An Introduction To Photography

In this blog, I shall be discussing the Photography Unit & the different types of composition there is within the subject of photography.

Composition is when is the key to good photographs yet is something that is hard to produce. A definition of composition is the placement or arrangement of things we see or in a photograph. 


The different types of composition I shall be discussing are Perspective, Aperture & Shutter, Shapes, Forms & Lines, Abstract, Fill The Frame & Lead In Lines.


I shall also be showing pictures taken for a Client Portfolio which was used for a book advertising Britain to tourists. 

Perspective

Perspective is when the camera is used in a creative way to take photographs of a humorous nature, or to create an illusion through the image.


The reason perspective is used is to take images to be viewed in a different way by the eye. It's out of the ordinary & jumps out at us when we see it.


Here are three examples of perspective. 

This is an image of a weird angle perspective. The Angle of the gap in the trunk of a cut down tree causes interest as well as a leading line which draws the viewer into the photo.

This image shows the illusion of perspective. To a normal eye it looks like Michael in the background is poking Shelby in the foreground in the eye. However the two are apart & the camera has created this illusion.

This is a foreground perspective. This is shown by the image. Even though Michael is of key interest in the background the main focus is in the foreground where we can clearly see Michael's clenched fist.

Aperture & Shutter

Aperture is linked to the speed of the shutter. Smaller f numbers means a faster shutter is required therefore meaning that higher f numbers require a slower shutter speed to let in more light.


Calculated as f stops f22 = full Depth of Field
f1.4/2.8 = shallow DOF


The faster the shutter speed the more action is frozen. The counter action to this is that to capture movement or record action you need a slower shutter speed. This can be various types of seconds. Panning with a fast shutter keeps a sharp focus for a better image but this leaves the background blurred. This means that you can not use a shutter that is less than your lens length without the use of a tripod otherwise your pictures will come out blurred.


ISO measures how sensitive the light is on the sensor. On bright days you should use low numbers & for higher numbers for when it is dark outside. There is more grain when the ISO is larger.


Here are a example of aperture, shutter & ISO:

Client Portfolio

I am a freelance photographer & I am producing a book about Britian. I am going to document life in Britain, Saltaire is just of many place I am photographing. I am required to produce 8 photos.


The pictures show below, document our problems with littering, education, sexual health & terrible roads as well as showing our proud heritage within the World Heritage Site.

Shapes, Form & Lines

Shapes and lines are elements in photography. When used quite well, shapes and lines can create as good looking effect. Photographers usually can have the control over ways shapes and lines are used in pictures.


Shapes are key to composition and is usually how the person looking finds an object in the photograph. Form is when a shape is 3D. A shape is only 2D, however with the right lighting you can bring it up to 3D therefore making it . Lighting can also turn 3D form into 2D shape when the lighting is bad.


Lines can be effective in composition, because they give interest to a photo. Lines can are important because they can bring a picture together & also attract the viewers eye. They can draw your eyes into a picture & also help a picture become more effective. Lines can also add depth to a picture. 


Here is a example:

 Shape is the key element & is shown by the shed just peeping out of the bushes. This attracts the viewer & adds interest to the photo.

Form is shown by the 3D Shed in the background. The lighting makes the shed keeps it 3D form & makes it better to look at & more interesting for the viewer.

Lines are clearly demonstrated by the path. It runs down the middle of the picture bringing the picture together as one & is also a leading line as your eye is drawn down the path from the foreground of the photo to the background.

Abstract

Abstract is usually when you've got extremely close to an object you can't identify it. This is usually down to taking the picture at a strange angle to a normal picture which leads to a very dramatic photographs.


It doesn't show the object of interest in a direct way to which a non abstract photograph would. It shows the picture not as an image but through the colour & light picked up by the camera. 


Here is an example: 


This picture shows abstract photography as the background noise & colours are the main focus of interest rather than the drop of water from the tap itself. 

Fill the Frame

Fill the frame is when the whole subject of the photograph is a key point of interest in a picture to fill the frame & make it a more interesting picture. This adds a wow factor to your photos.

