Assignment 4. Color

Objectives:

  • To observe color in different light conditions.
  • To become more aware of your WB (white balance) setting and learn set it for better color accuracy.
  • To make photographs with color as a defining element.
  • To record the wild, interesting, aesthetic color environment that we live in.

Think about how the quality of light (soft, harsh, warm, cold, hot) as well as the white balance of your light source (daylight, moonlight, cloudy, incandescent bulb, florescent etc…) looks in the photographs that you have made so far in this class. When you shoot in color, you should match your white balance as closely as possible to the light conditions you are photographing. A colorcast in an image is usually caused by incorrect white balance settings.

Common white balance settings available in camera

AWB: auto white balance

Tungsten: a temperature of artificial light that simulates the color of daylight

Incandescent: a warm light – often cast by traditional light bulbs for household and industrial use.

Florescent: a cool light casting a yellow green cast.

Daylight: light under open sun

Flash: electronic flash as main light source

Cloudy: light under cloud cover

Shade: light under shade cast in sunlight

K stands for Kelvin. It is the scale used to measure the temperature of light.

Custom lets you set a white balance by measuring light on a white surface at the scene.

You can read more about white balance at

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/white-balance.htm

 

Color is often described in terms of its intensity. Color can be saturated, rich, subdued, brilliant, vibrant, muted, electric, dull. Color has an emotional component. You get a certain feeling from colors – vibrant colors evoke a different response than subdued colors. Warm colors (reds, yellows, oranges) have a different impact on mood than cool colors (blues, greens). In graphic design, designers use colors to make their messages more convincing and to visually represent the personality and values of their clients.

How can the quality of a color change the emotional tone of a photograph?

When does a photograph become a picture about color.

How can color be used to enhance the subject of a photograph?

How does color affect your mood?

For this assignment shoot 30 aesthetically beautiful pictures about color.

I want you to shoot these images with proper white balance in natural light.

If you would like to explore color with other light sources please do so in addition to the pictures you make in natural light. Take your time and think about the color in your compositions.

Be aware of the light in the scene. Good light often translates to good color rendering.

Remember to choose interesting subjects, focus your lens, compose your picture, and make good exposures.

IDEAS:

Photograph at least four things that have similar color

Make a color picture that looks like it is black and white

Make a photograph with warm colors

Make a photograph with cool colors

Make a photograph with both

Can you make a bad color photograph? What would that be?

 

 NO CLASS MONDAY for Columbus Day!

Class will be held on Tuesday 10/10 and Wednesday 10/11 instead.

 

Assignment 3: Controlling Shutter Speeds/ Capturing Motion

Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second – Mark Riboud

Shutter Speed

You can control your shutter speed to intentionally make photographs of captured motion. Using a fast shutter speed, you can freeze capture the whirling world around you. Using a slow shutter speed, you can capture the passing of time. The shutter speed determines whether moving subjects will be sharp or blurred.

Types of motion capture

FAST: A fast shutter speed is used to stop or ‘freeze’ motion.

Use your camera in the manual mode or the shutter priority mode. Use a fast shutter (try 1/250 sec or faster) and if you are set on Manual, adjust your f-stop accordingly to get a correct meter reading for good exposure. 

SLOW:  A slow shutter speed is used to record the passing of time.

Use a slow shutter speed to show motion or movement within an image. A deliberately blurred subject within an otherwise sharp image can effectively show action and movement.  The shutter speed must be fast enough to keep the stationary parts of the subject sharp (without camera shake) but slow enough to make the moving parts of the subject blurry.  You will want to shoot at 1/30 second or slower. Use a tripod or steady your camera in some other way. If you are set on Manual, adjust your f-stop accordingly to get a correct meter reading for good exposure.

TIPS

  1. If you use a slower shutter speed, rest your camera on a non-moving object or use a tripod to avoid camera shake.
  2. In Manual, adjust your f-stops accordingly to get the correct meter reading for good exposure.
  3. Focus on your subject

Panning

You can also use “panning” as a method of recording a moving object. When you pan you intentionally move the camera following in the same direction as the motion.  A successful pan renders the subject in motion sharp, while causing the background to show motion blur.

For Monday 10/2/2017 :: Shoot at least 40 photographs while being attentive to your shutter speeds. Do not use flash.

Photograph at least 6 of the following suggestions.

Chose 3 to explore slow shutter and 3 to explore fast shutter.

You may explore more than 6 if you are inspired.

A streak of light

Moving people

Moving nature

Moving vehicle(s)

Visually interesting motion caused by moving your camera

Capture a droplet of water

Capture the flow of water

Capture time moving

Capture time frozen

Capture motion at dawn or dusk

Painting with light

In the end you should have roughly 40 images that demonstrate your ability to capturing motion blur and freeze motion.

  • This assignment will require trial, error and experimentation.
  • Always remember to use good light, think about your composition, and work to make visually interesting pictures.

You will hand in your top 5 motion pictures using the hand in workflow to properly name your submission. Thanks!

 

Assignment 2:: Controlling Aperture :: Depth of Field

Objectives:

  • to understand that f-stop = aperture setting = size of lens opening
  • to learn to control the use of aperture to achieve desired visual effects of depth of field
  • to learn of how aperture and shutter speed are linked, and how those links allow for proper exposure
  • to intentionally make more visually interesting images

 Minimum or Shallow Depth of Field refers to a small area of focus.  When part of the image is in focus and the background or foreground or both are blurred the image has a shallow depth of field. Visually the area in focus usually becomes the strongest element of the image. Your eye is attracted to the focus.

F2.0 has a much more shallow depth of field than f22.

