digital photography handbook

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plainfield central – mr. lawler art + design

part 1: camera basics 1

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/camera-stuff-pictures.htm

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the parts of a digital camera and how the camera works

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connecting the camera to your computer and printing

image capture

editing software

output (printing)

printing servicesonline services

storage device

personal computer

USB cord connects camera to computer or laptop

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THE DO’S AND DON’T’S OF CAMERA CARE

Do...

• Regularly clean the camera with a soft cloth.

• Handle all moving parts of the camera with care.

• Turn off the camera before removing or disconnecting the power source or a cable, or removing the battery or memory card.

• Keep your camera dry and free from condensation.

• Store your camera correctly if it isn't going to be used for a long time.

• Always remove the camera battery if the camera is going to be stored for long periods of time.

Don't...

• Subject your camera to knocks, vibration, magnetic fields, smoke, water, steam, sand or chemicals.

• Store or use it in humid, dusty or dirty places.

• Subject it to extreme hot or cold temperatures.

• Place it in direct sunlight for prolonged times or in a car when it is hot.

• Scratch the camera with hard or sharp objects.

• Drop it in water. It may be damaged beyond repair.

• Used canned air. Most consumer digital cameras are not air-tight and canned air may blow dust into the inside of the lens.

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THE DO’S AND DON’T’S OF CAMERA CARE

Cleaning Your Digital CameraCleaning a digital camera is relatively easy and should be done on a regular basis.One of the most important things to preserve the condition of the lens is not totouch it with your fingers. Before wiping off the lens, hold the camera upside downand gently blow off any grit and lose dust particles. Next lightly wipe the lens andother camera parts with a soft, dry cloth (a swatch from a cotton t-shirt or a softhandkerchief) or lens cleaning paper. Paper towels, napkins and facial tissue shouldnot be used to clean the lens. If needed, wipe the lens with a few drops of lenscleaning fluid. Place the fluid on the lens cleaning paper, not directly onto the lens.

The best camera cleaning cloth is made of microfiber. Microfiber cloths arechemical-free and lift dust and oil from a lens. They are anti-static, non-scratchingand will not streak or smear the surface. Keep the cloth in a plastic baggie orsomething similar so it doesn't collect grit or other particles that could scratch thelens surface. Before cleaning, make sure that neither the cloth nor the lens hasparticles on it. Give the cloth a good shake before wiping it on the lens. And gentlyblow or brush on the lens to remove loose particles. For normal smears andsmudges, it is not necessary to use a lens cleaning fluid on the cloth. If you must usea liquid, place a few drops on the cloth and not directly on the lens. If your cameraneeds extensive cleaning, have it done professionally.

Your Digital Camera and the WeatherHot, cold, rainy weather should not prevent you from taking photos with your digitalcamera. However, extra precaution and protection of camera equipment must betaken in each weather condition to prevent condensation or freezing. Keepingequipment in a well-padded, waterproof camera bag will help protect it from theelements. If you can attach a filter, such as a skylight or UV filter, use one to helpprotect the lens.

If it suddenly rains, snows or drizzles while carrying your camera, slip it under ajacket or sweater or, if it's compact, put it in your pants or coat pocket. Inpreparation for rain, some photographers place a plastic bag around the camera andsecure it with a rubber band after positioning the hole over where the lens willprotrude. In very cold weather, keep the camera warm. In hot weather, keep it out ofdirect sunlight. If you cover the camera with material such as a beach towel, use alight colored fabric so it won't absorb too much heat. Never leave a digital camera orother sensitive camera equipment in an automobile when the temperature isextremely hot or cold.

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EXPOSURE LATITUDE – LIGHT AND IMAGE QUALITY

low exposure low mid range high mid range high exposure(underexposed) (overexposed)

ISO

aperture the size of the opening of the lens

measured in f/stops (ie. f/2.8 > f/22)

the

exposuretriangle

To achieve the best exposure, digital cameras offer three options: A(automatic mode), a custom light setting or M (manual mode). Only inmanual mode do you need to adjust ISO, shutterspeed or aperture (basedon the light meter – the measuring tool seen in the window above).

A M

outdoors sunny day

outdoors panoramic

macro (close up)

action (sports)

portrait low light (nighttime)

automaticmanual

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BIT DEPTH AND THE DIGITAL IMAGE

0 0 0

0 1 0

0 0 0

0 95 191

31 127 223

63 159 255

one bit per pixel produces a two tone image (black and white)

eight bits per pixel produces a 256 range image (white, grays, and blacks)

255

0

0

0

255

255

0

0

0

0

255

0

255

0

255

140

63

184

0

0

255

255

153

51

255

255

255

twenty four bits per pixel produces a true RGB color image (16,777,216 colors)

MEGAPIXELS, RESOLUTION & PPI (DPI)All of these numbers indicate the quality of an image and the maximum size theimage can be printed before the “pixels” become unfavorable noticeable (what wecall pixelation). Megapixels determine how large an image can be sized.