This technique is used to add more features to a person as the focus is more on them rather than when the picture is zoomed out & has no focus. 

If you take a picture of a person you have to make sure there is minimal background noise & depth of field because this takes the focus & interest off the person in the photo & onto the background noise & the person may as well not be there.

The way to fill a frame is to zoom in rather than zoom out to have more focus & more detail on the main object within the picture.

Here is an example:

This photography is a perfect example of fill the frame. It zooms in on the key point of interest in the photograph which is the tennis player. Her hitting in the ball with the camera zoomed in adds a wow factor to the picture & makes it more interesting. It has a low depth of field & no background noise which makes the full focus of the picture on the person  & makes it a very good fill the frame picture.

Lead in Lines

Lead in lines is used in photography to attract a viewers eye.

Lead in lines are lines within a photograph in which a viewers eye is attracted to a line & draws you to a object within the image at the end of this imaginary line. It takes you from the frame to the main point of interest.

Lead in lines can be anything whether it be a wall, path, road or a linear man made structure. 


Here is an example:

This picture as is a clear example of lead in lines. The line is represented by a path, the viewers eye follows the path to the shed to the side of the path & the trees at the end of the path. This attracts interest from the viewers eyes & makes it a more intriguing picture to look at.

The Circle

The circle is when you take a picture of or through a circle. For example, if you are in a room & there is a circle on the roof, you take a picture of the room but of the circle as well. Such as there is a dome on the roof. Example being the Odeon in Bradford. 


The circle is important to composition as it is used within depth of field. With the camera focused on the circle, the rest of the picture such as the background is blurred out & shows a good use & knowledge of depth of field by the photographer.


This part of the photograph is also known as the circle of confusion. This blurs out the depth of field whilst taking the picture.


Here is an example of the circle:


 In this picture, the depth of field is blurred out to show a circle of confusion. The circle is the rubber ducks who clamped together in a circle & is the focus of the picture. It also causes interest & intrigue what would make the viewer interested & would make them ask questions.

Frame within a Frame

Frame within a Frame is a technique used in photography to make an image more creative & more interesting to the person or people viewing the photo.


A frame within a frame is created when you take a picture through an object say a gap in between trees or through a window frame to create a frame within the frame of the camera. These frames can also act as a guide to getting a good photograph.


The frame within a frame technique is also used to clean up composition. This is down by making the picture fill up when there isn't enough in the picture to fill the screen.


Here is an example:

In this picture you can see that the tree is used as a frame within a frame. This & the light adds balance to the photograph & makes it better to look at. The light also adds a balance to the photo & there is also depth in field with the background. The clouds & building also add noise to the background. It makes it a more interesting photo with this added. There is also abstract caused by the light.

Rule of Thirds

Rule of thirds is the 9 square grid which can be found on cameras & is used to take good photos.


Rule of thirds is when a picture is broken down into thirds (hence the 9 square grid) & this is down in both horizontal, you can do this using the grid on a camera or using your imagination.


When taking an picture without the grid you can imagine it whilst looking through the viewfinder or the screen which shows you the shot after you have taken the picture. With the grid in use you can use the corners where the lines meet to get the key four important parts of the image to be captured to take a fantastic photo, these are the key points of interest as well. This well help you position your photo as well as help you in taking your photo.


You place points of the photo in the line meetings or along the lines so that your photo is balanced & better to look at for the people who will view the photo. According to science people eyes tend to be drawn towards the line meetings rather than the centre where most people think the interest will be.


Using the rule of thirds will make pictures look more professional & better to look at. However, if you break the rule of thirds sometimes you will get some better photos & other times you won't. 


It also helps if you keep the rule of thirds in mind when editing because you can ruin a photo by not.


Here is an example of rule of thirds:

•  This photo comes into the rule of thirds as the head of the person closest it to the camera is in the line intersection, this is where the lines (vertical & horizontal) meet. 
• There is also use of depth of field as at another intersection in the background there is some people given the viewer some more interest.