Professional Diploma in
PHOTOGRAPHY
SUMMARY NOTES
Module 2 - Week One
MODULE 2 - INTERMEDIATE
THIS FIRST LESSON
EXPLORES THE
DIFFERENT STYLES
OF PORTRAIT
PHOTOGRAPHY,
HOW TO IMPROVE
HOW YOU CAN
1.01
CAPTURE PORTRAITS
AND SOME MORE Portrait Styles
ADVANCED CAMERA
1.02
FUNCTIONS AND
TECHNIQUES TO Portrait Techinques
EXPAND YOUR
1.03
OPTIONS WHEN
CAPTURING YOUR Back Button Focusing
SUBJECTS!
1.04 Bokeh
LESSON 1
1.01
Portrait Photography
PORTRAIT STYLES
Candid
Capturing subjects at
their most natural. Candid
portraits can reveal
personality of your subject,
as your aim here is to capture
the subject as if the camera
where not there!
1.01
Module 2 - Lesson 1
PORTRAIT STYLES
Family
Family
Often done in a studio but
can be done on location as
well, family portraits should
capture a family at their
happiest and remember
that these are photos the
family will treasure for life.
Candid
1.01
Portrait Photography
PORTRAIT STYLES
Fashion
Fashion photography to is sell or
promote a product or lifestyle
but allows for creativity. It is
a demanding style of portrait
from a techincal viewpoint
but ultimately can be vezzzry
rewarding!
1.01
Module 2 - Lesson 1
PORTRAIT STYLES
Envoirnmental
This type of portraiture aims to tell
us a story about the subject based
on their workspace, creative space,
industry, vocation etc. These are
often found accompanyed by an
article on the subject in a magazine
1.01
Portrait Photography
PORTRAIT STYLES
Corporate/Headshots
These types of photos are
for professional purposes,
like websites and CVs/
resumes. A flash or studio
lighting is often used to
ensure a well lit photo.
1.01
Module 2 - Lesson 1
PORTRAIT STYLES
New Born
Capturing new born babies. A
tough area to work in as you
cannot communicate with your
subject. But lots of props are
helpful here, and using a constant
light source rather than a flash is
recommended.
1.01
Portrait Photography
PORTRAIT STYLES
Weddings
Not strictly portraiture but when it
comes to the couple, making sure
you capture the bride and groom
above all else is essential. Many
couples will also do engagement
shoots now as well, so this is a
lucrative area.
1.01
Module 2 - Lesson 1
PORTRAIT STYLES
Pets
Photographing pets has become
very popular over the last decade.
It is a lot of fun but challenging. Be
sure to have lots of toys and treats
for your subject (with the owners
approval of course!)
1.02
PORTRAIT
TECHNIQUES
1.02
Module 2 - Lesson 1
APERTURE PRIORTY
Whist you can use
any mode to capture a
portrait, aperture priority
is perhaps the most
effective, as it allows
to control the Depth of
field whilst the camera
controls the other
settings. With portraiture
you are likely focusing on
one subject the majority
of the time and you
want the DOF to extend
from around them. So
shooting in A/AV mode
is recommend. You can
quickly adjust exposure if
needed by using exposure
compensation.
1.02
Portrait Photography
LENSES FOR PORTRAITURE
Any lens can be used to
capture great portraits,
but traditionally lenses
within the range of 50
to about 135mm are
used. This can really vary
from photographer to
photographer, but this
range helps to reduce to
the amount of distortion
that happens on the face.
Very wide lenses will
cause an ‘egg’ shape face
with elongated noses, and
telephoto lenses can cause
a ‘flattening’ of the faces,
making features appear
square shaped. Distance
is also a factor here, but if
using either of these lens
types, keep the subject to
the centre to minimize any
of these unwanted effects.
1.02
Module 2 - Lesson 1
WHERE TO CROP & TIPS
DO:
W h er e t o C r o
• Crop above any joints
• Try many poses to find your
subjects best side
• Remember the rule of thirds
DO can work
• Central compositions
great, try them as well
• ORCrop
• Fill the frame leaveabove
room any joints
• Do try shoot in landscape
• Try many poses
format as well as portrait
• Focus on the• eyes
Remember the rule o
• Communicate • Central compositions
DON’T:
work great, try them
• Fill the frame OR leav
• Crop through knees, elbows,
necks etc.
• Don’t move and touch your
DON’T
model without permission
• Crop through knees,
elbows, necks etc.
