Mies-+Weinfurter

= __COMPOSITION, FOCUS, & LIGHTING!__ = 

**1.) What is important about focus? How do you get good focus in a digital photograph? **
==== Focus is an important part of digital photography because it is the main part of each and every photo. It is the part that the viewer’s eyes are naturally drawn to. To focus on one specific subject or create an interesting focus, there are different elements that can be used: ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. All of these main elements can help to create an interesting focus in a digital photograph. ====

**2.) Explain in your own words what depth of field is and why it's important to understand when shooting photos. **
==== Depth of field is the part of your picture that is going to be clear and in focus. There are a few different kinds of depth of field that you can use in order to make your picture unique. Such as large depth of field which means that no matter how far away or close you take the picture most of the picture will be in focus. Shallow depth of field which means that only a little portion of the picture is in focus which gives you the ability to focus more on the subject of the picture. Depth of field is important when you are taking pictures because it allows you to focus on the subject of the picture and allows to put less focus on less important objects in the photograph. ====

====**3.) What is the exposure triangle and why is it important to making quality photos? (HINT...there are 3 parts to the Triangle make sure you explain all three and how they relate to each other and making a good photo.) **==== ==== The exposure triangle is the three main elements that are used to create unique and interesting photos. The first of these elements is ISO, which is the measure of a digital camera sensor’s sensitivity to the light around it. ISO can be used to change the mood of the photo completely by either making the scene brighter or darker. The second part of the exposure triangle is aperture, which is the size of the opening of the lens when a photo is taken. This can be helpful to add emphasis to a specific object. For example, if there is an object in the center of the photo that is more important than the background, you can adjust the size of the lens to make that object appear clearly in focus while the backdrop is blurred. This adds a cool and interesting effect to the piece. The final part of the exposure triangle is shutter speed. Shutter speed is the amount of time that the shutter is open. This element can be used to capture objects in motion while avoiding all of the blurriness that comes with it. All three of this elements are extremely important parts of creating an interesting photograph. ====

**4.) What are the 5 compositional techniques we use in photography? EXPLAIN don't just list. **
==== There are many techniques that can be used to create a successful photo, but there are five important compositional ones: framing, filling the frame, leveling the horizon, using leading lines, and finding an interesting point of view. First of all, framing is used as an interesting way to display images. It draws more attention to the subject of the photo. Filling the frame is important because it is more zoomed in and there is a guarantee that there is something interesting happening in all corners of the piece. It doesn’t just place an important subject right in the center of the image, it uses the rule of thirds to create a more interesting composition. However, leveling the horizon is also an interesting way to create a photo even though it is more basic that the rest of the techniques. It gives the image a simple look without appearing boring or dull. On the contrary, leading lines can be a more difficult compositional technique to achieve. It involves taking an image in a specific direction using lines to lead the viewer’s vision straight towards the subject. Finally, finding an interesting point of view is the last important compositional technique. While it may sound fairly simple, there’s a bit more to it than many might think. It could involve taking the photo from below the subject or maybe even up at a birds-eye view. Taking photos from different angles can definitely add interest to the photo. All of these techniques may be fairly different, but they are all ways to add creativity to photographs. ====

**5.) Which lighting techniques come from natural sources and which come from artificial? When would you use one vs another? **
==== Some examples of lighting that comes from natural sources are outside sources such as; sunlight, filtered sunlight (clouds blocking the sun), and moonlight, and inside sources such as; light through a window, glass door or skylight. Then some examples of artificial lighting are the flash on the camera, a spot or strobe light, light in the room, light from electronics, bounce lighting (light that bounces off of another surface in order to create better light for the surface) and dramatic lighting which is one single light shining on the subject to make a dramatic effect. You might use natural sources of light when you are taking pictures for weddings or children so that you can take pictures of the children while they are running around and playing which would make it seem like you are playing with them and not doing a photoshoot, natural lighting is also easier for beginners to use. Then you’d use artificial sources of light when you are taking portraits since it is easy for them to sit still and you can instruct on how you want them to pose. ====

**6.) In terms of lighting what kinds of light sources do you already have experience shooting photos with? Explain. **
==== The kinds of lighting sources that I have already used are all examples of natural lighting. Since I usually either take a picture of outdoor scenes like mountains or sunsets. Sometimes I will also take pictures of my sister since she enjoys posting pictures on instagram. Also sometimes when I go to the zoo I will take pictures of the animals inside the buildings, which would be an example of artificial lighting. For example; while the baby jaguar was at the zoo I went and made sure that I got a picture of him. ==== 