Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Nature Photography Section Two Recap

       The next section we read in the book was section two which is titled "Essential Skills."  The first thing we looked at in section two was exposure, which the author states as "capturing all the image data in difficult situations.  We started out by looking at tools to getting the correct exposure.  This was things such as using the histogram, metering and specific exposure modes.  The different exposure modes are; aperture priority, shutter priority and manual mode.  Probably the most common in nature photography is the aperture mode which allows for you to pick the correct aperture and then the camera selects the correct shutter speed.  Shutter mode is the same concept but you select the shutter speed and the camera selects aperture.  Manual is a tool where you select both. 
        Next we looked at the area called "Reading the Light: How to recognize and use different types of light."  In this section it focused on the different lighting you will face as a photographer and how to deal and adapt with them.  It talked about the different such as front light, sidelight, backlight, twilight, overcast light, and also the things to avoid and emphasize with lighting and what other tools are available.  Obviously you want to avoid the high midday sun.  The high sun can cause you pictures to be blown out and creates and overall poor photo. There are quite a few ways to enhance lighting when photographing such as; using clouds to reflect lighting, and flashes. 
         Thirdly the book focused on depth of field and "how to control and use in-focus picture areas for dramatic effect."  Depth of field mainly focused on capturing the greatest detail or what you want to stand out.  The primer is the part of the image you want to come in sharp so it focused on ways to capture that and what affects can be used.  You may choose to have the primer come in very sharp and blur the remainder of the picture to create a more direct image.  You could also use things such as hyperfocal so you would get a sharp picture from horizon to horizon.  The book also talked about the automated ISO control which allows you to select your shutter speed and aperture and then the camera makes adjustments to ISO between shots.  This allows for the proper exposure to be shot. 
          The fourth thing we read about was motion effects and "using the shutter speed and camera movement to control the effect of motion.  Obviously the main thing used for capture the motion effect is shutter speed.  Shutter speed can allow for you to capture an image to where it appears to be frozen or it can also allow for a blur effect to portray the image as moving.  There are many factors that come into play when using shutter speed for motion.  Things such as direction object is moving (towards you, laterally, etc), how you want the image to appear, speed of the object, size, and so on. The book also talked about ways to avoid blurring such as panning.  This allows for a motion effect but not so much blur.  Next it talked about using blurring for an effect which requires a correct exposure and quite a bit of experimenting.   You may also chose to do blurring digitally by viewing the image and making the necessary corrections.
         Modifying Natural Light was the next area that the book focused on.   This is done by using different filters and also by using reflectors.  You can use filters such as polarizing filters to producing greater saturation and reduce glare or you can use filters such as a split neutral density filter or graduated neutral density filter for a more "customized" correction.  The last tool the book discussed for modifying light was reflectors which can be used to add emphasis on light or color and also adds a filler to dark areas.
           The last two areas section two focused on was designing the picture space and photographs as impressions. The most important "rules" for nature photography were discussed in designing picture space.  This are the rules we learned previously which are; red is more attractive than yellow; large draws more attention than small; difference draws more attention than conformity; jagged lines are more striking than curved ones; diagonal lines are more attractive than vertical ones; sharpness is more attractive than blur; and lastly and most importantly light is more attractive than dark.  If you live by these rules in the photography world you will most likely capture a good image.  Photographs as Impressions focused mainly on capturing a different view on images.  It talked about patterns, angles, selective focus, and other ways of capturing a great image. 

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