1. Foundations of Photography

 

Module 1: Understanding Your Camera and Light

 

Foundations of Photography


Module 1: Understanding Your Camera and Light

 

 

Welcome to the foundational module of the Boys in Bristol Photography Masterclass!

In this section, we'll demystify your camera and the most crucial element in photography: light. By the end of this module, you'll have a solid grasp of how your camera captures an image and how to use light to your advantage.

 

Lesson 1.1 - The Exposure Triangle  |  Lesson 1.2 - Camera Modes  |  Lesson 1.3 - Lenses, Prime vs. Zoom  |  Lesson 1.4 - White Balance and Colour Profiles  |  Lesson 1.5 - Understanding Light  |  Lesson 1.6 - Working with Light Outdoors

 

Lesson 1.1: The Exposure Triangle – Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO

 

 

The "Exposure Triangle" is the cornerstone of photography. It refers to the three fundamental camera settings that work together to control the brightness (exposure) of your photograph: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO. Understanding how these three elements interact is key to taking control of your camera and creating well-exposed, impactful images.

 

Aperture

What it is:

  • The size of the opening in your lens that allows light to pass through to the camera sensor. It's measured in f-stops (e.g., f/1.8, f/4, f/8, f/16).


How does it work?

  • Smaller f-number (e.g., f/1.8, f/2.8): Wider opening, lets in more light, creates a shallower depth of field (more background blur).
  • Larger f-number (e.g., f/11, f/16): Narrower opening, lets in less light, creates a deeper depth of field (more of the scene in focus).


Tip

Use a wide aperture for portraits to isolate your subject with a blurry background, or a narrow aperture for landscapes to keep everything sharp from front to back.

Shutter Speed

What it is:

  • The length of time your camera's shutter remains open, allowing light to hit the sensor. It's measured in fractions of a second (e.g., 1/1000s, 1/60s, 1s, 30s).


How it works:

  • Fast Shutter Speed (e.g., 1/1000s): Shutter opens and closes quickly, lets in less light, freezes motion.
  • Slow Shutter Speed (e.g., 1/30s, 1s): Shutter stays open longer, lets in more light, blurs motion (e.g., moving water, light trails).


Tip

Use fast speeds for sports or active kids, and slow speeds for artistic effects like silky smooth waterfalls or dynamic light trails in cityscapes.

ISO

What it is:

  • Your camera sensor's sensitivity to light. It's measured in numbers (e.g., 100, 400, 1600, 6400).


How it works:

  • Low ISO (e.g., 100, 200): Less sensitive to light, requires more light, produces the cleanest image with minimal "noise" (grain). Ideal for bright conditions.
  • High ISO (e.g., 1600, 3200): More sensitive to light, allows shooting in low light, but introduces more digital noise/grain.


Tip

Keep ISO as low as possible for the best image quality. Increase it only when necessary to achieve a proper exposure in dim lighting, or when you need a faster shutter speed in low light.

 

Remember, these three settings are interconnected. Changing one will affect the others if you want to maintain the same exposure. For example, if you increase your aperture (letting more light in), you'll need to either increase your shutter speed or decrease your ISO to prevent overexposure.


Mastering this balance is the key to photographic control.

 

 

Lesson 1.2: Camera Modes – P, S/Tv, A/Av, M

 

 

Your camera offers various shooting modes that give you different levels of control. Understanding these modes enables you to select the most suitable one for any given situation, moving beyond full auto and taking control of your creative vision.

 

 

PROGRAM MODE (P)

Great for spontaneous shots, it provides greater artistic command than purely automatic modes.


What it is:

  • A semi-automatic mode where the camera sets both aperture and shutter speed for a correct exposure, but you can still adjust ISO, flash, and other settings.


When to use it:

  • Good for quick snapshots when you don't have time to think about settings, but still want more control than full auto. The camera tries to find a balanced exposure.


SHUTTER PRIORITY MODE (S or Tv)

Ideal when your primary concern is controlling motion in your image.


What it is:

  • You set the shutter speed, and the camera automatically selects the appropriate aperture for correct exposure.


When to use it:

  • Freezing action: Set a fast shutter speed (e.g., 1/500s or faster) for sports, active children, or fast-moving subjects.
  • Creating motion blur: Set a slow shutter speed (e.g., 1/30s, 1/15s, or slower) for artistic blur in water, clouds, or light trails.


