What is Camera Craft?
Camera Craft is all about learning to use your camera.
Without the basic skills and knowledge of the camera as photographers we are left using a camera on automatic... this is a big issue!!! Why you ask?? Well when you just point and shoot, you learn nothing and that is what we are here for... to learn!! This section of the course will give you all the basic skills and knowledge to ensure that you are able to control the following settings on your camera.... APERTURE SHUTTER SPEED ISO WHITE BALANCE DEPTH OF FIELD FOCUS EXPOSURE As well as COMPOSITION and FORMAL ELEMENTS |
The Camera...
The principal of how the camera works is easy...
LIGHT enters the camera via the LENS... Inside the LENS is an adjustable APERTURE that control the amount of LIGHT and the DEPTH of FIELD of the subject... The LIGHT, once passed the APERTURE, hits a series of MIRRORS so that you are able to see what you are photographing using the VIEWFINDER. When you have selected your image and pressed the SHUTTER BUTTON one of the MIRRORS drops, the SHUTTER opens and LIGHT is exposed onto a SENSOR PLATE that converts the light to binary code (1s and 0s) which creates the DIGITAL file that is your PHOTOGRAPH. All cameras, be them digital, film or even a Pringles tin, work on the same principle... all you need is LIGHT. |
Homework...
Download and print the document below and complete ready to hand in at the start of your next class.
|
For your homework you also need to set up your workbook.
You are allowed to use either a digital book, we use PowerPoint, or you can create a handwritten book. for this that struggle with writing I would suggest a digital book. These are easier to keep tabs of your SPAG and are easier and faster to complete tasks in. You must also make sure that is you are completing a hand written book that your handwriting is neat and that your presentation skills are top notch!! Please ensure that your workbook is set up in the following way... 1) Create a new presentation is PowerPoint 2) Name the Presentation CAMERA CRAFT and your Surname e.g CAMERA CRAFT SNODDON 3) Ensure that the page settings for this presentation are set to A4, with a plane background in either Black or White. 4) Make 3 pages in your book.... 1. A title page with the project title and your name on it. 2. A page named BIBLIOGRAPHY (We will talk about that later) 3. A Page named KEY WORDS (We will talk about that later) |
Camera Settings...
TASK...
TASK...
Task...
Task...
Group Task...
Composition...
Composition is one of the most important things to think about in order to get a good photograph. It is basically the lay out of your picture. And the way you should purposefully select the way you lay out the things in your photo.
We tend to do this automatically, without even thinking.
We tend to do this automatically, without even thinking.
Formal Elements...
creating an amazing image can take less than one second... but deciding on what to take and how to take it, that is what takes time!!
Alongside compassion there are certain elements in imagery that we need to look at in order to get the best image possible. These are; FOCUS LIGHT LINE REPETITION SHAPE SPACE TEXTURE VALUE |
Task...
The formal elements and compostion are important for you to understand so that your images are constantly getting better. In your workbook, write up the different types of composition and formal elements. Following this you need to take a minimum of 20 photographs where you have considered some if not all of the compositional rules and formal elements covered. In your workbook you must ensure that you document the camera settings, compostion used and the formal elements within each image. You need to try and photograph as many different subjects as possible. Consider using the following to get you going... Portraiture, Architecture, Landscape and Natural Form.
Genre...
In order to show that we have an understanding of these GENRE in our books we can do certain tasks...
We can create a Visual Mind Map (VMM). A VMM is where we take all the images that are influencing us and inspire us to make imagery of our own and we put them all on one page (see example on the right). We can also take our own images and show our understanding through photography itself. In your work books you are going to explore the following genres and complete the tasks below. |
Task...
You must complete the following tasks for all of the GENRE's listed below...
1. Create a VMM in your workbook.
2. Take at least 10 images that reflect this GENRE, these images must all end up indoor work book with the camera settings.
3. Using Photoshop do some simple editing, documenting what you have done and why to your selected images.
4. Select at least 2 of your images to act as finals in your workbook.
1. Create a VMM in your workbook.
2. Take at least 10 images that reflect this GENRE, these images must all end up indoor work book with the camera settings.
3. Using Photoshop do some simple editing, documenting what you have done and why to your selected images.
4. Select at least 2 of your images to act as finals in your workbook.