The Camera

        The camera obscura effect was achieved by creating a tiny hole in one wall of a completely dark room. Light was focused through the hole and the outside scene was projected upside down on the wall opposite of the hole. This was the first camera. Isaac Newton and Christian Huygens brought the world one step closer to creating the modern camera in the 17th century. They created a lens after they perfected the understanding of optics and making quality glass lenses. Joseph Nicéphore Niépce invented the first camera when he added film with a dark box and a glass lens. The first picture he took, in 1827, took over 8 hours to expose. Modern cameras still work the same as the originals. Light passes through the lens, into the camera, and exposes the film to make a photograph. Digital cameras capture photographs with an electronic sensor called CCD. They are stored on a reusable computer memory.

Camera Modes

          When the camera is in auto mode, it makes the camera control the flash and exposure. When the camera is in program mode, you can control the flash and a few other things, but it's mainly just point and shoot. Portrait mode tries to blur out the background using aperture, which is the fastest available lens setting. Sports mode freezes motion and uses the highest shutter speed possible. 

The Half Press

           The half press button helps control the focus on the subject and has a faster response (less lag).

Controlling Flash

          

          This symbol means that the flash is off. The mood can be more dramatic when natural light is used. 

          This symbol means that the flash will automatically go off if the camera thinks the photograph needs more light.

Introduction to Exposure

         If there is too much light in a picture, the picture will be washed out. If there is not enough light in a picture, the picture will be too dark. 

The Universal Stop

        A "stop" is a relative measurement of light. It is used in every aspect of photography.  The planet is one stop brighter when there are two suns instead of one, and two stops brighter when there are four suns instead of two. 

Shutters and Aperture

    

       When there is a longer shutter speed, there is more light. When there is a shorter speed, there is less light. The aperture controls the light/brightness of the picture. Smaller F-stop numbers mean larger openings, and larger openings mean more light. You can increase the amount of light in a picture by making the aperture larger.