 |
Gavilan
College |
| DM/Art/CSIS
80: Digital Photography |
Assignment 5: People and
Macro Photography:
This exercise is to use
the information you have learned to photograph people and explore Macro photography.
People are one of the most common subjects of photography and at the same
time one of the most difficult. Remember that portrait photography usually
is done with a 35mm equivalent lens length of 85-105mm (1.5x to 2.0x).
Most cameras have a macro
setting which allows the lens to focus extremely close to a subject (e.g., flowers,
insects). Micro photography means that the lens-distance actually magnifies
the original subject (i.e., greater than 1:1 relationship).
People
- Explore candid photography. Take at least 3 or
4 spur of the moment pictures of your friend, students, or people on the
street. This is a test on how fast your camera is and how quick you can adjust
the zoom, mode of your camera, or exposure compensation. You must also quickly
frame the subject, focus lock, and capture the meaning of the moment.
It really is the fun in photography. Journalism photography is based on this.
Good candid photos tell a story of a situation.
- Posed portrait shots: Produce at least 2 close
headshots complete with zits, big noses, and a frown. Shoot one in color
and one in B/W. Lighting is critical and diffuse lighting from all sides
helps. Under bright lights or sunlight, shadows can be cast on the face by
facial features. Try to eliminate these or use them to make a more interesting
photo. If you can't eliminate the shadows, make sure the exposure is such
that these shadows don't turn completely black (histogram?). The image can
later be retouched in photoshop. Use your telephoto setting and blur that
background if you can--a wide open diaphram helps. Also, watch the white
balance. Use a white card to get a good white balance reading if your camera
supports this. Adjusting the photo for good skin tones after the fact is
very difficult.
Macro Photography
- Macro or close-up photography is fun too. Pick two different subjects (e.g.,
leaf, flower, insect). Set your camera to Macro-mode and get as close as
you can. Remember that most of these digital cameras are rangefinders (i.e.,
you do not see through the lense). Using the optical viewfinder will probably
result in parallax error (i.e., what you see framed is not what you get in
print). Fortunately, unlike film point and shooters, there is an LCD screen
that will enable you to see just about what you will get. Metering is critical
too. Watch the shadows and the highlights. Get somewhere in the middle. Remember
that the depth of field in macro mode is usually extremely narrow. This is
sometimes a blessing and sometimes a curse. Use this to your advantage if
you can. Refer to the book for good ideas.
Results:
You will end up with seven or more images to add to your collection. Add three
of your worst photos from the above exercises--more Photoshop practice! Print
these out as before using the N-Up feature in iPhoto. Turn them in next week.