shooting the scene
Taking good photographs is one of the most rewarding thing. You are able to capture a moment that no one else will ever be able to capture again even if it’s reposed. I love candid shots just as much as posed ones.
Take note of what in your frame is in focus. You know what is in focus by the focus point(s), which is visible when you press the shutter button halfway down to focus. Focusing can also be done manually by turning the focus ring on your lens). You can adjust this by changing your depth of field. Something shot with a narrow or short depth of field will have a close-up subject in focus while the background is blurry. Your narrow depth of focus can also include focusing on an object in the background while the foreground is blurry.
Remember, when you push the shutter button down halfway, whatever is in focus is now locked in (locking in the focus). You can readjust the framing of the shot even after you’ve locked in the focus as long as you keep it halfway down.
Framing your subject is also important. The most valuable tool for this is called the rule of thirds (we learned in broadcast filming class). When a subject is not dead in the center, automatic interest is created. The photograph is no longer divided in half. Pay close attention to horizon lines when shooting landscapes.
Panning is another great technique for shooting moving objects. A shutter speed of 1/30 usually works fine. Remember to focus on the subject first then move on a horizontal path following the subject. Snap 2-5 shots as the subject goes by.
Terms to Know:
Candid: An unposed, spontaneous photograph of a person or group of people.
Depth of field: The depth of field describes how much of your picture is in focus. A narrow depth of field gives your subject in sharp focus and the background heavily blurred. A wide depth of field has both near and far objects in focus.
Focus point: Small brackets, lines, or a circle in the middle of a viewfinder indicating where the camera is focusing.
Focusing: In-and-out adjustment of the lens to make the main subject sharp on the film.
Framing: a technique used to bring the focus/attention to the subject
Locking the focus: Pressing and holding the shutter button halfway, to prevent the camera from refocusing incorrectly with your final composition.
In focus: when the photograph or chosen subject is sharp and clear with no fuzziness
Panning: A shot in which the camera remains in place but rotates horizontally on its axis so that the subject is constantly re-framed
Rule of thirds: dividing a photograph into an imaginary 3 x 3 grid (like a tic-tac-toe board) and placing points of interest at the points where the lines on the grid intersect (see chart)
Shutter button: The button that you press to take a picture. On autofocus cameras, the shutter button also activates and locks the focus when pressed halfway.
Subject: the person/persons or object in the photograph
