Understanding Exposure: Special Situations

There will be many situations that require you to set your cameras settings differently from what you may feel would be normal in order to capture the scene effectively, that is to say in a manner that you se it in your mind. The information that follows may be helpful in choosing settings that will produce pictures that match your vision.

A photograph is created by light; capturing exactly the right amount of light is what constitutes proper exposure. There are three aspects to exposure, and you've already been introduced to one of them: film speed. Shutter speed is the amount of time the shutter is open to let the fight through the lens aperture and onto the film. Because film speed is set once you put the roll in the camera, the only variables you have to worry about while taking photographs are shutter speed and aperture.

Special Situations:
Moving water: The movement of flowing water will be completely stopped at 1/2000 second. At 1/60, the faster portions of the stream will begin to blur. Shutter speeds from 1/8 second to several seconds will produce a soft, ethereal quality.
Fireworks: To capture nighttime fireworks using ISO 100 film, set your aperture at f/8 or f/l1 and the focus at infinity. With the camera on a tripod, set the shutter on B and hold it open for several seconds (with a cable release) while fireworks are going off.
Moon: For a full moon on a clear night, using ISO 100 film, expose at f/8 for 1/250 second. Increase the exposure one stop if there are clouds or haze. For a half-moon increase the exposure one stop; two stops for a quarter moon.
Aurora borealis: With ISO 100 film and the camera on a tripod, expose for 8 to 30 seconds with the lens wide open (f/1.4 to f/2.8).
Lightning: Select a location away from bright lights. Use a normal or medium wide-angle lens set at f/8 or f/ll with the camera on a tripod and the shutter set on B. Open the shutter, wait for a lightning strike or two, then close the shutter.
Sunrises and sunsets: Slight underexposure will increase color saturation and produce a richer, more dramatic image. A common exposure error when shooting sunrises and sunsets is gross underexposure caused by the brightness of the sun. To avoid this, select and meter the portion of the sky to one side of the sun that you want to reproduce as middle-toned. Then recompose the picture using that setting.
Rainbows: To increase color saturation, underexpose 1 to 1 1/2 stops depending on the darkness of the background sky (the darker the sky, the more you underexpose).
Water, snow, or bright sand: The high reflectance of light-colored surroundings will cause your meter to give an underexposed reading of a darker main subject. To correct this, either spot-meter the subject, substitute meter a middle-toned object, or increase by 1 to 2 stops an averaged metering.
Flames: With ISO 100 film set the shutter to 1/60 and the aperture to f/2.
Subjects illuminated by flames: With ISO 100 set the shutter to 1/8 and the aperture to f/2.
Fog: In dense fog with no sun, increase exposure 1 1/2 to 2 stops over your meter reading. In fog with visible sun increase by 1/2 to 1 stop.
Dark-skinned faces: Spot-meter the face if you can, then decrease exposure by one stop. With an averaged reading and a lighter background increase by 1 stop.
Birds in flight: The bright background of the sky will overwhelm the meter, resulting in an underexposed main subject. Take a reading off a substitute middle-toned subject in light shade (since the underside of the bird above you will be shaded) or open up an averaged reading 1 1/2 to 2 stops.

Rules (guidelines) for Photo Composition

The rules of composition

Treat these "rules" as guidelines

We call them the Rules of Composition, but in practice they are guidelines. If they were true rules, they would need to be followed in every case, and we wouldn’t recommend that, because the photography conditions you come across won’t always fit the rules.


WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?

The rules of composition are based on patterns identified in several artistic works that are commonly-accepted as having good composition. The theory behind the rules is that by following these same patterns in your photographic composition, the odds are in your favor that your image will look properly or pleasingly-composed.


WHO USES THEM?

Many artists and photographers use them daily in their work – some instinctively and some by dint of effort. They are taught in visual design and art classes. They are particularly useful to the photographer who feels her or his photography could benefit from better composition. If you are not sure how to change a scene’s composition to improve it and to better tell your picture’s story, fall back on the rules of composition, and then judge the results. But, if you are pleased with a composition that conveys the meaning you want in your images, but that completely violates the rules, then ignore them. Go for what pleases you and what you feel portrays your image’s message best. If applying the rules would negatively impact your picture’s meaning, the rules should be broken.
When you are pleased with a composition, and when you feel it conveys the message you are after, go for it. You are probably right.


VISUALIZATION

It is difficult for many photographers to see a scene as an assembly of lines and shapes in addition to its real-life appearance as a subject in context, and then to visualize how to manipulate the relationships of those graphic elements to achieve a better composition.
If you are among those photographers, the only way to learn is to force yourself – to look for graphic elements and potential relationships among them in a scene, and then to experiment with ways of re-arranging them in accordance with the rules of composition. If this seems too tedious, remember that it is a learning process. As in any learning process, the tedium will eventually be replaced by a natural, almost automatic ability to compose scenes instinctively. Over time, your images will take on a different look, and their viewers will begin to react to them more favorably and to more clearly see your message and the artistry in them. Sound far-fetched? Don’t think you can get there from here? Hog wash! It’s not far-fetched, and you can do it. Better composition is within your reach, whether you are naturally artistic (which gives you an edge) or devoid of any sense of design.
Visualization of effective composition grows in you with practice and perseverance in consciously applying the rules of composition. Before too long, your images will have an innate influence on the emotional and intellectual response of their viewers, and you will be on your way to mastery.


