Photography I: Camera and Exposure

Taking control of the camera: lenses, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, metering, focus, white balance, raw workflow, ethics and law, and the photo essay.

PHOT-101 Year 1 3 credits 12 lessons · 5 h 21 min

Offered by HSM University · Photography

This is the Canadian version of this course. See the American version.

What you'll learn

  • Explain how lenses, apertures, shutters and sensors form and record an image, and choose exposure modes deliberately
  • Choose focal lengths and camera positions to control framing and perspective, and recognize common lens flaws
  • Use the f-number scale, calculate depth of field and hyperfocal distance, and control background blur
  • Choose shutter speeds to freeze or express motion, manage camera shake, and use ND filters and long exposures
  • Explain the sources of noise, use ISO and auto ISO effectively, and describe scene brightness with exposure values
  • Meter scenes correctly, read histograms, apply exposure compensation, and handle high-contrast scenes
  • Select autofocus modes and areas, place focus precisely, and use manual and zone focusing
  • Set white balance for any light, use mireds and colour-correction gels, and manage colour spaces
  • Work a scene for viewpoint, background, layering and timing, and see and use the direction, quality and colour of light
  • Shoot and process raw files non-destructively, organize, back up and export images for screens and print
  • Photograph people and places ethically and lawfully, using releases and protecting copyright
  • Plan, shoot, edit, sequence, caption and critique a photo essay

Course content

12 lessons · 5 h 21 min total · final exam

  1. 1 How a camera works 27 min · quiz
  2. 2 Lenses, focal length and perspective 28 min · quiz
  3. 3 Aperture and depth of field 31 min · quiz
  4. 4 Shutter speed and motion 28 min · quiz
  5. 5 ISO, noise and the exposure value 26 min · quiz
  6. 6 Metering, histograms and exposure compensation 26 min · quiz
  7. 7 Focus and autofocus 27 min · quiz
  8. 8 White balance and colour 26 min · quiz
  9. 9 Seeing photographically: viewpoint, timing and light 24 min · quiz
  10. 10 Files, raw processing and workflow 28 min · quiz
  11. 11 Photographing people and places: ethics and the law 25 min · quiz
  12. 12 The photo essay project and critique 25 min · quiz
  13. E Final exam 20 questions

Description

Taking control of the camera: lenses, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, metering, focus, white balance, raw workflow, ethics and law, and the photo essay.

Part of the Film & Photography stream, typically taken in year 1.