Studio Equipment
The beauty dish distributes the light to a point.
Continuous lights are balanced to daylight, so for however long the light is on, the light will stay the same. Daylight is about 5,600 Kelvin, so as these lights are left on they get hot.
Tungsten lights are not balanced to daylight and they get more and more yellow as the light is left on. A tungsten bulb is 3,200 Kelvin.
Flash Heads are the lights that can flash wirelessly to create a bigger flash.
A boom is a stand with a long arm on it so that the light at the end can light above or behind the object.
Soft boxes diffuse the light through a piece of material. They could also be used without the material infront to create a floodlight effect.
White poly reflectors are used to reflect the light and black poly reflectors are used to absorb the light.
Sky light provides natural light to the studio.
Honeycomb grids fit on the front of modifiers. These focus the light to a point.
Modifiers fit to the flash heads and modify the light. These include a snoot, which focuses the light. Also, barn doors, which modify the light to point wherever is needed.
A turtle stand allows lights to be positioned low to the ground.
A plumber's light creates a line reflection in the eyes of a model.
Camera Basics
Exposure is the taking of the photo. Exposure is made up of ISO, aperture and shutter speed.
ISO: 100 ISO: 3200
ISO is the sensitivity to light. The lower the ISO (100) the sharper the background and higher the ISO (3200) the more noise in the background.
Aperture is the amount of light the camera lets in. The lower the f number (f5.6), the more light is let in. The higher the f number (f22), the less light is let in.
Shutter speed is the speed of the shutter. A slow shutter speed is 1 second or more (1”) and a fast shutter speed is 1/125 or more. The slower shutter speed, the more light is let in as there is more time to take the photo.
For example, if it was dark you would need a slow shutter speed for the right amount of light to be let in.
Camera
ISO – this is the sensitivity to light. A low ISO (100) would create a sharp image and a high ISO (3200) would create a lot of noise in the background.
Aperture – this is the amount of light the camera lets in. A wide aperture (f5.6) would let in a lot of light and a small aperture (f22) would not let in so much light.
Shutter Speed – this is the speed of the shutter. A quick shutter speed (1/125) will create a sharp image and a slow shutter speed 1” will create a blurred image, unless used with a tripod.
White Balance – this is the balance of the white in the image. For example, the tungsten setting makes the image bluer to compensate for the orange glow of the lights.
Manual / auto focus – manual focus is when you focus the lens yourself and auto focus is when the camera focuses for you.
Auto Focus settings / Multi-point focusing – this is a setting that allows the camera to focus in the middle of the image or in many spots in the image.
Focus lock – this is where you can set the camera to focus on a certain point in the image.
Bracketing – this is the taking of three image of the same thing. One at the correct exposure, one underexposed and one overexposed.
Hot shoe (adaptor) – this is an adaptor that fits on the hot shoe on top of the camera, which is used for flashguns, for example.
Sensor size / aspect ratio – the aspect ratio is the size of the image, usually 3:2. Sensor size is the size of the sensor in the camera.
SLR / Medium Format / Large Format – medium format is for example 35mm film cameras, large format is a large camera which has a large canvas.
Lenses
Macro – macro is one to one ratio. This is a lens that can take a picture of close up images. For example, a penny in the full frame of the picture.
Wide angle – this is a lens that can create distortion as it is a rounder lens.
Telephoto – this is a lens that zooms in and allows you to take pictures of things in the distance.
Lens-baby – this is a lens that has a movable end so you can create blurred parts of the image.
Extension tubes – this is a tube that allows a standard lens to act like a macro lens. It goes in between the camera and the lens.
Fixed lens – this is a lens that cannot be removed from the camera body.
Variable lens – this is a zoom lens that requires focusing as it zooms
Barrel distortion – this is the effect from a wide angle lens.
Focal length – this is the length on the lens that the photo has been taken at.
Angle of view – this is the amount that can be viewed through a lens.
Image stabilisation (canon: IS /Nikon VR) – this stabilises the image and reduces camera shake.
Lens Mount – this fits to the end of the lens and the camera and describes the size etc to it.
Image Capture
Exposure – this is how exposed the image is. The ideal is a 0. If the picture is taken at +2 the image will be underexposed and at -2 overexposed.
Image quality – this is whether the image is of a good size or not.
Resolution – this is the amount of pixels in the image.
File types: JPEG; RAW; TIFF; - Jpeg and raw are usually what photos are taken in. jpeg changed every time it is edited, whereas raw doesn’t.
Software (Lightroom / Photoshop)
Global adjustments
Cropping / straightening – this crops and straightens the image to cut out any unwanted part.
Levels – this shows the lights and darks of the image.
Curves – these are like levels
Sharpening – this sharpens the image
Layers - these always allow there to be an original image.
Adjustment Layers – these allow changes without changing the original.
Blending Modes – this allows you to bland layers together.
