updated v4 1/15/2013

1. {or how to take better pictures}
C:UsersmrichterDropboxPublicvidsbasicintro.avi
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2. What you need to take this course
A Digital Camera
The Manual – Tip: Know your camera!
A USB thumb drive (for the projects)
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3. About this Class
Class is 4 meetings 2 hours each
1st hour a review of last weeks projects
2nd hour new material
Class 1 – The basics about Cameras, Types of
Photos with Tips & Light
Class 2 – Aperture, Shutter & Exposure
Class 3 – Composition and Art
Class 4 – Review and Intro to Photo Editing
Software
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10. You don’t take a picture…
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11. Myths of Photography
Myth #1- Photography records what we see.
Myth #2- The Camera Knows Best.
Myth #3- There is a right and wrong way.
Myth #4- You need expensive equipment to
take great photos.
Myth #5- Megapixels Matter
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12. What I saw....
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13. ...What my camera saw.
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14. You don’t take a picture…
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15. Professional Portrait Session
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16. DSLR, Micro 4/3s and PnS
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17. You don’t take a picture…
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18. Each has strengths and
weaknesses
Know the limitations
Work within those limits
Trying to force the camera outside it’s
limits usually results in poor images.
Causing photographer FRUSTRATION
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19. Which one is from a dSLR anddon’t take a picture… a PnS camera?
You
which is from
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20. The one on the left is from a PnS (Nikon p5100)
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21. For now,,,,
stay within your
camera’s limits.
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22. Megapixels how many dots
Pixel - picture element
Smallest element that carries color information
3008
6 megapixels
2000
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23. Useful Image Size Chart
Megapixels Screen (72dpi) Print (300dpi) X by Y
0.5 5x3 NR 800x600
2 10x8 5x3 1600x1200
4 14x11 7x5 2300x1700
6 20x16 10x8 3000x2000
10 40x25 17x13 3888x2592
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24. Digital Zoom
Blows up a portion
of the image at
the expense of
quality
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25. Optical Zoom
The lens ability to
enlarge the
subject and
maintain image
quality
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26. Optical Zoom
Just like taking a
few steps
toward the
subject. Image
size will not
change.
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27. You don’t take a picture…
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28. Exposure recording the light
Combining
Quantity
Duration
Sensitivity
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29. Choose a bright sunny day
Seal the room from light with black plastic
then cut a dime sized hole
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30. First Class Project
Photo a Day
Bring any camera with you.
Create a photo which uses any of the concepts
presented in class
Bring your best with you to class.
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31. Day 2 Day 3
Day 1
Day 4
Daily Photo Challenge - Example
Day 5 Day 6
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32. How to hold the Camera
Reduce SHAKE
Hold close to your
body.
Elbows in…
Don’t hold your breath
Use a brace, any brace
Low light…use a
support.
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33. Support Yourself
Tip - Make use of
anything that will
help you be steady
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34. The miss-understood On Camera
Flash
Often used as a primary
light source…
WHAT?
RED-EYE
HARD SHADOWS
FLAT IMAGES
WASHES OUT COLORS
USED as a FILL LIGHT
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35. The miss-understood On Camera
Flash
1st- on camera flash is
only good for
about 5 meters
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36. The miss-understood On Camera
Flash
2nd - on camera flash is not
very flattering.
It flattens out features and
washes out skin
tones.
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37. The On-Camera Flash
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38. You don’t take a picture…
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39. The On Camera Flash
Can work well as a
fill light with
other light to
reduce
shadows.
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40. The On Camera Flash
At reduced power, it
can “pop” extra
light into dark
areas.
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41. Automatic Modes
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42. Help with Specific Situations
Reduced Light Indoors
Outdoor Landscape
Portrait
Sports
Macro – Close Up
Child and Pet
Fireworks
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43. Standard Frames vs. the Camera
Most digital cameras
capture at a ratio of 4:3.
Most standard frames are
at a ratio of 3:2.
