perfect exposure & composition

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Welcome Perfect Exposure & Composition


let's start

DECLARE yourself a photographer

SEEING

READ every book you can find at the library or online about the photography. Understand the rules ! &

SHARE

SHOOT Frequently and evaluate each photograph you take

GOALS


C-E-L-L

C OMPOSITION

E XPOSURE

L IGHT

L EARN


Perfect Exposure


Understanding Exposure

When you think of the craft or art of photography, you must immediately think of exposure. Exposure is a

critical element that determines what is actually recorded on film or the image sensor. There are three

adjustable elements that control the exposure - ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed.

These three factors (Exposure Triangle) determine everything.


Exposure: The Basic Idea

Exposure loosely refers to the amount of light that is let into the sensor on your camera.

The more light you let in, the brighter the resulting picture. Conversely, the less light you let in, the darker the

picture. How much light is let in is a function of your shutter speed and aperture.

SHUTTER SPEED – HOW FAST

APERTURE – HOW MUCH

ISO – HOW SENSITIVE

COLOR, WHITE BALANCE – HOW HOT (WARM OR COOL)

Get your understanding of the EXPOSURE TRIANGLE right and rest will be very easy to follow.


Exposure: Light Meter Basics

PERFECT EXPOSURE ?

The light meter is different from the exposure setting.

Keeping your light meter at “0” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the perfect setting. Just don’t stray too far from

the “0”. Adjust to your liking. Positive numbers on your exposure setting will make your photos brighter.

Negative numbers make your photos darker.


Aperture / Shutter / Sensor


Exposure Triangle 1: Aperture

The Aperture controls the lens’ diaphragm, which controls the amount of focused light traveling through the

lens to the film / image sensor plane. The smaller the number associated with the denominator of the focal

length, the greater the size of the hole, which means more light entering the camera and consequently a

brighter picture.

APERTURE CONTROLS QUANTITY OF LIGHT



Small numbers (like f/1.4 Wide Open) have larger openings, which let in more light.

Big numbers (like f/16 Narrow Open) have smaller openings, which let in less light.

CONFUSED ? PIZZA ?



Aperture is one of the parameters responsible for Depth of Field (other 2 are focal length of lens being used

and camera to subject distance).

Depth of field (DOF) is that area in your photograph which is in sharp focus.

A larger f number like f22 gives you deep depth of field (DOF) and a smaller f number like f2.8 gives you

shallow depth of field.


Depth of Field

Depth of Field (DOF) is the front-to-back zone of a photograph in which the image is razor sharp (In focus).

Most landscapes like to have everything in sharp focus.

Many portraits have the subject in focus, but not the background.

Three things are control Depth of field

1. APERTURE

2. FOCAL LENGTH - FOCAL PLANE

3. DISTANCE FROM THE LENS (PHYSICAL)


Small vs Large Aperture

Manipulating the aperture is the easiest and most often utilized means to adjust Depth of Field.

Depth of Field


Depth of Field

APERTURE SETTING

FOCAL LENGTH

SHOOTING DISTANCE

Deep (More) Shallow (Less)

f/22 f/1.4

Wide angle Telephoto

Faraway Close-up


Depth of field preview button

Once you get over the darkness it allows you to preview what will and will not be in focus.

Always check your depth-of-field while out shooting.

This is how you determine the best-looking aperture for portraits to blur backgrounds, and how you see which

aperture gets all of your landscape in focus.

Depth of field extend 1/3 in front

2/3 behind of the plane of focus

Depth of Field


Exposure Triangle 2: Shutter Speed

How much light is let in is a function of your shutter speed and aperture. The shutter speed is commonly

expressed in fractions of a second. For example, if you see a setting that says 1/125, 1/50, etc. this is your

shutter speed. Shutter speed is exactly what it sounds like: the amount of time the shutter opens to let light in.

SHUTTER CONTROLS DURATION OF LIGHT



Seeing 100, 250, 320, etc. on your viewfinder means “1/(number seen)”, like “1/100”.

