, but be thoughtful that by using appropriate colors in our images we can better

convey different emotions and make a stronger impact on the viewer.

The cool colors of the blue sky in the image below against the dimly lit houses in

the foreground, gives a peaceful, tranquil feeling that I wanted to let my viewers feel. This

was a very remote location in the forest and it was indeed a peaceful and quiet place. I

used the calming blue color of the sky to help set the mood I wanted my viewers to feel

about the place and the complementary colors work very well in this image.

27
Native home at night by Jacob Maentz

Similar to how calm and tranquil colors were used to set a peaceful and quiet mood
in the above photograph, warm or vibrant colors like red, orange and yellow can be used
to tell happy, eye-catching, cheerful stories. Look for colors in the scene to highlight them
and use them to strengthen the composition in your images.

28
Happy Child by Mi Pham

3. Moment

A strong moment is more than highlighting a particular subject or action in time.


Creating a moment in a photograph should be about having all the elements in a frame
come together as to tell a captivating story, when every part of the picture interacts with the
other parts in a way that the viewer might think – wow this is special and probably doesn't
happen that often.
Not every photo will be able to have special moments where all the parts come
together perfectly, but again we should be thinking about this when shooting so we can try
to include more elements that create a stronger moment. Not to forget, shooting at a
particular time of the day adds power and meaning to the moment which means light also
plays an important role here.
The photo below is not a great example, but it's on the right track in terms of thinking
“moment.” When I first noticed these farmers I sat down for awhile and followed them for
about 15 minutes. I wanted them to get used to me and eventually get back to their work
after the initial laughter of me being there wore away.
The two women in front eventually got really close to me and I could see a photo
starting to unfold. I knew I wanted at least two farmers in the shot, but having a third person
would be even better. The lady in back was not yet in that position, but I could see her

29
starting to walk forward. I waited a bit and the two women in front stayed in their position.
Eventually the lady in back came into the left of the frame I was able to get a round of
photos off.
By having three farmers in the frame I feel it's a better moment and the image tells
a stronger story.

H'mong women weeding their corn crops by Jacob Maentz

4. Composition
Composition, in essence, is about putting together objects in your frame in such a
way as to emphasize the parts you want to and make them stand out in a particular
way. Composition can often be very subjective, but good composition can turn an ordinary
scene into an image that grabs the viewers attention.
There are numerous rules, principles and guidelines for creating better composed images,
but in the end it's up to the photographer to find something that works for the given situation.
I find it useful to study the work of the masters and of course shoot as much as possible to
get practice.
I have noticed over the past few years that I am more happy with the results of how
I compose a majority of my photos. There is still a huge amount of learning to do, but by
studying others photos and getting out to shoot we will inevitably improve our composition
skills.
Creating relevant and good compositions is a key element of great photographs.

30
When composing photographs, it is better to keep an eye out for different elements like
leading lines, lines that disappear into a central point or into a vanishing point, curves,
shapes, interesting textures, patterns, colors, negative space within the frame, so you can
use them to compose brilliant photographs. A photo in general contains a mix of positive
and negative space and the effectiveness of a particular composition depends greatly on
visual weight as well.
There are other compositional guidelines that photographers need to use to tell
stories or create compelling images, in order to draw the viewer's eye and keep them
engaged on the entire photo. The easiest one to start with will be the rule of thirds where
photographers can place the most interesting or important elements of the scene along the
one third lines or points to get a well composed image.
The image below is a good example of how to create depth in an image
using composition. This is something I try to always think about when composing certain
types of photos. Is there a foreground, middleground and background that gives some
depth to the image? By placing the coconuts in the bottom right of the frame and the house
in the back the image becomes more three-dimensional and interesting along with an
interesting focal point that can draw the viewer's attention.

