Manual 101

In this Unit we learned three settings most commonly used to have influence over a photo and specifically to control light. The three aspects that make up the exposure triangle are Iso, shutter speed and aperture. Shutter Speed is the length of time the shutter on the camera is open while taking a photo. 

It dictates how much light is let in. ISO control is the camera’s sensitivity to light. A higher ISO brightens the photo. Aperture is the width at which the lens opens while taking a photo. It controls depth of field in a photo, but similarly to shutter speed also dictates how much light is let in. The assignment that was the most clear to me and showed the effects of one of the three aspects of the exposure triangle was the ISO collage. In this assignment we set up a prop and used a tripod to take photos. All we changed from photo to photo was the ISO, going from 100-3200. This showed the effect ISO has on the photo when nothing else could change your photo. The assignment that was the most difficult to me was light trails. I found this assignment to be challenging because I had never taken photos at night for an assignment before. I wish my photos were brighter so you could see more of the freeway and the background. I enjoyed the freezing action series the most. For that assignment we worked in pairs trying to capture water balloons popping. I had success on this assignment. It was an easy concept to understand since I was mainly only using shutter speed. I would really like to try to capture a starburst effect in one of my photos now that I understand the exposure triangle. To do this I know I need to up my aperture setting. One question about shooting techniques is why having a higher aperture leads to a starburst effect.  I’m not sure why this is true.



ISO Collage

The purpose of this assignment was to get comfortable with the ISO setting. I set up a tripod in the teachers bathroom and positioned my object on the table. All I changed was the ISO setting in each photo. 

Panning

To capture this photo I moved my camera in the same direction and speed as Max on his bike to keep him in focus and the background blurred. This was a difficult assignment since I had to be in sync with Max. There were many failed attempts but I find this one to be in focus and interesting. My shutter speed was around 15-25 for this photo.

Light Painting

This was a really fun assignment. I set up a tripod with my group in a dark room and set the shutter speed to around 30 seconds. We used a red light that we flashed under Chloe's chin in each position she moved to. I covered the light while she was moving. I don't remember our aperture but I know it must have been high since we were able to capture a star burst.   

Abstract Blur

For this assignment we had to experiment with moving the camera as we took the photo. We had to move the camera vertically, horizonatlly, rotate it and zoom in. I zoomed in while taking this photo then edited the colors to be more saturated. 

Light Trails

In this assignment we captured the lights from cars as they were driving. To capture this photo I went to a bridge overlooking a freeway and set up my tripod. Its important to use a tripod to keep the camera as steady as possible. I used a variety of shutter speeds while doing this assignemnt. I started at around 5 seconds and eventually went to 25.

Freezing Action

The goal of this assignment was to  capture a water balloon bursting. To do this we had a shutterspeed of 1/1000 of a second. We had to have a high ISO to compensate for the slight amount of light being let in. 

Golden Hour