Safe Shutter Speeds for Handholding

Rule of Thumb

Try not to use 1/focal length or less when handheld, that’s when you use a tripod or look for something

steady. Using longer exposure (slow shutter speed) will let in more light.

Using shorter exposure (fast shutter speed) will let in less light.



.



Shutter speeds for sharpness

If the shutter speed is faster than the object or background, then the image will be tack sharp. If the shutter

speed is slower, then you’ll get blurred objects.

Shutter Speed Stops



Moving Subject

Shutter speed choice becomes more important when you photograph moving objects. The faster the shutter

speed you need to freeze the subject. Go for a slower speed and the moving elements will appear blurred –

but get the right degree of blur and your shot can look great

Find the right shutter speed for every situations!


Exposure Triangle 3: ISO

ISO is the sensitivity of your camera to light. (ISO is actually an acronym, which stands for International

Standards Organization)

Each value of the rating represents a “stop” of light, and each incremental ISO number (100, 200, 400 up or

down) represents a doubling or halving of the sensor’s sensitivity to light.

SENSITIVITY TO LIGHT

Lets go a theater

Lower numbers are less sensitive to light, which give smoother photos.

Higher numbers are very sensitive to light, which give very grainy and noisy photos.


Exposure Triangle 3: ISO

ISO Speed and Image Sensor Size

Find acceptable noise value in your camera


Exposure is Measured in “STOPS”

For every one stop you change in any setting, you are essentially doubling or halving the amount of light that

hit's the camera's sensor. If you change a setting by two stops then you are allowing in (or reducing) four

times the amount of light into the camera, and so forth.

What's great about exposure stops is that they create an even playing field for aperture, shutter speed and

ISO in regards to light. This means that we can swap any of the three elements while keeping the overall

exposure the same.

Just to make sure this concept is clear


Aperture f-Stops

With aperture, going from f/ 1.4 to f/ 2 is one exposure stop. Changing from f/ 22 to f/ 16 is also one exposure

stop. Moving from f/ 8 to f/ 16 would be two exposure stops.


Shutter Speed - Stops

With shutter speed, going from 1/ 30 to 1/ 60 is one exposure stop. Changing from 1/ 125 to 1/ 30 is two

exposure stops. Moving from 1/ 2 to 1/ 15 would be three exposure stops.


ISO - Stops

With ISO, going from 800 to 1600 is one exposure stop. Changing from 100 to 400 would be two exposure

stops. Moving from 200 to 3200 would be four exposure stops.


What is Correct Exposure?

“Correct” camera exposure is defined as an exposure that achieves the effect the photographer intended.

Depending on what the photographer is trying to capture within a photo will determine if it is an acceptable

exposure or not.


Overexposure & Underexposure

How do you define overexposure and underexposure, “correct” exposure is subjective?

Overexposure is described as an image that looks washed-out or white looking.

Underexposure is described as an image that is too dark.


Exposure: Auto Bracketing

Auto Bracketing is an exposure technique whereby you can ensure that you have the optimal exposure by

taking at least three (3) exposures of the exact same composition with one at the metered EV, one at 1/3 of

a stop below the metered EV and one at 1/3 of a stop above the metered EV. So “Auto Bracketing” is a

function in which you set the EV value then release the shutter and the camera automatically makes the

necessary up and down adjustments to the EV to give you the bracketed exposures.


AE LOCK (AEL)

Auto Exposure Lock is a camera setting in which the EV is locked in (when you’re shooting one of the semi-

automatic or fully automatic modes, i.e. Shutter-priority), so that now matter what changes there are to the

lighting in the scene, the camera locks in the ISO, Shutter and/or Aperture settings, so you can continually

achieve the same EV without having to re-meter the scene.


High key & Low key photography


Considerations When Adjusting Exposure

Changing each setting (aperture, shutter speed and ISO) not only impacts the exposure of a photo but also

impacts other aspects, including: depth of field, the ability to freeze motion and the amount of digital noise

present in an image


White Balance in Digital Photography

White balance (WB) is considered as one of the most important settings of a digital camera.

Well, if you don’t use the correct white balance setting of your digital camera, you may get a picture with

colors different from the actual ones.

