Transcript
Page 1: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 1

1 FUNDAMENTALS OF PHOTOGRAPHY MODULE

ADVANCEDCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

AUGUST 2014

AUTHORAuthors Skaidrite Bukbatilderde Žarko Čižmar Antra Skinča Ivan StojilovićPartners Telecentre Europe DemNet Fundatia EOS - Educating for An Open Society IAN Telecentar LIKTA Langas ateit Fundacioacuten EsplaiCoordination of the content development Alba Agulloacute

GRAPHIC DESIGN AND DESIGNFundacioacuten Esplai (wwwfundacionesplaiorg) amp Niugragravefic (wwwniugraficcom)

UNDER CREATIVE COMMONSAttribution - NonCommercial - CompartieIgual (by-nc-sa)

TO OBTAIN PERMISSION BEYOND THIS LICENSE CONTACThttptmatelecentre-europeorgcontacts

ACCESS TO MULTIMEDIA TOOLkIThttptmatelecentre-europeorgtoolkit

LEGAL NOTICEThis project has been funded with support from the European Commission This publication reflects the views only of the author and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein

Index 1 FUNDAMENTALS OFPHOTOGRAPHY MODULE

11 Introduction P4

12 Visual communication P4121 What is a photograph122 History123 The significance of

photos124 The role and use of

images125 To be at the right time at the

right placehellip Press photography126 The photo as an

objective tool127 Computerised image128 Multimedia

13 Image composition P8131 The Rule of Thirds132 Lines133 Framing134 Background and image depth135 Symmetry patterns and Rule of

Odds136 View in different angles137 Letrsquos make experiments

14 DSLR camera P12141 Lens142 Viewfinder143 Aperture 144 Memory card145 Battery

15 Camera Exposure P15151 Automatic exposure152 Scene presets153 Manual and automatic modes154 Manual exposure155 Camerarsquos controls

16 Colour control P21161 White balance162 Saturation163 Colour processing

17 Light P22171 Natural light172 Studio light173 Flashlight

18 Photography projects P25181 When does one become a good

photographer182 Portraits ndash people in the pictures

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photo

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning mo-ment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

186 Sports photography for beginners

187 Building photography or houses we live in

188 Photo processing post-produc-tion

189 Finally what should I do with my photos

19 Image editing P33191 Cut and resize192 Exposure amp color

193 Color

194 Image formats

110 Activities P38

111 Bibliography P40

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 4

11 Introduction

The sight is the most important human sense at least the one that we give more value Generally humans perceive what is around them by processing images That is why since the beginning of human consciousness we have tried to capture what we see to retain it and be able to see it again

Photography appears to solve that necessity and through the years it has become an important communication and artis-tic tool A picture is worth a thousand words We can explain everything better with image because it is a faithful reproduction from reality

Along the decades weve perfected the skills and the technique of photography and thanks to science creativity and investiga-tion weve got colour better resolution and a easier way to take pictures since nowadays when everybody have a camera in our cell phones

But what skills distinguish a common picture from a good picture

Everyone can take a picture but not everyone can take a good picture Where is the difference

Obviously the pictures content is important but the way that you capture that content has the same or more importance than the content itself There are rules and these rules are there to be learned

In this module were going to explain the essential content to became a good photographer and make yourself proud of your pictures whether portraits landscapes models or whatever you want

12 Visual communication

121 What is a photographA photograph is the (negative) image of a person or a thing print-ed onto photosensitive paper it is the product of an optical and chemical process

The name originates from the Greek words φως phos (ldquolightrdquo) and γραφις graphis (ldquographicrdquo) which together make ldquodrawing with lightrdquo or ldquolight-sketchrdquo

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 5

122 HistoryEven in the Stone Age people attempted to document specific moments objects or things An example is the 20 thousand-year-old buffalo sketch on the wall of the Altamira cave in Spain These works of art were mostly created for religious reasons or were used as warning signs memorials Then with the appearance of writing (2nd millenary BC) a stronger cause-effect relation occu-rred in relation to the creation of paintings Later in the Renais-sance age aesthetics became important

The turning point occurred in the middle of the 19th century with technical images which already were practically speaking pro-ductions of photography Here the physical relationship between image and its maker became evident The photograph served as a real evidence of a once existing person object or an event At first there was an effort to make photos with the look of paintings then the differences between photos and paintings were recogni-sed and the aim had become to achieve a photographic effect

123 The significance of photosThe significance of photos is hardly debatable in our age Their absence would certainly make a difference as they are practi-cally present in every field of our daily life They have become an integral part of our routine Try to picture a newspaper without photos or an internet portal without photographshellip

The influential conservative German daily paper called Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung which has been published since 1949 was selected as the third best newspaper of the world in an internatio-nal survey at the millennium (following Financial Times and New York Times) The paper was however only published in black-an-white until 2007 and it very rarely featured a picture on its cover

After 2007 the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung as a reaction to the challenges of the market significantly reshaped its appearan-ce coloured photos and modern font have been used in it since

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 6

124 The role and use of imagesJust like linguistic symbols other social and visual signs are also part of the communication environment that surrounds social hu-man life It would be hard to think of an age or a culture in which pictures did not have a role in social life they were always used in religion art ideologies or communication or ndash just like today ndash they were also daily commodities

The most famous work of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is Mona Lisa

This is one of the most perfect female portraits in which the strict discipline of the triangular composition is resol-ved by the imaginary landscape fa-ding into mist in the background The half serene half stern facial expres-sion is made lifelike by the delicate effects of light and shade

It is only possible to make credible statements about the use of photo-graphs if one is familiar with its func-tions Based on the practice of photo research we see that other than its

function to attract attention it has the role to call for contempla-tion or to give pleasure The artistic works of photography inspire meditation whereas photos in newspapers meant for mass ldquocon-sumptionrdquo are only intended for one viewing Furthermore there are pictures for private use with their relevant functions

125 To be at the right time at the right placehellip Press photographyPress photography is about press news photos meant for the public Its aim is to give information to report on something or to introduce social political business cultural or art life Its other goal is to give quick visual information for daily use which can be perceived and interpreted in a moment Press photography considers the meaning of images and image use with the mind-set of a sociologist knowing that the interpretation of pictures depends on the aspects of those who participate in using and understanding the picture and who ascribe meaning to it

All of us can recall such well-known press photos image ldquoiconsrdquo which in the eyes of the geographically cultu-rally distant beholder became iden-tical with the event and the pictures themselves represent the whole event These photos were published in daily press in their own news context and the same pictures seen in retrospect have become historical documents of their age

A photo of a euphoric moment at the opening of the Austrian-Hungarian bor-der in 1989

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 7

126 The photo as an objective toolThrough the years photography has been applied in various fields From hundreds of thousands of amateur photographers who preserved memories and impressions with their cameras it is worth remembering the photographers of magazines and the pictures taken by them

The Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung alone comes out in 2 million co-pies every week The very existence of magazines is based on the opportunities offered by photographs By today a certain form of image reportage has developed which reports on events brie-fly and comprehensively One look is enough for us to grasp the situation because it gives the essence of things and people in its outward appearance The photo helps us see the state of affairs objectively

Due to the fact that the photo is the best means of documentation it has become an indispensable tool of medicine and crime investigation Today we canrsquot name a field of knowledge which does not use photography within some sciences it has even opened completely new fields Let us consider X-ray photography mi-cro-photography or the potentials of mo-tion-capturing Finally photography even offers a solution for the reproduc-tion of arts promoting them more effi-ciently than with originals or etchings

of Standards asked himself what if the computer was able to see pictures Kirsch and his colleagues who developed the Stan-dards Eastern Automatic Computer (SEAC) the first American programmable computer went on to edit a drum scanner and wrote a programme with which it was able to read pictures The first scanned image of the world depicts Russel Kirschrsquos newborn son Walden The computer-generated photo was 50 x 50 mm with a 176 x 176 pixel resolution

In the digitisation of visual culture the most remarkable landmark was not related to the work of artists but it was a major transfor-mation on the side of receivers (and distributors) It was the mas-sive spreading of PCs which among many other things made the public accessing of pictures or the exchanging of images possible on the internet And what is more important in the light of our topic is that thanks to the image editing

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 8

127 Computerised imageThe first image made with the help of a computer was born in the spring of 1957 As the story goes Russel Kirsch a researcher of the National Bureau programmes people have experienced that the optically recorded image is not an unalterable given thing but it can be reshaped or manipulated as required This is the fun-damental difference between analogous and digital optical ima-ges between photography and digital image-making although photographs can also be manipulated it is a rare phenomenon However in digital image creation manipulation and interfering with the image is the basic situation Not manipulated ldquooriginalrdquo images in a digital image environment are so to speak not appli-cable since ldquothe samerdquo picture will be different in terms of size and colours according to our settings and how big a monitor we are using to view them

128 MultimediaThe multimedia in the wider sense of the word is a creative en-vironment It is a system which provides the individual or groups with the interactive access of digital information captured in va-rious structures (picture graphics motion picture sound written text data files etc) not necessarily in the same data base it is the recording of that information at the place of its utilisation its restructuring and expansion This means that the goal is to supply information at a high level with the simultaneous stimulation of all senses for the sake of efficiency

As we see in the description photography also forms an impor-tant part of multimedia contents that is why we must bear in mind that pictures appearing there should be made with such care as if they were intended to appear elsewhere The photos must be legitimate (our own)

Today no magazines newspapers or internet portals exist without photos And I believe that however fast technology is developing the photograph will always have a place of its own

13 Image composition

Composition is one of the fundamental as well as easiest ways to creating better images You will not need any extra equipment neither expensive camera with sophisticated controls Just follow a few simple rules and your pictures will look much better and more interesting

In other hand almost all defects of photos taken can be later co-rrected by software including exposure contrast colour balance but unsuccessful composition of objects taken canlsquot be repaired

Most modern cameras have no optical viewfinder and user have to use LCD display to compose picture This causes inconve-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 9

nience due a flat view (it is difficult to understand the environment using it) but you can see exact image of future picture In addi-tion the display can be accompanied by various guidance grids and indicatorsProfessional cameras are usually equipped with optical viewfinders in addition to LCD displays

Shutter button is off Camera standsby and continuously adjusts to the scene

Shutter button is pressed half-way Camera is ready to take picture Focus and exposure are locked and you can continue to compose scene with the settings unchanged

Shutter button is pressed full-way Camera takes photo with the focus and exposure settings made above Be careful to keep the camera stable without shaking

131 The Rule of ThirdsLet divide image into nine equal parts by grids A human eye nor-mally focuses into objects that are placed in the intersections of the grids and such images look more pleasant

A griD OF thE rULE OF thirDS

A griD OF thE gOLDEn rAtiO

Most of modern digital cameras have grid of thirds on the viewfinder or screen

More advanced sort of that rule is Golden Ratio rule which states that any human and nature beauty is ba-sed on the aspect ratio 11618

Similar to Golden Ratio are so called golden triangles along which cor-ners and lines can be oriented ob-jects in the image You can google for it and see practical examples

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 10

132 LinesMost of images have some leading lines that catch the eye and indicate the path of the visual perception The lines can be real (geometric) or imagined and go vertical horizontal diagonal or even curved If image has no clear lines the observer canrsquot find easily starting point in the image and lose any interest to it

OriEntAtiOn OBjECtS ALOng CUrvES

SEvErAL POintS OF intErESt

It is considered that the horizon-tal lines and landscapes make peaceful and restful impression In contrast vertical lines poles tall trees and skyscrapers cause activity and a sense of worry

Diagonal lines and curves can create impression of change and dynamism They also are useful to make extra depth to your scene

The similar rules recommend making several points of interest in the image Having visited the main object the eye goes to se-condary objects which have to be placed in suitable points and in required order

It is very important to keep horizontal and vertical lines as much in line with the sides of your image as possible

133 Framing

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Images look better when objects of interest are framed by other secondary objects The eye ea-sier finds a focus point and stays there for a longer time

In practice framing can be used when shooting sky water forest mountains and other large natu-ral objects

134 Background and image depthAlmost in any cases you need to avoid busy backgrounds and fo-reign things or even colours in the scene that can divert attention from main objects The image has to be as simple as possible to percept it easily Human eye tends to reject any chaotic in place-ment or colours images

FiLLing iMAgES

One of the methods is to fill ima-ge by your object as much as possible leaving less space for background On example a por-trait looks more interesting when personrsquos head fills almost all ima-ge frame and boring if the per-son competes with other surroun-ding objects - a chair a lamp or even his own boots

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 11

The similar rule says to leave some spare space (negative space) in image to rest The space could be piece of blue sky water grass or simple dark shadow

In the worst case it is possible to set focus only to particular ob-jects by using camera controls and leave background in a fog out of focus

135 Symmetry patterns and Rule of OddsImages can look impressive when objects here have strict ver-tical or horizontal symmetry for example object and itrsquos reflec-tion on the water

Symmetric geometric shapes and patterns can be used to They could be found widely both in the man made surroundings and the nature Symmetry and patterns give image harmony and sen-se of order You can often play with colour and texture patterns obtaining special rhythm in the image too

Rule of Odds says that scenes with odd elements are more appea-ling than similar with even objects For example group of three or five birds look more interesting than two or four The explanation of this phenomena is that eye tends to find centre of scene and focus on the central figure In case of even objects eye focuses on empty space between objects

136 View in different anglesWhen you take photos of close things you can choose various viewing angles ndash from bottom to top Viewing angles can drama-tically change accents in the image and objects or people in the scene will have enhanced upper or bottom parts By selecting the viewing angle you can visually reduce some parts of the ob-ject and enlarge another changing perspective and perception of image

DiFFErEnt viEw AngLES

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 12

137 Letrsquos make experimentsAs you see some rules are similar and some even conflicting In fact you can combine several rules and even break them when you feel it is worth You can take one two or hundreds digital photos with no cost at all and have endless possibility for experi-ments Therefore always take a few photos instead one changing composition Later you will select the best image

Another tip If possible take larger scene than necessary leaving extra spaces Later you can select best framing and finally cut images using photo editing software

Modern digital cameras have tremendous number of pixels 14 million and more and this means that your even landscape pic-tures taken on that camera have dimensions over 1 m high on screen and A3 size on good colour printer So you have enough quality reserves and can safely cut the pictures for a better com-position

14 DSLR cameraNowadays everybody has the possibility to afford a digital photo camerahellip But are we totally familiarized with them In this unit we are going to present the DSLR cameras basic skills for better throughput and therefore better pictures

thiS iS A DSLr CAMErA MODEL A CAnOn 300D in thiS CASESOUrCE wwwkAviwEStCOM

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 13

DSLR or Digital Single Lens Reflex camera are cameras whose captured pictures are storaged in an electronic sensor not in a celluloid reel In their most remarkable skills are also the option of automate all of their procedures almost Both focus shooting devices and even flash The essential parts are the following

141 LensThe lens is the part of the camera that directs the light source to the camera and also let you focus the image and zoom it There are many kind of lenses with many focus distance and aperture skills They are essential to collect the information of outside and transmit it to the camera electronic sensor becoming a picture

FOr A right Fitting OF thE LEnS yOU ShOULD MAtCh thE LEnS AnD CAMErA BODy inDiCAtOrS AnD rOtAtE thE LEnS UntiL yOU hEAr thE

FAStEning SOUnD

One of the basic function of this part of the camera is performed by the focus This tool placed inside the lens is used to highlight an object or an area of the photo above the rest by increasing her sharpness That is known as to focus and you can do that by moving the focus switch to the left or to the right

thiS iS thE EFFECt thAt yOU gEt whEn yOU FOCUS DiFFErEnt OBjECtS Or ArEAS in thE SAME PiCtUrE

142 ViewfinderIs the peephole through we look at the area that we want to take a picture Usually also appears at the down part of the viewfinder the camera configuration that we have at the moment and which the photo is going to be taken We can also find the guide lines to help us with the picture elements distribution and composition

Is the physical structure of the camera Its stiffness facilitates us holding the camera Its also the mounting where the lens and other complements like flashes or tripods are changed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 14

This point its quickly explained The shutter release is the button that makes the photo when we push it We may regulate it at diffe-rent speed modifying the exposure time

143 Aperture

thE APErtUrE iS FOrMED By A LittLE tABS thAt whEn thEy BOUnD thEy FOrM An OPAqUE CirCLE intErrUPting thE Light ACCESS

Circular device placed between the camera mirror and the lens It has the function of allowing the light input to the sensor We can open and close it The more open it has more light are going to get in

It is the modern substitute of the photographic film (reel) Its a chip with thousands of light sensors which transform incoming light to information creating the picture

144 Memory cardStorage device of all DSLR cameras The captured images are all saved in it and the card keeps them until you dont erase the pictures individually or formatting the whole card With this devi-ce we can view the pictures by the camera screen or move them into our computer There are many types of memory card but the most common in DSLR cameras are SD cards (the little ones) and the Compact Flash cards (the big ones) We must make sure which card is compatible with our camera Such cards may have different storage capacity

thE CAMErAS USED in thiS grADE USE thE COMPACt FLASh CArD thE hOLES OF thE CArD MUSt MAtCh thE PiStOnS inSiDE thE CAMErA

itS ESSEntiAL tO tAkE grEAt CArE with thiS DEviCES AnD trying nOt tO BrEAk it Or gEt Dirty

145 BatteryEssential element for the camera operation by providing it with energy and allowing it to turn on and do all functions correctly You must be forehanded and keep the battery always charged if we are going to make a photo session We cant take pictures without battery

wE CAn SE hErE A viEwFinDEr ExAMPLE tAkE A LOOk At thE

gUiDE LinES in thE MiDDLE AnD thE CAMErA COnFigUrAtiOn

At thE BOttOM

AS wE CAn SEE in thE PiCtUrE thE BODy CAMErA ShAPE FitS

PErFECtLy in thE PhOtOgrAPhEr hAnDS

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 15

15 Camera ExposureThe exposure in photography refers to the amount of light ente-ring the camera and acting on film or digital sensor When more exposure is used or in other words when more light enters the camera then the brighter picture is taken and vice versa

Nowadays all cameras have automatic exposure control and usually it works well enough to produce nice pictures Of course in certain cases with bad light conditions or experimenting with light effects manual exposure could be preferable Even most ex-pensive cameras canrsquot take all range of light as eye can see and by setting exposure we are choosing suitable light interval and contrast of the image

151 Automatic exposureAlmost all modern digital cameras have several automatic expo-sure settings such as centre weighting average spot metering or multi zone metering

Centre weighting average usually is default setting Camera mea-sures light of all scene but most important is centre of the frame

With spot metering the camera will only measure a very small area of the scene (only few per cent of the viewfinder area) Spot

metering is very accurate and is commonly used to shoot very high contrast scenes (for example moon in the dark sky) or sce-nes with strong backlight

Using both exposure settings you can point camera to the darkest object to be taken in photo ldquolockrdquo exposure and focus by pres-sing and holding shutter button halfway and continue composing scene pointing camera to lighter objects This method enables better pictures of scenes with shadows and backlight

Multi zone metering estimates light conditions in several (7 9 or even hundreds) points of scene This sophisticated metering of-ten takes into consideration other camera settings and measu-rements such as focus distance from the object its colour and works quite well with all automatic settings

When you need change metering mode

Press button or look for metering mode menu

Select metering mode by pressing button

Then press

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 16

In Canon EOS cameras often are used some other titles of mete-ring modes

or Evaluative metering means multizone metering

or Partial metering means spot metering

is for centre weighting averaged metering

152 Scene presetsMost cameras have exposure presets for basic scenes setting optimal values of aperture size ISO and shutter speed

Scenes easily can be set using cameralsquos controls on example by dial ring in Canon EOS cameras Manual settings are available only in so called Creative zone

Portrait this mode blurs background and makes subject stand out

Landscape wide scenic views night scenes

Close-up Flowers small objects using minimal focusing distance

Sport For fast moving subjects when you want take sharp image

Night portrait For shooting peoples in dark environment the flash illuminates person and then environment is captured using low shutter speed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 17

153 Manual and automatic modes

PProgram AE mode Almost the same as auto-matic mode but you have ability to change iSO exposure compensation shutter speed and some other settings while maintaining the same exposure value

TvShutter priority AE mode you can change desirable shutter speed and camera will adjust aperture value automatically Shutter speed makes influence to sharpness or blurri-ness of moving objects in image

AvAperture priority AE mode you can chan-ge desirable aperture and camera will ad-just shutter speed automatically to keep the same image brightness Large aperture re-sults background blur and small apertures give deep images

MManual Exposure mode you can change both aperture and shutter speed manually you may need exposure level indicator to set proper values

A-DepAutomatic field-of-depth mode Camera will check both near and far objects to be in the focus

Automatic mode All exposure settings are set automatically

154 Manual exposureMany cameras donrsquot take good images of low light scenes becau-se their automatics canrsquot see objects clear enough to make pro-per decision on exposure settings Most cameras tend maximizing sensitivity to light (ISO) which increases the noise in the image instead getting more light by exceeding shutter speed over 05-1 sec If you have tripod you easily can manage low light scenes with manual shutter speeds as long as minute or more

1541 Main terms of exposure controlsShutter speed means exposure time when camera is open and collecting light from scene you take Exposure begins with full pressing shutter button Shutter speed usually is indicated in se-conds and fractions of seconds like 1250 The higher the num-ber the more light enters the camera Shutter speeds less than 11000 s are used for fast motion photos in excellent light and as long as 18 s and more usually are used for static low light scenes and with tripod

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 18

In various photography literature you often can find a term ldquostoprdquo of camera exposure ISO shutter speed etc what actually means some standard value of corresponding parameter only

Aperture means how wide camera is open for light from scene you take In practice term f-number is used which is roughly a ratio of the lenss focal length to the diameter of aperture hole for example f56 or f16 (f56 and f16 are ldquostopsrdquo ie standardised values) A lens with a greater f-number has smaller aperture hole and produces darker images

f14 f14 f14 f14

rELAtiOnShiP BEtwEEn APErtUrE SizE F-nUMBEr AnD PiCtUrE ExPOSUrE

ISO means sensitivity of film to light or nowadays the sensitivity of digital imaging systems Modern digital cameras have ISO range from 100 up to 1600 or even more The higher the ISO number the less light is required to produce photo with the same image brightness And low-sensitive camera needs longer exposition In both digital and film photography higher ISO generally leads to reduced image quality (bigger noise appears in the image)

Exposure value EV is a number that represents a combination of a cameras shutter speed and f-number Different shutter speeds and f-numbers combinations can produce the same exposure value Theoretically brightness of photos with the identical EV will be the same but sharpness and depth of images may differ very much

F-NUMBEREV 28 40 56 80 11 16

2 2 4 8 15 30 60

3 1 2 4 8 15 30

4 12 1 2 4 8 15

5 14 12 1 2 4 8

6 18 14 12 1 2 4

7 115 18 14 12 1 2

8 13 115 18 14 12 1

9 160 13 115 18 14 12

10 1125 160 13 115 18 14

11 1250 1125 160 13 115 18

12 1500 1250 1125 160 13 115

13 11000 1500 1250 1125 160 13

14 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125 160

15 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125

16 12000 11000 1500 1250

DEPEnDEnCy BEtwEEn F-nUMBEr AnD ShUttEr SPEED (ShUttEr SPEED iS ShOwn in intErSECtiOnS)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 19

Sunny 16 rule makes it easy to determine the exposure in a good daylight It says that correct exposure will be obtained on a sunny day by using an aperture of f16 and the shutter speed closest to the one second divided by ISO used For example if you set camera ISO to 100 then optimal shutter speed will be 1100 s

Depth of field increases with f-number This means that in photos taken with low f-number objects in focus only will be clear and rest nearer and farther elements will seem blurred If you use lar-ge f-numbers almost all elements in photo will look sharp If you prefer most informative documentary photos yoursquoll find aperture f-number f8 should be the best in most of cases

Typical exposure values EV for various light conditions when ISO equals 100 are shown in the table

LIGHTING CONDITION EV

DAYLIGHThigh contrast scenes such as snow or sand 16

Full sunlight or little shadows clear sky background 15

heavy overcast scenes in shadow during clear sunlight at sunset 12

just after sunset 9ndash11

OUTDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTneon fire 9ndash10

Bright street scenes 8

night street scenes fairs parks and window displays 7ndash8

night vehicle traffic Christmas tree lights 5

Lighted buildings monuments and fountains 3ndash5

Distant views of lighted buildings 2

INDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTgalleries 8ndash11

Sports events shows 8ndash9

ice shows floodlit 9

Offices and work areas 7ndash8

home interiors 5ndash7

Exposure compensation is a simple to use camera control to ob-tain lighter or darker image Usually this control looks like a slider with several marks from negative to positive Negative marks give darker and positive give more brighter image

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 20

Actual EV can be obtained by subtraction of exposure compen-sation value from EV value that camera indicates For example if camera settings give EV value 8 and selected EV compensation is 1 then actual AV will be 7

If youre not sure what settings to apply it is possible to set up a series of exposures by automatically increasing settings by 1 this is called bracketing

Aperture or shutter speed priority lets you control camerarsquos f-num-ber or shutter speed without worrying about the other settings that camera then automatically selects according light of the scene

155 Camerarsquos controlsISO speed usually is set between 100 and 400 automatically In creative zone modes you can set ISO speed to other values usually to 100 200 400 800 and 1600

Press button ISO speed menu will be displayed

Select ISO speed by pressing button then press

The shutter speed can be changed in interval from seconds to milliseconds by turning the dial in shutter priority mode

The actual shutter speed is indicated on the LCD screen as de-nominator of fraction in seconds On example lsquo125rsquo on the screen means 1125 seconds

The aperture value can be changed by turning the dial in aperture priority mode Aperture depends on lens attached to the camera The actual aperture is indicated on the LCD screen as denominator of fraction On example lsquo56rsquo on the screen means f56

In manual mode aperture settings you can reach by holding button

ExPOSitiOn inDiCAtOr ShOULD BE nEAr thE zErO MArk tO AChiEvE StAnDArD ExPOSUrE LEvEL tO DECrEASE it yOU ShOULD inCrEASE ShUttEr

SPEED Or SELECt SMALLEr APErtUrE

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 21

16 Colour control The actual colours are most important problem in photography The first most modern cameras have still non-linear image sen-sors and therefore there are used sophisticated colour proces-sors which complex algorithms to improve colour quality And the result of such processing often differs from original

The second you must have very good PC screen to reproduce actual colours Most of LCD monitors give only approximately colours and often even monitor colour pre-sets canrsquot help

One option is to consider each photo as a piece of art which mustnrsquot be an exact copy of reality In this case automatic colour control is enough But other option is smart use available came-ra settings and get result you need

161 White balanceAdjusting the white balance basically means making sure that a white or any grey shadowed part of the picture is really white or grey not with any red blue or green tones It the colour of white or grey parts corresponds to original colours we are sure that all other colours are correct

Most modern cameras have an AWB (automatic white balance) setting In the most cases can be let switched on especially out-

doors when light is strong Ever if your photos have wrong colour balance it can be easily corrected in the computer

If you take photos indoors without flash artificial light (bulbs luminescent tubes candles etc) may give strong colour tone on your images To avoid it cameras can have various pre-sets of white balance such as lsquotungsten bulbrsquo lsquowhite fluorescentrsquo etc

If you prefer use your own white balance settings various op-tions can be found in the table

Colour Temp Light source Setting icon

1000k Candles

2500k household light bulbs

5000k Average daylight electronic flash industrial lights

6000k Bright sunshine with clear sky

7000k Slightly overcast sky

8000k hazy sky

9000k Open shade on clear day

10000k heavily overcast sky

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 22

If you need to make sure yourselves how exact is your camerarsquos white balance you can take few photos of known grey object on example newspaper page open them in the photo editing sof-tware and look how much colour tone differs when you make them ldquoblack whiterdquo

161 SaturationMost cameras have colour saturation control eg less saturated normal and vivid options Vivid colours are ideal when you need to emphasize primary colours such as fashion lights fruits and flowers

Monochromatic option gives non-colour (black ndash white) images If you use high contrast settings such images will look more in-teresting

Sepia option makes your image look like as old fashion black ndash white photo with light brown tones

Many cameras have various colour filters and pre-sets which give your image particular colour tone balance or saturation

163 Colour processingIt is recommended in all cases to keep the same colour repre-senting standard ndash sRGB This option should be set in both your camera and photo processing software Alternative standard CMYK often is used in colour printers To make CMYK image from RGB always better and easier than vice versa

17 Light

Usually in photography we use three main types of light natural light studio light and flash

The light is most important in black and white (monochrome) pho-tography where interpretation of image depends mainly on sha-dows and highlights

There are some useful rules of light in photography The broader the light source the softer the light The narrower

the source the harder the light The closer the light source the softer the light The farther the

source the harder the light The brighter sky the darker shadows Clouds reduce sha-

dows and fog eliminates them at all The light falls off as the square of the distance If you bring light

far as twice the lightness on object surface will decrease four times

Light from side emphasises objectrsquos texture Frontlight masks roughness

Shadows create volume in image

And of course remember that light has a colour Daylight colour in the morning differs from daylight in the afternoon

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 23

171 Natural light Natural daylight has quick changing intensity colour temperatu-re shadows and angle of light Also we canrsquot choose position of light source but can change point of viewing getting various inte-resting light and shadow effects

During only rare periods (eg bright winter and early spring days) sunlight gives strong contrast between object front and shadows acting like key light in studio But in most cases sunlight is dis-sipated in the atmosphere and creates a smooth backlight with soft shadows

When the sun is behind object the main attention goes to outline of object and light effects on it increasing separation between the object and surrounding

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Some additional tools may be used to reduce shadows or highlight par-ticular areas of the object on exam-ple reflector The reflector reflects light like a mirror in the desired di-rection and it is easy to manage li-ght with it As a reflector you can use light-colored wall of the house or other bright objects too

Handy reflector is easy to make from a white paper sheet alumi-nium foil or even white plastic or linen

172 Studio light

StUDiO LightS

Light can be used to enhan-ce or hide particular objects in the image In the studio usually three lights are used for key (main) light fill light and backlight Various com-binations of these lights can produce different light effects

On example using only key light you can enhance contours and particular areas of object achieving very high objectback-ground contrast ratioUsing extra key lights on example 3 or 5 instead one presence of shadows will be minimised and you will be able to shoot quic-kly series of photos with only minimal adjustments but result will have less contrast and details

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 2: Fundamentals of photography module

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

AUGUST 2014

AUTHORAuthors Skaidrite Bukbatilderde Žarko Čižmar Antra Skinča Ivan StojilovićPartners Telecentre Europe DemNet Fundatia EOS - Educating for An Open Society IAN Telecentar LIKTA Langas ateit Fundacioacuten EsplaiCoordination of the content development Alba Agulloacute

GRAPHIC DESIGN AND DESIGNFundacioacuten Esplai (wwwfundacionesplaiorg) amp Niugragravefic (wwwniugraficcom)

UNDER CREATIVE COMMONSAttribution - NonCommercial - CompartieIgual (by-nc-sa)

TO OBTAIN PERMISSION BEYOND THIS LICENSE CONTACThttptmatelecentre-europeorgcontacts

ACCESS TO MULTIMEDIA TOOLkIThttptmatelecentre-europeorgtoolkit

LEGAL NOTICEThis project has been funded with support from the European Commission This publication reflects the views only of the author and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein

Index 1 FUNDAMENTALS OFPHOTOGRAPHY MODULE

11 Introduction P4

12 Visual communication P4121 What is a photograph122 History123 The significance of

photos124 The role and use of

images125 To be at the right time at the

right placehellip Press photography126 The photo as an

objective tool127 Computerised image128 Multimedia

13 Image composition P8131 The Rule of Thirds132 Lines133 Framing134 Background and image depth135 Symmetry patterns and Rule of

Odds136 View in different angles137 Letrsquos make experiments

14 DSLR camera P12141 Lens142 Viewfinder143 Aperture 144 Memory card145 Battery

15 Camera Exposure P15151 Automatic exposure152 Scene presets153 Manual and automatic modes154 Manual exposure155 Camerarsquos controls

16 Colour control P21161 White balance162 Saturation163 Colour processing

17 Light P22171 Natural light172 Studio light173 Flashlight

18 Photography projects P25181 When does one become a good

photographer182 Portraits ndash people in the pictures

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photo

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning mo-ment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

186 Sports photography for beginners

187 Building photography or houses we live in

188 Photo processing post-produc-tion

189 Finally what should I do with my photos

19 Image editing P33191 Cut and resize192 Exposure amp color

193 Color

194 Image formats

110 Activities P38

111 Bibliography P40

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 4

11 Introduction

The sight is the most important human sense at least the one that we give more value Generally humans perceive what is around them by processing images That is why since the beginning of human consciousness we have tried to capture what we see to retain it and be able to see it again

Photography appears to solve that necessity and through the years it has become an important communication and artis-tic tool A picture is worth a thousand words We can explain everything better with image because it is a faithful reproduction from reality

Along the decades weve perfected the skills and the technique of photography and thanks to science creativity and investiga-tion weve got colour better resolution and a easier way to take pictures since nowadays when everybody have a camera in our cell phones

But what skills distinguish a common picture from a good picture

Everyone can take a picture but not everyone can take a good picture Where is the difference

Obviously the pictures content is important but the way that you capture that content has the same or more importance than the content itself There are rules and these rules are there to be learned

In this module were going to explain the essential content to became a good photographer and make yourself proud of your pictures whether portraits landscapes models or whatever you want

12 Visual communication

121 What is a photographA photograph is the (negative) image of a person or a thing print-ed onto photosensitive paper it is the product of an optical and chemical process

The name originates from the Greek words φως phos (ldquolightrdquo) and γραφις graphis (ldquographicrdquo) which together make ldquodrawing with lightrdquo or ldquolight-sketchrdquo

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 5

122 HistoryEven in the Stone Age people attempted to document specific moments objects or things An example is the 20 thousand-year-old buffalo sketch on the wall of the Altamira cave in Spain These works of art were mostly created for religious reasons or were used as warning signs memorials Then with the appearance of writing (2nd millenary BC) a stronger cause-effect relation occu-rred in relation to the creation of paintings Later in the Renais-sance age aesthetics became important

The turning point occurred in the middle of the 19th century with technical images which already were practically speaking pro-ductions of photography Here the physical relationship between image and its maker became evident The photograph served as a real evidence of a once existing person object or an event At first there was an effort to make photos with the look of paintings then the differences between photos and paintings were recogni-sed and the aim had become to achieve a photographic effect

123 The significance of photosThe significance of photos is hardly debatable in our age Their absence would certainly make a difference as they are practi-cally present in every field of our daily life They have become an integral part of our routine Try to picture a newspaper without photos or an internet portal without photographshellip

The influential conservative German daily paper called Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung which has been published since 1949 was selected as the third best newspaper of the world in an internatio-nal survey at the millennium (following Financial Times and New York Times) The paper was however only published in black-an-white until 2007 and it very rarely featured a picture on its cover

After 2007 the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung as a reaction to the challenges of the market significantly reshaped its appearan-ce coloured photos and modern font have been used in it since

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 6

124 The role and use of imagesJust like linguistic symbols other social and visual signs are also part of the communication environment that surrounds social hu-man life It would be hard to think of an age or a culture in which pictures did not have a role in social life they were always used in religion art ideologies or communication or ndash just like today ndash they were also daily commodities

The most famous work of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is Mona Lisa

This is one of the most perfect female portraits in which the strict discipline of the triangular composition is resol-ved by the imaginary landscape fa-ding into mist in the background The half serene half stern facial expres-sion is made lifelike by the delicate effects of light and shade

It is only possible to make credible statements about the use of photo-graphs if one is familiar with its func-tions Based on the practice of photo research we see that other than its

function to attract attention it has the role to call for contempla-tion or to give pleasure The artistic works of photography inspire meditation whereas photos in newspapers meant for mass ldquocon-sumptionrdquo are only intended for one viewing Furthermore there are pictures for private use with their relevant functions

125 To be at the right time at the right placehellip Press photographyPress photography is about press news photos meant for the public Its aim is to give information to report on something or to introduce social political business cultural or art life Its other goal is to give quick visual information for daily use which can be perceived and interpreted in a moment Press photography considers the meaning of images and image use with the mind-set of a sociologist knowing that the interpretation of pictures depends on the aspects of those who participate in using and understanding the picture and who ascribe meaning to it

All of us can recall such well-known press photos image ldquoiconsrdquo which in the eyes of the geographically cultu-rally distant beholder became iden-tical with the event and the pictures themselves represent the whole event These photos were published in daily press in their own news context and the same pictures seen in retrospect have become historical documents of their age

A photo of a euphoric moment at the opening of the Austrian-Hungarian bor-der in 1989

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 7

126 The photo as an objective toolThrough the years photography has been applied in various fields From hundreds of thousands of amateur photographers who preserved memories and impressions with their cameras it is worth remembering the photographers of magazines and the pictures taken by them

The Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung alone comes out in 2 million co-pies every week The very existence of magazines is based on the opportunities offered by photographs By today a certain form of image reportage has developed which reports on events brie-fly and comprehensively One look is enough for us to grasp the situation because it gives the essence of things and people in its outward appearance The photo helps us see the state of affairs objectively

Due to the fact that the photo is the best means of documentation it has become an indispensable tool of medicine and crime investigation Today we canrsquot name a field of knowledge which does not use photography within some sciences it has even opened completely new fields Let us consider X-ray photography mi-cro-photography or the potentials of mo-tion-capturing Finally photography even offers a solution for the reproduc-tion of arts promoting them more effi-ciently than with originals or etchings

of Standards asked himself what if the computer was able to see pictures Kirsch and his colleagues who developed the Stan-dards Eastern Automatic Computer (SEAC) the first American programmable computer went on to edit a drum scanner and wrote a programme with which it was able to read pictures The first scanned image of the world depicts Russel Kirschrsquos newborn son Walden The computer-generated photo was 50 x 50 mm with a 176 x 176 pixel resolution

In the digitisation of visual culture the most remarkable landmark was not related to the work of artists but it was a major transfor-mation on the side of receivers (and distributors) It was the mas-sive spreading of PCs which among many other things made the public accessing of pictures or the exchanging of images possible on the internet And what is more important in the light of our topic is that thanks to the image editing

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 8

127 Computerised imageThe first image made with the help of a computer was born in the spring of 1957 As the story goes Russel Kirsch a researcher of the National Bureau programmes people have experienced that the optically recorded image is not an unalterable given thing but it can be reshaped or manipulated as required This is the fun-damental difference between analogous and digital optical ima-ges between photography and digital image-making although photographs can also be manipulated it is a rare phenomenon However in digital image creation manipulation and interfering with the image is the basic situation Not manipulated ldquooriginalrdquo images in a digital image environment are so to speak not appli-cable since ldquothe samerdquo picture will be different in terms of size and colours according to our settings and how big a monitor we are using to view them

128 MultimediaThe multimedia in the wider sense of the word is a creative en-vironment It is a system which provides the individual or groups with the interactive access of digital information captured in va-rious structures (picture graphics motion picture sound written text data files etc) not necessarily in the same data base it is the recording of that information at the place of its utilisation its restructuring and expansion This means that the goal is to supply information at a high level with the simultaneous stimulation of all senses for the sake of efficiency

As we see in the description photography also forms an impor-tant part of multimedia contents that is why we must bear in mind that pictures appearing there should be made with such care as if they were intended to appear elsewhere The photos must be legitimate (our own)

Today no magazines newspapers or internet portals exist without photos And I believe that however fast technology is developing the photograph will always have a place of its own

13 Image composition

Composition is one of the fundamental as well as easiest ways to creating better images You will not need any extra equipment neither expensive camera with sophisticated controls Just follow a few simple rules and your pictures will look much better and more interesting

In other hand almost all defects of photos taken can be later co-rrected by software including exposure contrast colour balance but unsuccessful composition of objects taken canlsquot be repaired

Most modern cameras have no optical viewfinder and user have to use LCD display to compose picture This causes inconve-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 9

nience due a flat view (it is difficult to understand the environment using it) but you can see exact image of future picture In addi-tion the display can be accompanied by various guidance grids and indicatorsProfessional cameras are usually equipped with optical viewfinders in addition to LCD displays

Shutter button is off Camera standsby and continuously adjusts to the scene

Shutter button is pressed half-way Camera is ready to take picture Focus and exposure are locked and you can continue to compose scene with the settings unchanged

Shutter button is pressed full-way Camera takes photo with the focus and exposure settings made above Be careful to keep the camera stable without shaking

131 The Rule of ThirdsLet divide image into nine equal parts by grids A human eye nor-mally focuses into objects that are placed in the intersections of the grids and such images look more pleasant

A griD OF thE rULE OF thirDS

A griD OF thE gOLDEn rAtiO

Most of modern digital cameras have grid of thirds on the viewfinder or screen

More advanced sort of that rule is Golden Ratio rule which states that any human and nature beauty is ba-sed on the aspect ratio 11618

Similar to Golden Ratio are so called golden triangles along which cor-ners and lines can be oriented ob-jects in the image You can google for it and see practical examples

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 10

132 LinesMost of images have some leading lines that catch the eye and indicate the path of the visual perception The lines can be real (geometric) or imagined and go vertical horizontal diagonal or even curved If image has no clear lines the observer canrsquot find easily starting point in the image and lose any interest to it

OriEntAtiOn OBjECtS ALOng CUrvES

SEvErAL POintS OF intErESt

It is considered that the horizon-tal lines and landscapes make peaceful and restful impression In contrast vertical lines poles tall trees and skyscrapers cause activity and a sense of worry

Diagonal lines and curves can create impression of change and dynamism They also are useful to make extra depth to your scene

The similar rules recommend making several points of interest in the image Having visited the main object the eye goes to se-condary objects which have to be placed in suitable points and in required order

It is very important to keep horizontal and vertical lines as much in line with the sides of your image as possible

133 Framing

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Images look better when objects of interest are framed by other secondary objects The eye ea-sier finds a focus point and stays there for a longer time

In practice framing can be used when shooting sky water forest mountains and other large natu-ral objects

134 Background and image depthAlmost in any cases you need to avoid busy backgrounds and fo-reign things or even colours in the scene that can divert attention from main objects The image has to be as simple as possible to percept it easily Human eye tends to reject any chaotic in place-ment or colours images

FiLLing iMAgES

One of the methods is to fill ima-ge by your object as much as possible leaving less space for background On example a por-trait looks more interesting when personrsquos head fills almost all ima-ge frame and boring if the per-son competes with other surroun-ding objects - a chair a lamp or even his own boots

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 11

The similar rule says to leave some spare space (negative space) in image to rest The space could be piece of blue sky water grass or simple dark shadow

In the worst case it is possible to set focus only to particular ob-jects by using camera controls and leave background in a fog out of focus

135 Symmetry patterns and Rule of OddsImages can look impressive when objects here have strict ver-tical or horizontal symmetry for example object and itrsquos reflec-tion on the water

Symmetric geometric shapes and patterns can be used to They could be found widely both in the man made surroundings and the nature Symmetry and patterns give image harmony and sen-se of order You can often play with colour and texture patterns obtaining special rhythm in the image too

Rule of Odds says that scenes with odd elements are more appea-ling than similar with even objects For example group of three or five birds look more interesting than two or four The explanation of this phenomena is that eye tends to find centre of scene and focus on the central figure In case of even objects eye focuses on empty space between objects

136 View in different anglesWhen you take photos of close things you can choose various viewing angles ndash from bottom to top Viewing angles can drama-tically change accents in the image and objects or people in the scene will have enhanced upper or bottom parts By selecting the viewing angle you can visually reduce some parts of the ob-ject and enlarge another changing perspective and perception of image

DiFFErEnt viEw AngLES

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 12

137 Letrsquos make experimentsAs you see some rules are similar and some even conflicting In fact you can combine several rules and even break them when you feel it is worth You can take one two or hundreds digital photos with no cost at all and have endless possibility for experi-ments Therefore always take a few photos instead one changing composition Later you will select the best image

Another tip If possible take larger scene than necessary leaving extra spaces Later you can select best framing and finally cut images using photo editing software

Modern digital cameras have tremendous number of pixels 14 million and more and this means that your even landscape pic-tures taken on that camera have dimensions over 1 m high on screen and A3 size on good colour printer So you have enough quality reserves and can safely cut the pictures for a better com-position

14 DSLR cameraNowadays everybody has the possibility to afford a digital photo camerahellip But are we totally familiarized with them In this unit we are going to present the DSLR cameras basic skills for better throughput and therefore better pictures

thiS iS A DSLr CAMErA MODEL A CAnOn 300D in thiS CASESOUrCE wwwkAviwEStCOM

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 13

DSLR or Digital Single Lens Reflex camera are cameras whose captured pictures are storaged in an electronic sensor not in a celluloid reel In their most remarkable skills are also the option of automate all of their procedures almost Both focus shooting devices and even flash The essential parts are the following

141 LensThe lens is the part of the camera that directs the light source to the camera and also let you focus the image and zoom it There are many kind of lenses with many focus distance and aperture skills They are essential to collect the information of outside and transmit it to the camera electronic sensor becoming a picture

FOr A right Fitting OF thE LEnS yOU ShOULD MAtCh thE LEnS AnD CAMErA BODy inDiCAtOrS AnD rOtAtE thE LEnS UntiL yOU hEAr thE

FAStEning SOUnD

One of the basic function of this part of the camera is performed by the focus This tool placed inside the lens is used to highlight an object or an area of the photo above the rest by increasing her sharpness That is known as to focus and you can do that by moving the focus switch to the left or to the right

thiS iS thE EFFECt thAt yOU gEt whEn yOU FOCUS DiFFErEnt OBjECtS Or ArEAS in thE SAME PiCtUrE

142 ViewfinderIs the peephole through we look at the area that we want to take a picture Usually also appears at the down part of the viewfinder the camera configuration that we have at the moment and which the photo is going to be taken We can also find the guide lines to help us with the picture elements distribution and composition

Is the physical structure of the camera Its stiffness facilitates us holding the camera Its also the mounting where the lens and other complements like flashes or tripods are changed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 14

This point its quickly explained The shutter release is the button that makes the photo when we push it We may regulate it at diffe-rent speed modifying the exposure time

143 Aperture

thE APErtUrE iS FOrMED By A LittLE tABS thAt whEn thEy BOUnD thEy FOrM An OPAqUE CirCLE intErrUPting thE Light ACCESS

Circular device placed between the camera mirror and the lens It has the function of allowing the light input to the sensor We can open and close it The more open it has more light are going to get in

It is the modern substitute of the photographic film (reel) Its a chip with thousands of light sensors which transform incoming light to information creating the picture

144 Memory cardStorage device of all DSLR cameras The captured images are all saved in it and the card keeps them until you dont erase the pictures individually or formatting the whole card With this devi-ce we can view the pictures by the camera screen or move them into our computer There are many types of memory card but the most common in DSLR cameras are SD cards (the little ones) and the Compact Flash cards (the big ones) We must make sure which card is compatible with our camera Such cards may have different storage capacity

thE CAMErAS USED in thiS grADE USE thE COMPACt FLASh CArD thE hOLES OF thE CArD MUSt MAtCh thE PiStOnS inSiDE thE CAMErA

itS ESSEntiAL tO tAkE grEAt CArE with thiS DEviCES AnD trying nOt tO BrEAk it Or gEt Dirty

145 BatteryEssential element for the camera operation by providing it with energy and allowing it to turn on and do all functions correctly You must be forehanded and keep the battery always charged if we are going to make a photo session We cant take pictures without battery

wE CAn SE hErE A viEwFinDEr ExAMPLE tAkE A LOOk At thE

gUiDE LinES in thE MiDDLE AnD thE CAMErA COnFigUrAtiOn

At thE BOttOM

AS wE CAn SEE in thE PiCtUrE thE BODy CAMErA ShAPE FitS

PErFECtLy in thE PhOtOgrAPhEr hAnDS

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 15

15 Camera ExposureThe exposure in photography refers to the amount of light ente-ring the camera and acting on film or digital sensor When more exposure is used or in other words when more light enters the camera then the brighter picture is taken and vice versa

Nowadays all cameras have automatic exposure control and usually it works well enough to produce nice pictures Of course in certain cases with bad light conditions or experimenting with light effects manual exposure could be preferable Even most ex-pensive cameras canrsquot take all range of light as eye can see and by setting exposure we are choosing suitable light interval and contrast of the image

151 Automatic exposureAlmost all modern digital cameras have several automatic expo-sure settings such as centre weighting average spot metering or multi zone metering

Centre weighting average usually is default setting Camera mea-sures light of all scene but most important is centre of the frame

With spot metering the camera will only measure a very small area of the scene (only few per cent of the viewfinder area) Spot

metering is very accurate and is commonly used to shoot very high contrast scenes (for example moon in the dark sky) or sce-nes with strong backlight

Using both exposure settings you can point camera to the darkest object to be taken in photo ldquolockrdquo exposure and focus by pres-sing and holding shutter button halfway and continue composing scene pointing camera to lighter objects This method enables better pictures of scenes with shadows and backlight

Multi zone metering estimates light conditions in several (7 9 or even hundreds) points of scene This sophisticated metering of-ten takes into consideration other camera settings and measu-rements such as focus distance from the object its colour and works quite well with all automatic settings

When you need change metering mode

Press button or look for metering mode menu

Select metering mode by pressing button

Then press

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 16

In Canon EOS cameras often are used some other titles of mete-ring modes

or Evaluative metering means multizone metering

or Partial metering means spot metering

is for centre weighting averaged metering

152 Scene presetsMost cameras have exposure presets for basic scenes setting optimal values of aperture size ISO and shutter speed

Scenes easily can be set using cameralsquos controls on example by dial ring in Canon EOS cameras Manual settings are available only in so called Creative zone

Portrait this mode blurs background and makes subject stand out

Landscape wide scenic views night scenes

Close-up Flowers small objects using minimal focusing distance

Sport For fast moving subjects when you want take sharp image

Night portrait For shooting peoples in dark environment the flash illuminates person and then environment is captured using low shutter speed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 17

153 Manual and automatic modes

PProgram AE mode Almost the same as auto-matic mode but you have ability to change iSO exposure compensation shutter speed and some other settings while maintaining the same exposure value

TvShutter priority AE mode you can change desirable shutter speed and camera will adjust aperture value automatically Shutter speed makes influence to sharpness or blurri-ness of moving objects in image

AvAperture priority AE mode you can chan-ge desirable aperture and camera will ad-just shutter speed automatically to keep the same image brightness Large aperture re-sults background blur and small apertures give deep images

MManual Exposure mode you can change both aperture and shutter speed manually you may need exposure level indicator to set proper values

A-DepAutomatic field-of-depth mode Camera will check both near and far objects to be in the focus

Automatic mode All exposure settings are set automatically

154 Manual exposureMany cameras donrsquot take good images of low light scenes becau-se their automatics canrsquot see objects clear enough to make pro-per decision on exposure settings Most cameras tend maximizing sensitivity to light (ISO) which increases the noise in the image instead getting more light by exceeding shutter speed over 05-1 sec If you have tripod you easily can manage low light scenes with manual shutter speeds as long as minute or more