Therefore composing for
prints requires a little
extra attention to allow
for cropping to fit the
frame.
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44. Portrait & Landscape
Your camera works just fine when tilted 90°
Turn your camera to properly frame the
subject.
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45. Make the frame work for you!
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46. Portrait Mode
Smart cameras use
facial recognition
to set focus
Red-eye Reduction
Higher shutter speeds
to reduce shake and
wider apertures
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47. Portraits
Tip:
Get light into the
eyes and make sure
they are in focus.
Watch for
reflections from
glasses.
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48. You don’t take a picture…
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49. Portraits
Tip:
Simplify the
background.
a “busy” background
is distracting.
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50. You don’t take a picture…
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51. Portraits
Tip:
Look for the
“good side”.
Humans, as a rule,
lack symmetry.
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52. You don’t take a picture…
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53. Portraits
Tip:
Don’t shoot from a
low angle and
avoid a wide lens
setting.
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54. Portraits
Also, avoid extreme
angles as they
distort the rest of
the body
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55. PLA You don’t take a picture…
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Y

56. Landscape Mode
Higher aperture
Flash off
Higher saturation
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57. Landscape Tips
Successful landscapes
often contain elements
in the
foreground,
mid-ground,
and background
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58. Landscape Tips
Elements in the
foreground,
mid-ground,
and background
create depth and
dimensionality
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59. You don’t take a picture…
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60. Sports/Action Mode
Fast shutter speeds
Reduce motion blur
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61. Sports/Action Tips
Find the best position for
the action.
Work within your gear’s
limits.
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62. Macro Mode
Repositions lens
elements for ultra
close ups.
High aperture for
maximum DOF
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63. Macro Tips
Bring lots of light
Use a support (tripod)
Choose subjects that
are stationary and
fairly flat to start.
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64. You don’t take a picture…
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65. You don’t take a picture…
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66. Let the camera help, Choose the
right mode for the subject
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67. Let's take a
5 minute
break
C:UsersmrichterDropboxPublicvidspeople2.wmv
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68. Let’s Talk Light!
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69. You don’t take a picture…
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70. You don’t take a picture…
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71. You don’t take a picture…
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72. The Color of Light
What our eyes see as “white” is only a
relative construct formed by our brain.
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73. Light has it’s own Color
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74. Tint Neutral
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75. Color Correction
Automatic white
balance
Manual Calibration
Best guess – manual
white balance settings
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76. You don’t take a picture…
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77. Know the light
and use it to your advantage
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78. You don’t take a picture…
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79. You don’t take a picture…
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80. You don’t take a picture…
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81. Different Light…. Different Results
Bright Sunlight can make photos look flat and
washed out with harsh shadows.
Evening Light creates highly saturated warm
colors.
Indoor Lighting can cause color casts.
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82. Different Settings, Different Results
Daylight Setting
Full Sun
Shade
Cloudy
Incandescent Setting
Florescent Setting
Daylight Balanced Florescent
Automatic
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83. Quality vs. Quantity of Light
It's not just about there being enough light
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84. Enough Light
BUT
Poor Quality
Sun directly overhead
Harsh Shadows
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85. Open shade
provides enough
light
and
Good quality
light
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86. C:UsersmrichterDropboxPublicvidsClass_3_changing_light.mp4
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87. {or how to take better pictures}
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88. {or how to take better pictures}
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89. You don’t take a picture…
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90. The Mechanics behind the
Camera
The handout goes into nerd like detail
In class we will just touch the surface
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91. The Exposure Triangle
Aperture
Shutter Speed
ISO sensitivity
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92. Zone 9 lightest
Zone 4 mid gray
Zone One 1 darkest
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93. at f/5.6
Shutter Speed 1/500 1/250 1/125 1/60 1/30
F/stop f/2.8 f/4 f/5.6 f/8 f/11
at 1/125 sec.
