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Diploma in Photography

What is
photography?
Summary Notes

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What is exposure?
On earth the primary source of light is from the sun, otherwise artificial light provides a source of light or us. But most objects
around us do not emit light and do not have their own natural light source. The way that light allows us to see, is that all
objects actually reflect light. Even the blackest object on the planet reflects some amount of light therefore allowing us to see
them. So what’s actually happening is that light from sun or some article source is emitting light, its bouncing off or reflecting
off objects and then enters our eyes allowing us to see.

The pupils in our eyes controls the flow of light entering our eyes. They can opened to a large size and closed down quite
small, or essentially get bigger or smaller to restrict light or allow more light in depending on the lighting conditions we are in.

Too much light and we will be blinded by the objects, they will be too bright and we won’t be able to see them. Too little light
and objects will be too dark and we won’t be able to see them properly. This is essentially exposure. Our eyes need a certain
pupil size or setting in order for our vision to be correctly exposed for the scene we are looking at. Too much light and our
vision will be over exposed. Too little light and our vision will under exposed.

Exposure works the same way in our photography. The digital sensor, which captures and records our images is light sensitive.
Light entering the camera forms an image on the sensor, if we do not control the light entering the cameras our images will
either become too bright or too dark. Too much light hitting the sensor and the image becomes over exposed. Not enough
light and the image will be under exposed. What we want to achieve is the right level of brightness to replicate the scene as
saw it. We refer to this as correct exposure.

The Exposure Triangle

To obtain correct exposure we must use 3 different functions and consider 3 different options. In Auto Mode the camera will
control these settings for us.

Light - Aperture
We control the Volume of light using the camera’s Aperture.

Time - Shutter Speed

We control the amount of Time that light is let in by setting shutter speed.

Sensitivity - ISO
We can increase or decrease the camera’s sensitivity to the light by altering ISO.

Camera types
The word camera comes from camera obscura, which means “dark chamber” and is the Latin name of the original device
for projecting an image of external reality onto a flat surface. The modern photographic camera evolved from the camera
obscura.

The functioning of the camera is very similar to the functioning of the human eye. All cameras use the same basic design: light
enters an enclosed box through a converging/convex lens and an image is recorded on a light-sensitive medium. A shutter
mechanism controls the length of time that light can enter the camera.

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Most photographic cameras have functions that allow a person to view the scene to be recorded, allow for a desired part of the
scene to be in focus, and to control the exposure so that it is not too bright or too dim.

As technology has advanced we now have a range of different Camera types, each with its own functions and uses.

• Smart Phone Camera

• Compact (Point & Shoot) Camera
• Bridge Camera
• Mirrorless Camera
• Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR)
• Medium Format

Smart Phone Camera

A camera phone is a mobile phone which is able to capture photographs. Most camera phones are simpler than separate
digital cameras. Their usual fixed-focus lenses and smaller sensors limit their performance in poor lighting. The principal
advantages of camera phones are convenience, ease of use and compactness.

• Small & Portable

• Lots of Useful Apps
• Instant Sharing
• Limited Control
• Lower Quality Images
• Can Be Very Expensive

Compact Camera
A point-and-shoot camera, also known as compact camera, is a still camera designed primarily for simple operation. Most use
focus free lenses or auto-focus for focusing, automatic systems for setting the exposure options, and have flash units built in.
Point-and-shoots are by far the best selling type of separate camera.

• Small and portable

• Fast and easy to use
• Zoom lenses offer options
• Small image sensors
• Variety of shooting modes
• Can be expensive

Bridge Camera
Bridge cameras are cameras that fill the niche between the single-lens reflex cameras (SLRs) and the point-and-shoot camera.
The term “bridge camera” was originally used to refer to film cameras which “bridged the gap” between point-and-shoot
cameras and SLRs. Like other cameras, most current bridge cameras are digital.

• Larger size
• Very convenient for travel
• Great for budding photogra-phers
• Offer more control over com-pacts and phones
• Enormous zoom ranges

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• Lens cannot be changed

• Limited in quality compared to DSLRs

Mirrorless Camera
A mirrorless interchangeable lens camera features a single, removable lens and uses a digital display system rather than an
optical viewfinder. The word “mirrorless” indicates that the camera does not have an optical mirror.

• Interchangeable Lens
• Small Size
• Full Control
• Lots of Functions & Modes
• Expensive
• Less Durable
• Range of Available Lens

Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR)

A digital single-lens reflex camera is a digital camera that combines the optics and the mechanisms of a single-lens reflex
camera with a digital imaging sensor, as opposed to photographic film. The reflex design scheme is the primary difference
between a DSLR and other digital cameras. In the reflex design, light travels through the lens, then to a mirror that alternates
to send the image to the viewfinder or the image sensor.

• Full Control
• Range of Lens Available
• Wide price Range
• Professional Quality
• Knowledge Needed
• Heavier Camera
• Can Be Very Expensive

Medium format
In digital photography, medium format refers either to cameras adapted from medium-format film photography uses or to
cameras making use of sensors larger than that of a 35 mm film frame. Often, medium-format film cameras can be retrofitted
with digital camera backs, converting them to digital cameras.

• High Quality Photos

• Large Image Sensors
• High Quality Lens
• Very Expensive
• Challenging to Use
• Cumbersome

Whats your style?

Landscapes
Landscape photography illustrates the beauty of a natural world. Landscape it is not always filled with mountains, lakes and
trees but can be Urban set.

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Portraits
Portraiture refers to photographing a person or group of people to capture their expression, personality and mood. Typically
but not always the face is usually the focus of the image.

Sports & Action

Location is often important for sports photography. At big events, professional photographers often shoot from VIP spots with
the best views, usually as close to the action as possible

Wildlife
Wildlife photography is a genre of photography concerned with documenting various forms of wildlife in their natural habitat.

Product & Food

Food photography is a style of photography aimed at capturing images of food in a creative, attractive and interesting way.

Family, Newborn & Pets

The style revolves around shooting People bets or newborns and is very popular. It can include techniques from Portraiture.

Photo Journalism
Photojournalism is similar to documentary photography in that you are usually highlighting a particular subject or issue.
However the difference with photojournalism is that the subject you are photographing is a current event.

Tips to get started

Tripods
One of the best investments you can make is a solid tripod. A good tripod will last a long time. Be sure to try before you buy.

Manual Focus
Auto focus systems have advanced but can still get it wrong. They can be noisy or slow. Manual focus allows for greater control
and seamless focus changes.

Focus on the Eyes

We make connections through the eye contact, this is were the view looks first. Always take care to ensure that the eyes are
sharp.

Angles
Don’t just shoot from eye level. Mix it up with angles to keep your viewer engaged and tell your story in an interesting and
unique way.

Enjoy
Experiment with your photography. Photograph new subjects. Take your time and keep learning and improving. Share your
photos and don’t be hard on yourself.

Diploma in Photography