An 8 in x 10 in 100 PPI image if resized to a 4 in x 5in will then have 200 PPI.

MP (megapixeL) = one million pixels; 3.1 megapixels (2048 × 1536 = 3,145,728)PPI (DPI) pixels per inch (dots per inch) = resolution quality (number of pixels)Height x Width = image size measured in inches

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TIPS ON TAKING BETTER PHOTOSYou probably have noticed by now that some of your photographs seem to turn out

very well and others do not. Here are eight guidelines which can help!

notes/comments:

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part 2: design basics 9

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PHOTOGRAPHY AS A BRANCH OF DESIGN

Simple design principles and techniques which will enhance your phototaking skills.

Using line can help lead the viewers eyes through the composition by creatingperspective. Line helps establish boundaries, creates pattern, shows rhythm, points directions, implies movement and defines shape.

Shape is defined by lines and can be geometric or organic. Empty shapes allow the viewer to imagine; complete shapes create variety and interest through pattern.

Texture and pattern are each comprised of the repetition of shapes and lines. Texture and pattern can both be used to create detail which the viewer sees as visual interest.

look for basic elements apply them in principle

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PHOTOGRAPHY AS A BRANCH OF DESIGN

Simple design principles and techniques which will enhance your phototaking skills.

Value is the measure of lightness and darkness established by exposure. When brighthighlights are paired with deep shadows, you can achieve quality, contrast image.

Color, saturation and temperature are properties of light. Saturation refers to the intensity of a color where temperature refers to mood, feel and coolness/warmness.

Harmony is established by the relationships of color in an image. Certain colors go better with other colors – we call these color schemes. Complimentary colors are those that are opposite one another. Analogous colors are grouped in a row on the color wheel. Triadic and Tetradic schemes are based on geometric pairings.

look for basic elements apply them in principle

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THE USE OF VISUAL SPACE

“Space is not just something to be filled in; it is itself a valuable tool for achieving engaging, clear visual messages. White space can help direct the viewer’s eye to positive elements. White space is

necessary for creating designs with balance, harmony and clear hierarchy” – Garr Reynolds, Zen Design: Simple Design Principles and Techniques

negative space: referred to asthe empty area or sometimescalled white space

positive space: objects andforms which occupy space;sometimes called black space

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alignment: refers to where objects areplaced on the page. good compositions tryto balance white and black space, but alsouse position to create focus and. emphasis.

1. center alignment – viewer lookdirectly in the middle of the page

2. cropped – the image is cropped anddraws the viewer into the corner

3. left alignment – draws the viewer tothe left side of the page

4. right alignment – draws the viewer tothe right side of the page

balance: balance is created through the useof symmetry. there are three types ofsymmetry: bilateral, radial andasymmetrical. the illustration to the leftdemonstrates bilateral symmetry as theobject can be divided in the middle withmirror images on both sides of the axis (innature this is more loose than inmathematics).

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RULES OF COMPOSITION – USING LINE, SHAPE + BALANCE

Framing

There are two ways in which you can useframing to create a strong image.

The first is frame-within-a-frame: that is,having the viewer look through a frame suchas a doorway or window. This draws theviewer inside the image.

The second is filling-the-frame: this is similarto cropping and refers to a full bleed imagewhich has a lot if impact. These images areachieved by using macro photography.

Leading Lines + Proportion

Like framing, you can draw the viewer intoyour picture through the use of depth.When you use lines to create direction,movement, or perspective, the viewerfollows those lines into the image.

You can also create depth by establishing aclear foreground, midground andbackground. The objects in the foregroundshould overlap the other objects andproportion should be established by scalingsizes of objects.

Rule of Thirds

An image should be imagined as beingdivided into a 3x3 grid. Importantcompositional elements should be placedalong the lines or at the intersections.Aligning a subject with these points createsmore tension, energy and interest in thecomposition by placing the focus off center(avoiding bull’s-eyeing the subject).

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RULES OF COMPOSITION – USING EMOTION

Tension

Images with tension are engaging. There aremany ways of creating tension in an image,but some of the best ways include:1. visual tension: lonely, off center objects2. psychological tension: image depicting

tense moments or allow the viewer toanticipate action

3. chaos vs. order: images which showorder through pattern and then adisturbance of that order

4. out of place: objects or forms that areout of place in comparison to thecontext of the image

S-Curves

The elusive s-curve - an art term for asinuous body position. S-curves wereidentified by the Ancient Greek sculptors asbeing the best way to position a figure.Why? Because the curve appears sensual,sensuous, and seductive.

