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PHOTOGRAPHY LINKS

The PEAC group is using a Kodak Z700 Zoom Digital Camera.
For help on using the features on this particular camera, click on the features link below.

Kodak Z700 Camera Features

Photography Terms

EXPOSURE
When you take a picture, you "expose" the film to light. The two parts which work together to control your exposure are the APERTURE and SHUTTER.

APERTURE
The aperture is an opening that changes in size to admit more or less light (similar to the iris of an eye).
SHUTTER
The shutter on the camera controls the amount of time light is allowed to reach the film.

FOCAL POINT
The main subect of the photo. You are asking...What is the central point of interest? What will draw the eye of the viewers of this picture? What in this image will make it stand out from others? What is my subject?

COMPOSITION:
The arrangement of elements and their relationship to the background of an image.
www.azuswebworks.com/photography/ph_comp.html

LIGHTING
Since reflected light is what photographic film uses to create images, lighting is clearly a key element in all kinds of photography.
www.azuswebworks.com/photography/ph_light.html

DEPTH OF FIELD
The area or 'zone' of a photograph,from front to back,which is in focus.
www.azuswebworks.com/photography/dof.html

Hints and Tips

COMPOSITION

Compose pictures that get attention and deliver your message.
Pay attention to framing. Nothing ruins a photo faster than distracting elements in the background. Don't get so focused on the photo?s subject that you ignore what else is going on around them. Watch out for poles, trees and power lines, and look all the way around the edges of the frame, asking "Is this what I really want?"
Always keep your horizons (any horizontal lines) level in your photographs, otherwise your shots will appear crooked.
Many people mistakenly put the main points of interest in the centre of their photographs. Keep the main points of interest away from the centre, and from the extreme edges of your shots.
Don't shoot everything from a standing position. Look for interesting angles by changing the camera positions.
Try to avoid empty space in your photographs.
Pay extra attention on the background. Messy background will distract views' attention to others and neglect the theme of the photograph.
Cropping brings a photo to life. If you edit photos on the computer, you are no longer limited to the standard 4 x 6, 5 x 7 or 8 x 10 print sizes. Look at each photo and think about what you really want people to see. Then crop everything else away. Try some unusual shapes, like panoramas or narrow verticals.
Stabilize the camera: Unstable camera while shooting will cause imperfect photograph and it may be mislead to focus adjustment issue. Therefore, when you are taking your shot, you should either hold your camera firm or get as close as you can toward the object. If the photo is taken under weak light source, it is very easy to cause shaking and hence blurry.
Move to eye-level & get in close: When taking a picture of someone, hold the camera at the person's eye level. For children, that means stooping to their level. The subject doesn�t need to look directly at the camera. If your subject is smaller than a car, take a step or two closer before taking the picture. But, don't get too close your pictures will be blurry. The closest focusing distance for most cameras is about 3 feet, or about one step away from your camera.

PERSPECTIVE

Create perspective by using the lines and shapes within the shot to draw the eye.
Slanting or 'oblique' lines imply movement, action and change.
Increase the sense of perspective by using a wide-angle lens and adding foreground interest.

LIGHTING

Side or 'cross' lighting is more interesting because it gives depth and form to your subject (the person you are photographing).
You have to know where is the sunlight is from. Direct sunlight will cause over-contrast. Frontal light source will cause your face flat and white. Ideal light source will be gentle light from the side way. It will the model looks more vivid and also natural shadow will be created to make the outline more obvious.
Flash light is to enhance your light source even shooting in the indoor or bad weather environment. But, however, the effective range of flash light is very limited. If you can induce more nature light source will make the final result even more natural.
Watch the light: Bright sunlight from the side can enhance facial details, but it can also create silhouettes or unattractive deep facial shadows and cause people to squint. Use a flash outdoors to help fill in possible dark areas. A cloudy day can be ideal and create a nice soft effect. To be safe try taking outdoor photos with and without the flash. Move to another location if you don't like the lighting effects your getting.

COLOUR

Colour affects the way we look at pictures, so try to use colour creatively in your shots.
Look for images that contain contrasting colours, such as red and green or yellow and purple, to add tension or drama.
Using shades of the same colours will create a sense of harmony.
Bright sunlight gives colours a more intense or 'saturated' feel.
A cloudy or overcast day will give colours a more harmonious feel.
Red is the universal colour of warning, so use it with caution. A little bit of red in your shot goes a long way!
Colours effect the emotional impact of your shot. Yellow is associated with happiness, but orange moves us to sadness.
Greens and blues are calming.

DEPTH OF FIELD

Sometimes the illusion of depth has to do with orientation.
If you want a chair or person to appear further away, you can place them higher on the picture plane.
Sometimes the illusion of depth depends on the character of the element itself.
A warm color can appear to project and cool color can appear to recede, other things being equal.
A light tone (value) can appear to project and dark tone can appear to recede.
Color saturation, sometimes called "color intensity" or brightness can also give a feeling of depth and space.
Overlapping is often used by artists to create depth.

FOREGROUND

Foreground is the area that is closest to the camera.
An object in the foreground will lead the eye into the photo.
Include foreground objects to add a sense of perspective, as in this photograph.
Lines that converge imply depth, scale and distance, for example, the outer edges of a road converge as it disappears into the distance, giving a two-dimensional image three-dimensional depth.
Size Variation can apply to shape, form, etc. Notice how size can effect how close or far something can appear to be from the viewer.

COLOUR

Colour affects the way we look at pictures, so try to use colour creatively in your shots.
Look for images that contain contrasting colours, such as red and green or yellow and purple, to add tension or drama.
Using shades of the same colours will create a sense of harmony.
Bright sunlight gives colours a more intense or 'saturated' feel.
A cloudy or overcast day will give colours a more harmonious feel.
Red is the universal colour of warning, so use it with caution. A little bit of red in your shot goes a long way!
Colours effect the emotional impact of your shot. Yellow is associated with happiness, but orange moves us to sadness.
Greens and blues are calming.

OTHER TIPS

To get the clearest photos set your camera to it's highest resolution.
Cropping brings a photo to life. If you edit photos on the computer, you are no longer limited to the standard 4 x 6, 5 x 7 or 8 x 10 print sizes. Look at each photo and think about what you really want people to see. Then crop everything else away. Try some unusual shapes, like panoramas or narrow verticals.