Photography and Lens-Based Media
Introduced| English | Meaning |
|---|---|
| photography/fəˈtɒɡrəfi/ | photography |
| focus/ˈfəʊkəs/ | How sharp the chosen subject is in a photograph. |
| exposure/ekˈspəʊʒə/ | How much light is allowed to reach the sensor or film. |
| depth of field/depθ ɒv fiːld/ | How much of a scene, from near to far, looks sharp at once. |
| editing/ˈedɪtɪŋ/ | editing |
Drawing with light
- Photography 摄影 makes images with light and a lens.
- The same elements and principles apply to the frame.
- It is a lens-based 2-D art, digital or darkroom.
The key controls
- Key controls: framing, focus 对焦, exposure 曝光 (light), depth of field 景深, and viewpoint.
- Light direction and quality shape value, form, and mood.
- The rule of thirds, leading lines, and negative space compose a photo.
Alfred Stieglitz's The Steerage, a famous early art photograph: the gangway, funnel, and figures form a strong geometric composition, so the elements and principles apply to a photo too
Which photographic control?
Match each effect to the control that produces it.
How much of a photo is in sharp focus, from near to far, is its...
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Depth of field is the range that appears sharp.
How light or dark a photo is, set by the amount of light, is its ____.
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Exposure controls the brightness of the image.
Select all creative controls in photography.
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Framing, focus, and light are creative controls; the printer brand is not.
Match each control to its effect.
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Depth of field = focus; exposure = brightness; framing = inclusion.
Editing is part of it
- Editing 后期 (cropping, contrast, colour) is part of the creative process, not just correction.
- Composition can be refined after the shot, by cropping.
- Digital and darkroom processes both count as lens-based art.
Editing choices like cropping and contrast are part of the creative process in photography.
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Editing is a creative decision, not just correction.
Photography is making, not just taking. Choices of framing, focus, depth of field, light, and editing are all creative decisions. A snapshot and an artwork can show the same subject — the difference is the deliberate use of the elements and principles.
A portrait uses a shallow depth of field so the face is sharp and the background melts to soft blur — directing all emphasis to the eyes. Side lighting carves out value and form. Every setting is a composition choice, just like a painter's.
Photography makes images with light and a lens, using the same elements and principles. Key controls are framing, focus, exposure, depth of field, and light. Editing (cropping, contrast) is part of the creative process — photography is making, not just taking.
Write from a shutter of 1/15
- The student wants the runner's motion to blur.
- The photo was made at 1/1000 and the runner is frozen.
A student wants a runner to blur. The photo taken at 1/1000 freezes the runner. Which slower choice fits the blur, 1/15 or 1/1000?
A longer open shutter records more of the movement.
Which shutter fits a blurred runner?
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1/15 stays open longer than 1/1000, so the runner can blur.