1541 Main terms of exposure controlsShutter speed means exposure time when camera is open and collecting light from scene you take Exposure begins with full pressing shutter button Shutter speed usually is indicated in se-conds and fractions of seconds like 1250 The higher the num-ber the more light enters the camera Shutter speeds less than 11000 s are used for fast motion photos in excellent light and as long as 18 s and more usually are used for static low light scenes and with tripod

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 18

In various photography literature you often can find a term ldquostoprdquo of camera exposure ISO shutter speed etc what actually means some standard value of corresponding parameter only

Aperture means how wide camera is open for light from scene you take In practice term f-number is used which is roughly a ratio of the lenss focal length to the diameter of aperture hole for example f56 or f16 (f56 and f16 are ldquostopsrdquo ie standardised values) A lens with a greater f-number has smaller aperture hole and produces darker images

f14 f14 f14 f14

rELAtiOnShiP BEtwEEn APErtUrE SizE F-nUMBEr AnD PiCtUrE ExPOSUrE

ISO means sensitivity of film to light or nowadays the sensitivity of digital imaging systems Modern digital cameras have ISO range from 100 up to 1600 or even more The higher the ISO number the less light is required to produce photo with the same image brightness And low-sensitive camera needs longer exposition In both digital and film photography higher ISO generally leads to reduced image quality (bigger noise appears in the image)

Exposure value EV is a number that represents a combination of a cameras shutter speed and f-number Different shutter speeds and f-numbers combinations can produce the same exposure value Theoretically brightness of photos with the identical EV will be the same but sharpness and depth of images may differ very much

F-NUMBEREV 28 40 56 80 11 16

2 2 4 8 15 30 60

3 1 2 4 8 15 30

4 12 1 2 4 8 15

5 14 12 1 2 4 8

6 18 14 12 1 2 4

7 115 18 14 12 1 2

8 13 115 18 14 12 1

9 160 13 115 18 14 12

10 1125 160 13 115 18 14

11 1250 1125 160 13 115 18

12 1500 1250 1125 160 13 115

13 11000 1500 1250 1125 160 13

14 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125 160

15 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125

16 12000 11000 1500 1250

DEPEnDEnCy BEtwEEn F-nUMBEr AnD ShUttEr SPEED (ShUttEr SPEED iS ShOwn in intErSECtiOnS)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 19

Sunny 16 rule makes it easy to determine the exposure in a good daylight It says that correct exposure will be obtained on a sunny day by using an aperture of f16 and the shutter speed closest to the one second divided by ISO used For example if you set camera ISO to 100 then optimal shutter speed will be 1100 s

Depth of field increases with f-number This means that in photos taken with low f-number objects in focus only will be clear and rest nearer and farther elements will seem blurred If you use lar-ge f-numbers almost all elements in photo will look sharp If you prefer most informative documentary photos yoursquoll find aperture f-number f8 should be the best in most of cases

Typical exposure values EV for various light conditions when ISO equals 100 are shown in the table

LIGHTING CONDITION EV

DAYLIGHThigh contrast scenes such as snow or sand 16

Full sunlight or little shadows clear sky background 15

heavy overcast scenes in shadow during clear sunlight at sunset 12

just after sunset 9ndash11

OUTDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTneon fire 9ndash10

Bright street scenes 8

night street scenes fairs parks and window displays 7ndash8

night vehicle traffic Christmas tree lights 5

Lighted buildings monuments and fountains 3ndash5

Distant views of lighted buildings 2

INDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTgalleries 8ndash11

Sports events shows 8ndash9

ice shows floodlit 9

Offices and work areas 7ndash8

home interiors 5ndash7

Exposure compensation is a simple to use camera control to ob-tain lighter or darker image Usually this control looks like a slider with several marks from negative to positive Negative marks give darker and positive give more brighter image

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 20

Actual EV can be obtained by subtraction of exposure compen-sation value from EV value that camera indicates For example if camera settings give EV value 8 and selected EV compensation is 1 then actual AV will be 7

If youre not sure what settings to apply it is possible to set up a series of exposures by automatically increasing settings by 1 this is called bracketing

Aperture or shutter speed priority lets you control camerarsquos f-num-ber or shutter speed without worrying about the other settings that camera then automatically selects according light of the scene

155 Camerarsquos controlsISO speed usually is set between 100 and 400 automatically In creative zone modes you can set ISO speed to other values usually to 100 200 400 800 and 1600

Press button ISO speed menu will be displayed

Select ISO speed by pressing button then press

The shutter speed can be changed in interval from seconds to milliseconds by turning the dial in shutter priority mode

The actual shutter speed is indicated on the LCD screen as de-nominator of fraction in seconds On example lsquo125rsquo on the screen means 1125 seconds

The aperture value can be changed by turning the dial in aperture priority mode Aperture depends on lens attached to the camera The actual aperture is indicated on the LCD screen as denominator of fraction On example lsquo56rsquo on the screen means f56

In manual mode aperture settings you can reach by holding button

ExPOSitiOn inDiCAtOr ShOULD BE nEAr thE zErO MArk tO AChiEvE StAnDArD ExPOSUrE LEvEL tO DECrEASE it yOU ShOULD inCrEASE ShUttEr

SPEED Or SELECt SMALLEr APErtUrE

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 21

16 Colour control The actual colours are most important problem in photography The first most modern cameras have still non-linear image sen-sors and therefore there are used sophisticated colour proces-sors which complex algorithms to improve colour quality And the result of such processing often differs from original

The second you must have very good PC screen to reproduce actual colours Most of LCD monitors give only approximately colours and often even monitor colour pre-sets canrsquot help

One option is to consider each photo as a piece of art which mustnrsquot be an exact copy of reality In this case automatic colour control is enough But other option is smart use available came-ra settings and get result you need

161 White balanceAdjusting the white balance basically means making sure that a white or any grey shadowed part of the picture is really white or grey not with any red blue or green tones It the colour of white or grey parts corresponds to original colours we are sure that all other colours are correct

Most modern cameras have an AWB (automatic white balance) setting In the most cases can be let switched on especially out-

doors when light is strong Ever if your photos have wrong colour balance it can be easily corrected in the computer

If you take photos indoors without flash artificial light (bulbs luminescent tubes candles etc) may give strong colour tone on your images To avoid it cameras can have various pre-sets of white balance such as lsquotungsten bulbrsquo lsquowhite fluorescentrsquo etc

If you prefer use your own white balance settings various op-tions can be found in the table

Colour Temp Light source Setting icon

1000k Candles

2500k household light bulbs

5000k Average daylight electronic flash industrial lights

6000k Bright sunshine with clear sky

7000k Slightly overcast sky

8000k hazy sky

9000k Open shade on clear day

10000k heavily overcast sky

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 22

If you need to make sure yourselves how exact is your camerarsquos white balance you can take few photos of known grey object on example newspaper page open them in the photo editing sof-tware and look how much colour tone differs when you make them ldquoblack whiterdquo

161 SaturationMost cameras have colour saturation control eg less saturated normal and vivid options Vivid colours are ideal when you need to emphasize primary colours such as fashion lights fruits and flowers

Monochromatic option gives non-colour (black ndash white) images If you use high contrast settings such images will look more in-teresting

Sepia option makes your image look like as old fashion black ndash white photo with light brown tones

Many cameras have various colour filters and pre-sets which give your image particular colour tone balance or saturation

163 Colour processingIt is recommended in all cases to keep the same colour repre-senting standard ndash sRGB This option should be set in both your camera and photo processing software Alternative standard CMYK often is used in colour printers To make CMYK image from RGB always better and easier than vice versa

17 Light

Usually in photography we use three main types of light natural light studio light and flash

The light is most important in black and white (monochrome) pho-tography where interpretation of image depends mainly on sha-dows and highlights

There are some useful rules of light in photography The broader the light source the softer the light The narrower

the source the harder the light The closer the light source the softer the light The farther the

source the harder the light The brighter sky the darker shadows Clouds reduce sha-

dows and fog eliminates them at all The light falls off as the square of the distance If you bring light

far as twice the lightness on object surface will decrease four times

Light from side emphasises objectrsquos texture Frontlight masks roughness

Shadows create volume in image

And of course remember that light has a colour Daylight colour in the morning differs from daylight in the afternoon

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 23

171 Natural light Natural daylight has quick changing intensity colour temperatu-re shadows and angle of light Also we canrsquot choose position of light source but can change point of viewing getting various inte-resting light and shadow effects

During only rare periods (eg bright winter and early spring days) sunlight gives strong contrast between object front and shadows acting like key light in studio But in most cases sunlight is dis-sipated in the atmosphere and creates a smooth backlight with soft shadows

When the sun is behind object the main attention goes to outline of object and light effects on it increasing separation between the object and surrounding

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Some additional tools may be used to reduce shadows or highlight par-ticular areas of the object on exam-ple reflector The reflector reflects light like a mirror in the desired di-rection and it is easy to manage li-ght with it As a reflector you can use light-colored wall of the house or other bright objects too

Handy reflector is easy to make from a white paper sheet alumi-nium foil or even white plastic or linen

172 Studio light

StUDiO LightS

Light can be used to enhan-ce or hide particular objects in the image In the studio usually three lights are used for key (main) light fill light and backlight Various com-binations of these lights can produce different light effects

On example using only key light you can enhance contours and particular areas of object achieving very high objectback-ground contrast ratioUsing extra key lights on example 3 or 5 instead one presence of shadows will be minimised and you will be able to shoot quic-kly series of photos with only minimal adjustments but result will have less contrast and details

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 3: Fundamentals of photography module

Index 1 FUNDAMENTALS OFPHOTOGRAPHY MODULE

11 Introduction P4

12 Visual communication P4121 What is a photograph122 History123 The significance of

photos124 The role and use of

images125 To be at the right time at the

right placehellip Press photography126 The photo as an

objective tool127 Computerised image128 Multimedia

13 Image composition P8131 The Rule of Thirds132 Lines133 Framing134 Background and image depth135 Symmetry patterns and Rule of

Odds136 View in different angles137 Letrsquos make experiments

14 DSLR camera P12141 Lens142 Viewfinder143 Aperture 144 Memory card145 Battery

15 Camera Exposure P15151 Automatic exposure152 Scene presets153 Manual and automatic modes154 Manual exposure155 Camerarsquos controls

16 Colour control P21161 White balance162 Saturation163 Colour processing

17 Light P22171 Natural light172 Studio light173 Flashlight

18 Photography projects P25181 When does one become a good

photographer182 Portraits ndash people in the pictures

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photo

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning mo-ment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

186 Sports photography for beginners

187 Building photography or houses we live in

188 Photo processing post-produc-tion

189 Finally what should I do with my photos

19 Image editing P33191 Cut and resize192 Exposure amp color

193 Color

194 Image formats

110 Activities P38

111 Bibliography P40

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 4

11 Introduction

The sight is the most important human sense at least the one that we give more value Generally humans perceive what is around them by processing images That is why since the beginning of human consciousness we have tried to capture what we see to retain it and be able to see it again

Photography appears to solve that necessity and through the years it has become an important communication and artis-tic tool A picture is worth a thousand words We can explain everything better with image because it is a faithful reproduction from reality

Along the decades weve perfected the skills and the technique of photography and thanks to science creativity and investiga-tion weve got colour better resolution and a easier way to take pictures since nowadays when everybody have a camera in our cell phones

But what skills distinguish a common picture from a good picture

Everyone can take a picture but not everyone can take a good picture Where is the difference

Obviously the pictures content is important but the way that you capture that content has the same or more importance than the content itself There are rules and these rules are there to be learned

In this module were going to explain the essential content to became a good photographer and make yourself proud of your pictures whether portraits landscapes models or whatever you want

12 Visual communication

121 What is a photographA photograph is the (negative) image of a person or a thing print-ed onto photosensitive paper it is the product of an optical and chemical process

The name originates from the Greek words φως phos (ldquolightrdquo) and γραφις graphis (ldquographicrdquo) which together make ldquodrawing with lightrdquo or ldquolight-sketchrdquo

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 5

122 HistoryEven in the Stone Age people attempted to document specific moments objects or things An example is the 20 thousand-year-old buffalo sketch on the wall of the Altamira cave in Spain These works of art were mostly created for religious reasons or were used as warning signs memorials Then with the appearance of writing (2nd millenary BC) a stronger cause-effect relation occu-rred in relation to the creation of paintings Later in the Renais-sance age aesthetics became important

The turning point occurred in the middle of the 19th century with technical images which already were practically speaking pro-ductions of photography Here the physical relationship between image and its maker became evident The photograph served as a real evidence of a once existing person object or an event At first there was an effort to make photos with the look of paintings then the differences between photos and paintings were recogni-sed and the aim had become to achieve a photographic effect

123 The significance of photosThe significance of photos is hardly debatable in our age Their absence would certainly make a difference as they are practi-cally present in every field of our daily life They have become an integral part of our routine Try to picture a newspaper without photos or an internet portal without photographshellip

The influential conservative German daily paper called Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung which has been published since 1949 was selected as the third best newspaper of the world in an internatio-nal survey at the millennium (following Financial Times and New York Times) The paper was however only published in black-an-white until 2007 and it very rarely featured a picture on its cover

After 2007 the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung as a reaction to the challenges of the market significantly reshaped its appearan-ce coloured photos and modern font have been used in it since

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 6

124 The role and use of imagesJust like linguistic symbols other social and visual signs are also part of the communication environment that surrounds social hu-man life It would be hard to think of an age or a culture in which pictures did not have a role in social life they were always used in religion art ideologies or communication or ndash just like today ndash they were also daily commodities

The most famous work of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is Mona Lisa

This is one of the most perfect female portraits in which the strict discipline of the triangular composition is resol-ved by the imaginary landscape fa-ding into mist in the background The half serene half stern facial expres-sion is made lifelike by the delicate effects of light and shade

It is only possible to make credible statements about the use of photo-graphs if one is familiar with its func-tions Based on the practice of photo research we see that other than its

function to attract attention it has the role to call for contempla-tion or to give pleasure The artistic works of photography inspire meditation whereas photos in newspapers meant for mass ldquocon-sumptionrdquo are only intended for one viewing Furthermore there are pictures for private use with their relevant functions

125 To be at the right time at the right placehellip Press photographyPress photography is about press news photos meant for the public Its aim is to give information to report on something or to introduce social political business cultural or art life Its other goal is to give quick visual information for daily use which can be perceived and interpreted in a moment Press photography considers the meaning of images and image use with the mind-set of a sociologist knowing that the interpretation of pictures depends on the aspects of those who participate in using and understanding the picture and who ascribe meaning to it

All of us can recall such well-known press photos image ldquoiconsrdquo which in the eyes of the geographically cultu-rally distant beholder became iden-tical with the event and the pictures themselves represent the whole event These photos were published in daily press in their own news context and the same pictures seen in retrospect have become historical documents of their age

A photo of a euphoric moment at the opening of the Austrian-Hungarian bor-der in 1989

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 7

126 The photo as an objective toolThrough the years photography has been applied in various fields From hundreds of thousands of amateur photographers who preserved memories and impressions with their cameras it is worth remembering the photographers of magazines and the pictures taken by them

The Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung alone comes out in 2 million co-pies every week The very existence of magazines is based on the opportunities offered by photographs By today a certain form of image reportage has developed which reports on events brie-fly and comprehensively One look is enough for us to grasp the situation because it gives the essence of things and people in its outward appearance The photo helps us see the state of affairs objectively

Due to the fact that the photo is the best means of documentation it has become an indispensable tool of medicine and crime investigation Today we canrsquot name a field of knowledge which does not use photography within some sciences it has even opened completely new fields Let us consider X-ray photography mi-cro-photography or the potentials of mo-tion-capturing Finally photography even offers a solution for the reproduc-tion of arts promoting them more effi-ciently than with originals or etchings

of Standards asked himself what if the computer was able to see pictures Kirsch and his colleagues who developed the Stan-dards Eastern Automatic Computer (SEAC) the first American programmable computer went on to edit a drum scanner and wrote a programme with which it was able to read pictures The first scanned image of the world depicts Russel Kirschrsquos newborn son Walden The computer-generated photo was 50 x 50 mm with a 176 x 176 pixel resolution

In the digitisation of visual culture the most remarkable landmark was not related to the work of artists but it was a major transfor-mation on the side of receivers (and distributors) It was the mas-sive spreading of PCs which among many other things made the public accessing of pictures or the exchanging of images possible on the internet And what is more important in the light of our topic is that thanks to the image editing

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 8

127 Computerised imageThe first image made with the help of a computer was born in the spring of 1957 As the story goes Russel Kirsch a researcher of the National Bureau programmes people have experienced that the optically recorded image is not an unalterable given thing but it can be reshaped or manipulated as required This is the fun-damental difference between analogous and digital optical ima-ges between photography and digital image-making although photographs can also be manipulated it is a rare phenomenon However in digital image creation manipulation and interfering with the image is the basic situation Not manipulated ldquooriginalrdquo images in a digital image environment are so to speak not appli-cable since ldquothe samerdquo picture will be different in terms of size and colours according to our settings and how big a monitor we are using to view them

128 MultimediaThe multimedia in the wider sense of the word is a creative en-vironment It is a system which provides the individual or groups with the interactive access of digital information captured in va-rious structures (picture graphics motion picture sound written text data files etc) not necessarily in the same data base it is the recording of that information at the place of its utilisation its restructuring and expansion This means that the goal is to supply information at a high level with the simultaneous stimulation of all senses for the sake of efficiency

As we see in the description photography also forms an impor-tant part of multimedia contents that is why we must bear in mind that pictures appearing there should be made with such care as if they were intended to appear elsewhere The photos must be legitimate (our own)

Today no magazines newspapers or internet portals exist without photos And I believe that however fast technology is developing the photograph will always have a place of its own

13 Image composition

Composition is one of the fundamental as well as easiest ways to creating better images You will not need any extra equipment neither expensive camera with sophisticated controls Just follow a few simple rules and your pictures will look much better and more interesting

In other hand almost all defects of photos taken can be later co-rrected by software including exposure contrast colour balance but unsuccessful composition of objects taken canlsquot be repaired

Most modern cameras have no optical viewfinder and user have to use LCD display to compose picture This causes inconve-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 9

nience due a flat view (it is difficult to understand the environment using it) but you can see exact image of future picture In addi-tion the display can be accompanied by various guidance grids and indicatorsProfessional cameras are usually equipped with optical viewfinders in addition to LCD displays

Shutter button is off Camera standsby and continuously adjusts to the scene

Shutter button is pressed half-way Camera is ready to take picture Focus and exposure are locked and you can continue to compose scene with the settings unchanged

Shutter button is pressed full-way Camera takes photo with the focus and exposure settings made above Be careful to keep the camera stable without shaking

131 The Rule of ThirdsLet divide image into nine equal parts by grids A human eye nor-mally focuses into objects that are placed in the intersections of the grids and such images look more pleasant

A griD OF thE rULE OF thirDS

A griD OF thE gOLDEn rAtiO

Most of modern digital cameras have grid of thirds on the viewfinder or screen

More advanced sort of that rule is Golden Ratio rule which states that any human and nature beauty is ba-sed on the aspect ratio 11618

Similar to Golden Ratio are so called golden triangles along which cor-ners and lines can be oriented ob-jects in the image You can google for it and see practical examples

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 10

132 LinesMost of images have some leading lines that catch the eye and indicate the path of the visual perception The lines can be real (geometric) or imagined and go vertical horizontal diagonal or even curved If image has no clear lines the observer canrsquot find easily starting point in the image and lose any interest to it

OriEntAtiOn OBjECtS ALOng CUrvES

SEvErAL POintS OF intErESt

It is considered that the horizon-tal lines and landscapes make peaceful and restful impression In contrast vertical lines poles tall trees and skyscrapers cause activity and a sense of worry

Diagonal lines and curves can create impression of change and dynamism They also are useful to make extra depth to your scene

The similar rules recommend making several points of interest in the image Having visited the main object the eye goes to se-condary objects which have to be placed in suitable points and in required order

It is very important to keep horizontal and vertical lines as much in line with the sides of your image as possible

133 Framing

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Images look better when objects of interest are framed by other secondary objects The eye ea-sier finds a focus point and stays there for a longer time

In practice framing can be used when shooting sky water forest mountains and other large natu-ral objects

134 Background and image depthAlmost in any cases you need to avoid busy backgrounds and fo-reign things or even colours in the scene that can divert attention from main objects The image has to be as simple as possible to percept it easily Human eye tends to reject any chaotic in place-ment or colours images

FiLLing iMAgES

One of the methods is to fill ima-ge by your object as much as possible leaving less space for background On example a por-trait looks more interesting when personrsquos head fills almost all ima-ge frame and boring if the per-son competes with other surroun-ding objects - a chair a lamp or even his own boots

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 11

The similar rule says to leave some spare space (negative space) in image to rest The space could be piece of blue sky water grass or simple dark shadow

In the worst case it is possible to set focus only to particular ob-jects by using camera controls and leave background in a fog out of focus

135 Symmetry patterns and Rule of OddsImages can look impressive when objects here have strict ver-tical or horizontal symmetry for example object and itrsquos reflec-tion on the water

Symmetric geometric shapes and patterns can be used to They could be found widely both in the man made surroundings and the nature Symmetry and patterns give image harmony and sen-se of order You can often play with colour and texture patterns obtaining special rhythm in the image too

Rule of Odds says that scenes with odd elements are more appea-ling than similar with even objects For example group of three or five birds look more interesting than two or four The explanation of this phenomena is that eye tends to find centre of scene and focus on the central figure In case of even objects eye focuses on empty space between objects

136 View in different anglesWhen you take photos of close things you can choose various viewing angles ndash from bottom to top Viewing angles can drama-tically change accents in the image and objects or people in the scene will have enhanced upper or bottom parts By selecting the viewing angle you can visually reduce some parts of the ob-ject and enlarge another changing perspective and perception of image

DiFFErEnt viEw AngLES

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 12

137 Letrsquos make experimentsAs you see some rules are similar and some even conflicting In fact you can combine several rules and even break them when you feel it is worth You can take one two or hundreds digital photos with no cost at all and have endless possibility for experi-ments Therefore always take a few photos instead one changing composition Later you will select the best image

Another tip If possible take larger scene than necessary leaving extra spaces Later you can select best framing and finally cut images using photo editing software

Modern digital cameras have tremendous number of pixels 14 million and more and this means that your even landscape pic-tures taken on that camera have dimensions over 1 m high on screen and A3 size on good colour printer So you have enough quality reserves and can safely cut the pictures for a better com-position

14 DSLR cameraNowadays everybody has the possibility to afford a digital photo camerahellip But are we totally familiarized with them In this unit we are going to present the DSLR cameras basic skills for better throughput and therefore better pictures

thiS iS A DSLr CAMErA MODEL A CAnOn 300D in thiS CASESOUrCE wwwkAviwEStCOM

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 13

DSLR or Digital Single Lens Reflex camera are cameras whose captured pictures are storaged in an electronic sensor not in a celluloid reel In their most remarkable skills are also the option of automate all of their procedures almost Both focus shooting devices and even flash The essential parts are the following

141 LensThe lens is the part of the camera that directs the light source to the camera and also let you focus the image and zoom it There are many kind of lenses with many focus distance and aperture skills They are essential to collect the information of outside and transmit it to the camera electronic sensor becoming a picture

FOr A right Fitting OF thE LEnS yOU ShOULD MAtCh thE LEnS AnD CAMErA BODy inDiCAtOrS AnD rOtAtE thE LEnS UntiL yOU hEAr thE

FAStEning SOUnD

One of the basic function of this part of the camera is performed by the focus This tool placed inside the lens is used to highlight an object or an area of the photo above the rest by increasing her sharpness That is known as to focus and you can do that by moving the focus switch to the left or to the right

thiS iS thE EFFECt thAt yOU gEt whEn yOU FOCUS DiFFErEnt OBjECtS Or ArEAS in thE SAME PiCtUrE

142 ViewfinderIs the peephole through we look at the area that we want to take a picture Usually also appears at the down part of the viewfinder the camera configuration that we have at the moment and which the photo is going to be taken We can also find the guide lines to help us with the picture elements distribution and composition

Is the physical structure of the camera Its stiffness facilitates us holding the camera Its also the mounting where the lens and other complements like flashes or tripods are changed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 14

This point its quickly explained The shutter release is the button that makes the photo when we push it We may regulate it at diffe-rent speed modifying the exposure time

143 Aperture

thE APErtUrE iS FOrMED By A LittLE tABS thAt whEn thEy BOUnD thEy FOrM An OPAqUE CirCLE intErrUPting thE Light ACCESS

Circular device placed between the camera mirror and the lens It has the function of allowing the light input to the sensor We can open and close it The more open it has more light are going to get in

It is the modern substitute of the photographic film (reel) Its a chip with thousands of light sensors which transform incoming light to information creating the picture

144 Memory cardStorage device of all DSLR cameras The captured images are all saved in it and the card keeps them until you dont erase the pictures individually or formatting the whole card With this devi-ce we can view the pictures by the camera screen or move them into our computer There are many types of memory card but the most common in DSLR cameras are SD cards (the little ones) and the Compact Flash cards (the big ones) We must make sure which card is compatible with our camera Such cards may have different storage capacity

thE CAMErAS USED in thiS grADE USE thE COMPACt FLASh CArD thE hOLES OF thE CArD MUSt MAtCh thE PiStOnS inSiDE thE CAMErA

itS ESSEntiAL tO tAkE grEAt CArE with thiS DEviCES AnD trying nOt tO BrEAk it Or gEt Dirty

145 BatteryEssential element for the camera operation by providing it with energy and allowing it to turn on and do all functions correctly You must be forehanded and keep the battery always charged if we are going to make a photo session We cant take pictures without battery

wE CAn SE hErE A viEwFinDEr ExAMPLE tAkE A LOOk At thE

gUiDE LinES in thE MiDDLE AnD thE CAMErA COnFigUrAtiOn

At thE BOttOM

AS wE CAn SEE in thE PiCtUrE thE BODy CAMErA ShAPE FitS

PErFECtLy in thE PhOtOgrAPhEr hAnDS

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 15

15 Camera ExposureThe exposure in photography refers to the amount of light ente-ring the camera and acting on film or digital sensor When more exposure is used or in other words when more light enters the camera then the brighter picture is taken and vice versa

Nowadays all cameras have automatic exposure control and usually it works well enough to produce nice pictures Of course in certain cases with bad light conditions or experimenting with light effects manual exposure could be preferable Even most ex-pensive cameras canrsquot take all range of light as eye can see and by setting exposure we are choosing suitable light interval and contrast of the image

151 Automatic exposureAlmost all modern digital cameras have several automatic expo-sure settings such as centre weighting average spot metering or multi zone metering

Centre weighting average usually is default setting Camera mea-sures light of all scene but most important is centre of the frame

With spot metering the camera will only measure a very small area of the scene (only few per cent of the viewfinder area) Spot

metering is very accurate and is commonly used to shoot very high contrast scenes (for example moon in the dark sky) or sce-nes with strong backlight

Using both exposure settings you can point camera to the darkest object to be taken in photo ldquolockrdquo exposure and focus by pres-sing and holding shutter button halfway and continue composing scene pointing camera to lighter objects This method enables better pictures of scenes with shadows and backlight

Multi zone metering estimates light conditions in several (7 9 or even hundreds) points of scene This sophisticated metering of-ten takes into consideration other camera settings and measu-rements such as focus distance from the object its colour and works quite well with all automatic settings

When you need change metering mode

Press button or look for metering mode menu

Select metering mode by pressing button

Then press

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 16

In Canon EOS cameras often are used some other titles of mete-ring modes

or Evaluative metering means multizone metering

or Partial metering means spot metering

is for centre weighting averaged metering

152 Scene presetsMost cameras have exposure presets for basic scenes setting optimal values of aperture size ISO and shutter speed

Scenes easily can be set using cameralsquos controls on example by dial ring in Canon EOS cameras Manual settings are available only in so called Creative zone

Portrait this mode blurs background and makes subject stand out

Landscape wide scenic views night scenes

Close-up Flowers small objects using minimal focusing distance

Sport For fast moving subjects when you want take sharp image

Night portrait For shooting peoples in dark environment the flash illuminates person and then environment is captured using low shutter speed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 17

153 Manual and automatic modes

PProgram AE mode Almost the same as auto-matic mode but you have ability to change iSO exposure compensation shutter speed and some other settings while maintaining the same exposure value

TvShutter priority AE mode you can change desirable shutter speed and camera will adjust aperture value automatically Shutter speed makes influence to sharpness or blurri-ness of moving objects in image

AvAperture priority AE mode you can chan-ge desirable aperture and camera will ad-just shutter speed automatically to keep the same image brightness Large aperture re-sults background blur and small apertures give deep images

MManual Exposure mode you can change both aperture and shutter speed manually you may need exposure level indicator to set proper values

A-DepAutomatic field-of-depth mode Camera will check both near and far objects to be in the focus

Automatic mode All exposure settings are set automatically

154 Manual exposureMany cameras donrsquot take good images of low light scenes becau-se their automatics canrsquot see objects clear enough to make pro-per decision on exposure settings Most cameras tend maximizing sensitivity to light (ISO) which increases the noise in the image instead getting more light by exceeding shutter speed over 05-1 sec If you have tripod you easily can manage low light scenes with manual shutter speeds as long as minute or more

1541 Main terms of exposure controlsShutter speed means exposure time when camera is open and collecting light from scene you take Exposure begins with full pressing shutter button Shutter speed usually is indicated in se-conds and fractions of seconds like 1250 The higher the num-ber the more light enters the camera Shutter speeds less than 11000 s are used for fast motion photos in excellent light and as long as 18 s and more usually are used for static low light scenes and with tripod

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 18

In various photography literature you often can find a term ldquostoprdquo of camera exposure ISO shutter speed etc what actually means some standard value of corresponding parameter only

Aperture means how wide camera is open for light from scene you take In practice term f-number is used which is roughly a ratio of the lenss focal length to the diameter of aperture hole for example f56 or f16 (f56 and f16 are ldquostopsrdquo ie standardised values) A lens with a greater f-number has smaller aperture hole and produces darker images

f14 f14 f14 f14

rELAtiOnShiP BEtwEEn APErtUrE SizE F-nUMBEr AnD PiCtUrE ExPOSUrE

ISO means sensitivity of film to light or nowadays the sensitivity of digital imaging systems Modern digital cameras have ISO range from 100 up to 1600 or even more The higher the ISO number the less light is required to produce photo with the same image brightness And low-sensitive camera needs longer exposition In both digital and film photography higher ISO generally leads to reduced image quality (bigger noise appears in the image)

Exposure value EV is a number that represents a combination of a cameras shutter speed and f-number Different shutter speeds and f-numbers combinations can produce the same exposure value Theoretically brightness of photos with the identical EV will be the same but sharpness and depth of images may differ very much

F-NUMBEREV 28 40 56 80 11 16

2 2 4 8 15 30 60

3 1 2 4 8 15 30

4 12 1 2 4 8 15

5 14 12 1 2 4 8

6 18 14 12 1 2 4

7 115 18 14 12 1 2

8 13 115 18 14 12 1

9 160 13 115 18 14 12

10 1125 160 13 115 18 14

11 1250 1125 160 13 115 18

12 1500 1250 1125 160 13 115

13 11000 1500 1250 1125 160 13

14 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125 160

15 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125

16 12000 11000 1500 1250

DEPEnDEnCy BEtwEEn F-nUMBEr AnD ShUttEr SPEED (ShUttEr SPEED iS ShOwn in intErSECtiOnS)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 19

Sunny 16 rule makes it easy to determine the exposure in a good daylight It says that correct exposure will be obtained on a sunny day by using an aperture of f16 and the shutter speed closest to the one second divided by ISO used For example if you set camera ISO to 100 then optimal shutter speed will be 1100 s

Depth of field increases with f-number This means that in photos taken with low f-number objects in focus only will be clear and rest nearer and farther elements will seem blurred If you use lar-ge f-numbers almost all elements in photo will look sharp If you prefer most informative documentary photos yoursquoll find aperture f-number f8 should be the best in most of cases

Typical exposure values EV for various light conditions when ISO equals 100 are shown in the table

LIGHTING CONDITION EV

DAYLIGHThigh contrast scenes such as snow or sand 16

Full sunlight or little shadows clear sky background 15

heavy overcast scenes in shadow during clear sunlight at sunset 12

just after sunset 9ndash11

OUTDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTneon fire 9ndash10

Bright street scenes 8

night street scenes fairs parks and window displays 7ndash8

night vehicle traffic Christmas tree lights 5

Lighted buildings monuments and fountains 3ndash5

Distant views of lighted buildings 2

INDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTgalleries 8ndash11

Sports events shows 8ndash9

ice shows floodlit 9

Offices and work areas 7ndash8

home interiors 5ndash7

Exposure compensation is a simple to use camera control to ob-tain lighter or darker image Usually this control looks like a slider with several marks from negative to positive Negative marks give darker and positive give more brighter image

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 20

Actual EV can be obtained by subtraction of exposure compen-sation value from EV value that camera indicates For example if camera settings give EV value 8 and selected EV compensation is 1 then actual AV will be 7

If youre not sure what settings to apply it is possible to set up a series of exposures by automatically increasing settings by 1 this is called bracketing

Aperture or shutter speed priority lets you control camerarsquos f-num-ber or shutter speed without worrying about the other settings that camera then automatically selects according light of the scene

155 Camerarsquos controlsISO speed usually is set between 100 and 400 automatically In creative zone modes you can set ISO speed to other values usually to 100 200 400 800 and 1600

Press button ISO speed menu will be displayed

Select ISO speed by pressing button then press

The shutter speed can be changed in interval from seconds to milliseconds by turning the dial in shutter priority mode

The actual shutter speed is indicated on the LCD screen as de-nominator of fraction in seconds On example lsquo125rsquo on the screen means 1125 seconds

The aperture value can be changed by turning the dial in aperture priority mode Aperture depends on lens attached to the camera The actual aperture is indicated on the LCD screen as denominator of fraction On example lsquo56rsquo on the screen means f56

In manual mode aperture settings you can reach by holding button

ExPOSitiOn inDiCAtOr ShOULD BE nEAr thE zErO MArk tO AChiEvE StAnDArD ExPOSUrE LEvEL tO DECrEASE it yOU ShOULD inCrEASE ShUttEr

SPEED Or SELECt SMALLEr APErtUrE

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 21

16 Colour control The actual colours are most important problem in photography The first most modern cameras have still non-linear image sen-sors and therefore there are used sophisticated colour proces-sors which complex algorithms to improve colour quality And the result of such processing often differs from original

The second you must have very good PC screen to reproduce actual colours Most of LCD monitors give only approximately colours and often even monitor colour pre-sets canrsquot help

One option is to consider each photo as a piece of art which mustnrsquot be an exact copy of reality In this case automatic colour control is enough But other option is smart use available came-ra settings and get result you need

161 White balanceAdjusting the white balance basically means making sure that a white or any grey shadowed part of the picture is really white or grey not with any red blue or green tones It the colour of white or grey parts corresponds to original colours we are sure that all other colours are correct

Most modern cameras have an AWB (automatic white balance) setting In the most cases can be let switched on especially out-

doors when light is strong Ever if your photos have wrong colour balance it can be easily corrected in the computer

If you take photos indoors without flash artificial light (bulbs luminescent tubes candles etc) may give strong colour tone on your images To avoid it cameras can have various pre-sets of white balance such as lsquotungsten bulbrsquo lsquowhite fluorescentrsquo etc

If you prefer use your own white balance settings various op-tions can be found in the table

Colour Temp Light source Setting icon

1000k Candles

2500k household light bulbs

5000k Average daylight electronic flash industrial lights

6000k Bright sunshine with clear sky

7000k Slightly overcast sky

8000k hazy sky

9000k Open shade on clear day

10000k heavily overcast sky

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 22

If you need to make sure yourselves how exact is your camerarsquos white balance you can take few photos of known grey object on example newspaper page open them in the photo editing sof-tware and look how much colour tone differs when you make them ldquoblack whiterdquo

161 SaturationMost cameras have colour saturation control eg less saturated normal and vivid options Vivid colours are ideal when you need to emphasize primary colours such as fashion lights fruits and flowers

Monochromatic option gives non-colour (black ndash white) images If you use high contrast settings such images will look more in-teresting

Sepia option makes your image look like as old fashion black ndash white photo with light brown tones

Many cameras have various colour filters and pre-sets which give your image particular colour tone balance or saturation

163 Colour processingIt is recommended in all cases to keep the same colour repre-senting standard ndash sRGB This option should be set in both your camera and photo processing software Alternative standard CMYK often is used in colour printers To make CMYK image from RGB always better and easier than vice versa

17 Light

Usually in photography we use three main types of light natural light studio light and flash

The light is most important in black and white (monochrome) pho-tography where interpretation of image depends mainly on sha-dows and highlights

There are some useful rules of light in photography The broader the light source the softer the light The narrower

the source the harder the light The closer the light source the softer the light The farther the

source the harder the light The brighter sky the darker shadows Clouds reduce sha-

dows and fog eliminates them at all The light falls off as the square of the distance If you bring light

far as twice the lightness on object surface will decrease four times

Light from side emphasises objectrsquos texture Frontlight masks roughness

Shadows create volume in image

And of course remember that light has a colour Daylight colour in the morning differs from daylight in the afternoon

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 23

171 Natural light Natural daylight has quick changing intensity colour temperatu-re shadows and angle of light Also we canrsquot choose position of light source but can change point of viewing getting various inte-resting light and shadow effects

During only rare periods (eg bright winter and early spring days) sunlight gives strong contrast between object front and shadows acting like key light in studio But in most cases sunlight is dis-sipated in the atmosphere and creates a smooth backlight with soft shadows

When the sun is behind object the main attention goes to outline of object and light effects on it increasing separation between the object and surrounding

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Some additional tools may be used to reduce shadows or highlight par-ticular areas of the object on exam-ple reflector The reflector reflects light like a mirror in the desired di-rection and it is easy to manage li-ght with it As a reflector you can use light-colored wall of the house or other bright objects too

Handy reflector is easy to make from a white paper sheet alumi-nium foil or even white plastic or linen

172 Studio light

StUDiO LightS

Light can be used to enhan-ce or hide particular objects in the image In the studio usually three lights are used for key (main) light fill light and backlight Various com-binations of these lights can produce different light effects

On example using only key light you can enhance contours and particular areas of object achieving very high objectback-ground contrast ratioUsing extra key lights on example 3 or 5 instead one presence of shadows will be minimised and you will be able to shoot quic-kly series of photos with only minimal adjustments but result will have less contrast and details

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 4: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 4

11 Introduction

The sight is the most important human sense at least the one that we give more value Generally humans perceive what is around them by processing images That is why since the beginning of human consciousness we have tried to capture what we see to retain it and be able to see it again

Photography appears to solve that necessity and through the years it has become an important communication and artis-tic tool A picture is worth a thousand words We can explain everything better with image because it is a faithful reproduction from reality

Along the decades weve perfected the skills and the technique of photography and thanks to science creativity and investiga-tion weve got colour better resolution and a easier way to take pictures since nowadays when everybody have a camera in our cell phones

But what skills distinguish a common picture from a good picture

Everyone can take a picture but not everyone can take a good picture Where is the difference

Obviously the pictures content is important but the way that you capture that content has the same or more importance than the content itself There are rules and these rules are there to be learned

In this module were going to explain the essential content to became a good photographer and make yourself proud of your pictures whether portraits landscapes models or whatever you want

12 Visual communication

121 What is a photographA photograph is the (negative) image of a person or a thing print-ed onto photosensitive paper it is the product of an optical and chemical process

The name originates from the Greek words φως phos (ldquolightrdquo) and γραφις graphis (ldquographicrdquo) which together make ldquodrawing with lightrdquo or ldquolight-sketchrdquo

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 5

122 HistoryEven in the Stone Age people attempted to document specific moments objects or things An example is the 20 thousand-year-old buffalo sketch on the wall of the Altamira cave in Spain These works of art were mostly created for religious reasons or were used as warning signs memorials Then with the appearance of writing (2nd millenary BC) a stronger cause-effect relation occu-rred in relation to the creation of paintings Later in the Renais-sance age aesthetics became important

The turning point occurred in the middle of the 19th century with technical images which already were practically speaking pro-ductions of photography Here the physical relationship between image and its maker became evident The photograph served as a real evidence of a once existing person object or an event At first there was an effort to make photos with the look of paintings then the differences between photos and paintings were recogni-sed and the aim had become to achieve a photographic effect

123 The significance of photosThe significance of photos is hardly debatable in our age Their absence would certainly make a difference as they are practi-cally present in every field of our daily life They have become an integral part of our routine Try to picture a newspaper without photos or an internet portal without photographshellip

The influential conservative German daily paper called Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung which has been published since 1949 was selected as the third best newspaper of the world in an internatio-nal survey at the millennium (following Financial Times and New York Times) The paper was however only published in black-an-white until 2007 and it very rarely featured a picture on its cover

After 2007 the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung as a reaction to the challenges of the market significantly reshaped its appearan-ce coloured photos and modern font have been used in it since

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 6

124 The role and use of imagesJust like linguistic symbols other social and visual signs are also part of the communication environment that surrounds social hu-man life It would be hard to think of an age or a culture in which pictures did not have a role in social life they were always used in religion art ideologies or communication or ndash just like today ndash they were also daily commodities

The most famous work of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is Mona Lisa

This is one of the most perfect female portraits in which the strict discipline of the triangular composition is resol-ved by the imaginary landscape fa-ding into mist in the background The half serene half stern facial expres-sion is made lifelike by the delicate effects of light and shade

It is only possible to make credible statements about the use of photo-graphs if one is familiar with its func-tions Based on the practice of photo research we see that other than its

function to attract attention it has the role to call for contempla-tion or to give pleasure The artistic works of photography inspire meditation whereas photos in newspapers meant for mass ldquocon-sumptionrdquo are only intended for one viewing Furthermore there are pictures for private use with their relevant functions

125 To be at the right time at the right placehellip Press photographyPress photography is about press news photos meant for the public Its aim is to give information to report on something or to introduce social political business cultural or art life Its other goal is to give quick visual information for daily use which can be perceived and interpreted in a moment Press photography considers the meaning of images and image use with the mind-set of a sociologist knowing that the interpretation of pictures depends on the aspects of those who participate in using and understanding the picture and who ascribe meaning to it

All of us can recall such well-known press photos image ldquoiconsrdquo which in the eyes of the geographically cultu-rally distant beholder became iden-tical with the event and the pictures themselves represent the whole event These photos were published in daily press in their own news context and the same pictures seen in retrospect have become historical documents of their age

A photo of a euphoric moment at the opening of the Austrian-Hungarian bor-der in 1989

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 7

126 The photo as an objective toolThrough the years photography has been applied in various fields From hundreds of thousands of amateur photographers who preserved memories and impressions with their cameras it is worth remembering the photographers of magazines and the pictures taken by them

The Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung alone comes out in 2 million co-pies every week The very existence of magazines is based on the opportunities offered by photographs By today a certain form of image reportage has developed which reports on events brie-fly and comprehensively One look is enough for us to grasp the situation because it gives the essence of things and people in its outward appearance The photo helps us see the state of affairs objectively

Due to the fact that the photo is the best means of documentation it has become an indispensable tool of medicine and crime investigation Today we canrsquot name a field of knowledge which does not use photography within some sciences it has even opened completely new fields Let us consider X-ray photography mi-cro-photography or the potentials of mo-tion-capturing Finally photography even offers a solution for the reproduc-tion of arts promoting them more effi-ciently than with originals or etchings

of Standards asked himself what if the computer was able to see pictures Kirsch and his colleagues who developed the Stan-dards Eastern Automatic Computer (SEAC) the first American programmable computer went on to edit a drum scanner and wrote a programme with which it was able to read pictures The first scanned image of the world depicts Russel Kirschrsquos newborn son Walden The computer-generated photo was 50 x 50 mm with a 176 x 176 pixel resolution

In the digitisation of visual culture the most remarkable landmark was not related to the work of artists but it was a major transfor-mation on the side of receivers (and distributors) It was the mas-sive spreading of PCs which among many other things made the public accessing of pictures or the exchanging of images possible on the internet And what is more important in the light of our topic is that thanks to the image editing

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 8

127 Computerised imageThe first image made with the help of a computer was born in the spring of 1957 As the story goes Russel Kirsch a researcher of the National Bureau programmes people have experienced that the optically recorded image is not an unalterable given thing but it can be reshaped or manipulated as required This is the fun-damental difference between analogous and digital optical ima-ges between photography and digital image-making although photographs can also be manipulated it is a rare phenomenon However in digital image creation manipulation and interfering with the image is the basic situation Not manipulated ldquooriginalrdquo images in a digital image environment are so to speak not appli-cable since ldquothe samerdquo picture will be different in terms of size and colours according to our settings and how big a monitor we are using to view them

128 MultimediaThe multimedia in the wider sense of the word is a creative en-vironment It is a system which provides the individual or groups with the interactive access of digital information captured in va-rious structures (picture graphics motion picture sound written text data files etc) not necessarily in the same data base it is the recording of that information at the place of its utilisation its restructuring and expansion This means that the goal is to supply information at a high level with the simultaneous stimulation of all senses for the sake of efficiency

As we see in the description photography also forms an impor-tant part of multimedia contents that is why we must bear in mind that pictures appearing there should be made with such care as if they were intended to appear elsewhere The photos must be legitimate (our own)

Today no magazines newspapers or internet portals exist without photos And I believe that however fast technology is developing the photograph will always have a place of its own

13 Image composition

Composition is one of the fundamental as well as easiest ways to creating better images You will not need any extra equipment neither expensive camera with sophisticated controls Just follow a few simple rules and your pictures will look much better and more interesting

In other hand almost all defects of photos taken can be later co-rrected by software including exposure contrast colour balance but unsuccessful composition of objects taken canlsquot be repaired

Most modern cameras have no optical viewfinder and user have to use LCD display to compose picture This causes inconve-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 9

nience due a flat view (it is difficult to understand the environment using it) but you can see exact image of future picture In addi-tion the display can be accompanied by various guidance grids and indicatorsProfessional cameras are usually equipped with optical viewfinders in addition to LCD displays

Shutter button is off Camera standsby and continuously adjusts to the scene

Shutter button is pressed half-way Camera is ready to take picture Focus and exposure are locked and you can continue to compose scene with the settings unchanged

Shutter button is pressed full-way Camera takes photo with the focus and exposure settings made above Be careful to keep the camera stable without shaking

131 The Rule of ThirdsLet divide image into nine equal parts by grids A human eye nor-mally focuses into objects that are placed in the intersections of the grids and such images look more pleasant

A griD OF thE rULE OF thirDS

A griD OF thE gOLDEn rAtiO

Most of modern digital cameras have grid of thirds on the viewfinder or screen

More advanced sort of that rule is Golden Ratio rule which states that any human and nature beauty is ba-sed on the aspect ratio 11618

Similar to Golden Ratio are so called golden triangles along which cor-ners and lines can be oriented ob-jects in the image You can google for it and see practical examples

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 10

132 LinesMost of images have some leading lines that catch the eye and indicate the path of the visual perception The lines can be real (geometric) or imagined and go vertical horizontal diagonal or even curved If image has no clear lines the observer canrsquot find easily starting point in the image and lose any interest to it

OriEntAtiOn OBjECtS ALOng CUrvES

SEvErAL POintS OF intErESt

It is considered that the horizon-tal lines and landscapes make peaceful and restful impression In contrast vertical lines poles tall trees and skyscrapers cause activity and a sense of worry

Diagonal lines and curves can create impression of change and dynamism They also are useful to make extra depth to your scene

The similar rules recommend making several points of interest in the image Having visited the main object the eye goes to se-condary objects which have to be placed in suitable points and in required order

It is very important to keep horizontal and vertical lines as much in line with the sides of your image as possible

133 Framing

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Images look better when objects of interest are framed by other secondary objects The eye ea-sier finds a focus point and stays there for a longer time

In practice framing can be used when shooting sky water forest mountains and other large natu-ral objects

134 Background and image depthAlmost in any cases you need to avoid busy backgrounds and fo-reign things or even colours in the scene that can divert attention from main objects The image has to be as simple as possible to percept it easily Human eye tends to reject any chaotic in place-ment or colours images

FiLLing iMAgES

One of the methods is to fill ima-ge by your object as much as possible leaving less space for background On example a por-trait looks more interesting when personrsquos head fills almost all ima-ge frame and boring if the per-son competes with other surroun-ding objects - a chair a lamp or even his own boots

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 11

The similar rule says to leave some spare space (negative space) in image to rest The space could be piece of blue sky water grass or simple dark shadow

In the worst case it is possible to set focus only to particular ob-jects by using camera controls and leave background in a fog out of focus

135 Symmetry patterns and Rule of OddsImages can look impressive when objects here have strict ver-tical or horizontal symmetry for example object and itrsquos reflec-tion on the water

Symmetric geometric shapes and patterns can be used to They could be found widely both in the man made surroundings and the nature Symmetry and patterns give image harmony and sen-se of order You can often play with colour and texture patterns obtaining special rhythm in the image too

Rule of Odds says that scenes with odd elements are more appea-ling than similar with even objects For example group of three or five birds look more interesting than two or four The explanation of this phenomena is that eye tends to find centre of scene and focus on the central figure In case of even objects eye focuses on empty space between objects

136 View in different anglesWhen you take photos of close things you can choose various viewing angles ndash from bottom to top Viewing angles can drama-tically change accents in the image and objects or people in the scene will have enhanced upper or bottom parts By selecting the viewing angle you can visually reduce some parts of the ob-ject and enlarge another changing perspective and perception of image

DiFFErEnt viEw AngLES

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 12

137 Letrsquos make experimentsAs you see some rules are similar and some even conflicting In fact you can combine several rules and even break them when you feel it is worth You can take one two or hundreds digital photos with no cost at all and have endless possibility for experi-ments Therefore always take a few photos instead one changing composition Later you will select the best image

Another tip If possible take larger scene than necessary leaving extra spaces Later you can select best framing and finally cut images using photo editing software

Modern digital cameras have tremendous number of pixels 14 million and more and this means that your even landscape pic-tures taken on that camera have dimensions over 1 m high on screen and A3 size on good colour printer So you have enough quality reserves and can safely cut the pictures for a better com-position

14 DSLR cameraNowadays everybody has the possibility to afford a digital photo camerahellip But are we totally familiarized with them In this unit we are going to present the DSLR cameras basic skills for better throughput and therefore better pictures

thiS iS A DSLr CAMErA MODEL A CAnOn 300D in thiS CASESOUrCE wwwkAviwEStCOM

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 13

DSLR or Digital Single Lens Reflex camera are cameras whose captured pictures are storaged in an electronic sensor not in a celluloid reel In their most remarkable skills are also the option of automate all of their procedures almost Both focus shooting devices and even flash The essential parts are the following