S-curves can also be found in nature,evoking the same titillating or romanticfeelings. Using the s-curve plays on aperson’s emotional drives.

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SCANNING + IMAGE STORAGE

TIPS ON SCANNING

Color Depth: when scanning tryto use true color wheneverpossible. The best color depthwill be measured in the millions(typically 16 million). Scannerprograms also offer a 256 Colormode. The advantage of 256Color images is that the files aresignificantly smaller than truecolor image files.

Resolution: A computer monitormight have a resolution of 72dpi, while a laser printer mightbe 600 dpi and an ink jet printercan be anywhere from 300 –720 dpi and even higher. Forprinting I recommend 200 or300 dpi as a minimum. Howeverthese files can become verylarge.

STORAGE DEVICES

When you connect your harddrive to your computer and turnit on, you do not need to installany software or drivers to makethe drive available for use.

1. The drive will appear as adrive letter in (My)Computer (ie: Drive E:, F:, orsome other letter) withinapproximately 30 seconds ofconnecting and turning onthe drive.

2. Often the AutoPlay windowwill appear within 30seconds.

3. Then you can simply drag-and-drop data, or copy-and-paste data, into the drive touse it manually.

external hard drive

connects via a USB cable

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part 3: photoshop basics 16

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ADOBE PHOTOSHOP WORK SPACE

photoshop tool bar photoshop layer menu

photoshop menu and status bar

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EDITING B&W IMAGES

Darkroom Enlarger Traditional Printing & Editing

To develop film prints, an enlarger and darkroom areneeded. To the left, is a diagram of a machine calledan enlarger. This machine creates prints fromnegatives.A negative is a piece of film which is light-sensitiveand allows an image taken by a camera to beimprinted on its surface. A print is also light sensitive,allowing a negative to be projected onto its surface.

The print is created by letting light from the lampthrough the negative carrier where the film strip isplaced. The light and image are then projectedthrough the lens onto the easel where a photo-sensitive piece of paper is placed. The result is aphotographic print.

Dodge Tool Burn Mask

To increase highlights and shadows on areasof a print, two tools are used: the burn maskand the dodge tool.

Originally, the dodge tool was a circular pieceof cardboard on a stick which was waved overareas of the easel blocking light from theprint and creating “whiter areas.” Likewise,the burn mask was a piece of cardboard witha hole cut in it which was placed over theeasel allowing light to hit the print for longerperiods of time and creating darker areas.Today in Photoshop, the tools have similarfunctions.

Dodge Tool Burn Mask

Grayscale Cropping Bright. & Contrast Levels & Curves

converts an image to black and white

without loss of quality

crops an image to a

specified size and

resolution

adjusts contrast and

brightness, similar to

a tv or monitor

adjusts value of an

image using grays,

blacks and whites as

a base

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USING THE BRUSH TOOL (FOR ERASERS, BURN AND DODGE)

select the BRUSH TOOL and the BRUSH MENU appears at the top in the STATUS BAR

selecting the brush tool brings up a menu of its own – you can select how big the brush is and how soft the brush is, as well the brush type and shape

the play button brings up different brush families

tools like BURN, DODGE, ERASER and others use the same BRUSH settings

when using these tools I recommend starting with:

1. SIZE: use a large brush 100 px – 400 px

2. TYPE: try a soft brush –if you hover over the brush types it will tell you the name of the brush

3. HARDNESS: use a soft opacity 10% or so

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BURN & DODGE

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BURN & DODGE

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EDITING COLOR IMAGES

The Adjustment Window

Editing B&W Image1. B & W: turn the image grayscale 2. Levels: edit for value 3. Curves: edit for value 4. Bright/Cont: edit for contrast 5. Channel Mixer: edit for value/B&W6. Shadow/High: edit for contrast

Editing Color1. Color Balance: edit color hue 2. Hue/Sat: edit for intensity 3. Channel Mixer: edit temperature4. Photo Filter: edit temperature

STEP 1: Prepare for Color1. SELECT ALL EDIT COPY2. SELECT DESELECT 3. View LAYERS MENU (F7)

STEP 2: Black and White Image1. MODE GRAYSCALE (then return

to RGB), using B&W tool or using the Channel Mixer (monochrome checked)

2. Edit this image using the B&Wediting tools from the Adjustment Menu (see above)

3. Edit this image using Burn & Dodge

STEP 3: Paste Color Image1. EDIT PASTE 2. a duplicate layer should appear

that is now on top of the B&W3. edit for color (see above)

STEP 4: Overlaying Color Layer1. change Layer 1 using BLENDING

LAYER MODE COLOR

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digital photography handbook

Art & Photos