Levels Tool Assignment

Save one of your images from the Field trip to a new folder. label it "Levels".


Desaturate it.
Use the "Levels" Adjustment Layers to create 3 variations of contrast.

Here is my original color image

Here is the Desaturated (BW) Image

Here is the image adjusted for levels. 
Shadows 21, Midtones .91, highlights 231

Levesls adjusted toward the shadows
Shadows 156, Midtones .81, Highlights 171

Levels adjusted towards highlights
shadows 15, Midtones .16, Highlights 65

Adjustment Layers in Detail

Today we will continue using Photoshop Adjustment Layers.

We will practice the following in class:

• Convert a picture from Color to Black and White using the Hue/Contrast Adjustment layer
• Adjust Levels using the Levels Adjustment layer

Creating adjustment layers

Do one of the following:
For Hue-Saturation (Converts to Black and White)

Last class we discussed using the Cropping Tool and I introduced the concept of Adjustment layers.

We use Adjustment Layers so that we do not 
1. Click the New Adjustment Layer button  at the bottom of the Layers panel, and choose Hue/Saturation

2. Move the Saturation slider all the way to the left

3. Click ok

Here is a video showing how to do it.

For Levels (Adjusts Contrast in your picture)

1. Click the New Adjustment Layer button  at the bottom of the Layers panel, and choose Levels

2. Move the Shadows, Midtones, and Highlights Sliders to adjust the range of contrast in your image

3. Click ok

Here is a video showing how to do it.

This link will take you to a description of using Levels in Photoshop. The photo in the example is in color but it works the same in black and white.

We will try this for ourselves in class and post the results on our blog

Composing Your Photograph Using the Rule of Thirds

Today you will take pictures using the Rule of Thirds. You will need to post 3-5 examples of the Rule of Thirds to your blog. For each example write an explanation of how the rule of thirds was used in each picture.

The rule of thirds is probably the most often referenced photography rule of composition.  It is all about subject placement within the frame.

Imagine that your picture space is divided into thirds both horizontally and vertically, like a tic tac toe grid.

The photography rule of thirds tells us to align our subject with one of the points where those lines cross. That means our subject is one third of the way “into” the picture space – from either the top or bottom, and from either the left or right. And that means it’s not in the middle.



Here is an example of the rule of thirds for a landscape photo. The focus is on the land area rather than the sky so the bottom two-thirds of the photograph are filled with land and the top third is sky.

Here are additional links explaining and demonstrating the Rule of thirds.
http://digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds
http://learnprophotography.com/rule-of-thirds
http://www.ultimate-photo-tips.com/photography-rule-of-thirds.html
http://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/rule-of-thirds

Perspective

Perspective Exercise

1. Capture 3 Images of each of the following perspectives and post to your blog:

Birds eye Perspective

Bugs eye

Eye Level

Horizontal

Vertical

Diagonal

Combination of 2 of the various perspectives

Friday Photo Critique

Every Friday you will choose a photo from AP Images to critique. Follow the example below to do your critique.

I chose a photo of the Jewish new year.

Description: Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men pray ahead of the Jewish New Year at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem's old city, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013. Israelis happily welcomed the Jewish New Year late Wednesday despite uncertainty and turmoil brewing on both its northern and southern borders. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

Critique Here.......use the Critique Guide (above) to write your critique.

Post Your Depth of Field Pictures

Post  pics to your blog  demonstrating both shallow and extended Depth of Field.
you should have 2 examples of both deep and shallow depth of Field.

 follow the format below for each picture:

This pic was shot at ISO 400, Shutter Speed 1/125, aperture f5.6. 
The DoF is very shallow:

This pic was shot at ISO 1600, Shutter Speed 1/60, Aperture f32. 
it has an extended Depth of Field.

Aperture Priority and Depth of Field

Watch the following videos. We'll began shooting in Aperture Priority and doing Depth of Field exercises later in class.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUbjkMm_v-A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8T94sdiNjc

Aperture Priority is when you select the aperture and the camera chooses the corresponding shutter speed. Both modes have advantages, but aperture priority ultimately gives you more control over the overall quality and visual focus of your images. 

Depth of Field is the amount of the image that is in sharp focus

Here is the a link that describes how and when to use Aperture Priority

Here's link that descibes how to take better pictures using Aperture Priority.

Use the Nikons to experiment with Depth of Field around the building. Take pictures with both Shallow and Deep Depth of Field. We'll post them next class.