History Tool – this shows what has been done to the image.
Local adjustments
Dodging – this is making the image lighter.
Burning – this is making the image darker.
Clone Tool – this removes unwanted spots and replaces them with a part that is close to that part.
Studio
Continuous Lighting – these are lights that you cannot change the power of.
Flash Lighting – these lights act like a flash and can change the power and have modifiers attached to them.
Modifiers – these can change the effect of flash lighting. For example snoots and honeycomb grids.
Stands / boom - stands hold the flash heads up and allow them to be moved into most positions. A boom allows the flash head to be hung over the subject.
Light meter – this is a meter that tells you what ISO and shutter speed you need for the picture.
Radio Trigger – this is a cord that connects to your camera and the flash head that makes the flash when you are taking the picture.
Health and Safety – these are rules to be safe in the studio.
Image Assessment
Contact Sheet – this is a sheet of images on it, usually with metadata.
Aspect Ratio – this is the size of the image.
Histogram – this shows the lights and darks and colours of the image.
Artifacts – these are the undesirable changes to an image.
Chromatic aberration / fringing – this is when a lens doesn’t focus different wavelengths of light.
Noise / grain – this is when the background is grainy, usually from a high ISO.
Posterisation / banding – where graduated colours are reduced to larger blocks of colours
Blown highlights – these are bright areas in the image where the detail has been lost.
Sharpness - this is how sharp the image is.
Tonal Variation – this is a variation in tone. The camera is different to the eye.
Digital Asset Management
Workflow – this is the flow of work. For example, editing.
File naming / management – this is making sure there is an understandable file naming system.
Metadata – this is the information of the photo. For example, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, exposure.
Tagging / labelling – these are keywords that link with a search engine to bring up the information in a search.
File types: JPEG; RAW; DNG; TIFF; PSD; - these are file names. PSD is a Photoshop document. Jpeg and raw are usually what photos are taken in. jpeg changed every time it is edited, whereas raw doesn’t.
Output
Colour management – this is to make sure the camera takes the right colours by changing the white balance and also to make sure what is on the screen prints with the same colours.
Printing – this is printing an image on a printer on to photo paper.
Image size; quality; resolution; - this is the size of the image. Measured in cm, inch, pixels etc. Sometimes an image pixelates if it is too big and not of high quality.
DPI – this is the size of the image in dots per inch, sometimes also known as pixels per inch.
Health and Safety
in the studios or workshops. The Centre has provided you with The Curve . It’s the law. Use the smoking shelters outside. in the studios or workshops, with the exception of bottled water.
No Smoking
No Drinking
Do not attempt to operate machinery unless you have had a health and safety induction on its
usage.
Do not leave bags and belongings in places where they can be easily tripped over.
Corridors, lifts and stairwells must be kept clear at all times.
If you are the last person out of a room, please notify a member of staff who will lock the door.
Do not leave personal belongings or equipment you have booked out unattended. The Security
staff will take it away, and you many not have access to it for days.
Music and mobile phones
Switch off all mobile phones and music players during lectures and seminars. With permission
from the lecturer, phones may be left on if an important call is expected.
Music players must not be worn in the print studios.
In certain situations, music may be played, but only at the discretion of any staff member
present.
Please show consideration for other users by wearing headphones, and keeping music volume
to a minimum in ‘open access’ rooms.
No Eating, restaurant and a Students’ Union space located on the ground floor, in which to do this.
CD Cover Brief
This week’s brief was to create a CD cover for a song. This could either relate to a line in the song, be a literal interpretation of the song title or how the feeling of the song.
For this brief I chose the song Just the way you are by Bruno Mars. This song is about a boy telling a girl that she is amazing just the way she was.
I chose the line ‘Your amazing just the way you are’ to interpretate. My idea was to take as natural photo as I could. I used my classmate and the local gardens for my photo.
I then opened the photo in Lightroom to edit. I didn’t want to edit the photo too much as that would defeat the point I was trying to make. I just brightened the eyes and the teeth and upped the vibrancy. I then edited the image in Photoshop, to be able to make the photo CD cover size and to add the text to the image.
In order to make the photo the size I needed, I had to create a new canvas to the size of 4.75inch square. I then pressed shift to lock the aspect ration. I pressed the apple key and then the T key and dragged the photo to the size of the canvas.
To add the text to the image, I need to click on the text button. I then write the text on the picture and click on the tick to finish. I create the text in yellow as this is the main colour of Bruno Mars’ album and I wanted to add colour and match the shirt of my model.
White Balance
This week’s weekly picture project was October Light and Colour. Whilst doing this project, we had to explore differences in white balance settings and how colour is affected.
White balance is making what seems white to the human eye appear white in the photo. This means changing the white balance settings on the camera in relation to the light the photo is being taken in.
The following contact sheet shows the same photo taken with different white balance settings on the camera.