Aperture Priority Mode (A or Av)

Perfect when your main goal is to control how much of your image is in focus.


What it is:

  • You set the aperture (f-stop), and the camera automatically selects the appropriate shutter speed for correct exposure.


When to use it:

  • Controlling depth of field: Use a wide aperture (small f-number) for a shallow depth of field (blurry background) in portraits.
  • Maximising sharpness: Use a narrow aperture (large f-number) for a deep depth of field (everything in focus) in landscapes or group shots.


Manual Mode (M)

This mode offers the most creative freedom and is where professional photographers spend most of their time once they understand the Exposure Triangle.


What it is:

  • You set both the aperture and the shutter speed yourself. You also control the ISO. The camera's light meter will guide you, but you make all the final decisions.


When to use it:

  • Consistent lighting: When light conditions are stable (e.g., in a studio or during golden hour).
  • Complex lighting situations: When the camera's automatic modes might be fooled (e.g., very bright snow, very dark scenes).
  • Full creative control: When you want to dictate every aspect of your exposure and creative effect precisely.


 

 

Start by experimenting with Aperture Priority (A/Av) and Shutter Priority (S/Tv) to get a feel for how they impact your images. As your understanding grows, you'll naturally progress towards using Manual (M) mode for ultimate creative control.

 

 

Lesson 1.3: Lenses – Prime vs. Zoom Lenses

 

 

Your lens is as important as your camera body, if not more so. It shapes your perspective, controls how much light reaches the sensor, and influences the overall look and feel of your images. Understanding the differences between prime and zoom lenses will help you choose the right tool for the job.

 

Prime Lens

Zoom Lens

 

Prime Lenses

Lenses with a fixed focal length (e.g., 50mm, 35mm, 85mm). They cannot zoom in or out; you "zoom with your feet."


Advantages:

  • Sharper Images: Often optically superior and sharper than zoom lenses at comparable price points due to simpler construction.
  • Wider Apertures: Typically have very wide maximum apertures (e.g., f/1.8, f/1.4), allowing more light and creating beautiful, creamy background blur (bokeh).
  • Better in Low Light: The wide aperture makes them excellent for shooting in dim conditions without needing very high ISOs.
  • Smaller and Lighter: Often more compact and lighter than zooms.


Forces you to think about composition and move around to frame your shot.


Disadvantages:

  • Less Versatile: You need to change lenses if you want a different focal length, which can be inconvenient.


Zoom Lenses

Lenses with a variable focal length (e.g., 24-70mm, 70-200mm, 18-55mm). They allow you to zoom in and out without changing lenses.


Advantages:

  • Versatility: One lens can cover a range of focal lengths, making them convenient for travel or situations where you can't change lenses quickly.
  • Speed: Quickly change your framing without moving your position.


Disadvantages:

  • Often Slower Apertures: Many consumer-grade zooms have narrower maximum apertures (e.g., f/3.5-5.6), making them less ideal in low light and producing less background blur. Professional zooms (e.g., f/2.8 constant aperture) exist but are heavier and more expensive.
  • Less Sharp (generally): While modern zooms are excellent, prime lenses often still offer superior sharpness, especially at wider apertures.
  • Larger and Heavier: Can be bulkier than primes.


Impact on Your Image

As discussed in Lesson 1.1, the lens's maximum aperture dictates how much light it can gather and how much background blur (bokeh) you can achieve.


Focal Length:

  • Wide (e.g., 16-35mm): Expands the scene, makes subjects appear further away, good for landscapes, architecture, and street photography. Can introduce distortion at very wide angles.
  • Standard (e.g., 35-85mm): Mimics human vision, versatile for portraits, street, and general photography.
  • Telephoto (e.g., 70-200mm, 300mm): Compresses perspective, makes subjects appear closer, good for portraits (especially 85mm, 135mm), wildlife, and sports.

 

 

Choosing Your Lenses


Consider what you primarily shoot. If you value sharpness, low-light performance, and shallow depth of field, primes are excellent. If versatility and convenience are paramount, a good zoom lens will serve you well. Many photographers use a combination of both.

 

 

Lesson 1.4 - White Balance and Colour Profiles

 

 

Colour is a powerful tool in photography, influencing the mood and impact of your images. White Balance and Colour Profiles are two key settings that determine how your camera interprets and records colours, ensuring they look natural or are creatively adjusted to suit your vision.