141 LensThe lens is the part of the camera that directs the light source to the camera and also let you focus the image and zoom it There are many kind of lenses with many focus distance and aperture skills They are essential to collect the information of outside and transmit it to the camera electronic sensor becoming a picture

FOr A right Fitting OF thE LEnS yOU ShOULD MAtCh thE LEnS AnD CAMErA BODy inDiCAtOrS AnD rOtAtE thE LEnS UntiL yOU hEAr thE

FAStEning SOUnD

One of the basic function of this part of the camera is performed by the focus This tool placed inside the lens is used to highlight an object or an area of the photo above the rest by increasing her sharpness That is known as to focus and you can do that by moving the focus switch to the left or to the right

thiS iS thE EFFECt thAt yOU gEt whEn yOU FOCUS DiFFErEnt OBjECtS Or ArEAS in thE SAME PiCtUrE

142 ViewfinderIs the peephole through we look at the area that we want to take a picture Usually also appears at the down part of the viewfinder the camera configuration that we have at the moment and which the photo is going to be taken We can also find the guide lines to help us with the picture elements distribution and composition

Is the physical structure of the camera Its stiffness facilitates us holding the camera Its also the mounting where the lens and other complements like flashes or tripods are changed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 14

This point its quickly explained The shutter release is the button that makes the photo when we push it We may regulate it at diffe-rent speed modifying the exposure time

143 Aperture

thE APErtUrE iS FOrMED By A LittLE tABS thAt whEn thEy BOUnD thEy FOrM An OPAqUE CirCLE intErrUPting thE Light ACCESS

Circular device placed between the camera mirror and the lens It has the function of allowing the light input to the sensor We can open and close it The more open it has more light are going to get in

It is the modern substitute of the photographic film (reel) Its a chip with thousands of light sensors which transform incoming light to information creating the picture

144 Memory cardStorage device of all DSLR cameras The captured images are all saved in it and the card keeps them until you dont erase the pictures individually or formatting the whole card With this devi-ce we can view the pictures by the camera screen or move them into our computer There are many types of memory card but the most common in DSLR cameras are SD cards (the little ones) and the Compact Flash cards (the big ones) We must make sure which card is compatible with our camera Such cards may have different storage capacity

thE CAMErAS USED in thiS grADE USE thE COMPACt FLASh CArD thE hOLES OF thE CArD MUSt MAtCh thE PiStOnS inSiDE thE CAMErA

itS ESSEntiAL tO tAkE grEAt CArE with thiS DEviCES AnD trying nOt tO BrEAk it Or gEt Dirty

145 BatteryEssential element for the camera operation by providing it with energy and allowing it to turn on and do all functions correctly You must be forehanded and keep the battery always charged if we are going to make a photo session We cant take pictures without battery

wE CAn SE hErE A viEwFinDEr ExAMPLE tAkE A LOOk At thE

gUiDE LinES in thE MiDDLE AnD thE CAMErA COnFigUrAtiOn

At thE BOttOM

AS wE CAn SEE in thE PiCtUrE thE BODy CAMErA ShAPE FitS

PErFECtLy in thE PhOtOgrAPhEr hAnDS

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 15

15 Camera ExposureThe exposure in photography refers to the amount of light ente-ring the camera and acting on film or digital sensor When more exposure is used or in other words when more light enters the camera then the brighter picture is taken and vice versa

Nowadays all cameras have automatic exposure control and usually it works well enough to produce nice pictures Of course in certain cases with bad light conditions or experimenting with light effects manual exposure could be preferable Even most ex-pensive cameras canrsquot take all range of light as eye can see and by setting exposure we are choosing suitable light interval and contrast of the image

151 Automatic exposureAlmost all modern digital cameras have several automatic expo-sure settings such as centre weighting average spot metering or multi zone metering

Centre weighting average usually is default setting Camera mea-sures light of all scene but most important is centre of the frame

With spot metering the camera will only measure a very small area of the scene (only few per cent of the viewfinder area) Spot

metering is very accurate and is commonly used to shoot very high contrast scenes (for example moon in the dark sky) or sce-nes with strong backlight

Using both exposure settings you can point camera to the darkest object to be taken in photo ldquolockrdquo exposure and focus by pres-sing and holding shutter button halfway and continue composing scene pointing camera to lighter objects This method enables better pictures of scenes with shadows and backlight

Multi zone metering estimates light conditions in several (7 9 or even hundreds) points of scene This sophisticated metering of-ten takes into consideration other camera settings and measu-rements such as focus distance from the object its colour and works quite well with all automatic settings

When you need change metering mode

Press button or look for metering mode menu

Select metering mode by pressing button

Then press

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 16

In Canon EOS cameras often are used some other titles of mete-ring modes

or Evaluative metering means multizone metering

or Partial metering means spot metering

is for centre weighting averaged metering

152 Scene presetsMost cameras have exposure presets for basic scenes setting optimal values of aperture size ISO and shutter speed

Scenes easily can be set using cameralsquos controls on example by dial ring in Canon EOS cameras Manual settings are available only in so called Creative zone

Portrait this mode blurs background and makes subject stand out

Landscape wide scenic views night scenes

Close-up Flowers small objects using minimal focusing distance

Sport For fast moving subjects when you want take sharp image

Night portrait For shooting peoples in dark environment the flash illuminates person and then environment is captured using low shutter speed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 17

153 Manual and automatic modes

PProgram AE mode Almost the same as auto-matic mode but you have ability to change iSO exposure compensation shutter speed and some other settings while maintaining the same exposure value

TvShutter priority AE mode you can change desirable shutter speed and camera will adjust aperture value automatically Shutter speed makes influence to sharpness or blurri-ness of moving objects in image

AvAperture priority AE mode you can chan-ge desirable aperture and camera will ad-just shutter speed automatically to keep the same image brightness Large aperture re-sults background blur and small apertures give deep images

MManual Exposure mode you can change both aperture and shutter speed manually you may need exposure level indicator to set proper values

A-DepAutomatic field-of-depth mode Camera will check both near and far objects to be in the focus

Automatic mode All exposure settings are set automatically

154 Manual exposureMany cameras donrsquot take good images of low light scenes becau-se their automatics canrsquot see objects clear enough to make pro-per decision on exposure settings Most cameras tend maximizing sensitivity to light (ISO) which increases the noise in the image instead getting more light by exceeding shutter speed over 05-1 sec If you have tripod you easily can manage low light scenes with manual shutter speeds as long as minute or more

1541 Main terms of exposure controlsShutter speed means exposure time when camera is open and collecting light from scene you take Exposure begins with full pressing shutter button Shutter speed usually is indicated in se-conds and fractions of seconds like 1250 The higher the num-ber the more light enters the camera Shutter speeds less than 11000 s are used for fast motion photos in excellent light and as long as 18 s and more usually are used for static low light scenes and with tripod

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 18

In various photography literature you often can find a term ldquostoprdquo of camera exposure ISO shutter speed etc what actually means some standard value of corresponding parameter only

Aperture means how wide camera is open for light from scene you take In practice term f-number is used which is roughly a ratio of the lenss focal length to the diameter of aperture hole for example f56 or f16 (f56 and f16 are ldquostopsrdquo ie standardised values) A lens with a greater f-number has smaller aperture hole and produces darker images

f14 f14 f14 f14

rELAtiOnShiP BEtwEEn APErtUrE SizE F-nUMBEr AnD PiCtUrE ExPOSUrE

ISO means sensitivity of film to light or nowadays the sensitivity of digital imaging systems Modern digital cameras have ISO range from 100 up to 1600 or even more The higher the ISO number the less light is required to produce photo with the same image brightness And low-sensitive camera needs longer exposition In both digital and film photography higher ISO generally leads to reduced image quality (bigger noise appears in the image)

Exposure value EV is a number that represents a combination of a cameras shutter speed and f-number Different shutter speeds and f-numbers combinations can produce the same exposure value Theoretically brightness of photos with the identical EV will be the same but sharpness and depth of images may differ very much

F-NUMBEREV 28 40 56 80 11 16

2 2 4 8 15 30 60

3 1 2 4 8 15 30

4 12 1 2 4 8 15

5 14 12 1 2 4 8

6 18 14 12 1 2 4

7 115 18 14 12 1 2

8 13 115 18 14 12 1

9 160 13 115 18 14 12

10 1125 160 13 115 18 14

11 1250 1125 160 13 115 18

12 1500 1250 1125 160 13 115

13 11000 1500 1250 1125 160 13

14 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125 160

15 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125

16 12000 11000 1500 1250

DEPEnDEnCy BEtwEEn F-nUMBEr AnD ShUttEr SPEED (ShUttEr SPEED iS ShOwn in intErSECtiOnS)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 19

Sunny 16 rule makes it easy to determine the exposure in a good daylight It says that correct exposure will be obtained on a sunny day by using an aperture of f16 and the shutter speed closest to the one second divided by ISO used For example if you set camera ISO to 100 then optimal shutter speed will be 1100 s

Depth of field increases with f-number This means that in photos taken with low f-number objects in focus only will be clear and rest nearer and farther elements will seem blurred If you use lar-ge f-numbers almost all elements in photo will look sharp If you prefer most informative documentary photos yoursquoll find aperture f-number f8 should be the best in most of cases

Typical exposure values EV for various light conditions when ISO equals 100 are shown in the table

LIGHTING CONDITION EV

DAYLIGHThigh contrast scenes such as snow or sand 16

Full sunlight or little shadows clear sky background 15

heavy overcast scenes in shadow during clear sunlight at sunset 12

just after sunset 9ndash11

OUTDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTneon fire 9ndash10

Bright street scenes 8

night street scenes fairs parks and window displays 7ndash8

night vehicle traffic Christmas tree lights 5

Lighted buildings monuments and fountains 3ndash5

Distant views of lighted buildings 2

INDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTgalleries 8ndash11

Sports events shows 8ndash9

ice shows floodlit 9

Offices and work areas 7ndash8

home interiors 5ndash7

Exposure compensation is a simple to use camera control to ob-tain lighter or darker image Usually this control looks like a slider with several marks from negative to positive Negative marks give darker and positive give more brighter image

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 20

Actual EV can be obtained by subtraction of exposure compen-sation value from EV value that camera indicates For example if camera settings give EV value 8 and selected EV compensation is 1 then actual AV will be 7

If youre not sure what settings to apply it is possible to set up a series of exposures by automatically increasing settings by 1 this is called bracketing

Aperture or shutter speed priority lets you control camerarsquos f-num-ber or shutter speed without worrying about the other settings that camera then automatically selects according light of the scene

155 Camerarsquos controlsISO speed usually is set between 100 and 400 automatically In creative zone modes you can set ISO speed to other values usually to 100 200 400 800 and 1600

Press button ISO speed menu will be displayed

Select ISO speed by pressing button then press

The shutter speed can be changed in interval from seconds to milliseconds by turning the dial in shutter priority mode

The actual shutter speed is indicated on the LCD screen as de-nominator of fraction in seconds On example lsquo125rsquo on the screen means 1125 seconds

The aperture value can be changed by turning the dial in aperture priority mode Aperture depends on lens attached to the camera The actual aperture is indicated on the LCD screen as denominator of fraction On example lsquo56rsquo on the screen means f56

In manual mode aperture settings you can reach by holding button

ExPOSitiOn inDiCAtOr ShOULD BE nEAr thE zErO MArk tO AChiEvE StAnDArD ExPOSUrE LEvEL tO DECrEASE it yOU ShOULD inCrEASE ShUttEr

SPEED Or SELECt SMALLEr APErtUrE

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 21

16 Colour control The actual colours are most important problem in photography The first most modern cameras have still non-linear image sen-sors and therefore there are used sophisticated colour proces-sors which complex algorithms to improve colour quality And the result of such processing often differs from original

The second you must have very good PC screen to reproduce actual colours Most of LCD monitors give only approximately colours and often even monitor colour pre-sets canrsquot help

One option is to consider each photo as a piece of art which mustnrsquot be an exact copy of reality In this case automatic colour control is enough But other option is smart use available came-ra settings and get result you need

161 White balanceAdjusting the white balance basically means making sure that a white or any grey shadowed part of the picture is really white or grey not with any red blue or green tones It the colour of white or grey parts corresponds to original colours we are sure that all other colours are correct

Most modern cameras have an AWB (automatic white balance) setting In the most cases can be let switched on especially out-

doors when light is strong Ever if your photos have wrong colour balance it can be easily corrected in the computer

If you take photos indoors without flash artificial light (bulbs luminescent tubes candles etc) may give strong colour tone on your images To avoid it cameras can have various pre-sets of white balance such as lsquotungsten bulbrsquo lsquowhite fluorescentrsquo etc

If you prefer use your own white balance settings various op-tions can be found in the table

Colour Temp Light source Setting icon

1000k Candles

2500k household light bulbs

5000k Average daylight electronic flash industrial lights

6000k Bright sunshine with clear sky

7000k Slightly overcast sky

8000k hazy sky

9000k Open shade on clear day

10000k heavily overcast sky

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 22

If you need to make sure yourselves how exact is your camerarsquos white balance you can take few photos of known grey object on example newspaper page open them in the photo editing sof-tware and look how much colour tone differs when you make them ldquoblack whiterdquo

161 SaturationMost cameras have colour saturation control eg less saturated normal and vivid options Vivid colours are ideal when you need to emphasize primary colours such as fashion lights fruits and flowers

Monochromatic option gives non-colour (black ndash white) images If you use high contrast settings such images will look more in-teresting

Sepia option makes your image look like as old fashion black ndash white photo with light brown tones

Many cameras have various colour filters and pre-sets which give your image particular colour tone balance or saturation

163 Colour processingIt is recommended in all cases to keep the same colour repre-senting standard ndash sRGB This option should be set in both your camera and photo processing software Alternative standard CMYK often is used in colour printers To make CMYK image from RGB always better and easier than vice versa

17 Light

Usually in photography we use three main types of light natural light studio light and flash

The light is most important in black and white (monochrome) pho-tography where interpretation of image depends mainly on sha-dows and highlights

There are some useful rules of light in photography The broader the light source the softer the light The narrower

the source the harder the light The closer the light source the softer the light The farther the

source the harder the light The brighter sky the darker shadows Clouds reduce sha-

dows and fog eliminates them at all The light falls off as the square of the distance If you bring light

far as twice the lightness on object surface will decrease four times

Light from side emphasises objectrsquos texture Frontlight masks roughness

Shadows create volume in image

And of course remember that light has a colour Daylight colour in the morning differs from daylight in the afternoon

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 23

171 Natural light Natural daylight has quick changing intensity colour temperatu-re shadows and angle of light Also we canrsquot choose position of light source but can change point of viewing getting various inte-resting light and shadow effects

During only rare periods (eg bright winter and early spring days) sunlight gives strong contrast between object front and shadows acting like key light in studio But in most cases sunlight is dis-sipated in the atmosphere and creates a smooth backlight with soft shadows

When the sun is behind object the main attention goes to outline of object and light effects on it increasing separation between the object and surrounding

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Some additional tools may be used to reduce shadows or highlight par-ticular areas of the object on exam-ple reflector The reflector reflects light like a mirror in the desired di-rection and it is easy to manage li-ght with it As a reflector you can use light-colored wall of the house or other bright objects too

Handy reflector is easy to make from a white paper sheet alumi-nium foil or even white plastic or linen

172 Studio light

StUDiO LightS

Light can be used to enhan-ce or hide particular objects in the image In the studio usually three lights are used for key (main) light fill light and backlight Various com-binations of these lights can produce different light effects

On example using only key light you can enhance contours and particular areas of object achieving very high objectback-ground contrast ratioUsing extra key lights on example 3 or 5 instead one presence of shadows will be minimised and you will be able to shoot quic-kly series of photos with only minimal adjustments but result will have less contrast and details

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 5: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 5

122 HistoryEven in the Stone Age people attempted to document specific moments objects or things An example is the 20 thousand-year-old buffalo sketch on the wall of the Altamira cave in Spain These works of art were mostly created for religious reasons or were used as warning signs memorials Then with the appearance of writing (2nd millenary BC) a stronger cause-effect relation occu-rred in relation to the creation of paintings Later in the Renais-sance age aesthetics became important

The turning point occurred in the middle of the 19th century with technical images which already were practically speaking pro-ductions of photography Here the physical relationship between image and its maker became evident The photograph served as a real evidence of a once existing person object or an event At first there was an effort to make photos with the look of paintings then the differences between photos and paintings were recogni-sed and the aim had become to achieve a photographic effect

123 The significance of photosThe significance of photos is hardly debatable in our age Their absence would certainly make a difference as they are practi-cally present in every field of our daily life They have become an integral part of our routine Try to picture a newspaper without photos or an internet portal without photographshellip

The influential conservative German daily paper called Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung which has been published since 1949 was selected as the third best newspaper of the world in an internatio-nal survey at the millennium (following Financial Times and New York Times) The paper was however only published in black-an-white until 2007 and it very rarely featured a picture on its cover

After 2007 the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung as a reaction to the challenges of the market significantly reshaped its appearan-ce coloured photos and modern font have been used in it since

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 6

124 The role and use of imagesJust like linguistic symbols other social and visual signs are also part of the communication environment that surrounds social hu-man life It would be hard to think of an age or a culture in which pictures did not have a role in social life they were always used in religion art ideologies or communication or ndash just like today ndash they were also daily commodities

The most famous work of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is Mona Lisa

This is one of the most perfect female portraits in which the strict discipline of the triangular composition is resol-ved by the imaginary landscape fa-ding into mist in the background The half serene half stern facial expres-sion is made lifelike by the delicate effects of light and shade

It is only possible to make credible statements about the use of photo-graphs if one is familiar with its func-tions Based on the practice of photo research we see that other than its

function to attract attention it has the role to call for contempla-tion or to give pleasure The artistic works of photography inspire meditation whereas photos in newspapers meant for mass ldquocon-sumptionrdquo are only intended for one viewing Furthermore there are pictures for private use with their relevant functions

125 To be at the right time at the right placehellip Press photographyPress photography is about press news photos meant for the public Its aim is to give information to report on something or to introduce social political business cultural or art life Its other goal is to give quick visual information for daily use which can be perceived and interpreted in a moment Press photography considers the meaning of images and image use with the mind-set of a sociologist knowing that the interpretation of pictures depends on the aspects of those who participate in using and understanding the picture and who ascribe meaning to it

All of us can recall such well-known press photos image ldquoiconsrdquo which in the eyes of the geographically cultu-rally distant beholder became iden-tical with the event and the pictures themselves represent the whole event These photos were published in daily press in their own news context and the same pictures seen in retrospect have become historical documents of their age

A photo of a euphoric moment at the opening of the Austrian-Hungarian bor-der in 1989

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 7

126 The photo as an objective toolThrough the years photography has been applied in various fields From hundreds of thousands of amateur photographers who preserved memories and impressions with their cameras it is worth remembering the photographers of magazines and the pictures taken by them

The Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung alone comes out in 2 million co-pies every week The very existence of magazines is based on the opportunities offered by photographs By today a certain form of image reportage has developed which reports on events brie-fly and comprehensively One look is enough for us to grasp the situation because it gives the essence of things and people in its outward appearance The photo helps us see the state of affairs objectively

Due to the fact that the photo is the best means of documentation it has become an indispensable tool of medicine and crime investigation Today we canrsquot name a field of knowledge which does not use photography within some sciences it has even opened completely new fields Let us consider X-ray photography mi-cro-photography or the potentials of mo-tion-capturing Finally photography even offers a solution for the reproduc-tion of arts promoting them more effi-ciently than with originals or etchings

of Standards asked himself what if the computer was able to see pictures Kirsch and his colleagues who developed the Stan-dards Eastern Automatic Computer (SEAC) the first American programmable computer went on to edit a drum scanner and wrote a programme with which it was able to read pictures The first scanned image of the world depicts Russel Kirschrsquos newborn son Walden The computer-generated photo was 50 x 50 mm with a 176 x 176 pixel resolution

In the digitisation of visual culture the most remarkable landmark was not related to the work of artists but it was a major transfor-mation on the side of receivers (and distributors) It was the mas-sive spreading of PCs which among many other things made the public accessing of pictures or the exchanging of images possible on the internet And what is more important in the light of our topic is that thanks to the image editing

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 8

127 Computerised imageThe first image made with the help of a computer was born in the spring of 1957 As the story goes Russel Kirsch a researcher of the National Bureau programmes people have experienced that the optically recorded image is not an unalterable given thing but it can be reshaped or manipulated as required This is the fun-damental difference between analogous and digital optical ima-ges between photography and digital image-making although photographs can also be manipulated it is a rare phenomenon However in digital image creation manipulation and interfering with the image is the basic situation Not manipulated ldquooriginalrdquo images in a digital image environment are so to speak not appli-cable since ldquothe samerdquo picture will be different in terms of size and colours according to our settings and how big a monitor we are using to view them

128 MultimediaThe multimedia in the wider sense of the word is a creative en-vironment It is a system which provides the individual or groups with the interactive access of digital information captured in va-rious structures (picture graphics motion picture sound written text data files etc) not necessarily in the same data base it is the recording of that information at the place of its utilisation its restructuring and expansion This means that the goal is to supply information at a high level with the simultaneous stimulation of all senses for the sake of efficiency

As we see in the description photography also forms an impor-tant part of multimedia contents that is why we must bear in mind that pictures appearing there should be made with such care as if they were intended to appear elsewhere The photos must be legitimate (our own)

Today no magazines newspapers or internet portals exist without photos And I believe that however fast technology is developing the photograph will always have a place of its own

13 Image composition

Composition is one of the fundamental as well as easiest ways to creating better images You will not need any extra equipment neither expensive camera with sophisticated controls Just follow a few simple rules and your pictures will look much better and more interesting

In other hand almost all defects of photos taken can be later co-rrected by software including exposure contrast colour balance but unsuccessful composition of objects taken canlsquot be repaired

Most modern cameras have no optical viewfinder and user have to use LCD display to compose picture This causes inconve-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 9

nience due a flat view (it is difficult to understand the environment using it) but you can see exact image of future picture In addi-tion the display can be accompanied by various guidance grids and indicatorsProfessional cameras are usually equipped with optical viewfinders in addition to LCD displays

Shutter button is off Camera standsby and continuously adjusts to the scene

Shutter button is pressed half-way Camera is ready to take picture Focus and exposure are locked and you can continue to compose scene with the settings unchanged

Shutter button is pressed full-way Camera takes photo with the focus and exposure settings made above Be careful to keep the camera stable without shaking

131 The Rule of ThirdsLet divide image into nine equal parts by grids A human eye nor-mally focuses into objects that are placed in the intersections of the grids and such images look more pleasant

A griD OF thE rULE OF thirDS

A griD OF thE gOLDEn rAtiO

Most of modern digital cameras have grid of thirds on the viewfinder or screen

More advanced sort of that rule is Golden Ratio rule which states that any human and nature beauty is ba-sed on the aspect ratio 11618

Similar to Golden Ratio are so called golden triangles along which cor-ners and lines can be oriented ob-jects in the image You can google for it and see practical examples

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 10

132 LinesMost of images have some leading lines that catch the eye and indicate the path of the visual perception The lines can be real (geometric) or imagined and go vertical horizontal diagonal or even curved If image has no clear lines the observer canrsquot find easily starting point in the image and lose any interest to it

OriEntAtiOn OBjECtS ALOng CUrvES

SEvErAL POintS OF intErESt

It is considered that the horizon-tal lines and landscapes make peaceful and restful impression In contrast vertical lines poles tall trees and skyscrapers cause activity and a sense of worry

Diagonal lines and curves can create impression of change and dynamism They also are useful to make extra depth to your scene

The similar rules recommend making several points of interest in the image Having visited the main object the eye goes to se-condary objects which have to be placed in suitable points and in required order

It is very important to keep horizontal and vertical lines as much in line with the sides of your image as possible

133 Framing

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Images look better when objects of interest are framed by other secondary objects The eye ea-sier finds a focus point and stays there for a longer time

In practice framing can be used when shooting sky water forest mountains and other large natu-ral objects

134 Background and image depthAlmost in any cases you need to avoid busy backgrounds and fo-reign things or even colours in the scene that can divert attention from main objects The image has to be as simple as possible to percept it easily Human eye tends to reject any chaotic in place-ment or colours images

FiLLing iMAgES

One of the methods is to fill ima-ge by your object as much as possible leaving less space for background On example a por-trait looks more interesting when personrsquos head fills almost all ima-ge frame and boring if the per-son competes with other surroun-ding objects - a chair a lamp or even his own boots

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 11

The similar rule says to leave some spare space (negative space) in image to rest The space could be piece of blue sky water grass or simple dark shadow

In the worst case it is possible to set focus only to particular ob-jects by using camera controls and leave background in a fog out of focus

135 Symmetry patterns and Rule of OddsImages can look impressive when objects here have strict ver-tical or horizontal symmetry for example object and itrsquos reflec-tion on the water

Symmetric geometric shapes and patterns can be used to They could be found widely both in the man made surroundings and the nature Symmetry and patterns give image harmony and sen-se of order You can often play with colour and texture patterns obtaining special rhythm in the image too

Rule of Odds says that scenes with odd elements are more appea-ling than similar with even objects For example group of three or five birds look more interesting than two or four The explanation of this phenomena is that eye tends to find centre of scene and focus on the central figure In case of even objects eye focuses on empty space between objects

136 View in different anglesWhen you take photos of close things you can choose various viewing angles ndash from bottom to top Viewing angles can drama-tically change accents in the image and objects or people in the scene will have enhanced upper or bottom parts By selecting the viewing angle you can visually reduce some parts of the ob-ject and enlarge another changing perspective and perception of image

DiFFErEnt viEw AngLES

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 12

137 Letrsquos make experimentsAs you see some rules are similar and some even conflicting In fact you can combine several rules and even break them when you feel it is worth You can take one two or hundreds digital photos with no cost at all and have endless possibility for experi-ments Therefore always take a few photos instead one changing composition Later you will select the best image

Another tip If possible take larger scene than necessary leaving extra spaces Later you can select best framing and finally cut images using photo editing software

Modern digital cameras have tremendous number of pixels 14 million and more and this means that your even landscape pic-tures taken on that camera have dimensions over 1 m high on screen and A3 size on good colour printer So you have enough quality reserves and can safely cut the pictures for a better com-position

14 DSLR cameraNowadays everybody has the possibility to afford a digital photo camerahellip But are we totally familiarized with them In this unit we are going to present the DSLR cameras basic skills for better throughput and therefore better pictures

thiS iS A DSLr CAMErA MODEL A CAnOn 300D in thiS CASESOUrCE wwwkAviwEStCOM

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 13

DSLR or Digital Single Lens Reflex camera are cameras whose captured pictures are storaged in an electronic sensor not in a celluloid reel In their most remarkable skills are also the option of automate all of their procedures almost Both focus shooting devices and even flash The essential parts are the following

141 LensThe lens is the part of the camera that directs the light source to the camera and also let you focus the image and zoom it There are many kind of lenses with many focus distance and aperture skills They are essential to collect the information of outside and transmit it to the camera electronic sensor becoming a picture

FOr A right Fitting OF thE LEnS yOU ShOULD MAtCh thE LEnS AnD CAMErA BODy inDiCAtOrS AnD rOtAtE thE LEnS UntiL yOU hEAr thE

FAStEning SOUnD

One of the basic function of this part of the camera is performed by the focus This tool placed inside the lens is used to highlight an object or an area of the photo above the rest by increasing her sharpness That is known as to focus and you can do that by moving the focus switch to the left or to the right

thiS iS thE EFFECt thAt yOU gEt whEn yOU FOCUS DiFFErEnt OBjECtS Or ArEAS in thE SAME PiCtUrE

142 ViewfinderIs the peephole through we look at the area that we want to take a picture Usually also appears at the down part of the viewfinder the camera configuration that we have at the moment and which the photo is going to be taken We can also find the guide lines to help us with the picture elements distribution and composition

Is the physical structure of the camera Its stiffness facilitates us holding the camera Its also the mounting where the lens and other complements like flashes or tripods are changed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 14

This point its quickly explained The shutter release is the button that makes the photo when we push it We may regulate it at diffe-rent speed modifying the exposure time

143 Aperture

thE APErtUrE iS FOrMED By A LittLE tABS thAt whEn thEy BOUnD thEy FOrM An OPAqUE CirCLE intErrUPting thE Light ACCESS

Circular device placed between the camera mirror and the lens It has the function of allowing the light input to the sensor We can open and close it The more open it has more light are going to get in

It is the modern substitute of the photographic film (reel) Its a chip with thousands of light sensors which transform incoming light to information creating the picture

144 Memory cardStorage device of all DSLR cameras The captured images are all saved in it and the card keeps them until you dont erase the pictures individually or formatting the whole card With this devi-ce we can view the pictures by the camera screen or move them into our computer There are many types of memory card but the most common in DSLR cameras are SD cards (the little ones) and the Compact Flash cards (the big ones) We must make sure which card is compatible with our camera Such cards may have different storage capacity

thE CAMErAS USED in thiS grADE USE thE COMPACt FLASh CArD thE hOLES OF thE CArD MUSt MAtCh thE PiStOnS inSiDE thE CAMErA

itS ESSEntiAL tO tAkE grEAt CArE with thiS DEviCES AnD trying nOt tO BrEAk it Or gEt Dirty

145 BatteryEssential element for the camera operation by providing it with energy and allowing it to turn on and do all functions correctly You must be forehanded and keep the battery always charged if we are going to make a photo session We cant take pictures without battery

wE CAn SE hErE A viEwFinDEr ExAMPLE tAkE A LOOk At thE

gUiDE LinES in thE MiDDLE AnD thE CAMErA COnFigUrAtiOn

At thE BOttOM

AS wE CAn SEE in thE PiCtUrE thE BODy CAMErA ShAPE FitS

PErFECtLy in thE PhOtOgrAPhEr hAnDS

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 15

15 Camera ExposureThe exposure in photography refers to the amount of light ente-ring the camera and acting on film or digital sensor When more exposure is used or in other words when more light enters the camera then the brighter picture is taken and vice versa

Nowadays all cameras have automatic exposure control and usually it works well enough to produce nice pictures Of course in certain cases with bad light conditions or experimenting with light effects manual exposure could be preferable Even most ex-pensive cameras canrsquot take all range of light as eye can see and by setting exposure we are choosing suitable light interval and contrast of the image

151 Automatic exposureAlmost all modern digital cameras have several automatic expo-sure settings such as centre weighting average spot metering or multi zone metering

Centre weighting average usually is default setting Camera mea-sures light of all scene but most important is centre of the frame

With spot metering the camera will only measure a very small area of the scene (only few per cent of the viewfinder area) Spot

metering is very accurate and is commonly used to shoot very high contrast scenes (for example moon in the dark sky) or sce-nes with strong backlight

Using both exposure settings you can point camera to the darkest object to be taken in photo ldquolockrdquo exposure and focus by pres-sing and holding shutter button halfway and continue composing scene pointing camera to lighter objects This method enables better pictures of scenes with shadows and backlight

Multi zone metering estimates light conditions in several (7 9 or even hundreds) points of scene This sophisticated metering of-ten takes into consideration other camera settings and measu-rements such as focus distance from the object its colour and works quite well with all automatic settings

When you need change metering mode

Press button or look for metering mode menu

Select metering mode by pressing button

Then press

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 16

In Canon EOS cameras often are used some other titles of mete-ring modes

or Evaluative metering means multizone metering

or Partial metering means spot metering

is for centre weighting averaged metering

152 Scene presetsMost cameras have exposure presets for basic scenes setting optimal values of aperture size ISO and shutter speed

Scenes easily can be set using cameralsquos controls on example by dial ring in Canon EOS cameras Manual settings are available only in so called Creative zone

Portrait this mode blurs background and makes subject stand out

Landscape wide scenic views night scenes

Close-up Flowers small objects using minimal focusing distance

Sport For fast moving subjects when you want take sharp image

Night portrait For shooting peoples in dark environment the flash illuminates person and then environment is captured using low shutter speed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 17

153 Manual and automatic modes

PProgram AE mode Almost the same as auto-matic mode but you have ability to change iSO exposure compensation shutter speed and some other settings while maintaining the same exposure value

TvShutter priority AE mode you can change desirable shutter speed and camera will adjust aperture value automatically Shutter speed makes influence to sharpness or blurri-ness of moving objects in image

AvAperture priority AE mode you can chan-ge desirable aperture and camera will ad-just shutter speed automatically to keep the same image brightness Large aperture re-sults background blur and small apertures give deep images

MManual Exposure mode you can change both aperture and shutter speed manually you may need exposure level indicator to set proper values

A-DepAutomatic field-of-depth mode Camera will check both near and far objects to be in the focus

Automatic mode All exposure settings are set automatically

154 Manual exposureMany cameras donrsquot take good images of low light scenes becau-se their automatics canrsquot see objects clear enough to make pro-per decision on exposure settings Most cameras tend maximizing sensitivity to light (ISO) which increases the noise in the image instead getting more light by exceeding shutter speed over 05-1 sec If you have tripod you easily can manage low light scenes with manual shutter speeds as long as minute or more

1541 Main terms of exposure controlsShutter speed means exposure time when camera is open and collecting light from scene you take Exposure begins with full pressing shutter button Shutter speed usually is indicated in se-conds and fractions of seconds like 1250 The higher the num-ber the more light enters the camera Shutter speeds less than 11000 s are used for fast motion photos in excellent light and as long as 18 s and more usually are used for static low light scenes and with tripod

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 18

In various photography literature you often can find a term ldquostoprdquo of camera exposure ISO shutter speed etc what actually means some standard value of corresponding parameter only

Aperture means how wide camera is open for light from scene you take In practice term f-number is used which is roughly a ratio of the lenss focal length to the diameter of aperture hole for example f56 or f16 (f56 and f16 are ldquostopsrdquo ie standardised values) A lens with a greater f-number has smaller aperture hole and produces darker images

f14 f14 f14 f14

rELAtiOnShiP BEtwEEn APErtUrE SizE F-nUMBEr AnD PiCtUrE ExPOSUrE

ISO means sensitivity of film to light or nowadays the sensitivity of digital imaging systems Modern digital cameras have ISO range from 100 up to 1600 or even more The higher the ISO number the less light is required to produce photo with the same image brightness And low-sensitive camera needs longer exposition In both digital and film photography higher ISO generally leads to reduced image quality (bigger noise appears in the image)

Exposure value EV is a number that represents a combination of a cameras shutter speed and f-number Different shutter speeds and f-numbers combinations can produce the same exposure value Theoretically brightness of photos with the identical EV will be the same but sharpness and depth of images may differ very much

F-NUMBEREV 28 40 56 80 11 16

2 2 4 8 15 30 60

3 1 2 4 8 15 30

4 12 1 2 4 8 15

5 14 12 1 2 4 8

6 18 14 12 1 2 4

7 115 18 14 12 1 2

8 13 115 18 14 12 1

9 160 13 115 18 14 12

10 1125 160 13 115 18 14

11 1250 1125 160 13 115 18

12 1500 1250 1125 160 13 115

13 11000 1500 1250 1125 160 13

14 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125 160

15 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125

16 12000 11000 1500 1250

DEPEnDEnCy BEtwEEn F-nUMBEr AnD ShUttEr SPEED (ShUttEr SPEED iS ShOwn in intErSECtiOnS)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 19

Sunny 16 rule makes it easy to determine the exposure in a good daylight It says that correct exposure will be obtained on a sunny day by using an aperture of f16 and the shutter speed closest to the one second divided by ISO used For example if you set camera ISO to 100 then optimal shutter speed will be 1100 s

Depth of field increases with f-number This means that in photos taken with low f-number objects in focus only will be clear and rest nearer and farther elements will seem blurred If you use lar-ge f-numbers almost all elements in photo will look sharp If you prefer most informative documentary photos yoursquoll find aperture f-number f8 should be the best in most of cases

Typical exposure values EV for various light conditions when ISO equals 100 are shown in the table

LIGHTING CONDITION EV

DAYLIGHThigh contrast scenes such as snow or sand 16

Full sunlight or little shadows clear sky background 15

heavy overcast scenes in shadow during clear sunlight at sunset 12

just after sunset 9ndash11

OUTDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTneon fire 9ndash10

Bright street scenes 8

night street scenes fairs parks and window displays 7ndash8

night vehicle traffic Christmas tree lights 5

Lighted buildings monuments and fountains 3ndash5

Distant views of lighted buildings 2

INDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTgalleries 8ndash11

Sports events shows 8ndash9

ice shows floodlit 9

Offices and work areas 7ndash8

home interiors 5ndash7

Exposure compensation is a simple to use camera control to ob-tain lighter or darker image Usually this control looks like a slider with several marks from negative to positive Negative marks give darker and positive give more brighter image

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 20

Actual EV can be obtained by subtraction of exposure compen-sation value from EV value that camera indicates For example if camera settings give EV value 8 and selected EV compensation is 1 then actual AV will be 7

If youre not sure what settings to apply it is possible to set up a series of exposures by automatically increasing settings by 1 this is called bracketing

Aperture or shutter speed priority lets you control camerarsquos f-num-ber or shutter speed without worrying about the other settings that camera then automatically selects according light of the scene

155 Camerarsquos controlsISO speed usually is set between 100 and 400 automatically In creative zone modes you can set ISO speed to other values usually to 100 200 400 800 and 1600

Press button ISO speed menu will be displayed

Select ISO speed by pressing button then press

The shutter speed can be changed in interval from seconds to milliseconds by turning the dial in shutter priority mode

The actual shutter speed is indicated on the LCD screen as de-nominator of fraction in seconds On example lsquo125rsquo on the screen means 1125 seconds

The aperture value can be changed by turning the dial in aperture priority mode Aperture depends on lens attached to the camera The actual aperture is indicated on the LCD screen as denominator of fraction On example lsquo56rsquo on the screen means f56

In manual mode aperture settings you can reach by holding button

ExPOSitiOn inDiCAtOr ShOULD BE nEAr thE zErO MArk tO AChiEvE StAnDArD ExPOSUrE LEvEL tO DECrEASE it yOU ShOULD inCrEASE ShUttEr

SPEED Or SELECt SMALLEr APErtUrE

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 21

16 Colour control The actual colours are most important problem in photography The first most modern cameras have still non-linear image sen-sors and therefore there are used sophisticated colour proces-sors which complex algorithms to improve colour quality And the result of such processing often differs from original

The second you must have very good PC screen to reproduce actual colours Most of LCD monitors give only approximately colours and often even monitor colour pre-sets canrsquot help

One option is to consider each photo as a piece of art which mustnrsquot be an exact copy of reality In this case automatic colour control is enough But other option is smart use available came-ra settings and get result you need

161 White balanceAdjusting the white balance basically means making sure that a white or any grey shadowed part of the picture is really white or grey not with any red blue or green tones It the colour of white or grey parts corresponds to original colours we are sure that all other colours are correct

Most modern cameras have an AWB (automatic white balance) setting In the most cases can be let switched on especially out-

doors when light is strong Ever if your photos have wrong colour balance it can be easily corrected in the computer

If you take photos indoors without flash artificial light (bulbs luminescent tubes candles etc) may give strong colour tone on your images To avoid it cameras can have various pre-sets of white balance such as lsquotungsten bulbrsquo lsquowhite fluorescentrsquo etc

If you prefer use your own white balance settings various op-tions can be found in the table

Colour Temp Light source Setting icon

1000k Candles

2500k household light bulbs

5000k Average daylight electronic flash industrial lights

6000k Bright sunshine with clear sky

7000k Slightly overcast sky

8000k hazy sky

9000k Open shade on clear day

10000k heavily overcast sky

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 22

If you need to make sure yourselves how exact is your camerarsquos white balance you can take few photos of known grey object on example newspaper page open them in the photo editing sof-tware and look how much colour tone differs when you make them ldquoblack whiterdquo

161 SaturationMost cameras have colour saturation control eg less saturated normal and vivid options Vivid colours are ideal when you need to emphasize primary colours such as fashion lights fruits and flowers

Monochromatic option gives non-colour (black ndash white) images If you use high contrast settings such images will look more in-teresting

Sepia option makes your image look like as old fashion black ndash white photo with light brown tones

Many cameras have various colour filters and pre-sets which give your image particular colour tone balance or saturation

163 Colour processingIt is recommended in all cases to keep the same colour repre-senting standard ndash sRGB This option should be set in both your camera and photo processing software Alternative standard CMYK often is used in colour printers To make CMYK image from RGB always better and easier than vice versa

17 Light

Usually in photography we use three main types of light natural light studio light and flash

The light is most important in black and white (monochrome) pho-tography where interpretation of image depends mainly on sha-dows and highlights

There are some useful rules of light in photography The broader the light source the softer the light The narrower

the source the harder the light The closer the light source the softer the light The farther the

source the harder the light The brighter sky the darker shadows Clouds reduce sha-

dows and fog eliminates them at all The light falls off as the square of the distance If you bring light

far as twice the lightness on object surface will decrease four times

Light from side emphasises objectrsquos texture Frontlight masks roughness

Shadows create volume in image

And of course remember that light has a colour Daylight colour in the morning differs from daylight in the afternoon

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 23

171 Natural light Natural daylight has quick changing intensity colour temperatu-re shadows and angle of light Also we canrsquot choose position of light source but can change point of viewing getting various inte-resting light and shadow effects

During only rare periods (eg bright winter and early spring days) sunlight gives strong contrast between object front and shadows acting like key light in studio But in most cases sunlight is dis-sipated in the atmosphere and creates a smooth backlight with soft shadows

When the sun is behind object the main attention goes to outline of object and light effects on it increasing separation between the object and surrounding

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Some additional tools may be used to reduce shadows or highlight par-ticular areas of the object on exam-ple reflector The reflector reflects light like a mirror in the desired di-rection and it is easy to manage li-ght with it As a reflector you can use light-colored wall of the house or other bright objects too

Handy reflector is easy to make from a white paper sheet alumi-nium foil or even white plastic or linen

172 Studio light

StUDiO LightS

Light can be used to enhan-ce or hide particular objects in the image In the studio usually three lights are used for key (main) light fill light and backlight Various com-binations of these lights can produce different light effects

On example using only key light you can enhance contours and particular areas of object achieving very high objectback-ground contrast ratioUsing extra key lights on example 3 or 5 instead one presence of shadows will be minimised and you will be able to shoot quic-kly series of photos with only minimal adjustments but result will have less contrast and details

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 6: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 6

124 The role and use of imagesJust like linguistic symbols other social and visual signs are also part of the communication environment that surrounds social hu-man life It would be hard to think of an age or a culture in which pictures did not have a role in social life they were always used in religion art ideologies or communication or ndash just like today ndash they were also daily commodities

The most famous work of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is Mona Lisa

This is one of the most perfect female portraits in which the strict discipline of the triangular composition is resol-ved by the imaginary landscape fa-ding into mist in the background The half serene half stern facial expres-sion is made lifelike by the delicate effects of light and shade

It is only possible to make credible statements about the use of photo-graphs if one is familiar with its func-tions Based on the practice of photo research we see that other than its

function to attract attention it has the role to call for contempla-tion or to give pleasure The artistic works of photography inspire meditation whereas photos in newspapers meant for mass ldquocon-sumptionrdquo are only intended for one viewing Furthermore there are pictures for private use with their relevant functions

125 To be at the right time at the right placehellip Press photographyPress photography is about press news photos meant for the public Its aim is to give information to report on something or to introduce social political business cultural or art life Its other goal is to give quick visual information for daily use which can be perceived and interpreted in a moment Press photography considers the meaning of images and image use with the mind-set of a sociologist knowing that the interpretation of pictures depends on the aspects of those who participate in using and understanding the picture and who ascribe meaning to it

All of us can recall such well-known press photos image ldquoiconsrdquo which in the eyes of the geographically cultu-rally distant beholder became iden-tical with the event and the pictures themselves represent the whole event These photos were published in daily press in their own news context and the same pictures seen in retrospect have become historical documents of their age

A photo of a euphoric moment at the opening of the Austrian-Hungarian bor-der in 1989

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 7

126 The photo as an objective toolThrough the years photography has been applied in various fields From hundreds of thousands of amateur photographers who preserved memories and impressions with their cameras it is worth remembering the photographers of magazines and the pictures taken by them

The Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung alone comes out in 2 million co-pies every week The very existence of magazines is based on the opportunities offered by photographs By today a certain form of image reportage has developed which reports on events brie-fly and comprehensively One look is enough for us to grasp the situation because it gives the essence of things and people in its outward appearance The photo helps us see the state of affairs objectively

Due to the fact that the photo is the best means of documentation it has become an indispensable tool of medicine and crime investigation Today we canrsquot name a field of knowledge which does not use photography within some sciences it has even opened completely new fields Let us consider X-ray photography mi-cro-photography or the potentials of mo-tion-capturing Finally photography even offers a solution for the reproduc-tion of arts promoting them more effi-ciently than with originals or etchings

of Standards asked himself what if the computer was able to see pictures Kirsch and his colleagues who developed the Stan-dards Eastern Automatic Computer (SEAC) the first American programmable computer went on to edit a drum scanner and wrote a programme with which it was able to read pictures The first scanned image of the world depicts Russel Kirschrsquos newborn son Walden The computer-generated photo was 50 x 50 mm with a 176 x 176 pixel resolution

In the digitisation of visual culture the most remarkable landmark was not related to the work of artists but it was a major transfor-mation on the side of receivers (and distributors) It was the mas-sive spreading of PCs which among many other things made the public accessing of pictures or the exchanging of images possible on the internet And what is more important in the light of our topic is that thanks to the image editing

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 8

127 Computerised imageThe first image made with the help of a computer was born in the spring of 1957 As the story goes Russel Kirsch a researcher of the National Bureau programmes people have experienced that the optically recorded image is not an unalterable given thing but it can be reshaped or manipulated as required This is the fun-damental difference between analogous and digital optical ima-ges between photography and digital image-making although photographs can also be manipulated it is a rare phenomenon However in digital image creation manipulation and interfering with the image is the basic situation Not manipulated ldquooriginalrdquo images in a digital image environment are so to speak not appli-cable since ldquothe samerdquo picture will be different in terms of size and colours according to our settings and how big a monitor we are using to view them

128 MultimediaThe multimedia in the wider sense of the word is a creative en-vironment It is a system which provides the individual or groups with the interactive access of digital information captured in va-rious structures (picture graphics motion picture sound written text data files etc) not necessarily in the same data base it is the recording of that information at the place of its utilisation its restructuring and expansion This means that the goal is to supply information at a high level with the simultaneous stimulation of all senses for the sake of efficiency

As we see in the description photography also forms an impor-tant part of multimedia contents that is why we must bear in mind that pictures appearing there should be made with such care as if they were intended to appear elsewhere The photos must be legitimate (our own)

Today no magazines newspapers or internet portals exist without photos And I believe that however fast technology is developing the photograph will always have a place of its own

13 Image composition

Composition is one of the fundamental as well as easiest ways to creating better images You will not need any extra equipment neither expensive camera with sophisticated controls Just follow a few simple rules and your pictures will look much better and more interesting

In other hand almost all defects of photos taken can be later co-rrected by software including exposure contrast colour balance but unsuccessful composition of objects taken canlsquot be repaired

Most modern cameras have no optical viewfinder and user have to use LCD display to compose picture This causes inconve-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 9

nience due a flat view (it is difficult to understand the environment using it) but you can see exact image of future picture In addi-tion the display can be accompanied by various guidance grids and indicatorsProfessional cameras are usually equipped with optical viewfinders in addition to LCD displays

Shutter button is off Camera standsby and continuously adjusts to the scene

Shutter button is pressed half-way Camera is ready to take picture Focus and exposure are locked and you can continue to compose scene with the settings unchanged

Shutter button is pressed full-way Camera takes photo with the focus and exposure settings made above Be careful to keep the camera stable without shaking

131 The Rule of ThirdsLet divide image into nine equal parts by grids A human eye nor-mally focuses into objects that are placed in the intersections of the grids and such images look more pleasant

A griD OF thE rULE OF thirDS

A griD OF thE gOLDEn rAtiO

Most of modern digital cameras have grid of thirds on the viewfinder or screen

More advanced sort of that rule is Golden Ratio rule which states that any human and nature beauty is ba-sed on the aspect ratio 11618

Similar to Golden Ratio are so called golden triangles along which cor-ners and lines can be oriented ob-jects in the image You can google for it and see practical examples

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 10

132 LinesMost of images have some leading lines that catch the eye and indicate the path of the visual perception The lines can be real (geometric) or imagined and go vertical horizontal diagonal or even curved If image has no clear lines the observer canrsquot find easily starting point in the image and lose any interest to it

OriEntAtiOn OBjECtS ALOng CUrvES

SEvErAL POintS OF intErESt

It is considered that the horizon-tal lines and landscapes make peaceful and restful impression In contrast vertical lines poles tall trees and skyscrapers cause activity and a sense of worry

Diagonal lines and curves can create impression of change and dynamism They also are useful to make extra depth to your scene

The similar rules recommend making several points of interest in the image Having visited the main object the eye goes to se-condary objects which have to be placed in suitable points and in required order

It is very important to keep horizontal and vertical lines as much in line with the sides of your image as possible

133 Framing

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Images look better when objects of interest are framed by other secondary objects The eye ea-sier finds a focus point and stays there for a longer time

In practice framing can be used when shooting sky water forest mountains and other large natu-ral objects

134 Background and image depthAlmost in any cases you need to avoid busy backgrounds and fo-reign things or even colours in the scene that can divert attention from main objects The image has to be as simple as possible to percept it easily Human eye tends to reject any chaotic in place-ment or colours images

FiLLing iMAgES

One of the methods is to fill ima-ge by your object as much as possible leaving less space for background On example a por-trait looks more interesting when personrsquos head fills almost all ima-ge frame and boring if the per-son competes with other surroun-ding objects - a chair a lamp or even his own boots

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 11

The similar rule says to leave some spare space (negative space) in image to rest The space could be piece of blue sky water grass or simple dark shadow

In the worst case it is possible to set focus only to particular ob-jects by using camera controls and leave background in a fog out of focus

135 Symmetry patterns and Rule of OddsImages can look impressive when objects here have strict ver-tical or horizontal symmetry for example object and itrsquos reflec-tion on the water

Symmetric geometric shapes and patterns can be used to They could be found widely both in the man made surroundings and the nature Symmetry and patterns give image harmony and sen-se of order You can often play with colour and texture patterns obtaining special rhythm in the image too

Rule of Odds says that scenes with odd elements are more appea-ling than similar with even objects For example group of three or five birds look more interesting than two or four The explanation of this phenomena is that eye tends to find centre of scene and focus on the central figure In case of even objects eye focuses on empty space between objects

136 View in different anglesWhen you take photos of close things you can choose various viewing angles ndash from bottom to top Viewing angles can drama-tically change accents in the image and objects or people in the scene will have enhanced upper or bottom parts By selecting the viewing angle you can visually reduce some parts of the ob-ject and enlarge another changing perspective and perception of image