Coconut husker by Jacob Maentz

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5. Photographer's Choice Of Distance To Their Subject
The distance the photographer chooses to be from their subject will affect the feeling
and overall impact a photo has. It will also determine what focal length you need to shoot
at in order to get all of the important parts of the photo into the frame.
Like with all of these five tools/elements there is no right or wrong way, per se. It will vary
depending on the situation and what the photographer wants to accomplish. That being
said, certain images are more powerful if shot closer to the subject, making the viewer feel
like they are there. Other images look much better at a further distance from the subject.
There should be a thought process though about why we choose to be certain distances
from our subjects and how that will make the final image look.

Boat Ride on Tropical Island by Jacob Maentz

The image above was taken using a wide-angle lens fairly close to the subject.
This was necessary because of the small boat we were riding. By being close to the
subject it gives the sense that the viewer is also on the boat and in the scene with the
man. In the image below, a longer lens was used – shot at 200mm. By using a longer lens
we get the feeling that we are on the outside of the frame looking in.

32
Nuns talking by Jacob Maentz

When shooting a moment, give importance to how you arrange various elements
within the frame. Do not overcrowd and let objects overlap unnecessarily as it can be quite
distracting and look chaotic. Leave some breathing space for better frames is an important
element, for example, leave space between the subject or other elements and the edge of
the frame.

Lesson 5. The Changing World of Stock Photography (Stocksy, 2021)

Stock photography is a business that creates and sells imagery in the form of
photos, illustrations, or videos, which can then be licensed for use through various licensing
models (more on what stock footage is here).
Stock photography has existed since the 1920s, when newspapers and magazines
began reproducing photographs using the printing press and technological advances such
as halftoning. If access to an image was limited or difficult to obtain, large enough
operations would stage their own reenactment of a scene to capture and use the imagery,
giving rise to the original stock photo.

33
In 1920, H. Armstrong Roberts was the first to establish a stock photography
agency. It focused on generic topics that could be used in advertising. Images of men and
women, happy children, people smoking cigarettes or cigars, common foods like bread or
butter, soft drinks, cleaning or washing, and hygiene were all popular themes (brushing
teeth or shaving).

As more of these images were produced, they began to be saved and reused. The
first stock photography libraries were established in the 1920s and 1930s, with the largest
housing 15 to 20 thousand images chosen for their likelihood of selling multiple copies.

Between the 1940s and the 1980s, the industry grew steadily. Archives were
established to house photographs and negatives, particularly after World War II, and have
since become a primary source of historical documentation. The Gibbs-Smith system,
which used keywords and classifications to index the images in these archives, was
established in 1945.

The computing revolution arrived in the 1990s, and the physical archives that once
housed the first stock photos were transformed by servers for online storage and indexing.
Stock libraries evolved into stock agencies, and royalty-free and rights-managed licensing
options became industry norms.

The larger stock photo agencies began to consolidate as more companies entered
the market. In the 2000s, microstock agencies began to offer more affordable alternatives
to the traditional macrostock photography that had previously dominated the market. These
microstock agencies first sold physical CD-ROMs before charging subscription or one-time
fees for online downloading access. This enabled them to offer image licensing at
significantly lower prices.

The stock photography industry evolved further, with more acquisitions and mergers
along the way, to the current ecosystem. As a result of this expansion, the market has
become much more competitive, with many of the large micro stock agencies responding
by lowering licensing fees and payout percentages for stock photographers and
cinematographers in an effort to retain their clients.

Right now, customers pay a fee to purchase the legal rights to use the stock photos
or videos they want in their marketing strategies and personal projects. This fee is then
divided between the artist who took the photo or footage and an agency or service that the

34
artist uses to manage the photo's sales to customers. Customers can download and use
the image in minutes, photographers (usually) retain copyright on the material, and
agencies profit from the transaction.

Since the industry's inception at the turn of the twentieth century, there have been
three major types of stock photography.

