Fundamentals of Photography; Week Four
December 5, 2005 12:56 PM

Week Four

E=I x T; Exposure = Intensity of light x Time

Too little light = Underexposed (light print)

Too much light = Overexposed (dark print)

Aperture = lens opening controlled by an iris diaphragm. Measured in f/stops.

Created negative = aperture x shutter speed

The amount of light reaching the film is controlled by both the size of the opening and the length of time the shutter is open.

Opening Up: Chaning the aperture setting to allow more light in

Closing down: Changing the aperture setting to allow less light in

A larger f/number equals a smaller opening or small aperture. Small f/stops mean large apertures.

f/1.4 = large opening
f/64 = small opening

Main apertures to know
1.4
2
2.8
4
5.6
8
11
16
22
32
45

Depth of Field

f/stops influence depth of field. Depth of field equals how much of an image is in focus.

- The bigger the f/stop the greater the depth of field (things farther away are in focus)

- The smaller the f/stop the less the depth of field

- Large apertures (but small f/stops like 2 or 4) blur backgrounds

- Greater depth of field = everything in focus

- Here to infinity in focus? Try f/22

Two things have a direct impact on sharply focused images in a photograph

1. Aperture

2. The distance between the subject and the camera.

You must decide what should be in focus
a. Foreground?
b. Background?

Shutter speed: The length of time the shutter stays open, allowing light to pass through

Shutter speeds affect exposure and how motion is portrayed.

The main shutter speeds:
1
1/2
1/4
1/8
1/15
1/30
1/60
1/125
1/250
1/500
1/1000

To freeze motion you must use a fast shutter speed (1/500)

To blur motion use a slow shutter speed (1/30)

Comments

wow! thanks for sharing with us your notes. they're definitely helpful to me since i've never taken any formal photography classes before. i just added a link to your blog from my site. hope that's ok! will check back often for more great notes on photography!