Glaspy-Yanna

Composition and Lighting Research; Yanna Glaspy
Focusing allows for a higher-quality, more visible photo. Soft focus can be an interesting technique, but only in certain situations. Also, focus can draw attention to a certain subject. For example if you are photographing a flower and you have only the flower in focus, with a blurry background, the attention is completely on the flower, versus if the whole photo were in focus. If you are too close your camera will not focus (unless you are using a macro lens for extreme close-ups). Wider f/stops have less depth of field, meaning the the subject may be the only thing in focus. Autofocusing generally works well when taking a photo. To autofocus, press the shutter button halfway down until the picture in your viewfinder is clear. To manual focus using a DSLR camera, first, adjust the focus ring on the lens until the subject is clear. Then, switch to live view and tap the magnifier button to zoom in on the subject. Use the arrows on the camera to move the area of view or move your camera to frame and then recompose. Fine tune focus to satisfaction and exit back to normal view to shoot the photo.

Depth of field is how far into the background that the image is in (acceptable) focus. Depth of field is important in focusing more on one part of the entire image, and less on another part.

The exposure triangle is the 3 key elements of exposure; the ISO (camera's sensitivity to light, higher for darker pictures), aperture (size of lens opening, wider openings (lower f/stop numbers) let in more light), and shutter speed (time it takes shutter to close, the longer it takes the shutter to close, the more motion will appear in the photo). Exposure determines just how light or dark the resulting photo will be, and changing one affects the other two.



1) Rule of Thirds: Don't center the subject right in the middle. Instead, use the rule of thirds by dividing the frame into 3 horizontally and vertically and placing the subject along the dividing lines.

2) Framing: Use elements in the photo to frame the subject of the shot.

3) Fill the Frame: Fill the entire frame with the subject of the photo. That way the details of the background aren't distracting from the subject. 4) Level Horizon: Be sure to have level horizon lines, because diagonal horizon lines create confusion, making the viewer unsure of what they are looking at. 5) Leading Lines: Use natural lines (roads, trees, buildings) to draw viewers eyes to the subject.

There are 2 different types of lighting, natural and artificial. Natural light coming from outside are things like sunlight, moonlight, and firelight. Coming from inside is available light, such as a window, or firelight, such as from a candle. Benefits of natural light are that it's free and easy to find, and it can help to create beautiful nature shot. Artificial light would be something like a camera flash, studio lighting, or light bulbs. Benefits of artificial light are that you can manipulate the light exactly how you want it and is readily available at any time. I have shot scenery with natural lighting from the sun, as well as artificial lighting from light bulbs inside.