EYES ARE AMAZING ?

WHY TO ADJUST THE WHITE BALANCE?


Advanced Camera Modes

On most DSLR cameras, there will also be the letter modes – M (Manual), AV (Aperture-Priority), TV or S

(Shutter-Priority) and P (Programmed Auto). Manual allows the photographer to change every single setting;

Aperture-Priority allows the photographer to set the aperture value and the camera automatically sets the

correct shutter speed; TV lets the photographer choose the shutter speed first. P-Program mode is similar to

Auto mode - the shutter and aperture settings are determined by the camera, but the photographer can

adjust the shooting and image-recording functions.

MANUAL mode where you can specify everything.

AUTOMATIC mode where the camera will make a best guess.

PROGRAMMED mode where certain characteristics are pre-determind.

Some people consider it amateurish to use pre determined settings, when in fact there may be times when

we are in a rush and cannot adjust everything manually. Also remember that using these modes will teach

you about photography and ideal settings for different conditions. If in doubt, you can use Auto camera

mode, then adjust the settings manually. Auto settings are there to be used so try them all, and become

familiar with what each one does.

Av: Aperture Value.

This is the most widely used mode for general shooting and gives you control over the Aperture. The camera

will calculate the best shutter speed and exposure to use.

Tv: Time Value. This gives you control over the shutter speed, allowing you to capture either motion or a

single moment. The camera will calculate the best aperture and exposure values to use.

These two modes are where you’ll spend most of your time if you’re a beginner to DSLR photography


Metering Modes

The first thing you need to master with your camera – besides how to load the memory card – is how to

measure the light on the subject that you are photographing. DSLRs have a built-in TTL (Through-The-Lens)

light meter, which measures the ambient or reflective light on the subject.

Why is this so important?

So you can accurately represent the image by capturing all the exciting details, colors, shadows and

textures.


Metering Modes

Spot Metering Mode

When you look through the lens of a DSLR there are typically a series of focus points and/or centering marks;

these are small, sometimes selectable areas within the frame from which the camera then samples light to

determine the exposure – “the spot.” Any light that falls out of the designated spot is effectively ignored

during the exposure value calculation. This setting is ideal for when the subject is small within the frame or the

lighting on background objects competes with the main subject and you need to zero in on what has

captured your eye. Many cameras allow the user to choose which mark is the spot, thus giving you more

flexibility and control.


Metering Modes

Partial Metering Mode

Partial Metering is a camera-metering mode in which the metering is weighted at the center of the

viewfinder (unlike center-weighted in which the camera averages the exposure based on the reading at the

center). You can think of Partial Metering as “expanded” spot metering, because the area that is metered is

specific, but not tiny (roughly 10% of the viewfinder versus 2.3% of the viewfinder for spot metering mode).

Partial metering is best used when your subject is overly backlit and you want to get a quality exposure of

the subject. Partial metering will enable correct exposure of your subject, however the background will be

over-exposed. Partial metering will enable you to more specifically control the exposure in a particular region

of the photograph.


Metering Modes

Center-Weighted Metering

In this mode, the camera measures the light information originating from the middle of the viewfinder (it also

absorbs image data from the rest of the frame, but the computer gives that light less importance). This

setting causes the camera to focus on the subject in the middle of the frame and isn’t too influenced by any

excessively dark or light backgrounds or sides of the frame. This setting is ideal for when your subject is in the

center of the frame, for instance, a portrait, your sleeping cat, or your broken headlight after an accident.


Metering Modes

Multi-Zone Metering Mode

Multi-zone metering (also called Matrix, Evaluative metering) is the generic default setting in which the TTL

meter uses light from all points in the frame and then the camera makes an approximation as to what’s most

important when calculating the exposure value. The effectiveness of the matrix in question has a lot to do

with the internal computer and how many matrix points are present (for example 6-point or 9-point matrix).

This basic setting is the most non-discriminating and therefore is most useful in situations where the lighting is

most uniform – like a landscape – and there aren’t any excessive highlights or dark pockets that could “trick”

the sensor.


