THE ART OF SEEING with Pete Longworth

THE ART OF SEEING:

INTRODUCTION TO
PHOTOGRAPHY
with PETE LONGWORTH

A foundational course introducing The Art of Seeing,

the fundamentals of photography,
and basic camera operations.

THE ART OF SEEING: INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOGRAPHY

All notes © petelongworth.com
THE ART OF SEEING with Pete Longworth

Photography is about seeing.

Photography is about noticing the beauty in everyday. It is about being aware of light, reflections,
perspective and colour; of moments present, and approaching. It is the observation of people,
their idiosyncrasies, and their interactions with their environment.

Photography is about finding the delightful details that are always present, yet are rarely
acknowledged. It is finding the splendour in the mundane, and the extraordinary in the ordinary.

Then, and only then, does the wonderful world of learning to capture what you are seeing
become remotely relevant.

THE ART OF SEEING: INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOGRAPHY

All notes © petelongworth.com
THE ART OF SEEING with Pete Longworth

THE MAGIC WORDS

If you retain nothing more than the following three words, your photography will improve out of
sight - Light, Subject and Composition. These magic words are the fundamental aspects that
guide every element of all my photography. Consider them every time you press the shutter and
enjoy watching your photography improve exponentially...

Light
Beautiful light will make anything look divine, and it will make you look light a photographic
magician. Firstly, consider the time of day that you photograph - pre-dawn, sunrise, sunset and
dusk are amazing times to take pictures.

Drag your subject out of bed, or tempt them with wine and the end of the day. Also, think about
using direct midday sunlight, it will create honest and contrasty images. Fire up some candles,
turn on the car headlights, shine a torch or move a lamp. Play with backlight and silhouettes.
Enjoy the soft light on cloudy days.

Considering and experimenting with light is the single most beneficial thing you can do for your
photography - and its fun!

Subject
Second to the light, is your subject - person, place or thing. An engaging subject, landscape,
building or object will help create a captivating image. Take time and explore, find a sweet or rare
location. Ask permission for places, ask friends for their time, borrow cars, steal toys or hijack
heirlooms.

If shooting people, this section encompasses the mood of your subject - consider, manage or
control this. Dragging a child, friend, model or mother through an arduous shoot experience will
earn little satisfaction, for you or them. If you want a fun feeling in your photos, create a fun
experience, and please, please... don’t think that your subject will enjoy the event if you don’t!

Composition
Once you’ve found beautiful light, a sweet location and created the right mood, now consider the
composition and framing of the photograph. Composition controls the manner in which you look
around an image.

Cropping, subject placement, colour and object alignment will all have significant affects on how
your image is viewed. Consider using leading lines to guide the eye directly to your subject.
Create depth in the image by using foreground and background, or simplify the whole scene by
using a plain wall.

Composition is a very important factor that will provide the final touches to help you convey a
message in your image - it’s a very good idea to be trying to say something - even if it is as simple
as happy girl by a pretty lake. Know what you are trying say and use everything you can to help
accentuate your idea.

THE ART OF SEEING: INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOGRAPHY

All notes © petelongworth.com
THE ART OF SEEING with Pete Longworth

LIGHTING

Direct Sunlight

In Australia, we are blessed with a very unique quality of light - it’s harsh and it’s bright! It’s not
the most flattering light, but by making the most of it, we can create striking imagery that folks in
parts of Europe can only dream of. Portraits or objects shot in direct light have a very contrasty
look with bright colours and heavy shadows.

Shade or Cloudy

Shade or a cloudy day brings another delightful quality of light - softness. With little contrast and
few shadows, the image is left with a flat, but gentle aesthetic. With a hint of directional shadow,
this is great light source for portraiture.

Backlighting

This is one of my favourite light sources. It entails placing the subject between the camera and
the primary light source. Depending on your angle and framing, you will acquire silhouetted
images or have uncontrollable flare bouncing directly into the lens - creating a very dynamic look.

