Session 2 - Camera and photography basics

Digital Cameras

This unit will be focusing on Multimedia Devices and Software, with a focus on what is used within libraries.

In today's class we are going to look at some basic information on digital still and video cameras. The variety of cameras available is huge as well as the usual jargon that is involved in purchasing a digital device.

Each make and model will vary in their specifications, resolution and features.

Types of Cameras - Buying Guides

Read the following article for a full explanation of the types of digital cameras available and some of the terminology.

https://www.digitaltrends.com/photography/digital-camera-buying-guide/

https://www.harveynorman.com.au/digital-compact-cameras-buying-guide

Shopping for a camera

JB HiFi web page shows some typical Digital Camera advertising and specifications. Let's take a look.

** I use the JB HiFi website solely because of the layout which makes it easy to navigate as well as view all the technical specifications of each device. No affiliation **

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/cameras/

Chisholm Library

Chisholm libraries have a range of cameras and other Multimedia equipment that staff and students can borrow

Class Activity 1

Your friend is asking for your advice on purchasing a cheap, but functional camera. They have the camera on their phone, but would like something with more features.

Based on what you have just learnt about the types of digital cameras available, what questions could you ask to find out their requirements?

** We will use the Zoom Whiteboard for this activity **

Class Activity 2 - Group Activity

You will need to select a couple of appropriate cameras that will suit your friend's needs and then find the best price. Use the Internet and any relevant websites you need for research. Before you start, you need to find out what the requirements are so:

Scenario 1: Your friend is travelling to Fiji and wants something that is small and compact, but with a reasonable zoom. It should also be waterproof as they will be spending a lot of time around the water. Budget is maximum of $500.

Scenario 2: Your friend is travelling to Japan over the Christmas break. They plan to do lots of sightseeing, and is especially interested in the country areas, mountains, and historic buildings. They will be travelling by rail to visit as many attractions as they can. They don't have a specific budget, but generally believe in buying the best quality items for the best price so would not want to go above $2000. They place a lot of value on reviews from people who have used/owned the item. It will be winter in Japan at that time. 

Scenario 3: Your friend is a bit of an adventurer and tends to be quite rough on technology and digital devices. They have destroyed 3 phones just in the last year and want a basic camera that won't break the bank, but will take a decent photo.

Scenario 4: Your friend is keen  to upgrade from their high end point and click to a DSLR camera. It is important that they are able to get a decent zoom lens for the camera as well as being able to use it for sports photography - their daughter is a National level high jumper and they would love to get be able to get some action shots. Money is not an issue as they see this as an investment.  They would expect to keep the camera for 4 or 5 years without needing to upgrade and are happy to spend the time to learn about all the features.

• Find at least 2 cameras that fit their needs
• justify your selections based on the scenario
• Find the best price for each.
• Include any accessories that they might need

Basic Operation

Most Digital Still Cameras today have HD or at least high quality video recording as well as the ability to take still images. Although every camera is different, with different menu structures and settings, most will have a similar functionality.

For general usage, you would use your camera in "auto" mode. This allows the camera to select the best settings based on the type of photo it thinks you are taking.

Most cameras will have the ability for you to select a mode, such as "sport", "fireworks", "night", "macro". Each of these will have settings associated with them that will produce the best image in the specified conditions.

Digital Still Cameras usually store Photos in the JPEG format. Some more advanced cameras may also save the files in Camera RAW. This creates very large uncompressed images that retain all of the information about the image. Most Digital SLRs will have the ability to save as RAW as well as JPEG.

There is often a separate "movie" mode for taking video. In Movie mode, you would press the button to start recording and then press it again to stop. The video format will probably be H.264/MPEG-4.

To transfer the images to your computer, you can use the USB cable that comes with your camera or you can take out the memory card and use a card reader. Most modern laptops will have a card reader built into them. I have an SD card reader that attaches to the lightning connector on my iPhone. This allows me to import the images to my phone, save them or upload them to google photos or to my social media accounts (Instagram or Facebook).

Once you have the images transferred to your computer, you should ensure that you take a backup - either burn the images to a CD/DVD, store on an external hard drive or SSD, or upload to some type of cloud storage. I like to think of this as equating to the old fashioned negatives.

You can then use some of the many available tools to create digital photo slideshows, videos, or even a coffee table book.

Class Discussion

How do you backup your images from your phone or camera?

Photography Basics - Photo Composition

As part of this unit is to take photos and make some edits using photo editing software, we will have a look at some photo composition advice from the experts. There are a number of different schools of thought with regards to photo composition, but techniques such as Rule of Thirds, Filling the Frame, using lines will appear in pretty much every list.

https://www.adorama.com/alc/basic-photography-composition-techniques


Or the following links from https://digital-photography-school.com

https://digital-photography-school.com/composition/

https://digital-photography-school.com/composition-checklist-beginners/

https://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-take-great-photos-with-your-iphone/

Rule of Thirds

When it comes to photo composition, the Rule of Thirds is by far the most well known.

Read about the Rule of Thirds here

Using Lines

The three main lines used in photo composition are Horizontal, Vertical and Diagonal.

Read about using lines in photo composition here

Straight Horizons

Another composition tip is to make sure that your horizons are horizontal - they're not called horizons for nothing.

Read about straight horizons here

Filling the Frame

Make sure that when you are taking shots of people or a specific object, that you can actually see that object in the picture and not have to squint to see what the photo is about.

Read about filling the frame here

Using objects as frames

Framing your shot can draw attention to the subject by blocking out the stuff you don't want to be seen. Lots of objects can be used as frames in a photo.

Read about Framing your Shots here

Class Activity 3 (or homework, depending on time)

Using your own images or images from the Internet such as Flickr, Pixabay or Unsplash, find 5 images that utilise different photo composition techniques.

Share your images in our Facebook group with the composition technique used,  a description on how you think the technique has been applied, and why you like or not like the photo.

Critique the choices of other students!

For next week
For this class, you will need some photos. You must own copyright of the photos that you use so either bring in some photos that you already have or take some fresh ones for use in the class.