Maximum Depth of Field means everything in the frame will be sharply and clearly focused.  The smaller the aperture used, the greater the depth of field—f22 creates an area with far greater depth of field than f2.0.

The camera’s basic controls of aperture (or lens opening) and shutter speed (length of time the shutter stays open during exposure) affect both the exposure of the image and how focus and motion are defined in your picture.  In this assignment you will make images that exploit the creative potential of the aperture to create images that demonstrate minimum and maximum depth of field.

For this assignment you will need to set your camera on A (for Aperture priority) mode and set your lens on manual focus. The manual focus (MF) setting is usually on the side of your lens if you have a DSLR but it may be in the function settings. Set your focus on the point that you see in your viewfinder that is most important for you to have in sharp focus.

In Aperture priority mode, you set the aperture and your camera will choose the appropriate shutter speed to result in a well-exposed image.  Make sure that you are checking the meter reading to ensure that you are letting in enough light for proper exposure. If the meter is flashing red it signals a problem with exposure.

Adjusting iso :: If it is bright outside and you are using a wide open aperture to get a shallow depth of field, you may need to change your iso setting to make you camera less sensitive to light. Try to go down to iso 50 (if it is available) or iso 100 to make you camera less sensitive to light. If you are shooting inside and attempting to record a wide depth of field you will be using a small aperture (f16, f22) so you may need to boost up your iso (to 800 or 1200) to make your camera more sensitive to light to allow proper exposure.

Camera shake :: Remember, If your shutter is set at 1/30 second or slower you need to steady your camera or use a tripod to avoid camera shake.

Use a large aperture setting (f4, f3.5, f2) to demonstrate minimum depth of field. This setting will let a large amount of light through your lens resulting in an image where only a small portion of the photograph is in focus. Be sure to focus on what you want to have in focus because your focal range will be limited.

Use a small aperture (f16 or smaller) to demonstrate maximum depth of field. This setting will let a small amount of light through your lens and will result in an image where almost everything is in focus.

 Check what is in focus once you shoot using your lcd screen to make sure you get the results that you want.

For Monday 9/25 :: shoot 40 interesting photographs while using the aperture priority setting (A) to change the aperture and intentionally control your depth of field while you shoot.

Shoot 20 pictures using shallow depth of field and 20 using wide depth of field. Be conscious of how these settings are effecting the focal range in your pictures. You will edit these down to the strongest 4 (2 each).

 

depth of field measure copy

05.dof.depth of field:b#667

 

Assignment 1:: The Qualities of Light

Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography. – George Eastman

In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary. – Aaron Rose

What makes photography a strange invention is that its primary raw materials are light and time. – John Berger

Wherever there is light, one can photograph. – Alfred Stieglitz

 

For Monday September 18, shoot 40 photographs. Concentrate on the quality of light present in your picture.  From these photographs you will edit down to your three strong images from three different lighting situations.

Objectives:

  • to heighten your awareness of the qualities of light
  • to think about the direction that light is coming from
  • to realize that the viewer’s perception of a subject can be influenced by the light that illuminates it
  • to confirm that light is one of the most essential elements in photography
  • to learn to see light, and use it effectively in your pictures

Every photograph is about light. Interesting light can transform an ordinary subject into a compelling image.

When photographing you should become aware of how light reflects off of the things you are looking at. Is the light diffused, glaring, twinkling?

Look at the shadows that are present. Shadows are created by light being obscured by something. As you look closely, you can become aware of the shapes and forms that shadows create.

Observe the direction and quality of the light:

Side lighting can create shadows that emphasize texture and depth.

Front lighting often yields flat images with little tonal range.

Back lighting defines the shape of a subject, often by silhouetting it, but the details of the subject can be obscured.

Some say not to shoot into the light but doing so can sometimes yield interesting pictures.

Diffused lighting and bounced lighting are different from direct light sources. Often light coming in a window or through a curtain is diffused or scattered. Bounced light bounces off of one object and illuminates another. Diffused or bounced lighting tends to be softer, flatter and has less contrast than direct lighting.

Explore making photographs at different times of day.

Morning, midday and evening light look very different.

Atmospheric conditions, such as haze, cloud cover and brilliant sun affect the quality of light.

Light constantly changes throughout the day.

For this assignment:

Use only found or ambient light. Do not use a flash – Manually turn off your flash if necessary.  Use daylight or available light, indoors and outdoors.

Setting your camera:

Shoot on A(auto) or P(program)

Pay attention to your white balance (WB). You may set it on auto for this assignment

Set your metering mode: either evaluative, spot or center weighted.

Look closely.

Focus (For autofocus, press the shutter button halfway down; for manual focus, adjust the focusing ring on lens)

Point the camera and shoot.

Make sure your exposure and focus look good in the LCD screen.

On Monday please bring in your camera, sd card, any necessary cords and your backup drive.

Thinking about photographs

 

A photograph can be viewed on several levels. To begin with, it is a physical object, a print. On this print is an image, an illusion of a window on to the world. It is on this level that we usually read a picture and discover its content: a souvenir of an exotic land, the face of a lover, a wet rock, a landscape at night. Embedded in this level is another that contains signals to our mind’s perceptual apparatus. It gives “spin” to what the image depicts and how it is organized.

 

Stephen Shore  The Nature of Photographs

 

For Monday September 11

1.

Consider the quote above.

2.

Bring in a print of a photograph that “moves” you. This photograph can come from any source, although it should not be one that you made. There should be something about this photograph that you find compelling.

3.

Find the manual for your camera. If you don’t have it, you can find it online. Read through it.

Take 30 photographs.

4.

Bring in your charged camera to class.

 

5.

Bring in your backup drive.