York University Libraries – Digital Scholarship Centre

Camera Basics

bit.ly/mmcl-camera

slido.com (code: 3996528)

Maxims

  1. Photography: Triangle of "exposure" (one of these things is not like the other)!
  2. Everything seems backward
  3. More light = more blur
    • What do people do to see more clearly (without moving and without using tools)?

Part 1: Form & Function 

  1. Understanding anatomy of human eye
    1. Eyelid
    2. Pupil & Iris
    3. Lens
    4. Retina 
  2. Understanding anatomy of (mirrorless) camera
    1. Lens
    2. Aperture & Diaphragm
    3. Shutter
    4. Sensor
  3. Analogy: Fans entering concert arena
  4. Quiz: Form & Function

Part 2: Three Pillars of Image Recording

  1. Explaining shutter activity
    1. Biology comparison?
    2. Exposure & motion blur 
    3. Shutter speed vs shutter/exposure time
    4. Quiz: Shutter Activity
  2. Explaining aperture activity 
    1. Biology comparison?
    2. Exposure & background blur 
    3. Field (depth of field): Area in focus
    4. Focal length (Canon Georgia) 
    5. F-number AKA F-stop
      • Represented as focal length / aperture diameter (or N = f / d ... so, d = f / N) 
    6. F-number or f-stop scale:
      f / 1,
      f / 1.4,
      f / 2,
      f / 2.8,
      ...
    7. Quiz: Aperture Activity & Focal Length
  3. Explaining ISO activity
    1. Biology comparison?
    2. Exposure* & noise
  4. Quiz: Triangle of Image Recording
  5. Reflection: Triangle of Exposure*

Part 3: Camera Setup

  1. Enabling histogram
    • X-axis: Left-edge (extreme black/darkness) vs right-edge (extreme white/lightness)
    • Y-axis: Top-edge (prevalence) vs bottom-edge (absence)
  2. Exploring other exposure tools
    • 'Zebra' aka 'blinky' highlighting
    • False colour: Green vs pink
  3. Choosing file format(s)
    • JPEG (and/or HEIF) vs RAW vs both
  4. Setting white-balance (WB example 1, WB example 2, WB example 3)
    • Colour temperature (Kelvin) vs colour affect (emotion)
    • Scale (1000K to 10,000K): Orange-white-blue
    • Auto vs preset vs manual

Part 4: Camera Modes

  1. Exploring semi-automatic modes 
    1. Aperture priority (A or Av): User controls aperture (and ISO, which can be set to auto) 
    2. Shutter priority (S or Tv): User controls shutter (and ISO, which can be set to auto)
    3. Manual (M) with auto ISO
  2. Exploring exposure compensation 
  3. Exploring auto-focus modes 
    1. Importance of technique & settings
    2. Method for finding focus-points: (Feature)-tracking vs spot/zone
    3. Operation: Stationary (One Shot) vs Moving (Servo or AI Servo aka Autofocus-Continuous aka AFC)
  4. Exploring shutter/drive modes
    1. Single-shot vs timed/delayed vs continuous
    2. Mechanical shutter vs electronic shutter vs electronic front-curtain shutter (Photography Life)

Part 5: Technical Guidelines

  1. Comparing photography and videography
  2. Consider general guidelines for shutter settings (to minimize motion blur)
    1. Still photography: 
      1 / [2 * value of focal length] sec
    2. Motion photography: 
      Stationary – 1 / 100 sec
      Walking –  1 / 200 sec
      Jogging – 1 / 400 sec
      Running – 1 / 800 sec
      Flying – 1 / 2000 sec
    3. Video (realistic amount of motion blur):
      1 / [2 * value of frame rate] sec (aka 180-Degree Shutter Rule)
  3. Remembering guidelines for aperture settings 
    1. “f/8 and be there," or
    2. f/[2* number of subjects]

Part 6: Creative Guidelines

  1. Considering basic guidelines
    • Rule of Thirds
    • Fill the frame
    • Contrasting lights/shadows, colours
    • Something in the foreground
    • (Outdoors) Sun behind the camera
    • Three different angles
  2. Breaking said guidelines
  3. (Video) Considering intentional movement of camera
    • Panning (horizontal pivot), tilting (vertical pivot)
    • Pushing in/out
    • Tracking

Resources

Attributions

Bolwidt, E. (2009). Aperture blades on Canon lens [Photo]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/erwinb/3519004186

Canon. (n.d.-a). image01.jpg (https://global.canon/en/technology/mcamera2021s.html) [Diagram]. Canon Global. https://global.canon/en/technology/structure/mcamera/img/image01.jpg

Canon. (n.d.-b). Understanding focal length in photography. Canon Georgia. https://www.canon.ge/pro/infobank/understanding-focal-length/

Cenveo. (n.d.). Nerv_182.jpg (https://www.nursinghero.com/study-guides/aacc-ap1/special-senses-vision) [Diagram]. Nursing Hero. https://assets.coursehero.com/study-guides/lumen/images/aacc-ap1/special-senses-vision/Nerv_182.jpg

eye_female_blue_blue_eye_portrait_close_human_person-1289656.jpg (https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1289656). (n.d.). [Photo]. PX Here. https://c.pxhere.com/photos/9a/be/eye_female_blue_blue_eye_portrait_close_human_person-1289656.jpg!d