Photographic equipment x

LIGHTING
Lighting is used to highlight the key points in a photo and as there are so many and that they all do different things it can sometimes be hard to choose the best lighting.
There is something called 3 point lighting.
Key lighting – this is the main light, the hard light source that is on the side of the camera. It is the like the sun and is there to highlight and emphasise.

This image only has the the hard source that the camera gives and highlights the pale parts than the darker parts.

Back lighting – This is lighting that comes from behind the subject. This type of lighting creates a siholette. There are many different types of back lighting you can use the sun, sky or un natural lights for example spotlights. The lights have to be just right as when the camera reads the brightness of the light it changes the setting to accompany it to best ability to create the best possible photo. Back lighting would be good to highlight the subject and maybe give them a sense of mystery. Some problems that can occur are shadows but there are ways to fill in the shadows. – full lighting

Full lighting – This is soft lighting that highlights the shadows and lowers the contrast between light and dark. This can fill in shadows that may appear when using back lighting. This comes from about the same height as the camera.

For example THE subtle lighting/ full lighting gives a shadow under the chin highlights the place of interest.

There are more advanced lighting that below, As well a them you get all round lighting, full frontal lighting, top heavy lighting and more.
For example below is an image i created with full frontal lighting with a dark shadow behind.

diffused lighting – This is a very simple thing that allows you to have more natural lighting instead of the full harshness of flash or a bright sun light which in no photo every flatters the subject, this can be created easily. for example just waiting for a cloud to move over the sun can create a gorgeous image. If this is not possible you could use an umbrella to create shade. Diffused lighting is all about create a shadow to enhance the photo with still having the colours filter in.

artificial lighting – This is when you create the light your self. Anything from the flash on the camera to a lamp from above. you are creating the light that is visible in the photo. Through this is a simple way of creating images when indoors you can create a yellow shade which makes the images look un clear and dirty.

The artificial light in this image is a torch shinning on to the image to create an old looking image. The other light is of course the candle.

side lighting – Is a good effect to use on images to create depth and drastic effect without having to do so much work.
Side lighting is lighting that comes from the left or the right hand side to create a dark shadow on one half of a subject. Side lighting enhances the mood of the image. Side lighting can sometimes be to harsh and over shadow the subject instead of highlighting. This can easily be dealt with by softening the light that appears on one side by reflecting the light on to the darkened side of the face to give off a more natural photo.

The lighting is coming from the right and does create a very dark shadow and shows a difference between light and dark.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FILM AND DIGITAL CAMERAS.
Film and digital cameras are two totally different things and in different ways but to create the same thing an image that captivates the audience.
Film is where you use a manual SLR camera. This is ever so difficult as you have to rely on your eye. The only hint that you get is by the light dial in the camera. The light dial tells you if you have to much light, not enough light or just the right amount.
You develop the film yourself you get that magical feeling as you see the image appear before you face. The thing that can be a problem is that you cant see your photo straight after you have taken it. Black and white are the best to take when using a manual camera.
Digital cameras are more convenient they are easy to use as they do everything for you, no thinking is needed for a basic photo. They take in the correct light in natural lighting. Digital cameras able you to see your photo straight away and decide if you like it. Digital cameras do take better photos as any one can do it.

FILM Vs DIGITALIS

You have to completely do everything to take a photo. Before a photo can even be taken you have to load the film and roll it backwards, then making sure no light has hit it and that the number dial is at 1. Where as using a digital camera all you have to do it press a button, you dont have to remember to do anything.

The sensor is also different in each camera and this is important as it creates the depth of field. In a Film camera as the film is light sensitive the sensor is placed behind the lens and when the a photo is taken for a certain amount of time the light hits the film and therefore puts an image on the negatives. Digital is difference there is a fixed electronic sensor behind the lense, when the photo is taken a pixel is given and it gets its value they are then saved on a sd card.

Once a photo has been taken on a Manual camera you cannot correct it, of course once the photo has been developed you can crop it and add filters to get a better contrast theres also the possibility of scratching back in and making photograms but the photo its self cannot be changed. Whereas on a digital camera you can do anything you can change the colour of the image, you can blur you can re touch anything, you can add anything and do anything that you wish.

People believe that the quality of the photo is determined by what camera you use and as much as this is true a photo can be bad either way. The problem that has now occurred is
that digital cameras are evolving and film is fading. Which means the fight is slowly going as people wanna make it as easy as possible to create a photo.

Below is a digital image from the same subject, I was able to darken everything that i didn’t want to highlight and exposure what i did. This makes the photo look better and is why digital cameras can be very positive.

And below is the same idea but in a black and white film, its very crackly but that is to do with the scanner and the overall image that has been produced, i have added a sepia tone whilst i was in the developing stage. I like the image but you can see some of the disadvantages when using film.

FLASH

Flash is artificial light that is with in the camera. This is typically the auto on the camera which most people use as this is what the dial is set to most off the time.
Flashes can be used for a number of reasons one reason to be able to catch things moving quickly. But the main reason is to normal illuminate the scene, this could because there is not enough of natural in the photo. Flash can brighten up the image and give it more oomph allowing the photo to be to its best standard.
The flash tends to be electronic as they have moved on from single use bulbs.
As i said before flash tends to be built in, but cameras do have a possibility of adding more flashes on.
As of everything there are draw backs and of course positives.
The main drawback is that built in flashes tend to be well lame, they have no real power behind them.
Another problem that occurs is the whole red eye effect and through this can be removed it tends to be a hassle.
Over all flash has evolved from something quite simple to a modern masterpiece that every one from a child with plain digital camera to Mario Testino.
Below are two images one with flash and one with without, this shows the difference flash has on an image.


Below is what can happen sometimes when flash is used—- red eye.

TRIPOD

Tripods are a simple device that photographers use to stop camera shake and keep the images clear. They are mainly used when slow exposure is in motion to keep the image as sharp as possible.
Tripods are also good for framing images as they are set in one place, you get to choose the height and the place you set it, to get the best possible image and best optical view. This enables the photographer to in a way plan before hand and give them the chance of a more thoughtful and better approach to the image. Personally when i use a tripod which is in a rare occasion its because the image i am trying to capture is that of a hard subject. For example i used a tripod with a manual camera instead of a digital as i had a slow shutter speed and a horse moving and i did not want a blur.
By the word tripod to understand that its got three legs that can moved and changed to the height you wish.

LENSES
Lenses are semi attached, you can change them to suite your needs. Called an optical lens.
There are many different lenses each one bringing something new and interesting to a photo and each are better for certain photo scenes.
Firstly there is the wide angle lens. A wide-angle lens can focus on the foreground and background. Wide-angle camera lenses are best for large, dynamic landscapes where they both background and foreground catch the eyes attention. A wide angle is 21mm to 35mm.

zoom lens.
This allows the photographer to widen or shorten the lens focal length to increase or decrease the magnification of the subject. you can use it ranging from landscape to portrait photography.

TELEPHOTO LENS
This is my favorite lens its so good and does everything. I have one myself and find it great for portraits. Its really good for depth of field. What you focus on it what is clear everything else is a blur. The difference between zoom and telephoto is very subtle. Telephoto can go in very far , This allows a telephoto lens to show greater detail.

There are so many other lenses you have the macro lens which is used to take extreme close ups. Without the images being distorted.
There is also the fisheye lense which is now mainly used for landscape photography. Good for wide range.
Other lenses fixed focal lens, standard/normal lens.

October 18, 2009. Uncategorized.