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94. at f/5.6
Shutter Speed 1/500 1/250 1/125 1/60 1/30
F/stop f/2.8 f/4 f/5.6 f/8 f/11
at 1/125 sec.
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95. Shutter Speed
Short 1/500th sec
Long 1/20th sec
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96. You don’t take a picture…
1/30 @ f/2.8 You make it

97. You don’t take a picture…
30 sec @ f/8 You make it

98. 1/20 @ f/5.6 You don’t take a picture…
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99. 10 sec @ f/22 You don’t take a picture…
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100. You don’t take a picture…
15 sec f/32 You make it

101. 1/20 @ f/4
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102. 1/625 @ f/8 You don’t take a picture…
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103. 1/2000 @ f/2.8 You don’t take a picture…
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104. 1/250 @ f/6.3 You don’t take a picture…
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105. Fast Shutter Speeds
1/2000th will freeze rapidly moving water.
1/650th will freeze most rapid motion like sports or birds.
1/250th will freeze most casual human movement.
1/60th will freeze most slow human movement.
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106. Slow Shutter Speeds
Between 1/60th and 1/10th seconds usually results in
undesirable blurring. (BUT it can work for panning.)
1/4th can give panning techniques an interesting look.
1 second will allow fast movements to blur to colored.
smears . Longer times can make movement disappear and
turn flowing water in to soft cotton.
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107. You don’t take a picture…
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108. You don’t take a picture…
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109. You don’t take a picture…
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110. Aperture
Mechanical opening
that regulates how
much light enters
the camera through
the lens.
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111. Aperture
The physical opening
of the camera lens
Called F-Stop
Higher the “F”
number the smaller
the opening
F/22 small
F/1.2 big
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112. Depth of Field
Shallow
DOF
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113. Depth of Field
Long DOF
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114. You don’t take a picture…
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115. Depth of Field
MACRO Very Short DOF
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116. You don’t take a picture…
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117. You don’t take a picture…
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118. Increasing the Sensitivity
ISO more sensitivity at the expense
of “noise”
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119. ISO
ISO 2500
ISO 200
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120. Digital Noise
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121. Changing any setting impacts the
exposure value (or EV)
EV=Shutter Speed+Aperture+ISO
PLA You don’t take a picture…
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122. When there’s not enough light…
What can we do when there just isn’t enough
light other than buy expensive equipment
Move to a brighter spot
Push the ISO a noisy photo is better than nothing
Add light- Flash, lamps & reflectors
** Make the light work for you **
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123. Second Class Project
Take a walk with your camera and take at
least 50 photos.
Remember you still have to take a photo a day!
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124. {or how to take better pictures}
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125. {or how to take better pictures}
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126. You don’t take a picture…
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127. You don’t take a picture…
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128. Photography is Art
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129. Photography is Art
Therefore many of the basic concepts of art
and graphic design apply.
Most strong images use many of these “rules”
along with placing a subject in context with
the environment or PURPOSLY removing
the subject from the surroundings.
Photos can tell a story without any words
known as a Photo Essay( photo album?)
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130. What do you want to achieve?
Are you telling a story about an event or trip?
Are you conveying emotion?
Are you scratching an artistic itch?
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131. Sense of Place
Sense of place can
be given through
many hints
Wide shots give an overview.
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132. Out of Context, No Sense of Place
The story is told in the details.
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133. Rule of 3rds
Offset the subject away
from the center of the
frame
Using 3rd lines.
Most dynamic points are
at the intersections
Square frames become an
exception
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134. You don’t take a picture…
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135. You don’t take a picture…
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136. Rule of 3rds
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137. Rule of 3rds
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138. Applied Rule of 3rds!
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139. Beyond the Rule of Thirds
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140. The Rule of Three
Or the rule of odd numbers
States that odd numbers are more interesting
than even quantities
Mostly for Portraits
Can be used with any clearly defined subjects
Subjects should relate to each other
People
Same Type of Animal or object
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141. You don’t take a picture…
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142. Perspective
Change your
point of view to
make your
subject stand
out.
