1. Photography
Photography means Writing with Lights
2. Elements
Record of people and things. Photo serves as document or symbol?
Making photo rather than Taking
Well organized/composited photo
Learning photography is just like learning language/writing
2.1. Shape
Syntax creates meaning, we arrange elements
Just 2D information
Use exposure to control what to emphasis
2.2. Form
3D aspect info
lighting and shadowing
distortion information
Close-large, far-small
2.3. Texture
Touch information
We need light/shadow to illustrate the texture
We should emphasis texture that people ignore in daily life
2.4. Tone
Lightness and darkness
Based on the message we want to convey
Meter: make the spot/overall image in gray
2.5. Line
We need to put element in a purpose
Visible/Implied
Vertical line $\to$ Solidity
Horizontal $\to$ from left to right (written language)
S-curve, radiant line, circular
2.6. Pattern
Repetition of similar elements
Direction, leads to the emphasis things
Capture the simple memory
Find the difference in pattern
too simple $\to$ visual candy (bad)
2.7. Color
Address color as elements
Visual weights
- contrast (avoid)
- similar
To achieve harmonious
3. Composition
Visual weights
- someone interests in something
- we need to assess the element
Goal: let the viewer look deeply to where I want them to
NO.1: Human Being
Other things like
- strange shape
- contrast color
- strange texture
- size
3.1. Balance
composition is a map,
- map has to be accurate
- viewer, the information want to convey
balance is bike riding
- shifting body parts to balance
- shifting the visual weight to balance
4. Organizing
4.1. Perspective
Perspective is a great tool to adjust visual weights
4.2. Symmetry
bike ride straight ahead
visually identical/similar items, size, number, shape
4.3. Asymmetry
engage more intellectually
attention is the key, how viewer see the image
like rule of thirds
5. Content
5.1. Portrait
soft light
fast shutter speed
F5.6-F8
Don’t include too much background
goal: reveal something unique and striking
5.2. Landscape
Striking position
largest F stop
5.3. Still Life
Different angle
Lightning condition
5.4. Tableau, Manipulated Landscape
recreating photo, dramtic
post-processing
6. Light
6.1. Color
Temperature
6.2. Ambient Light
fill flash to avoid shadow
change your/subject position
light and color
6.3. Controlled Light
Normal sunlight, cause least attention
Writing with light
If we want viewer to notice the light, we should make it abnormal
Most flash in 5500K-6000K,
Dedicated flash,
6.4. Shutter type
Focal plane shutter
Sync speed, means how long the flash would last
Slow sync: use the flash with lower shutter speed to make the background correctly exposured in night
7. Studio Light
7.1. Kitchen
Setup a lighting system to shoot
Lighting an object
- determine the goal for the object first
- sell
- show the characteristic
- convey the message
- use extra light