Chapter 7

Digital Photography in Design

Photography - Photography is one of the means
that the designer has for acquiring an
image;
- another way is to create an image
from scratch.

Many of us are fortunate to carry a

camera with us wherever we go, the
camera on our cell phone.

Dr. Yusra Al-Najjar

Controlling Exposure
photography is the art of capturing light

Exposure Triangle:
Cameras utilize three elements:
- aperture,
- shutter speed
- ISO
in order to control the amount
of light captured, or the
exposure of the photo.

Exposure refers to the lightness

or darkness of an image. The Exposure Triangle
Controlling Exposure (Continued)
photography is the art of capturing light

- Aperture: is an adjustable opening in

the camera lens that limits the amount
of light passing through the lens and
hitting the image sensor.

- Shutter speed: determines how long

the camera shutter stays open to let
light in

- ISO: refers to the sensitivity of a digital

camera’s image sensor;
- It is a camera setting that will
brighten or darken a photo.
 Controlling Exposure
photography is the art of capturing light
Aperture examples:
(A) large depth of field (ISO 100, f/22, 1/30th);
(B) hallow depth of field (ISO 100, f/5.6, 1/800th).
Sunflowers, Emerald Isle, North Carolina.
Shutter speed examples:
(A) fast shutter speed (ISO 100, f/11, 1/180th),
Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada; and
(B) slow shutter speed (ISO 560, f/22, 1/6th),
Fuller Falls, Fundy National Park, New Brunswick,
Canada.
Controlling Exposure
photography is the art of capturing light

ISO examples:
(A) low ISO (ISO 800, f/4.0, 1/60th);
(B) high ISO (ISO 3200, f/3.5, 1/6th).
Balloon glow, Albuquerque
International Balloon Fiesta,
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Seeing the Shot

Seeing the shot refers to looking at a

scene and selectively isolating a subject
or area of interest.
What is left out of the photo is often as
important as what is included, because
this can minimize distractions and center
attention on the subject.

Seeing the shot, low-tech aperture.

Types of Camera Shots

• Extreme long shot (ELS) or extreme wide shot (EWS): The ELS is used to show the space in
which the visual story is taking place and thus is sometimes referred to as an establishing shot.
• Long shot (LS) or wide shot (WS): The LS shows the entire subject without filling the frame.
Instead, the shot may be controlled by the background.
• Medium shot (MS): The MS shows part of the subject in detail. When the subject is a person,
the MS generally frames him or her from the waist up.
• Medium close-up (MCU): The MCU shows the subject in more detail, falling between the MS
and the CU. For a person as a subject, the MCU usually frames him or her from the chest or
shoulders up.
• Close-up (CU): The CU fills the frame with the subject. This could be a person’s head or face, or
the person’s hands if he or she is holding something important.
• Extreme close-up (ECU): The ECU features a small area or detail of the subject. For a person, this
could be their eyes or mouth.
Types of Camera Shots

ELS (EWS) LS (WS) MS MS

MCU MCU CU ECU

Types of Camera Shots

Camera shots:
(A) extreme long shot (ELS);
(B) long shot (LS);
(C) medium shot (MS);
(D) medium close-up (MCU);
(E) close-up (CU); and
(F) extreme close-up (ECU).

In flight over the Rio Grande,

Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Photographic Composition
Composition refers to the way the various elements in a scene are arranged within
the frame. There are four elements that contribute to strong photographic
composition:
- subject and background,
- Photographs that contain layers of content in the foreground, midground and
background of the image can achieve a sense of depth in a two-dimensional
medium.
- sense of balance,
- Balance can refer to the position of the subject in the image frame or the
overall balance of the photo. Looking at the overall photo, a straight horizon
line provides stability to the image. A curved or angled horizon line can
distract from the overall impact of a photo. The rule of thirds is an important
concept when it comes to positioning a subject to create a more engaging and
balanced photo.
Photographic Composition (Continued)
- point of view
Varying points of view can also be used to produce an emotional response from the
viewer:
- High angle: When a subject is photographed from above eye level, the photo
can have the effect of making the subject seem vulnerable, weak or frightened.
- Low angle: When a subject is photographed from below eye level, the photo
can have the effect of making the subject look powerful, heroic or dangerous.
- Tilt: When the camera is set at an angle so the horizon line is not level, this can
express a disoriented or uneasy state.
- simplicity.
- When you look at a scene with your naked eye, your brain quickly picks out
subjects of interest. In contrast, the camera does not discriminate, it captures
everything in front of it, which can result in a cluttered, messy photo with no
central focal point.
Photographic Composition

Rule of thirds
(A) photo,
(B) photo with rule of thirds gridlines
shown.
Sheep at the Hill of Tara, County
Meath, Ireland.
Subject and background. Simplicity,
Alpacas at Eastland Bull elk, Estes Park, Colorado
Alpacas, Mount Joy,
Pennsylvania.
Photo Tips

• Fill the frame: Zoom in on the subject to fill the frame or get closer to the
subject (if possible and if safe).
• Avoid the middle (a.k.a. rule of thirds): Many cameras have an autofocus
feature set to the center of the lens.
• Leading lines: Use lines to control the way the viewer’s eyes move around
the photo.
• Creative with colors: Bright colors attract the viewer’s attention, especially
when they are used in contrast with complementary colors.
• Aspect ratio: A collection of photos taken with a point-and-shoot or DSLR
(digital single-lens reflex) camera may include a majority of horizontal
images
Copyright

Putting a copyright notice (©) on work is not

required, but its presence tells others that
the work is copyrighted. In Photoshop, a
watermark, text or a logo superimposed on
an image can be easily added to an image to
discourage copyright infringement, someone
claiming the image as their own.
Summary
This Photography definition
chapter
discussed Controlling Exposure
the Seeing a Shot
followings:
Types of Camera Shots
Photographic Composition
Some Photo Tips
Copyright