Biely-Picard

//What is important about focus? How do you get good focus in a digital SLR photograph?//

Focus is important because it displays what parts of a photo are blurry or clear, and this can be obtained by maintaining a balance of appropriate speed, balance, and size for the situation then you can take a photo.

//Explain in your own words what depth of field is and why it's important to understand when shooting photos.//

Depth of field is how much of a photo will be in focus, so the background for instance in an image you could have the entire background show in the image or focus on one main element instead. This is important to understand because one needs to know what parts of their photograph they want to be sharp.

//What is the exposure triangle and why is it important to making quality photos?//

The triangle is compromised of **ISO**, **a****perture**, and **s****hutter** **s****peed**. ISO determines how sensitive the camera is to light, and how it will react to more light in the photo. The aperture is how open the lens gets when a picture is taken, a bigger opening results in more light to enter the image. Shutter speed is how long the shutter is open, which means how fast the picture is taken. These are all important to making quality photos because it is important to know what they are and that if you alter one, you alter the other two as well.

//What are the 5 compositional techniques we use in photography?//

The **rules of thirds** is used for asymmetrical balance, involving breaking an image down into thirds, both horizontally and vertically so there are nine parts. This creates more visual interest and avoids putting a subject in the center of a photograph. **Framing** is the technique of drawing attention to the subject of your image by blocking other parts of the image with something else in the scene and uses elements in the shot to frame the subject. This gives a photo context, a sense of depth and layers, and leads the eye towards the main focal point which intrigues the viewer, while **filling the frame** lets the subject fill the whole frame, as the photo is closer and more zoomed in on the subject. A **level** **horizon** ensures that the horizon line makes a straight line across the frame, though to have visual interest, the horizon line should be in the upper third or lower third of the photo. **Leading lines** use lines to create interest in an image and lead people into the picture. The type of line can affect the mood, and it is best to experiment with positioning. Lastly, an **interesting point of view** can make a huge difference in the creativity and originality of an image. One should consider how a subject is normally viewed and consider doing something different.

//Which lighting techniques come from natural sources and which come from artificial? When would you use one vs another?//

Natural light can can come from outside, like the sun, filtered sunlight on a cloudy day, moonlight, or firelight, or from inside, like available light which is light coming form a natural light source through a window, glass door, skylight, etc., or firelight from a fireplace or candle. Artificial light can some from the flash of a camera, bounce light, which is using a white object to reflect light onto to better light the subject, fill light in which the subject is lit by one light source, but there are shadows so a second light source fills in those shadows, or dramatic lighting in which there is a single light source that creates extreme shadows. Choosing which lighting to use relies on how a photographer would want their image to appear as.

//In terms of lighting what kinds of light sources do you already have experience shooting photos with?//

I mostly have experience with natural lighting, taking pictures outside of nature or my family in lower quality cameras. The natural light is typically sunlight or firelight around campfires which shows more natural shadows and softening in an image.