The first photography assignment for the Photojournalism course was to take 10 photographs that capture different aspects of photography at different manual settings. Some of the photos were panned action, stopped action, rule of thirds, perspective and more. It tested the understanding of the camera settings ISO, shutter speed and aperture/f-stop. This was not my first time using a professional camera, but it was my first-time capturing images with a manual camera setting. Previously, I took photos for my high school newspaper, but often used the auto settings. I am a beginner photographer and majority of the photos I take are done with my iPhone.
My learning curve on this assignment was great and I had to do the photos twice. First, the camera I used was malfunctioning and did not have all the settings needed. It was extremely challenging to try to take the photos with a camera that could not properly adjust. This was discouraging and made the process miserable. Fortunately, my professor told me that the problem was my camera, not my ability. Once I took a second shot at the assignment with a different camera it was a smoother process. I still had some difficulty combining the right settings. However, with each class period I learn new information that furthers my understanding and I am adding a new set of skills to my arsenal that will make me a stronger and more versatile journalist.
This project provided an understanding of ISO, shutter speed and aperture. Here is a description of each setting –
ISO provides a light source for the photo. The darker a lighting situation is, the higher the ISO should be. The increments are 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, and 6400. The smaller increments are considered slow speeds and they move faster as the increments increase. ISO is the first item that should be set.
Shutter Speed controls both light and motion, which is how fast a camera clicks as you take the photo. The increments for shutter speed are 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000 and 1/2000. The smaller increments are slow, and the higher increments are fast. Faster speeds are good for shooting motion, such as sports.
F-stop/Aperture controls light and the depth of speed. The increments are 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11 and 16. The smaller f-stops are more open, and the higher ones are closed. The more open an aperture is the more light being let in, and vice-versa with closed increments.
To better understand how the settings work together I found an exposure triangle online. For example, if taking a shallow depth of field photo where the subject is in focus and the background is blurry ISO should be set around 400, shutter speed should be around 1000 to make the background grainier and the f-stop should be around 5.6 letting medium light in. A mild light source from ISO, a high shutter speed to blur the background and a f-stop that lets a moderate amount of light in. As one setting moves the others move in increments with it.
The first assignment challenged my knowledge of ISO, shutter speed and f-shop and how the are used and shifted together to achieve the desired photo.
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