Digital Design for Print and Web: An Introduction to Theory, Principles, and Techniques

APPENDIX II

Digital Photography

Rex Thomas, MFA

 

Of the myriad factors that have contributed to digital photography’s ongoing integration into professional applications, the two most influential are the personal computer and the photojournalist. The computer has become the hub from which we communicate, create, and interact, And the peripherals we use to connect to one another have evolved in tandem with it. Historically, photojournalists have always been early adopters of new technologies. In the mid- 1920s, they were among the first to embrace the 35 mm film camera because it offered the ability to capture high-quality images without all the travails that came with the sheet-film cameras of the time. Similarly, photojournalists have transitioned to digital photography because it provides the freedom to record and deliver an assignment without the restrictions that came with processing and distributing film.

Today, commercial, fashion, and portrait photographers are embracing digital systems. In part, this is because digital photography allows for faster turnarounds of finished work product, but it is also because digital photography offers photographers a greater creative freedom to experiment, provides their clients with immediate proofs, and easily integrates images into design applications.

Exposure = Aperture + Shutter Speed

Aperture

Aperture is the opening in the lens that permits light to pass through it. Aperture is measured in f-stops. A larger f-number (e.g., f/16) ...