Showing posts with label photographers blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photographers blog. Show all posts

Friday, 28 June 2013

Photography Concepts, Understand Your Art

Originally posted 22 Jun 2010
Exposure is the amount of light allowed to fall on the photographic medium, the film or a digital image sensor. Exposure is measured in lux seconds or the measure of the intensity as perceived by the human eye. This interval on the photographic exposure scale is commonly referred to as a stop.

Focus is where light from object points is converged almost as much as possible in the image, sharp, and out of focus if light is not well converged, blurry. The border between these areas is called the circle of confusion.

Depth of field (DOF) is the portion of a scene that appears acceptably sharp in the image. A lens can only precisely focus at one distance and the decrease in sharpness is gradual on each side of the focused distance.

Shutter speed or the exposure time is the length of time a camera's shutter is open or can be thought of as the duration of light reaching the film or digital image sensor.
Slow shutter speed, moving objects blur.
Fast shutter speed movement is frozen.

Aperture is an opening through which light travels. The opening size determines the amount of light and the angle of that light over the digital image sensor. If an aperture is narrow (say f22), then sharp focus is achieved across the image plane. If an aperture is wide (f2.8) then a sharp focus is achieved for a certain focal length, part of the image plane is sharp around what the lens was focused on and blurred otherwise.

ISO is a light sensitivity measure and is the relationship between exposure and sensor data values that can be achieved by setting the signal gain of the digital sensor in a DSLR. The lightness of the finished image is measured by an exposure index rating similar to what would be obtained with film of the same rating at the same exposure. Digital Cameras far surpass film in terms of sensitivity to light and controlling image noise and film grain. Digital cameras have achieved ISO's up to 102,400, and you can commonly get acceptable results with ISO 3200 for good DSLR cameras which film speeds never got close to.

Perspective is a visual perception or the way in which objects appear to the eye based on their relative position to the viewer. As objects become more distant they appear smaller and as object gets further from the eye, its contrast with the background is reduced.


Composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work or the organisation of the elements in an image according to the principles of art. Unity, Variety, Balance, Contrast, Proportion, Pattern

The rule of thirds is a compositional rule of thumb in which the rule states;
That an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally spaced horizontal lines and two equally spaced vertical lines.
The important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections as aligning a subject with these points creates tension, energy and interest.
For example an horizon should be at the horizontal line dividing the lower third of the photo from the upper two thirds and any important elements should be at the intersection of two lines. This is called a power point or a crash point. Depending on the composition you will find close enough to this rule can be enough to take advantage of the rule. Like all rules these are made to be broken so experiment.

To understand how you need to balance ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture to get a good exposure you would think that this is an equal mix of shutter speed, ISO speed, and aperture, but its not a simple as that. The problem is you can’t actually map what an exposure will be as any one or two of the other variables change. Composition, perspective and its relation to the rule of thirds is more of an artistic judgement.

If you understand all this and can exploit the relationship of these concepts and produce beautiful images, leave a comment tell me how.

Saturday, 10 December 2011

Grampians

The Grampians National Park is a striking sandstone mountain range that was listed on the Australian National Heritage List on 15 December 2006 for its outstanding natural beauty and being one of the richest indigenous rock art sites in south-eastern Australia. The main tourist town is Halls Gap and the whole area has an uncanny resemblance to the Mount Tamborine area of Qld in respect to its tourist focus and look and feel.
 Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f16, 1/60 sec

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There are lots of good sized lakes with great fishing potential in the Grampians area.

 Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2D @ ISO 200, 35mm f2.8, 1/7999 sec

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Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f16, 1/15 sec
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Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f8, 1/60 sec
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Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f8, 1/320 sec
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Saturday, 3 December 2011

Lake, Algae and Kanga-walla-foxes

Lake Eppalock sunrise
iPhone 4
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A closer look at the water shows a beautiful effect on the lake surface from algae, blue green algae occur naturally in marine waters, rivers, lakes, damp soil, tree trunks, hot springs and snow. Despite their name, blue green algae are actually types of bacteria known as Cyanobacteria.
 iPhone 4
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The purple flowers of Paterson's Curse and ranging Kangaroos on the lakeside while I fed the fish my bait.
 iPhone 4
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Saturday, 26 November 2011

