Photography

Film and digital photography share the same underlying concepts

When you press the button, a shutter opens, photons hit a surface (sensor/film), shutter closes

Different wavelengths of light get captured


Exposure

Exposure triangle:

  • aperture e.g. f/1.8 (wide)
  • shutter speed e.g. 1/10th of a second
  • ISO (light sensitivity)

Aperture

  • Controls the amount of light that enters the camera
  • Measured in f-stops
  • A wide of fast aperture of f/1.4 is great for portraits, because of the shallow depth of field and bokeh
  • Whilst something like f/22 is great for landscapes as everything can be in focus

Shutter Speed

  • Allows you to capture motion (slow shutter)
  • Or freeze time (fast shutter)

ISO

  • The higher the ISO the easier it is to see in the dark, however more noise becomes a problem
  • ISO 100 is usually the best for low noise, but most cameras these days can go a lot higher whilst minimising noise

RAW vs JPEG​

  • RAW files are significantly bigger because they hold all the sensor data and haven’t been processed
  • RAW files contain a wider dynamic range and far greater colour spectrum
  • JPEGs are already processed, so easier to share and faster to view
  • Flexibility vs file size. e.g. white balance can be changed later with RAWs