Workshop # 4: Project Documentation: Photography and Video Recording
Speakers: Ms. Debi Haines, Multimedia Professional
and
Professor Tom Haines, Electronic Media, College Conservatory of Music,
University of Cincinnati
Date: June 22, 2012
Time: 8:30am-12pm
Venue: 645 Baldwin Hall
Prepared by:
Julia Fisher, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
Nathalia Backeljauw, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
REU Participants for Project # 4: “Advanced Method for Renewable Ethanol by Direct Synthesis from Syngas for Renewable Fuel Applications”
Professor and Mrs. Haines Explain the Camera Features (Left) and the Rule of Thirds
Professor and Mrs. Haines Explain the Lighting Sources (Left) and Students Understanding Their Camera Features (Right)
Students Practicing the Knowledge Learnt
Ms. Debi Haines and Professor Thomas Haines, both with expertise in multimedia, came to explain the importance documenting one’s work, skills for taking photographs, and the anatomy of a camera.
Ms. Haines has been a producer for more than twenty years, and the main areas she specializes in are video production, graphic design, web design and multimedia. Throughout the years, she has worked for production houses, advertising agencies and as a freelance video producer. A couple of Ms. Haines special interests are still photography and photo editing.
Professor Haines is currently the Audio Production Specialist on the Electronic Media faculty at the University of Cincinnati. He has a vast amount of experience in orchestral/acoustic music productions. The courses he teaches are Digital Audio Production, Commercial Audio Production, Survey of Mass Media Technology, and Multitrack Music Production I and II. Recently, he worked as Director of the Susan and Ford Schumann Film Scoring Program. He was also director of the Edgar Stanton Audio Recording Institute, which took place at the Aspen Music Festival. There he also served as the board of trustees. Before coming to UC, Professor Haines worked at Indiana University, Purdue University, and the University of Indianapolis. He received his bachelors and masters degree at Butler University. In 2008, Professor Haines was also a part of the radio play, The Quest for the Forbidden Chest. Professor Haines was awarded CCM’s Ernest Glover Award for Outstanding Teaching. He is also interested in film scoring and sound design production aesthetics.
There were two main objectives of this workshop: how to take a successful photograph, and to become more familiar with how to use a camera. REU participants were asked to think about their biggest photography challenges and what they hope to learn from this workshop. Since REU participants will be documenting the work that they do in the lab, it was important for everyone to learn the basic skills and techniques necessary to take a good photograph. To be able to do so, however, it was important to learn the features on a camera and how to use them. For example, depending on the location of where one is taking a photograph, there are particular features on the camera that can help to adjust to the setting.
The first point that both Ms. Haines and Professor Haines stressed was what to do and what not to do while taking a photograph. The most common photography mistakes made were: bad lighting, poor composition, out of focus image, and a distracting background. When taking photos, they said it was important to take all of these into consideration.
There are several composition basics that should be considered when taking a photo: apply the Rule of Thirds, fill the frame with the image, get close to the subject, change your perspective, use a plain background, and draw the viewer into the image using angles and framing. These composition basics will help improve your photography.
One important rule to consider that can help any photo look well composed is the Rule of Thirds. The Rule of Thirds is basically breaking the image in thirds, horizontally and vertically. Using this rule, it is important to remember the four points where the lines intersect. The object of interest should be placed around these points and the photo will appear more pleasing to the eye than if it were in the center. Example photos were given in which the rule was followed, which made the photographs much more interesting.
Another crucial part of composition is how to direct the viewer’s eyes into and through the picture. This can be done through leading lines, which is using lines to draw the viewer’s eyes through the photograph. Framing is another method and plays a key role in the outcome of a photograph. The background and foreground are equally important parts of a photograph. Natural frames can be used, such as a tree in the foreground, and this will give the viewer the sense that they are standing in the photo themselves.
Perspective also is of great importance; one does not necessarily need to take a photograph straight on. Sometimes a photograph will be more interesting from above or below. Also, especially for smaller subjects, close-ups will be necessary while taking a photo. This will make it easier to find the subject and view its finer details.
After discussing techniques for composition, Ms. Haines and Professor Haines talked in depth about how a camera works. This was critical because it is very important for all students to understand how their cameras work to take the best photographs possible. First, the three main components of exposure were covered: shutter speed, aperture, and ISO. Shutter speed is how long the camera’s shutter stays open while taking the picture. The longer the shutter stays open, the more light that enters the camera and this plays a role in the clarity of a photo. If the shutter speed is longer, there will be more of a blur in the photo while a shorter speed will create a sharper image because it will ‘freeze’ the frame.
The next factor in exposure is aperture. Aperture, or f/stop, is how large the iris, or eye, of the lens opens up while taking a photograph. A ‘stop’ is what each unit of measurement is called. The smaller the number, the larger the aperture and the larger opening of the lens. As for the difference between stops, one stop down lets in half the amount of light than the previous stop. Professor Haines and Ms. Haines discussed a method used to increase the likelihood of taking a good picture, which is typically done with the aperture ring. This method is bracketing, and it is when shots are taken at settings above and under the previous settings to make sure the ideal photo is taken.
Lastly, film speed, or ISO, is the measurement of how sensitive the sensor of your camera is to light. The larger the film speed, the more sensitive it is to light. If the film speed is a step up, the sensitivity of the sensor will double. However, it is important to note that when using a digital camera, the higher the film speed is, the grainier the picture will be.
After explaining how to understand how the camera works, students were taught what the different icons mean on the camera and the many modes it has to offer. There are auto modes and manual modes. When compared, the manual modes offer more control to the photographer than auto modes. Some specific modes are the pan focus, portrait, landscape, night scene, black and white, macro, sports/action, movie, and program mode, but a camera can contain many more modes with various purposes.
Another factor addressed in the workshop, lighting, plays a crucial role in the outcome of a photograph. When taking a picture, you should use the 3-Point Lighting Technique. There are three important lights that help make the photo: key light, fill light, and back light. The key light is the main light and the strongest. The fill light is usually half as strong and placed opposite of the key light. The fill lights purpose is to soften the darker side created by the key light. The back light is put behind the subject and adds depth to the photograph. In a case where there is only one light, then it must be used as the key light. If you have two lights, then one will be the key light and the other can be the fill or back light. Natural light can also be harnessed in the form of reflector cards that direct the light to a desired area.
One topic that was stressed very much was controlling depth of field. Three factors affect depth of field: the size of the aperture, the distance to the object, and the lens being used. As for aperture, the smaller it is, the larger the field. When it comes to distance, getting closer to the object of interest shortens the depth of field. Lastly, the depth of field will vary according to the lens being used. For example, a wide-angle lens covers a wider area than a standard lens because of its shorter focal length. These factors were stressed so much because they can really affect the appeal and quality of a photo.
Another important feature is metering; the camera takes a guess at what needs to be focused on in the photo and what needs to be exposed optimally. There are three main modes for this task: matrix, spot, and center weighted. Matrix metering will average the lighting to decide how to make the shot. Spot metering means the camera will meter from a specific spot and this comes in handy with tricky lighting. The third type of metering, center weighted, gives more weight to the metering points in the center.
After the lecture the students At the endwere encouraged to use their own cameras to photograph various laboratory props around the room utilizing their new knowledge. Feedback was provided by Ms. Haines and Professor Haines when student groups were taking photographs.
Photography is essential to documentation now more than ever due to the increasing prevalence of technology in the workplace and everyday life. Thus, understanding the credentials for an exceptional photograph and being knowledgeable of one’s camera is necessary to effectively convey information. This workshop was a constructive learning experience that exposed the students to the significance of photography.