 

 

White Balance (WB)

White balance is the process of removing unrealistic colour casts, so that objects which appear white in person are rendered white in your photograph. Different light sources (sunlight, incandescent bulbs, fluorescent lights) emit light at different colour temperatures, which can make your photos look too blue, orange, or green. You can intentionally use white balance to create a specific mood. For example, a slightly cooler white balance can evoke a sombre or cold feeling, while a warmer one can feel cosy or romantic.


How it works:

  • Measured in Kelvin (K). Lower Kelvin numbers are warmer (more orange/yellow), higher Kelvin numbers are cooler (more blue).


Common White Balance Presets, which your camera has built-in:

  • Auto (AWB): The camera attempts to guess the correct white balance. Often works well, but can be inconsistent.
  • Daylight/Sunny: For direct sunlight.
  • Cloudy: Adds a bit of warmth to compensate for overcast skies.
  • Shade: Adds even more warmth than cloudy, as shade is very cool.
  • Tungsten/Incandescent: Cools down the warm, orange light of traditional light bulbs.
  • Fluorescent: Adjusts for the greenish tint of fluorescent lights.
  • Flash: For use with your camera's flash.


Custom White Balance:

  • The most accurate method. You take a photo of a neutral grey or white card under the actual lighting conditions, and the camera uses that as a reference to set the white balance perfectly. This is highly recommended for critical work.

 

 

Colour Profiles (Picture Styles/Picture Control)

These are in-camera settings that apply a specific look to your JPEG images (and influence the preview of your RAW files). They control parameters like saturation, contrast, sharpness, and hue.


Common Profiles:

  • Standard/Neutral: A balanced look, good for general shooting.
  • Vivid/Landscape: Boosts saturation and contrast, making colours pop. Great for vibrant scenes.
  • Portrait: Often softens skin tones and reduces contrast slightly for pleasing portraits.
  • Monochrome/Black & White: Converts the image to black and white, often with options for filter effects (e.g., red filter for darker skies).
  • Flat/Neutral (for video/advanced users): Reduces contrast and saturation to provide maximum flexibility for post-processing.


Impact on Mood:

  • Choosing the right colour profile can instantly change the mood of your photo. A vivid profile can make a landscape feel dramatic, while a neutral one might be better for documentary work.


RAW vs. JPEG:

  • If you shoot in JPEG, the colour profile is "baked in" to the file. If you shoot in RAW, the profile is just a preview; you have full control over colour and tone in post-processing, making the in-camera profile less critical, but still useful for judging exposure on your camera's screen.

 

 

Always pay attention to your white balance, especially when shooting JPEGs. For RAW shooters, getting it close in-camera saves time in post-processing. Experiment with different colour profiles to see how they affect the mood and feel of your images.

 

 

Lesson 1.5: Understanding Light – Natural vs. artificial light

 

 

Photography, at its core, is about capturing light. Understanding the characteristics of different light sources – natural and artificial – is fundamental to creating compelling images. Light dictates mood, shape, texture, and overall visual impact.

 

 

Natural Light

Natural light primarily comes from the sun and the sky. Its quality and direction change dramatically throughout the day and with weather conditions.


Direction of Light:

  • Front Lighting: Light comes from behind the camera, directly illuminating the subject. Creates even, flat lighting with minimal shadows. Good for showing detail, but can lack depth.
  • Side Lighting: Light comes from the side of the subject. Creates strong shadows and highlights, emphasising texture and adding depth and drama. Excellent for portraits and landscapes.
  • Backlighting: Light comes from behind the subject, towards the camera. Creates a rim light around the subject, separating it from the background. Can produce silhouettes or dramatic, ethereal effects. Requires careful exposure.
  • Top Lighting (Midday Sun): Light comes directly from above. Creates harsh shadows under eyes and noses, often unflattering for portraits. Best avoided or mitigated.


Quality of Light (Hard vs. Soft):

  • Hard Light: Produced by a small, intense light source (e.g., direct midday sun, bare flash). Creates sharp, well-defined shadows and high contrast. It can be dramatic but also harsh.
  • Soft Light: Produced by a large, diffused light source (e.g., overcast sky, light from a large window, light through a diffuser). Creates soft, gradual shadows and lower contrast. Flattering for portraits, good for detail.


