Chickerdoodle13's Photography Classroom (*New Assignment* Pg6 Post54)

[Chickerdoodle13]

Hey guys! I know I have a couple more photos I have to comment on, but I just wanted to let you all know I won't be around much this weekend so I will try to get to itSunday night or Monday. I'm hoping to have the next lesson up by Monday or Tuesday as well.

 

[bella1210]

can i join tommrow i can do all the lessons i missed i have done pictures before but i am new to takeing them for things like this

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Quote:
Certainly!

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Lesson #2: An introduction to the relationship of shutter speed and aperture

This next lesson will be a brief introduction into aperture and shutter speed and how they relate to one another. However, this subject is a fairly complex one and I definitely recommend finding your camera manual (either the hard copy or the online copy) to help figure out how to adjust both on your individual cameras. Some of the smaller point and shoots may not allow you to adjust these aspects, but it is still a good idea to understand what each is and how they affect one another.

Shutter speed refers to the amount of time a camera’s shutter is open. The shutter is typically a small flap in the camera behind the lens which flips open to allow light into the body so that a picture can be recorded. Photography essentially means “drawing with light”. Without light, you cannot have a picture. Shutter speed is measured in seconds, or more commonly, fractions of a second. When photo conditions have less light, the shutter must remain open longer. When there is a lot of light present (A very sunny day, for example), you can use much faster shutter speeds. Faster shutter speeds are useful for freezing action. Typically, a shutter speed of 1/125 or more will freeze action. Any slower than that and motion will usually blur. Typically shutter speeds range from:
1/1000 s
1/500 s
1/250 s
1/125 s
1/60 s
1/30 s
1/15 s
1/8 s
1/4 s
1/2 s
1 s
“With this scale, each increment roughly doubles the amount of light (longer time) or halves it (shorter time).” (Wikipedia)

Aperture and shutter speed are both used to determine the amount of light that reaches the camera’s sensor (or the film for those using 35mm cameras). Aperture is the size of the hole in the lens through which light travels. This is measured in stops which typically range from f/1.4–f/22. Newer cameras may have stops in between these, but for now it may be easier to use the traditional shutter speeds and apertures. It is interesting to note that the smaller the stop number, the larger the size of the hole. Therefore an aperture of f/1.4 is larger in size than an aperture of f/22.

Shutter speeds and apertures also play a role in determining depth of field (DOF). Depth of field is defined as “the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image” (Wikipedia). Typically, a smaller aperture and slower shutter speed will give increased depth of field. A larger aperture and faster shutter speed will decrease the depth of field and often results in the blurred background effect. There are other factors which play into DOF, but I will keep it simple for this lesson. I will post additional reading on the subject if you wish to read up. There may be an assignment in the future which focuses more on DOF.

Shutter speed and aperture are usually adjusted together as a ratio. Often I allow my camera to meter the correct aperture/shutter speed ratio for my light conditions and then I adjust both together up or down depending on my DOF and action preferences. Most SLR cameras will allow you to do this in shutter priority or aperture priority. For this assignment, I would prefer that you use shutter priority if you have it available. If you are following Marebear and Ken’s assignment, you may wish to use full manual mode.

This lesson goes pretty hand in hand with Ken and Marebear’s lesson, so I think it would be a great idea to read up on the lesson they posted. Correct exposure is also determined by the ratio of aperture and shutter speed. However, for my lesson I would like you to focus on capturing action.

Assignment #2:
I would like you to choose some sort of action to photograph. It could be running water, a fan, a waving flag…really anything and I would like you to get creative! It is best if you complete this assignment at one time so your lighting conditions are consistent. I would like you to submit two photos of the same subject. One of the photos I would like to see the action frozen and the other photo I would like to see the action blurred. You will be able to do this by adjusting the shutter speed up and down (this is where your camera manual comes in quite handy!). If you are in shutter priority, the aperture will automatically adjust for the shutter speed you choose. If you are in manual mode, you will have to get a reading from your camera’s meter and then adjust both by hand (If you have additional questions about this, please feel free to contact me. I know it is confusing!). When you are taking these pictures, it may be handy to have a little notebook with you so you can record the shutter speed and aperture you have used for each picture. I would like to see that posted with your assignments if possible. You can usually find this out on the computer as well after downloading your pictures from the camera, but I think it is useful to carry a notebook when doing photography as a habit! Be sure to take note how the change in shutter speed and aperture affect both the motion and the DOF.

If you do not have the ability to adjust shutter speed, then I would like you to just practice capturing action. Play around with your camera and see if you might be able to change the settings for action shots. Submit your best two action shots!

Feel free to contact me with questions! I know this lesson is a bit confusing, but once we finish with the basics we will be able to get more creative. I would like this assignment submitted by next Monday, July 25th. I will try my best to critique all entries in a timely fashion!

Here is some additional reading which I recommend before beginning the assignment. Shutter speed and aperture are definitely not easy things to master!

Shutter speed:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shutter_speed

Aperture:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aperture#In_photography

DOF:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth_of_field

MareBear and Ken's lesson on Exposure:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=453967

 

[bella1210]

ok here is the 1st assignment

1.

2. can it be one someone on here posted if it can it is Two Creeks Farm picture on page 5 post 44

3. pushing the button

4. i would like to learn how to take pictures of Lightening

6. fugifilm i do not know what kind of fugifilm it is

 

[Carols Clucks]

A long time ago in the land of film cameras...

We had an assignment of going to a park/school and taking pictures of a person running past us at the various shutter speeds of our cameras.

Of course the fastest shutter speed froze the runner in mid air (with appropriate aperture for a good exposure)

And the last few shutter speeds did not not show a runner at all (also with appropriate aperture for a good exposure)


Ever want to know how they get those great night photos of normally busy places (Times Square)? Super Slow shutter speeds! If you slow your camera down enough (on a tripod) in a dark place, you can get "star trails".

 

[FourPawz]

Quote:
Did we have the same instructor?

Another technique is called "panning". With a relatively slow shutter speed, say 1/30, you follow a moving object along a trajectory. You end up with the moving target in relatively sharp focus, but the background is blurred by the camera's motion.

See photo illustration at this link: http://img.xatakafoto.com/2008/02/Efecto Pannig.jpg

 

[Two Creeks Farm]

Slow shutter speeds arent the only way to get that motion feel, 1/500 on this shot. Subject distance, shutter speed and subject speed = an image that shows movement yet retain sharp elements. (dont believe Honda would like to get a blurry pic LOL)
Those who dont have many adjustments on camera...shoot in a higher light(brighter scene) and step back or move closer to change the effect while moving the camera at the same speed as teh subject, and play with moving through the subject as you press the button.

1/500 pan

1/1000 stop action

Angle and subject speed, still alllowed the tires to show movement at 1/1000

 

[Carols Clucks]

<Smiling>

Panning is fun! Alas seems like sprint car drivers prefer photos that look like they are parked on the track.....

 

[FourPawz]

Mastering Panning:

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/mastering-panning-to-photograph-moving-subjects

(Check out the image of the skateboarder - that background is amazing)