Basic Photography

1

Introduction to Photography

Child and her Mother - Dorthea Lange

2

Photography is Art created by

Light!

Multiple Choice

Photography is Art created by Camera

• True

• False

3

What is Photography?

Photography is an art form like

drawing and painting.

Photographers use their camera
to make us see life in a different
way, feel emotions, and record

stories and events.

Fill in the Blanks

use their camera
to make us see life in a different
way, feel emotions, and record stories and events.

4

How a Camera works…

When the shutter of a camera is opened, light passes through the lens
and onto the film. The film is covered with chemicals that create a
pattern of light on the film. This becomes the negative.

Notice the inverted
(upside-down) tree.

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6

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There are three basic styles of

photography.

Landscape
Portrait

Documentary

Multiple Choice

How many type of basic photography are there?

• 1

• 4

• 2

• 3

8

Landscape

Landscape is a

photograph of the
environment. It could be
the forest, mountains,
oceans, or your backyard.
Ansel Adams is a famous
landscape photographer.
Here is one of his
images.

9

Here is another of Ansel Adams

Photographs

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What is Landscape Photography?

Landscape photography is a
photograph of the outdoors.

It could be of the land,

water, or buildings.

11

What do you see in your
landscape photograph?

12

Portrait Photography

Portrait photography is a photo

of a person or animal.

It is important to show an
emotion.

Holding Virgina - Sally Mann

Scared

Angry

Other…

What is the emotion shown in
this photo?

13

Different Portrait Styles

Rubenesque - Keith Carter

Lukasz Holma, Poland - Lauren Bacall

Can you compare and contrast these photographs?

How are they similar? How are they different?

14

The Dress - Sally Mann

Boy and Car, New York City - Jerome Liebling, 1949

More Portraits

Portraits can be the whole body.

15

What is Portrait Photography?

A portrait photograph is a picture of a person
or animal that shows an emotional connection.

16

What are some ways you can
make a portrait photograph
creative and different from

everyone else?

17

Documentary

Documentary

photography presents
facts without changing
anything.

Good documentary

photographs make you
wonder what the story is
behind the photograph.

Migrant Mother - Dorthea Lange

18

What are the stories in these photos?

19

Where do you find documentary

photographs?

Newspaper

Magazines

Internet

Books

20

Documentary photographs can be either landscape or portrait.

Dante’s View - 1938 Edward Weston

Which photo shows a portrait, and which shows a landscape?

Portrait
Landscape

21

What is Documentary

Photography?

Documentary Photography tells a story without changing
the facts.

Remember that a good documentary photograph makes you
wonder what the story is behind the picture!

It can be a portrait or landscape.

22

What stories can you tell with

your camera?

Multiple Choice

____ photography presents
facts without changing
anything.

• Landscape

• Portrait

• Documentary

Multiple Choice

____ photography is a photo a person or animal.

• Landscape

• Portrait

• Documentary

Multiple Choice

____ photography photograph of the
environment.

• Landscape

• Portrait

• Documentary

23

Contrast

Contrast refers to the

brightness between
the light and shadow
areas of a picture.

Does this photograph have contrast?

Mapplethorpe, Orchid and Leaf in White Vase 1982

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Does it have contrast? What direction is

the light on the trees coming from?

Alfred Stieglitz - Icy Night, 1893

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What is Contrast?

Contrast is the difference between light and shadow.

Think about a flashlight in a dark room.

Don’t think about zebras or pianos!

LIGHTS

SHADO
WS

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Rule of Thirds

A photo is more interesting if the subject is NOT directly in the
center. Try placing your subject 1/3 to the left or right, or 1/3
from top or bottom.

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Which photograph do you find more interesting?

WHY?

One photograph uses rule of thirds and the other uses central focus.

Central Focus

Rule of Thirds

28

Point of View

Try selecting and unusual point of view.

Where was the photographer standing for each picture?

Eye Level

Above

Below

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Proximity

Don’t be shy! Get close to your subject.

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are tools to help you MASTER

the art of photography.

Contrast, Rule of Thirds,
Point of View, and Proximity

Multiple Choice

A photo is more interesting if the subject is NOT directly in the
center.

• Contrast

• Rule of Thirds

• Point of View

• Proximity

Multiple Choice

Eye level, Above, and below is an example of:

• Contrast

• Rule of Thirds

• Point of View

• Proximity

Multiple Choice

Don’t be shy! Get close to your subject.

• Contrast

• Rule of Thirds

• Point of View

• Proximity

Multiple Choice

Is the difference between light and shadow.

• Contrast

• Rule of Thirds

• Point of View

• Proximity

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“One should really use the camera as though

tomorrow you'd be stricken blind.”

-Dorthea Lange