1. Macrostock photography is also referred to as traditional stock photography.


Customers pay a higher fee to license the imagery because macrostock is
exclusive, so they retain exclusive rights to that specific image, preserving
the "uniqueness" of the photos being used. Images are not completely
exclusive in some cases of macrostock (meaning that a very limited number
of customers can purchase the rights to the same stock photo).
2. Midstock photography is a middle-of-the-road option for stock photography
that is priced between macrostock and microstock. It is frequently used
online and provides both exclusive and non-exclusive options for image use.
3. Microstock: Because it removes exclusivity from the equation, microstock
photography has a low price point. This model is relatively new to the scene
and has grown rapidly since 2000 as more stock agencies took advantage
of technological advances to establish themselves. Microstock is sold at
lower prices in larger quantities, allowing multiple customers to purchase the
rights to use microstock imagery.

35
Assessment Task 2

1. Enumerate the different strengths and weaknesses of a vintage camera and a modern
camera.

Summary

The history of the camera has demonstrated how far modern cameras have
progressed from what were once crude-looking instruments. It has been dominated by
modern inventions such as digital single lens reflex cameras, which are improved versions
of their more traditional single lens reflex siblings, digital point and shoot cameras that fit
easily in your pocket, and even smartphone cameras, which are almost standard features
of today's many different smartphones.

These digital innovations contributed to the history of photography, and the fast-changing
world of technology continues to improve the cameras that people use today. Let's take a
look at the camera's history to see how far it has progressed (Photography Basics, n.d.).

36
References

Articles

Andrews, E. (2018). https://www.history.com/news/8-crucial-innovations-in-the-invention-


of-
photography#:~:text=Long%20before%20there%20was%20the,tiny%20opening%
20on%20one%20side.Bellis (2021). The History of Photography: Pinholes and
Polaroids to Digital Images. ThoughtCo. Retrieve from:
https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-photography-and-the-camera-1992331.

Jacob, M. (2022). 5 Fundamental Elements of Photography.


https://www.lightstalking.com/5-fundamental-elements-of-great-photographs/

Photography Basics: A Brief History of Camera. (n.d.). Retrieve from: https://photography-


basics.com/history-of-the-camera/.

Stocksy (2021). What is Stock Photography? Retrieve from:


https://www.stocksy.com/ideas/what-is-stock-photography/

37
MODULE 3
APERTURE AND SHUTTER SPEED

Introduction

Photography is most enjoyable when you get to know your camera.


Achieving that level of comfort is less about memorizing a set of settings and more
about developing a solid understanding of the fundamental concepts of
photography. When you become comfortable with your camera, you can focus more
on capturing evocative imagery than on what settings are required to achieve those
photos, just as people who know how to ride a bike can focus more on where they're
going than on turning the pedals or switching gears (McHugh, 2018).

We begin that process in this chapter by going over the key concepts and
terminology in photography, which include the following topics: Aperture and Shutter
Settings, their influence on your photos, and how Aperture and Shutter affect
nighttime photographs.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, students should be able to:


1. Understand aperture and shutter speed;
2. Discuss how aperture and shutter speed settings influence a photograph; and
3. Examine how aperture and shutter speed influence each other.

38
Lesson 1. Aperture and Shutter Speed Settings (McHugh, 2018)

The shutter of a camera controls whether the camera sensor is open or closed to
incoming light from the camera lens. The shutter speed, also known as the exposure
time, refers to how long light is allowed to enter the camera. Shutter speed and exposure
time are terms that are frequently used interchangeably and refer to the same concept.
A shorter exposure time results from a faster shutter speed (McHugh 2018).

Mc Hugh (2018), added that the effect of shutter speed on exposure is the simplest
of the three camera settings: it is 1:1 to the amount of light entering the camera. When
the exposure time is doubled, for example, the amount of light entering the camera
doubles. It's also the setting with the most possibilities. Table 3 depicts the range of
shutter speed settings and provides examples of what setting can be achieved.

Table 3. Range of Shutter Speeds

NOTE: shutter speed range spans a 100,000x ratio between the shortest and longest
exposure, allowing cameras with this capability to record a wide range of subject
motion.