DiFFErEnt viEw AngLES

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 12

137 Letrsquos make experimentsAs you see some rules are similar and some even conflicting In fact you can combine several rules and even break them when you feel it is worth You can take one two or hundreds digital photos with no cost at all and have endless possibility for experi-ments Therefore always take a few photos instead one changing composition Later you will select the best image

Another tip If possible take larger scene than necessary leaving extra spaces Later you can select best framing and finally cut images using photo editing software

Modern digital cameras have tremendous number of pixels 14 million and more and this means that your even landscape pic-tures taken on that camera have dimensions over 1 m high on screen and A3 size on good colour printer So you have enough quality reserves and can safely cut the pictures for a better com-position

14 DSLR cameraNowadays everybody has the possibility to afford a digital photo camerahellip But are we totally familiarized with them In this unit we are going to present the DSLR cameras basic skills for better throughput and therefore better pictures

thiS iS A DSLr CAMErA MODEL A CAnOn 300D in thiS CASESOUrCE wwwkAviwEStCOM

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 13

DSLR or Digital Single Lens Reflex camera are cameras whose captured pictures are storaged in an electronic sensor not in a celluloid reel In their most remarkable skills are also the option of automate all of their procedures almost Both focus shooting devices and even flash The essential parts are the following

141 LensThe lens is the part of the camera that directs the light source to the camera and also let you focus the image and zoom it There are many kind of lenses with many focus distance and aperture skills They are essential to collect the information of outside and transmit it to the camera electronic sensor becoming a picture

FOr A right Fitting OF thE LEnS yOU ShOULD MAtCh thE LEnS AnD CAMErA BODy inDiCAtOrS AnD rOtAtE thE LEnS UntiL yOU hEAr thE

FAStEning SOUnD

One of the basic function of this part of the camera is performed by the focus This tool placed inside the lens is used to highlight an object or an area of the photo above the rest by increasing her sharpness That is known as to focus and you can do that by moving the focus switch to the left or to the right

thiS iS thE EFFECt thAt yOU gEt whEn yOU FOCUS DiFFErEnt OBjECtS Or ArEAS in thE SAME PiCtUrE

142 ViewfinderIs the peephole through we look at the area that we want to take a picture Usually also appears at the down part of the viewfinder the camera configuration that we have at the moment and which the photo is going to be taken We can also find the guide lines to help us with the picture elements distribution and composition

Is the physical structure of the camera Its stiffness facilitates us holding the camera Its also the mounting where the lens and other complements like flashes or tripods are changed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 14

This point its quickly explained The shutter release is the button that makes the photo when we push it We may regulate it at diffe-rent speed modifying the exposure time

143 Aperture

thE APErtUrE iS FOrMED By A LittLE tABS thAt whEn thEy BOUnD thEy FOrM An OPAqUE CirCLE intErrUPting thE Light ACCESS

Circular device placed between the camera mirror and the lens It has the function of allowing the light input to the sensor We can open and close it The more open it has more light are going to get in

It is the modern substitute of the photographic film (reel) Its a chip with thousands of light sensors which transform incoming light to information creating the picture

144 Memory cardStorage device of all DSLR cameras The captured images are all saved in it and the card keeps them until you dont erase the pictures individually or formatting the whole card With this devi-ce we can view the pictures by the camera screen or move them into our computer There are many types of memory card but the most common in DSLR cameras are SD cards (the little ones) and the Compact Flash cards (the big ones) We must make sure which card is compatible with our camera Such cards may have different storage capacity

thE CAMErAS USED in thiS grADE USE thE COMPACt FLASh CArD thE hOLES OF thE CArD MUSt MAtCh thE PiStOnS inSiDE thE CAMErA

itS ESSEntiAL tO tAkE grEAt CArE with thiS DEviCES AnD trying nOt tO BrEAk it Or gEt Dirty

145 BatteryEssential element for the camera operation by providing it with energy and allowing it to turn on and do all functions correctly You must be forehanded and keep the battery always charged if we are going to make a photo session We cant take pictures without battery

wE CAn SE hErE A viEwFinDEr ExAMPLE tAkE A LOOk At thE

gUiDE LinES in thE MiDDLE AnD thE CAMErA COnFigUrAtiOn

At thE BOttOM

AS wE CAn SEE in thE PiCtUrE thE BODy CAMErA ShAPE FitS

PErFECtLy in thE PhOtOgrAPhEr hAnDS

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 15

15 Camera ExposureThe exposure in photography refers to the amount of light ente-ring the camera and acting on film or digital sensor When more exposure is used or in other words when more light enters the camera then the brighter picture is taken and vice versa

Nowadays all cameras have automatic exposure control and usually it works well enough to produce nice pictures Of course in certain cases with bad light conditions or experimenting with light effects manual exposure could be preferable Even most ex-pensive cameras canrsquot take all range of light as eye can see and by setting exposure we are choosing suitable light interval and contrast of the image

151 Automatic exposureAlmost all modern digital cameras have several automatic expo-sure settings such as centre weighting average spot metering or multi zone metering

Centre weighting average usually is default setting Camera mea-sures light of all scene but most important is centre of the frame

With spot metering the camera will only measure a very small area of the scene (only few per cent of the viewfinder area) Spot

metering is very accurate and is commonly used to shoot very high contrast scenes (for example moon in the dark sky) or sce-nes with strong backlight

Using both exposure settings you can point camera to the darkest object to be taken in photo ldquolockrdquo exposure and focus by pres-sing and holding shutter button halfway and continue composing scene pointing camera to lighter objects This method enables better pictures of scenes with shadows and backlight

Multi zone metering estimates light conditions in several (7 9 or even hundreds) points of scene This sophisticated metering of-ten takes into consideration other camera settings and measu-rements such as focus distance from the object its colour and works quite well with all automatic settings

When you need change metering mode

Press button or look for metering mode menu

Select metering mode by pressing button

Then press

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 16

In Canon EOS cameras often are used some other titles of mete-ring modes

or Evaluative metering means multizone metering

or Partial metering means spot metering

is for centre weighting averaged metering

152 Scene presetsMost cameras have exposure presets for basic scenes setting optimal values of aperture size ISO and shutter speed

Scenes easily can be set using cameralsquos controls on example by dial ring in Canon EOS cameras Manual settings are available only in so called Creative zone

Portrait this mode blurs background and makes subject stand out

Landscape wide scenic views night scenes

Close-up Flowers small objects using minimal focusing distance

Sport For fast moving subjects when you want take sharp image

Night portrait For shooting peoples in dark environment the flash illuminates person and then environment is captured using low shutter speed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 17

153 Manual and automatic modes

PProgram AE mode Almost the same as auto-matic mode but you have ability to change iSO exposure compensation shutter speed and some other settings while maintaining the same exposure value

TvShutter priority AE mode you can change desirable shutter speed and camera will adjust aperture value automatically Shutter speed makes influence to sharpness or blurri-ness of moving objects in image

AvAperture priority AE mode you can chan-ge desirable aperture and camera will ad-just shutter speed automatically to keep the same image brightness Large aperture re-sults background blur and small apertures give deep images

MManual Exposure mode you can change both aperture and shutter speed manually you may need exposure level indicator to set proper values

A-DepAutomatic field-of-depth mode Camera will check both near and far objects to be in the focus

Automatic mode All exposure settings are set automatically

154 Manual exposureMany cameras donrsquot take good images of low light scenes becau-se their automatics canrsquot see objects clear enough to make pro-per decision on exposure settings Most cameras tend maximizing sensitivity to light (ISO) which increases the noise in the image instead getting more light by exceeding shutter speed over 05-1 sec If you have tripod you easily can manage low light scenes with manual shutter speeds as long as minute or more

1541 Main terms of exposure controlsShutter speed means exposure time when camera is open and collecting light from scene you take Exposure begins with full pressing shutter button Shutter speed usually is indicated in se-conds and fractions of seconds like 1250 The higher the num-ber the more light enters the camera Shutter speeds less than 11000 s are used for fast motion photos in excellent light and as long as 18 s and more usually are used for static low light scenes and with tripod

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 18

In various photography literature you often can find a term ldquostoprdquo of camera exposure ISO shutter speed etc what actually means some standard value of corresponding parameter only

Aperture means how wide camera is open for light from scene you take In practice term f-number is used which is roughly a ratio of the lenss focal length to the diameter of aperture hole for example f56 or f16 (f56 and f16 are ldquostopsrdquo ie standardised values) A lens with a greater f-number has smaller aperture hole and produces darker images

f14 f14 f14 f14

rELAtiOnShiP BEtwEEn APErtUrE SizE F-nUMBEr AnD PiCtUrE ExPOSUrE

ISO means sensitivity of film to light or nowadays the sensitivity of digital imaging systems Modern digital cameras have ISO range from 100 up to 1600 or even more The higher the ISO number the less light is required to produce photo with the same image brightness And low-sensitive camera needs longer exposition In both digital and film photography higher ISO generally leads to reduced image quality (bigger noise appears in the image)

Exposure value EV is a number that represents a combination of a cameras shutter speed and f-number Different shutter speeds and f-numbers combinations can produce the same exposure value Theoretically brightness of photos with the identical EV will be the same but sharpness and depth of images may differ very much

F-NUMBEREV 28 40 56 80 11 16

2 2 4 8 15 30 60

3 1 2 4 8 15 30

4 12 1 2 4 8 15

5 14 12 1 2 4 8

6 18 14 12 1 2 4

7 115 18 14 12 1 2

8 13 115 18 14 12 1

9 160 13 115 18 14 12

10 1125 160 13 115 18 14

11 1250 1125 160 13 115 18

12 1500 1250 1125 160 13 115

13 11000 1500 1250 1125 160 13

14 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125 160

15 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125

16 12000 11000 1500 1250

DEPEnDEnCy BEtwEEn F-nUMBEr AnD ShUttEr SPEED (ShUttEr SPEED iS ShOwn in intErSECtiOnS)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 19

Sunny 16 rule makes it easy to determine the exposure in a good daylight It says that correct exposure will be obtained on a sunny day by using an aperture of f16 and the shutter speed closest to the one second divided by ISO used For example if you set camera ISO to 100 then optimal shutter speed will be 1100 s

Depth of field increases with f-number This means that in photos taken with low f-number objects in focus only will be clear and rest nearer and farther elements will seem blurred If you use lar-ge f-numbers almost all elements in photo will look sharp If you prefer most informative documentary photos yoursquoll find aperture f-number f8 should be the best in most of cases

Typical exposure values EV for various light conditions when ISO equals 100 are shown in the table

LIGHTING CONDITION EV

DAYLIGHThigh contrast scenes such as snow or sand 16

Full sunlight or little shadows clear sky background 15

heavy overcast scenes in shadow during clear sunlight at sunset 12

just after sunset 9ndash11

OUTDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTneon fire 9ndash10

Bright street scenes 8

night street scenes fairs parks and window displays 7ndash8

night vehicle traffic Christmas tree lights 5

Lighted buildings monuments and fountains 3ndash5

Distant views of lighted buildings 2

INDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTgalleries 8ndash11

Sports events shows 8ndash9

ice shows floodlit 9

Offices and work areas 7ndash8

home interiors 5ndash7

Exposure compensation is a simple to use camera control to ob-tain lighter or darker image Usually this control looks like a slider with several marks from negative to positive Negative marks give darker and positive give more brighter image

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 20

Actual EV can be obtained by subtraction of exposure compen-sation value from EV value that camera indicates For example if camera settings give EV value 8 and selected EV compensation is 1 then actual AV will be 7

If youre not sure what settings to apply it is possible to set up a series of exposures by automatically increasing settings by 1 this is called bracketing

Aperture or shutter speed priority lets you control camerarsquos f-num-ber or shutter speed without worrying about the other settings that camera then automatically selects according light of the scene

155 Camerarsquos controlsISO speed usually is set between 100 and 400 automatically In creative zone modes you can set ISO speed to other values usually to 100 200 400 800 and 1600

Press button ISO speed menu will be displayed

Select ISO speed by pressing button then press

The shutter speed can be changed in interval from seconds to milliseconds by turning the dial in shutter priority mode

The actual shutter speed is indicated on the LCD screen as de-nominator of fraction in seconds On example lsquo125rsquo on the screen means 1125 seconds

The aperture value can be changed by turning the dial in aperture priority mode Aperture depends on lens attached to the camera The actual aperture is indicated on the LCD screen as denominator of fraction On example lsquo56rsquo on the screen means f56

In manual mode aperture settings you can reach by holding button

ExPOSitiOn inDiCAtOr ShOULD BE nEAr thE zErO MArk tO AChiEvE StAnDArD ExPOSUrE LEvEL tO DECrEASE it yOU ShOULD inCrEASE ShUttEr

SPEED Or SELECt SMALLEr APErtUrE

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 21

16 Colour control The actual colours are most important problem in photography The first most modern cameras have still non-linear image sen-sors and therefore there are used sophisticated colour proces-sors which complex algorithms to improve colour quality And the result of such processing often differs from original

The second you must have very good PC screen to reproduce actual colours Most of LCD monitors give only approximately colours and often even monitor colour pre-sets canrsquot help

One option is to consider each photo as a piece of art which mustnrsquot be an exact copy of reality In this case automatic colour control is enough But other option is smart use available came-ra settings and get result you need

161 White balanceAdjusting the white balance basically means making sure that a white or any grey shadowed part of the picture is really white or grey not with any red blue or green tones It the colour of white or grey parts corresponds to original colours we are sure that all other colours are correct

Most modern cameras have an AWB (automatic white balance) setting In the most cases can be let switched on especially out-

doors when light is strong Ever if your photos have wrong colour balance it can be easily corrected in the computer

If you take photos indoors without flash artificial light (bulbs luminescent tubes candles etc) may give strong colour tone on your images To avoid it cameras can have various pre-sets of white balance such as lsquotungsten bulbrsquo lsquowhite fluorescentrsquo etc

If you prefer use your own white balance settings various op-tions can be found in the table

Colour Temp Light source Setting icon

1000k Candles

2500k household light bulbs

5000k Average daylight electronic flash industrial lights

6000k Bright sunshine with clear sky

7000k Slightly overcast sky

8000k hazy sky

9000k Open shade on clear day

10000k heavily overcast sky

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 22

If you need to make sure yourselves how exact is your camerarsquos white balance you can take few photos of known grey object on example newspaper page open them in the photo editing sof-tware and look how much colour tone differs when you make them ldquoblack whiterdquo

161 SaturationMost cameras have colour saturation control eg less saturated normal and vivid options Vivid colours are ideal when you need to emphasize primary colours such as fashion lights fruits and flowers

Monochromatic option gives non-colour (black ndash white) images If you use high contrast settings such images will look more in-teresting

Sepia option makes your image look like as old fashion black ndash white photo with light brown tones

Many cameras have various colour filters and pre-sets which give your image particular colour tone balance or saturation

163 Colour processingIt is recommended in all cases to keep the same colour repre-senting standard ndash sRGB This option should be set in both your camera and photo processing software Alternative standard CMYK often is used in colour printers To make CMYK image from RGB always better and easier than vice versa

17 Light

Usually in photography we use three main types of light natural light studio light and flash

The light is most important in black and white (monochrome) pho-tography where interpretation of image depends mainly on sha-dows and highlights

There are some useful rules of light in photography The broader the light source the softer the light The narrower

the source the harder the light The closer the light source the softer the light The farther the

source the harder the light The brighter sky the darker shadows Clouds reduce sha-

dows and fog eliminates them at all The light falls off as the square of the distance If you bring light

far as twice the lightness on object surface will decrease four times

Light from side emphasises objectrsquos texture Frontlight masks roughness

Shadows create volume in image

And of course remember that light has a colour Daylight colour in the morning differs from daylight in the afternoon

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 23

171 Natural light Natural daylight has quick changing intensity colour temperatu-re shadows and angle of light Also we canrsquot choose position of light source but can change point of viewing getting various inte-resting light and shadow effects

During only rare periods (eg bright winter and early spring days) sunlight gives strong contrast between object front and shadows acting like key light in studio But in most cases sunlight is dis-sipated in the atmosphere and creates a smooth backlight with soft shadows

When the sun is behind object the main attention goes to outline of object and light effects on it increasing separation between the object and surrounding

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Some additional tools may be used to reduce shadows or highlight par-ticular areas of the object on exam-ple reflector The reflector reflects light like a mirror in the desired di-rection and it is easy to manage li-ght with it As a reflector you can use light-colored wall of the house or other bright objects too

Handy reflector is easy to make from a white paper sheet alumi-nium foil or even white plastic or linen

172 Studio light

StUDiO LightS

Light can be used to enhan-ce or hide particular objects in the image In the studio usually three lights are used for key (main) light fill light and backlight Various com-binations of these lights can produce different light effects

On example using only key light you can enhance contours and particular areas of object achieving very high objectback-ground contrast ratioUsing extra key lights on example 3 or 5 instead one presence of shadows will be minimised and you will be able to shoot quic-kly series of photos with only minimal adjustments but result will have less contrast and details

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 7: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 7

126 The photo as an objective toolThrough the years photography has been applied in various fields From hundreds of thousands of amateur photographers who preserved memories and impressions with their cameras it is worth remembering the photographers of magazines and the pictures taken by them

The Berliner Illustrierte Zeitung alone comes out in 2 million co-pies every week The very existence of magazines is based on the opportunities offered by photographs By today a certain form of image reportage has developed which reports on events brie-fly and comprehensively One look is enough for us to grasp the situation because it gives the essence of things and people in its outward appearance The photo helps us see the state of affairs objectively

Due to the fact that the photo is the best means of documentation it has become an indispensable tool of medicine and crime investigation Today we canrsquot name a field of knowledge which does not use photography within some sciences it has even opened completely new fields Let us consider X-ray photography mi-cro-photography or the potentials of mo-tion-capturing Finally photography even offers a solution for the reproduc-tion of arts promoting them more effi-ciently than with originals or etchings

of Standards asked himself what if the computer was able to see pictures Kirsch and his colleagues who developed the Stan-dards Eastern Automatic Computer (SEAC) the first American programmable computer went on to edit a drum scanner and wrote a programme with which it was able to read pictures The first scanned image of the world depicts Russel Kirschrsquos newborn son Walden The computer-generated photo was 50 x 50 mm with a 176 x 176 pixel resolution

In the digitisation of visual culture the most remarkable landmark was not related to the work of artists but it was a major transfor-mation on the side of receivers (and distributors) It was the mas-sive spreading of PCs which among many other things made the public accessing of pictures or the exchanging of images possible on the internet And what is more important in the light of our topic is that thanks to the image editing

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 8

127 Computerised imageThe first image made with the help of a computer was born in the spring of 1957 As the story goes Russel Kirsch a researcher of the National Bureau programmes people have experienced that the optically recorded image is not an unalterable given thing but it can be reshaped or manipulated as required This is the fun-damental difference between analogous and digital optical ima-ges between photography and digital image-making although photographs can also be manipulated it is a rare phenomenon However in digital image creation manipulation and interfering with the image is the basic situation Not manipulated ldquooriginalrdquo images in a digital image environment are so to speak not appli-cable since ldquothe samerdquo picture will be different in terms of size and colours according to our settings and how big a monitor we are using to view them

128 MultimediaThe multimedia in the wider sense of the word is a creative en-vironment It is a system which provides the individual or groups with the interactive access of digital information captured in va-rious structures (picture graphics motion picture sound written text data files etc) not necessarily in the same data base it is the recording of that information at the place of its utilisation its restructuring and expansion This means that the goal is to supply information at a high level with the simultaneous stimulation of all senses for the sake of efficiency

As we see in the description photography also forms an impor-tant part of multimedia contents that is why we must bear in mind that pictures appearing there should be made with such care as if they were intended to appear elsewhere The photos must be legitimate (our own)

Today no magazines newspapers or internet portals exist without photos And I believe that however fast technology is developing the photograph will always have a place of its own

13 Image composition

Composition is one of the fundamental as well as easiest ways to creating better images You will not need any extra equipment neither expensive camera with sophisticated controls Just follow a few simple rules and your pictures will look much better and more interesting

In other hand almost all defects of photos taken can be later co-rrected by software including exposure contrast colour balance but unsuccessful composition of objects taken canlsquot be repaired

Most modern cameras have no optical viewfinder and user have to use LCD display to compose picture This causes inconve-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 9

nience due a flat view (it is difficult to understand the environment using it) but you can see exact image of future picture In addi-tion the display can be accompanied by various guidance grids and indicatorsProfessional cameras are usually equipped with optical viewfinders in addition to LCD displays

Shutter button is off Camera standsby and continuously adjusts to the scene

Shutter button is pressed half-way Camera is ready to take picture Focus and exposure are locked and you can continue to compose scene with the settings unchanged

Shutter button is pressed full-way Camera takes photo with the focus and exposure settings made above Be careful to keep the camera stable without shaking

131 The Rule of ThirdsLet divide image into nine equal parts by grids A human eye nor-mally focuses into objects that are placed in the intersections of the grids and such images look more pleasant

A griD OF thE rULE OF thirDS

A griD OF thE gOLDEn rAtiO

Most of modern digital cameras have grid of thirds on the viewfinder or screen

More advanced sort of that rule is Golden Ratio rule which states that any human and nature beauty is ba-sed on the aspect ratio 11618

Similar to Golden Ratio are so called golden triangles along which cor-ners and lines can be oriented ob-jects in the image You can google for it and see practical examples

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 10

132 LinesMost of images have some leading lines that catch the eye and indicate the path of the visual perception The lines can be real (geometric) or imagined and go vertical horizontal diagonal or even curved If image has no clear lines the observer canrsquot find easily starting point in the image and lose any interest to it

OriEntAtiOn OBjECtS ALOng CUrvES

SEvErAL POintS OF intErESt

It is considered that the horizon-tal lines and landscapes make peaceful and restful impression In contrast vertical lines poles tall trees and skyscrapers cause activity and a sense of worry

Diagonal lines and curves can create impression of change and dynamism They also are useful to make extra depth to your scene

The similar rules recommend making several points of interest in the image Having visited the main object the eye goes to se-condary objects which have to be placed in suitable points and in required order

It is very important to keep horizontal and vertical lines as much in line with the sides of your image as possible

133 Framing

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Images look better when objects of interest are framed by other secondary objects The eye ea-sier finds a focus point and stays there for a longer time

In practice framing can be used when shooting sky water forest mountains and other large natu-ral objects

134 Background and image depthAlmost in any cases you need to avoid busy backgrounds and fo-reign things or even colours in the scene that can divert attention from main objects The image has to be as simple as possible to percept it easily Human eye tends to reject any chaotic in place-ment or colours images

FiLLing iMAgES

One of the methods is to fill ima-ge by your object as much as possible leaving less space for background On example a por-trait looks more interesting when personrsquos head fills almost all ima-ge frame and boring if the per-son competes with other surroun-ding objects - a chair a lamp or even his own boots

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 11

The similar rule says to leave some spare space (negative space) in image to rest The space could be piece of blue sky water grass or simple dark shadow

In the worst case it is possible to set focus only to particular ob-jects by using camera controls and leave background in a fog out of focus

135 Symmetry patterns and Rule of OddsImages can look impressive when objects here have strict ver-tical or horizontal symmetry for example object and itrsquos reflec-tion on the water

Symmetric geometric shapes and patterns can be used to They could be found widely both in the man made surroundings and the nature Symmetry and patterns give image harmony and sen-se of order You can often play with colour and texture patterns obtaining special rhythm in the image too

Rule of Odds says that scenes with odd elements are more appea-ling than similar with even objects For example group of three or five birds look more interesting than two or four The explanation of this phenomena is that eye tends to find centre of scene and focus on the central figure In case of even objects eye focuses on empty space between objects

136 View in different anglesWhen you take photos of close things you can choose various viewing angles ndash from bottom to top Viewing angles can drama-tically change accents in the image and objects or people in the scene will have enhanced upper or bottom parts By selecting the viewing angle you can visually reduce some parts of the ob-ject and enlarge another changing perspective and perception of image

DiFFErEnt viEw AngLES

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 12

137 Letrsquos make experimentsAs you see some rules are similar and some even conflicting In fact you can combine several rules and even break them when you feel it is worth You can take one two or hundreds digital photos with no cost at all and have endless possibility for experi-ments Therefore always take a few photos instead one changing composition Later you will select the best image

Another tip If possible take larger scene than necessary leaving extra spaces Later you can select best framing and finally cut images using photo editing software

Modern digital cameras have tremendous number of pixels 14 million and more and this means that your even landscape pic-tures taken on that camera have dimensions over 1 m high on screen and A3 size on good colour printer So you have enough quality reserves and can safely cut the pictures for a better com-position

14 DSLR cameraNowadays everybody has the possibility to afford a digital photo camerahellip But are we totally familiarized with them In this unit we are going to present the DSLR cameras basic skills for better throughput and therefore better pictures

thiS iS A DSLr CAMErA MODEL A CAnOn 300D in thiS CASESOUrCE wwwkAviwEStCOM

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 13

DSLR or Digital Single Lens Reflex camera are cameras whose captured pictures are storaged in an electronic sensor not in a celluloid reel In their most remarkable skills are also the option of automate all of their procedures almost Both focus shooting devices and even flash The essential parts are the following

141 LensThe lens is the part of the camera that directs the light source to the camera and also let you focus the image and zoom it There are many kind of lenses with many focus distance and aperture skills They are essential to collect the information of outside and transmit it to the camera electronic sensor becoming a picture

FOr A right Fitting OF thE LEnS yOU ShOULD MAtCh thE LEnS AnD CAMErA BODy inDiCAtOrS AnD rOtAtE thE LEnS UntiL yOU hEAr thE

FAStEning SOUnD

One of the basic function of this part of the camera is performed by the focus This tool placed inside the lens is used to highlight an object or an area of the photo above the rest by increasing her sharpness That is known as to focus and you can do that by moving the focus switch to the left or to the right

thiS iS thE EFFECt thAt yOU gEt whEn yOU FOCUS DiFFErEnt OBjECtS Or ArEAS in thE SAME PiCtUrE

142 ViewfinderIs the peephole through we look at the area that we want to take a picture Usually also appears at the down part of the viewfinder the camera configuration that we have at the moment and which the photo is going to be taken We can also find the guide lines to help us with the picture elements distribution and composition

Is the physical structure of the camera Its stiffness facilitates us holding the camera Its also the mounting where the lens and other complements like flashes or tripods are changed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 14

This point its quickly explained The shutter release is the button that makes the photo when we push it We may regulate it at diffe-rent speed modifying the exposure time

143 Aperture

thE APErtUrE iS FOrMED By A LittLE tABS thAt whEn thEy BOUnD thEy FOrM An OPAqUE CirCLE intErrUPting thE Light ACCESS

Circular device placed between the camera mirror and the lens It has the function of allowing the light input to the sensor We can open and close it The more open it has more light are going to get in

It is the modern substitute of the photographic film (reel) Its a chip with thousands of light sensors which transform incoming light to information creating the picture

144 Memory cardStorage device of all DSLR cameras The captured images are all saved in it and the card keeps them until you dont erase the pictures individually or formatting the whole card With this devi-ce we can view the pictures by the camera screen or move them into our computer There are many types of memory card but the most common in DSLR cameras are SD cards (the little ones) and the Compact Flash cards (the big ones) We must make sure which card is compatible with our camera Such cards may have different storage capacity

thE CAMErAS USED in thiS grADE USE thE COMPACt FLASh CArD thE hOLES OF thE CArD MUSt MAtCh thE PiStOnS inSiDE thE CAMErA

itS ESSEntiAL tO tAkE grEAt CArE with thiS DEviCES AnD trying nOt tO BrEAk it Or gEt Dirty

145 BatteryEssential element for the camera operation by providing it with energy and allowing it to turn on and do all functions correctly You must be forehanded and keep the battery always charged if we are going to make a photo session We cant take pictures without battery

wE CAn SE hErE A viEwFinDEr ExAMPLE tAkE A LOOk At thE

gUiDE LinES in thE MiDDLE AnD thE CAMErA COnFigUrAtiOn

At thE BOttOM

AS wE CAn SEE in thE PiCtUrE thE BODy CAMErA ShAPE FitS

PErFECtLy in thE PhOtOgrAPhEr hAnDS

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 15

15 Camera ExposureThe exposure in photography refers to the amount of light ente-ring the camera and acting on film or digital sensor When more exposure is used or in other words when more light enters the camera then the brighter picture is taken and vice versa

Nowadays all cameras have automatic exposure control and usually it works well enough to produce nice pictures Of course in certain cases with bad light conditions or experimenting with light effects manual exposure could be preferable Even most ex-pensive cameras canrsquot take all range of light as eye can see and by setting exposure we are choosing suitable light interval and contrast of the image

151 Automatic exposureAlmost all modern digital cameras have several automatic expo-sure settings such as centre weighting average spot metering or multi zone metering

Centre weighting average usually is default setting Camera mea-sures light of all scene but most important is centre of the frame

With spot metering the camera will only measure a very small area of the scene (only few per cent of the viewfinder area) Spot

metering is very accurate and is commonly used to shoot very high contrast scenes (for example moon in the dark sky) or sce-nes with strong backlight

Using both exposure settings you can point camera to the darkest object to be taken in photo ldquolockrdquo exposure and focus by pres-sing and holding shutter button halfway and continue composing scene pointing camera to lighter objects This method enables better pictures of scenes with shadows and backlight

Multi zone metering estimates light conditions in several (7 9 or even hundreds) points of scene This sophisticated metering of-ten takes into consideration other camera settings and measu-rements such as focus distance from the object its colour and works quite well with all automatic settings

When you need change metering mode

Press button or look for metering mode menu

Select metering mode by pressing button

Then press

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 16

In Canon EOS cameras often are used some other titles of mete-ring modes

or Evaluative metering means multizone metering

or Partial metering means spot metering

is for centre weighting averaged metering

152 Scene presetsMost cameras have exposure presets for basic scenes setting optimal values of aperture size ISO and shutter speed

Scenes easily can be set using cameralsquos controls on example by dial ring in Canon EOS cameras Manual settings are available only in so called Creative zone

Portrait this mode blurs background and makes subject stand out

Landscape wide scenic views night scenes

Close-up Flowers small objects using minimal focusing distance

Sport For fast moving subjects when you want take sharp image

Night portrait For shooting peoples in dark environment the flash illuminates person and then environment is captured using low shutter speed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 17

153 Manual and automatic modes

PProgram AE mode Almost the same as auto-matic mode but you have ability to change iSO exposure compensation shutter speed and some other settings while maintaining the same exposure value

TvShutter priority AE mode you can change desirable shutter speed and camera will adjust aperture value automatically Shutter speed makes influence to sharpness or blurri-ness of moving objects in image

AvAperture priority AE mode you can chan-ge desirable aperture and camera will ad-just shutter speed automatically to keep the same image brightness Large aperture re-sults background blur and small apertures give deep images

MManual Exposure mode you can change both aperture and shutter speed manually you may need exposure level indicator to set proper values

A-DepAutomatic field-of-depth mode Camera will check both near and far objects to be in the focus

Automatic mode All exposure settings are set automatically

154 Manual exposureMany cameras donrsquot take good images of low light scenes becau-se their automatics canrsquot see objects clear enough to make pro-per decision on exposure settings Most cameras tend maximizing sensitivity to light (ISO) which increases the noise in the image instead getting more light by exceeding shutter speed over 05-1 sec If you have tripod you easily can manage low light scenes with manual shutter speeds as long as minute or more

1541 Main terms of exposure controlsShutter speed means exposure time when camera is open and collecting light from scene you take Exposure begins with full pressing shutter button Shutter speed usually is indicated in se-conds and fractions of seconds like 1250 The higher the num-ber the more light enters the camera Shutter speeds less than 11000 s are used for fast motion photos in excellent light and as long as 18 s and more usually are used for static low light scenes and with tripod

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 18

In various photography literature you often can find a term ldquostoprdquo of camera exposure ISO shutter speed etc what actually means some standard value of corresponding parameter only

Aperture means how wide camera is open for light from scene you take In practice term f-number is used which is roughly a ratio of the lenss focal length to the diameter of aperture hole for example f56 or f16 (f56 and f16 are ldquostopsrdquo ie standardised values) A lens with a greater f-number has smaller aperture hole and produces darker images

f14 f14 f14 f14

rELAtiOnShiP BEtwEEn APErtUrE SizE F-nUMBEr AnD PiCtUrE ExPOSUrE

ISO means sensitivity of film to light or nowadays the sensitivity of digital imaging systems Modern digital cameras have ISO range from 100 up to 1600 or even more The higher the ISO number the less light is required to produce photo with the same image brightness And low-sensitive camera needs longer exposition In both digital and film photography higher ISO generally leads to reduced image quality (bigger noise appears in the image)

Exposure value EV is a number that represents a combination of a cameras shutter speed and f-number Different shutter speeds and f-numbers combinations can produce the same exposure value Theoretically brightness of photos with the identical EV will be the same but sharpness and depth of images may differ very much

F-NUMBEREV 28 40 56 80 11 16

2 2 4 8 15 30 60

3 1 2 4 8 15 30

4 12 1 2 4 8 15

5 14 12 1 2 4 8

6 18 14 12 1 2 4

7 115 18 14 12 1 2

8 13 115 18 14 12 1

9 160 13 115 18 14 12

10 1125 160 13 115 18 14

11 1250 1125 160 13 115 18

12 1500 1250 1125 160 13 115

13 11000 1500 1250 1125 160 13

14 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125 160

15 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125

16 12000 11000 1500 1250

DEPEnDEnCy BEtwEEn F-nUMBEr AnD ShUttEr SPEED (ShUttEr SPEED iS ShOwn in intErSECtiOnS)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 19

Sunny 16 rule makes it easy to determine the exposure in a good daylight It says that correct exposure will be obtained on a sunny day by using an aperture of f16 and the shutter speed closest to the one second divided by ISO used For example if you set camera ISO to 100 then optimal shutter speed will be 1100 s

Depth of field increases with f-number This means that in photos taken with low f-number objects in focus only will be clear and rest nearer and farther elements will seem blurred If you use lar-ge f-numbers almost all elements in photo will look sharp If you prefer most informative documentary photos yoursquoll find aperture f-number f8 should be the best in most of cases

Typical exposure values EV for various light conditions when ISO equals 100 are shown in the table

LIGHTING CONDITION EV

DAYLIGHThigh contrast scenes such as snow or sand 16

Full sunlight or little shadows clear sky background 15

heavy overcast scenes in shadow during clear sunlight at sunset 12

just after sunset 9ndash11

OUTDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTneon fire 9ndash10

Bright street scenes 8

night street scenes fairs parks and window displays 7ndash8

night vehicle traffic Christmas tree lights 5

Lighted buildings monuments and fountains 3ndash5

Distant views of lighted buildings 2

INDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTgalleries 8ndash11

Sports events shows 8ndash9

ice shows floodlit 9

Offices and work areas 7ndash8

home interiors 5ndash7

Exposure compensation is a simple to use camera control to ob-tain lighter or darker image Usually this control looks like a slider with several marks from negative to positive Negative marks give darker and positive give more brighter image

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 20

Actual EV can be obtained by subtraction of exposure compen-sation value from EV value that camera indicates For example if camera settings give EV value 8 and selected EV compensation is 1 then actual AV will be 7

If youre not sure what settings to apply it is possible to set up a series of exposures by automatically increasing settings by 1 this is called bracketing

Aperture or shutter speed priority lets you control camerarsquos f-num-ber or shutter speed without worrying about the other settings that camera then automatically selects according light of the scene

155 Camerarsquos controlsISO speed usually is set between 100 and 400 automatically In creative zone modes you can set ISO speed to other values usually to 100 200 400 800 and 1600

Press button ISO speed menu will be displayed

Select ISO speed by pressing button then press

The shutter speed can be changed in interval from seconds to milliseconds by turning the dial in shutter priority mode

The actual shutter speed is indicated on the LCD screen as de-nominator of fraction in seconds On example lsquo125rsquo on the screen means 1125 seconds

The aperture value can be changed by turning the dial in aperture priority mode Aperture depends on lens attached to the camera The actual aperture is indicated on the LCD screen as denominator of fraction On example lsquo56rsquo on the screen means f56

In manual mode aperture settings you can reach by holding button

ExPOSitiOn inDiCAtOr ShOULD BE nEAr thE zErO MArk tO AChiEvE StAnDArD ExPOSUrE LEvEL tO DECrEASE it yOU ShOULD inCrEASE ShUttEr

SPEED Or SELECt SMALLEr APErtUrE

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 21

16 Colour control The actual colours are most important problem in photography The first most modern cameras have still non-linear image sen-sors and therefore there are used sophisticated colour proces-sors which complex algorithms to improve colour quality And the result of such processing often differs from original

The second you must have very good PC screen to reproduce actual colours Most of LCD monitors give only approximately colours and often even monitor colour pre-sets canrsquot help

One option is to consider each photo as a piece of art which mustnrsquot be an exact copy of reality In this case automatic colour control is enough But other option is smart use available came-ra settings and get result you need

161 White balanceAdjusting the white balance basically means making sure that a white or any grey shadowed part of the picture is really white or grey not with any red blue or green tones It the colour of white or grey parts corresponds to original colours we are sure that all other colours are correct

Most modern cameras have an AWB (automatic white balance) setting In the most cases can be let switched on especially out-

doors when light is strong Ever if your photos have wrong colour balance it can be easily corrected in the computer

If you take photos indoors without flash artificial light (bulbs luminescent tubes candles etc) may give strong colour tone on your images To avoid it cameras can have various pre-sets of white balance such as lsquotungsten bulbrsquo lsquowhite fluorescentrsquo etc

If you prefer use your own white balance settings various op-tions can be found in the table

Colour Temp Light source Setting icon

1000k Candles

2500k household light bulbs

5000k Average daylight electronic flash industrial lights

6000k Bright sunshine with clear sky

7000k Slightly overcast sky

8000k hazy sky

9000k Open shade on clear day

10000k heavily overcast sky

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 22

If you need to make sure yourselves how exact is your camerarsquos white balance you can take few photos of known grey object on example newspaper page open them in the photo editing sof-tware and look how much colour tone differs when you make them ldquoblack whiterdquo

161 SaturationMost cameras have colour saturation control eg less saturated normal and vivid options Vivid colours are ideal when you need to emphasize primary colours such as fashion lights fruits and flowers

Monochromatic option gives non-colour (black ndash white) images If you use high contrast settings such images will look more in-teresting

Sepia option makes your image look like as old fashion black ndash white photo with light brown tones

Many cameras have various colour filters and pre-sets which give your image particular colour tone balance or saturation

163 Colour processingIt is recommended in all cases to keep the same colour repre-senting standard ndash sRGB This option should be set in both your camera and photo processing software Alternative standard CMYK often is used in colour printers To make CMYK image from RGB always better and easier than vice versa

17 Light

Usually in photography we use three main types of light natural light studio light and flash

The light is most important in black and white (monochrome) pho-tography where interpretation of image depends mainly on sha-dows and highlights

There are some useful rules of light in photography The broader the light source the softer the light The narrower

the source the harder the light The closer the light source the softer the light The farther the

source the harder the light The brighter sky the darker shadows Clouds reduce sha-

dows and fog eliminates them at all The light falls off as the square of the distance If you bring light

far as twice the lightness on object surface will decrease four times

Light from side emphasises objectrsquos texture Frontlight masks roughness

Shadows create volume in image

And of course remember that light has a colour Daylight colour in the morning differs from daylight in the afternoon

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 23

171 Natural light Natural daylight has quick changing intensity colour temperatu-re shadows and angle of light Also we canrsquot choose position of light source but can change point of viewing getting various inte-resting light and shadow effects

During only rare periods (eg bright winter and early spring days) sunlight gives strong contrast between object front and shadows acting like key light in studio But in most cases sunlight is dis-sipated in the atmosphere and creates a smooth backlight with soft shadows

When the sun is behind object the main attention goes to outline of object and light effects on it increasing separation between the object and surrounding

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Some additional tools may be used to reduce shadows or highlight par-ticular areas of the object on exam-ple reflector The reflector reflects light like a mirror in the desired di-rection and it is easy to manage li-ght with it As a reflector you can use light-colored wall of the house or other bright objects too

Handy reflector is easy to make from a white paper sheet alumi-nium foil or even white plastic or linen

172 Studio light

StUDiO LightS

Light can be used to enhan-ce or hide particular objects in the image In the studio usually three lights are used for key (main) light fill light and backlight Various com-binations of these lights can produce different light effects

On example using only key light you can enhance contours and particular areas of object achieving very high objectback-ground contrast ratioUsing extra key lights on example 3 or 5 instead one presence of shadows will be minimised and you will be able to shoot quic-kly series of photos with only minimal adjustments but result will have less contrast and details

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 8: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 8

127 Computerised imageThe first image made with the help of a computer was born in the spring of 1957 As the story goes Russel Kirsch a researcher of the National Bureau programmes people have experienced that the optically recorded image is not an unalterable given thing but it can be reshaped or manipulated as required This is the fun-damental difference between analogous and digital optical ima-ges between photography and digital image-making although photographs can also be manipulated it is a rare phenomenon However in digital image creation manipulation and interfering with the image is the basic situation Not manipulated ldquooriginalrdquo images in a digital image environment are so to speak not appli-cable since ldquothe samerdquo picture will be different in terms of size and colours according to our settings and how big a monitor we are using to view them

128 MultimediaThe multimedia in the wider sense of the word is a creative en-vironment It is a system which provides the individual or groups with the interactive access of digital information captured in va-rious structures (picture graphics motion picture sound written text data files etc) not necessarily in the same data base it is the recording of that information at the place of its utilisation its restructuring and expansion This means that the goal is to supply information at a high level with the simultaneous stimulation of all senses for the sake of efficiency

As we see in the description photography also forms an impor-tant part of multimedia contents that is why we must bear in mind that pictures appearing there should be made with such care as if they were intended to appear elsewhere The photos must be legitimate (our own)

Today no magazines newspapers or internet portals exist without photos And I believe that however fast technology is developing the photograph will always have a place of its own

13 Image composition

Composition is one of the fundamental as well as easiest ways to creating better images You will not need any extra equipment neither expensive camera with sophisticated controls Just follow a few simple rules and your pictures will look much better and more interesting

In other hand almost all defects of photos taken can be later co-rrected by software including exposure contrast colour balance but unsuccessful composition of objects taken canlsquot be repaired

Most modern cameras have no optical viewfinder and user have to use LCD display to compose picture This causes inconve-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 9

nience due a flat view (it is difficult to understand the environment using it) but you can see exact image of future picture In addi-tion the display can be accompanied by various guidance grids and indicatorsProfessional cameras are usually equipped with optical viewfinders in addition to LCD displays

Shutter button is off Camera standsby and continuously adjusts to the scene

Shutter button is pressed half-way Camera is ready to take picture Focus and exposure are locked and you can continue to compose scene with the settings unchanged

Shutter button is pressed full-way Camera takes photo with the focus and exposure settings made above Be careful to keep the camera stable without shaking

131 The Rule of ThirdsLet divide image into nine equal parts by grids A human eye nor-mally focuses into objects that are placed in the intersections of the grids and such images look more pleasant

A griD OF thE rULE OF thirDS

A griD OF thE gOLDEn rAtiO

Most of modern digital cameras have grid of thirds on the viewfinder or screen

More advanced sort of that rule is Golden Ratio rule which states that any human and nature beauty is ba-sed on the aspect ratio 11618

Similar to Golden Ratio are so called golden triangles along which cor-ners and lines can be oriented ob-jects in the image You can google for it and see practical examples

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 10

132 LinesMost of images have some leading lines that catch the eye and indicate the path of the visual perception The lines can be real (geometric) or imagined and go vertical horizontal diagonal or even curved If image has no clear lines the observer canrsquot find easily starting point in the image and lose any interest to it

OriEntAtiOn OBjECtS ALOng CUrvES

SEvErAL POintS OF intErESt

It is considered that the horizon-tal lines and landscapes make peaceful and restful impression In contrast vertical lines poles tall trees and skyscrapers cause activity and a sense of worry

Diagonal lines and curves can create impression of change and dynamism They also are useful to make extra depth to your scene

The similar rules recommend making several points of interest in the image Having visited the main object the eye goes to se-condary objects which have to be placed in suitable points and in required order

It is very important to keep horizontal and vertical lines as much in line with the sides of your image as possible

133 Framing

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Images look better when objects of interest are framed by other secondary objects The eye ea-sier finds a focus point and stays there for a longer time

In practice framing can be used when shooting sky water forest mountains and other large natu-ral objects

134 Background and image depthAlmost in any cases you need to avoid busy backgrounds and fo-reign things or even colours in the scene that can divert attention from main objects The image has to be as simple as possible to percept it easily Human eye tends to reject any chaotic in place-ment or colours images

FiLLing iMAgES

One of the methods is to fill ima-ge by your object as much as possible leaving less space for background On example a por-trait looks more interesting when personrsquos head fills almost all ima-ge frame and boring if the per-son competes with other surroun-ding objects - a chair a lamp or even his own boots

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 11

The similar rule says to leave some spare space (negative space) in image to rest The space could be piece of blue sky water grass or simple dark shadow

In the worst case it is possible to set focus only to particular ob-jects by using camera controls and leave background in a fog out of focus

135 Symmetry patterns and Rule of OddsImages can look impressive when objects here have strict ver-tical or horizontal symmetry for example object and itrsquos reflec-tion on the water

Symmetric geometric shapes and patterns can be used to They could be found widely both in the man made surroundings and the nature Symmetry and patterns give image harmony and sen-se of order You can often play with colour and texture patterns obtaining special rhythm in the image too

Rule of Odds says that scenes with odd elements are more appea-ling than similar with even objects For example group of three or five birds look more interesting than two or four The explanation of this phenomena is that eye tends to find centre of scene and focus on the central figure In case of even objects eye focuses on empty space between objects

136 View in different anglesWhen you take photos of close things you can choose various viewing angles ndash from bottom to top Viewing angles can drama-tically change accents in the image and objects or people in the scene will have enhanced upper or bottom parts By selecting the viewing angle you can visually reduce some parts of the ob-ject and enlarge another changing perspective and perception of image

DiFFErEnt viEw AngLES

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 12

137 Letrsquos make experimentsAs you see some rules are similar and some even conflicting In fact you can combine several rules and even break them when you feel it is worth You can take one two or hundreds digital photos with no cost at all and have endless possibility for experi-ments Therefore always take a few photos instead one changing composition Later you will select the best image

Another tip If possible take larger scene than necessary leaving extra spaces Later you can select best framing and finally cut images using photo editing software

Modern digital cameras have tremendous number of pixels 14 million and more and this means that your even landscape pic-tures taken on that camera have dimensions over 1 m high on screen and A3 size on good colour printer So you have enough quality reserves and can safely cut the pictures for a better com-position

14 DSLR cameraNowadays everybody has the possibility to afford a digital photo camerahellip But are we totally familiarized with them In this unit we are going to present the DSLR cameras basic skills for better throughput and therefore better pictures

thiS iS A DSLr CAMErA MODEL A CAnOn 300D in thiS CASESOUrCE wwwkAviwEStCOM

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 13

DSLR or Digital Single Lens Reflex camera are cameras whose captured pictures are storaged in an electronic sensor not in a celluloid reel In their most remarkable skills are also the option of automate all of their procedures almost Both focus shooting devices and even flash The essential parts are the following

141 LensThe lens is the part of the camera that directs the light source to the camera and also let you focus the image and zoom it There are many kind of lenses with many focus distance and aperture skills They are essential to collect the information of outside and transmit it to the camera electronic sensor becoming a picture

FOr A right Fitting OF thE LEnS yOU ShOULD MAtCh thE LEnS AnD CAMErA BODy inDiCAtOrS AnD rOtAtE thE LEnS UntiL yOU hEAr thE

FAStEning SOUnD

One of the basic function of this part of the camera is performed by the focus This tool placed inside the lens is used to highlight an object or an area of the photo above the rest by increasing her sharpness That is known as to focus and you can do that by moving the focus switch to the left or to the right

thiS iS thE EFFECt thAt yOU gEt whEn yOU FOCUS DiFFErEnt OBjECtS Or ArEAS in thE SAME PiCtUrE

142 ViewfinderIs the peephole through we look at the area that we want to take a picture Usually also appears at the down part of the viewfinder the camera configuration that we have at the moment and which the photo is going to be taken We can also find the guide lines to help us with the picture elements distribution and composition

Is the physical structure of the camera Its stiffness facilitates us holding the camera Its also the mounting where the lens and other complements like flashes or tripods are changed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 14

This point its quickly explained The shutter release is the button that makes the photo when we push it We may regulate it at diffe-rent speed modifying the exposure time

143 Aperture

thE APErtUrE iS FOrMED By A LittLE tABS thAt whEn thEy BOUnD thEy FOrM An OPAqUE CirCLE intErrUPting thE Light ACCESS

Circular device placed between the camera mirror and the lens It has the function of allowing the light input to the sensor We can open and close it The more open it has more light are going to get in

It is the modern substitute of the photographic film (reel) Its a chip with thousands of light sensors which transform incoming light to information creating the picture

144 Memory cardStorage device of all DSLR cameras The captured images are all saved in it and the card keeps them until you dont erase the pictures individually or formatting the whole card With this devi-ce we can view the pictures by the camera screen or move them into our computer There are many types of memory card but the most common in DSLR cameras are SD cards (the little ones) and the Compact Flash cards (the big ones) We must make sure which card is compatible with our camera Such cards may have different storage capacity

thE CAMErAS USED in thiS grADE USE thE COMPACt FLASh CArD thE hOLES OF thE CArD MUSt MAtCh thE PiStOnS inSiDE thE CAMErA

itS ESSEntiAL tO tAkE grEAt CArE with thiS DEviCES AnD trying nOt tO BrEAk it Or gEt Dirty

145 BatteryEssential element for the camera operation by providing it with energy and allowing it to turn on and do all functions correctly You must be forehanded and keep the battery always charged if we are going to make a photo session We cant take pictures without battery

wE CAn SE hErE A viEwFinDEr ExAMPLE tAkE A LOOk At thE

gUiDE LinES in thE MiDDLE AnD thE CAMErA COnFigUrAtiOn

At thE BOttOM

AS wE CAn SEE in thE PiCtUrE thE BODy CAMErA ShAPE FitS

PErFECtLy in thE PhOtOgrAPhEr hAnDS

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 15

15 Camera ExposureThe exposure in photography refers to the amount of light ente-ring the camera and acting on film or digital sensor When more exposure is used or in other words when more light enters the camera then the brighter picture is taken and vice versa

Nowadays all cameras have automatic exposure control and usually it works well enough to produce nice pictures Of course in certain cases with bad light conditions or experimenting with light effects manual exposure could be preferable Even most ex-pensive cameras canrsquot take all range of light as eye can see and by setting exposure we are choosing suitable light interval and contrast of the image

151 Automatic exposureAlmost all modern digital cameras have several automatic expo-sure settings such as centre weighting average spot metering or multi zone metering

