Take a Better Picture

Objectives of this class

• Understand basic photography terms • Camera Shot; size system• Understand your camera• Take, Download & Display images

Let’s Begin

Types of Shot

1. Extreme Long Shot or an “establishing shot” (ELS)

A It shows the surroundings, scenery, landscape and geography – used as a scene-setting/establishing shot

The subject is unrecognizable because it is a general view.

There will be very little detail visible in the shot, it's meant to give a general impression rather than specific information.

2- Long Shot (LS)

• A person is shown with the surroundings.• The place is more important than the person/ people.• The difference from ELS is, more emphasis on the subject.

3- Full Shot (FS)

• The person is shown from the head to the toe,

• (Whole body or the whole action within the frame).

• In full shot place is as important as person(s)

4- Long Medium Shot (LMS)

• Person appears from thighs up. •Do not crop from the joint, ex. Knees, neck and arms.

Bad frame because thephotographer cut the kneesof the girls.

Better one because hedid not cut the kneesof them.

Do not crop from the joint, ex. Knees, neck and arms.

5- Medium Shot (MS)

• A person appears from waist up.• Bring the subject closer to the viewer • Very common in TV, newspapers and magazines• Interview shot.•It isolates the person from its surrounding

6- Medium Close-Up (MCU)• A person is cropped from the chest.

• The shoulders, neck and head are shown.

• The surroundings are quite unrecognizable.

• Very common for example in TV, newspapers and magazines

• interview shot

7- Close-Up (CU)

• The face is visible in this size.

• This type is used in Passports and Identity Cards.

• No background

• Emotional interview shot

• Facial reactions, expressions

• Emotional

8- Extreme Close-Up (ECU)

• To emphasize reactions, emotions, feelings and expressions; ex. a part of a human body such as sad eyes, a smile or a part of an object.

• Not natural (We never look at anybody this close)

• Shouldn’t be used too much

You do not have to show someone’s entire face or body. Do not be afraid to crop tight to create a more intimate, personal shot

Comment:

• Long Medium Shot (LMS) and Medium Shot (MS) are usually used to photograph or film someone's speech or when an interview is conducted.

• Always remember to keep the Head Room

(The estimated free space above a person’s head, its length is half the person’s forehead.)

• Never cut from joint (don’t cut neck, knee etc…)

Comment:

• Never Don’t cut people from their joint (don’t cut neck, knee etc…)

Comment: Head room

Good Too much head room

Typical mistake is to leave too much space (headroom) above the head

Comment: • Mistakes

Things are growing from the object

Object is cropped from the neck

Object is leaning on the picture boarder

Comment: Nose Room - leadroom

• You should leave empty space (nose room) where the object is looking or moving

Comment:

Lead Room

Nose Room

Which of these looks good toyou?

The Camera angle

Camera AngleThe camera angle marks the specific location at which a camera is placed to take a shot. A scene may be shot from several camera angles. This will give different experience and sometimes emotion.

These Angles Have Effects on the humanWhere the camera is placed in relation to the subject greatly affects the way the viewer perceives that subject. A high-angle shot makes the subject look small or weak while a low-angle shot makes the subject look powerful or threatening. A neutral shot Or Eye Level has little to no psychological effect on the viewer.

The Camera angle

Standard Angle Eye-Level

This is the most common view, being the real-world angle that we are all used to. It shows subjects as we would expect to see them in real life. It is a fairly neutral shot.

Low Angle

The subject seems threatening, powerful and dominatesuperior

High Angle

• The subject seems small and insignificant. Make a person look helpless and weak inferior

XNote: do not use when shot on children

Composition RulesRule of Third

One of the classic compositional theories is the rule of thirds. This is a simple but quite effective way of constructing your image so the viewer’s eye is drawn to one of several key spots. Applicable in both the art and photographic worlds, this helps you create images that are nicely balanced and pleasing to the eye.

To visualize the rule, divide your viewfinder equally into thirds, both horizontally and vertically. Then compose the photo to allow the subject or center of interest to fall on one of the four intersection points.

Never put your image in the center of the Frame

Composition RulesRule of Third

• place the subject on the golden rectangle points• The point at the screen, where you first take a glance• remember the nose and the head room• Place the important information in the sensory point

The sensory point: the point at the screen where you first take a quick look

Place important elements at the intersection points,

simple photo is Much more pleasing than a heavily cluttered photo

or along the sides, top and bottom of the grid.

or along the sides, top and bottom of the grid.

or along the sides, top and bottom of the grid.

or along the sides, top and bottom of the grid.

Try to avoid placing your subject in the middle.

X

“Good composition is the strongest way

of seeing.”

Edward Weston

Safe Area

The television monitor aspect is 4:3 Widescreen monitor aspect is 16:9

4:3 = Width 720 x Height 57616:9 = Width 720 x Height 480

Y

X

If you are out of the Safe Area

ExampleFraming :

Leading lines :

Reflections :

Silhouettes :

Use of digital still cameraCanon PowerShot A420 Digital Camera

4.0 Megapixel, 3.2x Optical zoom – Digital zoom 11x

Memory card AA Size rechargeable battery Charger

megapixel• The term megapixel is the number of individual pixels that go into

making each image - means One Million pixels.

