Shutter Speeds & Front/Side Lighting- Lesson 2

We continued from last week, experimenting with different shutter speeds. This time we used a torch to draw shapes, on a slower shutter speed, so that we could see the shape that had been drawn. We also took pictures, where there was side or frontal lighting, to see what it looked like.



Shutter Speed: 1/40

This image captures Chloe doing a star jump. I set the shutter speed to 1/40. The quality of the image is not that good, as the motion blur does not look effective, and if anything, spoils the picture. I think the motion blur has been created, as I haven't kept the camera still. The photo also has a low contrast ratio, and there is poor framing as the subject is too far away. To solve these problems, I could set the shutter speed a bit faster to lessen the effects of the motion blur , but increase the ISO speed so that the image has a slightly higher contrast ratio. I could have also zoomed in, or got closer to Chloe, so that the image is more focussed on her.

Shutter Speed: 1"

This image captures Chloe drawing a heart with a torch. I set the shutter speed to 1" so that I could capture her drawing the whole shape. The quality of the image is quite good, but there is poor framing as parts of the shape have been cut off. I also think the picture would have looked better if it was taken portrait instead of landscape. To solve the framing problem I could have got slightly further away from the subject or zoomed out slightly.

This image captures Chloe outside, with light coming from the sun, which acts as frontal lighting. I took this on the auto setting as we were just focussing on the lighting coming in from the front. Frontal ligting is lighting that is above the subject or face on to the subject, and it can emphasise annd soften female features. I think this is quite a good quality image, but I could have got a bit more of Chloe's body in it.

This image captures Chloe outside, again with light coming from the sun, but this time it acts as side lighting. Side lighting is light that is shone on the side of the subject, and can often connotate a darker side to someone. However, it better accentuates the features of males rather than females, mainly being the jawline. Again, this was taken on the auto setting, but i think it could have had a higher ISO setting, in the hope that the contrast ratio becomes higher, as this photo doesn't look very colourful.

Targets for next lesson are:

• Review images as and when I take them, and take another if necessary
• Again to experiment with ISO speeds more.
• Experiment with manual focus also

Shutter Speeds- Lesson 1

Shutter speeds determine the amount of light let in by the shutter of a camera. Shutter speeds let different amounts of light in by setting different times for the shutters to open and close. There are both fast and slow shutter speeds, and these are used for different purposes. In a dark environment, you would use a slow shutter speed, so more light would be let in. In a lighter environment, you would use a faster shutter speed, otherwise the picture would be too light.
A slow shutter speed would also create an effective motion blur, whereas a fast shutter speed would work better to capture a freeze frame.



Shutter Speed: 1/25

This image captures Chloe jumping. I set the camera to a shutter speed of 1/25 so that I could capture chloe when she was in the air.  The quality of the image is not really that good, as there is motion blur which doesn't look very good, and the lighting conditions are also poor, so the photo is underexposed. To solve these problems I could set the camera to a slower shutter speed so that more light is let into the camera, and the motion blur would  look more effective.



Shutter Speed: 1/250

This image captures Chloe walking. The camera was set to a shutter speed of 1/250. I set the camera to this so that I could capture a freeze frame of her walking. Again, the image is underexposed, and the image is close-framed because of the water feature. To solve the underexposure problem, I could increase the ISO speed of the camera. Next time, I would also take the picture in a different place so that Chloe doesn't look so close framed.



My targets for next time are to:

• Review images as and when I take them, and take another if appropriate.
• Record shutter speed times more accurately
• Experiment with ISO speeds more
• Experiment with auto/manual focus
• Think about the weather, before I take pictures