Centre weighting average usually is default setting Camera mea-sures light of all scene but most important is centre of the frame

With spot metering the camera will only measure a very small area of the scene (only few per cent of the viewfinder area) Spot

metering is very accurate and is commonly used to shoot very high contrast scenes (for example moon in the dark sky) or sce-nes with strong backlight

Using both exposure settings you can point camera to the darkest object to be taken in photo ldquolockrdquo exposure and focus by pres-sing and holding shutter button halfway and continue composing scene pointing camera to lighter objects This method enables better pictures of scenes with shadows and backlight

Multi zone metering estimates light conditions in several (7 9 or even hundreds) points of scene This sophisticated metering of-ten takes into consideration other camera settings and measu-rements such as focus distance from the object its colour and works quite well with all automatic settings

When you need change metering mode

Press button or look for metering mode menu

Select metering mode by pressing button

Then press

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 16

In Canon EOS cameras often are used some other titles of mete-ring modes

or Evaluative metering means multizone metering

or Partial metering means spot metering

is for centre weighting averaged metering

152 Scene presetsMost cameras have exposure presets for basic scenes setting optimal values of aperture size ISO and shutter speed

Scenes easily can be set using cameralsquos controls on example by dial ring in Canon EOS cameras Manual settings are available only in so called Creative zone

Portrait this mode blurs background and makes subject stand out

Landscape wide scenic views night scenes

Close-up Flowers small objects using minimal focusing distance

Sport For fast moving subjects when you want take sharp image

Night portrait For shooting peoples in dark environment the flash illuminates person and then environment is captured using low shutter speed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 17

153 Manual and automatic modes

PProgram AE mode Almost the same as auto-matic mode but you have ability to change iSO exposure compensation shutter speed and some other settings while maintaining the same exposure value

TvShutter priority AE mode you can change desirable shutter speed and camera will adjust aperture value automatically Shutter speed makes influence to sharpness or blurri-ness of moving objects in image

AvAperture priority AE mode you can chan-ge desirable aperture and camera will ad-just shutter speed automatically to keep the same image brightness Large aperture re-sults background blur and small apertures give deep images

MManual Exposure mode you can change both aperture and shutter speed manually you may need exposure level indicator to set proper values

A-DepAutomatic field-of-depth mode Camera will check both near and far objects to be in the focus

Automatic mode All exposure settings are set automatically

154 Manual exposureMany cameras donrsquot take good images of low light scenes becau-se their automatics canrsquot see objects clear enough to make pro-per decision on exposure settings Most cameras tend maximizing sensitivity to light (ISO) which increases the noise in the image instead getting more light by exceeding shutter speed over 05-1 sec If you have tripod you easily can manage low light scenes with manual shutter speeds as long as minute or more

1541 Main terms of exposure controlsShutter speed means exposure time when camera is open and collecting light from scene you take Exposure begins with full pressing shutter button Shutter speed usually is indicated in se-conds and fractions of seconds like 1250 The higher the num-ber the more light enters the camera Shutter speeds less than 11000 s are used for fast motion photos in excellent light and as long as 18 s and more usually are used for static low light scenes and with tripod

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 18

In various photography literature you often can find a term ldquostoprdquo of camera exposure ISO shutter speed etc what actually means some standard value of corresponding parameter only

Aperture means how wide camera is open for light from scene you take In practice term f-number is used which is roughly a ratio of the lenss focal length to the diameter of aperture hole for example f56 or f16 (f56 and f16 are ldquostopsrdquo ie standardised values) A lens with a greater f-number has smaller aperture hole and produces darker images

f14 f14 f14 f14

rELAtiOnShiP BEtwEEn APErtUrE SizE F-nUMBEr AnD PiCtUrE ExPOSUrE

ISO means sensitivity of film to light or nowadays the sensitivity of digital imaging systems Modern digital cameras have ISO range from 100 up to 1600 or even more The higher the ISO number the less light is required to produce photo with the same image brightness And low-sensitive camera needs longer exposition In both digital and film photography higher ISO generally leads to reduced image quality (bigger noise appears in the image)

Exposure value EV is a number that represents a combination of a cameras shutter speed and f-number Different shutter speeds and f-numbers combinations can produce the same exposure value Theoretically brightness of photos with the identical EV will be the same but sharpness and depth of images may differ very much

F-NUMBEREV 28 40 56 80 11 16

2 2 4 8 15 30 60

3 1 2 4 8 15 30

4 12 1 2 4 8 15

5 14 12 1 2 4 8

6 18 14 12 1 2 4

7 115 18 14 12 1 2

8 13 115 18 14 12 1

9 160 13 115 18 14 12

10 1125 160 13 115 18 14

11 1250 1125 160 13 115 18

12 1500 1250 1125 160 13 115

13 11000 1500 1250 1125 160 13

14 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125 160

15 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125

16 12000 11000 1500 1250

DEPEnDEnCy BEtwEEn F-nUMBEr AnD ShUttEr SPEED (ShUttEr SPEED iS ShOwn in intErSECtiOnS)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 19

Sunny 16 rule makes it easy to determine the exposure in a good daylight It says that correct exposure will be obtained on a sunny day by using an aperture of f16 and the shutter speed closest to the one second divided by ISO used For example if you set camera ISO to 100 then optimal shutter speed will be 1100 s

Depth of field increases with f-number This means that in photos taken with low f-number objects in focus only will be clear and rest nearer and farther elements will seem blurred If you use lar-ge f-numbers almost all elements in photo will look sharp If you prefer most informative documentary photos yoursquoll find aperture f-number f8 should be the best in most of cases

Typical exposure values EV for various light conditions when ISO equals 100 are shown in the table

LIGHTING CONDITION EV

DAYLIGHThigh contrast scenes such as snow or sand 16

Full sunlight or little shadows clear sky background 15

heavy overcast scenes in shadow during clear sunlight at sunset 12

just after sunset 9ndash11

OUTDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTneon fire 9ndash10

Bright street scenes 8

night street scenes fairs parks and window displays 7ndash8

night vehicle traffic Christmas tree lights 5

Lighted buildings monuments and fountains 3ndash5

Distant views of lighted buildings 2

INDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTgalleries 8ndash11

Sports events shows 8ndash9

ice shows floodlit 9

Offices and work areas 7ndash8

home interiors 5ndash7

Exposure compensation is a simple to use camera control to ob-tain lighter or darker image Usually this control looks like a slider with several marks from negative to positive Negative marks give darker and positive give more brighter image

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 20

Actual EV can be obtained by subtraction of exposure compen-sation value from EV value that camera indicates For example if camera settings give EV value 8 and selected EV compensation is 1 then actual AV will be 7

If youre not sure what settings to apply it is possible to set up a series of exposures by automatically increasing settings by 1 this is called bracketing

Aperture or shutter speed priority lets you control camerarsquos f-num-ber or shutter speed without worrying about the other settings that camera then automatically selects according light of the scene

155 Camerarsquos controlsISO speed usually is set between 100 and 400 automatically In creative zone modes you can set ISO speed to other values usually to 100 200 400 800 and 1600

Press button ISO speed menu will be displayed

Select ISO speed by pressing button then press

The shutter speed can be changed in interval from seconds to milliseconds by turning the dial in shutter priority mode

The actual shutter speed is indicated on the LCD screen as de-nominator of fraction in seconds On example lsquo125rsquo on the screen means 1125 seconds

The aperture value can be changed by turning the dial in aperture priority mode Aperture depends on lens attached to the camera The actual aperture is indicated on the LCD screen as denominator of fraction On example lsquo56rsquo on the screen means f56

In manual mode aperture settings you can reach by holding button

ExPOSitiOn inDiCAtOr ShOULD BE nEAr thE zErO MArk tO AChiEvE StAnDArD ExPOSUrE LEvEL tO DECrEASE it yOU ShOULD inCrEASE ShUttEr

SPEED Or SELECt SMALLEr APErtUrE

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 21

16 Colour control The actual colours are most important problem in photography The first most modern cameras have still non-linear image sen-sors and therefore there are used sophisticated colour proces-sors which complex algorithms to improve colour quality And the result of such processing often differs from original

The second you must have very good PC screen to reproduce actual colours Most of LCD monitors give only approximately colours and often even monitor colour pre-sets canrsquot help

One option is to consider each photo as a piece of art which mustnrsquot be an exact copy of reality In this case automatic colour control is enough But other option is smart use available came-ra settings and get result you need

161 White balanceAdjusting the white balance basically means making sure that a white or any grey shadowed part of the picture is really white or grey not with any red blue or green tones It the colour of white or grey parts corresponds to original colours we are sure that all other colours are correct

Most modern cameras have an AWB (automatic white balance) setting In the most cases can be let switched on especially out-

doors when light is strong Ever if your photos have wrong colour balance it can be easily corrected in the computer

If you take photos indoors without flash artificial light (bulbs luminescent tubes candles etc) may give strong colour tone on your images To avoid it cameras can have various pre-sets of white balance such as lsquotungsten bulbrsquo lsquowhite fluorescentrsquo etc

If you prefer use your own white balance settings various op-tions can be found in the table

Colour Temp Light source Setting icon

1000k Candles

2500k household light bulbs

5000k Average daylight electronic flash industrial lights

6000k Bright sunshine with clear sky

7000k Slightly overcast sky

8000k hazy sky

9000k Open shade on clear day

10000k heavily overcast sky

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 22

If you need to make sure yourselves how exact is your camerarsquos white balance you can take few photos of known grey object on example newspaper page open them in the photo editing sof-tware and look how much colour tone differs when you make them ldquoblack whiterdquo

161 SaturationMost cameras have colour saturation control eg less saturated normal and vivid options Vivid colours are ideal when you need to emphasize primary colours such as fashion lights fruits and flowers

Monochromatic option gives non-colour (black ndash white) images If you use high contrast settings such images will look more in-teresting

Sepia option makes your image look like as old fashion black ndash white photo with light brown tones

Many cameras have various colour filters and pre-sets which give your image particular colour tone balance or saturation

163 Colour processingIt is recommended in all cases to keep the same colour repre-senting standard ndash sRGB This option should be set in both your camera and photo processing software Alternative standard CMYK often is used in colour printers To make CMYK image from RGB always better and easier than vice versa

17 Light

Usually in photography we use three main types of light natural light studio light and flash

The light is most important in black and white (monochrome) pho-tography where interpretation of image depends mainly on sha-dows and highlights

There are some useful rules of light in photography The broader the light source the softer the light The narrower

the source the harder the light The closer the light source the softer the light The farther the

source the harder the light The brighter sky the darker shadows Clouds reduce sha-

dows and fog eliminates them at all The light falls off as the square of the distance If you bring light

far as twice the lightness on object surface will decrease four times

Light from side emphasises objectrsquos texture Frontlight masks roughness

Shadows create volume in image

And of course remember that light has a colour Daylight colour in the morning differs from daylight in the afternoon

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 23

171 Natural light Natural daylight has quick changing intensity colour temperatu-re shadows and angle of light Also we canrsquot choose position of light source but can change point of viewing getting various inte-resting light and shadow effects

During only rare periods (eg bright winter and early spring days) sunlight gives strong contrast between object front and shadows acting like key light in studio But in most cases sunlight is dis-sipated in the atmosphere and creates a smooth backlight with soft shadows

When the sun is behind object the main attention goes to outline of object and light effects on it increasing separation between the object and surrounding

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Some additional tools may be used to reduce shadows or highlight par-ticular areas of the object on exam-ple reflector The reflector reflects light like a mirror in the desired di-rection and it is easy to manage li-ght with it As a reflector you can use light-colored wall of the house or other bright objects too

Handy reflector is easy to make from a white paper sheet alumi-nium foil or even white plastic or linen

172 Studio light

StUDiO LightS

Light can be used to enhan-ce or hide particular objects in the image In the studio usually three lights are used for key (main) light fill light and backlight Various com-binations of these lights can produce different light effects

On example using only key light you can enhance contours and particular areas of object achieving very high objectback-ground contrast ratioUsing extra key lights on example 3 or 5 instead one presence of shadows will be minimised and you will be able to shoot quic-kly series of photos with only minimal adjustments but result will have less contrast and details

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 9: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 9

nience due a flat view (it is difficult to understand the environment using it) but you can see exact image of future picture In addi-tion the display can be accompanied by various guidance grids and indicatorsProfessional cameras are usually equipped with optical viewfinders in addition to LCD displays

Shutter button is off Camera standsby and continuously adjusts to the scene

Shutter button is pressed half-way Camera is ready to take picture Focus and exposure are locked and you can continue to compose scene with the settings unchanged

Shutter button is pressed full-way Camera takes photo with the focus and exposure settings made above Be careful to keep the camera stable without shaking

131 The Rule of ThirdsLet divide image into nine equal parts by grids A human eye nor-mally focuses into objects that are placed in the intersections of the grids and such images look more pleasant

A griD OF thE rULE OF thirDS

A griD OF thE gOLDEn rAtiO

Most of modern digital cameras have grid of thirds on the viewfinder or screen

More advanced sort of that rule is Golden Ratio rule which states that any human and nature beauty is ba-sed on the aspect ratio 11618

Similar to Golden Ratio are so called golden triangles along which cor-ners and lines can be oriented ob-jects in the image You can google for it and see practical examples

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 10

132 LinesMost of images have some leading lines that catch the eye and indicate the path of the visual perception The lines can be real (geometric) or imagined and go vertical horizontal diagonal or even curved If image has no clear lines the observer canrsquot find easily starting point in the image and lose any interest to it

OriEntAtiOn OBjECtS ALOng CUrvES

SEvErAL POintS OF intErESt

It is considered that the horizon-tal lines and landscapes make peaceful and restful impression In contrast vertical lines poles tall trees and skyscrapers cause activity and a sense of worry

Diagonal lines and curves can create impression of change and dynamism They also are useful to make extra depth to your scene

The similar rules recommend making several points of interest in the image Having visited the main object the eye goes to se-condary objects which have to be placed in suitable points and in required order

It is very important to keep horizontal and vertical lines as much in line with the sides of your image as possible

133 Framing

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Images look better when objects of interest are framed by other secondary objects The eye ea-sier finds a focus point and stays there for a longer time

In practice framing can be used when shooting sky water forest mountains and other large natu-ral objects

134 Background and image depthAlmost in any cases you need to avoid busy backgrounds and fo-reign things or even colours in the scene that can divert attention from main objects The image has to be as simple as possible to percept it easily Human eye tends to reject any chaotic in place-ment or colours images

FiLLing iMAgES

One of the methods is to fill ima-ge by your object as much as possible leaving less space for background On example a por-trait looks more interesting when personrsquos head fills almost all ima-ge frame and boring if the per-son competes with other surroun-ding objects - a chair a lamp or even his own boots

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 11

The similar rule says to leave some spare space (negative space) in image to rest The space could be piece of blue sky water grass or simple dark shadow

In the worst case it is possible to set focus only to particular ob-jects by using camera controls and leave background in a fog out of focus

135 Symmetry patterns and Rule of OddsImages can look impressive when objects here have strict ver-tical or horizontal symmetry for example object and itrsquos reflec-tion on the water

Symmetric geometric shapes and patterns can be used to They could be found widely both in the man made surroundings and the nature Symmetry and patterns give image harmony and sen-se of order You can often play with colour and texture patterns obtaining special rhythm in the image too

Rule of Odds says that scenes with odd elements are more appea-ling than similar with even objects For example group of three or five birds look more interesting than two or four The explanation of this phenomena is that eye tends to find centre of scene and focus on the central figure In case of even objects eye focuses on empty space between objects

136 View in different anglesWhen you take photos of close things you can choose various viewing angles ndash from bottom to top Viewing angles can drama-tically change accents in the image and objects or people in the scene will have enhanced upper or bottom parts By selecting the viewing angle you can visually reduce some parts of the ob-ject and enlarge another changing perspective and perception of image

DiFFErEnt viEw AngLES

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 12

137 Letrsquos make experimentsAs you see some rules are similar and some even conflicting In fact you can combine several rules and even break them when you feel it is worth You can take one two or hundreds digital photos with no cost at all and have endless possibility for experi-ments Therefore always take a few photos instead one changing composition Later you will select the best image

Another tip If possible take larger scene than necessary leaving extra spaces Later you can select best framing and finally cut images using photo editing software

Modern digital cameras have tremendous number of pixels 14 million and more and this means that your even landscape pic-tures taken on that camera have dimensions over 1 m high on screen and A3 size on good colour printer So you have enough quality reserves and can safely cut the pictures for a better com-position

14 DSLR cameraNowadays everybody has the possibility to afford a digital photo camerahellip But are we totally familiarized with them In this unit we are going to present the DSLR cameras basic skills for better throughput and therefore better pictures

thiS iS A DSLr CAMErA MODEL A CAnOn 300D in thiS CASESOUrCE wwwkAviwEStCOM

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 13

DSLR or Digital Single Lens Reflex camera are cameras whose captured pictures are storaged in an electronic sensor not in a celluloid reel In their most remarkable skills are also the option of automate all of their procedures almost Both focus shooting devices and even flash The essential parts are the following

141 LensThe lens is the part of the camera that directs the light source to the camera and also let you focus the image and zoom it There are many kind of lenses with many focus distance and aperture skills They are essential to collect the information of outside and transmit it to the camera electronic sensor becoming a picture

FOr A right Fitting OF thE LEnS yOU ShOULD MAtCh thE LEnS AnD CAMErA BODy inDiCAtOrS AnD rOtAtE thE LEnS UntiL yOU hEAr thE

FAStEning SOUnD

One of the basic function of this part of the camera is performed by the focus This tool placed inside the lens is used to highlight an object or an area of the photo above the rest by increasing her sharpness That is known as to focus and you can do that by moving the focus switch to the left or to the right

thiS iS thE EFFECt thAt yOU gEt whEn yOU FOCUS DiFFErEnt OBjECtS Or ArEAS in thE SAME PiCtUrE

142 ViewfinderIs the peephole through we look at the area that we want to take a picture Usually also appears at the down part of the viewfinder the camera configuration that we have at the moment and which the photo is going to be taken We can also find the guide lines to help us with the picture elements distribution and composition

Is the physical structure of the camera Its stiffness facilitates us holding the camera Its also the mounting where the lens and other complements like flashes or tripods are changed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 14

This point its quickly explained The shutter release is the button that makes the photo when we push it We may regulate it at diffe-rent speed modifying the exposure time

143 Aperture

thE APErtUrE iS FOrMED By A LittLE tABS thAt whEn thEy BOUnD thEy FOrM An OPAqUE CirCLE intErrUPting thE Light ACCESS

Circular device placed between the camera mirror and the lens It has the function of allowing the light input to the sensor We can open and close it The more open it has more light are going to get in

It is the modern substitute of the photographic film (reel) Its a chip with thousands of light sensors which transform incoming light to information creating the picture

144 Memory cardStorage device of all DSLR cameras The captured images are all saved in it and the card keeps them until you dont erase the pictures individually or formatting the whole card With this devi-ce we can view the pictures by the camera screen or move them into our computer There are many types of memory card but the most common in DSLR cameras are SD cards (the little ones) and the Compact Flash cards (the big ones) We must make sure which card is compatible with our camera Such cards may have different storage capacity

thE CAMErAS USED in thiS grADE USE thE COMPACt FLASh CArD thE hOLES OF thE CArD MUSt MAtCh thE PiStOnS inSiDE thE CAMErA

itS ESSEntiAL tO tAkE grEAt CArE with thiS DEviCES AnD trying nOt tO BrEAk it Or gEt Dirty

145 BatteryEssential element for the camera operation by providing it with energy and allowing it to turn on and do all functions correctly You must be forehanded and keep the battery always charged if we are going to make a photo session We cant take pictures without battery

wE CAn SE hErE A viEwFinDEr ExAMPLE tAkE A LOOk At thE

gUiDE LinES in thE MiDDLE AnD thE CAMErA COnFigUrAtiOn

At thE BOttOM

AS wE CAn SEE in thE PiCtUrE thE BODy CAMErA ShAPE FitS

PErFECtLy in thE PhOtOgrAPhEr hAnDS

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 15

15 Camera ExposureThe exposure in photography refers to the amount of light ente-ring the camera and acting on film or digital sensor When more exposure is used or in other words when more light enters the camera then the brighter picture is taken and vice versa

Nowadays all cameras have automatic exposure control and usually it works well enough to produce nice pictures Of course in certain cases with bad light conditions or experimenting with light effects manual exposure could be preferable Even most ex-pensive cameras canrsquot take all range of light as eye can see and by setting exposure we are choosing suitable light interval and contrast of the image

151 Automatic exposureAlmost all modern digital cameras have several automatic expo-sure settings such as centre weighting average spot metering or multi zone metering

Centre weighting average usually is default setting Camera mea-sures light of all scene but most important is centre of the frame

With spot metering the camera will only measure a very small area of the scene (only few per cent of the viewfinder area) Spot

metering is very accurate and is commonly used to shoot very high contrast scenes (for example moon in the dark sky) or sce-nes with strong backlight

Using both exposure settings you can point camera to the darkest object to be taken in photo ldquolockrdquo exposure and focus by pres-sing and holding shutter button halfway and continue composing scene pointing camera to lighter objects This method enables better pictures of scenes with shadows and backlight

Multi zone metering estimates light conditions in several (7 9 or even hundreds) points of scene This sophisticated metering of-ten takes into consideration other camera settings and measu-rements such as focus distance from the object its colour and works quite well with all automatic settings

When you need change metering mode

Press button or look for metering mode menu

Select metering mode by pressing button

Then press

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 16

In Canon EOS cameras often are used some other titles of mete-ring modes

or Evaluative metering means multizone metering

or Partial metering means spot metering

is for centre weighting averaged metering

152 Scene presetsMost cameras have exposure presets for basic scenes setting optimal values of aperture size ISO and shutter speed

Scenes easily can be set using cameralsquos controls on example by dial ring in Canon EOS cameras Manual settings are available only in so called Creative zone

Portrait this mode blurs background and makes subject stand out

Landscape wide scenic views night scenes

Close-up Flowers small objects using minimal focusing distance

Sport For fast moving subjects when you want take sharp image

Night portrait For shooting peoples in dark environment the flash illuminates person and then environment is captured using low shutter speed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 17

153 Manual and automatic modes

PProgram AE mode Almost the same as auto-matic mode but you have ability to change iSO exposure compensation shutter speed and some other settings while maintaining the same exposure value

TvShutter priority AE mode you can change desirable shutter speed and camera will adjust aperture value automatically Shutter speed makes influence to sharpness or blurri-ness of moving objects in image

AvAperture priority AE mode you can chan-ge desirable aperture and camera will ad-just shutter speed automatically to keep the same image brightness Large aperture re-sults background blur and small apertures give deep images

MManual Exposure mode you can change both aperture and shutter speed manually you may need exposure level indicator to set proper values

A-DepAutomatic field-of-depth mode Camera will check both near and far objects to be in the focus

Automatic mode All exposure settings are set automatically

154 Manual exposureMany cameras donrsquot take good images of low light scenes becau-se their automatics canrsquot see objects clear enough to make pro-per decision on exposure settings Most cameras tend maximizing sensitivity to light (ISO) which increases the noise in the image instead getting more light by exceeding shutter speed over 05-1 sec If you have tripod you easily can manage low light scenes with manual shutter speeds as long as minute or more

1541 Main terms of exposure controlsShutter speed means exposure time when camera is open and collecting light from scene you take Exposure begins with full pressing shutter button Shutter speed usually is indicated in se-conds and fractions of seconds like 1250 The higher the num-ber the more light enters the camera Shutter speeds less than 11000 s are used for fast motion photos in excellent light and as long as 18 s and more usually are used for static low light scenes and with tripod

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 18

In various photography literature you often can find a term ldquostoprdquo of camera exposure ISO shutter speed etc what actually means some standard value of corresponding parameter only

Aperture means how wide camera is open for light from scene you take In practice term f-number is used which is roughly a ratio of the lenss focal length to the diameter of aperture hole for example f56 or f16 (f56 and f16 are ldquostopsrdquo ie standardised values) A lens with a greater f-number has smaller aperture hole and produces darker images

f14 f14 f14 f14

rELAtiOnShiP BEtwEEn APErtUrE SizE F-nUMBEr AnD PiCtUrE ExPOSUrE

ISO means sensitivity of film to light or nowadays the sensitivity of digital imaging systems Modern digital cameras have ISO range from 100 up to 1600 or even more The higher the ISO number the less light is required to produce photo with the same image brightness And low-sensitive camera needs longer exposition In both digital and film photography higher ISO generally leads to reduced image quality (bigger noise appears in the image)

Exposure value EV is a number that represents a combination of a cameras shutter speed and f-number Different shutter speeds and f-numbers combinations can produce the same exposure value Theoretically brightness of photos with the identical EV will be the same but sharpness and depth of images may differ very much

F-NUMBEREV 28 40 56 80 11 16

2 2 4 8 15 30 60

3 1 2 4 8 15 30

4 12 1 2 4 8 15

5 14 12 1 2 4 8

6 18 14 12 1 2 4

7 115 18 14 12 1 2

8 13 115 18 14 12 1

9 160 13 115 18 14 12

10 1125 160 13 115 18 14

11 1250 1125 160 13 115 18

12 1500 1250 1125 160 13 115

13 11000 1500 1250 1125 160 13

14 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125 160

15 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125

16 12000 11000 1500 1250

DEPEnDEnCy BEtwEEn F-nUMBEr AnD ShUttEr SPEED (ShUttEr SPEED iS ShOwn in intErSECtiOnS)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 19

Sunny 16 rule makes it easy to determine the exposure in a good daylight It says that correct exposure will be obtained on a sunny day by using an aperture of f16 and the shutter speed closest to the one second divided by ISO used For example if you set camera ISO to 100 then optimal shutter speed will be 1100 s

Depth of field increases with f-number This means that in photos taken with low f-number objects in focus only will be clear and rest nearer and farther elements will seem blurred If you use lar-ge f-numbers almost all elements in photo will look sharp If you prefer most informative documentary photos yoursquoll find aperture f-number f8 should be the best in most of cases

Typical exposure values EV for various light conditions when ISO equals 100 are shown in the table

LIGHTING CONDITION EV

DAYLIGHThigh contrast scenes such as snow or sand 16

Full sunlight or little shadows clear sky background 15

heavy overcast scenes in shadow during clear sunlight at sunset 12

just after sunset 9ndash11

OUTDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTneon fire 9ndash10

Bright street scenes 8

night street scenes fairs parks and window displays 7ndash8

night vehicle traffic Christmas tree lights 5

Lighted buildings monuments and fountains 3ndash5

Distant views of lighted buildings 2

INDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTgalleries 8ndash11

Sports events shows 8ndash9

ice shows floodlit 9

Offices and work areas 7ndash8

home interiors 5ndash7

Exposure compensation is a simple to use camera control to ob-tain lighter or darker image Usually this control looks like a slider with several marks from negative to positive Negative marks give darker and positive give more brighter image

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 20

Actual EV can be obtained by subtraction of exposure compen-sation value from EV value that camera indicates For example if camera settings give EV value 8 and selected EV compensation is 1 then actual AV will be 7

If youre not sure what settings to apply it is possible to set up a series of exposures by automatically increasing settings by 1 this is called bracketing

Aperture or shutter speed priority lets you control camerarsquos f-num-ber or shutter speed without worrying about the other settings that camera then automatically selects according light of the scene

155 Camerarsquos controlsISO speed usually is set between 100 and 400 automatically In creative zone modes you can set ISO speed to other values usually to 100 200 400 800 and 1600

Press button ISO speed menu will be displayed

Select ISO speed by pressing button then press

The shutter speed can be changed in interval from seconds to milliseconds by turning the dial in shutter priority mode

The actual shutter speed is indicated on the LCD screen as de-nominator of fraction in seconds On example lsquo125rsquo on the screen means 1125 seconds

The aperture value can be changed by turning the dial in aperture priority mode Aperture depends on lens attached to the camera The actual aperture is indicated on the LCD screen as denominator of fraction On example lsquo56rsquo on the screen means f56

In manual mode aperture settings you can reach by holding button

ExPOSitiOn inDiCAtOr ShOULD BE nEAr thE zErO MArk tO AChiEvE StAnDArD ExPOSUrE LEvEL tO DECrEASE it yOU ShOULD inCrEASE ShUttEr

SPEED Or SELECt SMALLEr APErtUrE

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 21

16 Colour control The actual colours are most important problem in photography The first most modern cameras have still non-linear image sen-sors and therefore there are used sophisticated colour proces-sors which complex algorithms to improve colour quality And the result of such processing often differs from original

The second you must have very good PC screen to reproduce actual colours Most of LCD monitors give only approximately colours and often even monitor colour pre-sets canrsquot help

One option is to consider each photo as a piece of art which mustnrsquot be an exact copy of reality In this case automatic colour control is enough But other option is smart use available came-ra settings and get result you need

161 White balanceAdjusting the white balance basically means making sure that a white or any grey shadowed part of the picture is really white or grey not with any red blue or green tones It the colour of white or grey parts corresponds to original colours we are sure that all other colours are correct

Most modern cameras have an AWB (automatic white balance) setting In the most cases can be let switched on especially out-

doors when light is strong Ever if your photos have wrong colour balance it can be easily corrected in the computer

If you take photos indoors without flash artificial light (bulbs luminescent tubes candles etc) may give strong colour tone on your images To avoid it cameras can have various pre-sets of white balance such as lsquotungsten bulbrsquo lsquowhite fluorescentrsquo etc

If you prefer use your own white balance settings various op-tions can be found in the table

Colour Temp Light source Setting icon

1000k Candles

2500k household light bulbs

5000k Average daylight electronic flash industrial lights

6000k Bright sunshine with clear sky

7000k Slightly overcast sky

8000k hazy sky

9000k Open shade on clear day

10000k heavily overcast sky

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 22

If you need to make sure yourselves how exact is your camerarsquos white balance you can take few photos of known grey object on example newspaper page open them in the photo editing sof-tware and look how much colour tone differs when you make them ldquoblack whiterdquo

161 SaturationMost cameras have colour saturation control eg less saturated normal and vivid options Vivid colours are ideal when you need to emphasize primary colours such as fashion lights fruits and flowers

Monochromatic option gives non-colour (black ndash white) images If you use high contrast settings such images will look more in-teresting

Sepia option makes your image look like as old fashion black ndash white photo with light brown tones

Many cameras have various colour filters and pre-sets which give your image particular colour tone balance or saturation

163 Colour processingIt is recommended in all cases to keep the same colour repre-senting standard ndash sRGB This option should be set in both your camera and photo processing software Alternative standard CMYK often is used in colour printers To make CMYK image from RGB always better and easier than vice versa

17 Light

Usually in photography we use three main types of light natural light studio light and flash

The light is most important in black and white (monochrome) pho-tography where interpretation of image depends mainly on sha-dows and highlights

There are some useful rules of light in photography The broader the light source the softer the light The narrower

the source the harder the light The closer the light source the softer the light The farther the

source the harder the light The brighter sky the darker shadows Clouds reduce sha-

dows and fog eliminates them at all The light falls off as the square of the distance If you bring light

far as twice the lightness on object surface will decrease four times

Light from side emphasises objectrsquos texture Frontlight masks roughness

Shadows create volume in image

And of course remember that light has a colour Daylight colour in the morning differs from daylight in the afternoon

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 23

171 Natural light Natural daylight has quick changing intensity colour temperatu-re shadows and angle of light Also we canrsquot choose position of light source but can change point of viewing getting various inte-resting light and shadow effects

During only rare periods (eg bright winter and early spring days) sunlight gives strong contrast between object front and shadows acting like key light in studio But in most cases sunlight is dis-sipated in the atmosphere and creates a smooth backlight with soft shadows

When the sun is behind object the main attention goes to outline of object and light effects on it increasing separation between the object and surrounding

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Some additional tools may be used to reduce shadows or highlight par-ticular areas of the object on exam-ple reflector The reflector reflects light like a mirror in the desired di-rection and it is easy to manage li-ght with it As a reflector you can use light-colored wall of the house or other bright objects too

Handy reflector is easy to make from a white paper sheet alumi-nium foil or even white plastic or linen

172 Studio light

StUDiO LightS

Light can be used to enhan-ce or hide particular objects in the image In the studio usually three lights are used for key (main) light fill light and backlight Various com-binations of these lights can produce different light effects

On example using only key light you can enhance contours and particular areas of object achieving very high objectback-ground contrast ratioUsing extra key lights on example 3 or 5 instead one presence of shadows will be minimised and you will be able to shoot quic-kly series of photos with only minimal adjustments but result will have less contrast and details

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 10: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 10

132 LinesMost of images have some leading lines that catch the eye and indicate the path of the visual perception The lines can be real (geometric) or imagined and go vertical horizontal diagonal or even curved If image has no clear lines the observer canrsquot find easily starting point in the image and lose any interest to it

OriEntAtiOn OBjECtS ALOng CUrvES

SEvErAL POintS OF intErESt

It is considered that the horizon-tal lines and landscapes make peaceful and restful impression In contrast vertical lines poles tall trees and skyscrapers cause activity and a sense of worry

Diagonal lines and curves can create impression of change and dynamism They also are useful to make extra depth to your scene

The similar rules recommend making several points of interest in the image Having visited the main object the eye goes to se-condary objects which have to be placed in suitable points and in required order

It is very important to keep horizontal and vertical lines as much in line with the sides of your image as possible

133 Framing

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Images look better when objects of interest are framed by other secondary objects The eye ea-sier finds a focus point and stays there for a longer time

In practice framing can be used when shooting sky water forest mountains and other large natu-ral objects

134 Background and image depthAlmost in any cases you need to avoid busy backgrounds and fo-reign things or even colours in the scene that can divert attention from main objects The image has to be as simple as possible to percept it easily Human eye tends to reject any chaotic in place-ment or colours images

FiLLing iMAgES

One of the methods is to fill ima-ge by your object as much as possible leaving less space for background On example a por-trait looks more interesting when personrsquos head fills almost all ima-ge frame and boring if the per-son competes with other surroun-ding objects - a chair a lamp or even his own boots

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 11

The similar rule says to leave some spare space (negative space) in image to rest The space could be piece of blue sky water grass or simple dark shadow

In the worst case it is possible to set focus only to particular ob-jects by using camera controls and leave background in a fog out of focus

135 Symmetry patterns and Rule of OddsImages can look impressive when objects here have strict ver-tical or horizontal symmetry for example object and itrsquos reflec-tion on the water

Symmetric geometric shapes and patterns can be used to They could be found widely both in the man made surroundings and the nature Symmetry and patterns give image harmony and sen-se of order You can often play with colour and texture patterns obtaining special rhythm in the image too

Rule of Odds says that scenes with odd elements are more appea-ling than similar with even objects For example group of three or five birds look more interesting than two or four The explanation of this phenomena is that eye tends to find centre of scene and focus on the central figure In case of even objects eye focuses on empty space between objects

136 View in different anglesWhen you take photos of close things you can choose various viewing angles ndash from bottom to top Viewing angles can drama-tically change accents in the image and objects or people in the scene will have enhanced upper or bottom parts By selecting the viewing angle you can visually reduce some parts of the ob-ject and enlarge another changing perspective and perception of image

DiFFErEnt viEw AngLES

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 12

137 Letrsquos make experimentsAs you see some rules are similar and some even conflicting In fact you can combine several rules and even break them when you feel it is worth You can take one two or hundreds digital photos with no cost at all and have endless possibility for experi-ments Therefore always take a few photos instead one changing composition Later you will select the best image

Another tip If possible take larger scene than necessary leaving extra spaces Later you can select best framing and finally cut images using photo editing software

Modern digital cameras have tremendous number of pixels 14 million and more and this means that your even landscape pic-tures taken on that camera have dimensions over 1 m high on screen and A3 size on good colour printer So you have enough quality reserves and can safely cut the pictures for a better com-position

14 DSLR cameraNowadays everybody has the possibility to afford a digital photo camerahellip But are we totally familiarized with them In this unit we are going to present the DSLR cameras basic skills for better throughput and therefore better pictures

thiS iS A DSLr CAMErA MODEL A CAnOn 300D in thiS CASESOUrCE wwwkAviwEStCOM

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 13

DSLR or Digital Single Lens Reflex camera are cameras whose captured pictures are storaged in an electronic sensor not in a celluloid reel In their most remarkable skills are also the option of automate all of their procedures almost Both focus shooting devices and even flash The essential parts are the following

141 LensThe lens is the part of the camera that directs the light source to the camera and also let you focus the image and zoom it There are many kind of lenses with many focus distance and aperture skills They are essential to collect the information of outside and transmit it to the camera electronic sensor becoming a picture

FOr A right Fitting OF thE LEnS yOU ShOULD MAtCh thE LEnS AnD CAMErA BODy inDiCAtOrS AnD rOtAtE thE LEnS UntiL yOU hEAr thE

FAStEning SOUnD

One of the basic function of this part of the camera is performed by the focus This tool placed inside the lens is used to highlight an object or an area of the photo above the rest by increasing her sharpness That is known as to focus and you can do that by moving the focus switch to the left or to the right

thiS iS thE EFFECt thAt yOU gEt whEn yOU FOCUS DiFFErEnt OBjECtS Or ArEAS in thE SAME PiCtUrE

142 ViewfinderIs the peephole through we look at the area that we want to take a picture Usually also appears at the down part of the viewfinder the camera configuration that we have at the moment and which the photo is going to be taken We can also find the guide lines to help us with the picture elements distribution and composition

Is the physical structure of the camera Its stiffness facilitates us holding the camera Its also the mounting where the lens and other complements like flashes or tripods are changed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 14

This point its quickly explained The shutter release is the button that makes the photo when we push it We may regulate it at diffe-rent speed modifying the exposure time

143 Aperture

thE APErtUrE iS FOrMED By A LittLE tABS thAt whEn thEy BOUnD thEy FOrM An OPAqUE CirCLE intErrUPting thE Light ACCESS

Circular device placed between the camera mirror and the lens It has the function of allowing the light input to the sensor We can open and close it The more open it has more light are going to get in

It is the modern substitute of the photographic film (reel) Its a chip with thousands of light sensors which transform incoming light to information creating the picture

144 Memory cardStorage device of all DSLR cameras The captured images are all saved in it and the card keeps them until you dont erase the pictures individually or formatting the whole card With this devi-ce we can view the pictures by the camera screen or move them into our computer There are many types of memory card but the most common in DSLR cameras are SD cards (the little ones) and the Compact Flash cards (the big ones) We must make sure which card is compatible with our camera Such cards may have different storage capacity

thE CAMErAS USED in thiS grADE USE thE COMPACt FLASh CArD thE hOLES OF thE CArD MUSt MAtCh thE PiStOnS inSiDE thE CAMErA

itS ESSEntiAL tO tAkE grEAt CArE with thiS DEviCES AnD trying nOt tO BrEAk it Or gEt Dirty

145 BatteryEssential element for the camera operation by providing it with energy and allowing it to turn on and do all functions correctly You must be forehanded and keep the battery always charged if we are going to make a photo session We cant take pictures without battery

wE CAn SE hErE A viEwFinDEr ExAMPLE tAkE A LOOk At thE

gUiDE LinES in thE MiDDLE AnD thE CAMErA COnFigUrAtiOn

At thE BOttOM

AS wE CAn SEE in thE PiCtUrE thE BODy CAMErA ShAPE FitS

PErFECtLy in thE PhOtOgrAPhEr hAnDS

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 15

15 Camera ExposureThe exposure in photography refers to the amount of light ente-ring the camera and acting on film or digital sensor When more exposure is used or in other words when more light enters the camera then the brighter picture is taken and vice versa

Nowadays all cameras have automatic exposure control and usually it works well enough to produce nice pictures Of course in certain cases with bad light conditions or experimenting with light effects manual exposure could be preferable Even most ex-pensive cameras canrsquot take all range of light as eye can see and by setting exposure we are choosing suitable light interval and contrast of the image

151 Automatic exposureAlmost all modern digital cameras have several automatic expo-sure settings such as centre weighting average spot metering or multi zone metering

Centre weighting average usually is default setting Camera mea-sures light of all scene but most important is centre of the frame

With spot metering the camera will only measure a very small area of the scene (only few per cent of the viewfinder area) Spot

metering is very accurate and is commonly used to shoot very high contrast scenes (for example moon in the dark sky) or sce-nes with strong backlight

Using both exposure settings you can point camera to the darkest object to be taken in photo ldquolockrdquo exposure and focus by pres-sing and holding shutter button halfway and continue composing scene pointing camera to lighter objects This method enables better pictures of scenes with shadows and backlight

Multi zone metering estimates light conditions in several (7 9 or even hundreds) points of scene This sophisticated metering of-ten takes into consideration other camera settings and measu-rements such as focus distance from the object its colour and works quite well with all automatic settings

When you need change metering mode

Press button or look for metering mode menu

Select metering mode by pressing button

Then press

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 16

In Canon EOS cameras often are used some other titles of mete-ring modes

or Evaluative metering means multizone metering

or Partial metering means spot metering

is for centre weighting averaged metering

152 Scene presetsMost cameras have exposure presets for basic scenes setting optimal values of aperture size ISO and shutter speed

Scenes easily can be set using cameralsquos controls on example by dial ring in Canon EOS cameras Manual settings are available only in so called Creative zone

Portrait this mode blurs background and makes subject stand out

Landscape wide scenic views night scenes

Close-up Flowers small objects using minimal focusing distance

Sport For fast moving subjects when you want take sharp image

Night portrait For shooting peoples in dark environment the flash illuminates person and then environment is captured using low shutter speed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 17

153 Manual and automatic modes

PProgram AE mode Almost the same as auto-matic mode but you have ability to change iSO exposure compensation shutter speed and some other settings while maintaining the same exposure value

TvShutter priority AE mode you can change desirable shutter speed and camera will adjust aperture value automatically Shutter speed makes influence to sharpness or blurri-ness of moving objects in image

AvAperture priority AE mode you can chan-ge desirable aperture and camera will ad-just shutter speed automatically to keep the same image brightness Large aperture re-sults background blur and small apertures give deep images

MManual Exposure mode you can change both aperture and shutter speed manually you may need exposure level indicator to set proper values

A-DepAutomatic field-of-depth mode Camera will check both near and far objects to be in the focus

Automatic mode All exposure settings are set automatically

154 Manual exposureMany cameras donrsquot take good images of low light scenes becau-se their automatics canrsquot see objects clear enough to make pro-per decision on exposure settings Most cameras tend maximizing sensitivity to light (ISO) which increases the noise in the image instead getting more light by exceeding shutter speed over 05-1 sec If you have tripod you easily can manage low light scenes with manual shutter speeds as long as minute or more

1541 Main terms of exposure controlsShutter speed means exposure time when camera is open and collecting light from scene you take Exposure begins with full pressing shutter button Shutter speed usually is indicated in se-conds and fractions of seconds like 1250 The higher the num-ber the more light enters the camera Shutter speeds less than 11000 s are used for fast motion photos in excellent light and as long as 18 s and more usually are used for static low light scenes and with tripod

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 18

In various photography literature you often can find a term ldquostoprdquo of camera exposure ISO shutter speed etc what actually means some standard value of corresponding parameter only

Aperture means how wide camera is open for light from scene you take In practice term f-number is used which is roughly a ratio of the lenss focal length to the diameter of aperture hole for example f56 or f16 (f56 and f16 are ldquostopsrdquo ie standardised values) A lens with a greater f-number has smaller aperture hole and produces darker images

f14 f14 f14 f14

rELAtiOnShiP BEtwEEn APErtUrE SizE F-nUMBEr AnD PiCtUrE ExPOSUrE

ISO means sensitivity of film to light or nowadays the sensitivity of digital imaging systems Modern digital cameras have ISO range from 100 up to 1600 or even more The higher the ISO number the less light is required to produce photo with the same image brightness And low-sensitive camera needs longer exposition In both digital and film photography higher ISO generally leads to reduced image quality (bigger noise appears in the image)

Exposure value EV is a number that represents a combination of a cameras shutter speed and f-number Different shutter speeds and f-numbers combinations can produce the same exposure value Theoretically brightness of photos with the identical EV will be the same but sharpness and depth of images may differ very much

F-NUMBEREV 28 40 56 80 11 16

2 2 4 8 15 30 60

3 1 2 4 8 15 30

4 12 1 2 4 8 15

5 14 12 1 2 4 8

6 18 14 12 1 2 4

7 115 18 14 12 1 2

8 13 115 18 14 12 1

9 160 13 115 18 14 12

10 1125 160 13 115 18 14

11 1250 1125 160 13 115 18

12 1500 1250 1125 160 13 115

13 11000 1500 1250 1125 160 13

14 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125 160

15 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125

16 12000 11000 1500 1250

DEPEnDEnCy BEtwEEn F-nUMBEr AnD ShUttEr SPEED (ShUttEr SPEED iS ShOwn in intErSECtiOnS)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 19

Sunny 16 rule makes it easy to determine the exposure in a good daylight It says that correct exposure will be obtained on a sunny day by using an aperture of f16 and the shutter speed closest to the one second divided by ISO used For example if you set camera ISO to 100 then optimal shutter speed will be 1100 s

Depth of field increases with f-number This means that in photos taken with low f-number objects in focus only will be clear and rest nearer and farther elements will seem blurred If you use lar-ge f-numbers almost all elements in photo will look sharp If you prefer most informative documentary photos yoursquoll find aperture f-number f8 should be the best in most of cases

Typical exposure values EV for various light conditions when ISO equals 100 are shown in the table

LIGHTING CONDITION EV

DAYLIGHThigh contrast scenes such as snow or sand 16

Full sunlight or little shadows clear sky background 15

heavy overcast scenes in shadow during clear sunlight at sunset 12

just after sunset 9ndash11

OUTDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTneon fire 9ndash10

Bright street scenes 8

night street scenes fairs parks and window displays 7ndash8

night vehicle traffic Christmas tree lights 5

Lighted buildings monuments and fountains 3ndash5

Distant views of lighted buildings 2

INDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTgalleries 8ndash11

Sports events shows 8ndash9

ice shows floodlit 9

Offices and work areas 7ndash8

home interiors 5ndash7

Exposure compensation is a simple to use camera control to ob-tain lighter or darker image Usually this control looks like a slider with several marks from negative to positive Negative marks give darker and positive give more brighter image

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 20

Actual EV can be obtained by subtraction of exposure compen-sation value from EV value that camera indicates For example if camera settings give EV value 8 and selected EV compensation is 1 then actual AV will be 7

If youre not sure what settings to apply it is possible to set up a series of exposures by automatically increasing settings by 1 this is called bracketing

Aperture or shutter speed priority lets you control camerarsquos f-num-ber or shutter speed without worrying about the other settings that camera then automatically selects according light of the scene

155 Camerarsquos controlsISO speed usually is set between 100 and 400 automatically In creative zone modes you can set ISO speed to other values usually to 100 200 400 800 and 1600

Press button ISO speed menu will be displayed

Select ISO speed by pressing button then press

The shutter speed can be changed in interval from seconds to milliseconds by turning the dial in shutter priority mode

The actual shutter speed is indicated on the LCD screen as de-nominator of fraction in seconds On example lsquo125rsquo on the screen means 1125 seconds

The aperture value can be changed by turning the dial in aperture priority mode Aperture depends on lens attached to the camera The actual aperture is indicated on the LCD screen as denominator of fraction On example lsquo56rsquo on the screen means f56

In manual mode aperture settings you can reach by holding button

ExPOSitiOn inDiCAtOr ShOULD BE nEAr thE zErO MArk tO AChiEvE StAnDArD ExPOSUrE LEvEL tO DECrEASE it yOU ShOULD inCrEASE ShUttEr

SPEED Or SELECt SMALLEr APErtUrE

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 21

16 Colour control The actual colours are most important problem in photography The first most modern cameras have still non-linear image sen-sors and therefore there are used sophisticated colour proces-sors which complex algorithms to improve colour quality And the result of such processing often differs from original

The second you must have very good PC screen to reproduce actual colours Most of LCD monitors give only approximately colours and often even monitor colour pre-sets canrsquot help

One option is to consider each photo as a piece of art which mustnrsquot be an exact copy of reality In this case automatic colour control is enough But other option is smart use available came-ra settings and get result you need

161 White balanceAdjusting the white balance basically means making sure that a white or any grey shadowed part of the picture is really white or grey not with any red blue or green tones It the colour of white or grey parts corresponds to original colours we are sure that all other colours are correct

Most modern cameras have an AWB (automatic white balance) setting In the most cases can be let switched on especially out-

doors when light is strong Ever if your photos have wrong colour balance it can be easily corrected in the computer

If you take photos indoors without flash artificial light (bulbs luminescent tubes candles etc) may give strong colour tone on your images To avoid it cameras can have various pre-sets of white balance such as lsquotungsten bulbrsquo lsquowhite fluorescentrsquo etc

If you prefer use your own white balance settings various op-tions can be found in the table

Colour Temp Light source Setting icon

1000k Candles

2500k household light bulbs

5000k Average daylight electronic flash industrial lights

6000k Bright sunshine with clear sky

7000k Slightly overcast sky

8000k hazy sky

9000k Open shade on clear day

10000k heavily overcast sky

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 22

If you need to make sure yourselves how exact is your camerarsquos white balance you can take few photos of known grey object on example newspaper page open them in the photo editing sof-tware and look how much colour tone differs when you make them ldquoblack whiterdquo

161 SaturationMost cameras have colour saturation control eg less saturated normal and vivid options Vivid colours are ideal when you need to emphasize primary colours such as fashion lights fruits and flowers

Monochromatic option gives non-colour (black ndash white) images If you use high contrast settings such images will look more in-teresting

Sepia option makes your image look like as old fashion black ndash white photo with light brown tones

Many cameras have various colour filters and pre-sets which give your image particular colour tone balance or saturation

163 Colour processingIt is recommended in all cases to keep the same colour repre-senting standard ndash sRGB This option should be set in both your camera and photo processing software Alternative standard CMYK often is used in colour printers To make CMYK image from RGB always better and easier than vice versa

17 Light

Usually in photography we use three main types of light natural light studio light and flash

The light is most important in black and white (monochrome) pho-tography where interpretation of image depends mainly on sha-dows and highlights

There are some useful rules of light in photography The broader the light source the softer the light The narrower

the source the harder the light The closer the light source the softer the light The farther the

source the harder the light The brighter sky the darker shadows Clouds reduce sha-

dows and fog eliminates them at all The light falls off as the square of the distance If you bring light

far as twice the lightness on object surface will decrease four times

Light from side emphasises objectrsquos texture Frontlight masks roughness

Shadows create volume in image

And of course remember that light has a colour Daylight colour in the morning differs from daylight in the afternoon

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 23

171 Natural light Natural daylight has quick changing intensity colour temperatu-re shadows and angle of light Also we canrsquot choose position of light source but can change point of viewing getting various inte-resting light and shadow effects

During only rare periods (eg bright winter and early spring days) sunlight gives strong contrast between object front and shadows acting like key light in studio But in most cases sunlight is dis-sipated in the atmosphere and creates a smooth backlight with soft shadows