39
The aperture setting on your camera determines the size of the opening that allows
light into your camera lens. We measure the aperture of a camera using a f-stop value,
which may seem counterintuitive given that the area of the opening increases as the f-
stop decreases. When a photographer says they're "stopping down" or "opening up" their
lens, they're referring to increasing or decreasing the f-stop value. Figure 7 depicts the
area of the lens opening corresponding to each f-stop value.

Figure 17. F-stop values and the corresponding aperture area

The light-collecting area quadruples every time the f-stop value is cut in half. There
is a formula for this, but most photographers simply memorize the f-stop numbers that
correspond to each light doubling or halving. Table 4shows some aperture/shutter speed
combinations that produce the same exposure.

Table 4. Example of Aperture Settings and Shutter Speed Combinations

NOTE: These sample shutter speeds are close to the Relative


The light column is based on commonly available camera settings.

40
As the f-stop value decreases (allowing more light in), the shutter speed must
increase to compensate for the increased amount of light passing through the lens.
Shutter speed increments aren't always exactly double or half a shutter speed, but they're
usually close enough that the difference is negligible.

The f-stop numbers in TABLE 1-2 are all standard camera options, but most
cameras also allow finer adjustments in 1/3- and 1/2-stop increments, such as f/3.2 and
f/6.3. The value range may also differ from camera to camera or lens to lens. A compact
camera, for example, may have an available range of f/2.8 to f/8.0, whereas a digital SLR
(single-lens reflex) camera with a portrait lens may have a range of f/1.4 to f/32. A narrow
aperture range is usually not a problem, but a wider range gives you more creative
freedom.

Lesson 2. The Setting Influence of Aperture and Shutter Speed


(McHugh, 2018)

HOW SHUTTER AFFECTS IMAGE


When photographing waterfalls or experimenting with creative shots, a slow shutter
speed is useful for blurring motion. FIGURE 1-2 blurs the motion of the waterfall by using
a slow (1/3) shutter speed. Shutter speed is commonly used by photographers to avoid
motion blur.

Figure 18. Shutter Speed Motion Comparison Photography


(Pinterest.com)

41
A faster shutter speed, for example, can result in sharper photos by reducing subject
movement. On the exact same figure, the picture on the left, taken at a faster (1/160
second) shutter speed. When taking handheld shots, a fast shutter speed also helps to
reduce camera shake.

How can you tell which shutter speed will result in a sharp handheld shot? The best
way to find out with digital cameras is to experiment and examine the results on the
camera's LCD (liquid crystal display) screen at full zoom. If a properly focused
photograph becomes blurry, you should usually increase the shutter speed, keep your
hands steadier, or use a camera tripod.

HOW APERTURE AFFTECTS IMAGE


The aperture setting on a camera affects the distance from the lens to where
objects appear sharp enough, both in front of and behind where the camera is focusing.
This range of sharpness is known as the depth of field, and it's an important creative tool
in portraiture for isolating a subject from its surroundings by making the subject appear
sharper than the backdrop. It can also maximize detail throughout the image, as in a
large landscape vista.

Lower f-stop values produce a shallower depth of field, while higher f-stop values
produce a wider depth of field. For example, when a shallow depth of field is desired,
many cameras use f/2.8 or lower, whereas f/8.0 or higher is used when overall sharpness
is important.

Figure 19. Depth of Field f/stop comparison (pinterest.ph)

42
Figure 19 depicts a photograph taken with a wide aperture setting to achieve a
shallow depth of field. The flower, on which the camera focuses, is sharper than the rest
of the objects. On the right side, example of the inverse effect. A narrow aperture creates
a wider depth of field in this case, bringing all objects into relatively sharp focus.

Table 5. Description of different Common Modes

Lesson 3. The Common Camera Modes (McHugh, 2018)

The following standardized exposure modes are found on most digital cameras:
Auto (), Program (P), Aperture Priority (A or Av), and Shutter Priority (S or Tv), Manual
(M), and Bulb (B). Av, Tv, and P modes are also known as creative or auto-exposure
(AE) modes. Table () depicts some of the exposure modes found on a typical camera.