Focusing Modes

The fantastic thing about autofocus on today’s cameras is that you can let it do all the work to get the

super-sharp images. The four primary focus modes (Continuous, Single, Automatic and Manual) give you a

tremendous amount of flexibility to capture exactly what you want.

CONTINUOUS FOCUSING MODE

AI Servo AF (Canon)/AF-C (Nikon) stands for Continuous Focus and this mode is most useful for keeping

moving objects sharp within the viewfinder as you track the object.

In Continuous focusing mode, the camera detects the subject’s movements and refocuses accordingly to

keep the object sharp as a tack. This mode uses a lot of battery power because it is continuously focusing

and refocusing.


Focusing Modes

CONTINUOUS FOCUSING MODE

AI Servo AF (Canon)/AF-C (Nikon)

Focus continually to keep moving subject in focus


Focusing Modes

ONE SHOT FOCUSING MODE

One-Shot AF (Canon)/AF-S (Nikon), which represent single-focus capability. In this mode, when you depress

the shutter release halfway, the camera focuses on the subject just once – there’s no continuous adjustment.


Focusing Modes

ONE SHOT FOCUSING MODE

One-Shot AF (Canon)/AF-S (Nikon)

Focus on first reliable subject and stop


Focusing Modes

AUTOMATIC AUTOFOCUS MODE

AI Focus AF (Canon)/AF-A (Nikon), which stands for Automatic Autofocus. This is a relatively new feature

which has turned out to be quite useful. In this mode the camera’s focusing computer jumps back and forth

between AF-C and AF-S (Nikon)/One-Shot AF and AI Servo AF (Canon) depending on the situation. This is the

default autofocus mode on cameras that have this feature. You have to remember that photography can

be an art, and in art you have to go with what’s in your mind’s eye. You never know what’s going to happen

next or what’s going to catch your eye, so it’s useful to have the camera make quick focus adjustments. This

feature maintains focus if you change subjects or the subject moves.


Focusing Modes

AUTOMATIC AUTOFOCUS MODE

AI Focus AF (Canon)/AF-A (Nikon)

AF lock for a moment & follow it if necessary


Focusing Modes

Single

Point

All

Point

Group

Point


Focusing Modes

MANUAL FOCUSING MODE

Manual focus will give you the most accurate focus point. high-end photographers shoot products this way, and so do fine art photographers who are using medium format cameras.


Drive Modes

Drive modes control how often an image is taken. There are five main modes: single shot, continuous

shooting, self-timer, mirror up and multiple exposure.

Single shot

Continuous shooting

Self Timer

Mirror up

Multiple exposure


Understanding Light


Understanding Light

Light is the photographer’s chief resource. The word ‘photography’ derives from Greek, and literally means

‘light drawing’. From the brightest light of the midday sun to the fuzzy glow of a streetlamp at twilight, the

light falling on the subject of your photograph is what determines the mood of the final image.

The way light falls on a subject totally dictates the physical appearance, how much texture and detail are

revealed, the strength and neutrality of its colors and whether it looks flat or three-dimensional. This in turn

influences the mood of your picture and the way people respond to it emotionally, so to get the most out of

your photograph you must have a thorough understanding of light and how you can use it to your

advantage.

SOURCE

Ambient – Daylight, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Firelight

Artificial – Flash, Tungsten


Qualities of Light - Direction

Knowing where the light is coming from will help you know where to position your subject to get the best

picture

DETERMINE WHERE SHADOW FALL

Front Light

Side Light

Back Light

Top Light


Qualities of Light - Size

Knowing where the light is coming from will help you know where to position your subject to get the best

picture

The smaller the light source, the harder the light appears

The larger the light source, the softer the light appears


Qualities of Light - Intensity

Direct intense light can be quite harsh


Qualities of Light - Color

Some light is cool and has more of a bluish tint. Some light is warm and has more of a golden tint. Our eyes

naturally adjust to changes in the color of light to keep colors looking the same in various lighting situations.