1.03
Portrait Photography
BACK BUTTON FOCUSING
Cameras, by default, set focus by pressing the shutter button halfway down.
Back button focus simply changes the method of focusing by assigning the focus
function to another button on the back of your camera, this button will differ
depending on your camera model. This means that your index finger is now solely
responsible for releasing the shutter, and your thumb is now responsible for focus.
You change the focus button, you free up your shutter button to only be responsible
for releasing the shutter. Think for a moment about photographing a moving
subject. In the millisecond it can take to set focus and then release your shutter,
your subject may have moved. The result is a blurry and out of focus subject. By
separating the focus and shutter functions, you can set focus and get the shot
simultaneously. An incredibly useful technique but it does take a little getting
used too.
1.03
Module 2 - Lesson 1
BOKEH
Bokeh is basically the shape of the out of focus light in a photo, usually one with
a very shallow depth of field. Bokeh is the quality of out-of-focus or “blurry” parts
of the image rendered by a camera lens. It is not the blur itself or the amount of
blur in the foreground or the background of a subject. The blur that you are so
used to seeing in photography that separates a subject from the background is
the result of shallow “depth of field” and is generally simply called “background
blur”. The quality and feel of the background/foreground blur and reflected points
of light, however, is what photographers call Bokeh.
The shape of Bokeh can change, depending on the shape on the aperture blades
in the lens. There are circular apertures and there are hexagonal aperture. It will
also depend on the quality of the lens, you may get chromatic aberration in some.
How do you get a good bokeh in your images?
Bokeh depends on the type of lens you are using. While lower-end consumer
zoom lenses will yield unpleasant bokeh, fixed (prime) lenses and most professional
zoom lenses with fast apertures yield good-looking bokeh. Do you know if your
lens produces good bokeh? Try this: focus on an object from a very close distance
(as close as the lens will allow, keeping the object in focus), making sure that there
are no objects at least 5-6 feet behind it. Make sure to be on the same level as the
object itself, so that you are not looking down on it. Do not use a plain wall as your
background – try to find a colorful background, preferably with some lights on it. A
Christmas tree is a perfect background for a bokeh test. Once you find a good test
subject with a suitable background, set your camera to “Aperture Priority” mode
and set your aperture to the lowest number. On most consumer zoom lenses, the
lowest aperture is typically f/3.5, while on prime and professional zoom lenses,
it can be between f/1.2 and f/2.8. Once the aperture is set to the lowest value,
take a picture of your subject and take a look at the rear LCD of your camera. The
subject should be in focus, while the background is blurred. If you have a good
lens, the bokeh should be soft and fuzzy, looking pleasing to the eye. The circular
reflections should be round and soft, with no hard edges.
1.04
Portrait Photography
BOKEH
MODULE 2
LANDSCAPE
PHOTOGRAPHY IS
ONE OF THE MOST
POPULAR AREAS
OF PHOTOGRAPHY
BUT IS MORE
CHALLENGING THEN
2.01
YOU MIGHT THINK!
IT IS A GREAT PLACE Prep & Gear
TO PRACTICE YOUR
2.02
PHOTOGRAPHY,
AS YOU CAN TAKE Where & When to shoot
YOUR TIME AND
2.03
EXPERIMENT WITH
SETTINGS BUT Techniques
GETTING TACK
SHARP LANDSCAPES
IS ESPECIALLY
CHALLENGING!
LESSON 2
2.01
Module 2 - lesson 2
PREP & GEAR
Bags and Backpacks
Make sure to get a good
weather proof bag that is
also comfortable to wear
for long periods of time.
Shoulder bags are not
great for carrying for long
periods of time.
2.01
Module 2 - Lesson 2
PREP & GEAR
Tripods
Essential to Landscape
Photography, a good tripod
will last you decades.
Always try before you buy
and try to buy the best one
your budget will allow. Also
be conscious of weight.
2.01
Landscape photography
PREP & GEAR
Filters
Will be covered in greater
detail in a later lesson but
a selection of filters is
recommended. Invest in a
good UV, Polarizing and ND
Filter set to really enhance
your landscapes!
2.01
Module 2 - Lesson 2
PREP & GEAR
Rain gear
Essential to Landscape
Photography, a good tripod
will last you decades.
Always try before you buy
and try to buy the best one
your budget will allow. Also
be consious of weight.
2.02
Landscape photography
WHERE & WHEN TO SHOOT
Research your location
before heading out and be
sure to plan correctly for
the weather. Start locally,
landscape photography is a
great way to discover new
things in your immediate
area. Remember to
bring a tripod, so you
can keep your ISOs low.