When the sun is behind object the main attention goes to outline of object and light effects on it increasing separation between the object and surrounding

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Some additional tools may be used to reduce shadows or highlight par-ticular areas of the object on exam-ple reflector The reflector reflects light like a mirror in the desired di-rection and it is easy to manage li-ght with it As a reflector you can use light-colored wall of the house or other bright objects too

Handy reflector is easy to make from a white paper sheet alumi-nium foil or even white plastic or linen

172 Studio light

StUDiO LightS

Light can be used to enhan-ce or hide particular objects in the image In the studio usually three lights are used for key (main) light fill light and backlight Various com-binations of these lights can produce different light effects

On example using only key light you can enhance contours and particular areas of object achieving very high objectback-ground contrast ratioUsing extra key lights on example 3 or 5 instead one presence of shadows will be minimised and you will be able to shoot quic-kly series of photos with only minimal adjustments but result will have less contrast and details

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 11: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 11

The similar rule says to leave some spare space (negative space) in image to rest The space could be piece of blue sky water grass or simple dark shadow

In the worst case it is possible to set focus only to particular ob-jects by using camera controls and leave background in a fog out of focus

135 Symmetry patterns and Rule of OddsImages can look impressive when objects here have strict ver-tical or horizontal symmetry for example object and itrsquos reflec-tion on the water

Symmetric geometric shapes and patterns can be used to They could be found widely both in the man made surroundings and the nature Symmetry and patterns give image harmony and sen-se of order You can often play with colour and texture patterns obtaining special rhythm in the image too

Rule of Odds says that scenes with odd elements are more appea-ling than similar with even objects For example group of three or five birds look more interesting than two or four The explanation of this phenomena is that eye tends to find centre of scene and focus on the central figure In case of even objects eye focuses on empty space between objects

136 View in different anglesWhen you take photos of close things you can choose various viewing angles ndash from bottom to top Viewing angles can drama-tically change accents in the image and objects or people in the scene will have enhanced upper or bottom parts By selecting the viewing angle you can visually reduce some parts of the ob-ject and enlarge another changing perspective and perception of image

DiFFErEnt viEw AngLES

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 12

137 Letrsquos make experimentsAs you see some rules are similar and some even conflicting In fact you can combine several rules and even break them when you feel it is worth You can take one two or hundreds digital photos with no cost at all and have endless possibility for experi-ments Therefore always take a few photos instead one changing composition Later you will select the best image

Another tip If possible take larger scene than necessary leaving extra spaces Later you can select best framing and finally cut images using photo editing software

Modern digital cameras have tremendous number of pixels 14 million and more and this means that your even landscape pic-tures taken on that camera have dimensions over 1 m high on screen and A3 size on good colour printer So you have enough quality reserves and can safely cut the pictures for a better com-position

14 DSLR cameraNowadays everybody has the possibility to afford a digital photo camerahellip But are we totally familiarized with them In this unit we are going to present the DSLR cameras basic skills for better throughput and therefore better pictures

thiS iS A DSLr CAMErA MODEL A CAnOn 300D in thiS CASESOUrCE wwwkAviwEStCOM

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 13

DSLR or Digital Single Lens Reflex camera are cameras whose captured pictures are storaged in an electronic sensor not in a celluloid reel In their most remarkable skills are also the option of automate all of their procedures almost Both focus shooting devices and even flash The essential parts are the following

141 LensThe lens is the part of the camera that directs the light source to the camera and also let you focus the image and zoom it There are many kind of lenses with many focus distance and aperture skills They are essential to collect the information of outside and transmit it to the camera electronic sensor becoming a picture

FOr A right Fitting OF thE LEnS yOU ShOULD MAtCh thE LEnS AnD CAMErA BODy inDiCAtOrS AnD rOtAtE thE LEnS UntiL yOU hEAr thE

FAStEning SOUnD

One of the basic function of this part of the camera is performed by the focus This tool placed inside the lens is used to highlight an object or an area of the photo above the rest by increasing her sharpness That is known as to focus and you can do that by moving the focus switch to the left or to the right

thiS iS thE EFFECt thAt yOU gEt whEn yOU FOCUS DiFFErEnt OBjECtS Or ArEAS in thE SAME PiCtUrE

142 ViewfinderIs the peephole through we look at the area that we want to take a picture Usually also appears at the down part of the viewfinder the camera configuration that we have at the moment and which the photo is going to be taken We can also find the guide lines to help us with the picture elements distribution and composition

Is the physical structure of the camera Its stiffness facilitates us holding the camera Its also the mounting where the lens and other complements like flashes or tripods are changed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 14

This point its quickly explained The shutter release is the button that makes the photo when we push it We may regulate it at diffe-rent speed modifying the exposure time

143 Aperture

thE APErtUrE iS FOrMED By A LittLE tABS thAt whEn thEy BOUnD thEy FOrM An OPAqUE CirCLE intErrUPting thE Light ACCESS

Circular device placed between the camera mirror and the lens It has the function of allowing the light input to the sensor We can open and close it The more open it has more light are going to get in

It is the modern substitute of the photographic film (reel) Its a chip with thousands of light sensors which transform incoming light to information creating the picture

144 Memory cardStorage device of all DSLR cameras The captured images are all saved in it and the card keeps them until you dont erase the pictures individually or formatting the whole card With this devi-ce we can view the pictures by the camera screen or move them into our computer There are many types of memory card but the most common in DSLR cameras are SD cards (the little ones) and the Compact Flash cards (the big ones) We must make sure which card is compatible with our camera Such cards may have different storage capacity

thE CAMErAS USED in thiS grADE USE thE COMPACt FLASh CArD thE hOLES OF thE CArD MUSt MAtCh thE PiStOnS inSiDE thE CAMErA

itS ESSEntiAL tO tAkE grEAt CArE with thiS DEviCES AnD trying nOt tO BrEAk it Or gEt Dirty

145 BatteryEssential element for the camera operation by providing it with energy and allowing it to turn on and do all functions correctly You must be forehanded and keep the battery always charged if we are going to make a photo session We cant take pictures without battery

wE CAn SE hErE A viEwFinDEr ExAMPLE tAkE A LOOk At thE

gUiDE LinES in thE MiDDLE AnD thE CAMErA COnFigUrAtiOn

At thE BOttOM

AS wE CAn SEE in thE PiCtUrE thE BODy CAMErA ShAPE FitS

PErFECtLy in thE PhOtOgrAPhEr hAnDS

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 15

15 Camera ExposureThe exposure in photography refers to the amount of light ente-ring the camera and acting on film or digital sensor When more exposure is used or in other words when more light enters the camera then the brighter picture is taken and vice versa

Nowadays all cameras have automatic exposure control and usually it works well enough to produce nice pictures Of course in certain cases with bad light conditions or experimenting with light effects manual exposure could be preferable Even most ex-pensive cameras canrsquot take all range of light as eye can see and by setting exposure we are choosing suitable light interval and contrast of the image

151 Automatic exposureAlmost all modern digital cameras have several automatic expo-sure settings such as centre weighting average spot metering or multi zone metering

Centre weighting average usually is default setting Camera mea-sures light of all scene but most important is centre of the frame

With spot metering the camera will only measure a very small area of the scene (only few per cent of the viewfinder area) Spot

metering is very accurate and is commonly used to shoot very high contrast scenes (for example moon in the dark sky) or sce-nes with strong backlight

Using both exposure settings you can point camera to the darkest object to be taken in photo ldquolockrdquo exposure and focus by pres-sing and holding shutter button halfway and continue composing scene pointing camera to lighter objects This method enables better pictures of scenes with shadows and backlight

Multi zone metering estimates light conditions in several (7 9 or even hundreds) points of scene This sophisticated metering of-ten takes into consideration other camera settings and measu-rements such as focus distance from the object its colour and works quite well with all automatic settings

When you need change metering mode

Press button or look for metering mode menu

Select metering mode by pressing button

Then press

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 16

In Canon EOS cameras often are used some other titles of mete-ring modes

or Evaluative metering means multizone metering

or Partial metering means spot metering

is for centre weighting averaged metering

152 Scene presetsMost cameras have exposure presets for basic scenes setting optimal values of aperture size ISO and shutter speed

Scenes easily can be set using cameralsquos controls on example by dial ring in Canon EOS cameras Manual settings are available only in so called Creative zone

Portrait this mode blurs background and makes subject stand out

Landscape wide scenic views night scenes

Close-up Flowers small objects using minimal focusing distance

Sport For fast moving subjects when you want take sharp image

Night portrait For shooting peoples in dark environment the flash illuminates person and then environment is captured using low shutter speed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 17

153 Manual and automatic modes

PProgram AE mode Almost the same as auto-matic mode but you have ability to change iSO exposure compensation shutter speed and some other settings while maintaining the same exposure value

TvShutter priority AE mode you can change desirable shutter speed and camera will adjust aperture value automatically Shutter speed makes influence to sharpness or blurri-ness of moving objects in image

AvAperture priority AE mode you can chan-ge desirable aperture and camera will ad-just shutter speed automatically to keep the same image brightness Large aperture re-sults background blur and small apertures give deep images

MManual Exposure mode you can change both aperture and shutter speed manually you may need exposure level indicator to set proper values

A-DepAutomatic field-of-depth mode Camera will check both near and far objects to be in the focus

Automatic mode All exposure settings are set automatically

154 Manual exposureMany cameras donrsquot take good images of low light scenes becau-se their automatics canrsquot see objects clear enough to make pro-per decision on exposure settings Most cameras tend maximizing sensitivity to light (ISO) which increases the noise in the image instead getting more light by exceeding shutter speed over 05-1 sec If you have tripod you easily can manage low light scenes with manual shutter speeds as long as minute or more

1541 Main terms of exposure controlsShutter speed means exposure time when camera is open and collecting light from scene you take Exposure begins with full pressing shutter button Shutter speed usually is indicated in se-conds and fractions of seconds like 1250 The higher the num-ber the more light enters the camera Shutter speeds less than 11000 s are used for fast motion photos in excellent light and as long as 18 s and more usually are used for static low light scenes and with tripod

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 18

In various photography literature you often can find a term ldquostoprdquo of camera exposure ISO shutter speed etc what actually means some standard value of corresponding parameter only

Aperture means how wide camera is open for light from scene you take In practice term f-number is used which is roughly a ratio of the lenss focal length to the diameter of aperture hole for example f56 or f16 (f56 and f16 are ldquostopsrdquo ie standardised values) A lens with a greater f-number has smaller aperture hole and produces darker images

f14 f14 f14 f14

rELAtiOnShiP BEtwEEn APErtUrE SizE F-nUMBEr AnD PiCtUrE ExPOSUrE

ISO means sensitivity of film to light or nowadays the sensitivity of digital imaging systems Modern digital cameras have ISO range from 100 up to 1600 or even more The higher the ISO number the less light is required to produce photo with the same image brightness And low-sensitive camera needs longer exposition In both digital and film photography higher ISO generally leads to reduced image quality (bigger noise appears in the image)

Exposure value EV is a number that represents a combination of a cameras shutter speed and f-number Different shutter speeds and f-numbers combinations can produce the same exposure value Theoretically brightness of photos with the identical EV will be the same but sharpness and depth of images may differ very much

F-NUMBEREV 28 40 56 80 11 16

2 2 4 8 15 30 60

3 1 2 4 8 15 30

4 12 1 2 4 8 15

5 14 12 1 2 4 8

6 18 14 12 1 2 4

7 115 18 14 12 1 2

8 13 115 18 14 12 1

9 160 13 115 18 14 12

10 1125 160 13 115 18 14

11 1250 1125 160 13 115 18

12 1500 1250 1125 160 13 115

13 11000 1500 1250 1125 160 13

14 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125 160

15 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125

16 12000 11000 1500 1250

DEPEnDEnCy BEtwEEn F-nUMBEr AnD ShUttEr SPEED (ShUttEr SPEED iS ShOwn in intErSECtiOnS)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 19

Sunny 16 rule makes it easy to determine the exposure in a good daylight It says that correct exposure will be obtained on a sunny day by using an aperture of f16 and the shutter speed closest to the one second divided by ISO used For example if you set camera ISO to 100 then optimal shutter speed will be 1100 s

Depth of field increases with f-number This means that in photos taken with low f-number objects in focus only will be clear and rest nearer and farther elements will seem blurred If you use lar-ge f-numbers almost all elements in photo will look sharp If you prefer most informative documentary photos yoursquoll find aperture f-number f8 should be the best in most of cases

Typical exposure values EV for various light conditions when ISO equals 100 are shown in the table

LIGHTING CONDITION EV

DAYLIGHThigh contrast scenes such as snow or sand 16

Full sunlight or little shadows clear sky background 15

heavy overcast scenes in shadow during clear sunlight at sunset 12

just after sunset 9ndash11

OUTDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTneon fire 9ndash10

Bright street scenes 8

night street scenes fairs parks and window displays 7ndash8

night vehicle traffic Christmas tree lights 5

Lighted buildings monuments and fountains 3ndash5

Distant views of lighted buildings 2

INDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTgalleries 8ndash11

Sports events shows 8ndash9

ice shows floodlit 9

Offices and work areas 7ndash8

home interiors 5ndash7

Exposure compensation is a simple to use camera control to ob-tain lighter or darker image Usually this control looks like a slider with several marks from negative to positive Negative marks give darker and positive give more brighter image

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 20

Actual EV can be obtained by subtraction of exposure compen-sation value from EV value that camera indicates For example if camera settings give EV value 8 and selected EV compensation is 1 then actual AV will be 7

If youre not sure what settings to apply it is possible to set up a series of exposures by automatically increasing settings by 1 this is called bracketing

Aperture or shutter speed priority lets you control camerarsquos f-num-ber or shutter speed without worrying about the other settings that camera then automatically selects according light of the scene

155 Camerarsquos controlsISO speed usually is set between 100 and 400 automatically In creative zone modes you can set ISO speed to other values usually to 100 200 400 800 and 1600

Press button ISO speed menu will be displayed

Select ISO speed by pressing button then press

The shutter speed can be changed in interval from seconds to milliseconds by turning the dial in shutter priority mode

The actual shutter speed is indicated on the LCD screen as de-nominator of fraction in seconds On example lsquo125rsquo on the screen means 1125 seconds

The aperture value can be changed by turning the dial in aperture priority mode Aperture depends on lens attached to the camera The actual aperture is indicated on the LCD screen as denominator of fraction On example lsquo56rsquo on the screen means f56

In manual mode aperture settings you can reach by holding button

ExPOSitiOn inDiCAtOr ShOULD BE nEAr thE zErO MArk tO AChiEvE StAnDArD ExPOSUrE LEvEL tO DECrEASE it yOU ShOULD inCrEASE ShUttEr

SPEED Or SELECt SMALLEr APErtUrE

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 21

16 Colour control The actual colours are most important problem in photography The first most modern cameras have still non-linear image sen-sors and therefore there are used sophisticated colour proces-sors which complex algorithms to improve colour quality And the result of such processing often differs from original

The second you must have very good PC screen to reproduce actual colours Most of LCD monitors give only approximately colours and often even monitor colour pre-sets canrsquot help

One option is to consider each photo as a piece of art which mustnrsquot be an exact copy of reality In this case automatic colour control is enough But other option is smart use available came-ra settings and get result you need

161 White balanceAdjusting the white balance basically means making sure that a white or any grey shadowed part of the picture is really white or grey not with any red blue or green tones It the colour of white or grey parts corresponds to original colours we are sure that all other colours are correct

Most modern cameras have an AWB (automatic white balance) setting In the most cases can be let switched on especially out-

doors when light is strong Ever if your photos have wrong colour balance it can be easily corrected in the computer

If you take photos indoors without flash artificial light (bulbs luminescent tubes candles etc) may give strong colour tone on your images To avoid it cameras can have various pre-sets of white balance such as lsquotungsten bulbrsquo lsquowhite fluorescentrsquo etc

If you prefer use your own white balance settings various op-tions can be found in the table

Colour Temp Light source Setting icon

1000k Candles

2500k household light bulbs

5000k Average daylight electronic flash industrial lights

6000k Bright sunshine with clear sky

7000k Slightly overcast sky

8000k hazy sky

9000k Open shade on clear day

10000k heavily overcast sky

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 22

If you need to make sure yourselves how exact is your camerarsquos white balance you can take few photos of known grey object on example newspaper page open them in the photo editing sof-tware and look how much colour tone differs when you make them ldquoblack whiterdquo

161 SaturationMost cameras have colour saturation control eg less saturated normal and vivid options Vivid colours are ideal when you need to emphasize primary colours such as fashion lights fruits and flowers

Monochromatic option gives non-colour (black ndash white) images If you use high contrast settings such images will look more in-teresting

Sepia option makes your image look like as old fashion black ndash white photo with light brown tones

Many cameras have various colour filters and pre-sets which give your image particular colour tone balance or saturation

163 Colour processingIt is recommended in all cases to keep the same colour repre-senting standard ndash sRGB This option should be set in both your camera and photo processing software Alternative standard CMYK often is used in colour printers To make CMYK image from RGB always better and easier than vice versa

17 Light

Usually in photography we use three main types of light natural light studio light and flash

The light is most important in black and white (monochrome) pho-tography where interpretation of image depends mainly on sha-dows and highlights

There are some useful rules of light in photography The broader the light source the softer the light The narrower

the source the harder the light The closer the light source the softer the light The farther the

source the harder the light The brighter sky the darker shadows Clouds reduce sha-

dows and fog eliminates them at all The light falls off as the square of the distance If you bring light

far as twice the lightness on object surface will decrease four times

Light from side emphasises objectrsquos texture Frontlight masks roughness

Shadows create volume in image

And of course remember that light has a colour Daylight colour in the morning differs from daylight in the afternoon

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 23

171 Natural light Natural daylight has quick changing intensity colour temperatu-re shadows and angle of light Also we canrsquot choose position of light source but can change point of viewing getting various inte-resting light and shadow effects

During only rare periods (eg bright winter and early spring days) sunlight gives strong contrast between object front and shadows acting like key light in studio But in most cases sunlight is dis-sipated in the atmosphere and creates a smooth backlight with soft shadows

When the sun is behind object the main attention goes to outline of object and light effects on it increasing separation between the object and surrounding

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Some additional tools may be used to reduce shadows or highlight par-ticular areas of the object on exam-ple reflector The reflector reflects light like a mirror in the desired di-rection and it is easy to manage li-ght with it As a reflector you can use light-colored wall of the house or other bright objects too

Handy reflector is easy to make from a white paper sheet alumi-nium foil or even white plastic or linen

172 Studio light

StUDiO LightS

Light can be used to enhan-ce or hide particular objects in the image In the studio usually three lights are used for key (main) light fill light and backlight Various com-binations of these lights can produce different light effects

On example using only key light you can enhance contours and particular areas of object achieving very high objectback-ground contrast ratioUsing extra key lights on example 3 or 5 instead one presence of shadows will be minimised and you will be able to shoot quic-kly series of photos with only minimal adjustments but result will have less contrast and details

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 12: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 12

137 Letrsquos make experimentsAs you see some rules are similar and some even conflicting In fact you can combine several rules and even break them when you feel it is worth You can take one two or hundreds digital photos with no cost at all and have endless possibility for experi-ments Therefore always take a few photos instead one changing composition Later you will select the best image

Another tip If possible take larger scene than necessary leaving extra spaces Later you can select best framing and finally cut images using photo editing software

Modern digital cameras have tremendous number of pixels 14 million and more and this means that your even landscape pic-tures taken on that camera have dimensions over 1 m high on screen and A3 size on good colour printer So you have enough quality reserves and can safely cut the pictures for a better com-position

14 DSLR cameraNowadays everybody has the possibility to afford a digital photo camerahellip But are we totally familiarized with them In this unit we are going to present the DSLR cameras basic skills for better throughput and therefore better pictures

thiS iS A DSLr CAMErA MODEL A CAnOn 300D in thiS CASESOUrCE wwwkAviwEStCOM

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 13

DSLR or Digital Single Lens Reflex camera are cameras whose captured pictures are storaged in an electronic sensor not in a celluloid reel In their most remarkable skills are also the option of automate all of their procedures almost Both focus shooting devices and even flash The essential parts are the following

141 LensThe lens is the part of the camera that directs the light source to the camera and also let you focus the image and zoom it There are many kind of lenses with many focus distance and aperture skills They are essential to collect the information of outside and transmit it to the camera electronic sensor becoming a picture

FOr A right Fitting OF thE LEnS yOU ShOULD MAtCh thE LEnS AnD CAMErA BODy inDiCAtOrS AnD rOtAtE thE LEnS UntiL yOU hEAr thE

FAStEning SOUnD

One of the basic function of this part of the camera is performed by the focus This tool placed inside the lens is used to highlight an object or an area of the photo above the rest by increasing her sharpness That is known as to focus and you can do that by moving the focus switch to the left or to the right

thiS iS thE EFFECt thAt yOU gEt whEn yOU FOCUS DiFFErEnt OBjECtS Or ArEAS in thE SAME PiCtUrE

142 ViewfinderIs the peephole through we look at the area that we want to take a picture Usually also appears at the down part of the viewfinder the camera configuration that we have at the moment and which the photo is going to be taken We can also find the guide lines to help us with the picture elements distribution and composition

Is the physical structure of the camera Its stiffness facilitates us holding the camera Its also the mounting where the lens and other complements like flashes or tripods are changed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 14

This point its quickly explained The shutter release is the button that makes the photo when we push it We may regulate it at diffe-rent speed modifying the exposure time

143 Aperture

thE APErtUrE iS FOrMED By A LittLE tABS thAt whEn thEy BOUnD thEy FOrM An OPAqUE CirCLE intErrUPting thE Light ACCESS

Circular device placed between the camera mirror and the lens It has the function of allowing the light input to the sensor We can open and close it The more open it has more light are going to get in

It is the modern substitute of the photographic film (reel) Its a chip with thousands of light sensors which transform incoming light to information creating the picture

144 Memory cardStorage device of all DSLR cameras The captured images are all saved in it and the card keeps them until you dont erase the pictures individually or formatting the whole card With this devi-ce we can view the pictures by the camera screen or move them into our computer There are many types of memory card but the most common in DSLR cameras are SD cards (the little ones) and the Compact Flash cards (the big ones) We must make sure which card is compatible with our camera Such cards may have different storage capacity

thE CAMErAS USED in thiS grADE USE thE COMPACt FLASh CArD thE hOLES OF thE CArD MUSt MAtCh thE PiStOnS inSiDE thE CAMErA

itS ESSEntiAL tO tAkE grEAt CArE with thiS DEviCES AnD trying nOt tO BrEAk it Or gEt Dirty

145 BatteryEssential element for the camera operation by providing it with energy and allowing it to turn on and do all functions correctly You must be forehanded and keep the battery always charged if we are going to make a photo session We cant take pictures without battery

wE CAn SE hErE A viEwFinDEr ExAMPLE tAkE A LOOk At thE

gUiDE LinES in thE MiDDLE AnD thE CAMErA COnFigUrAtiOn

At thE BOttOM

AS wE CAn SEE in thE PiCtUrE thE BODy CAMErA ShAPE FitS

PErFECtLy in thE PhOtOgrAPhEr hAnDS

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 15

15 Camera ExposureThe exposure in photography refers to the amount of light ente-ring the camera and acting on film or digital sensor When more exposure is used or in other words when more light enters the camera then the brighter picture is taken and vice versa

Nowadays all cameras have automatic exposure control and usually it works well enough to produce nice pictures Of course in certain cases with bad light conditions or experimenting with light effects manual exposure could be preferable Even most ex-pensive cameras canrsquot take all range of light as eye can see and by setting exposure we are choosing suitable light interval and contrast of the image

151 Automatic exposureAlmost all modern digital cameras have several automatic expo-sure settings such as centre weighting average spot metering or multi zone metering

Centre weighting average usually is default setting Camera mea-sures light of all scene but most important is centre of the frame

With spot metering the camera will only measure a very small area of the scene (only few per cent of the viewfinder area) Spot

metering is very accurate and is commonly used to shoot very high contrast scenes (for example moon in the dark sky) or sce-nes with strong backlight

Using both exposure settings you can point camera to the darkest object to be taken in photo ldquolockrdquo exposure and focus by pres-sing and holding shutter button halfway and continue composing scene pointing camera to lighter objects This method enables better pictures of scenes with shadows and backlight

Multi zone metering estimates light conditions in several (7 9 or even hundreds) points of scene This sophisticated metering of-ten takes into consideration other camera settings and measu-rements such as focus distance from the object its colour and works quite well with all automatic settings

When you need change metering mode

Press button or look for metering mode menu

Select metering mode by pressing button

Then press

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 16

In Canon EOS cameras often are used some other titles of mete-ring modes

or Evaluative metering means multizone metering

or Partial metering means spot metering

is for centre weighting averaged metering

152 Scene presetsMost cameras have exposure presets for basic scenes setting optimal values of aperture size ISO and shutter speed

Scenes easily can be set using cameralsquos controls on example by dial ring in Canon EOS cameras Manual settings are available only in so called Creative zone

Portrait this mode blurs background and makes subject stand out

Landscape wide scenic views night scenes

Close-up Flowers small objects using minimal focusing distance

Sport For fast moving subjects when you want take sharp image

Night portrait For shooting peoples in dark environment the flash illuminates person and then environment is captured using low shutter speed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 17

153 Manual and automatic modes

PProgram AE mode Almost the same as auto-matic mode but you have ability to change iSO exposure compensation shutter speed and some other settings while maintaining the same exposure value

TvShutter priority AE mode you can change desirable shutter speed and camera will adjust aperture value automatically Shutter speed makes influence to sharpness or blurri-ness of moving objects in image

AvAperture priority AE mode you can chan-ge desirable aperture and camera will ad-just shutter speed automatically to keep the same image brightness Large aperture re-sults background blur and small apertures give deep images

MManual Exposure mode you can change both aperture and shutter speed manually you may need exposure level indicator to set proper values

A-DepAutomatic field-of-depth mode Camera will check both near and far objects to be in the focus

Automatic mode All exposure settings are set automatically

154 Manual exposureMany cameras donrsquot take good images of low light scenes becau-se their automatics canrsquot see objects clear enough to make pro-per decision on exposure settings Most cameras tend maximizing sensitivity to light (ISO) which increases the noise in the image instead getting more light by exceeding shutter speed over 05-1 sec If you have tripod you easily can manage low light scenes with manual shutter speeds as long as minute or more

1541 Main terms of exposure controlsShutter speed means exposure time when camera is open and collecting light from scene you take Exposure begins with full pressing shutter button Shutter speed usually is indicated in se-conds and fractions of seconds like 1250 The higher the num-ber the more light enters the camera Shutter speeds less than 11000 s are used for fast motion photos in excellent light and as long as 18 s and more usually are used for static low light scenes and with tripod

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 18

In various photography literature you often can find a term ldquostoprdquo of camera exposure ISO shutter speed etc what actually means some standard value of corresponding parameter only

Aperture means how wide camera is open for light from scene you take In practice term f-number is used which is roughly a ratio of the lenss focal length to the diameter of aperture hole for example f56 or f16 (f56 and f16 are ldquostopsrdquo ie standardised values) A lens with a greater f-number has smaller aperture hole and produces darker images

f14 f14 f14 f14

rELAtiOnShiP BEtwEEn APErtUrE SizE F-nUMBEr AnD PiCtUrE ExPOSUrE

ISO means sensitivity of film to light or nowadays the sensitivity of digital imaging systems Modern digital cameras have ISO range from 100 up to 1600 or even more The higher the ISO number the less light is required to produce photo with the same image brightness And low-sensitive camera needs longer exposition In both digital and film photography higher ISO generally leads to reduced image quality (bigger noise appears in the image)

Exposure value EV is a number that represents a combination of a cameras shutter speed and f-number Different shutter speeds and f-numbers combinations can produce the same exposure value Theoretically brightness of photos with the identical EV will be the same but sharpness and depth of images may differ very much

F-NUMBEREV 28 40 56 80 11 16

2 2 4 8 15 30 60

3 1 2 4 8 15 30

4 12 1 2 4 8 15

5 14 12 1 2 4 8

6 18 14 12 1 2 4

7 115 18 14 12 1 2

8 13 115 18 14 12 1

9 160 13 115 18 14 12

10 1125 160 13 115 18 14

11 1250 1125 160 13 115 18

12 1500 1250 1125 160 13 115

13 11000 1500 1250 1125 160 13

14 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125 160

15 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125

16 12000 11000 1500 1250

DEPEnDEnCy BEtwEEn F-nUMBEr AnD ShUttEr SPEED (ShUttEr SPEED iS ShOwn in intErSECtiOnS)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 19

Sunny 16 rule makes it easy to determine the exposure in a good daylight It says that correct exposure will be obtained on a sunny day by using an aperture of f16 and the shutter speed closest to the one second divided by ISO used For example if you set camera ISO to 100 then optimal shutter speed will be 1100 s

Depth of field increases with f-number This means that in photos taken with low f-number objects in focus only will be clear and rest nearer and farther elements will seem blurred If you use lar-ge f-numbers almost all elements in photo will look sharp If you prefer most informative documentary photos yoursquoll find aperture f-number f8 should be the best in most of cases

Typical exposure values EV for various light conditions when ISO equals 100 are shown in the table

LIGHTING CONDITION EV

DAYLIGHThigh contrast scenes such as snow or sand 16

Full sunlight or little shadows clear sky background 15

heavy overcast scenes in shadow during clear sunlight at sunset 12

just after sunset 9ndash11

OUTDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTneon fire 9ndash10

Bright street scenes 8

night street scenes fairs parks and window displays 7ndash8

night vehicle traffic Christmas tree lights 5

Lighted buildings monuments and fountains 3ndash5

Distant views of lighted buildings 2

INDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTgalleries 8ndash11

Sports events shows 8ndash9

ice shows floodlit 9

Offices and work areas 7ndash8

home interiors 5ndash7

Exposure compensation is a simple to use camera control to ob-tain lighter or darker image Usually this control looks like a slider with several marks from negative to positive Negative marks give darker and positive give more brighter image

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 20

Actual EV can be obtained by subtraction of exposure compen-sation value from EV value that camera indicates For example if camera settings give EV value 8 and selected EV compensation is 1 then actual AV will be 7

If youre not sure what settings to apply it is possible to set up a series of exposures by automatically increasing settings by 1 this is called bracketing

Aperture or shutter speed priority lets you control camerarsquos f-num-ber or shutter speed without worrying about the other settings that camera then automatically selects according light of the scene

155 Camerarsquos controlsISO speed usually is set between 100 and 400 automatically In creative zone modes you can set ISO speed to other values usually to 100 200 400 800 and 1600

Press button ISO speed menu will be displayed

Select ISO speed by pressing button then press

The shutter speed can be changed in interval from seconds to milliseconds by turning the dial in shutter priority mode

The actual shutter speed is indicated on the LCD screen as de-nominator of fraction in seconds On example lsquo125rsquo on the screen means 1125 seconds

The aperture value can be changed by turning the dial in aperture priority mode Aperture depends on lens attached to the camera The actual aperture is indicated on the LCD screen as denominator of fraction On example lsquo56rsquo on the screen means f56

In manual mode aperture settings you can reach by holding button

ExPOSitiOn inDiCAtOr ShOULD BE nEAr thE zErO MArk tO AChiEvE StAnDArD ExPOSUrE LEvEL tO DECrEASE it yOU ShOULD inCrEASE ShUttEr

SPEED Or SELECt SMALLEr APErtUrE

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 21

16 Colour control The actual colours are most important problem in photography The first most modern cameras have still non-linear image sen-sors and therefore there are used sophisticated colour proces-sors which complex algorithms to improve colour quality And the result of such processing often differs from original

The second you must have very good PC screen to reproduce actual colours Most of LCD monitors give only approximately colours and often even monitor colour pre-sets canrsquot help

One option is to consider each photo as a piece of art which mustnrsquot be an exact copy of reality In this case automatic colour control is enough But other option is smart use available came-ra settings and get result you need

161 White balanceAdjusting the white balance basically means making sure that a white or any grey shadowed part of the picture is really white or grey not with any red blue or green tones It the colour of white or grey parts corresponds to original colours we are sure that all other colours are correct

Most modern cameras have an AWB (automatic white balance) setting In the most cases can be let switched on especially out-

doors when light is strong Ever if your photos have wrong colour balance it can be easily corrected in the computer

If you take photos indoors without flash artificial light (bulbs luminescent tubes candles etc) may give strong colour tone on your images To avoid it cameras can have various pre-sets of white balance such as lsquotungsten bulbrsquo lsquowhite fluorescentrsquo etc

If you prefer use your own white balance settings various op-tions can be found in the table

Colour Temp Light source Setting icon

1000k Candles

2500k household light bulbs

5000k Average daylight electronic flash industrial lights

6000k Bright sunshine with clear sky

7000k Slightly overcast sky

8000k hazy sky

9000k Open shade on clear day

10000k heavily overcast sky

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 22

If you need to make sure yourselves how exact is your camerarsquos white balance you can take few photos of known grey object on example newspaper page open them in the photo editing sof-tware and look how much colour tone differs when you make them ldquoblack whiterdquo

161 SaturationMost cameras have colour saturation control eg less saturated normal and vivid options Vivid colours are ideal when you need to emphasize primary colours such as fashion lights fruits and flowers

Monochromatic option gives non-colour (black ndash white) images If you use high contrast settings such images will look more in-teresting

Sepia option makes your image look like as old fashion black ndash white photo with light brown tones

Many cameras have various colour filters and pre-sets which give your image particular colour tone balance or saturation

163 Colour processingIt is recommended in all cases to keep the same colour repre-senting standard ndash sRGB This option should be set in both your camera and photo processing software Alternative standard CMYK often is used in colour printers To make CMYK image from RGB always better and easier than vice versa

17 Light

Usually in photography we use three main types of light natural light studio light and flash

The light is most important in black and white (monochrome) pho-tography where interpretation of image depends mainly on sha-dows and highlights

There are some useful rules of light in photography The broader the light source the softer the light The narrower

the source the harder the light The closer the light source the softer the light The farther the

source the harder the light The brighter sky the darker shadows Clouds reduce sha-

dows and fog eliminates them at all The light falls off as the square of the distance If you bring light

far as twice the lightness on object surface will decrease four times

Light from side emphasises objectrsquos texture Frontlight masks roughness

Shadows create volume in image

And of course remember that light has a colour Daylight colour in the morning differs from daylight in the afternoon

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 23

171 Natural light Natural daylight has quick changing intensity colour temperatu-re shadows and angle of light Also we canrsquot choose position of light source but can change point of viewing getting various inte-resting light and shadow effects

During only rare periods (eg bright winter and early spring days) sunlight gives strong contrast between object front and shadows acting like key light in studio But in most cases sunlight is dis-sipated in the atmosphere and creates a smooth backlight with soft shadows

When the sun is behind object the main attention goes to outline of object and light effects on it increasing separation between the object and surrounding

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Some additional tools may be used to reduce shadows or highlight par-ticular areas of the object on exam-ple reflector The reflector reflects light like a mirror in the desired di-rection and it is easy to manage li-ght with it As a reflector you can use light-colored wall of the house or other bright objects too

Handy reflector is easy to make from a white paper sheet alumi-nium foil or even white plastic or linen

172 Studio light

StUDiO LightS

Light can be used to enhan-ce or hide particular objects in the image In the studio usually three lights are used for key (main) light fill light and backlight Various com-binations of these lights can produce different light effects

On example using only key light you can enhance contours and particular areas of object achieving very high objectback-ground contrast ratioUsing extra key lights on example 3 or 5 instead one presence of shadows will be minimised and you will be able to shoot quic-kly series of photos with only minimal adjustments but result will have less contrast and details

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 13: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 13

DSLR or Digital Single Lens Reflex camera are cameras whose captured pictures are storaged in an electronic sensor not in a celluloid reel In their most remarkable skills are also the option of automate all of their procedures almost Both focus shooting devices and even flash The essential parts are the following

141 LensThe lens is the part of the camera that directs the light source to the camera and also let you focus the image and zoom it There are many kind of lenses with many focus distance and aperture skills They are essential to collect the information of outside and transmit it to the camera electronic sensor becoming a picture

FOr A right Fitting OF thE LEnS yOU ShOULD MAtCh thE LEnS AnD CAMErA BODy inDiCAtOrS AnD rOtAtE thE LEnS UntiL yOU hEAr thE

FAStEning SOUnD

One of the basic function of this part of the camera is performed by the focus This tool placed inside the lens is used to highlight an object or an area of the photo above the rest by increasing her sharpness That is known as to focus and you can do that by moving the focus switch to the left or to the right

thiS iS thE EFFECt thAt yOU gEt whEn yOU FOCUS DiFFErEnt OBjECtS Or ArEAS in thE SAME PiCtUrE

142 ViewfinderIs the peephole through we look at the area that we want to take a picture Usually also appears at the down part of the viewfinder the camera configuration that we have at the moment and which the photo is going to be taken We can also find the guide lines to help us with the picture elements distribution and composition

Is the physical structure of the camera Its stiffness facilitates us holding the camera Its also the mounting where the lens and other complements like flashes or tripods are changed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 14

This point its quickly explained The shutter release is the button that makes the photo when we push it We may regulate it at diffe-rent speed modifying the exposure time

143 Aperture

thE APErtUrE iS FOrMED By A LittLE tABS thAt whEn thEy BOUnD thEy FOrM An OPAqUE CirCLE intErrUPting thE Light ACCESS

Circular device placed between the camera mirror and the lens It has the function of allowing the light input to the sensor We can open and close it The more open it has more light are going to get in

It is the modern substitute of the photographic film (reel) Its a chip with thousands of light sensors which transform incoming light to information creating the picture

144 Memory cardStorage device of all DSLR cameras The captured images are all saved in it and the card keeps them until you dont erase the pictures individually or formatting the whole card With this devi-ce we can view the pictures by the camera screen or move them into our computer There are many types of memory card but the most common in DSLR cameras are SD cards (the little ones) and the Compact Flash cards (the big ones) We must make sure which card is compatible with our camera Such cards may have different storage capacity

thE CAMErAS USED in thiS grADE USE thE COMPACt FLASh CArD thE hOLES OF thE CArD MUSt MAtCh thE PiStOnS inSiDE thE CAMErA

itS ESSEntiAL tO tAkE grEAt CArE with thiS DEviCES AnD trying nOt tO BrEAk it Or gEt Dirty

145 BatteryEssential element for the camera operation by providing it with energy and allowing it to turn on and do all functions correctly You must be forehanded and keep the battery always charged if we are going to make a photo session We cant take pictures without battery

wE CAn SE hErE A viEwFinDEr ExAMPLE tAkE A LOOk At thE

gUiDE LinES in thE MiDDLE AnD thE CAMErA COnFigUrAtiOn

At thE BOttOM

AS wE CAn SEE in thE PiCtUrE thE BODy CAMErA ShAPE FitS

PErFECtLy in thE PhOtOgrAPhEr hAnDS

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 15

15 Camera ExposureThe exposure in photography refers to the amount of light ente-ring the camera and acting on film or digital sensor When more exposure is used or in other words when more light enters the camera then the brighter picture is taken and vice versa

Nowadays all cameras have automatic exposure control and usually it works well enough to produce nice pictures Of course in certain cases with bad light conditions or experimenting with light effects manual exposure could be preferable Even most ex-pensive cameras canrsquot take all range of light as eye can see and by setting exposure we are choosing suitable light interval and contrast of the image

151 Automatic exposureAlmost all modern digital cameras have several automatic expo-sure settings such as centre weighting average spot metering or multi zone metering

Centre weighting average usually is default setting Camera mea-sures light of all scene but most important is centre of the frame

With spot metering the camera will only measure a very small area of the scene (only few per cent of the viewfinder area) Spot

metering is very accurate and is commonly used to shoot very high contrast scenes (for example moon in the dark sky) or sce-nes with strong backlight

Using both exposure settings you can point camera to the darkest object to be taken in photo ldquolockrdquo exposure and focus by pres-sing and holding shutter button halfway and continue composing scene pointing camera to lighter objects This method enables better pictures of scenes with shadows and backlight

Multi zone metering estimates light conditions in several (7 9 or even hundreds) points of scene This sophisticated metering of-ten takes into consideration other camera settings and measu-rements such as focus distance from the object its colour and works quite well with all automatic settings

When you need change metering mode

Press button or look for metering mode menu

Select metering mode by pressing button

Then press

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 16

In Canon EOS cameras often are used some other titles of mete-ring modes

or Evaluative metering means multizone metering

or Partial metering means spot metering

is for centre weighting averaged metering

152 Scene presetsMost cameras have exposure presets for basic scenes setting optimal values of aperture size ISO and shutter speed

Scenes easily can be set using cameralsquos controls on example by dial ring in Canon EOS cameras Manual settings are available only in so called Creative zone

Portrait this mode blurs background and makes subject stand out

Landscape wide scenic views night scenes

Close-up Flowers small objects using minimal focusing distance

Sport For fast moving subjects when you want take sharp image

Night portrait For shooting peoples in dark environment the flash illuminates person and then environment is captured using low shutter speed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 17

153 Manual and automatic modes

PProgram AE mode Almost the same as auto-matic mode but you have ability to change iSO exposure compensation shutter speed and some other settings while maintaining the same exposure value

TvShutter priority AE mode you can change desirable shutter speed and camera will adjust aperture value automatically Shutter speed makes influence to sharpness or blurri-ness of moving objects in image

AvAperture priority AE mode you can chan-ge desirable aperture and camera will ad-just shutter speed automatically to keep the same image brightness Large aperture re-sults background blur and small apertures give deep images

MManual Exposure mode you can change both aperture and shutter speed manually you may need exposure level indicator to set proper values

A-DepAutomatic field-of-depth mode Camera will check both near and far objects to be in the focus

Automatic mode All exposure settings are set automatically

154 Manual exposureMany cameras donrsquot take good images of low light scenes becau-se their automatics canrsquot see objects clear enough to make pro-per decision on exposure settings Most cameras tend maximizing sensitivity to light (ISO) which increases the noise in the image instead getting more light by exceeding shutter speed over 05-1 sec If you have tripod you easily can manage low light scenes with manual shutter speeds as long as minute or more

1541 Main terms of exposure controlsShutter speed means exposure time when camera is open and collecting light from scene you take Exposure begins with full pressing shutter button Shutter speed usually is indicated in se-conds and fractions of seconds like 1250 The higher the num-ber the more light enters the camera Shutter speeds less than 11000 s are used for fast motion photos in excellent light and as long as 18 s and more usually are used for static low light scenes and with tripod

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 18

In various photography literature you often can find a term ldquostoprdquo of camera exposure ISO shutter speed etc what actually means some standard value of corresponding parameter only

Aperture means how wide camera is open for light from scene you take In practice term f-number is used which is roughly a ratio of the lenss focal length to the diameter of aperture hole for example f56 or f16 (f56 and f16 are ldquostopsrdquo ie standardised values) A lens with a greater f-number has smaller aperture hole and produces darker images

f14 f14 f14 f14

rELAtiOnShiP BEtwEEn APErtUrE SizE F-nUMBEr AnD PiCtUrE ExPOSUrE

ISO means sensitivity of film to light or nowadays the sensitivity of digital imaging systems Modern digital cameras have ISO range from 100 up to 1600 or even more The higher the ISO number the less light is required to produce photo with the same image brightness And low-sensitive camera needs longer exposition In both digital and film photography higher ISO generally leads to reduced image quality (bigger noise appears in the image)

Exposure value EV is a number that represents a combination of a cameras shutter speed and f-number Different shutter speeds and f-numbers combinations can produce the same exposure value Theoretically brightness of photos with the identical EV will be the same but sharpness and depth of images may differ very much

F-NUMBEREV 28 40 56 80 11 16

2 2 4 8 15 30 60

3 1 2 4 8 15 30

4 12 1 2 4 8 15

5 14 12 1 2 4 8

6 18 14 12 1 2 4

7 115 18 14 12 1 2

8 13 115 18 14 12 1

9 160 13 115 18 14 12

10 1125 160 13 115 18 14

11 1250 1125 160 13 115 18

12 1500 1250 1125 160 13 115

13 11000 1500 1250 1125 160 13

14 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125 160

15 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125

16 12000 11000 1500 1250

DEPEnDEnCy BEtwEEn F-nUMBEr AnD ShUttEr SPEED (ShUttEr SPEED iS ShOwn in intErSECtiOnS)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 19

Sunny 16 rule makes it easy to determine the exposure in a good daylight It says that correct exposure will be obtained on a sunny day by using an aperture of f16 and the shutter speed closest to the one second divided by ISO used For example if you set camera ISO to 100 then optimal shutter speed will be 1100 s

Depth of field increases with f-number This means that in photos taken with low f-number objects in focus only will be clear and rest nearer and farther elements will seem blurred If you use lar-ge f-numbers almost all elements in photo will look sharp If you prefer most informative documentary photos yoursquoll find aperture f-number f8 should be the best in most of cases

Typical exposure values EV for various light conditions when ISO equals 100 are shown in the table

LIGHTING CONDITION EV

DAYLIGHThigh contrast scenes such as snow or sand 16

Full sunlight or little shadows clear sky background 15

heavy overcast scenes in shadow during clear sunlight at sunset 12

just after sunset 9ndash11

OUTDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTneon fire 9ndash10

Bright street scenes 8

night street scenes fairs parks and window displays 7ndash8

night vehicle traffic Christmas tree lights 5

Lighted buildings monuments and fountains 3ndash5

Distant views of lighted buildings 2

INDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTgalleries 8ndash11

Sports events shows 8ndash9

ice shows floodlit 9

Offices and work areas 7ndash8

home interiors 5ndash7

Exposure compensation is a simple to use camera control to ob-tain lighter or darker image Usually this control looks like a slider with several marks from negative to positive Negative marks give darker and positive give more brighter image

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 20

Actual EV can be obtained by subtraction of exposure compen-sation value from EV value that camera indicates For example if camera settings give EV value 8 and selected EV compensation is 1 then actual AV will be 7

If youre not sure what settings to apply it is possible to set up a series of exposures by automatically increasing settings by 1 this is called bracketing

Aperture or shutter speed priority lets you control camerarsquos f-num-ber or shutter speed without worrying about the other settings that camera then automatically selects according light of the scene

155 Camerarsquos controlsISO speed usually is set between 100 and 400 automatically In creative zone modes you can set ISO speed to other values usually to 100 200 400 800 and 1600

Press button ISO speed menu will be displayed

Select ISO speed by pressing button then press

The shutter speed can be changed in interval from seconds to milliseconds by turning the dial in shutter priority mode

The actual shutter speed is indicated on the LCD screen as de-nominator of fraction in seconds On example lsquo125rsquo on the screen means 1125 seconds

The aperture value can be changed by turning the dial in aperture priority mode Aperture depends on lens attached to the camera The actual aperture is indicated on the LCD screen as denominator of fraction On example lsquo56rsquo on the screen means f56

In manual mode aperture settings you can reach by holding button

ExPOSitiOn inDiCAtOr ShOULD BE nEAr thE zErO MArk tO AChiEvE StAnDArD ExPOSUrE LEvEL tO DECrEASE it yOU ShOULD inCrEASE ShUttEr

SPEED Or SELECt SMALLEr APErtUrE

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 21

16 Colour control The actual colours are most important problem in photography The first most modern cameras have still non-linear image sen-sors and therefore there are used sophisticated colour proces-sors which complex algorithms to improve colour quality And the result of such processing often differs from original

The second you must have very good PC screen to reproduce actual colours Most of LCD monitors give only approximately colours and often even monitor colour pre-sets canrsquot help

One option is to consider each photo as a piece of art which mustnrsquot be an exact copy of reality In this case automatic colour control is enough But other option is smart use available came-ra settings and get result you need

161 White balanceAdjusting the white balance basically means making sure that a white or any grey shadowed part of the picture is really white or grey not with any red blue or green tones It the colour of white or grey parts corresponds to original colours we are sure that all other colours are correct

Most modern cameras have an AWB (automatic white balance) setting In the most cases can be let switched on especially out-

doors when light is strong Ever if your photos have wrong colour balance it can be easily corrected in the computer

If you take photos indoors without flash artificial light (bulbs luminescent tubes candles etc) may give strong colour tone on your images To avoid it cameras can have various pre-sets of white balance such as lsquotungsten bulbrsquo lsquowhite fluorescentrsquo etc

If you prefer use your own white balance settings various op-tions can be found in the table

Colour Temp Light source Setting icon

1000k Candles

2500k household light bulbs

5000k Average daylight electronic flash industrial lights

6000k Bright sunshine with clear sky

7000k Slightly overcast sky

8000k hazy sky

9000k Open shade on clear day

10000k heavily overcast sky

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 22

If you need to make sure yourselves how exact is your camerarsquos white balance you can take few photos of known grey object on example newspaper page open them in the photo editing sof-tware and look how much colour tone differs when you make them ldquoblack whiterdquo

161 SaturationMost cameras have colour saturation control eg less saturated normal and vivid options Vivid colours are ideal when you need to emphasize primary colours such as fashion lights fruits and flowers

Monochromatic option gives non-colour (black ndash white) images If you use high contrast settings such images will look more in-teresting

Sepia option makes your image look like as old fashion black ndash white photo with light brown tones

Many cameras have various colour filters and pre-sets which give your image particular colour tone balance or saturation

163 Colour processingIt is recommended in all cases to keep the same colour repre-senting standard ndash sRGB This option should be set in both your camera and photo processing software Alternative standard CMYK often is used in colour printers To make CMYK image from RGB always better and easier than vice versa

17 Light

Usually in photography we use three main types of light natural light studio light and flash

The light is most important in black and white (monochrome) pho-tography where interpretation of image depends mainly on sha-dows and highlights

There are some useful rules of light in photography The broader the light source the softer the light The narrower

the source the harder the light The closer the light source the softer the light The farther the

source the harder the light The brighter sky the darker shadows Clouds reduce sha-

dows and fog eliminates them at all The light falls off as the square of the distance If you bring light

far as twice the lightness on object surface will decrease four times

Light from side emphasises objectrsquos texture Frontlight masks roughness

Shadows create volume in image

And of course remember that light has a colour Daylight colour in the morning differs from daylight in the afternoon

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 23

171 Natural light Natural daylight has quick changing intensity colour temperatu-re shadows and angle of light Also we canrsquot choose position of light source but can change point of viewing getting various inte-resting light and shadow effects

During only rare periods (eg bright winter and early spring days) sunlight gives strong contrast between object front and shadows acting like key light in studio But in most cases sunlight is dis-sipated in the atmosphere and creates a smooth backlight with soft shadows

When the sun is behind object the main attention goes to outline of object and light effects on it increasing separation between the object and surrounding

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Some additional tools may be used to reduce shadows or highlight par-ticular areas of the object on exam-ple reflector The reflector reflects light like a mirror in the desired di-rection and it is easy to manage li-ght with it As a reflector you can use light-colored wall of the house or other bright objects too