The photos are taken as Auto Daylight
Shade Cloudy
Tungsten Fluorescent
With the white balance setting on auto and tungsten the photo appears blue and with the white balance on shade and cloudy the photo appears more orange and warmer.
As the photo I used was taken in the shade I used the shade white balance setting to balance the white and also to make the photo warmer to emphasise the October colour.
Comparing Prints
Here is a print that I have printed at home:
Here is a print that has been printed at college:
The printer at college is colour managed and the printer at home is not colour managed. Both of these printers are Epson. The print from home is a lot brighter and the print from college is a darker and more defined. This shows the difference between colour managed prints and not colour manage prints. However, the print done at college was also done on a higher quality paper, which could also affects the quality of the print.
Darkroom
Darkroom Equipment
These are enlargers. They fit the negatives in a tray, then shine light through the negative onto light sensitive paper, to expose the image.
This is the drying cabinet that you hang the film in after it has been developed.
These are the spools for the film. You put two halves together and then wind the film onto the spool. This has to be done in the dark otherwise you will expose the film.
These are items needed for developing in the wash basin. There a spools, developing tubs, inner tubes for the tubs, funnels for the tubs, lids and measuring jugs.
These are the chemicals needed for all processes.
These are the chemicals needed for all processes.
These are the chemicals needed for all processes.
These are Developing tubs, spools, funnels for developing.
This is the bank where we develop. There are the drying racks and trays.
Here is the ID11, stop and fix.
I used a seagull camera with Ilford HP5 120 film. To develop the film I needed a developing tub, a tube, a spool, a funnel and a lid. Once I had all of these I turned the lights off and fed the film onto the spool. I then put the spool in the tub around with the tube in the middle. I put the funnel on top and then put the lid on. I could then turn on the light. I measured out the ID11 needed and the ratio of ID11 to water is 1:9. I mixed this up and poured it into the the tub. I then left the chemical in the tub for 13 minutes, turning it over every 30 seconds. I then emptied the chemical and put in the stop and agitated it for a whole minute. I then put the fix in for 5 minutes, agitating every 30 seconds. I then washed the film for 20 - 30 minutes. The film is now developed. I then took the film of the spool and, being careful not to touch the photos, I put it in the drying cabinet to dry.
When the film was dry, I cut it up into smaller, more manageable pieces. I could then put the negatives into the enlarger and print the pictures. I needed to do a contact sheet first. I put the red light on so the light sensitive paper wouldn't get ruined. I put the light sensitive paper on one piece of glass and lined the negatives on top of the paper and put the other piece of glass on the negatives. I then turned the enlarger on for 7 seconds. This shone a light through the negatives onto the paper.
This is the contact sheet of my film. Once exposed the piece of paper needs 2 minutes in the developer, 30 seconds in the stop and 2 minutes in the fix.
I then did a test to see what exposure time would be right for the image. I did this by exposing the image for 10 seconds and moving a piece of black card every 2 seconds.
Here is a print of one of the photos I took, however, the light was turned on the photo had developed. This created the dark, blotchy background.
Here is my best image.
Here is a pictogram. This is when you place a piece of light sensitive paper under the enlarger, then place items on top of the paper, then expose it.
Assessed Studio Task
The purpose of the assessed studio task was to measure the progress individually towards becoming confident and proficient at making appropriate use of studio lighting for a given situation. It was also to prepare us for the future when we will have people watching us set up lighting in a professional environment.
We were given 20 minutes where we had to:
· Select and set up appropriate lighting equipment ( including stands, boom, heads, modifiers).
· Set model lights and power output of light correctly.
· Determine correct exposure using through the lens and/or hand held light meter to take flash, ambient or incident exposure readings.
· Take an appropriately lit, correctly exposed image.
· Dismantle and return all equipment.
· Demonstrate safe working practice (health and safety).
We were given a list of five tasks that we had to do one of. The task that I had to complete was to:
· Set up a 500 watt head on a stand and balance the model-light and power outputs to half-power, then photograph a mannequin having used a flash meter to ascertain the correct exposure.
I set up a 500 watt head on a stand and I turn the dials of the model-light and power outputs to half-power.
However, I had not used flash on the flash head before, so I tried using the radio trigger to trigger the flash, but I could not get it to work. So, I could not get the correct reading from the light meter. Therefore, I could not complete the task.
Here is a photo of my set up:
Here is my best shot:
I then used the studio after this assessment with my sister as a model. I then set up the same set up and realised that I could use just a cable to trigger the flash.
I set the dials to half-power and put the cable in the back of the flash head.
I then put the cable into the flash meter.
I could then get the correct reading from the flash meter.
I then put the end of the cable that was in the flash meter into my hotshoe adapter. I set the shutter speed and aperture from the meter reading and took the photo. The cable allowed the flash to be triggered.
Here is my best photo:
