1. Digital
Photography I
Painting with Light
Julie Sikes-Speir

2. Why take pictures?
• To tell a story
• To share
information
• To change
someone’s mind or
heart
• To show the world
as you see it

3. Lewis
Hine
This photo helped make
child labor illegal in the US

4. When were the first photographs
taken?

5. 1900

6. 1864

7. Antietam
Md. Allan Pinkerton,
President Lincoln,
Maj. Gen. John A. McClernand
1862

8. First successful Permanent Photograph
“View from the Window at La Gras”
by the French inventor, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce.
1826
It was produced on a polished pewter plate in 1826. Niépce captured the photo
with a camera obscura focused onto a sheet of 20 × 25 cm oil-treated bitumen.
As a result of the 8-hour exposure, sunlight illuminates the buildings on both sides.

9. This presentation is not a replacement for
Study of your camera manual. Instead, it will
assist you in learning how to understand
the general functioning of digital cameras
as well as compositional strategies to help
you take better photographs. Every type
and model of camera is different, therefore
you must study your own individual manual
in order to glean the most benefit from
this course.

10. Don’t forget
Charge Battery and Insert Memory Card
Be sure your camera battery is charged.
Insert a memory card and format it before
use in a new or different camera.
Formatting will permanently erase all
Information from the card.

11. Viewfinder
An SLR cameral will show about 95% of the entire picture.
Cameras other than SLR cameras will show only show
80 to 90 percent of entire picture.
Viewfinders are handy when there's too much glare on LCD
screen.

12. Shutter Release Button
When pressing the shutter release button It is important to
make every effort to prevent camera shake. Plant feet squarely
on the ground, elbows down and hold a still as possible when
pressing the shutter and waiting for the camera to finish
taking the picture by closing the shutter.
A good rule of thumb to prevent blurry photographs is to never
use a shutter speed of more than 1/60 of a second when using
a hand held camera.

13. Light

14. Light
•The best light is natural light..
•The best time of day to take
photographs is during the “Golden
Hours” which are an hour after sunrise
and an hour before sunset.
• Overcast skies create an giant light
box which make color bolder and
cuts down on the intense shadows
created by the sun when
it is high in the sky.

15. Pop up on camera flash
On Camera Flash
•Can cast strong shadows
•Can flatten or blowout a photograph
If a sharp picture can be taken without flash,
the photo will look more natural without the flash.
If the natural light is not sufficient to create a sharp image
then flash must be used to “freeze’ the image and prevent
It from being fuzzy.

16. On Camera Flash
•Flash can be activated by a button
On the side of the lens.
•Flash can be cut off by using the
mode selection dial on the top of
the camera

17. Outdoor Backlighting
Sunset Backlighting
Sunlight shining from
behind the subject can
give a very pleasing effect.
If intense, it creates a
silhouette.
Tahiti

18. Outdoor Backlighting
Daylight backlighting
Sunlight shining from
behind the subject can
give a very pleasing effect.
If intense, it creates a
silhouette.
Chattanooga, TN

19. Indoor Backlighting
Sunlight shining from
behind the subject can
give a very pleasing effect.
If intense, it creates a
silhouette.

20. Indoor Backlighting
Artificial indoor
backlighting adds
drama to this shot

21. Backlighting and Fill Flash
To avoid silhouetting of people, set your camera to auto flash
and make sure the subject is within flash range. Flash used
in bright conditions to eliminate facial shadows is called
fill flash.
Evidence of Backlighting
Fill flash removes the
dark shadows from her
Face.

22. Backlighting and Lens Flare
Shooting into the
light can also cause
lens flare.
To avoid lens flare
use a lens hood or
your hand to shade the lens
when shooting into the
sun.

23. Backlighting
Caution:
Shooting directly at
a bright sun can damage your
camera sensor as well as your
eyes. Telephoto lens (zoom)
intensify this.
When shooting sunset, wait
until the sun is low in ht sky.
Sanibel Island

24. Intense Sunlight
Undesirable for people and pets because it causes squinting.
Sun was so intense that
it blacked the background.
at midday.

25. Bright Midday Sun
Shadows
Blowout
It can also
cause harsh shadows.
The higher the sun is in the sky,
the harsher the shadows will be.

26. Outdoor Front Light
Font light is good for
architecture shots.

27. Indoor Front Light
Flash that is too close to the subject can cause a
blown out photograph.

28. Side Light
Shadows are not always bad
Side light is the best light for
portraits.
The shadows give
a 3-D effect to the face.