Handy reflector is easy to make from a white paper sheet alumi-nium foil or even white plastic or linen

172 Studio light

StUDiO LightS

Light can be used to enhan-ce or hide particular objects in the image In the studio usually three lights are used for key (main) light fill light and backlight Various com-binations of these lights can produce different light effects

On example using only key light you can enhance contours and particular areas of object achieving very high objectback-ground contrast ratioUsing extra key lights on example 3 or 5 instead one presence of shadows will be minimised and you will be able to shoot quic-kly series of photos with only minimal adjustments but result will have less contrast and details

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 14: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 14

This point its quickly explained The shutter release is the button that makes the photo when we push it We may regulate it at diffe-rent speed modifying the exposure time

143 Aperture

thE APErtUrE iS FOrMED By A LittLE tABS thAt whEn thEy BOUnD thEy FOrM An OPAqUE CirCLE intErrUPting thE Light ACCESS

Circular device placed between the camera mirror and the lens It has the function of allowing the light input to the sensor We can open and close it The more open it has more light are going to get in

It is the modern substitute of the photographic film (reel) Its a chip with thousands of light sensors which transform incoming light to information creating the picture

144 Memory cardStorage device of all DSLR cameras The captured images are all saved in it and the card keeps them until you dont erase the pictures individually or formatting the whole card With this devi-ce we can view the pictures by the camera screen or move them into our computer There are many types of memory card but the most common in DSLR cameras are SD cards (the little ones) and the Compact Flash cards (the big ones) We must make sure which card is compatible with our camera Such cards may have different storage capacity

thE CAMErAS USED in thiS grADE USE thE COMPACt FLASh CArD thE hOLES OF thE CArD MUSt MAtCh thE PiStOnS inSiDE thE CAMErA

itS ESSEntiAL tO tAkE grEAt CArE with thiS DEviCES AnD trying nOt tO BrEAk it Or gEt Dirty

145 BatteryEssential element for the camera operation by providing it with energy and allowing it to turn on and do all functions correctly You must be forehanded and keep the battery always charged if we are going to make a photo session We cant take pictures without battery

wE CAn SE hErE A viEwFinDEr ExAMPLE tAkE A LOOk At thE

gUiDE LinES in thE MiDDLE AnD thE CAMErA COnFigUrAtiOn

At thE BOttOM

AS wE CAn SEE in thE PiCtUrE thE BODy CAMErA ShAPE FitS

PErFECtLy in thE PhOtOgrAPhEr hAnDS

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 15

15 Camera ExposureThe exposure in photography refers to the amount of light ente-ring the camera and acting on film or digital sensor When more exposure is used or in other words when more light enters the camera then the brighter picture is taken and vice versa

Nowadays all cameras have automatic exposure control and usually it works well enough to produce nice pictures Of course in certain cases with bad light conditions or experimenting with light effects manual exposure could be preferable Even most ex-pensive cameras canrsquot take all range of light as eye can see and by setting exposure we are choosing suitable light interval and contrast of the image

151 Automatic exposureAlmost all modern digital cameras have several automatic expo-sure settings such as centre weighting average spot metering or multi zone metering

Centre weighting average usually is default setting Camera mea-sures light of all scene but most important is centre of the frame

With spot metering the camera will only measure a very small area of the scene (only few per cent of the viewfinder area) Spot

metering is very accurate and is commonly used to shoot very high contrast scenes (for example moon in the dark sky) or sce-nes with strong backlight

Using both exposure settings you can point camera to the darkest object to be taken in photo ldquolockrdquo exposure and focus by pres-sing and holding shutter button halfway and continue composing scene pointing camera to lighter objects This method enables better pictures of scenes with shadows and backlight

Multi zone metering estimates light conditions in several (7 9 or even hundreds) points of scene This sophisticated metering of-ten takes into consideration other camera settings and measu-rements such as focus distance from the object its colour and works quite well with all automatic settings

When you need change metering mode

Press button or look for metering mode menu

Select metering mode by pressing button

Then press

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 16

In Canon EOS cameras often are used some other titles of mete-ring modes

or Evaluative metering means multizone metering

or Partial metering means spot metering

is for centre weighting averaged metering

152 Scene presetsMost cameras have exposure presets for basic scenes setting optimal values of aperture size ISO and shutter speed

Scenes easily can be set using cameralsquos controls on example by dial ring in Canon EOS cameras Manual settings are available only in so called Creative zone

Portrait this mode blurs background and makes subject stand out

Landscape wide scenic views night scenes

Close-up Flowers small objects using minimal focusing distance

Sport For fast moving subjects when you want take sharp image

Night portrait For shooting peoples in dark environment the flash illuminates person and then environment is captured using low shutter speed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 17

153 Manual and automatic modes

PProgram AE mode Almost the same as auto-matic mode but you have ability to change iSO exposure compensation shutter speed and some other settings while maintaining the same exposure value

TvShutter priority AE mode you can change desirable shutter speed and camera will adjust aperture value automatically Shutter speed makes influence to sharpness or blurri-ness of moving objects in image

AvAperture priority AE mode you can chan-ge desirable aperture and camera will ad-just shutter speed automatically to keep the same image brightness Large aperture re-sults background blur and small apertures give deep images

MManual Exposure mode you can change both aperture and shutter speed manually you may need exposure level indicator to set proper values

A-DepAutomatic field-of-depth mode Camera will check both near and far objects to be in the focus

Automatic mode All exposure settings are set automatically

154 Manual exposureMany cameras donrsquot take good images of low light scenes becau-se their automatics canrsquot see objects clear enough to make pro-per decision on exposure settings Most cameras tend maximizing sensitivity to light (ISO) which increases the noise in the image instead getting more light by exceeding shutter speed over 05-1 sec If you have tripod you easily can manage low light scenes with manual shutter speeds as long as minute or more

1541 Main terms of exposure controlsShutter speed means exposure time when camera is open and collecting light from scene you take Exposure begins with full pressing shutter button Shutter speed usually is indicated in se-conds and fractions of seconds like 1250 The higher the num-ber the more light enters the camera Shutter speeds less than 11000 s are used for fast motion photos in excellent light and as long as 18 s and more usually are used for static low light scenes and with tripod

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 18

In various photography literature you often can find a term ldquostoprdquo of camera exposure ISO shutter speed etc what actually means some standard value of corresponding parameter only

Aperture means how wide camera is open for light from scene you take In practice term f-number is used which is roughly a ratio of the lenss focal length to the diameter of aperture hole for example f56 or f16 (f56 and f16 are ldquostopsrdquo ie standardised values) A lens with a greater f-number has smaller aperture hole and produces darker images

f14 f14 f14 f14

rELAtiOnShiP BEtwEEn APErtUrE SizE F-nUMBEr AnD PiCtUrE ExPOSUrE

ISO means sensitivity of film to light or nowadays the sensitivity of digital imaging systems Modern digital cameras have ISO range from 100 up to 1600 or even more The higher the ISO number the less light is required to produce photo with the same image brightness And low-sensitive camera needs longer exposition In both digital and film photography higher ISO generally leads to reduced image quality (bigger noise appears in the image)

Exposure value EV is a number that represents a combination of a cameras shutter speed and f-number Different shutter speeds and f-numbers combinations can produce the same exposure value Theoretically brightness of photos with the identical EV will be the same but sharpness and depth of images may differ very much

F-NUMBEREV 28 40 56 80 11 16

2 2 4 8 15 30 60

3 1 2 4 8 15 30

4 12 1 2 4 8 15

5 14 12 1 2 4 8

6 18 14 12 1 2 4

7 115 18 14 12 1 2

8 13 115 18 14 12 1

9 160 13 115 18 14 12

10 1125 160 13 115 18 14

11 1250 1125 160 13 115 18

12 1500 1250 1125 160 13 115

13 11000 1500 1250 1125 160 13

14 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125 160

15 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125

16 12000 11000 1500 1250

DEPEnDEnCy BEtwEEn F-nUMBEr AnD ShUttEr SPEED (ShUttEr SPEED iS ShOwn in intErSECtiOnS)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 19

Sunny 16 rule makes it easy to determine the exposure in a good daylight It says that correct exposure will be obtained on a sunny day by using an aperture of f16 and the shutter speed closest to the one second divided by ISO used For example if you set camera ISO to 100 then optimal shutter speed will be 1100 s

Depth of field increases with f-number This means that in photos taken with low f-number objects in focus only will be clear and rest nearer and farther elements will seem blurred If you use lar-ge f-numbers almost all elements in photo will look sharp If you prefer most informative documentary photos yoursquoll find aperture f-number f8 should be the best in most of cases

Typical exposure values EV for various light conditions when ISO equals 100 are shown in the table

LIGHTING CONDITION EV

DAYLIGHThigh contrast scenes such as snow or sand 16

Full sunlight or little shadows clear sky background 15

heavy overcast scenes in shadow during clear sunlight at sunset 12

just after sunset 9ndash11

OUTDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTneon fire 9ndash10

Bright street scenes 8

night street scenes fairs parks and window displays 7ndash8

night vehicle traffic Christmas tree lights 5

Lighted buildings monuments and fountains 3ndash5

Distant views of lighted buildings 2

INDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTgalleries 8ndash11

Sports events shows 8ndash9

ice shows floodlit 9

Offices and work areas 7ndash8

home interiors 5ndash7

Exposure compensation is a simple to use camera control to ob-tain lighter or darker image Usually this control looks like a slider with several marks from negative to positive Negative marks give darker and positive give more brighter image

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 20

Actual EV can be obtained by subtraction of exposure compen-sation value from EV value that camera indicates For example if camera settings give EV value 8 and selected EV compensation is 1 then actual AV will be 7

If youre not sure what settings to apply it is possible to set up a series of exposures by automatically increasing settings by 1 this is called bracketing

Aperture or shutter speed priority lets you control camerarsquos f-num-ber or shutter speed without worrying about the other settings that camera then automatically selects according light of the scene

155 Camerarsquos controlsISO speed usually is set between 100 and 400 automatically In creative zone modes you can set ISO speed to other values usually to 100 200 400 800 and 1600

Press button ISO speed menu will be displayed

Select ISO speed by pressing button then press

The shutter speed can be changed in interval from seconds to milliseconds by turning the dial in shutter priority mode

The actual shutter speed is indicated on the LCD screen as de-nominator of fraction in seconds On example lsquo125rsquo on the screen means 1125 seconds

The aperture value can be changed by turning the dial in aperture priority mode Aperture depends on lens attached to the camera The actual aperture is indicated on the LCD screen as denominator of fraction On example lsquo56rsquo on the screen means f56

In manual mode aperture settings you can reach by holding button

ExPOSitiOn inDiCAtOr ShOULD BE nEAr thE zErO MArk tO AChiEvE StAnDArD ExPOSUrE LEvEL tO DECrEASE it yOU ShOULD inCrEASE ShUttEr

SPEED Or SELECt SMALLEr APErtUrE

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 21

16 Colour control The actual colours are most important problem in photography The first most modern cameras have still non-linear image sen-sors and therefore there are used sophisticated colour proces-sors which complex algorithms to improve colour quality And the result of such processing often differs from original

The second you must have very good PC screen to reproduce actual colours Most of LCD monitors give only approximately colours and often even monitor colour pre-sets canrsquot help

One option is to consider each photo as a piece of art which mustnrsquot be an exact copy of reality In this case automatic colour control is enough But other option is smart use available came-ra settings and get result you need

161 White balanceAdjusting the white balance basically means making sure that a white or any grey shadowed part of the picture is really white or grey not with any red blue or green tones It the colour of white or grey parts corresponds to original colours we are sure that all other colours are correct

Most modern cameras have an AWB (automatic white balance) setting In the most cases can be let switched on especially out-

doors when light is strong Ever if your photos have wrong colour balance it can be easily corrected in the computer

If you take photos indoors without flash artificial light (bulbs luminescent tubes candles etc) may give strong colour tone on your images To avoid it cameras can have various pre-sets of white balance such as lsquotungsten bulbrsquo lsquowhite fluorescentrsquo etc

If you prefer use your own white balance settings various op-tions can be found in the table

Colour Temp Light source Setting icon

1000k Candles

2500k household light bulbs

5000k Average daylight electronic flash industrial lights

6000k Bright sunshine with clear sky

7000k Slightly overcast sky

8000k hazy sky

9000k Open shade on clear day

10000k heavily overcast sky

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 22

If you need to make sure yourselves how exact is your camerarsquos white balance you can take few photos of known grey object on example newspaper page open them in the photo editing sof-tware and look how much colour tone differs when you make them ldquoblack whiterdquo

161 SaturationMost cameras have colour saturation control eg less saturated normal and vivid options Vivid colours are ideal when you need to emphasize primary colours such as fashion lights fruits and flowers

Monochromatic option gives non-colour (black ndash white) images If you use high contrast settings such images will look more in-teresting

Sepia option makes your image look like as old fashion black ndash white photo with light brown tones

Many cameras have various colour filters and pre-sets which give your image particular colour tone balance or saturation

163 Colour processingIt is recommended in all cases to keep the same colour repre-senting standard ndash sRGB This option should be set in both your camera and photo processing software Alternative standard CMYK often is used in colour printers To make CMYK image from RGB always better and easier than vice versa

17 Light

Usually in photography we use three main types of light natural light studio light and flash

The light is most important in black and white (monochrome) pho-tography where interpretation of image depends mainly on sha-dows and highlights

There are some useful rules of light in photography The broader the light source the softer the light The narrower

the source the harder the light The closer the light source the softer the light The farther the

source the harder the light The brighter sky the darker shadows Clouds reduce sha-

dows and fog eliminates them at all The light falls off as the square of the distance If you bring light

far as twice the lightness on object surface will decrease four times

Light from side emphasises objectrsquos texture Frontlight masks roughness

Shadows create volume in image

And of course remember that light has a colour Daylight colour in the morning differs from daylight in the afternoon

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 23

171 Natural light Natural daylight has quick changing intensity colour temperatu-re shadows and angle of light Also we canrsquot choose position of light source but can change point of viewing getting various inte-resting light and shadow effects

During only rare periods (eg bright winter and early spring days) sunlight gives strong contrast between object front and shadows acting like key light in studio But in most cases sunlight is dis-sipated in the atmosphere and creates a smooth backlight with soft shadows

When the sun is behind object the main attention goes to outline of object and light effects on it increasing separation between the object and surrounding

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Some additional tools may be used to reduce shadows or highlight par-ticular areas of the object on exam-ple reflector The reflector reflects light like a mirror in the desired di-rection and it is easy to manage li-ght with it As a reflector you can use light-colored wall of the house or other bright objects too

Handy reflector is easy to make from a white paper sheet alumi-nium foil or even white plastic or linen

172 Studio light

StUDiO LightS

Light can be used to enhan-ce or hide particular objects in the image In the studio usually three lights are used for key (main) light fill light and backlight Various com-binations of these lights can produce different light effects

On example using only key light you can enhance contours and particular areas of object achieving very high objectback-ground contrast ratioUsing extra key lights on example 3 or 5 instead one presence of shadows will be minimised and you will be able to shoot quic-kly series of photos with only minimal adjustments but result will have less contrast and details

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 15: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 15

15 Camera ExposureThe exposure in photography refers to the amount of light ente-ring the camera and acting on film or digital sensor When more exposure is used or in other words when more light enters the camera then the brighter picture is taken and vice versa

Nowadays all cameras have automatic exposure control and usually it works well enough to produce nice pictures Of course in certain cases with bad light conditions or experimenting with light effects manual exposure could be preferable Even most ex-pensive cameras canrsquot take all range of light as eye can see and by setting exposure we are choosing suitable light interval and contrast of the image

151 Automatic exposureAlmost all modern digital cameras have several automatic expo-sure settings such as centre weighting average spot metering or multi zone metering

Centre weighting average usually is default setting Camera mea-sures light of all scene but most important is centre of the frame

With spot metering the camera will only measure a very small area of the scene (only few per cent of the viewfinder area) Spot

metering is very accurate and is commonly used to shoot very high contrast scenes (for example moon in the dark sky) or sce-nes with strong backlight

Using both exposure settings you can point camera to the darkest object to be taken in photo ldquolockrdquo exposure and focus by pres-sing and holding shutter button halfway and continue composing scene pointing camera to lighter objects This method enables better pictures of scenes with shadows and backlight

Multi zone metering estimates light conditions in several (7 9 or even hundreds) points of scene This sophisticated metering of-ten takes into consideration other camera settings and measu-rements such as focus distance from the object its colour and works quite well with all automatic settings

When you need change metering mode

Press button or look for metering mode menu

Select metering mode by pressing button

Then press

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 16

In Canon EOS cameras often are used some other titles of mete-ring modes

or Evaluative metering means multizone metering

or Partial metering means spot metering

is for centre weighting averaged metering

152 Scene presetsMost cameras have exposure presets for basic scenes setting optimal values of aperture size ISO and shutter speed

Scenes easily can be set using cameralsquos controls on example by dial ring in Canon EOS cameras Manual settings are available only in so called Creative zone

Portrait this mode blurs background and makes subject stand out

Landscape wide scenic views night scenes

Close-up Flowers small objects using minimal focusing distance

Sport For fast moving subjects when you want take sharp image

Night portrait For shooting peoples in dark environment the flash illuminates person and then environment is captured using low shutter speed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 17

153 Manual and automatic modes

PProgram AE mode Almost the same as auto-matic mode but you have ability to change iSO exposure compensation shutter speed and some other settings while maintaining the same exposure value

TvShutter priority AE mode you can change desirable shutter speed and camera will adjust aperture value automatically Shutter speed makes influence to sharpness or blurri-ness of moving objects in image

AvAperture priority AE mode you can chan-ge desirable aperture and camera will ad-just shutter speed automatically to keep the same image brightness Large aperture re-sults background blur and small apertures give deep images

MManual Exposure mode you can change both aperture and shutter speed manually you may need exposure level indicator to set proper values

A-DepAutomatic field-of-depth mode Camera will check both near and far objects to be in the focus

Automatic mode All exposure settings are set automatically

154 Manual exposureMany cameras donrsquot take good images of low light scenes becau-se their automatics canrsquot see objects clear enough to make pro-per decision on exposure settings Most cameras tend maximizing sensitivity to light (ISO) which increases the noise in the image instead getting more light by exceeding shutter speed over 05-1 sec If you have tripod you easily can manage low light scenes with manual shutter speeds as long as minute or more

1541 Main terms of exposure controlsShutter speed means exposure time when camera is open and collecting light from scene you take Exposure begins with full pressing shutter button Shutter speed usually is indicated in se-conds and fractions of seconds like 1250 The higher the num-ber the more light enters the camera Shutter speeds less than 11000 s are used for fast motion photos in excellent light and as long as 18 s and more usually are used for static low light scenes and with tripod

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 18

In various photography literature you often can find a term ldquostoprdquo of camera exposure ISO shutter speed etc what actually means some standard value of corresponding parameter only

Aperture means how wide camera is open for light from scene you take In practice term f-number is used which is roughly a ratio of the lenss focal length to the diameter of aperture hole for example f56 or f16 (f56 and f16 are ldquostopsrdquo ie standardised values) A lens with a greater f-number has smaller aperture hole and produces darker images

f14 f14 f14 f14

rELAtiOnShiP BEtwEEn APErtUrE SizE F-nUMBEr AnD PiCtUrE ExPOSUrE

ISO means sensitivity of film to light or nowadays the sensitivity of digital imaging systems Modern digital cameras have ISO range from 100 up to 1600 or even more The higher the ISO number the less light is required to produce photo with the same image brightness And low-sensitive camera needs longer exposition In both digital and film photography higher ISO generally leads to reduced image quality (bigger noise appears in the image)

Exposure value EV is a number that represents a combination of a cameras shutter speed and f-number Different shutter speeds and f-numbers combinations can produce the same exposure value Theoretically brightness of photos with the identical EV will be the same but sharpness and depth of images may differ very much

F-NUMBEREV 28 40 56 80 11 16

2 2 4 8 15 30 60

3 1 2 4 8 15 30

4 12 1 2 4 8 15

5 14 12 1 2 4 8

6 18 14 12 1 2 4

7 115 18 14 12 1 2

8 13 115 18 14 12 1

9 160 13 115 18 14 12

10 1125 160 13 115 18 14

11 1250 1125 160 13 115 18

12 1500 1250 1125 160 13 115

13 11000 1500 1250 1125 160 13

14 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125 160

15 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125

16 12000 11000 1500 1250

DEPEnDEnCy BEtwEEn F-nUMBEr AnD ShUttEr SPEED (ShUttEr SPEED iS ShOwn in intErSECtiOnS)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 19

Sunny 16 rule makes it easy to determine the exposure in a good daylight It says that correct exposure will be obtained on a sunny day by using an aperture of f16 and the shutter speed closest to the one second divided by ISO used For example if you set camera ISO to 100 then optimal shutter speed will be 1100 s

Depth of field increases with f-number This means that in photos taken with low f-number objects in focus only will be clear and rest nearer and farther elements will seem blurred If you use lar-ge f-numbers almost all elements in photo will look sharp If you prefer most informative documentary photos yoursquoll find aperture f-number f8 should be the best in most of cases

Typical exposure values EV for various light conditions when ISO equals 100 are shown in the table

LIGHTING CONDITION EV

DAYLIGHThigh contrast scenes such as snow or sand 16

Full sunlight or little shadows clear sky background 15

heavy overcast scenes in shadow during clear sunlight at sunset 12

just after sunset 9ndash11

OUTDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTneon fire 9ndash10

Bright street scenes 8

night street scenes fairs parks and window displays 7ndash8

night vehicle traffic Christmas tree lights 5

Lighted buildings monuments and fountains 3ndash5

Distant views of lighted buildings 2

INDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTgalleries 8ndash11

Sports events shows 8ndash9

ice shows floodlit 9

Offices and work areas 7ndash8

home interiors 5ndash7

Exposure compensation is a simple to use camera control to ob-tain lighter or darker image Usually this control looks like a slider with several marks from negative to positive Negative marks give darker and positive give more brighter image

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 20

Actual EV can be obtained by subtraction of exposure compen-sation value from EV value that camera indicates For example if camera settings give EV value 8 and selected EV compensation is 1 then actual AV will be 7

If youre not sure what settings to apply it is possible to set up a series of exposures by automatically increasing settings by 1 this is called bracketing

Aperture or shutter speed priority lets you control camerarsquos f-num-ber or shutter speed without worrying about the other settings that camera then automatically selects according light of the scene

155 Camerarsquos controlsISO speed usually is set between 100 and 400 automatically In creative zone modes you can set ISO speed to other values usually to 100 200 400 800 and 1600

Press button ISO speed menu will be displayed

Select ISO speed by pressing button then press

The shutter speed can be changed in interval from seconds to milliseconds by turning the dial in shutter priority mode

The actual shutter speed is indicated on the LCD screen as de-nominator of fraction in seconds On example lsquo125rsquo on the screen means 1125 seconds

The aperture value can be changed by turning the dial in aperture priority mode Aperture depends on lens attached to the camera The actual aperture is indicated on the LCD screen as denominator of fraction On example lsquo56rsquo on the screen means f56

In manual mode aperture settings you can reach by holding button

ExPOSitiOn inDiCAtOr ShOULD BE nEAr thE zErO MArk tO AChiEvE StAnDArD ExPOSUrE LEvEL tO DECrEASE it yOU ShOULD inCrEASE ShUttEr

SPEED Or SELECt SMALLEr APErtUrE

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 21

16 Colour control The actual colours are most important problem in photography The first most modern cameras have still non-linear image sen-sors and therefore there are used sophisticated colour proces-sors which complex algorithms to improve colour quality And the result of such processing often differs from original

The second you must have very good PC screen to reproduce actual colours Most of LCD monitors give only approximately colours and often even monitor colour pre-sets canrsquot help

One option is to consider each photo as a piece of art which mustnrsquot be an exact copy of reality In this case automatic colour control is enough But other option is smart use available came-ra settings and get result you need

161 White balanceAdjusting the white balance basically means making sure that a white or any grey shadowed part of the picture is really white or grey not with any red blue or green tones It the colour of white or grey parts corresponds to original colours we are sure that all other colours are correct

Most modern cameras have an AWB (automatic white balance) setting In the most cases can be let switched on especially out-

doors when light is strong Ever if your photos have wrong colour balance it can be easily corrected in the computer

If you take photos indoors without flash artificial light (bulbs luminescent tubes candles etc) may give strong colour tone on your images To avoid it cameras can have various pre-sets of white balance such as lsquotungsten bulbrsquo lsquowhite fluorescentrsquo etc

If you prefer use your own white balance settings various op-tions can be found in the table

Colour Temp Light source Setting icon

1000k Candles

2500k household light bulbs

5000k Average daylight electronic flash industrial lights

6000k Bright sunshine with clear sky

7000k Slightly overcast sky

8000k hazy sky

9000k Open shade on clear day

10000k heavily overcast sky

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 22

If you need to make sure yourselves how exact is your camerarsquos white balance you can take few photos of known grey object on example newspaper page open them in the photo editing sof-tware and look how much colour tone differs when you make them ldquoblack whiterdquo

161 SaturationMost cameras have colour saturation control eg less saturated normal and vivid options Vivid colours are ideal when you need to emphasize primary colours such as fashion lights fruits and flowers

Monochromatic option gives non-colour (black ndash white) images If you use high contrast settings such images will look more in-teresting

Sepia option makes your image look like as old fashion black ndash white photo with light brown tones

Many cameras have various colour filters and pre-sets which give your image particular colour tone balance or saturation

163 Colour processingIt is recommended in all cases to keep the same colour repre-senting standard ndash sRGB This option should be set in both your camera and photo processing software Alternative standard CMYK often is used in colour printers To make CMYK image from RGB always better and easier than vice versa

17 Light

Usually in photography we use three main types of light natural light studio light and flash

The light is most important in black and white (monochrome) pho-tography where interpretation of image depends mainly on sha-dows and highlights

There are some useful rules of light in photography The broader the light source the softer the light The narrower

the source the harder the light The closer the light source the softer the light The farther the

source the harder the light The brighter sky the darker shadows Clouds reduce sha-

dows and fog eliminates them at all The light falls off as the square of the distance If you bring light

far as twice the lightness on object surface will decrease four times

Light from side emphasises objectrsquos texture Frontlight masks roughness

Shadows create volume in image

And of course remember that light has a colour Daylight colour in the morning differs from daylight in the afternoon

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 23

171 Natural light Natural daylight has quick changing intensity colour temperatu-re shadows and angle of light Also we canrsquot choose position of light source but can change point of viewing getting various inte-resting light and shadow effects

During only rare periods (eg bright winter and early spring days) sunlight gives strong contrast between object front and shadows acting like key light in studio But in most cases sunlight is dis-sipated in the atmosphere and creates a smooth backlight with soft shadows

When the sun is behind object the main attention goes to outline of object and light effects on it increasing separation between the object and surrounding

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Some additional tools may be used to reduce shadows or highlight par-ticular areas of the object on exam-ple reflector The reflector reflects light like a mirror in the desired di-rection and it is easy to manage li-ght with it As a reflector you can use light-colored wall of the house or other bright objects too

Handy reflector is easy to make from a white paper sheet alumi-nium foil or even white plastic or linen

172 Studio light

StUDiO LightS

Light can be used to enhan-ce or hide particular objects in the image In the studio usually three lights are used for key (main) light fill light and backlight Various com-binations of these lights can produce different light effects

On example using only key light you can enhance contours and particular areas of object achieving very high objectback-ground contrast ratioUsing extra key lights on example 3 or 5 instead one presence of shadows will be minimised and you will be able to shoot quic-kly series of photos with only minimal adjustments but result will have less contrast and details

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 16: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 16

In Canon EOS cameras often are used some other titles of mete-ring modes

or Evaluative metering means multizone metering

or Partial metering means spot metering

is for centre weighting averaged metering

152 Scene presetsMost cameras have exposure presets for basic scenes setting optimal values of aperture size ISO and shutter speed

Scenes easily can be set using cameralsquos controls on example by dial ring in Canon EOS cameras Manual settings are available only in so called Creative zone

Portrait this mode blurs background and makes subject stand out

Landscape wide scenic views night scenes

Close-up Flowers small objects using minimal focusing distance

Sport For fast moving subjects when you want take sharp image

Night portrait For shooting peoples in dark environment the flash illuminates person and then environment is captured using low shutter speed

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 17

153 Manual and automatic modes

PProgram AE mode Almost the same as auto-matic mode but you have ability to change iSO exposure compensation shutter speed and some other settings while maintaining the same exposure value

TvShutter priority AE mode you can change desirable shutter speed and camera will adjust aperture value automatically Shutter speed makes influence to sharpness or blurri-ness of moving objects in image

AvAperture priority AE mode you can chan-ge desirable aperture and camera will ad-just shutter speed automatically to keep the same image brightness Large aperture re-sults background blur and small apertures give deep images

MManual Exposure mode you can change both aperture and shutter speed manually you may need exposure level indicator to set proper values

A-DepAutomatic field-of-depth mode Camera will check both near and far objects to be in the focus

Automatic mode All exposure settings are set automatically

154 Manual exposureMany cameras donrsquot take good images of low light scenes becau-se their automatics canrsquot see objects clear enough to make pro-per decision on exposure settings Most cameras tend maximizing sensitivity to light (ISO) which increases the noise in the image instead getting more light by exceeding shutter speed over 05-1 sec If you have tripod you easily can manage low light scenes with manual shutter speeds as long as minute or more

1541 Main terms of exposure controlsShutter speed means exposure time when camera is open and collecting light from scene you take Exposure begins with full pressing shutter button Shutter speed usually is indicated in se-conds and fractions of seconds like 1250 The higher the num-ber the more light enters the camera Shutter speeds less than 11000 s are used for fast motion photos in excellent light and as long as 18 s and more usually are used for static low light scenes and with tripod

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 18

In various photography literature you often can find a term ldquostoprdquo of camera exposure ISO shutter speed etc what actually means some standard value of corresponding parameter only

Aperture means how wide camera is open for light from scene you take In practice term f-number is used which is roughly a ratio of the lenss focal length to the diameter of aperture hole for example f56 or f16 (f56 and f16 are ldquostopsrdquo ie standardised values) A lens with a greater f-number has smaller aperture hole and produces darker images

f14 f14 f14 f14

rELAtiOnShiP BEtwEEn APErtUrE SizE F-nUMBEr AnD PiCtUrE ExPOSUrE

ISO means sensitivity of film to light or nowadays the sensitivity of digital imaging systems Modern digital cameras have ISO range from 100 up to 1600 or even more The higher the ISO number the less light is required to produce photo with the same image brightness And low-sensitive camera needs longer exposition In both digital and film photography higher ISO generally leads to reduced image quality (bigger noise appears in the image)

Exposure value EV is a number that represents a combination of a cameras shutter speed and f-number Different shutter speeds and f-numbers combinations can produce the same exposure value Theoretically brightness of photos with the identical EV will be the same but sharpness and depth of images may differ very much

F-NUMBEREV 28 40 56 80 11 16

2 2 4 8 15 30 60

3 1 2 4 8 15 30

4 12 1 2 4 8 15

5 14 12 1 2 4 8

6 18 14 12 1 2 4

7 115 18 14 12 1 2

8 13 115 18 14 12 1

9 160 13 115 18 14 12

10 1125 160 13 115 18 14

11 1250 1125 160 13 115 18

12 1500 1250 1125 160 13 115

13 11000 1500 1250 1125 160 13

14 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125 160

15 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125

16 12000 11000 1500 1250

DEPEnDEnCy BEtwEEn F-nUMBEr AnD ShUttEr SPEED (ShUttEr SPEED iS ShOwn in intErSECtiOnS)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 19

Sunny 16 rule makes it easy to determine the exposure in a good daylight It says that correct exposure will be obtained on a sunny day by using an aperture of f16 and the shutter speed closest to the one second divided by ISO used For example if you set camera ISO to 100 then optimal shutter speed will be 1100 s

Depth of field increases with f-number This means that in photos taken with low f-number objects in focus only will be clear and rest nearer and farther elements will seem blurred If you use lar-ge f-numbers almost all elements in photo will look sharp If you prefer most informative documentary photos yoursquoll find aperture f-number f8 should be the best in most of cases

Typical exposure values EV for various light conditions when ISO equals 100 are shown in the table

LIGHTING CONDITION EV

DAYLIGHThigh contrast scenes such as snow or sand 16

Full sunlight or little shadows clear sky background 15

heavy overcast scenes in shadow during clear sunlight at sunset 12

just after sunset 9ndash11

OUTDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTneon fire 9ndash10

Bright street scenes 8

night street scenes fairs parks and window displays 7ndash8

night vehicle traffic Christmas tree lights 5

Lighted buildings monuments and fountains 3ndash5

Distant views of lighted buildings 2

INDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTgalleries 8ndash11

Sports events shows 8ndash9

ice shows floodlit 9

Offices and work areas 7ndash8

home interiors 5ndash7

Exposure compensation is a simple to use camera control to ob-tain lighter or darker image Usually this control looks like a slider with several marks from negative to positive Negative marks give darker and positive give more brighter image

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 20

Actual EV can be obtained by subtraction of exposure compen-sation value from EV value that camera indicates For example if camera settings give EV value 8 and selected EV compensation is 1 then actual AV will be 7

If youre not sure what settings to apply it is possible to set up a series of exposures by automatically increasing settings by 1 this is called bracketing

Aperture or shutter speed priority lets you control camerarsquos f-num-ber or shutter speed without worrying about the other settings that camera then automatically selects according light of the scene

155 Camerarsquos controlsISO speed usually is set between 100 and 400 automatically In creative zone modes you can set ISO speed to other values usually to 100 200 400 800 and 1600

Press button ISO speed menu will be displayed

Select ISO speed by pressing button then press

The shutter speed can be changed in interval from seconds to milliseconds by turning the dial in shutter priority mode

The actual shutter speed is indicated on the LCD screen as de-nominator of fraction in seconds On example lsquo125rsquo on the screen means 1125 seconds

The aperture value can be changed by turning the dial in aperture priority mode Aperture depends on lens attached to the camera The actual aperture is indicated on the LCD screen as denominator of fraction On example lsquo56rsquo on the screen means f56

In manual mode aperture settings you can reach by holding button

ExPOSitiOn inDiCAtOr ShOULD BE nEAr thE zErO MArk tO AChiEvE StAnDArD ExPOSUrE LEvEL tO DECrEASE it yOU ShOULD inCrEASE ShUttEr

SPEED Or SELECt SMALLEr APErtUrE

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 21

16 Colour control The actual colours are most important problem in photography The first most modern cameras have still non-linear image sen-sors and therefore there are used sophisticated colour proces-sors which complex algorithms to improve colour quality And the result of such processing often differs from original

The second you must have very good PC screen to reproduce actual colours Most of LCD monitors give only approximately colours and often even monitor colour pre-sets canrsquot help

One option is to consider each photo as a piece of art which mustnrsquot be an exact copy of reality In this case automatic colour control is enough But other option is smart use available came-ra settings and get result you need

161 White balanceAdjusting the white balance basically means making sure that a white or any grey shadowed part of the picture is really white or grey not with any red blue or green tones It the colour of white or grey parts corresponds to original colours we are sure that all other colours are correct

Most modern cameras have an AWB (automatic white balance) setting In the most cases can be let switched on especially out-

doors when light is strong Ever if your photos have wrong colour balance it can be easily corrected in the computer

If you take photos indoors without flash artificial light (bulbs luminescent tubes candles etc) may give strong colour tone on your images To avoid it cameras can have various pre-sets of white balance such as lsquotungsten bulbrsquo lsquowhite fluorescentrsquo etc

If you prefer use your own white balance settings various op-tions can be found in the table

Colour Temp Light source Setting icon

1000k Candles

2500k household light bulbs

5000k Average daylight electronic flash industrial lights

6000k Bright sunshine with clear sky

7000k Slightly overcast sky

8000k hazy sky

9000k Open shade on clear day

10000k heavily overcast sky

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 22

If you need to make sure yourselves how exact is your camerarsquos white balance you can take few photos of known grey object on example newspaper page open them in the photo editing sof-tware and look how much colour tone differs when you make them ldquoblack whiterdquo

161 SaturationMost cameras have colour saturation control eg less saturated normal and vivid options Vivid colours are ideal when you need to emphasize primary colours such as fashion lights fruits and flowers

Monochromatic option gives non-colour (black ndash white) images If you use high contrast settings such images will look more in-teresting

Sepia option makes your image look like as old fashion black ndash white photo with light brown tones

Many cameras have various colour filters and pre-sets which give your image particular colour tone balance or saturation

163 Colour processingIt is recommended in all cases to keep the same colour repre-senting standard ndash sRGB This option should be set in both your camera and photo processing software Alternative standard CMYK often is used in colour printers To make CMYK image from RGB always better and easier than vice versa

17 Light

Usually in photography we use three main types of light natural light studio light and flash

The light is most important in black and white (monochrome) pho-tography where interpretation of image depends mainly on sha-dows and highlights

There are some useful rules of light in photography The broader the light source the softer the light The narrower

the source the harder the light The closer the light source the softer the light The farther the

source the harder the light The brighter sky the darker shadows Clouds reduce sha-

dows and fog eliminates them at all The light falls off as the square of the distance If you bring light

far as twice the lightness on object surface will decrease four times

Light from side emphasises objectrsquos texture Frontlight masks roughness

Shadows create volume in image

And of course remember that light has a colour Daylight colour in the morning differs from daylight in the afternoon

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 23

171 Natural light Natural daylight has quick changing intensity colour temperatu-re shadows and angle of light Also we canrsquot choose position of light source but can change point of viewing getting various inte-resting light and shadow effects

During only rare periods (eg bright winter and early spring days) sunlight gives strong contrast between object front and shadows acting like key light in studio But in most cases sunlight is dis-sipated in the atmosphere and creates a smooth backlight with soft shadows

When the sun is behind object the main attention goes to outline of object and light effects on it increasing separation between the object and surrounding

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Some additional tools may be used to reduce shadows or highlight par-ticular areas of the object on exam-ple reflector The reflector reflects light like a mirror in the desired di-rection and it is easy to manage li-ght with it As a reflector you can use light-colored wall of the house or other bright objects too

Handy reflector is easy to make from a white paper sheet alumi-nium foil or even white plastic or linen

172 Studio light

StUDiO LightS

Light can be used to enhan-ce or hide particular objects in the image In the studio usually three lights are used for key (main) light fill light and backlight Various com-binations of these lights can produce different light effects

On example using only key light you can enhance contours and particular areas of object achieving very high objectback-ground contrast ratioUsing extra key lights on example 3 or 5 instead one presence of shadows will be minimised and you will be able to shoot quic-kly series of photos with only minimal adjustments but result will have less contrast and details

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 17: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 17

153 Manual and automatic modes

PProgram AE mode Almost the same as auto-matic mode but you have ability to change iSO exposure compensation shutter speed and some other settings while maintaining the same exposure value

TvShutter priority AE mode you can change desirable shutter speed and camera will adjust aperture value automatically Shutter speed makes influence to sharpness or blurri-ness of moving objects in image

AvAperture priority AE mode you can chan-ge desirable aperture and camera will ad-just shutter speed automatically to keep the same image brightness Large aperture re-sults background blur and small apertures give deep images

MManual Exposure mode you can change both aperture and shutter speed manually you may need exposure level indicator to set proper values

A-DepAutomatic field-of-depth mode Camera will check both near and far objects to be in the focus

Automatic mode All exposure settings are set automatically

154 Manual exposureMany cameras donrsquot take good images of low light scenes becau-se their automatics canrsquot see objects clear enough to make pro-per decision on exposure settings Most cameras tend maximizing sensitivity to light (ISO) which increases the noise in the image instead getting more light by exceeding shutter speed over 05-1 sec If you have tripod you easily can manage low light scenes with manual shutter speeds as long as minute or more

1541 Main terms of exposure controlsShutter speed means exposure time when camera is open and collecting light from scene you take Exposure begins with full pressing shutter button Shutter speed usually is indicated in se-conds and fractions of seconds like 1250 The higher the num-ber the more light enters the camera Shutter speeds less than 11000 s are used for fast motion photos in excellent light and as long as 18 s and more usually are used for static low light scenes and with tripod

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 18

In various photography literature you often can find a term ldquostoprdquo of camera exposure ISO shutter speed etc what actually means some standard value of corresponding parameter only

Aperture means how wide camera is open for light from scene you take In practice term f-number is used which is roughly a ratio of the lenss focal length to the diameter of aperture hole for example f56 or f16 (f56 and f16 are ldquostopsrdquo ie standardised values) A lens with a greater f-number has smaller aperture hole and produces darker images

f14 f14 f14 f14

rELAtiOnShiP BEtwEEn APErtUrE SizE F-nUMBEr AnD PiCtUrE ExPOSUrE

ISO means sensitivity of film to light or nowadays the sensitivity of digital imaging systems Modern digital cameras have ISO range from 100 up to 1600 or even more The higher the ISO number the less light is required to produce photo with the same image brightness And low-sensitive camera needs longer exposition In both digital and film photography higher ISO generally leads to reduced image quality (bigger noise appears in the image)

Exposure value EV is a number that represents a combination of a cameras shutter speed and f-number Different shutter speeds and f-numbers combinations can produce the same exposure value Theoretically brightness of photos with the identical EV will be the same but sharpness and depth of images may differ very much

F-NUMBEREV 28 40 56 80 11 16

2 2 4 8 15 30 60

3 1 2 4 8 15 30

4 12 1 2 4 8 15

5 14 12 1 2 4 8

6 18 14 12 1 2 4

7 115 18 14 12 1 2

8 13 115 18 14 12 1

9 160 13 115 18 14 12

10 1125 160 13 115 18 14

11 1250 1125 160 13 115 18

12 1500 1250 1125 160 13 115

13 11000 1500 1250 1125 160 13

14 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125 160

15 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125

16 12000 11000 1500 1250

DEPEnDEnCy BEtwEEn F-nUMBEr AnD ShUttEr SPEED (ShUttEr SPEED iS ShOwn in intErSECtiOnS)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 19

Sunny 16 rule makes it easy to determine the exposure in a good daylight It says that correct exposure will be obtained on a sunny day by using an aperture of f16 and the shutter speed closest to the one second divided by ISO used For example if you set camera ISO to 100 then optimal shutter speed will be 1100 s

Depth of field increases with f-number This means that in photos taken with low f-number objects in focus only will be clear and rest nearer and farther elements will seem blurred If you use lar-ge f-numbers almost all elements in photo will look sharp If you prefer most informative documentary photos yoursquoll find aperture f-number f8 should be the best in most of cases

Typical exposure values EV for various light conditions when ISO equals 100 are shown in the table

LIGHTING CONDITION EV

DAYLIGHThigh contrast scenes such as snow or sand 16

Full sunlight or little shadows clear sky background 15

heavy overcast scenes in shadow during clear sunlight at sunset 12

just after sunset 9ndash11

OUTDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTneon fire 9ndash10

Bright street scenes 8

night street scenes fairs parks and window displays 7ndash8

night vehicle traffic Christmas tree lights 5

Lighted buildings monuments and fountains 3ndash5

Distant views of lighted buildings 2

INDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTgalleries 8ndash11

Sports events shows 8ndash9

ice shows floodlit 9

Offices and work areas 7ndash8

home interiors 5ndash7

Exposure compensation is a simple to use camera control to ob-tain lighter or darker image Usually this control looks like a slider with several marks from negative to positive Negative marks give darker and positive give more brighter image

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 20

Actual EV can be obtained by subtraction of exposure compen-sation value from EV value that camera indicates For example if camera settings give EV value 8 and selected EV compensation is 1 then actual AV will be 7

If youre not sure what settings to apply it is possible to set up a series of exposures by automatically increasing settings by 1 this is called bracketing

Aperture or shutter speed priority lets you control camerarsquos f-num-ber or shutter speed without worrying about the other settings that camera then automatically selects according light of the scene

155 Camerarsquos controlsISO speed usually is set between 100 and 400 automatically In creative zone modes you can set ISO speed to other values usually to 100 200 400 800 and 1600

Press button ISO speed menu will be displayed

Select ISO speed by pressing button then press

The shutter speed can be changed in interval from seconds to milliseconds by turning the dial in shutter priority mode

The actual shutter speed is indicated on the LCD screen as de-nominator of fraction in seconds On example lsquo125rsquo on the screen means 1125 seconds

The aperture value can be changed by turning the dial in aperture priority mode Aperture depends on lens attached to the camera The actual aperture is indicated on the LCD screen as denominator of fraction On example lsquo56rsquo on the screen means f56

In manual mode aperture settings you can reach by holding button

ExPOSitiOn inDiCAtOr ShOULD BE nEAr thE zErO MArk tO AChiEvE StAnDArD ExPOSUrE LEvEL tO DECrEASE it yOU ShOULD inCrEASE ShUttEr

SPEED Or SELECt SMALLEr APErtUrE

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 21

16 Colour control The actual colours are most important problem in photography The first most modern cameras have still non-linear image sen-sors and therefore there are used sophisticated colour proces-sors which complex algorithms to improve colour quality And the result of such processing often differs from original

The second you must have very good PC screen to reproduce actual colours Most of LCD monitors give only approximately colours and often even monitor colour pre-sets canrsquot help

One option is to consider each photo as a piece of art which mustnrsquot be an exact copy of reality In this case automatic colour control is enough But other option is smart use available came-ra settings and get result you need

161 White balanceAdjusting the white balance basically means making sure that a white or any grey shadowed part of the picture is really white or grey not with any red blue or green tones It the colour of white or grey parts corresponds to original colours we are sure that all other colours are correct

Most modern cameras have an AWB (automatic white balance) setting In the most cases can be let switched on especially out-

doors when light is strong Ever if your photos have wrong colour balance it can be easily corrected in the computer

If you take photos indoors without flash artificial light (bulbs luminescent tubes candles etc) may give strong colour tone on your images To avoid it cameras can have various pre-sets of white balance such as lsquotungsten bulbrsquo lsquowhite fluorescentrsquo etc

If you prefer use your own white balance settings various op-tions can be found in the table

Colour Temp Light source Setting icon

1000k Candles

2500k household light bulbs

5000k Average daylight electronic flash industrial lights

6000k Bright sunshine with clear sky

7000k Slightly overcast sky

8000k hazy sky

9000k Open shade on clear day

10000k heavily overcast sky

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 22

If you need to make sure yourselves how exact is your camerarsquos white balance you can take few photos of known grey object on example newspaper page open them in the photo editing sof-tware and look how much colour tone differs when you make them ldquoblack whiterdquo

161 SaturationMost cameras have colour saturation control eg less saturated normal and vivid options Vivid colours are ideal when you need to emphasize primary colours such as fashion lights fruits and flowers

Monochromatic option gives non-colour (black ndash white) images If you use high contrast settings such images will look more in-teresting

Sepia option makes your image look like as old fashion black ndash white photo with light brown tones

Many cameras have various colour filters and pre-sets which give your image particular colour tone balance or saturation

163 Colour processingIt is recommended in all cases to keep the same colour repre-senting standard ndash sRGB This option should be set in both your camera and photo processing software Alternative standard CMYK often is used in colour printers To make CMYK image from RGB always better and easier than vice versa

17 Light

Usually in photography we use three main types of light natural light studio light and flash

The light is most important in black and white (monochrome) pho-tography where interpretation of image depends mainly on sha-dows and highlights

There are some useful rules of light in photography The broader the light source the softer the light The narrower

the source the harder the light The closer the light source the softer the light The farther the

source the harder the light The brighter sky the darker shadows Clouds reduce sha-

dows and fog eliminates them at all The light falls off as the square of the distance If you bring light

far as twice the lightness on object surface will decrease four times

Light from side emphasises objectrsquos texture Frontlight masks roughness

Shadows create volume in image

And of course remember that light has a colour Daylight colour in the morning differs from daylight in the afternoon

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 23

171 Natural light Natural daylight has quick changing intensity colour temperatu-re shadows and angle of light Also we canrsquot choose position of light source but can change point of viewing getting various inte-resting light and shadow effects

During only rare periods (eg bright winter and early spring days) sunlight gives strong contrast between object front and shadows acting like key light in studio But in most cases sunlight is dis-sipated in the atmosphere and creates a smooth backlight with soft shadows

When the sun is behind object the main attention goes to outline of object and light effects on it increasing separation between the object and surrounding

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Some additional tools may be used to reduce shadows or highlight par-ticular areas of the object on exam-ple reflector The reflector reflects light like a mirror in the desired di-rection and it is easy to manage li-ght with it As a reflector you can use light-colored wall of the house or other bright objects too

Handy reflector is easy to make from a white paper sheet alumi-nium foil or even white plastic or linen

172 Studio light

StUDiO LightS

Light can be used to enhan-ce or hide particular objects in the image In the studio usually three lights are used for key (main) light fill light and backlight Various com-binations of these lights can produce different light effects

On example using only key light you can enhance contours and particular areas of object achieving very high objectback-ground contrast ratioUsing extra key lights on example 3 or 5 instead one presence of shadows will be minimised and you will be able to shoot quic-kly series of photos with only minimal adjustments but result will have less contrast and details

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 18: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 18

In various photography literature you often can find a term ldquostoprdquo of camera exposure ISO shutter speed etc what actually means some standard value of corresponding parameter only

Aperture means how wide camera is open for light from scene you take In practice term f-number is used which is roughly a ratio of the lenss focal length to the diameter of aperture hole for example f56 or f16 (f56 and f16 are ldquostopsrdquo ie standardised values) A lens with a greater f-number has smaller aperture hole and produces darker images

f14 f14 f14 f14

rELAtiOnShiP BEtwEEn APErtUrE SizE F-nUMBEr AnD PiCtUrE ExPOSUrE

ISO means sensitivity of film to light or nowadays the sensitivity of digital imaging systems Modern digital cameras have ISO range from 100 up to 1600 or even more The higher the ISO number the less light is required to produce photo with the same image brightness And low-sensitive camera needs longer exposition In both digital and film photography higher ISO generally leads to reduced image quality (bigger noise appears in the image)

Exposure value EV is a number that represents a combination of a cameras shutter speed and f-number Different shutter speeds and f-numbers combinations can produce the same exposure value Theoretically brightness of photos with the identical EV will be the same but sharpness and depth of images may differ very much

F-NUMBEREV 28 40 56 80 11 16

2 2 4 8 15 30 60

3 1 2 4 8 15 30

4 12 1 2 4 8 15

5 14 12 1 2 4 8

6 18 14 12 1 2 4

7 115 18 14 12 1 2

8 13 115 18 14 12 1

9 160 13 115 18 14 12

10 1125 160 13 115 18 14

11 1250 1125 160 13 115 18

12 1500 1250 1125 160 13 115

13 11000 1500 1250 1125 160 13

14 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125 160

15 12000 11000 1500 1250 1125

16 12000 11000 1500 1250

DEPEnDEnCy BEtwEEn F-nUMBEr AnD ShUttEr SPEED (ShUttEr SPEED iS ShOwn in intErSECtiOnS)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 19