And cloudy days can still
produce great photos!
2.02
Module 2 - Lesson 2
WHERE & WHEN TO SHOOT
Early and late are the
optimal times to shoot for
landscapes, as the light is
more dynamic and you will
likely capture more colours
in the sky. Vary the height
that you shoot at. Get high
and low to explore all
your options. Remember
to stock up well (food &
water) if you are embarking
on a full day shoot!
2.02
Landscape photography
WHERE & WHEN TO SHOOT
Revisit locations more
than once. You have
to be very patient with
landscape photography
and you may not always
get the results you are after
on the day. Think about
capturing a location over
the course of all 4 seasons
to document the changing
nature of the world
around us. And remember
not all landscapes
need to be beautiful!
2.02
Module 2 - Lesson 2
WHERE & WHEN TO SHOOT
It is recommended that
you capture your photos
in RAW, or RAW and
Jepg . You will need to
apply post production
to your photos. If doing
night time landscape
work it is advisable to
also bring someone along
with your for safety.
2.03
LANDSCAPE
TECHNIQUES
2.03
Module 2 - Lesson 2
LENSES FOR LANDSCAPES
Traditionally wide angle
lenses are used in landscape
photography, to capture as
much of the scene as possible.
Wide angle range will start
from around 14mm and go
40mm. This of course will vary LENSES FOR
depending on your sensor size,
but simply the lower the mm,
the wider the lens will be an
more suitable for landscapes.
You will experience distortion
and soften at the edges of a
photo with wider lenses and
this will need to be adjusted
in post production.
2.03
Landscape photography
LANDSCAPE TECHNIQUES
Depth of Field & Distance
The distance between you and the object is also important, the closer you are to
the object the shorter the Depth of Field. If you’re photographing a person but
needs to have a high f-number you can still get a very short Depth of Field by
keeping the distance between you and the person to a minimum. The closer you
are to your subject, the less depth of field there will be. The further away you are,
the more depth of field you will have, even at the same aperture.
R LANDSCAPES
Remember the ratio that Depth of Field extends, 1/3rd in front of the subject and
2/3rds behind the subject.
Plane of Focus
The Plane of Focus is an imaginary two dimensional plane in front of the camera at
the point of focus. The Plane of Focus represents the theoretical plane of sharpest
focus and lies in the depth of field. The Plane of Focus lies parallel to the sensor
and perpendicular to the optical axis. Except in some special cases ,tilt & shift
lenses and bellows cameras, the Plane of Focus remains in the same position
relative to the sensor plane when the camera tilts or changes its position/angle.
HyperFocal Distance
Hyperfocal distance can be a confusing topic, both for beginning and expert
photographers. Hyperfocal distance, at its simplest, is the focusing distance
that gives your photos the greatest depth of field. Focusing your camera at the
hyperfocal distance ensures maximum sharpness from half this distance all the
way to infinity. It is a certain distance from the camera such that when you focus
there, the largest portion of the scene remains in focus, and you get maximum
sharpness overall. The best way to work out this optimal distance is with Apps.
Simple DOF is recommended.
2.03
Module 2 - Lesson 2
LENS ISSUES
Diffraction
When photographers talk about diffraction, they are referring to the fact that a
photograph grows progressively less sharp at small aperture values – f/16, f/22,
and so on. As you stop down your lens to such small apertures, the finest detail
in your photographs will begin to blur. With good reason, this effect can worry
beginning photographers. However, if you understand how diffraction impacts
your photographs, you can make educated decisions and take the sharpest
possible photographs in the field. Diffraction is an optical effect which limits
the total resolution of your photography, no matter how many megapixels your
camera may have. It happens because light begins to disperse or “diffract” when
passing through a small opening. The reason for this is that the edges of the
diaphragm blades in the lens tend to disperse the light. Diffraction is only really an
issue in extreme close ups or Macro photography or in Landscape photography.
Understanding Diffraction, photographers can choose to use other apertures to
maximize the lenses capability.
Chromatic Aberration
Chromatic aberration of a single lens causes different wavelengths of light to
have differing focal lengths. Also known as “color fringing” or “purple fringing”.
Chromatic aberration is caused by lens dispersion, with different colors of light
traveling at different speeds while passing through a lens. As a result, the image
can look blurred or noticeable colored edges (red, green, blue, yellow, purple,
magenta) can appear around objects, especially in high-contrast situations.
A perfect lens would focus all wavelengths into a single focal point.
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