Photography Fundamentals

Use a box, a transparency paper, and tapes to create a camera obscura.
Bring it to class next time.

Use a potato chip can or a sheet holder. Can you make the sensor movable?

Use your camera menu to set the following:
01 Format your memory card
02 Set the date and time
03 Select the language
04 Choose a video system
05 Set the LCD brightness
06 Select file formats, image size, and image quality
07 Choose a color space

01 Use automatic mode to shoot some images
02 Use the flash off mode to shoot some more pictures
03 Experiment with viewing, locking, rotating, and erasing few or all images
04 Remove your memory card and use a PC to view your images
05 Use Adobe Photoshop to open RAW images as 16 bit files
06 Check image size, color space, and color settings
07 Save as PSD, TIFF, PNG, or JPEG

Use a long space to arrange few cards as shown.

Use Av mode and shoot pictures to experiment with various F-Stops and notice how they affect depth of field.
Experiment how zoom in and zoom out affect the depth of field.
If you have a telephoto lens, use it to understand how it affects depth of field.
Lock the zoom on a target card and then change the view to encompass all cards and shoot
Move close to the first card and shoot it

Repeat the previous exercise but using people such as your classmates or friends.

Move close to the subject that is away from the background and take a photo.
Move away from the subject and take a photo.
Place people in front and behind the subject at various distances and take a photo.
Try various lenses and F-Stops.

Visit a sports event or come to ETC Dbayeh where kids play basketball.

Cleanup your lenses and charge your batteries.
Use Portrait mode to photograph the players one by one, against bright backgrounds.
Photograph them against dark backgrounds.
Zoom in on them. Zoom out. Move close to them. Move away.
Photograph them close to the background.
Move them away from the background.

Try the Close-up mode to shoot lemons, flowers, etc...
Try to shoot close-ups using the telephoto lens.

When they play, change to the Sports mode.
Try the burst mode to capture the action.
Use the wide angle lens using various focal length to cpature the scene.
Try the Landscape mode.

Use the P mode to capture the actions using low ISO.
Use the P mode to capture the actions using high ISO.
In P mode, try various F-Stops and Shutter speed by using the dial.
If it gets dark, try the night portrait mode.

Try the CA mode using various Styles, Blurring, burst modes, and Flash settings.
Open your RAW files with Adobe Photoshop and experiment with color temperature and exposure.

Visit a Horse Riding Club with a friend rider.

Cleanup your lenses and charge your batteries.
Use a preset white balance that matches the environment.
Use a wide angle lens to capture the landscape.
Use a telephoto lens with Av mode to capture the rider mounting the horse.
Use Tv mode to capture the moving horse.
Raise the ISO mode to speed up the shutter.
Experiment with various metering modes.

Experiment with burst mode.
Experiment with different Drive modes.
Experiment with One Shot and AI Servo focusing.
Experiment with AI Servo focusing.
Experiment with AF-ON to focus on the moving horse.
Experiment with different AF modes

Open your RAW files with Adobe Photoshop and experiment with color temperature and exposure.

On a roof top or a wedding evening reception with low lighting try the following.

Cleanup your lenses and charge your batteries.
Use a tripod and remote control for most of the night.
Use a white paper or large white object to set custom white balance.
Use night portrait to photograph few people.

Use a wide angle lens with night landscape preset to photograph the scene.
Use a prime lens 28mm and 50mm to capture people.
Use the built-in flash to photograph people less than 5 meters away.
Experiment increasing decreasing the flash power

Photograph actions such as dancing or moving people using Tv mode with high ISO.
Try the Manual mode.

Try shooting moving cars on the street with slow shutter speed.
Try the Bulb mode. Time how many seconds to capture a good photo of the sky, moon, stars, etc...

Open your RAW files with Adobe Photoshop and experiment with color temperature and exposure.

Take a young relative cartings.

Cleanup your lenses and charge your batteries.
Set the white balance.
Use a wide angle lens and Manual mode to cpature the scene.

Use a telephoto lens with Av mode to capture the young boy or girl getting ready.
Use a wide aperture + zoom in to capture narrow field of views.
Try small aperutre + zoom out to get sharp backgrounds.

Use the Tv mode to photograph the moving carts.
Increase the ISO to speed up the shutter speed.

Open your RAW files with Adobe Photoshop and experiment with color temperature and exposure.

The first wedding you attend, try the following:

Cleanup your lenses and charge your batteries.
Take with you a 28mm and a 50mm prime lenses. Also take a zoom lens 18-135mm.
Take extra memory cards and if possible a backup camera
Set the white balance.
Indoor set the ISO to 1,000
Take photos using calibration cards
If you image colrs are tilted toward yellow, use color brackets to shift them toward blue.
Select desired focusing method.
Select a metering method. To Foucs on the bride wherever she stands, use the Spot Metering method.

Use the Manual mode to take photos with your lenses.
If the photographer is using a strobe, ask them what should be the white balance (Daylight).
Try to take photos with sharp backgrounds.
Try to take photos with blurry backgrounds.

Try exposure brackets to take multiple shots: Standard, underexposed, overexposed.
Switch to Video mode and shoot many videos.
If your camera is capable of 4K videos and 50 frames per second, use these settings to shoot your videos.

Open your RAW files with Adobe Photoshop and experiment with color temperature and exposure.
Open your video files with Adobe Premiere and create a simple sequence with few transitions.

You are invited to spend a day at ETC farm resort.

Cleanup your lenses and charge your batteries.
Take all your equipment, lenses, tripods, calibration cards, etc... You may borrow lenses and tripods from your instructor.
Prepare a plan on what kind of photos you want to take.
Experiment shooting sceneries, people, and animals using various techniques.

Focus on using the Manual, Tv, and Av modes.
Shoot videos.

Open your RAW files with Adobe Photoshop and experiment with color temperature and exposure.
Open your video files with Adobe After Effects and create a simple composition.