Exposure- controlled by the aperture, shutter speed and ISO Aperture: how much light gets into the camera f/2.8= large aperture, a lot of light, shallow depth of field (good for photographing food and babies) f/22= small aperture, a small amount of light, deep depth of field (good for photographing landscapes)
Shutter speed- determines how fast the light gets into the camera 1/60th of a second is the fastest for handheld photographs, otherwise use a tripod for anything slower 1/250th of a second or faster for freezing action 1/10th of a second or slower for nighttime photographs with a tripod
ISO- determines the sensitivity of the light ISO 100- bright and sunny day ISO 400- in the shade ISO 800- inside ISO 1600+- nighttime
Camera Settings: M= Manual = you control the aperture and shutter speed for the exposure S= Shutter Priority= shutter speed is the priority over aperture= use when movement is the most important element A= Aperture Priority= aperture is the priority over shutter speed= use when want shallow or deep depth of field (i.e. food or landscape) P= Program= camera determines what the best exposure is for the subject
Compositional Terms Rule of thirds= most important subject is in the third quadrant of the photograph Leading line= a pathway carries your eyes through the photograph Simplicity= the subject is straightforward with a plain background Symmetry= the two subjects are parallel and echo each other Framing= your subject is framed by something like a window frame, gazebo, tree branches, etc Crop= your subject is close up and shows detail and texture
Vantage Points= Where you stand when you are taking the photograph. Be sure to vary your position when taking the shot! Worm's eye view- you are down on the ground Bird's eye view- you are high above the subject Side angle- you are to the side of the subject Elements of Art The building blocks of design Color= warm colors/red, orange, yellow cool colors/ blue, green Primary colors: red, yellow, blue Monochromatic: shades of one color Line= the first thing you see is a line throughout the composition Value= the light and dark of a photograph Space= how something goes out in the distance, or positive and negative space Shape= organic- in nature inorganic- manmade (i.e. you would not see a rectangle in nature) Form= three dimensional Texture=surface detail of a subject, i.e. detail of fur
Principles of Art The glue that sticks the design together Unity= all elements work together, even unusual objects (i.e. the girl holding a monkey in a golden field) Proportion= how something looks in size compared to another, i.e. a small person next to a mountain Rhythm= repeated elements, like several sailboats in a row Harmony= everything meshes together, like a sunset on a lake Balance= symmetry- butterfly wings Emphasis= the first thing a person looks at Variety= something unusual in the photograph that you wouldn't see ordinarily