WHAT DOES GOOD COMPOSITION ACHIEVE?

In a word, control. You perhaps expected to hear something like “an artistic, pleasing image, or a harmonious balance among the elements of a scene,” and indeed those things and others can be accomplished through good composition, but they don’t get there by accident. The photographer places them there on purpose in order to deliver the message and control the impact of his or her image.
The word "control" is appropriate, because without control, there is no order - only randomness and disorganization. If the photographer does not exercise control through composition, the image will appear muddled, the photographer's message will be obscured, and the photograph will have little meaning.


WHAT KIND OF CONTROL DOES EFFECTIVE COMPOSITION PROVIDE?

An accomplished photographer can lead the viewer’s eye through his or her work by the careful placement of shapes, color and lines right to where he or she wants the viewer’s attention to be centered. A photographer who is skilled in composition can also control the emotional content of his or her image, thereby controlling the emotional reaction of its viewers. How, for instance? Well, by incorporating serrated, sharp shapes and lines in the image, the photographer can imply motion, action and even tension, whereas gentler lines and shapes bring out more peaceful feelings and induce calm.


WHAT ABOUT INTELLECTUAL CONTROL?

If the image not only captures peoples’ attention, but also provides them with insight, or causes them to ponder its meaning or provokes them into thought, then the image has intellectual merit. The balanced placement of opposing elements can induce thought. The viewer is almost forced to ask “why?” The image may pique their curiosity, or stimulate anger, pity or humility, only some from among the many feelings an effective composition can arouse.


MASTER THE RULES OF COMPOSITION

To use this control – this creative power over the way the viewer will perceive the image – the photographer must understand how different shapes, lines, colors and their inter-action will affect the viewer, and then he or she will be able to incorporate them into images that meaningfully convey what he or she wants the image to state. To attempt to communicate ideas without effective image composition is hopeless, and understanding and practicing the rules of composition are good starting points for the beginning photographer on the road to mastery of the craft.

Image-ine

10 Tips for Better Holiday Photos

1. Plan ahead for your photographs – make sure you have everything you need when taking your photos. Fresh Batteries, extra digital storage cards, flash, lenses etc. Oh yes….and the camera! Many holiday memories are lost because the batteries died, you ran out of storage, or you just forgot the camera!
2. Yes. There are rules but sometimes they need to be broken! Don’t always stick to the rules – sometimes a slight blur or movement of the camera can give a soft holiday glow to your pictures. Try zooming the lens during a long exposure. Change your cameras settings to accentuate the movement or the focal point of your photo.
3. Use Flash outdoors to add just a little bit of extra sparkle to the eyes and to fill some of the shadows that might be on the face of your subjects. Try to use natural lighting indoors to add warmth to your photos and eliminate the dark backgrounds that your flash can create. If your camera has a fill-flash feature try to familiarize yourself with it. If you have to use flash indoors this feature can be a life-saver!
4. Move in closer! Almost any photograph can be improved by moving in a little closer. This can add emphasis to your subject and may also eliminate any distracting background clutter.
5. Look for unique viewpoints – take an extra minute to really look at the scene you are photographing. Are there bright colors, interesting items you can use in your composition, or reflections? Consider using any or all of these elements to add interest and help tell the story.
6. Use your cameras digital LCD to preview your photos. There isn’t a better way to see if you got their photo or not. Most of today's cameras offer a zoom function on the preview. This will allow you to check exposure and focus. If you don’t like what you see – shoot it again!
7. Compose your photos well! Try to keep your subject slightly off center. Look for distracting background items that can ruin your photos. Make sure you have everyone's head and body parts in the photo. Use elements in your shots to add interest and a sense of place. A chair, a window, a plant, almost any item found around your subject can be used to add interest.
8. Take LOTS of Photos! When taking pictures of family and friends, especially in groups, there will always be someone who either closes their eyes or does not smile. Increase your chances of success by taking more photos than you think you will need. Better safe than sorry!
9. BE PREPARED! If you don’t have the camera ready you will miss the shot. Baby’s first Christmas gift, the children’s surprise as they see what Santa left, even Dad snoring after Christmas dinner. Try to have the camera close by. Make sure you are familiar with the cameras controls. Be ready to shoot!
10. Use your photos as gifts! Everyone loves to get a great photo of their family and friends. If you have shots that you are particularly proud of print them and put them in a nice frame. This is a great gift that someone will treasure and always remember you by.