Art Practice Notes7

Photography Fundamentals
What Is Photography?
• Technically, photography is the art of capturing and processing light using a sensor or
film. But the essence of photography is to treasure moments and share them with the
world.

• A photo can have a deeper meaning and tell thousand important stories. One of the
best examples is photos taken during the war.

• There are many eye-opening photos circulated during the war. Some photos snap the
winners’ glorious moment while the others show the utter devastation of citizens
caught in the crossfire. Etc.
What Is Photography?
What Is Photography?
• But that’s not all, students; photography also has the nature of
having multiple interpretations, especially in modern
photography and art.

• As you widen your knowledge about photography, aesthetics,

and techniques, you can unveil even more meaning behind a
single photograph.
What Is Photography?
• The word photography comes from two ancient Greek words:
photo, for "light," and graph, for "drawing." Therefore, a literal
translation of Photography is Drawing with light.

• When a photograph is made, light or some other form of radiant

energy, such as an X- ray, is used to record a picture of an object
or scene on a light-sensitive surface.
What Is the Purpose of Photography?
• In the past, photography’s purpose was to supply portraits for
people who could not afford paintings. During War, photographs
enable people to grieve and remember their family members
who passed away on the battlefield.

• Lovers can also use a photograph to soothe the suffocating pain

of missing their loved ones on a cold night.

• As time goes by, photography serves more diverse purposes.

What Are the Different Types (Styles)
Of Photography?
• There are over 60 different types of photography, but we will only study
the most common ones like
• Portrait Photography
• Fashion Photography
• Food Photography
• Editorial Photography
• Architectural Photography
• Landscape Photography
• Event Photography
• Wild life
Portrait Photography
• This is by far the most popular photography style. We can easily find it on
someone’s social media profile pictures or CNIC or the driver’s license
photo.

• Everyone in any setting can be the subject of portrait photography; from

your family at home, friends in school, co-workers in the office, and even
yourself. You can shoot your subject either posed, candid or close-ups.
Portrait Photography
• Even though this style looks super simple to do, some photographers
struggle to shoot a good one. The common reason is they cannot make
the subject feel comfortable to pose in front of the camera. Therefore,
the subject looks awkward and unnatural.

• When shooting a portrait, keep in mind that your subject is an ordinary

human with a set of emotions and thoughts. Try to interact with them in
the most relaxed manner to make them feel confident and show their
true self.
Portrait Photography
Portrait Photography
Fashion Photography
• Fashion photography are those pictures you see in a fashion magazine or
online shop.

• This photography style has one sole purpose: making every fashion
item aesthetically pleasing and appealing to its consumers. Furthermore,
lure them into buying those items.
Fashion Photography
• Fashion photographers should master a portrait photographer’s skills,
possess tons of creative ideas in the back of their head, and love to
collaborate with stylists, creative directors, models, and other crew
members.
Fashion Photography
Food Photography
• The main goal of food photography is to promote the products and entice
customers to buy them. No matter how small or large the scale is, every
food and beverage business will need this type of photography.
• It means that this industry is promising, especially in the age of the
internet, just like now.
Food Photography
Editorial Photography
• Editorial photography commonly uses in magazines or newspapers. This
style refers to every image that sits alongside text.

• The photo makes the reader understand more about the description of
events, places, or stories that the writer tries to tell.
Editorial Photography
• If you want to be an editorial photographer, you need a deeper
understanding of the subject, composition, and advanced technique.

• As a photographer, you should have a high sensitivity to know which

angle or subject best represents the story that a writer writes.
Editorial Photography
Architectural Photography
• The interior and exterior of buildings are the main subject of architectural
photographers. This style is particular because it only focuses on
capturing the architectural beauty, which sometimes is hidden in plain
sight.
Architectural Photography
• This style aims to shoot the utmost detail of buildings and promote it to
potential buyers. It is like product photography with a different subject.
Architectural Photography
Landscape Photography
• Landscape photographers are the experts in capturing the beauty of
Mother Nature. They often use higher-end cameras and tools to acquire
the best photos.

• The busy city full of working-class people in the day or glamorous urban
nightlife can also be the landscape photography subject – it is known as a
cityscape.
Landscape Photography
Landscape Photography
Event Photography
• As the name implies, this type of photography focuses on capturing every
exciting moment in an event, from a wedding, birthday celebration,
family gathering, annual meeting in the office, and many more.

• Event photographers’ services are always in high demand. The average

fee is around $200-280 but can be vary depending on how long your
event held.
Event Photography
Event Photography
Wildlife Photography
• Wildlife photography is a genre of photography concerned with
documenting various forms of wildlife in their natural habitat.

• Wildlife photographers may need field craft skills. For example, some
animals and birds are difficult to approach and thus a knowledge of the
animal's and birds behavior is needed in order to be able to predict its
actions.
Wildlife Photography
• Photographing some species may require stalking skills or the use of a
hide/blind for concealment.
Wildlife Photography
Wildlife Photography
How a camera sees
• Inside every digital camera is a light-sensitive surface called a digital
sensor.

• When you press the shutter button to take a photo, the sensor collects
and records the exact amount of light that falls onto it.

• This information is then converted in-camera

into the data that’s needed to
make a digital image.
How a camera sees
• Seeing the light
Light either reaches the camera direct from the light source
(1) this is known as incident light or bounces off objects in a scene before
it reaches the camera (2), which is known as reflected light.
How a camera sees
• Exposing an image
A digital sensor is covered in millions of microscopic cavities known as
photosites.

When exposed to light, particles of light (photons) fall into the photosites.

When the exposure ends, the camera meticulously counts the number of
photons in each photosite and uses this information to create a photo

The darkest areas of the image are those where the fewest photons
were recorded by the photosites. Brighter areas are where more
photons were recorded.
How a camera sees
• Converting light
In order to create a sharp photo, light must be focused precisely onto the
sensor.

This is achieved through the use of a glass (or plastic) optical system
known as a lens.

The amount of light reaching the sensor is controlled by two physical

mechanisms.
How a camera sees
Converting light
The first is an iris inside the lens known as the aperture.

The second is a mechanical curtain called the shutter that sits directly in
front of the sensor
How a camera sees
These two controls effectively work like a faucet that lets you turn on and off
the flow of photons reaching the sensor.

When you press the shutter button, the shutter opens to reveal the sensor,
stays open for a period known as the shutter speed, and closes.

The camera analyzes the light and produces an image that is written to the
memory card.
How a camera sees
How a camera sees
Color
A photosite on its own only records levels of brightness.

To record color, a color filter red, green, or blue is placed over each
photosite.

This filtration blocks colors of light that are dissimilar to the filter.

A cluster of one red, two green, and one blue photosite is combined by
the camera to make up one pixel in the final photo.
How a camera sees
Color
If no photons are recorded by a photosite, then those areas will be recorded
as black in the final photo and are said to be underexposed

If photosites are filled to capacity, then those areas will be recorded as white
in the photo and are said to be overexposed.
Common Image File Formats
JPEG (.jpg, .jpeg)
• JPEG, which stands for Joint Photographic Experts Groups is a “lossy” format meaning
that the image is compressed to make a smaller file. The compression does create a
loss in quality but this loss is generally not noticeable. JPEG files are very common on
the Internet and JPEG is a popular format for digital cameras - making it ideal for web
use and non-professional prints.

Compression: Lossy - some file information is compressed or lost

Best For: Web Images, Non-Professional Printing, E-Mail, Powerpoint
Special Attributes: Can choose amount of compression when saving in image editing
programs like Adobe Photoshop or GIMP.
Common Image File Formats
GIF (.gif)
• GIF or Graphics Interchange Format files are widely used for web graphics, because
they are limited to only 256 colors, can allow for transparency, and can be animated.
GIF files are typically small is size and are very portable.

Compression: Lossless - compression without loss of quality

Best For: Web Images
Special Attributes: Can be Animated, Can Save Transparency
Common Image File Formats
PNG (.png)
• PNG or Portable Network Graphics files are a lossless image format originally designed
to improve upon and replace the gif format. PNG files are able to handle up to 16
million colors, unlike the 256 colors supported by GIF.

Compression: Lossless - compression without loss of quality

Best For: Web Images
Special Attributes: Save Transparency
Common Image File Formats
EPS (.eps)
• An EPS or Encapsulated PostScript file is a common vector file type. EPS files can be
opened in many illustration applications such as Adobe Illustrator or CorelDRAW.

Compression: None - uses vector information

Best For: Vector artwork, illustrations
Special Attributes: Saves vector information
Common Image File Formats
RAW Image Files (.raw, .cr2, .nef, .orf, .sr2, and more)
• RAW images are images that are unprocessed that have been created by a camera or
scanner. Many digital SLR cameras can shoot in RAW, whether it be a .raw, .cr2, or .nef.
These RAW images are the equivalent of a digital negative, meaning that they hold a
lot of image information, but still need to be processed in an editor such as Adobe
Photoshop or Lightroom.

Compression: None
Best For: Photography
Special Attributes: Saves metadata, unprocessed, lots of information
End