Beginner Photography Lessons - Lesson 3

Beginner Photography Lesson 3 –

Part one: White on White

For lesson three we will be going over a style of photography that conveys a feeling of lightness and clarity.  White on white.  Typically what happens is the camera wants to make the white of the photo dark to balance the exposure, this can make your photo too dark and your whites become gray.  When you photos are dark you want to boost your exposure, however this than washes out your whites.

With a camera meter, you can measure the light hitting a white are and open up the aperture from F11 to F5.6.

In the class we will put a large piece of white paper on a table, placing a white object in the middle. 

First, take the shot with the exposure the camera meter suggests.

Second, take another shot opening up the two stops, as described at the top of this page (With a camera meter, you can measure the light hitting a white are and open up the aperture from F11 to F5.6.)

Third, compare images.

This is a great skill to understand as a Vermonter with all the snow and overcast days we have in the winter.

Part two:  Black on Black

Shooting dark on dark can be hard because the cameral will try to lighten the image, making the image look washed out.

For this exercise you will need a dark cloth or paper and a dark object. 

First do the same that you did for the white on white, shoot the image with the exposure the camera suggests.

Second, take another image changing your aperture settings.

Compare images.