Initial Thoughts I enjoyed part 2 of this course because although I was aware of the techniques and have practiced them in my day to day photography already, by engaging fully with the exercises I still learnt new things, especially around the art of framing the image whatever the technique. I had this learning outcome […]
Category: Part 2
Exercise 2.7: Small Aperture, Wide Lens
Exercise Use a combination of small apertures and wide lens to take a number of photographs exploring deep depth of field. Because of the small apertures you’ll be working with slow shutter speeds and may need to use a tripod or rest the camera on a stable surface to prevent ‘camera shake’ at low ISOs. […]
Exercise 2.6: Wide Apertures, Long Focal Lengths, and Close Subject
Exercise Use a combination of wide apertures, long focal lengths and close viewpoints to take a number of photographs with shallow depth of field. (Remember that smaller f numbers mean wider apertures.) Try to compose the out-of-focus parts of the picture together with the main subject. Add one or two unedited sequences, together with relevant […]
Exercise 2.5: Point of Focus at Front or Back
Exercise Find a subject in front of a background with depth. Take a close viewpoint and zoom in; you’ll need to be aware of the minimum focusing distance of your lens. Focus on the subject and take a single shot. Then, without changing the focal length, set the focus to infinity and take a second […]
Exercise 2.4: Portrait with 100mm Lens
Exercise Find a location with good light for a portrait shot. Place your subject some distance in front of a simple background and select a wide aperture together with a moderately long focal length such as 100mm on a 35mm full-frame camera (about 65mm on a cropped-frame camera). Take a viewpoint about one and a […]
Exercise 2.3: Wide Lens and Low View Point onto Subject
Exercise Choose a subject in front of a background with depth. Select your shortest focal length and take a close low viewpoint, below your subject. Find a natural point of focus and take the shot. Result In this image, the wide angle has created a perspective that causes the subject to appear far larger in […]
Exercise 2.2: Change of Focal Length whilst Moving
Exercise Select your longest focal length and compose a portrait shot fairly tightly within the frame in front of a background with depth. Take one photograph. Then walk towards your subject while zooming out to your shortest focal length. Take care to frame the subject in precisely the same way in the viewfinder and take […]
Exercise 2.1: Focal Lengths whilst Stationary
Exercise Find a scene that has depth. From a fixed position, take a sequence of five or six shots at different focal lengths without changing your viewpoint. Results The images shown represent different focal lengths for the same scene. I can be seen that as the length gets longer, the view narrows and brings the […]