Black and White Digital Photography Photo Workshop

Chapter 2. PHOTOGRAPHY FUNDAMENTALS

• Exposure

• Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO

• White Balance

• Composition

• Your Unique Point of View

What f-stop are you using?

For people brand new to cameras with manual controls, this question can make them very uncomfortable, as if there is a right or wrong way to it. There are rarely wrong settings to take a photo; different settings will cause different things to happen in a photograph, and thus some settings are better for a particular scene. Learning the basics of photography and how the camera actually works is not particularly easy or initially intuitive.

Photographers have created their own lingo, which can sometimes further confuse people who are still beginners. This chapter aims to make you more comfortable with how a photograph is actually made. Some of the elements can be somewhat technical, but once you have figured them out, deciphering the words and numbers associated with photography should be a snap.

As you learn this information, it is helpful to read with your camera close at hand. Although hands-on work with the camera is covered in depth in Chapter 3, becoming familiar with your camera's controls enables you to make quick and sure decisions when you start shooting.

EXPOSURE

The exposure of the image refers to the amount of light that hits the digital sensor or the film. A light meter on the camera tells you what the exposure is, and suggests ...