“Picture Element” Digital images are made of pixels, or picture elements. A pixel is a tiny square dot "square dot" in your picture.

What is a Pixel?The small picture elements that make up a digital photograph.Your digital camera builds pictures out of tiny blocks of color knownas pixels, similar to the way an artist creates a mosaic using coloredtiles. (Pixel is short for picture element)

Resolution:Resolution of the picture means the amounts of pixels per inch (ppi)Select the suitable Resolution - is marked with dpi (dots per inch)The bigger the resolution is the sharper the image

Pixels

Not Sharp image Sharp image

Most commonly used:• Web Resolution / computer screen =72 • Print Resolution = 150 or 300 • Film Resolution = 600

Document size of a picture• Resolution influences picture’s document size the most.• Document size can be made smaller by compressing, but it affects

the quality of the picture.• Quality and size depends on compression Compression:

• Compression setting affects the overall quality of your image • Compression effect the file size and image quality

Zoom There are two types of zoom on a camera

Optical Zoom: Optical zoom is what I like to call true zoomWhen using optical zoom quality remains the same and the full resolution of the camera can be used on the zoomed image.

Digital zoom: Digital zoom on the other hand is not a true form of a zoom function. What happens here is that the section of image that you are looking at becomes bigger, not closer. The image does look closer because it has been expanded however all that has happened is that the image quality has been reduced.

Zoom

There are two types of zoom on a camera Zoom out Zoom in

When the zoom scale exceeds the 3.2x the camera uses the digital Zoom function

Note: The zoom X differ from one camera to another and the shape of the zoom W/T

• 3.2x optical zoom - Digital Zoom approx. 11xIf the Digital Zoom is not on, press menu button, choose Rec. (Recording) Menu and choose Digital Zoom option.

Changing the recording pixels & Compression • Press Func. Set Button – using the 2 arrows (left & Right) to select recording

pixels settings as the following:-– L (Large) 2272 x 1704 px High – M1 (Medium 1) 1600 x 1200 px – M2 ( Medium 2) 1024 x 768 px– S (Small) 640 x 480 px Low (Sending images as e-mail attachment - Shooting more images)– W (Wide) 2272 x 1280 px

• Press MENU button (approximate values range: High Quality to Normal Quality)– Super Fine (shoot higher quality images) High Quality – Fine ( Shoot normal quality images) – Normal (Shooting more images) Normal

Standard Automatic Mode

Flash• Add light• Use flash indoor • In dark places • Camera’s internal flash can include different functions: red eye reeducation & night flash• Flash can be used when you are shooting towards sunlight • ( Flash somehow is difficult to use you need to remember there are 3 different type light

– day light = blue – Florescent = green– Tungsten = Red

RGB the primary color

Flash OFF Flash ON

Red Eye reeducationThe symbol of this mode is an eye

Manual Mode

Press Func. Set Button using the 2 arrows (left & Right) to select

settings as the following:-

Macro ( shooting close-up)• Sharp focus for close up, extreme close up and taking photo of any printed text • The symbol of this mode is a Flower• In macro photographing or close up photographing tries to take photos about

small targets (bugs, plants, stamps, jeweler etc.) • We have to bring our object as near as possible to our compact camera• Cameras has limitations about that how near they can focus and how small

object they can make larger to whole picture bring our object as near as possible to our compact camera

Shooting distance (from the front of the lens)Normal: 47 cm – infinity (range)Macro: 5 – 47 cm (range) Wide & 25 – 47 cm (range) TelephotoSuper Macro: 1X

Exposure (EV): A cameras metering system can be fooled when taking

pictures where large areas of a scene are very bright, very dark or contain strong contrast. To help prevent a photo from under or over exposure, adjust exposure values (EV).

Exposure values, represented by numbers with a plus or minus in front of them, override settings automatically selected by a cameras exposure mode. When the main subject is darker than the background, increase exposure value. If the subject is much lighter than the background, decrease

The Right LightExposure (EV)

• Overexposure = too light picture, the light parts of the picture are pure white

• Underexposure = too dark picture, you can’t see the details• Correct exposure =Camera’s automatism measures the amount of

light

The Right Light Another example

White Balance

Special Scene Shooting mode

White Balance

Blue Yellow Normal

White Balance:

White balance" is a feature which tells your camera what is white,

• Play Back Mode (Preview Mode)- green arrow (Mode Dial)

• When you are in the play back mode, you can erase an image by pressing the trash icon (single image eraser).

• In this camera the FUNC. SET button is like ENTER key on the keyboard.

• To erase all images at once – Press menu button, and chose play menu then select

erase all. Finally press FUNC. SET button

EXTREMELONG SHOT

LONG SHOT

MEDIUMLONG SHOT

MEDIUM SHOT

MEDIUM CLOSE UP

CLOSE UP

EXTREMECLOSE UP

Comments

Every cut has to bring new information, in case it does not bring, always remember not to cut.

Always cut over at least one type and at most over four, for example an extreme close-up is required: start with the following sequence:-

• Full Shot• Long Medium Shot• Medium shot• Medium Close-up• Extreme Close-up

NEXT Class

Practical assignment

Thank you