Intro to DSLR
In our intro to DSLR section we learned the basic components of a DSLR camera and how to use those components to adjust the way the picture is taken. In our shooting assignment we used the auto setting to take pictures in different lighting conditions.
Basic Daylight Exposure
This assignment taught us how ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture can be adjusted to balance each other out and properly expose an image. Using the BDE wheel we were able to find proper F-stop, ISO, and SS to create proper exposure in different lighting situations.
Depth of Field
I learned ow depth of field can be used to draw the eye to the subject, I also learned how to shoot an image with shallow depth of field. My main takeaway is that the lower F-Stop you can use, the shallower the depth of field in your photo.
Shutter Speed
We learned how adjusting shutter speed can allow you to take stop action photos (action is frozen), photos with motion blur (the subject is blurred which shows it's motion), and photos using panning (camera follows the subject so that it's in focus while the background is blurred from motion). Faster shutter speeds can freeze motion, slower shutter speeds will show motion blur, and shutter speeds in the middle are good for panning.
ISO
We learned how ISO can be used to adjust light sensitivity, generally this is used to compensate for less lighting or faster shutter speeds. The tradeoff for increasing ISO is an increase in grain or noise.
Exposure Triangle Practice
We used the exposure wheel to practice adjusting ISO, SS, and F-stop for different shooting goals like stop action and panning along with different lighting situations.
Built in Light Meter
Rather than using the exposure wheel, we now learned how to read the meter built into the camera and adjust F-Stop and SS to properly expose our images by making sure the meter reads zero.
White Balance
We experimented using all the different white balance settings in the camera menu, I didn't include any examples other than auto but whatever it's all good. White balance essentially adjusts the hue/balance of the whites in the photo which gives the image a certain tint.
Rule of Thirds
We learned how placing a subject somewhere other than the center and instead on one of the 4 intersections of a grid can create interest in the composition of your photo. We also learned you can place horizontal lines on the 1/3 or 2/3 line.
Framing
We learned how you can use foreground objects to help frame your subject, pairing foreground objects with shallow depth of field can help create visual interest for the subject.
Lines
We learned how using lines can create pattern and draw the eye to your subject. There are 8 types of lines we learned about: Diagonal, Horizontal, Vertical, Implied, Converge, Curve, S-Curve, and Leading.
Simplicity
We learned how using the techniques of moving in closer to the subject, using an uncomplicated background, and shallow depth of field can help create a singular focus on the subject with minimal information anywhere else in the photo.