Welcome to our first Study Hall 101.
We will be working with the book "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. If you click on the title of the book where it is highlighted here, it will take you to a link on Amazon, where you can order the book, or look through it.
You may participate without it, but you will gain a greater understanding if you have the reading material.
If you have any questions about any of the exercises please post them in a thread here. Others may be wondering the same thing as you. We all learn from each other!
You will be posting your exercises in your photo galleries, so make sure that you have one set up. If you need to contact me to set one up for you, or if you have any suggestions on setting up another gallery please let me know.
Okay - here we go!


Understanding Exposure: Exercise 1

Exercise 1: Pages 9-21


Defining Exposure:

What is meant by "Exposure"?

Highlight of this reading:

*The word exposure refers to the amount and act of light falling on the photosensitive material (either film or the digital card)

*Setting and using your camera on manual exposure: follow the instructions in the pink box on page 15. Just as it says, "If you are unsure on how to st your camera to manual exposure mode, read the manual!"


The Photographic Triangle

Highlight of this reading:

*A correct exposure is a simple combination of three important factors: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.

-Aperture: "Primary function of these lens openings is to control the volume of light that reaches the film or digital media during an exposure. The smaller the f-stop number, the larger the lens opening: the larger the f-stop, the smaller the lens opening."
for example:
f/22 small lens opening, lets in less light
f/1.4 large lens opening, lets in more light

-Shutter speed: "Controls the amount of time that the volume of light coming through the lens (determined by aperture) is allowed to stay on the film or digital media in the camera. The same halving and doubling principle that applies to aperture also applies to shutter speed."


Exercise: Understanding the Effect of ISO on Exposure

Read through this exercise and follow through with the instructions. You must have your camera set in manual mode
or Aperture Priority.

Take one image at ISO 200 f/8 and adjust the shutter until a correct exposure is indicated. Take note of your shutter speed.

Take another image at ISO 400 again at f/8 and adjust the shutter until a correct exposure is indicated. Take note of your shutter speed.

Once again change to ISO 800 and f/8.......

Take note at what has happened to your shutter speed.

To put a little bit of a twist on what the book is requesting, take these three images in both full sunlight and shade. So you will have a total of 6 images.


Challenge!
Push your ISO to 1600 and f/8 again and see what you come up with.

Please remember that the images posted need to be SOCC images (Straight Out Of Camera). No tweaking, only re-sized and saved. Obviously if you shoot raw they must be converted and then re-sized and saved.



Week 2

pages 22 thru 33

Understanding Exposure: Exercise 2
I'm sure you are all doing well with this so far. I know that we haven't been able to really cc your photo's because there really wasn't much to see. The biggest thing to understand with the last exercize was that you noticed that when your ISO went down your shutter speed got faster by 1/2 and vice versa.

Here is the next exercize and please feel free to either ask on this thread or email me if you have questions....


"The Heart of the Triangle: The Light Meter"

*A precalibrated device designed to react to any light source no matter how bright or dim the light source may be."

"Six Correct Exposures vs One Creatively Correct One"

*Most picture taking situations have at least six possible combinations of f-stops and shutter speeds that will all result in a correct exposure. Yet, normally just one of these combinations of f-stops & shutter speeds is the creatively correct exposure.

Exercise: Seeing the Creatively Correct Exposure:

Choose 2 subjects, 1 stationery subject and 1 moving subject
*I suggest you have a small notebook to record your settings for each shot
*with lens mounted on a tripod, set camera to manual mode.
*set aperture wide open (smallest number on your lens)
*do your best to fill the frame with your subject
*Adjust your shutter speed until a correct exposure is indicated and then shoot one frame.

Change your aperture one stop, readjust your shutter speed one stop to maintain a correct exposure and shoot one frame.

Continue to change your aperture and shutter speed to maintain a correct exposure.
Depending on your lens you will have no less than 6 different aperture/shutter speed combinations.

You should have a total of at least 12 images to share.

Pick your most creative exposure from both sets. Tell us why you made these selections.
You all are doing so well with this so far. I know that we havn't been able to really cc your photo's because there really wasn't much to see. the biggest thing to understand with the last exersize was that you noticed that when your ISO went down you SS got faster my 1/2 and vise versa.