Introductory talk about photography, to the members of the IESE Photography Club. Talk given on May 31, 2010.

1. Photo Talk #1 - Introduction And a few tips on vacation photography before the summer break…

2. IESE Photo Club says hi! Welcome to the first (and last) photo talk of the academic year. Our goal is to strengthen the IESE photographic community through fun and enriching activities.

3. IESE Photo Club says hi! Lots of fun stuff awaits you during the next year: Many photo talks: Make the most out of your mobile phone camera Camera buying guide Into the nitty gritty of your camera menus Photographic workshops (sports, food, outdoors, etc.) Light An industry outlook (main players, stakeholders, legal challenges, Porter’s 5 forces)

4. IESE Photo Club says hi! Many photo walks: We can talk the talk, and we will also walk the walk. Get to know Barcelona through the lens. Photo competitions Events’ coverage DGDW Spring Games Parties

5. What’s on today’s menu? Basic operational concepts: How does a camera work and what’s resolution? The Triangle! Composition Several rules of thumb. A few things to think about when taking pictures over the summer break.

8. Let there be light! With no light, there’s no picture. There are different things that affect photography lighting. Next year we can dedicate a full session to each one. However, you want to have your coffee before class, so let’s just quickly go through their characteristics:

9. Stuff that has to do with light Shutter Speed

10. Shutter Speed The longer the shutter is open, the more light comes in. Most cameras allow for speeds between 1/8,000 of a second and 30 seconds or more.

11. Shutter Speed The Tradeoff – movement blur! Shaking hands can ruin the picture. The solution to this problem – tripod + self timer or remote. Rule of thumb – for speeds under 1/60 of a second, use a tripod, as the shaking of your hands might be noticeable.

12. Shutter Speed A 30 seconds long exposure around midnight using a remote and a tripod.

13. Shutter Speed The Tradeoff – movement blur! Sometimes we want to take pictures of moving things! We will either try to keep either the background or the subject sharp – this way it is obvious that the blur was intentional. How do we make sure that the subject is sharp? Follow the movement with the camera for a few moments before clicking the shutter button.

14. Shutter Speed Sharp object, blurry background: Exposure time: 1/15 of a second

15. Shutter Speed Sharp object, blurry background: It’s not always easy to get the subject sharp enough… Exposure time: 1/5 of a second

16. Shutter Speed Sharp background, blurry object:

17. Shutter Speed Sharp background, blurry object:

18. Shutter Speed Sharp background, blurry object:

19. Shutter Speed Sharp background, blurry object:

20. Shutter Speed Sharp background, blurry object:

21. Shutter Speed Sharp background, blurry object:

22. Shutter Speed More examples of the tradeoff:

23. Stuff that has to do with light Shutter Speed (Motion Blur)

24. Stuff that has to do with light Aperture Shutter Speed (Motion Blur)

25. Aperture The larger the shutter opens, the more light comes in. The aperture is a feature of the lens (also called f-number). The smaller the number, the bigger the aperture.

26. Aperture The tradeoff – Depth of Field (DoF)! Think of the depth of your frame as a salami. When focusing, you choose one slice of salami to focus on, and all the slices before and behind the slice in focus will be out of focus. The aperture actually decides how thick the salami slice would be.

27. Aperture High f-number = Small aperture = Thick salami slice Low f-number = Large aperture = Thin salami slice

28. Aperture Low f-number = Large aperture = Thin salami slice High f-number = Small aperture = Thick salami slice

29. Aperture Control over the DoF allows us to “isolate” our object from the background:

30. Aperture Cool thing about small apertures (high f-number) – makes small light sources shine like stars:

31. Stuff that has to do with light If we want to “freeze” the subject but there’s not enough light, we can use larger apertures, taking into account that we’ll get a shallower depth of field. If we want more depth in focus, we’ll need a longer exposure (slow shutter speed), taking into account we will need to stabilize the camera. Aperture Shutter Speed (Motion Blur) (Depth of Field)

32. Stuff that has to do with light Aperture Shutter Speed (Motion Blur) (Depth of Field) ISO

33. ISO The higher the ISO, the more light comes in. A value of the sensitivity of the sensor to light.

34. ISO The tradeoff – noise / grain! ISO 80 ISO 800 ISO 1600

35. ISO A major difference between different camera models, is the quality of the noise reduction performed by the camera’s processor. At the same ISO level, newer and better cameras deliver less noisy results:

36. ISO One solution is to embrace the noise, and leverage on the “romanticism” in the old look and feel of the image. Edit the image into black and white and see if it helps.

37. Stuff that has to do with light Aperture Shutter Speed (Motion Blur) (Depth of Field) ISO (Noise)

38. How about artificially adding light to the scene? Use whatever light sources which yield the desired outcome. Sometimes, you might discover them by surprise… Image lit using a car…

39. How about artificially adding light to the scene? Try to reduce the use of flash (especially if the flash is built into the camera, and can’t be detached from it). On-camera flash is usually difficult to control: too strong gives way-too cold colors freezes movement drops harsh shadows behind the subject ruins the atmosphere of the scene and the authenticity of the image. There are techniques for properly using flash, but those are a bit more advanced, so we’ll save them for next year. During this summer – AVOID USING YOUR FLASH AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE!