Flash

The easiest way to add light to your image is to use your camera’s flash. This is not always the
most pleasing light source, but it can be used to great affect. Consider placing things across your
flash for varying results - cellophane, tracing paper, your t-shirt, or even your finger. These tricks
will reduce the power of the flash, soften it, or change its colour.

Some creative applications of flash include:

• Forced flash with a backlit subject - this is a fantastic way to shoot portraiture. It provides a
bright background scene while keeping your subject nicely lit.

• Slow Sync Flash - this is great for parties and night time scenes. It will add a little flavour by
creating blur in the image, yet keeping the flashed subject still and sharp.

Creative Lighting

Get creative... torches, camping headlights, car lights, lamps and candles all provide a very unique
and fun source of light. These will work best with cameras that perform well in low light, but the
happy accidents that arrive during the trying will keep you more than interested.

THE ART OF SEEING: INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOGRAPHY

All notes © petelongworth.com
THE ART OF SEEING with Pete Longworth

COMPOSITION

These basic rules are the building blocks of composition. The aim here is to create a visually
compelling photograph. The trick of the photographer is to arrange the elements to allow the
photograph to tell the story as they would like it to be told. It is true that a photograph is worth a
thousand words, and photographers are the ones that write them!

The Rule of Thirds

The basic principle behind the rule of thirds is to imagine breaking an image down into thirds -
both horizontally and vertically... By placing points of interest along these lines your photo
becomes more balanced and will enable a viewer of the image to interact with it more naturally.

For landscapes, place the horizon line along either the top or the bottom third. The way to
determine which line you should place the horizon on, is to simply decide whether you want to
emphasize the sky or the foreground, and then give the majority of the frame to that component.

When you combine the horizontal and vertical, you obtain four very important intersections. On
one of these points is where you should place the main point of interest or the subject.

When taking any photograph, ask yourself... what are the points of interest in this shot? Then be
sure to intentionally place them on a line or intersection relevant to the Rule of Thirds.

THE ART OF SEEING: INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOGRAPHY

All notes © petelongworth.com
THE ART OF SEEING with Pete Longworth

COMPOSITION CONTINUED

Keep the compositional rules in mind as you edit your photos later on. Post production editing
tools today have good options for cropping and reframing images so that they fit within the rules.
Experiment with some of your old shots to see what impact it might have on your photos.

Other Compositional Elements to consider when taking or editing your photographs include...

Find a Clear Center of Interest

Self explanatory. Find something that captures you eye. Try to avoid distracting objects or
shadows.

Fill the Frame

I think Robert Capa, a WWII photojournalist said it best, when he said, "If you're pictures are not
good enough, then you're probably not close enough." Get the subject into the frame so there is
no doubt what the photo is all about.

Leading Lines

This is an ideal way to guide your viewer into the depth of your image. Roads, fences or a line of
people are a great way to lead the eye towards the background of your image.

Create Depth

Consider including foreground and background elements. Also, use the aperture to create depth.
Make objects in front and behind your subject a little out of focus. This will provide the effect that
isolates the subject from the background and focuses attention on the subject.

Light and Dark

Basically light tones advance while dark tones retreat. Most people look at the lighter portions of a
photograph first.

Framing

This is the use of elements in the foreground to frame the object in focus. These may include
window frames, trees, hands or held objects.

Lines

Vertical lines emphasize power, strength, and height.

Horizontal lines express stability and width.
Diagonal lines express dynamic energy.
Curving lines express sensuality.

THE ART OF SEEING: INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOGRAPHY

All notes © petelongworth.com
THE ART OF SEEING with Pete Longworth

COMPOSITION CONTINUED

Depth of Field (DOF)

Depth of field is a characteristic of a camera that can be used to enhance the image composition
of the photo. DOF refers to the section of a photograph that appears to be in sharp focus.

