Photography
Photography is the art or procedure of creating pictures or images by the action of radiant energy (typically visible light) on a sensitive surface such as reactive film. While black and white is still a popular photography choice, today's digital and film photographs are primarily shot in colour. The word photography comes from Greek words and means “drawing with light.”
History
Frenchman, Joseph Nicephore Niepce,[1] took the first photo in 1826. It was taken in Paris and was called “View From the Window of Gras” [2]. To achieve this, Joseph Niepce used a Camera Obscura and called the process Heliograph. The process never became practical for everyday use and could not be used for commercial purposes.
In 1839 Louis Jacques Daguerre (who worked with Joseph Niepce), announced a new photographic process called Daguerreotype to the French Academy. The process was more practical than Heliography and ushered in the photographic era.
Exposure
Exposure is the amount of light needed to form an image. This is measured with a light meter that is built into the SLR camera. It turns on immediately when the camera is switched on. The light meter sensitivity is adjusted by the ISO settings (ISO means: International Standards Organisation). ISO is also sometimes referred to as ISO Ratings.
Light Metering
There are two types of light meter readings. One is called incident. This is where the light falling on the light meter (a hand held light meter) calculates the exposure. The second (which is on SLR cameras) is called reflective light metering. This is the light that is registered reflecting off the object being photographed and reflecting into the camera.
Light metering can be adjusted within your camera for particular situations. In metering there are the terms of correct exposure, under exposed and over exposed. We are always aiming for correct exposure. One can always bracket (i.e. take a series of different exposures and then choose the best exposure. This can also be achieved by using exposure compensation). There are different metering systems on the camera
- multi zone metering
- center-weight average metering
- spot metering
Multi zone metering is when the camera evaluates the whole image then decides the best exposure (this is the most commonly used setting, it is often used in landscape photography). Center-weight average metering is when the camera calculates exposure based on the centre of the image (this is common in portrait photography). Spot metering is when a small select area in the image is used to calculate the overall exposure.
References
- ^ Niepce.house.museum
- ^ Seizing the Light: A History of Photography By Robert Hirsch
