Lets get started

First of all I will be looking in depth at aperture, shutter speed and the rule of thirds.


Rule of thirds


1The basic principle behind the rule of thirds is to imagine breaking an image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that you have 9 parts.
1 (http://www.digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds)

This grid can now be seen on many digital cameras, but you can also visualise it without and LCD display.


From the article I have read I understand that the idea behind the rule of thirds is to create a composition that the human eye will scan naturally since we do not focus directly in the centre of an image we look at, it makes sense to put points of interest on the marked intersections.


further on in the article it also mentions that it is good practice to place horizons on the grid line instead of at random height in the photograph.


These are all things I will bear in mind when I am taking photographs for my essay.


Apertures


The aperture controls the iris of the lens, a larger number means the iris is closed more and a smaller number means the iris is more open.


Photographers can use the to adjust the amount of exposure they get in a photograph, it can be used to create moody scene or over exposed images.


Shutter Speed


Similar to aperture shutter speed can also affect the over all exposure of an image but it can also be used to create a sense of motion, If a slow shutter speed is set and the photographer pans the camera as he shoots then the image will come out with a horizontal blur.


This can also be a draw back, if a slow shutter speed is needed for a photo but no blur is intended then the photographer will have to use a tripod or steady surface to rest the camera on, This is to try and reduce camera shake.


Depth of Field


2Depth of field refers to the range of distance that appears acceptably sharp. It varies depending on camera type, aperture and focusing distance, although print size and viewing distance can also influence our perception of depth of field.


2 (http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/depth-of-field.htm)


I can use depth of field in my project to distinguish textures from their backgrounds.


So from this research I have learnt a few skills to make my images look that bit more professional, I found the rule of thirds really interesting because I can apply it to all design work I do.