Sunny 16 rule makes it easy to determine the exposure in a good daylight It says that correct exposure will be obtained on a sunny day by using an aperture of f16 and the shutter speed closest to the one second divided by ISO used For example if you set camera ISO to 100 then optimal shutter speed will be 1100 s

Depth of field increases with f-number This means that in photos taken with low f-number objects in focus only will be clear and rest nearer and farther elements will seem blurred If you use lar-ge f-numbers almost all elements in photo will look sharp If you prefer most informative documentary photos yoursquoll find aperture f-number f8 should be the best in most of cases

Typical exposure values EV for various light conditions when ISO equals 100 are shown in the table

LIGHTING CONDITION EV

DAYLIGHThigh contrast scenes such as snow or sand 16

Full sunlight or little shadows clear sky background 15

heavy overcast scenes in shadow during clear sunlight at sunset 12

just after sunset 9ndash11

OUTDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTneon fire 9ndash10

Bright street scenes 8

night street scenes fairs parks and window displays 7ndash8

night vehicle traffic Christmas tree lights 5

Lighted buildings monuments and fountains 3ndash5

Distant views of lighted buildings 2

INDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTgalleries 8ndash11

Sports events shows 8ndash9

ice shows floodlit 9

Offices and work areas 7ndash8

home interiors 5ndash7

Exposure compensation is a simple to use camera control to ob-tain lighter or darker image Usually this control looks like a slider with several marks from negative to positive Negative marks give darker and positive give more brighter image

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 20

Actual EV can be obtained by subtraction of exposure compen-sation value from EV value that camera indicates For example if camera settings give EV value 8 and selected EV compensation is 1 then actual AV will be 7

If youre not sure what settings to apply it is possible to set up a series of exposures by automatically increasing settings by 1 this is called bracketing

Aperture or shutter speed priority lets you control camerarsquos f-num-ber or shutter speed without worrying about the other settings that camera then automatically selects according light of the scene

155 Camerarsquos controlsISO speed usually is set between 100 and 400 automatically In creative zone modes you can set ISO speed to other values usually to 100 200 400 800 and 1600

Press button ISO speed menu will be displayed

Select ISO speed by pressing button then press

The shutter speed can be changed in interval from seconds to milliseconds by turning the dial in shutter priority mode

The actual shutter speed is indicated on the LCD screen as de-nominator of fraction in seconds On example lsquo125rsquo on the screen means 1125 seconds

The aperture value can be changed by turning the dial in aperture priority mode Aperture depends on lens attached to the camera The actual aperture is indicated on the LCD screen as denominator of fraction On example lsquo56rsquo on the screen means f56

In manual mode aperture settings you can reach by holding button

ExPOSitiOn inDiCAtOr ShOULD BE nEAr thE zErO MArk tO AChiEvE StAnDArD ExPOSUrE LEvEL tO DECrEASE it yOU ShOULD inCrEASE ShUttEr

SPEED Or SELECt SMALLEr APErtUrE

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 21

16 Colour control The actual colours are most important problem in photography The first most modern cameras have still non-linear image sen-sors and therefore there are used sophisticated colour proces-sors which complex algorithms to improve colour quality And the result of such processing often differs from original

The second you must have very good PC screen to reproduce actual colours Most of LCD monitors give only approximately colours and often even monitor colour pre-sets canrsquot help

One option is to consider each photo as a piece of art which mustnrsquot be an exact copy of reality In this case automatic colour control is enough But other option is smart use available came-ra settings and get result you need

161 White balanceAdjusting the white balance basically means making sure that a white or any grey shadowed part of the picture is really white or grey not with any red blue or green tones It the colour of white or grey parts corresponds to original colours we are sure that all other colours are correct

Most modern cameras have an AWB (automatic white balance) setting In the most cases can be let switched on especially out-

doors when light is strong Ever if your photos have wrong colour balance it can be easily corrected in the computer

If you take photos indoors without flash artificial light (bulbs luminescent tubes candles etc) may give strong colour tone on your images To avoid it cameras can have various pre-sets of white balance such as lsquotungsten bulbrsquo lsquowhite fluorescentrsquo etc

If you prefer use your own white balance settings various op-tions can be found in the table

Colour Temp Light source Setting icon

1000k Candles

2500k household light bulbs

5000k Average daylight electronic flash industrial lights

6000k Bright sunshine with clear sky

7000k Slightly overcast sky

8000k hazy sky

9000k Open shade on clear day

10000k heavily overcast sky

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 22

If you need to make sure yourselves how exact is your camerarsquos white balance you can take few photos of known grey object on example newspaper page open them in the photo editing sof-tware and look how much colour tone differs when you make them ldquoblack whiterdquo

161 SaturationMost cameras have colour saturation control eg less saturated normal and vivid options Vivid colours are ideal when you need to emphasize primary colours such as fashion lights fruits and flowers

Monochromatic option gives non-colour (black ndash white) images If you use high contrast settings such images will look more in-teresting

Sepia option makes your image look like as old fashion black ndash white photo with light brown tones

Many cameras have various colour filters and pre-sets which give your image particular colour tone balance or saturation

163 Colour processingIt is recommended in all cases to keep the same colour repre-senting standard ndash sRGB This option should be set in both your camera and photo processing software Alternative standard CMYK often is used in colour printers To make CMYK image from RGB always better and easier than vice versa

17 Light

Usually in photography we use three main types of light natural light studio light and flash

The light is most important in black and white (monochrome) pho-tography where interpretation of image depends mainly on sha-dows and highlights

There are some useful rules of light in photography The broader the light source the softer the light The narrower

the source the harder the light The closer the light source the softer the light The farther the

source the harder the light The brighter sky the darker shadows Clouds reduce sha-

dows and fog eliminates them at all The light falls off as the square of the distance If you bring light

far as twice the lightness on object surface will decrease four times

Light from side emphasises objectrsquos texture Frontlight masks roughness

Shadows create volume in image

And of course remember that light has a colour Daylight colour in the morning differs from daylight in the afternoon

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 23

171 Natural light Natural daylight has quick changing intensity colour temperatu-re shadows and angle of light Also we canrsquot choose position of light source but can change point of viewing getting various inte-resting light and shadow effects

During only rare periods (eg bright winter and early spring days) sunlight gives strong contrast between object front and shadows acting like key light in studio But in most cases sunlight is dis-sipated in the atmosphere and creates a smooth backlight with soft shadows

When the sun is behind object the main attention goes to outline of object and light effects on it increasing separation between the object and surrounding

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Some additional tools may be used to reduce shadows or highlight par-ticular areas of the object on exam-ple reflector The reflector reflects light like a mirror in the desired di-rection and it is easy to manage li-ght with it As a reflector you can use light-colored wall of the house or other bright objects too

Handy reflector is easy to make from a white paper sheet alumi-nium foil or even white plastic or linen

172 Studio light

StUDiO LightS

Light can be used to enhan-ce or hide particular objects in the image In the studio usually three lights are used for key (main) light fill light and backlight Various com-binations of these lights can produce different light effects

On example using only key light you can enhance contours and particular areas of object achieving very high objectback-ground contrast ratioUsing extra key lights on example 3 or 5 instead one presence of shadows will be minimised and you will be able to shoot quic-kly series of photos with only minimal adjustments but result will have less contrast and details

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 19: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 19

Sunny 16 rule makes it easy to determine the exposure in a good daylight It says that correct exposure will be obtained on a sunny day by using an aperture of f16 and the shutter speed closest to the one second divided by ISO used For example if you set camera ISO to 100 then optimal shutter speed will be 1100 s

Depth of field increases with f-number This means that in photos taken with low f-number objects in focus only will be clear and rest nearer and farther elements will seem blurred If you use lar-ge f-numbers almost all elements in photo will look sharp If you prefer most informative documentary photos yoursquoll find aperture f-number f8 should be the best in most of cases

Typical exposure values EV for various light conditions when ISO equals 100 are shown in the table

LIGHTING CONDITION EV

DAYLIGHThigh contrast scenes such as snow or sand 16

Full sunlight or little shadows clear sky background 15

heavy overcast scenes in shadow during clear sunlight at sunset 12

just after sunset 9ndash11

OUTDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTneon fire 9ndash10

Bright street scenes 8

night street scenes fairs parks and window displays 7ndash8

night vehicle traffic Christmas tree lights 5

Lighted buildings monuments and fountains 3ndash5

Distant views of lighted buildings 2

INDOOR ARTIFICIAL LIGHTgalleries 8ndash11

Sports events shows 8ndash9

ice shows floodlit 9

Offices and work areas 7ndash8

home interiors 5ndash7

Exposure compensation is a simple to use camera control to ob-tain lighter or darker image Usually this control looks like a slider with several marks from negative to positive Negative marks give darker and positive give more brighter image

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 20

Actual EV can be obtained by subtraction of exposure compen-sation value from EV value that camera indicates For example if camera settings give EV value 8 and selected EV compensation is 1 then actual AV will be 7

If youre not sure what settings to apply it is possible to set up a series of exposures by automatically increasing settings by 1 this is called bracketing

Aperture or shutter speed priority lets you control camerarsquos f-num-ber or shutter speed without worrying about the other settings that camera then automatically selects according light of the scene

155 Camerarsquos controlsISO speed usually is set between 100 and 400 automatically In creative zone modes you can set ISO speed to other values usually to 100 200 400 800 and 1600

Press button ISO speed menu will be displayed

Select ISO speed by pressing button then press

The shutter speed can be changed in interval from seconds to milliseconds by turning the dial in shutter priority mode

The actual shutter speed is indicated on the LCD screen as de-nominator of fraction in seconds On example lsquo125rsquo on the screen means 1125 seconds

The aperture value can be changed by turning the dial in aperture priority mode Aperture depends on lens attached to the camera The actual aperture is indicated on the LCD screen as denominator of fraction On example lsquo56rsquo on the screen means f56

In manual mode aperture settings you can reach by holding button

ExPOSitiOn inDiCAtOr ShOULD BE nEAr thE zErO MArk tO AChiEvE StAnDArD ExPOSUrE LEvEL tO DECrEASE it yOU ShOULD inCrEASE ShUttEr

SPEED Or SELECt SMALLEr APErtUrE

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 21

16 Colour control The actual colours are most important problem in photography The first most modern cameras have still non-linear image sen-sors and therefore there are used sophisticated colour proces-sors which complex algorithms to improve colour quality And the result of such processing often differs from original

The second you must have very good PC screen to reproduce actual colours Most of LCD monitors give only approximately colours and often even monitor colour pre-sets canrsquot help

One option is to consider each photo as a piece of art which mustnrsquot be an exact copy of reality In this case automatic colour control is enough But other option is smart use available came-ra settings and get result you need

161 White balanceAdjusting the white balance basically means making sure that a white or any grey shadowed part of the picture is really white or grey not with any red blue or green tones It the colour of white or grey parts corresponds to original colours we are sure that all other colours are correct

Most modern cameras have an AWB (automatic white balance) setting In the most cases can be let switched on especially out-

doors when light is strong Ever if your photos have wrong colour balance it can be easily corrected in the computer

If you take photos indoors without flash artificial light (bulbs luminescent tubes candles etc) may give strong colour tone on your images To avoid it cameras can have various pre-sets of white balance such as lsquotungsten bulbrsquo lsquowhite fluorescentrsquo etc

If you prefer use your own white balance settings various op-tions can be found in the table

Colour Temp Light source Setting icon

1000k Candles

2500k household light bulbs

5000k Average daylight electronic flash industrial lights

6000k Bright sunshine with clear sky

7000k Slightly overcast sky

8000k hazy sky

9000k Open shade on clear day

10000k heavily overcast sky

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 22

If you need to make sure yourselves how exact is your camerarsquos white balance you can take few photos of known grey object on example newspaper page open them in the photo editing sof-tware and look how much colour tone differs when you make them ldquoblack whiterdquo

161 SaturationMost cameras have colour saturation control eg less saturated normal and vivid options Vivid colours are ideal when you need to emphasize primary colours such as fashion lights fruits and flowers

Monochromatic option gives non-colour (black ndash white) images If you use high contrast settings such images will look more in-teresting

Sepia option makes your image look like as old fashion black ndash white photo with light brown tones

Many cameras have various colour filters and pre-sets which give your image particular colour tone balance or saturation

163 Colour processingIt is recommended in all cases to keep the same colour repre-senting standard ndash sRGB This option should be set in both your camera and photo processing software Alternative standard CMYK often is used in colour printers To make CMYK image from RGB always better and easier than vice versa

17 Light

Usually in photography we use three main types of light natural light studio light and flash

The light is most important in black and white (monochrome) pho-tography where interpretation of image depends mainly on sha-dows and highlights

There are some useful rules of light in photography The broader the light source the softer the light The narrower

the source the harder the light The closer the light source the softer the light The farther the

source the harder the light The brighter sky the darker shadows Clouds reduce sha-

dows and fog eliminates them at all The light falls off as the square of the distance If you bring light

far as twice the lightness on object surface will decrease four times

Light from side emphasises objectrsquos texture Frontlight masks roughness

Shadows create volume in image

And of course remember that light has a colour Daylight colour in the morning differs from daylight in the afternoon

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 23

171 Natural light Natural daylight has quick changing intensity colour temperatu-re shadows and angle of light Also we canrsquot choose position of light source but can change point of viewing getting various inte-resting light and shadow effects

During only rare periods (eg bright winter and early spring days) sunlight gives strong contrast between object front and shadows acting like key light in studio But in most cases sunlight is dis-sipated in the atmosphere and creates a smooth backlight with soft shadows

When the sun is behind object the main attention goes to outline of object and light effects on it increasing separation between the object and surrounding

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Some additional tools may be used to reduce shadows or highlight par-ticular areas of the object on exam-ple reflector The reflector reflects light like a mirror in the desired di-rection and it is easy to manage li-ght with it As a reflector you can use light-colored wall of the house or other bright objects too

Handy reflector is easy to make from a white paper sheet alumi-nium foil or even white plastic or linen

172 Studio light

StUDiO LightS

Light can be used to enhan-ce or hide particular objects in the image In the studio usually three lights are used for key (main) light fill light and backlight Various com-binations of these lights can produce different light effects

On example using only key light you can enhance contours and particular areas of object achieving very high objectback-ground contrast ratioUsing extra key lights on example 3 or 5 instead one presence of shadows will be minimised and you will be able to shoot quic-kly series of photos with only minimal adjustments but result will have less contrast and details

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 20: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 20

Actual EV can be obtained by subtraction of exposure compen-sation value from EV value that camera indicates For example if camera settings give EV value 8 and selected EV compensation is 1 then actual AV will be 7

If youre not sure what settings to apply it is possible to set up a series of exposures by automatically increasing settings by 1 this is called bracketing

Aperture or shutter speed priority lets you control camerarsquos f-num-ber or shutter speed without worrying about the other settings that camera then automatically selects according light of the scene

155 Camerarsquos controlsISO speed usually is set between 100 and 400 automatically In creative zone modes you can set ISO speed to other values usually to 100 200 400 800 and 1600

Press button ISO speed menu will be displayed

Select ISO speed by pressing button then press

The shutter speed can be changed in interval from seconds to milliseconds by turning the dial in shutter priority mode

The actual shutter speed is indicated on the LCD screen as de-nominator of fraction in seconds On example lsquo125rsquo on the screen means 1125 seconds

The aperture value can be changed by turning the dial in aperture priority mode Aperture depends on lens attached to the camera The actual aperture is indicated on the LCD screen as denominator of fraction On example lsquo56rsquo on the screen means f56

In manual mode aperture settings you can reach by holding button

ExPOSitiOn inDiCAtOr ShOULD BE nEAr thE zErO MArk tO AChiEvE StAnDArD ExPOSUrE LEvEL tO DECrEASE it yOU ShOULD inCrEASE ShUttEr

SPEED Or SELECt SMALLEr APErtUrE

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 21

16 Colour control The actual colours are most important problem in photography The first most modern cameras have still non-linear image sen-sors and therefore there are used sophisticated colour proces-sors which complex algorithms to improve colour quality And the result of such processing often differs from original

The second you must have very good PC screen to reproduce actual colours Most of LCD monitors give only approximately colours and often even monitor colour pre-sets canrsquot help

One option is to consider each photo as a piece of art which mustnrsquot be an exact copy of reality In this case automatic colour control is enough But other option is smart use available came-ra settings and get result you need

161 White balanceAdjusting the white balance basically means making sure that a white or any grey shadowed part of the picture is really white or grey not with any red blue or green tones It the colour of white or grey parts corresponds to original colours we are sure that all other colours are correct

Most modern cameras have an AWB (automatic white balance) setting In the most cases can be let switched on especially out-

doors when light is strong Ever if your photos have wrong colour balance it can be easily corrected in the computer

If you take photos indoors without flash artificial light (bulbs luminescent tubes candles etc) may give strong colour tone on your images To avoid it cameras can have various pre-sets of white balance such as lsquotungsten bulbrsquo lsquowhite fluorescentrsquo etc

If you prefer use your own white balance settings various op-tions can be found in the table

Colour Temp Light source Setting icon

1000k Candles

2500k household light bulbs

5000k Average daylight electronic flash industrial lights

6000k Bright sunshine with clear sky

7000k Slightly overcast sky

8000k hazy sky

9000k Open shade on clear day

10000k heavily overcast sky

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 22

If you need to make sure yourselves how exact is your camerarsquos white balance you can take few photos of known grey object on example newspaper page open them in the photo editing sof-tware and look how much colour tone differs when you make them ldquoblack whiterdquo

161 SaturationMost cameras have colour saturation control eg less saturated normal and vivid options Vivid colours are ideal when you need to emphasize primary colours such as fashion lights fruits and flowers

Monochromatic option gives non-colour (black ndash white) images If you use high contrast settings such images will look more in-teresting

Sepia option makes your image look like as old fashion black ndash white photo with light brown tones

Many cameras have various colour filters and pre-sets which give your image particular colour tone balance or saturation

163 Colour processingIt is recommended in all cases to keep the same colour repre-senting standard ndash sRGB This option should be set in both your camera and photo processing software Alternative standard CMYK often is used in colour printers To make CMYK image from RGB always better and easier than vice versa

17 Light

Usually in photography we use three main types of light natural light studio light and flash

The light is most important in black and white (monochrome) pho-tography where interpretation of image depends mainly on sha-dows and highlights

There are some useful rules of light in photography The broader the light source the softer the light The narrower

the source the harder the light The closer the light source the softer the light The farther the

source the harder the light The brighter sky the darker shadows Clouds reduce sha-

dows and fog eliminates them at all The light falls off as the square of the distance If you bring light

far as twice the lightness on object surface will decrease four times

Light from side emphasises objectrsquos texture Frontlight masks roughness

Shadows create volume in image

And of course remember that light has a colour Daylight colour in the morning differs from daylight in the afternoon

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 23

171 Natural light Natural daylight has quick changing intensity colour temperatu-re shadows and angle of light Also we canrsquot choose position of light source but can change point of viewing getting various inte-resting light and shadow effects

During only rare periods (eg bright winter and early spring days) sunlight gives strong contrast between object front and shadows acting like key light in studio But in most cases sunlight is dis-sipated in the atmosphere and creates a smooth backlight with soft shadows

When the sun is behind object the main attention goes to outline of object and light effects on it increasing separation between the object and surrounding

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Some additional tools may be used to reduce shadows or highlight par-ticular areas of the object on exam-ple reflector The reflector reflects light like a mirror in the desired di-rection and it is easy to manage li-ght with it As a reflector you can use light-colored wall of the house or other bright objects too

Handy reflector is easy to make from a white paper sheet alumi-nium foil or even white plastic or linen

172 Studio light

StUDiO LightS

Light can be used to enhan-ce or hide particular objects in the image In the studio usually three lights are used for key (main) light fill light and backlight Various com-binations of these lights can produce different light effects

On example using only key light you can enhance contours and particular areas of object achieving very high objectback-ground contrast ratioUsing extra key lights on example 3 or 5 instead one presence of shadows will be minimised and you will be able to shoot quic-kly series of photos with only minimal adjustments but result will have less contrast and details

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 21: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 21

16 Colour control The actual colours are most important problem in photography The first most modern cameras have still non-linear image sen-sors and therefore there are used sophisticated colour proces-sors which complex algorithms to improve colour quality And the result of such processing often differs from original

The second you must have very good PC screen to reproduce actual colours Most of LCD monitors give only approximately colours and often even monitor colour pre-sets canrsquot help

One option is to consider each photo as a piece of art which mustnrsquot be an exact copy of reality In this case automatic colour control is enough But other option is smart use available came-ra settings and get result you need

161 White balanceAdjusting the white balance basically means making sure that a white or any grey shadowed part of the picture is really white or grey not with any red blue or green tones It the colour of white or grey parts corresponds to original colours we are sure that all other colours are correct

Most modern cameras have an AWB (automatic white balance) setting In the most cases can be let switched on especially out-

doors when light is strong Ever if your photos have wrong colour balance it can be easily corrected in the computer

If you take photos indoors without flash artificial light (bulbs luminescent tubes candles etc) may give strong colour tone on your images To avoid it cameras can have various pre-sets of white balance such as lsquotungsten bulbrsquo lsquowhite fluorescentrsquo etc

If you prefer use your own white balance settings various op-tions can be found in the table

Colour Temp Light source Setting icon

1000k Candles

2500k household light bulbs

5000k Average daylight electronic flash industrial lights

6000k Bright sunshine with clear sky

7000k Slightly overcast sky

8000k hazy sky

9000k Open shade on clear day

10000k heavily overcast sky

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 22

If you need to make sure yourselves how exact is your camerarsquos white balance you can take few photos of known grey object on example newspaper page open them in the photo editing sof-tware and look how much colour tone differs when you make them ldquoblack whiterdquo

161 SaturationMost cameras have colour saturation control eg less saturated normal and vivid options Vivid colours are ideal when you need to emphasize primary colours such as fashion lights fruits and flowers

Monochromatic option gives non-colour (black ndash white) images If you use high contrast settings such images will look more in-teresting

Sepia option makes your image look like as old fashion black ndash white photo with light brown tones

Many cameras have various colour filters and pre-sets which give your image particular colour tone balance or saturation

163 Colour processingIt is recommended in all cases to keep the same colour repre-senting standard ndash sRGB This option should be set in both your camera and photo processing software Alternative standard CMYK often is used in colour printers To make CMYK image from RGB always better and easier than vice versa

17 Light

Usually in photography we use three main types of light natural light studio light and flash

The light is most important in black and white (monochrome) pho-tography where interpretation of image depends mainly on sha-dows and highlights

There are some useful rules of light in photography The broader the light source the softer the light The narrower

the source the harder the light The closer the light source the softer the light The farther the

source the harder the light The brighter sky the darker shadows Clouds reduce sha-

dows and fog eliminates them at all The light falls off as the square of the distance If you bring light

far as twice the lightness on object surface will decrease four times

Light from side emphasises objectrsquos texture Frontlight masks roughness

Shadows create volume in image

And of course remember that light has a colour Daylight colour in the morning differs from daylight in the afternoon

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 23

171 Natural light Natural daylight has quick changing intensity colour temperatu-re shadows and angle of light Also we canrsquot choose position of light source but can change point of viewing getting various inte-resting light and shadow effects

During only rare periods (eg bright winter and early spring days) sunlight gives strong contrast between object front and shadows acting like key light in studio But in most cases sunlight is dis-sipated in the atmosphere and creates a smooth backlight with soft shadows

When the sun is behind object the main attention goes to outline of object and light effects on it increasing separation between the object and surrounding

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Some additional tools may be used to reduce shadows or highlight par-ticular areas of the object on exam-ple reflector The reflector reflects light like a mirror in the desired di-rection and it is easy to manage li-ght with it As a reflector you can use light-colored wall of the house or other bright objects too

Handy reflector is easy to make from a white paper sheet alumi-nium foil or even white plastic or linen

172 Studio light

StUDiO LightS

Light can be used to enhan-ce or hide particular objects in the image In the studio usually three lights are used for key (main) light fill light and backlight Various com-binations of these lights can produce different light effects

On example using only key light you can enhance contours and particular areas of object achieving very high objectback-ground contrast ratioUsing extra key lights on example 3 or 5 instead one presence of shadows will be minimised and you will be able to shoot quic-kly series of photos with only minimal adjustments but result will have less contrast and details

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 22: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 22

If you need to make sure yourselves how exact is your camerarsquos white balance you can take few photos of known grey object on example newspaper page open them in the photo editing sof-tware and look how much colour tone differs when you make them ldquoblack whiterdquo

161 SaturationMost cameras have colour saturation control eg less saturated normal and vivid options Vivid colours are ideal when you need to emphasize primary colours such as fashion lights fruits and flowers

Monochromatic option gives non-colour (black ndash white) images If you use high contrast settings such images will look more in-teresting

Sepia option makes your image look like as old fashion black ndash white photo with light brown tones

Many cameras have various colour filters and pre-sets which give your image particular colour tone balance or saturation

163 Colour processingIt is recommended in all cases to keep the same colour repre-senting standard ndash sRGB This option should be set in both your camera and photo processing software Alternative standard CMYK often is used in colour printers To make CMYK image from RGB always better and easier than vice versa

17 Light

Usually in photography we use three main types of light natural light studio light and flash

The light is most important in black and white (monochrome) pho-tography where interpretation of image depends mainly on sha-dows and highlights

There are some useful rules of light in photography The broader the light source the softer the light The narrower

the source the harder the light The closer the light source the softer the light The farther the

source the harder the light The brighter sky the darker shadows Clouds reduce sha-

dows and fog eliminates them at all The light falls off as the square of the distance If you bring light

far as twice the lightness on object surface will decrease four times

Light from side emphasises objectrsquos texture Frontlight masks roughness

Shadows create volume in image

And of course remember that light has a colour Daylight colour in the morning differs from daylight in the afternoon

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 23

171 Natural light Natural daylight has quick changing intensity colour temperatu-re shadows and angle of light Also we canrsquot choose position of light source but can change point of viewing getting various inte-resting light and shadow effects

During only rare periods (eg bright winter and early spring days) sunlight gives strong contrast between object front and shadows acting like key light in studio But in most cases sunlight is dis-sipated in the atmosphere and creates a smooth backlight with soft shadows

When the sun is behind object the main attention goes to outline of object and light effects on it increasing separation between the object and surrounding

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Some additional tools may be used to reduce shadows or highlight par-ticular areas of the object on exam-ple reflector The reflector reflects light like a mirror in the desired di-rection and it is easy to manage li-ght with it As a reflector you can use light-colored wall of the house or other bright objects too

Handy reflector is easy to make from a white paper sheet alumi-nium foil or even white plastic or linen

172 Studio light

StUDiO LightS

Light can be used to enhan-ce or hide particular objects in the image In the studio usually three lights are used for key (main) light fill light and backlight Various com-binations of these lights can produce different light effects

On example using only key light you can enhance contours and particular areas of object achieving very high objectback-ground contrast ratioUsing extra key lights on example 3 or 5 instead one presence of shadows will be minimised and you will be able to shoot quic-kly series of photos with only minimal adjustments but result will have less contrast and details

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 23: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 23

171 Natural light Natural daylight has quick changing intensity colour temperatu-re shadows and angle of light Also we canrsquot choose position of light source but can change point of viewing getting various inte-resting light and shadow effects

During only rare periods (eg bright winter and early spring days) sunlight gives strong contrast between object front and shadows acting like key light in studio But in most cases sunlight is dis-sipated in the atmosphere and creates a smooth backlight with soft shadows

When the sun is behind object the main attention goes to outline of object and light effects on it increasing separation between the object and surrounding

FrAMing iMAgES By OBjECtS

Some additional tools may be used to reduce shadows or highlight par-ticular areas of the object on exam-ple reflector The reflector reflects light like a mirror in the desired di-rection and it is easy to manage li-ght with it As a reflector you can use light-colored wall of the house or other bright objects too

Handy reflector is easy to make from a white paper sheet alumi-nium foil or even white plastic or linen

172 Studio light

StUDiO LightS

Light can be used to enhan-ce or hide particular objects in the image In the studio usually three lights are used for key (main) light fill light and backlight Various com-binations of these lights can produce different light effects

On example using only key light you can enhance contours and particular areas of object achieving very high objectback-ground contrast ratioUsing extra key lights on example 3 or 5 instead one presence of shadows will be minimised and you will be able to shoot quic-kly series of photos with only minimal adjustments but result will have less contrast and details

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 24: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 24

173 FlashlightFlash is a device producing short impulses of artificial light to help illuminate a scene Duration of such impulses is approximately 1 millisecond (11000s)

Flashlight is used usually for illuminating dark scenes key lighting and adjusting light intensity or temperature capturing quickly moving objects

Most cameras have built-in flashes and professional ones have ability to mount more powerful external flash units In the studio or even event or party you can use additional separate standing flash devices that ignite remotely by camera internal flash light or various infrared radio or cable technologies

kinD OF ExtErnAL FLASh FLASh rEFLECtOr

Each flash device can be described by two parameters-duration and intensity The duration often described as a number like t5 or t3 The greater is number the shorter duration is The intensity usually is marked in fractions (like frac12 or frac14) or numbers (like 9 or 8) The greater number means larger intensity

In most cases the flash is used as main light source when environ-ment light is insufficient on example indoors or after sunset Nor-mally built-in flash can illuminate scene in 3-4 meters distance The illumination falls off as the square of the distance If the scene far as twice the illumination of scene will decrease four times But in short distances flash is too bright to take quality images The minimal flash distance usually is 1 meter

Otherwise the flash is used as front light to control contrast and highlight object areas like in studio

FLASh ADjUStS FOrEgrOUnD AnD BACkgrOUnD LUMinAnCE rAtiO

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 25: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 25

Standard direct flash produces hard light making sharp shadows Professionals try to avoid this hard light by dispelling the flash light with different filters and reflectors

If you have no expensive equipment you can cover the flash by light dissipating film use white umbrellas or even usual paper cards to reflect light

In Canon EOS series cameras the flash can be used fully automa-tically in the Basic zone modes But in Creative zone you can use the flash whenever you want

Built-in flash will pop up automatically if necessary in low light and backlight conditions except landscape sport and flash-off modes

In the Aperture priority (Av) mode the foreground of scene is ex-posed shortly using flash and darker background is exposed longer according shutter speed So in the dark environment using Av mode you need a tripod even you use the flash

When flash is used in dark environment peoplersquos and animalsrsquo eyes can look red in the image because the light refracts from eyersquos retina Most of cameras have ldquored eye reducingrdquo flash mode when auxiliary lamp or pre-flash illuminates the eyes causing them to shrink the iris Red eye reduction works better in lighter conditions or in shorter distances

18 Photography projects

181 When does one become a good photographerSince digital cameras (including the popular smart phones) be-came so widespread photography is one of the worldrsquos favou-rite hobbies As a matter of fact everybody has a camera our limit is only set by our level of interest and the size of our wallet Some people are contented with the photography functions of a mobile phone while others want to make the most of their talent and creativity with the help of their mirror reflection photo device and focus variations Even though video cameras are especially popular people often take time to look at magnified still images perhaps because we can take these anywhere in our pockets or purse or we can put them on our wall so that a person or an event can always be near us But itrsquos also possible that photography the capturing of a moment has such a mystic quality that motion picture (or reality) cannot reflect Presumably the latter can be the main reason for anybodyrsquos affection for photography

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 26: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 26

When does one become a good photographer It happens when you take photos and it gives you pleasure It is only an additional value if other people appreciate your work creativity or point of view

You might be at professional level with a super expensive camera on your shoulder photography being your bread and butter You might be a person whose photos win awards maybe in significant fields of knowledge and you receive a great amount of money for them Or you might be someone who makes a selection of your favourite photos to show them to your friends and family for the purpose of fun Which one is the good photographer Someone who gets paid for his work but it has become nothing more than a daily routine Or someone whose photo is awarded by a certain professional board based on their own aspects Or is it someone who makes himself or his environment happy by capturing some special moments

ChE gUEvArA ALBErtO kOrDA

Birth FErEnC SiMiCz (F20 145 iSO 800 LEiCA M9PzEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PhOtOgrAPhErS At wOrk

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 27: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 27

182 Portraits ndash people in the picturesHead or bust portraits remind most people of school or passport photos It is not a surprise then that many portraits look like they come from the police archives where people stare into the lens ri-gidly without expression and the model would flee from the came-ra if he could These faces can be old or young smooth or wrinkled humorous or strict happy or sorrowful capturing these moments is one of the most rewarding experiences in photography

Although in terms of equipment there arenrsquot any regulations op-tics of 70-200 mm are the most suitable for portraits The use of a wide aperture opening (httpenwikipediaorgwikiAperture) mi-ght be important with which we can make the background suffi-ciently dim (httpenwikipediaorgwikiBokeh) thus highlighting emphasising our object For this purpose it is best to choose AV mode that is set the mode dials for aperture priority mode This way we can regulate the aperture opening and the blurring of the background that is the bigger the aperture the more blurred the background It might also be an important rule that the sharpest part of the picture should be the eyes the face

Sikh MAn AMritSArinDiA FErEnC SiMiCz (F35 1160 iSO 100 CAnOn 40D CAnOn 5018)

As we do portrait photography we may select from various op-tions other than the already mentioned face and bust portraits We can photograph whole bodies too if we intend to present our object in full form The reason might be his unique clothes physi-que or simply his character The full shot does not mean that our model has to be standing He can be seated or even lying down

In the case of open air portrait shots one must take the conditions of light into consideration The colour temperature produces war-mer lights in the morning and in the evening than during the day when the sun is high and its colours are bluish Strong sunlight might cast a shadow on the face under the eyes thus changing our objectrsquos character Strong light might also cause him to wince or blink not to mention the fact that we might also cast a shadow on the picture The best open air portrait photos were born in the shade or in cloudy weather Unlike when itrsquos sunny there is no wincing or blinking in that weather deep shadows do not appear on the face If we still happen to take photos in the sun we must make sure that the light hits the face from the side that is the sun shouldnrsquot shine into our modelrsquos eyes and there should be no backlight In the case of portraits we may often use our flash in the so-called filler mode This way our portraits will look natural at the same time shades will not give an aged look to the face and wrinkles will smooth out This method works best with side light or backlight and makes a really professional impression

The selected background can make the quality much worse but it can also improve it If the background dominates too much we might lose the person in the picture A well-selected background however may tell us a lot about our model In professional stu-

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 28: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 28

dios we can choose from several backgrounds Of course a stu-dio is not always available to us so we have to make do with our own solutions The most popular option is the white background for which we only have to find a white wall With that we have an improvised studio

It might be an excellent idea to photograph someone while busy at work thus the proper background is easily provided This will make the picture atmospheric not to mention its documentaristic approach

183 Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoThese days we can choose from a colourful selection of travelling possibilities It can be a summer holiday in a remote country or on a far-away continent a business trip to a nearby city or ma-ybe a weekend retreat at the countryside The point is that we should travel as much as possible so we can have more and more opportunities to use our camera We will always meet new themes landscapes climates so the variations are endless

The change of seasons provides us with ample opportunities to take photos Spring is perfect with its fresh colours and shades moreover we donrsquot have to worry about mist that makes our job so difficult in summer On a spring day what we see as photogenic might be faded or of no interest the next day so timing planning and nice weather are very important factors

In summer the biggest problem is that the air gets filled with moisture when the sun is high so our landscape photos might look faded and dull Even early in the morning the air has a high content of moisture which also works against photographers Of course this should not discourage us as there are some special phenomena that we can only capture in this season Such a thing is the blooming of certain trees and plants But photographing the clouds before and after a storm can also be exciting

Autumn is the season of colours This is when we might have the shortest time for photographing as nature changes from day to day and the capriciousness of weather can greatly influence our work of photography The colours of autumn trees are brilliant especially if we can put them in contrast For example a tree with completely yellow foliage looks beautiful if there is an evergreen in its background

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 29: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 29

Winter is a wonderful period for photographers but it is full of traps which we can easily fall into if we donrsquot know how our ca-mera reacts in certain situations The blinding light of snow can often confuse the built-in light meter of our camera and the pho-tos thus taken look not at all like we intended them It might help if we switch off the automatic focus on our camera or we look for such spots for light metering that have medium tone Then we can return to our theme and take our picture The winter atmosphere is perfectly suitable for black-and-white photos

For landscape photography we have to use landscape mode

PinE trEES FErEnC SiMiCz (F95 1500 iSO 160 LEiCA M9P SUMMiCrOn 50MM)

184 Event photography or how to capture a never returning moment

Events of family life friends or of other nature are some of the most important themes Whether itrsquos a wedding graduation birthday or Christmas they are of the type that can rarely be repeated So it is quite important how these photos turn out Think about this your friend asks you to take a photo of the kiss at his wedding How will you tell him that it didnrsquot turn out because you were fiddling with the white balance or you were busy replacing the lens It might be important to know the participants of the event If we donrsquot it might be useful to have a few words with them or with people who are familiar with the procedure

SMiLE FErEnC SiMiCz (F28 190 iSO 1600 LEiCA M9P zEiSS PLAnAr 50MM)

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 30: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 30

This way we can also get to know the order of events and which are the moments worth of capturing Try to focus on moments that faithfully mirror the atmosphere the magic of the event Try to be invisible so that you will not influence the mood of the event with your camera Set your camera in TV that is in Shutter Priority mode The most important thing is that you have to be there at the right moment

185 ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the street

Besides events and organised functions there is a lot going on in the street but we donrsquot always notice an interesting topic right before our eyes That is why it is a must for an enthusiastic photo-grapher to always carry a camera not only when he is travelling or when he is on his way to document an important event Letrsquos just try it Next time we go to school or work let us consider the events of the street with the eyes of a photographer and we will realise how many things are happening that might be worth do-cumenting Of course many people in the street are not there at their own will but because their life took a turn for the worse Photographing them might arouse some moral issues

186 Sports photography for beginners

Sports events are full of extremely exciting moments whether it is our childrsquos first swimming competition or the match of a professio-nal football team At the same time capturing fast moves whe-ther they are made by humans or an object is a great challenge for fans of photography

One of the most crucial aspects of sports photography is choo-sing the right shutter speed Since most sports happen fast we must use short shutter speed I would say that we should use a min 1250 shutter speed but in reality the quicker the exposure the better the lesser the chance that the object or the person being photographed will move Logically this statement applies even more to technical sports If possible we should use a stand with three legs (tripod) or with one leg (monopod) The former is handy if we have a fixed spot for photographing whereas with the latter we can move about more we can change our position quic-ker If we can only take photos from a distance eg at a car race we must use a telephoto lens With 100-500mm lenses excellent sports photos can be made

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 31: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 31

187 Building photography or houses we live in

If yoursquove had enough of people events sports or nature what is left is building photography As the saying goes it is good to photograph buildings because they never move about There is something about that Building photography is such a field where the use of a tripod is indispensable Not because our building might run away but so that we can place our device in a perfect vertical position Our stand will also help us work with little DOF (depth of field) which means that almost every detail of our pictu-re will have proper sharpness

In the case of exterior building photography we normally use our camera slightly tilted upwards Except of course if it is possi-ble to position ourselves at the required distance This method in every case results in so-called converging verticals This means that the building is seemingly getting thinner towards its roof

Thus mainly in the case of tall buildings and skyscrapers we can achieve a dramatic effect The building will look much taller in the photo than in reality In certain cases as with cathedrals it works the opposite way and the picture might not make a good impression

In the case of night or city shots our photo will have a special look due to the blurred lights of traffic

For building photography we should use a wide-angle lens 17-40mm will be suitable for this purpose We must assume some geometrical distortions which usually depend on our lens and the perspective used This to some extent can be corrected at post-production

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 32: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 32

188 Photo processing post-production

When we have taken the photos with our digital camera then we have to save them onto the computer from its memory or its me-mory card Computers have several programmes related to pic-tures or photo processing but before we start using them we must save the photos It is also important that as we save a spe-cific material the folder needs to be marked in terms of date and name That way we can find the required photo quickly and easily even after many years

Cameras are usually equipped with a basic software package which focuses on the following services

opens the pictures shows the instructions at the time of exposing copies material onto the computer cuts the photos corrects any smaller faults eg red eye effect sets tint saturation colour temperature contrast tone sharp-

ness noise makes a projection show sends images to the printer prepares the image for sharing (email Facebook etc) saves images at the proper place

These functions are perfectly sufficient for enthusiastic amateurs Whoever wants to know more about post-production retouch or manipulation can check out several programmes Most of them are available at a price It is worth working with so-called RAW files on our camera that way in the course of post-production we have better chances to make changes to the photos as we finalise them

As a first step we should try to set the sharpness of the picture because besides the colours this will make our photo professio-nal-looking (not to mention of course the theme) Then we can move on to change the colours and the tone If the automatic white balance is not good we can overwrite that later It is re-commended to use HueSaturation ContrastLevel or occasio-nally Curves settings With HighlightShadow we can correct any burnt too dark or underexposed bits If our programme has such functions we might want to experiment with the so-called filters which can make our photo exciting Some examples are Cross process the various Vintage options and the types of black-and-white filters

189 Finally what should I do with my photosIf we have gone through all these procedures and the memory of our computer is getting full of our photos there is only one thing left to do and that is to share our work with the world This way

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 33: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 33

other people will have a chance to view them they can marvel at them or give us constructive criticism The following free internet pages are perfect for this purpose

wwwfacebookcom

wwwflickrcom

wwwinstagramcom

wwwyoupiccom

wwwindafotohu

Feel free to join photo contests wwwi-shot-itcom

19 Image editing

There are many image editing programs Most of them are able to do practically everything on a picture but their require a lot of photography knowledge because there are designed for profes-sionals So if we are beginners and we just want to make the best of our photos the modification skills that we shall handle are the ones in this unit

Before we start we should clarify that for editing images in this unit we are going to use the default Windows editing program already installed in the original system If you are using a Mac-kintosh system or a Linux one dont worry because they have for sure an equivalent image editing program

You have for sure one picture that you love but it need some corrections before you can hang on the wall So letrsquos see step by step how to do it

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 34: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 34

Step 1 First of all we must select the picture we are going to edit by clicking twice on the file Then the following interface will appear We click on Edit organize or share

Step 2 Weve already opened the edition program

191 Cut and resizeSometimes we have a really good picture but there is some object or spot in one size that bothers us Or maybe we want to select just one person from a group photo That is why we need the Cut tool

On the other hand if we have taken a picture in high definition and we want to post it on our website or facebook profile were going to reduce its size with the tool named resize

1911 CutLetrsquos see together how to use te tool called ldquoCutrdquo and as we did before letrsquos work it step by step

Step 1 From the toolbar we choose the option Cut and from the options offered in the appearing tab we click on Proportion

The following tab shows us some predefined cutting options but if we want to do in our way its advisable to choose Personalized

Step 2 Then a nine cell divided framework will appear (those cells will guide us to know where is the picture center after the cu-tting) We can make this framework grow or decrease pulling the pointers on the vertices and center of each one of the framework sides Thereby all that remains inside the framework will still being part of the photo after the cutting and the rest will disappear

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 35: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 35

Step 3 After deciding how were going to cut the picture we just need to click again on the Cut button in the toolbar and the se-lection will replace the original photo If the result doesnt convin-ce us we can always click on the option Undo up at the let of the screen or pull simultaneously the Ctrl and Z (Ctrl +Z) in our keyboard

1912 ResizeHow we can resize a picture Letrsquos do it step by step but remem-ber its easier to make a picture smaller than bigger If what you want is to print the photo on a big poster you must be sure that you have taken the picture in high definition

Step 1 If we want to give a new size to our picture we shall pulse the Properties button marked in the captured image and click on Resize in the appearing tab Once weve done this a new win-dow will be opened allowing us to modify the picture size for redu-cing it size and share it or open it with other computer programs

Step 2 We just have to choose the size we wont (from the predefi-ned options or personalized either) and click on Resize and Save

192 Exposure amp color

Exposure is the amount of light in the picture It is used to illumi-nate or darken the image the way we need To modify it we must go to the right of the screen where is the option Adjust Exposure and the program will offer us an amalgam of options You can use that when you have taken a photo in a room with a few light and you want to see better the peoples faces Very useful to night photos taken without flashlight

1921 Brightness It seems like Exposure but its not the same Exposure increases the light but it needs one light focus at least We use brightness adjustments to raise or lower the picture general lighting tone (We can try to raise the brightness of a totally dark photo but proba-bly its going to be disastrous) Accordingly if we move the poin-ter to the left were going to gain light and vice versa

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 36: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 36

1922 Contrast It is in the picture the difference between what is dark and what is bright To the left well match bright and shadow and to the right well extreme it

1923 ShadowsHighlights The two following options permit us to oscillate the pictures bright and dark focus First option controls shadows so that will raise or lower based on the direction and the other option will do the same with the highlights or bright points We must be careful with this tool if we dont want to lose the realistic tone of the picture because if we force it we can turn the shadows of the picture in highlights and the other way around You can try it but its weird

1924 Automatic We can also change exposure automatically by selecting one of these boxes that appear after displaying the Exposure tab in the middle of the toolbar

193 ColorTo modify color automatically we just have to do the same than the exposure but with the upper tab named color and select one of the possible tints But to do it manually we should go to Adjust color at the right of the screen and take a look at the three appearing options

1931 Color TemperatureWith this bar we can raise the temperatures warm (red) or cool (blue) The image will turn more red or blue in function that we move the pointer to the right or the left respectively

1932 TintSliding the pointer trough its line well obtain different color tint It is the same option than the automatic adjustment explained before

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 37: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 37

1932 SaturationThis tool is very useful if you have taken pictures in a cloudy day Image saturation is the power of color So if the pointer is totally at the left the picture will become in grey scale and if it is totally at the left the colors will win vivacity When a photo looks gloomy because of the light we can give it some joy increasing the satu-ration

Handling all this basic editing options we may not do miracles but certainly we could make a good picture better that it was And remember the best image edition is the one that photographer makes before taking the picture

194 Image formatsThis is maybe the most boring part but its necessarily to know it Formats are made to give a picture different uses so it is very important to handle them if we dont want to have bothering pro-blems after

The most common image formats are the following

JPEG Maybe it is the most common Its very light weighted and web compatible but it loses information when you edit it or resize it

PNG More used in digital graphics than in pictures but it not lo-ses information when it become compressed Its also web com-patible

TIFF It can be modified without losing quality or information but because of its big weight its low compatible with web systems

If you plan to edit a picture its advisable to program your came-ra in RAW mode This format gives us an high defined resolution non variable after editing Nevertheless it occupy a lot of space andif we want to share it or upload to the Internet we should con-vert it to JPEG once the edition has been done

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 38: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 38

Activities110

1 Visual communication Share your favourite photo with the group and tell why you like it Show the group which websites you follow where you get most

of your information from and why you like these pages

2 Image composition A Practice on image composition

1 Take a few images using composition rules such as Rule of thirds aligning objects according diagonal (vertical horizon-tal) lines making two points of interest and using framing Also please make some ldquowrongrdquo images to compare with Demons-trate results on the PC screen and discuss impressions 2 Try to use symmetry reflection effects find some patterns in your environment Also take objectrsquos photos in different angles Keep light on the object similar as possible Please notice how main point of interest changes according viewing angle

3 DSLR cameraB Practice exercise editing images

Put different objects on a table Place yourself with the came-ra at their same high level and take a photo for each object focusing a different element on each one You will get practice with the focus

4 Exposure C Exposure practice

1 Take a few images in automatic mode and then using sce-ne presets such as Portrait Landscape Sport and Night por-trait Compare results and explain differences2 Take images using shutter aperture priority as well as ma-nual exposure modes Try to keep the same exposure level Dependency between f-number and shutter speed you can find in the table in this section You can use exposure bracke-ting to achieve best results Please notice image depth chan-ges according f-number

5 Colour control D Colour control practice

1 Find camerarsquos colour and saturation controls Take any grey object and take images of it in various light conditions ndash sunlight shadow artificial light (tungsten and luminescence lamp) In the all situations use both automatic colour control as well as fixed 5000K colour value Compare results Pure grey tone presence in all the series of images taken using automatic colour control will prove your camera quality2 Take series of colour and monochromatic images Please notice how impression of the monochromatic images depends on contrast and shadow depth Try to increase them

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 39: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 39

6 Light E Light practice

1 Make simple 3-point studio light environment You need at least one bright light and can use even plastic or paper reflec-tors to illuminate objectrsquos front or background Take series of images using various combinations of lights2 Take a few photos using flash in distance from 1 m to 4 m Make 3-4 shots using dissipated flashlight (point up flash and use paper reflector) Compare results light distribution in ima-ges contrast and presence of shadows

7 Photography projects F When does one become a good photographer

Bring your favourite photo to class and introduce it based on the following criteria (it can be from the family album or a photo by your favourite photographer or a picture found on the internet or even your own photo)bull What is the story of the picture and why did you choose it (who made it what is the location who is there etc)bull What grabbed you the first time you looked at itbull What does the picture tell you

G Portraits ndash people in the picturesMake a portrait (of several people in many styles if you like) of a family member a friend or a man in the street

H Landscape photography or the beauty of the world in a single photoTake a landscape photo of a favourite place based on what you have learned Get out of the city and show the beauty of nature as you see it

I Event photography or how to capture a never returning momentIntroduce an event in 5-10 photographs from beginning to end This can be a birthday a friendrsquos wedding or a costume party at work

J ldquoStreet photographyrdquo or when the theme is out in the streetTake life photos of the settlement where you live

K Sports photography for beginnersDocument a sports event Capture memorable moments eg ovation at a goal at the finish line tensed muscles concen-tration etc

L Building photography or houses we live inMake outside and inside photos of your favourite building

8 Image editing M Practice exercise editing images

Choose 4 pictures from your image folder and turn them in black and white

N Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a picture of a group of people from your image folder and cut it until you have an individual portrait

O Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and light it up until you have a dark photo

P Practice exercise editing imagesChoose a couple of photos of your image folder and enhance the color intensity of the last one

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 40: Fundamentals of photography module

PROJECT MANEGEMENT MODULEADVANCED COURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY 40

Bibliography111

Basics of photography httpwwwexposureguidecomphotography-basicshtm

Canon EOS 5D Instruction Manual Exif Print DPOF PictBridge Direct Print Bubble Jet Direct appscarletoneducurricularEOS5DIM_ENpdf

GRIMM TOM The Basic Book Of Phtography Fifth Edition Paperback (2003)

httpwwwexpertphotographycom

httplifehackercom5815742

httpdigital-photography-schoolcomdigital-photogra-phy-tips-for-beginnerhellip

httpwwwslrphotographyguidecom

httpwwwphotoguidesnetcategoryphotography

httpwwwdigitalcameraworldcom

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn

Page 41: Fundamentals of photography module

BASICCOURSE OF MEDIA LITERACY

PrOjECt SUPPOrtED By

thiS PrOjECt hAS BEEn FUnDED with SUPPOrt FrOM thE EUrOPEAn COMMiSSiOn


Top Related