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Manual Exposure Workshop
What is Manual Exposure?
Manual Exposure is the manual setting of aperture, ISO and shutter speed used by a photographer or cinematographer in order to adjust the exposure of a shot. Adjusting exposure manually gives them more creative freedom over the final shot.
Under Exposed
Correctly Exposed
Over Exposed
How to Get the Correct Exposure
Good exposure comes from having a finely tuned balance of aperture, ISO and shutter speed. For example, you might need a higher ISO when using a narrow aperture or fast shutter speed because these settings reduce the amount of light hitting the camera's sensor so it can be useful to have a higher light sensitivity to get a clear image.
For this workshop we used DSLR (Digital Single-Lens Reflex) Cameras. We were taught how to insert the battery and SD Card, how to format the SD Card and how to set up the camera settings.
What is Resolution?
Resolution is relative to the size of the screen or image. Essentially, the resolution of an image tells you how many pixels have been captured in the frame. Pixels are squares of light that, when put together in a certain order build up to create an image. The resolution affects the quality of an image, the higher the resolution the better quality the image will be and vice versa. This is because a higher resolution image has more pixels in it than a lower resolution one and therefore there will be more detail in the image.
Focus and It's Importance
Focus is one of the most basic and also most important aspects of filmmaking. Focus is an important tool in filmmaking because it creates a lot of creative freedom and is a great for storytelling. For example, focus can tell you about the relationship between two characters and also focus you on pivotal plot points.
There are two tool to help you achieve the perfect focus. The first is to zoom in on the lens as far as it will go and then focus on the most important part of you frame. Next, zoom out and you are ready to start your scene. The other tool to adjust your zoom is the magnifying glass buttons on your camera.
REMEMBER: You need to get your focus right before you start the scene! If the shot isn't perfectly focused it can't be "fixed" in post-production and you will have to reshoot the scene. It's always better to take care the first time round and get it right.
Histograms
A histogram can help you understand how well exposed your frame is. It is important to use a histogram when adjusting your exposure because it can be more reliable than adjusting by eye.
Underexposed: This is hard to recover in the post-production exposure and results in noisy (grainy) photos. If your camera is underexposed, you can use a lower f/number and/or decrease the shutter speed to increase you exposure.
Neutral Exposure: This is the exposure that you want. Sometimes the results can appear slightly brighter than a natural lighting but this can be easily adjusted in post-production.
Overexposed: This can be hard to recover in the post-production process if the highlights in the frame are overblown. This doesn't occur often, but will happen if there is extreme light pollution in the setting (for example lots of bright natural light), and is sometimes caused by moonlight. If your camera is overexposed, you can reduce the ISO levels to decrease your exposure.
Manual Exposure Practical Task
Task Brief
After learning about exposure and how the aperture, ISO and shutter speed settings affect it, we were given the practical task to:
In pairs capture 6 stills showing:
Shutter Speed - 1x Sharp & 1x Blurry motion
Aperture - 1x Deep & 1x Shallow depth of field
ISO - 1x Clean & 1x Noisy quality
Shutter Speed
Shutter speed is how long the camera's sensor is exposed to light. A slower shutter speed means the sensor is exposed to light for longer, which creates more motion blur in the shot. A faster shutter speed means the sensor is exposed to light for less time, which creates less motion blur in the shot.
Shutter speed refers to the frames per second in a shot. The standard shutter speed used is 25 frames per second (fps), which looks natural and reflects what the human eye sees. Your shutter speed should be at double your framerate, for example, 25 fps should have a shutter speed of 1/50 second.
Fast Shutter Speed - Sharp motion
Fast Shutter Speed - Sharp motion
Shutter Speed 1/2000 | Aperture f/5.6 | ISO 400
This image creates a clear and sharp motion, which is the desired effect for this task, and is also a well exposed shot. One thing I would slightly adjust in this shot is the focus as I find it is slightly out of focus. Overall, I think we were successful because we set the shutter speed at a fast speed and captured a clear motion.
Slow Shutter Speed - Blurry motion
Slow Shutter Speed - Blurry motion
Shutter Speed 1/8 | Aperture f/3.6 | ISO 100
This image creates the desired effect of a blurred motion and I find it is well exposed. We were successful in this image because Arlo set the exposure settings correctly. One thing I would improve next time is I would make a more exaggerated movement to emphasise the blurred motion in the shot.
Depth of Field
The depth of field in a shot is the distance between the nearest and the furthest objects that are in focus in an shot. A shallow depth of field is when only the desired subject is in focus and the background is out of focus, it is a technique often used in close ups. A deep depth of field is when everything, or almost everything, in a shot is in focus and is a technique often used for establishing shots.
The depth of field of a shot is controlled by the aperture settings of a camera. The aperture refers to the opening of the camera's lens diaphragm, which blocks the passage of light. The aperture is similar to the iris of your eye, it is located in the lens and controls the amount of light entering the camera. The bigger the number of the aperture, the smaller the hole letting light into the camera and vice versa. So an aperture of f/1.4 would let in a lot of light, creating a deep depth of field, but an aperture of f/8.0 would let in a lot less light, creating a shallow depth of field.
Aperture - Deep depth of field
Aperture - Deep depth of field
Shutter Speed 1/50 | Aperture f/7.1 | ISO 40
This image is not successful as it should have had the effect of being entirely in focus to provide a deep depth of field. While the background is less blurred than the shot we took of a shallow depth of field, showing a difference between the two, I don't feel we met the brief in this specific shot. I would retake this shot to show a deep depth of field by decreasing the aperture to an even lower number, for example f/4, and rebalancing the shutter speed and ISO.
Aperture - Shallow depth of field
Aperture - Shallow depth of field
Shutter speed 1/40 | Aperture f/18 | ISO 800
This image creates a blurred background effect. We were successful in this shot because we have demonstrated a shallow depth of field while keeping the subject in focus. We could have improved this shot by increasing the brightness by shooting with extra lighting, which would allow the camera to pick up more detail in the image.
ISO
The ISO (International Standards Organisation) controls the sensitivity of the camera's sensor to light. A higher ISO number means the camera's sensor is more sensitive to light and a lower ISO number means it is less sensitive.
However, the ISO can affect the overall quality of a shot, so to have a cleaner shot it is better to keep the ISO as low as you can. If you use a high ISO, you are more likely to get a grainy, pixelated shot.
Low ISO - Clean Quality
Low ISO - Clean Quality
Shutter Speed 0'4 | Aperture f/22 | ISO 100
This image creates the desired effect of a clean quality image, however I feel it could have been in better focus. I would achieve this next time by taking more time to perfect the focus before taking the shot and by also lowering the aperture as I can see that the depth of field is also quite shallow here while I wanted a deep depth of field for this shot.
High ISO - Noisy Quality
High ISO - Noisy Quality
Shutter Speed 1/50 | Aperture f/29 | ISO 6400
This image has been successful as we have created the coveted effect of a grainy, noisy quality shot. For this shot, we sought out a darker environment to show how a high ISO is not desirable and can ruin the quality of an image, even though it can be useful in increasing the light in a shot.
Task Summary
With shutter speed it can be hard to get a sharp and correctly exposed shot.
With aperture it can be hard to get a focused and correctly exposed shot.
With ISO it can be hard to a clear and correctly exposed shot.
By shooting in an area with lots of natural light, or by using artificial lighting, you can reduce the chance of having exposure problems in a shot.
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