Time of Day:

  • Golden Hour: The hour after sunrise and before sunset. Light is soft, warm, and directional, creating long shadows and a beautiful glow. Ideal for almost any type of photography.
  • Blue Hour: The period just after sunset or just before sunrise, when the sky is still illuminated with a deep blue hue. Excellent for cityscapes and adding a cool, moody feel.
  • Midday: Harsh, direct overhead light. Often challenging for portraits, but can be used creatively for strong shadows and graphic compositions.

 

 

Artificial Light

Artificial light sources are man-made and give you more control over direction, intensity, and quality.


Continuous Lights:

  • Lights that stay on (e.g., LED panels, studio lights, household lamps). Easy to see the effect of the light before taking the shot.
  • Flash (Strobe Lights): Lights that emit a burst of light for a very short duration (e.g., speedlights, studio strobes). Powerful and can freeze motion.


Tools used to shape and control artificial light:

  • Softboxes/Umbrellas: Diffuse hard light to make it softer and more flattering.
  • Grids: Control the spread of light, making it more focused.
  • Reflectors: Bounce light back onto the subject to fill in shadows.
  • Gels: Colored filters to change the colour of the light.


Observing Light

The most important skill is to see the light. Before you even lift your camera, observe:

  • Where is the light coming from?
  • Is it hard or soft?
  • What colour is it?
  • How does it fall on your subject?
  • What shadows does it create?

 

 

Practice looking at everyday scenes and identifying these characteristics. This will train your eye to find the best light for your photographs.

 

 

Lesson 1.6: Working with Available Light Outdoors

 

 

Learning to use "available light" effectively use "available light" – any existing light source, whether natural or artificial – is a crucial skill for photographers who want to capture authentic moments without relying on complex studio setups.

 

 

Utilising Natural Reflectors and Open Shade

Look for light-colored surfaces that can bounce light back onto your subject, softening shadows and adding fill light.


Natural Reflectors:

  • White walls: Excellent for creating soft, even light, especially in narrow streets or alleys.
  • Pavements/Roads: Can reflect light upwards, adding a subtle fill.
  • Large bodies of water can act as giant softboxes, especially on overcast days.
  • Open Shade: This is one of the most flattering types of natural light for portraits.


What it is:

  • An area where your subject is shaded from direct sunlight, but still has a large, open sky above it to act as a soft, overhead light source. Think under a large tree, inside a doorway, or on the shaded side of a building.


Why it's good:

  • Provides soft, even, and diffused light, minimising harsh shadows and hot spots on faces.


Avoid "Dappled Light":

  • Be careful of patchy light filtering through trees, which can create distracting spots of light and shadow on your subject.

 

 

Leveraging Urban Light Sources

The urban environment is full of interesting light sources, especially as day turns to night.


Streetlights:

  • Can provide dramatic, directional light for portraits or add atmosphere to street scenes. Experiment with placing your subject just under or slightly away from the light.


Shop Windows and Displays:

  • These often act as large, soft light sources, especially at night. They can illuminate subjects or create interesting reflections.


Building Lights:

  • Architectural lighting can highlight features of buildings, creating graphic shapes and patterns.


Vehicle Headlights/Taillights:

  • Use them to create light trails with long exposures or as dynamic light sources in street photography.


Neon Signs and Billboards:

  • Add vibrant colour and a distinct urban mood to your night shots.

 

 

Mastering Golden Hour and Blue Hour

These times of day are magical for photographers.


Golden Hour (Sunrise/Sunset):

  • Warmth: The low angle of the sun casts a beautiful golden glow.
  • Long Shadows: Adds depth and drama to landscapes and portraits.


Blue Hour (Just after Sunset/Before Sunrise):

  • Cool Tones: The sky takes on a deep, rich blue.
  • Balance: The ambient blue light often balances beautifully with artificial city lights that are starting to turn on.


Scout Locations:

  • Visit potential shooting spots at different times of day to see how the light changes.


Observe the Sun and Shadows:

  • Sun and Shadows will tell you everything about the direction and quality of light.
  • Don't be afraid to try different angles and positions relative to your light source.

 

 

To help you master this, check www.suncalc.org

This is a powerful feature: you can check the sun's position on a map in real time and even forecast exactly where it will be at any specific time in the future.

 

 

You can also easily download their free app to your phone.

 

 

Use the Light to Tell a Story


Think about how the light enhances the mood or narrative of your photograph

 

 

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