Photography: Exposure Control, Photo Design

This lesson is part of the following series:

Digital Photography - Crafting Digital Images (5 lessons, $40.59)

This lesson is broken into two parts - the first covers exposure control and the second covers photographic design.

In the exposure control segment, you will learn about the meaning of ISO, when to change ISO settings, and which ISO settings to select. For probably 8/10 pictures you'll take, you'll find that your camera's automatic settings work pretty well. However, the light meters built into digital cameras don't necessarily optimize all photographs. Brian will talk to you specifically about how these light meters work, when to use Bracketing Mode, and where they may leave something to be desired. He'll also cover four specific exposure modes that most digital cameras have (P or Program, A or Aperture Priority, S or Shutter Priority, and M or Manual Exposure). In addition to defining each, he'll explain when and why you would want to use each. Last, he'll talk some about instances where your camera's flash unit may not be sufficient and how you can better shoot in these situations using external flash or reflectors.

In the second part of the lesson, Brian teaches us about photographic design and composition. He opens with two rules of thumb on composition: The Rule of Thirds and The Rule of Odds. He then moves on to a discussion of depth of field, focus and framing (horizontal or vertical, centered or off-center, shifted in one direction or another, full-subject or partial subject, etc). He'll also talk about the merits of long shots versus medium shots versus close-ups and extreme close-ups. By experimenting with different vantage points, ways of looking at your subjects, and methods of controlling the images you see, you will become more aware of your creative options. Brian will help you to achieve this.

As the price for digital cameras goes down, the number of new professional photographers goes up. To help you stand out amongst the increasing numbers, Brian Ratty has produced a video series on the fundamentals of digital photography. Most photographers know how to take a picture but learning how to craft these pictures is an essential step to producing images that are timeless and treasured.

This lesson is a excerpted from the DVD, Digital Photography: Crafting Images, which is a great resource for those who want to learn how to craft pictures and produce images that last a lifetime. It is the second lesson cut from the DVD and includes chapters 4 & 5, Exposure Control & Photographic Design.

MORE PHOTOGRAHY INFORMATION: www.Photo-Seminars.com
MORE AUTHOR INFORMATION: www.DutchClarke.com

Brian Ratty, internationally known photographer, educator and founder of a multi-million-dollar communications company, hosts and writes many instructional DVDs, videos and audio programs on photography. Over the past twenty five years, he and his staff of writers and photographers have completed thousands of professional assignments around the world. Mr. Ratty is a graduate of Brooks Institute of Photography and holds an honorary Master of Science degree.

This lesson has not been reviewed.

Please purchase the lesson to review.