Each mode influences how the aperture, ISO speed, and shutter speed values for
a given exposure are chosen. Some modes attempt to choose all three values for you,

43
while others allow you to specify one setting and the camera chooses the other two when
possible. Table 5 explains how each mode is determined.

Table 6. Pre-set Exposure Modes

Because it doesn't let you prioritize which camera settings are most important for
achieving your artistic intent, auto-exposure mode doesn't give you much creative
control. For an action shot of a motor biker, for example, as shown in Figure 20, you
might want to use S or Tv mode because achieving a faster shutter speed is likely more
important than the scene's depth of field. Similarly, for a static landscape shot, A or Av
mode may be preferable because achieving a large depth of field is likely more important
than the exposure duration. Furthermore, the camera may have a number of pre-set
modes.

44
Figure 20. Camera settings: 56mm at f/4, 1/160, ISO 200
(digitaltrends.com)

Landscape, portrait, sports, and night modes are the most common pre-set modes.
The symbols used for each mode vary slightly from camera to camera, but they should
look similar to those shown in Table 6, which describes the most common pre-set modes
on a camera.

Some of the modes can also control camera settings other than exposure, though
this varies by camera. Among the additional settings are autofocus points, metering
mode, and autofocus modes.

Lesson 4. Nighttime Photographs using Aperture and Shutter Speed

According to Taylor (2015), a camera has two physical controls that allow you to
control how much light reaches the sensor. He stated that the aperture is a variable iris in
the lens that controls the first control. It can control how much light passes through the lens
and into the camera by adjusting the aperture. The camera's shutter, which is a light-tight

45
curtain positioned directly in front of the sensor, is the second control. Additionally, the
shutter can be opened for specific times before closing again, and this time is known as the
shutter speed.

Taking photos in low light used to necessitate additional lighting, the use of ultra-large
aperture lenses, or the inevitable loss of image quality—or all of the above. Not any longer.
Sensor sensitivity has improved to the point where images can be captured by the light of
the moon. As a result, the world of available light photography has expanded. Simply set a
high ISO, such as ISO 1600 or higher, and a large aperture: you are then free to focus on
artistic issues rather than technical constraints. If your camera produces noisy images at
high ISO settings, you can fix it in post-production (Ang, 2018).

Portrait and indoor sports photography, as well as theater photography, frequently


necessitate lenses with very large maximum apertures in order to achieve a narrower depth
of field or a faster shutter speed. A portrait's shallow depth of field helps to separate the
subject from the background. Lenses with larger maximum apertures provide significantly
brighter viewfinder images for digital SLR cameras, which may be critical for night and low-
light photography. In low light, these often provide faster and more accurate auto focusing.
Because the image in the viewfinder has a narrower depth of field, it is more visible when
objects come into or out of focus when using maximum apertures (McHugh, 2018).

According to Taylor (2015), The largest (or maximum) aperture allows the most light
in. It enables a faster shutter speed in low light.

Figure 21. High Apperture: f/2, ISO 400, 1/125-second exposure


Photo by: Emanuele Toscano

46
The slowest shutter speed is used to blur movement or when shooting in low light
conditions. In low light, a high ISO is required if you want to use a faster shutter speed or a
smaller aperture.

Figure 22. Use slower Shutter Speed


(images.essentialtravel.co.uk)

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Assessment Task 3

1. Choose your favorite subject.


2. Take pictures, pictures, and pictures using slow/fast shutter speed and aperture.
3. Present them in your class and explain how did you get those beautiful pictures.

Summary

The three primary controls that affect exposure are aperture, ISO speed, and
shutter speed. We talk about how they affect light and imagery technically, as well as their
limitations and trade-offs. Depth of field is an important factor that influences how we
perceive space. We talk about how we measure depth of field and how different settings
affect it (McHugh, 2018).

References

Books

Ang (2018). Digital Photography: An Introduction. Dorling Kindersley. NY.


McHugh (2018). Understanding Photography. No Starch Press. NY.
Taylor (2015). Digital Photography Complete Course. Darling Kindersley. NY.

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