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143. You don’t take a picture…
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144. You don’t take a picture…
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145. Contrasts
Contrasting
Shapes
Sizes
Color
Light to Dark
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146. Negative Space
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147. You don’t take a picture…
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148. Repetition
Similar shapes and
lines help to tie a
composition together
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149. Repetition of Shapes
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150. You don’t take a picture…
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151. Leading Lines
Look for the leading
lines that lead your
eye through the
picture. Converging
lines create depth.
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152. You don’t take a picture…
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153. You don’t take a picture…
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154. Framing
Use your
surroundings to
help display your
subject.
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155. Quality of Light
As we discussed in class #1,
Make the Light work for you!
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156. Copy those who are successful
Eventually you will create your own style
after all you’ll learn more from the
successful than from the mediocre!
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157. The Masters
Henri Cartier-Bresson
From this image we learn about leading lines
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158. The Masters
A master of
capturing
personality
warts and all
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159. The Masters
From this work we learn about shape and form
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160. The Masters
Elliot Erwitt
Here we see repetition
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161. The Masters
See with the Photographer’s Eye
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162. The Masters
From RC we learn to develop a “Style”
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163. The Masters
Jan Groover
This image shows us contrasts
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164. The Masters
Philippe Halsman
Learn to think out of the box, be creative!
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165. The Masters
Clyde Butcher
from Clyde’s work
we learn patience.
Sometimes we just
have to wait for the
right moment
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166. Practice! Practice! Practice!
The more you shoot the better you
will get!
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167. Review – 11 Tips
Know Your Camera!
Watch for interesting light
Choose a clear subject
Support the subject
include that which makes
the subject stronger and
remove the excess.
Look for bad things in the
background
Look for odd things sticking
into the frame You don’t take a picture…
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168. Review – 11 Tips
Use light to your advantage
Support the camera
Use the self-timer
Use the correct mode
Look for new and interesting
perspectives
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169. Final Class Project
Can you take an every day object
and make it art?
Use perspective, lighting and location to
create an interesting “artsy” image
Bring your favorite in for class
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170. You don’t take a picture…
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171. Next week Software
How to “tweak” an image
How to fix common problems
Gimp, Photoshop, Photoshop Elements
And Picasa
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172. {or how to take better pictures}
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173. {or how to take better pictures}
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174. You don’t take a picture…
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175. Software
The combination of digital cameras and
image editing software gives the
photographer almost limitless control of the
final image. You don’t take a picture…
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176. Software
Can make your
photos “POP”
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177. Can be just corrective
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178. Or artistic
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179. Or black & white
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180. Better than in-camera
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181. What Computer Should I Use?
Powerful enough to run your software
Operating system supports your software
How to fix a computer.
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182. What software do I use?
Whats your budget?
What features do you really need?
How are your photos to be used?
How serious do you plan on becoming?
Amateur
Serious hobbyist (pro skills but not for pay)
Professional Photographer
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183. What's available?
Plus many others
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184. You don’t take a picture…
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185. You don’t take a picture…
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186. You don’t take a picture…
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187. You don’t take a picture…
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188. Links
Learn Stuff:
http://www.michaelsrichter.com/class/
http://www.edigitalphoto.com/
http://strobist.blogspot.com/
http://www.morguefile.com/
http://www.adorama.com/alc/category/AdoramaTV
http://www.picturecorrect.com/
http://www.learnfoodphotography.com/
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189. Links
Share Stuff:
http://www.flickr.com/
http://www.meetup.com/St-Petersburg-Photography-
Group/
Buy Stuff:
http://www.pepperlu.com/
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/
http://www.adorama.com/
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190. Links
Free Stuff:
http://freephotoshop.org/
http://www.gimp.org/
http://www.andreaplanet.com/
Other Stuff:
http://www.colourlovers.com/
http://www.featureshoot.com/
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191. {or how to take better pictures}
You don’t take a picture…
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