29. Side Light
Dark Side Light Side
Side light gives dimension to the face

30. Shadows
Shadows can add drama to a photograph.

31. Shadows
Shadows can add drama to a photograph.

32. Indoor Low Light
If there is not enough light and
you cannot use a flash, use a
higher ISO if possible
or a tripod.
We will discuss ISO next week.
A higher ISO was used to eliminate the flash.

33. Shutter Speed
•Shutter Speed controls the length of time the camera
allows in light.
•Shutter speeds slower then 1/60 second requires a tripod
or other camera support.
•To freeze action set the shutter at a higher speed…
1/250 or 1/500 or higher.

34. Autofocus (AF)
Camera focuses on what it thinks is the main subject.
This is usually what is in the middle of the frame.
In order to focus
Autofocus may be turned off using the auto/ manual switch
button on the lens of most cameras.

35. What if your want your main subject
not to be in the center of the
photograph?
Reframe

36. Reframing
•Place your meter point where you want to meter.
•Hold the shutter release halfway down.
•Place your autofocus point over your subject.
•Wait until autofocus locks on.
•Press and hold the AF-lock button.
•Recompose
•Fully depress the shutter release to take the picture

37. Reframing
Oakhurst, West Point, GA

38. Camera Modes
Point and Shoot Modes
Creative Modes

39. Portrait Mode
Produces softly focused backgrounds
for flattering portraits

40. Portrait Mode
The portrait mode can be selected by rotating the dial
on top of your Canon camera. This normally has a picture
of a face. This is ideal for photographing people. Portrait
mode can be used to set the color tones so that they are
perfect for skin tones.

41. Landscape Mode
Designed to keep both near and
far object in sharp focus

42. Landscape Mode
Infinity Mode
Landscape mode is also available on all Canon cameras.
This can be selected by choosing the option which looks like
mountains. This is used when photographing landscapes such
as mountains or beaches.
Large depth of field and puts everything into focus.

43. Macro Mode
Close-up Mode
Produces softly focused backgrounds especially
Suitable for close-up of flowers and other nature subjects

44. Macro Mode
Macro or Close up can be used to photograph something small
up close. If you want to take a photo of a flower, for example,
which fills the whole frame then you will need to use this mode.
This allows you to capture small objects in outstanding detail.
Macro mode is almost always shown as a small flower.
For taking photos of from 1” to 1’ from the subject.
( check camera manual)

45. Sports Mode
Selects a faster shutter speed to capture
moving subjects without blur.

46. Spots Mode
It's also possible to select sports mode which can be used to
capture fast moving objects. This is perfect for people running
or animals moving quickly.
Sports mode is normally shown by a picture of a man running.
Freezes the action.

47. Spots Mode
Light freezes action. One photo was
taken in bright daylight and the other
at night. The daylight picture is
sharper

48. Night Portrait Mode
Same as Portrait mode, but combines flash
with a slow shutter speed to produce softer
lighting and brighter backgrounds.
Use a tripod to avoid camera shake.

49. Night Mode
If you want to photograph people at night or in low light
conditions then you will need to use night portrait mode.

50. Night Mode
If you want to photograph people or objects at night or in
low light conditions then you will need to use night portrait mode.
Tripods or other camera support are almost necessary to get
quality night shots. This was a time lapse photo.

51. Flash Off Mode
Same as full automatic except there is no flash

52. Flash Off Mode
There are many different modes which can control the flash.
This is perhaps the most useful. By putting the camera in this
mode you will be able to force the flash to never switch on.
This is useful when you are not allowed to use the flash or
do not want to use it to achieve a desired effect.

53. On Camera Flash
•Flash can be activated by a button
On the side of the lens.
•Flash can be cut off by using the
mode selection dial on the top of
the camera

54. Flash on
(Speed light flash)
Flash is on but I used the zoom and was about 4 feet away from the subject.
This distance allows uniform lighting but does not “blowout” the subject.

55. Full Automatic Mode
Completely automatic photography.
The camera analyzes the scene and tries to choose
settings that produce the best results.

56. Automatic Mode
This makes your camera a
Point and Shoot camera.

57. Homework
Take photographs using semi-automatic settings:
•Portrait mode
•Landscape mode
•Sport mode – Motion
•Macro mode
•Night portrait mode
•Flash Off mode
•Flash on (built in flash)
If possible, send photos in low resolution (72 dpi) to me and
we will look at them next week.
julie@julieartstudios.com

58. Next Lesson
Manual Modes
These AV preset modes are available on all Canon cameras.
These make using the camera very quick and easy. However,
it's also possible to make various adjustments to manual settings.
Put your camera in a completely manual mode. Then you will
be able to adjust the ISO, shutter speed and aperture as desired.
If you do ever experience problems then you can always reset
the camera to its default settings. This makes it possible to
restart your camera back to the state when you brought it.