First Assignment Notes ~ 9/23/2015

Exposure Controls: 

Exposure

• Duration of time that the shutter is open (film is exposed to light/light enters the camera).
• The actual taking of the photo 1.
• Shutter Speed + Aperture + film ISO/ASA + Lighting = (determines)
• Unbalanced light meter (incorrect exposure)
• Overexposed vs. Underexposed

ISO/ASA

• The measure of a photographic film's sensitivity to light.
• Higher numbers (1600) are for darker places, whereas lower numbers (100) are for photos taken in brighter sunlight.

Shutter Speed

• How fast or slow the shutter opens.
• The slower the shutter speed, the more light enters the camera.
• Shutter speed controls how your camera "sees" motion.
• The shutter speed numbers are actually fractions of a second. (represented by whole numbers)
• Ex: 1000 = 1/1000 sec.
• 100 is faster than 2
• 60 (1/60 sec.) is the slowest shutter speed useable while holding the camera.
• The time the shutter is open is either double or half.

Shutter Speed and Motion

• Fast shutter speed (1/1500 or 1/1000) will freeze movement.
• Camera shake DOES NOT = motion

Aperture

• The opening in the lens of the camera.
• Size determines the amount of light let in through the lens.
• Aperture controls depth of field (What's in focus and what's not).
• Depth of Field
• Great:
• Small aperture openings = a great depth of field (everything is in focus).
• A large # (f/16, f/22) = small opening.
• Shallow:
• Large aperture opening = a SHALLOW depth of field (only the main subject is in focus)
• A small # (f/2, f/1.8) = a large opening.
• Law of Reciprocity
• One exposure control can compensate for another.
• You are balancing time (shutter speed) vs. quantity of light (aperture).
• Aperture and Shutter Speed
• When you change your aperture, you must check and change your shutter speed.
• Your light meter will tell you if you are correct.

First Assignment: Frozen Motion

• 6 photos using fast shutter speeds (to freeze motion).
• Shutter speed to use: 250 or faster.

First Assignment: Blurred Motion

• 6 photos using slow shutter speeds (to blur motion)
• Shutter Speed to use: 60 or slower. (60, 30, 15, 8, 4, 2)

Matting Notes

Goals:
1. Fram is 1.5 inches on all 4 sides
2. Appropriate window size
3. Frame is cut neatly
4. Frame is "square" with 90 degree angles

Steps for Making the Mat:
1. Measure INSIDE your print, so that your ruler starts measuring the INSIDE of your photo about 1/8" on each side.

                                    OR Measure your print and subtract 1/4"

2. Figure out how bit the frame is by adding 3 inches to the size of the window.

           EX: 5 3/4" + 3" = 8 3/4"

3. Start at the edge of black railroad board and measure the frame size. Use pencil to make at least 3 marks as guide lines. Connect the marks to make a line.

4. On each of the 4 edges, measure in 1.5" and draw a guideline.

5. Use the paper cutter to cut the outside of your frame.

The Pinhole Camera 9/9/2015

1. The Iris, Lens and Retina of the eye work similarly to the Film, Iris and Lens of a camera. They both are responsible for taking in light and turning it into the images we see.

2. The image is formed by light entering the darkroom and being exposed to the film (or retina) which forms an image that is flipped. The sharpness of the camera obscura is dependent on how still the things being photographed stay, and the exposure time.

3. A Camera Obscura has a lens, while a pinhole camera does not.

4. The chamber must be completely dark, and the hold has to be very small. Also, make sure that you have a shutter that covers the pinhole.

5. Light enters the pinhole and projects an inverse image on the opposite side of the box or chamber.

Vermeer and the Camera Obscura 9/9/2015

1. Camera Obscura is known as a 'dark chamber' because to see the projected image there must be no light coming in other than the light from the lens. It works by the image coming in through the lens and being projected onto the back of the box.

2. It is speculated that he used one because of the ease that it gave painters, and how detailed the paintings could be.

3. He would choose to use it because it makes painting a lot easier since you can already see the image and then simply copy it onto the canvas. I don't think it reduces his value as an artist, but as a painter because he still had a very skilled artistic eye, but his paintings were more photographs that he copied than if he just looked at his subjects and painted them.

Nature of Photography

1.    What is a photogram?  

A photogram is a simple record of light and shadow.

2.    There are two methods of making a photogram.  In detail compare and contrast each method.  Find the similarities and differences.  

For printed-out photograms, a darkroom is not necessary, but the process takes a few hours of being in the light. The process is very similar to how tan lines form on our skin, but the lines are formed in the emulsion of the photo paper. The other method for creating photograms is the developed-out method, which is much more effective because the image will never fade since a fix chemical is used to keep the image constant. Another major difference is that for the developed-out method, the light is flashed for a short time and then the photo paper is developed in a darkroom.

3.    Describe “exposure” and give an example.

Exposure refers to the amount of exposure to light the photogram receives affecting how light or dark the image comes out to be.

4.    What are the steps to developing an image?  List the purpose of each step.

The first step is to put the photo paper in the developer chemical which changes the ghost image by bringing out the silver particles in the emulsion. Secondly, you put the photo paper in the stop bath which ends the development of the photo. Then the photo goes into the fix solution which takes out the unused material in the undeveloped area and makes the photogram safe to have in normal lighting. Finally the photo should be rinsed so the chemicals are all washed off of the photo.

5.    Look at the images on page 5.  What do you notice happening in the negative and positive photogram?  Describe what a negative image is.  

The difference between the negative and positive photogram is that in the positive, everything that is black in the negative becomes white. Negative images are the original photo that can later be turned into a positive image.

6.    In detail, compare and contrast the wet & dry process for making a positive image.

The wet process does not require the negative image to be dried after development which shortens the time needed for the process. This process requires you to hold the negative and a new sheet of photo paper together while washing them, then you flash the light for one second and develop. For the dry process you take the dried negative, and place a new sheet of photo paper on top of it, then put a piece of glass on top to hold them in place. After that you flash a light and develop the positive.

7.    Photograms offer a unique form of expression.  What do you think makes them  interesting and unique?  

The abstract nature of how the objects used show up on the photo paper after development.

First Photogram (9/2/15)

1. The dollar bill that I had in the corner turned out really well because the words on the back are visible. Also, the CD looks really neat since it came out as being opaque.

2. I was surprised that the words from the dollar bill came through onto the photo paper.

3. I would flip the bill over so that the face could have shown up on the photogram. Also, I would adjust how I positioned the earbuds.