Our cameras don’t do that. That’s why white balance is so important. When working with natural light you

can use the white balance setting that is appropriate to the type of light your working with,

like sunny, shade, or cloudy for example.


Natural Light

Sun, Candle, Campfire, Stars, Moon


Backlight

May need to fill, makes silhouettes


Sidelight

Evokes mood


Hard light

Sun, Candle, Campfire, Stars, Moon


Even light


Soft light


Spot light


Cool light


Warm light


Low and Night Light


Camera's Histogram

The most important tool in digital photography besides the camera - the histogram! Learning to expose

photos properly can be a headache for new photographers.


Formula for Taking Great Photos

Camera

Time

The hardest part of photography is being in the right PLACE at the right TIME

Effort

Knowledge

“If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff" — Jim Richardson


Composition


Why learn composition?

Getting the best out of the situation

Consistency

Bettering your visuals

Confidence to try various genres

Completeness, for discovering the artist in you


Composition = Visual Elements + Creative Rules

“To be a fine art photographer knowing about Visual Elements is very important.”


Visual Elements of an Image

Point

Lines

Shapes

Textures

Colors



Point



Lines

Stability



Stability



Lines

Strength



Strength



Lines

Tension



Tension



Lines

Ease



Ease



Shapes



Textures



Lines define shape. Shape defines textures.



Colors


Exercise

Identify the ruling element in the following images


Focal Element

Something that the viewer is drawn to immediately

1. High contrast

2. Saturation

3. Camera focus

4. Motion

5. Face or figures


Composition = Visual Elements + Creative Rules

Golden Ratio, Viewpoint, Natural Framing, Active Space, Minimalism,

Triangular Law, Rule of Third, Horizon Line, Fill the Frame. . . Etc.


Composition Rules & Tips

RULE OF THIRDS

Put your subject off-center (Avoid the middle)



RULE OF THIRDS

Put your subject off-center (Avoid the middle)

Dead Center



LINES & DIAGONALS

Create impact by using frames and real or inferred lines that lead the viewer’s eye into and around the

picture



LEADING LINES



BALANCING ELEMENTS

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SYMMETRY AND PATTERNS



SYMMETRY AND PATTERNS



VIEWPOINT – Dramatic Perspective

Create impact by photographing your subjects from unexpected angles.



VIEWPOINT



ACTIVE SPACE, NEGATIVE SPACE, BREATHING SPACE



MINIMALISM



BACKGROUND

Use simple backgrounds



DEPTH



FILL THE FRAME



NATURAL FRAMING



CROPPING



THE EYES



HORIZON LINE



EXPERIMENTATION

With the dawn of the digital age in photography we no longer have to worry about film processing costs or

running out of shots. As a result, experimenting with our photos' composition has become a real possibility;

we can fire off tons of shots and delete the unwanted ones later at absolutely no extra cost. Take

advantage of this fact and experiment with your composition - you never know whether an idea will work

until you try it.



BREAKING THE RULES



EXPERIMENT WITH SHUTTER SPEED

Pan to Create Motion, Long Exposure, Star Trail & Light painting



THE SUNNY 16 RULE

On a sunny day and with ISO 100, setting in the camera, one sets the aperture to f/16 and the shutter speed

to 1/100 or 1/ 25 second


Become a Good Photographer

1. LEARN THE FUNDAMENTALS OF PHOTOGRAPHY

1. Exposure triangles

1. EXPERIMENTATION / Film / Hide live view

2. Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera by

Bryan Peterson

3. Smart Phone App

2. Composition

2. Learn how to operate your CAMERA

1. Read the manual

3. Learn how to SEE like a photographer

1. Watch pictures (Flickr, 500px, Facebook etc…)

2. Watch movies / Documentary / Comics

4. Learn the FIELD SKILL

1. Group Shoot / Photo walk

2. Shoot a Golden hour

3. Teach someone

4. New technique – update yourself

5. Stand in front of interesting Stuff / Right place Right time

5. Shoot, shoot, shoot edit and repeat

1. Look at your old photos


THANK YOU &

HAPPY CLICKING!

perfect exposure & composition

Art & Photos