Photography for the Media Sec. I - II

Richmond University Florence Study Center Photography for the Media Spring 2013 Instructor: Neri Fadigati Copyright SECTION I The Camera The camera is an instrument that allows us to create images from light. The term camera came from the old Latin expression Camera Obscura (literally dark room) a tool used since ancient time to create light projections. The main difference between old analogical and digital cameras is that the image was once created on film, while today it is captured on a sensor and then saved in the memory card. Aside from this, they both work in the same way. There are two different kinds of cameras: Compact Camera: small, light, easy to use non-professional cameras with a zoom lens. SLR Camera: big, heavy cameras with interchangeable lens. SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera is better as it allows the photographer to see the same scene the camera will capture. This is done by way of a mirror, which reflects the light rays to the eye via the viewfinder. The light meter also works trough the lens (TTL). Furthermore digital SLR cameras have bigger sensors. Top professional cameras have a full size sensor of 24x36mm, same as 35mm film cameras. Incorporated into the camera body is also a shutter, which in opening and closing by activation of the shutter button allows light to get to the film (sensor). The shutter is therefore, one of two controls of the exposure. The shutter is actually a shield capable of controlling the length of time that the film (sensor) is exposed to light. In new computerized cameras the shutter speed is visible on the display located on the back of the camera body. The shutter speed scale is a scale written in whole numbers. These numbers actually represent fractions of a second. It is IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND: a smaller number is a longer time and a larger number is a shorter time. And therefore: a smaller number on the scale represents more exposure and a larger number on the scale represents less exposure. The Standard Shutter Speed Scale: 1 2 4 8 15 30 60 125 250 500 1000 2000 Where: “1” equals 1 second; 2 equals half a second; 4 equals 1/4th of a second… and 2000 equals 1/2000th of a second. Shutter speed (time, a fraction of a second - the higher the number the faster the SS) 1” 2 4 8 15 30 60 125 250 500 1000 (1” = 1 second, 2 = 1/2, 4 = 1/4 …1000 = 1/1000) SECTION II The Lens The lens is the most important part of the camera; it determinates the final quality of our images. The lens determines also the size of the image area. Lenses come in many different focal lengths. (You could think of the Focal Length as a way of stating different lens “sizes”.) For any given film (sensor) size there is what is considered the “normal” (standard) focal length. With full size sensor (24x36mm) a lens of 50mm focal length is considered normal (standard). What is meant by this term “normal” is that the lens will produce an image in which the relative scale of all the objects will be somewhat similar to how the human eyes see. The scene will therefore appear “normal” to our eyes. A shorter than normal focal length lens (commonly called wide angle – low number, below 50) will produce an image where the objects appear to be further away than normal from us and smaller in their space. A longer than normal focal length lens (commonly called telephoto - high number, over 50) will produce an image where the objects appear to be closer and larger in their space. Today cameras have “zoom” lenses. Zoom lenses are lenses that have several different focal lengths all built into one lens. The second function of the lens is to focus the light rays reflected to the camera. Cameras come equipped with automatic focusing lenses, pressing half way down on the shutter button activates this mechanism. Standard Lens Full-frame, 24x36 mm 50 mm APS-C, 16x24 mm 27 mm 4:3, 13,5x18 22 mm Focal Length (millimeters) 28 mm 35 50 (standard for 35mm film and full size digital camera) 80 135 200 400 800 T = telephoto lens (high number, over 50) - to make the subject bigger W = wide angle lens (low number, below 50) - to get more of the scene Aperture The lens determines also the aperture. The aperture is the hole in the that the light rays travel through to get to the shutter and then to the sensor. The aperture size can be changed. In either case there is a standard aperture scale that represents the various sizes, called f./stops, of the aperture. Obviously a larger aperture hole is going to allow more light to get to the film (sensor) and give more exposure. Conversely a smaller aperture is going to allow less light to get to the film and give less exposure. Therefore the aperture (along with the shutter speed) is a control of exposure. The Standard Aperture Scale: 1.4 2 2.8 4 5.6 8 11 16 22 The smaller number represents a large hole and more light getting to the film. The larger numbers represent very small apertures and less light getting to the film.