Can anyone help with my assignment please Its so hard for a beginner

[karen_reece_buck]

<p>Select a scene that has a good range of tonal values from deep shadows to bright highlights. Use a normal lens with the aperture set at around f/ 8 and the camera in aperture priority mode or manual mode if not available. Set the camera to its highest pixel resolution if available. Select the lowest ISO setting available and make a correct exposure.<br /><br />Now make a series of photographs of the same scene by increasing the ISO in 2x increments (and adjusting the shutter speed if in Manual Mode) to maintain the correct exposure; for example ISO 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 etc. Go as far as you can until you run out of ISO.<br /><br />Now import these images into the computer and enlarge each one to 200 or 300% enlargement. Write an explanation of what changes take place in the image as the ISO is increased. Pay particular attention to the shadows. What is the optimum ISO for your camera?<br>

<br /><br>

Can anyone help with this one. Can anyone suggest a scene for me and what i will do!! I am a beginner and these assignments are so hard for me. Thank you so much if you can help me. