Seminar Techniques and Technology (HS 601)

Handout - Photographic Tricks

Lighting

1. Metering
   1. Hand held meter is correct (measures light falling on scene)
   2. Camera: reflected (assumption: everything 18% gray)
   3. Problem: some scenes are not average
      1. White paper with text; also snow, sand, light soil
      2. Asphalt
   4. Solution: use 18% gray card
      1. or meter on something average (grass)
      2. or get 1 stop more light on white paper
2. Low light
   1. Flash
      1. Add light to keep shutter speed high
      2. Fill light to prevent dark shadows in full sun
      3. Color the light for daylight film
   2. Tripod and copy stand
      1. Hold camera centered on work
      2. Keep camera steady for small aperture
      3. Permit photograph in low light (cheaper than daylight)
   3. Photo floods
      1. Tour the Phytotron plant photo area

Photo Setup (Slide Show)

1. Objective: What is the photograph trying to show?
2. Check background
   1. (Is there a utility pole coming up behind their head?)
3. Frame the shot tightly
   1. (not too much space around the subject)
4. Select lens focal length
5. Take meter reading
   1. If camera meter (not hand-held),
   2. then use 18% gray object (gray card, grass)
6. Problems:
   1. white paper -> meter on 18% gray card
   2. black asphalt -> meter on grass
   3. fluorescent lighting -> use flash
7. Flash: make sure it covers the angle of view of the lens
8. Choose aperture, shutter speed
9. Take the photograph
   1. Bracket the exposure if needed (+1, 0, -1)