In some cases, generally landscape photography, it is desirable to have the entire image sharp, and
a large DOF is appropriate. In other cases, portraiture or macro, a small DOF may be more
effective, emphasizing the subject while de-emphasizing the foreground and background with
blur.

The DOF is determined by the camera-to-subject distance, the lens focal length, the lens
aperture, and the format size.

• The closer the subject to the camera, the more shallow the depth of field.
• The longer the focal length, the more shallow the depth of field.
• The larger the aperture (smaller the F-number), the more shallow the depth of field.

THE ART OF SEEING: INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOGRAPHY

All notes © petelongworth.com
THE ART OF SEEING with Pete Longworth

BASIC CAMERA OPERATIONS

• Automatic (Auto)

This is your default setting for digital cameras. This setting automatically sets the
camera’s flash and focus by using the normal, average exposure settings. Nothing
fancy, but consistent.

• Lightning (Flash)

This controls the flash setting. Generally it includes...

Auto Flash - Camera determines when the flash will fire

Flash On - Forces the flash to fire when the shutter is released
Flash Off - Forces the flash to remain off
Red Eye Reduction - Fires a pre-flash to minimize the amount of red light reflected
in the eyes

• Flower (Close-up or Macro)

The macro function allows you to shoot objects very close-up and still maintain
focus. For subjects closer than 50cm-ish... this is great for flowers, bugs, small
details, finger tips, toes and eyes.

• Portrait

Use this when photographing people and faces. It minimizes the depth of field by
blurring out the background a greater sense of focus on your subject’s face.

• Landscape

Use this setting when photographing distant subjects or landscapes. It will maximize
your depth of field and provide focus across the whole scene. Best not to use flash
with this setting.

• Running Man (Sport Mode)

This is the best setting for moving subjects that you would like to freeze in action. It
sets the shutter speed on your camera its fastest setting.

• Night Portrait

This is a personal favourite... it is for portraits or subjects shot in low light or at

night. It fires the flash to illuminate your main subject and uses an extended shutter
speed to draw as much ambient light as possible from the scene. Try pressing the
shutter to release the flash and then moving the camera around while it exposes -
you will have a ball creating some crazy blurry portraits.

THE ART OF SEEING: INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOGRAPHY

All notes © petelongworth.com
THE ART OF SEEING with Pete Longworth

EXPOSURE MODES

Exposure Mode determines how the camera sets shutter speed and aperture when adjusting
exposure. There are generally four modes available...

• Manual (M)

Gives you complete control over the camera’s aperture and shutter speed. This is ideal but takes
plenty of brain-space to complete successfully.

• Aperture-Priority Auto (A)

This is where you manually set the camera’s aperture and allow the camera to automatically
control the shutter speed for you. By doing so you control the amount of focus in the image.

• Shutter-Priority Auto (S)

Here you manually set the shutter speed and allow the camera to control the aperture. This is
ideal when controlling movement in the scene is your primary goal.

• Programmed Auto (P)

Simply auto mode for the SLR (Single Lens Reflex). The camera will automatically determine the
aperture and shutter speed to average exposure settings.

THE ART OF SEEING: INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOGRAPHY

All notes © petelongworth.com
THE ART OF SEEING with Pete Longworth

CREATIVE OPTIONS...

EXPOSURE COMPENSATION (+/-)

Exposure compensation is a technique for adjusting the exposure indicated by a camera’s light
meter. Compensation can be either positive (additional exposure) or negative (reduced exposure).

You may wish to adjust the exposure compensation purely for creative preferences or due to
unusual lighting distribution - direct sunlight with backlighting or sunset, highly reflective
surfaces (snow), or due to larger areas of light and dark within the image.

EXPOSURE BRACKETING

In many cases, I would recommend bracketing your exposures either manually or using the AEB
(Auto Exposure Bracketing) function if your camera has it. This technique is particularly helpful
with difficult to expose scenes and it simply involves capturing an image over (brighter) and under
(darker) of the recommended exposure.