40. How about artificially adding light to the scene? Imagine this picture using an on-camera flash… Let’s try to use what we’ve learned in the previous slides: Slow shutter (long exposure) – for the movement effect of the dress. High f-number (small aperture) – to make sure the guitar player is also in focus. High ISO - as the aperture is high, little light comes in through the shutter, and we need more sensor sensitivity – we get more noise, so we try b/w.

41. Some final points about light - backlight We’ve been taught that we better keep the light source (usually the sun) behind us, to make sure that our subject is well lit (camera between light source and subject). Here are a few examples showing the benefit of placing the subject between the camera and the light source. FACE THE LIGHT!

42. Some final points about light - backlight

43. Some final points about light - backlight

44. Some final points about light - backlight

45. Some final points about light - backlight

46. Some final points about light - backlight

47. Some final points about light – sidelight Light is also cool coming from the side (through doors and windows):

48. Some final points about light – Magic Hour The Magic hour – 15 minutes, twice a day. Just after sunrise, and just before sunset. Always better at dawn (the air is cleaner). What’s so magical about it? The natural light (from the sun), is as intense as the artificial light (street lights, cars, etc). For portraits – noon is the worst, as it drops harsh shadows on the face (below the eyes, under the nose, and on the neck), as the light comes from above. Less people walking in the street – no interference in your frame.

49. Some final points about light – Magic Hour These colors and crispiness in the air can only be seen at dawn…

50. Composing the image Rule of thirds: It’s intuitive for our eyes to be led to the intersection of thirds in the frame:

51. Composing the image Rule of thirds: You can try using actual lines in the frame to point the “thirds” (in this case, the colors the door and windows).

52. Composing the image Rule of thirds: You can try using actual lines in the frame to mark the “thirds” (in this case, the strip of light).

53. Composing the image How do these images make you feel?

54. Composing the image Head space: The image works better when there is “room” towards the direction of the subject’s look.

55. Composing the image Head space:

56. Composing the image Head space:

57. Composing the image Head space:

58. Composing the image Head space: not only with people!

59. Composing the image Combine the head space with the rule of thirds:

60. Composing the image Angles: Try 3 different angles before actually pressing the button, and choose the most interesting one. Try the ant-view for some different perspective:

61. Composing the image Angles, framing and everything we’ve mentioned so far. Trying different things is crucial to turn a banality into something interesting. Here are some examples:

62. Composing the image What’s this?

63. Composing the image What’s this?

65. Make sure we can see the tower to the top.

66. Or just zoom on part of it. We’ll know it’s the Eiffel…

71. Composing the image No need to show the entire thing to make us realize what it is… Magic hour, rule of thirds – see them at work!

72. Composing the image No need to show the entire thing to make us realize what it is… Oh, but why take the picture at noon… ?

73. Composing the image Stuff popping out of people’s heads again…

74. Composing the image Standing too far away from the camera. Don’t be afraid. It won’t bite. And yes, if you don’t show up at sunrise, there will always be someone in your frame…

75. Composing the image Sometimes you need more than just the rule of thirds…

76. Composing the image Break the circle of banalities:

77. Composing the image Break the circle of banalities: Vs.

78. Telling the story Make your album interesting! Photo selection Avoid displaying many similar pictures. Force yourself to choose the best (unless the series has an impact as a whole). With practice, force yourself to shoot less (click the button after inspecting different angles and CHOOSING one). Choose a theme for your album. Think like a photo-journalist: Opener Cover Double spread Portraits and landscapes.

79. Telling the story Make your album interesting! Photo selection Probably good pictures, but not an exciting album to look at…

80. Telling the story Make your album interesting! Choose a theme:

81. Telling the story Make your album interesting! Choose a theme:

82. Telling the story Make your album interesting! Choose a theme:

83. Telling the story Make your album interesting! Choose a theme:

84. Telling the story Make your album interesting! Choose a theme:

85. Telling the story Make your album interesting! Have some fun

86. Telling the story Make your album interesting! Have some fun

87. Telling the story Make your album interesting! Have some fun

88. Telling the story Make your album interesting! Have some fun

89. Telling the story Make your album interesting! Have some fun

90. Telling the story Make your album interesting! Have some fun

91. Key takeaways The most important things to remember: The triangle of tradeoffs controlling the light. Don’t use flash. Face the light. Wake up early. Rule of thirds and head space. Try different angles before taking the picture. Tell a story – magazine article approach. Picture selection for the album.

92. Final words and then coffee… Enjoy your summer (and your exchange)! Take nice pictures! Share them online (and let us know where we can find them)! See you next term!