Photography Class, Week 1

I've completed my first week of digital photography class and so far it has been great. I like my teacher a lot, he is really knowledgeable and I have already learned quite a bit from him. I thought I would post my class notes here so that I can refer to them later and also for anyone who is interested in taking better pictures.

The first thing I learned is that I need an SLR camera! I have a very nice point and shoot which takes nice pics most of the time, but I can't make the aperture very small or large. It does have a wide range of shutter speeds tho, which is nice. I now know how to change it so I can take action shots without the flash and the image is not blurry.

The aperture is the opening inside the camera which allows light in. In low light, the camera should be at the widest setting and the smallest for lots of light. The aperture is also called the F Stop. On my Canon, it is indicated by a number that begins with F. The bigger the number, the smaller the opening.

The shutter speed controls how quickly a picture is recorded. For still shots, start at a shutter speed of 1/60 and continue to work your way up (faster) until the shot has the light you want. More light is allowed in at slower shutter speeds. Never use a shutter speed slower than 1/60 for a handheld shot. Instead, mount it on a tripod and then decrease the shutter speed. For action shots, increase the shutter speed as high as it will go without looking too dark.

The ISO is the "film's" sensititvity to light. The higher the ISO, the more sensitivity to light. With digital cameras we have the option of changing the ISO without having to change out the film. For most pictures, keep the ISO as low as possible without making it too dark.

Now go practice! Set your camera to M for manual, set your shutter speed at 1/60, your ISO to 400, and play with your aperture. When you hold the shutter button down halfway, the camera will focus itself and warn you if your aperture is too large or too small. On my camera it gives me a positive or negative number. When you are comfortable with adjusting the shutter speed and aperture, try playing with the ISO. Be sure to upload the pictures onto a computer so you can see if they are clear or grainy. Some programs like Adobe Photoshop record the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO settings for you so you can recreate it on another picture. Have fun!