4x4 Equipped

A new member of the family arrived last week, the Isuzu D-Max 4x4 Crew Cab Ute. Just the thing for towing the boat to remote fishing, camping and 4WD tracks and locations that should give me some great opportunities for some photography. I immediately took her, 'Max' out to the Huntly Clay Pits. Its a spot where the local 4x4 club conducts driver training, so there are quite a few setups in one small area to test the ute out on. It took me two hours to get the mud off.
 Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2D @ ISO 200, 35mm f2, 1/2000 sec

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Nikon D300, Nikkor 70-200  2.8 @ ISO 200, 95mm f2.8, 1/160 sec
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The Huntly Clay Pits.
 Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2D @ ISO 200, 35mm f10, 1/1000 sec
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Playing in the Clay Pits.
  Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2D @ ISO 200, 35mm f8, 1/320 sec

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  Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2D @ ISO 200, 35mm f8, 1/640 sec

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  Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2D @ ISO 200, 35mm f8, 1/500 sec

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  Nikon D300, Nikkor 35mm f2D @ ISO 200, 35mm f8, 1/320 sec

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Saturday, 19 November 2011

Bendigo National Swap Meet

The annual Swap Meet has been held in Bendigo since 1975, run by the Veteran Vintage & Classic Club Bendigo. Held in November each year it now has over 1,600 sites and attracts in excess of 20,000 people over the weekend and is known worldwide.
  Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 12mm f8, 1/80 sec

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  Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f22, 1/50 sec

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  Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f16, 1/25 sec

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  Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f5.6, 1/80 sec

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  Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f16, 1/100 sec

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  Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f5.6, 1/30 sec

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  Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f22, 1/40 sec

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 Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f5.6, 1/15 sec
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Saturday, 12 November 2011

Bendigo Region Redux

Quintessentially Bendigo             The Bush
   Click on text to jump to post                   Hills           Click on text to jump to post              Sunrise
                                 Walking Click on text to jump to post
       Wider Area              More Mining                   Lake
Click on text to jump to post
Winter         More Lake               Catchments                Fishing
                            Bendigo Pottery       Click on text to jump to post
       Autumn                                         The Town               Mining     Click on text to jump to post
 Water                           Dam                   Regional History    Click on text to jump to post

Sunday, 6 November 2011

Mount Alexander


Mount Alexander is approximately 125 km north-west of Melbourne and 40Km south-east of Bendigo, near the town of Harcourt. Mount Alexander rises 744 metres above sea level and its name is associated with the surrounding district  known as the the Shire of Mount Alexander, centred on Castlemaine. The mountain is included within the boundaries of the Mount Alexander Regional Park.

 Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f16, 1/125 sec
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 Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f16, 1/80 sec
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 Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f16, 1/40 sec
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 Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f16, 1/40 sec
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 Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f16, 1/40 sec
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 Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f16, 1/30 sec
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 Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f16, 1/15 sec
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 Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f8, 1/60 sec
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Large scale quarrying of granite in the Mt Alexander area started in 1859 with stone supplied to the Melbourne to Echuca Railway. From the late 1880s Mt Alexander granite was used extensively on prestigious buildings in the centre of Melbourne includeing the Burke and Wills Memorial in the Melbourne General Cemetery (1864), the Princes Bridge (1888), Block Arcade (1892), Flinders Street Station (1910) and the former National Bank of Australasia Head Office Collins Street (1927)
 Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f9, 1/250 sec
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 Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f9, 1/320 sec
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The presence of flaws meant that there was considerable waste which is why there are many pieces apparently abandoned. The peak for this area's quarries was in the 1910s due to the increasing popularity of the stone for monumental work in cemeteries. With the use of stone in major buildings declining in the 1950s, the monumental use kept the quarries ticking along.
 Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f9, 1/160 sec
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 Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f9, 1/400 sec
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 Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f9, 1/100 sec
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 Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f9, 1/125 sec
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 Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f8, 1/1000 sec
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 Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f8, 1/160 sec
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Nikon D300, Tokina 11-16 f2.8 @ ISO 200, 11mm f2.8, 1/640 sec
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