SLOW SHUTTER SPEEDS

A slightly slower shutter speed will allow you to introduce an element of blur, either in the
subject, where the fastest moving element in the frame might be blurred while the rest remains
sharp; or if the camera is panned to follow a moving subject, the background is blurred while the
subject remains sharp.

ZOOM BURSTS

Zoom Burst is a technique which entails the variation of the focal length of a zoom lens during a
longer exposure. In the moment that the shutter is opened, the lens is zoomed in, changing the
focal length during the exposure. The center of the image remains sharp, while the details away
from the center form a radial blur, which causes a strong visual effect, forcing the eye into the
center of the image.

THE ART OF SEEING: INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOGRAPHY

All notes © petelongworth.com
THE ART OF SEEING with Pete Longworth

WHITE BALANCE

White Balance refers to the colour temperature of light. Depending on the source, the light will
appear to have a colour cast of warm orange tones or cooler blue tones...

• Houselights and candles create warm glowing light rich with yellow and orange tones.
• Flash or midday sunlight is considered neutral or as being a white light.
• Shadows, overcast days and night time are all cool light sources containing varying blue tones.

By adjusting the camera’s white balance you have considerable control over the mood of your
images. The simple act of warming or cooling an image will portray very different feelings and by
experimenting in-camera, you can very simply improve your photography.

Cameras will generally provide the following options for controlling your white balance...

THE ART OF SEEING: INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOGRAPHY

All notes © petelongworth.com
THE ART OF SEEING with Pete Longworth

EXPOSURE

The quantity of light reaching a photographic film or sensor. This is determined by the brightness
of the scene, ISO, shutter speed and lens aperture.

Brightness of the Scene

Pretty simple... the amount of light on the subject or scene you are photographing.
This ranges from a photo at night without flash, to a sunny afternoon flooded with
light.

ISO

The higher the ISO, the more sensitive the sensor or film is to light. ISO 100 is not
very sensitive, but has the finest quality. ISO 1600 is very sensitive to light.

Shutter Speed

This refers to the length of time that the shutter remains open allowing light to
reach the film or sensor. An exposure time of 1/1000th of a second lets the light
through for a very short time, while 4 seconds is long.

Aperture

The size of the opening that the light travels through. The larger the opening the
more light that is let in. The tricky thing to remember is the larger the number, the
smaller the hole (it is a fraction equation). That means an aperture of f/22 is very
small, while an aperture of f/4 or f/2.8 is very wide.

THE ART OF SEEING: INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOGRAPHY

All notes © petelongworth.com
THE ART OF SEEING with Pete Longworth

EXPOSURE CONTINUED

Scene Brightness, ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture are all interrelated. If one is increased,
additional light would be captured, so to maintain balance, another one would need be
decreased, and vice versa.

The correlation of these factors provides endless creative options and will take a lifetime to
master. As a basic workflow, here is a priority list when determining your exposure...

1. The scene brightness is generally predetermined, though you may choose to control
the amount of light that is present. To increase the brightness in your scene, you
could turn a light on, use a flash or a torch, or even car headlights. To decrease the
brightness, you may turn lights off, close a blind, shoot in the shadows or block a
light with a piece of cardboard.

2. ISO is the first thing to set on your camera. For the finest quality results, keep the
ISO as low as possible. In low light conditions, you will need to increase your ISO.

3. Aperture will determine the depth of field or range of focus in the image. So decide
how much of the scene you would like in focus and set your aperture accordingly.
The higher the number (the smaller the hole) the more of the scene that will be in
focus.

4. Shutter Speed will determine the amount of blur present in the image. A fast
shutter speed (1/500th or 1/2000th) will allow you to capture fast moving objects
sharply. Slower shutter speeds will generate blur if objects within the frame are
moving - this can be a very effective creative option. Slow shutter speeds combined
with a tripod will allow you to capture low light scenes without adding any light.

THE ART OF SEEING: INTRODUCTION TO PHOTOGRAPHY

All notes © petelongworth.com