Journeying into 'manual world'...

Last week I took yet another plunge into photographic 'manual world'. I had volunteered to do a photo-shoot of a dance production at the school I work at.

I discussed this prospect with our performing arts technical expert, the ever-cool, calm and collected Billy. He is a walking photographic wizard, a real fund of experience and a wealth of suggestions. We spoke about the prospect of doing the dance 'shoot' in manual, even to the extent of shooting in RAW.

I tried to be clever, throwing in casual references to shutter speed, aperture settings and ISO sensitivity and the 'exposure triangle'. Like I knew what I was talking about...!

I heard echoes of a very similar conversation I'd had with Dawn Rogers on that one-to-one day we'd had a few Saturdays ago. Same idea, same challenge. Oh dear...

Well, the evening of the dance production came around. I began with looking at what 'automatic' was going to give me - and then took the plunge! And what a difference it made. What a feeling of 'making art'. OK, I didn't go all the way - RAW will have to wait until I have practised the workflow from RAW to the edited image. I wanted to get the photographs to the dance department as quickly as possible. Next time... I promise!

So a huge 'thank you' to Billy! If he knew I was pretending in our initial conversation, then he very graciously didn't let on.

'Automatic' - it's so yesterday...!

Exercise: Higher and lower sensitivity.

Here are the experiments I conducted this morning. I altered the ISO values three or four times for each exposure. The differences are immediately apparent...

As it is late in the evening, I shall return to this exercise tomorrow, with all the data for each image.

The 'learning' goes on: as I know check back on the 'information' tab on Aperture for these images, I see that I was not conscious of the settings for white balance or metering. This is all part of m 'learning journey'...

I shall have another go at shooting these images and being conscious of metering and white balance, as well as the ingredients of the 'exposure triangle'.

ISO 100

ISO 400

ISO 800

ISO 100

ISO 200

ISO 400

ISO 800

ISO 100

ISO 200

ISO 400

ISO 800

ISO 100

ISO 200

ISO 400

ISO 800

ISO 100

ISO 200

ISO 400

ISO 800

Thanks to my mentor...

Just to say 'thank you' to my mentor Tracey. Knowing that I have to 'report' to you every Tuesday morning, with a written account of what I have been up to in my learning, really sharpens my concentration! Without your encouragement and questioning of my motives - I would have given up already!

Rob

Exercise: Higher and lower sensitivity

I have yet to embark on this exercise for real, but, as a preparation, I looked through my recent collection of photographs to see if there were any ranges of images that illustrated the effect of higher and lower sensitivity selection. The ones posted here are the examples I discovered.

The actual photographs were taken a week ago when my good friend Alan and I had the incredible experience of a day's tuition under the guidance of Dawn Rogers, a Northamptonshire-based lecturer and teacher of photography. The focus - yes, the pun is intended! - for me was the whole issue of the 'exposure triangle' and especially the effects of using different apertures settings (this latter item has puzzled me since beginning this course). Alan and I learned so much from our day with this consummate professional and our photography skills have really progressed as a result. Why, at work this week I was able to have a conversation with a colleague, when planning a 'shoot' of a dance production, about using the manual option, selecting different aperture settings, shutter speeds and ISOs, plus shooting in 'RAW'... I nearly convinced myself that I understood it all! So - thank you Dawn for so much learning!

Here is how you learned from someone who knows...!

So the images that follow are just examples for me to learn from - I shall set out in the days ahead to immerse myself in the world of 'higher and lower sensitivity'.

Exercise: Measuring exposure

This exercise has been first real 'plunge' into the scary world of shooting in 'manual'. Previously I was always in the 'automatic' comfort zone and was happy to let the camera do all the hard work. Getting my head round the 'exposure' triangle is quite a leap and I'm not totally there yet. But the work here is helping, as it is enabling me to see what differences are made by each adjustment to the controls of film sensitivity, shutter speed and aperture size.

ISO 1600   f/5   1/80

This photograph is the darker end of a range of shots from  light to dark.

ISO 100   f/9   1/20

This view of a Victorian school's bell is darkened by the snowy weather conditions. The light is diffused  by the clouds at mid-day.

ISO 1250   f/36   1/80

Here is a narrow boat on the Grand Union canal. The photograph is overexposed by means of the ISO setting and the shutter speed.

ISO 100   f/16   1/50

This image of a footbridge is a shade darker than it was in reality, thanks to the aperture setting.

ISO 100   f/16   1/125

I think this close-up scene of foliage is darker than it actually was due to the shutter speed which wasn't open long enough to gather much light.

ISO 100   f/8   1/200

When I have absorbed the concept of the exposure triangle to a greater degree,  I shall be able to decide whether the image is particularly light as a result of the ISO  or the aperture setting. But for now I can only guess..

Here is the series of photographs that show images where the exposure has been deliberately altered from average to darker and lighter on either side of the central setting

1/250

1/320

1/400

1/500

1/640

1/800

1/8

1/10

1/13

1/15

1/20

1/25

1/60

1/80

1/100

1/123

1/160

1/200

1/25

1/100

1/125

1/160

1/200

1/250

2.0s

1.6s

1.3s

1.0s

0.8s

0.8

2.0s

1.0s

0.6s

0.6s

0.5s

0.4000s