Back to Basics: Intro to Photography
A Nikon camera with lens attached. Source: unsplash
What is photography?
This is a question asked and answered over and over again, and at it’s core, photography is the art of capturing light using a camera, lenses, and light-sensitive materials to create images.
The basic fundamentals of photography involve understanding how cameras work, and how to use them to create well-composed, well-exposed photographs.
So the first step in understanding photography is learning about the camera itself.
Cameras come in many shapes and sizes - from compact point and shoots to slightly more advanced versions of them to SLRs (both mirrored and mirrorless) - but they all pretty much have the same few basic components in common.
One of the most important part of a camera is the lens (though in SLRs this is actually a separate piece of equipment), which is used to focus light onto the image sensor. The image sensor is a chip inside the camera that captures light and converts it into digital data that can be processed and stored.
In order to take a photograph, light enters the camera through the lens and is focused onto the image sensor.
What the aperture blades in a lens looks like. Source: unsplash
The amount of light that reaches the sensor can be controlled using the aperture, which is a hole in the lens that can be adjusted to allow more or less light to pass through: the bigger the hole, the more light. The smaller the hole, the less light. You adjust the aperture depending on the conditions and the overall vibe you want for the photo - but generally you want it to be properly exposed… which means the highlights aren’t blown out and the shadows aren’t pitch black.
The shutter dial of a camera. Source: unsplash
The shutter is another important element of the camera, and it is used to control the amount of time that the image sensor is exposed to light (i.e. shutter speed). The more light you let in for an exposure, the brighter the photo is likely to be, and vice versa!
Once the image has been captured in the camera, it can be processed and stored in a variety of ways.
Most modern cameras have a built-in processor that can convert the raw digital data into a more usable format, such as JPEG or TIFF. The processed image can then be stored on a memory card or other storage device, or it can be transferred to a computer for further editing and manipulation. This is the image you see on the back of your camera or on the screen of your computer / tablet / phone.
Capturing an image as a JPEG or TIFF means the camera does the processing for you in terms of colours and vibrancy, but I prefer to shoot in RAW so it just captures the scene and stores the data for me to draw out or edit to suit my vision using an editing program like Capture One or Adobe Lightroom. This gives me more control on how the image will look to suit my style.
Editing a photo using Capture One. Source: unsplash
In addition to understanding the mechanics of the camera, there are a few key principles of photography that can help you create better images:
Composition involves arranging the elements in your photograph in a way that is aesthetically pleasing and draws the viewer's eye
Lighting can be used to create different moods and effects in your photographs (in other words, the ‘vibe’)
Exposure refers to the amount of light that reaches the image sensor. Proper exposure is essential for creating clear, well-defined images, and it can be adjusted using the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO settings on your camera (aka the Exposure Triangle). By understanding and controlling these settings, you can create photographs that accurately capture the scene you are trying to photograph.
Overall, the fundamentals of photography are centred around understanding the camera and how it works, and using that knowledge to create well-composed, well-exposed photographs.
By learning about composition, lighting, and exposure, you can develop the skills and knowledge necessary to create beautiful and engaging photographs.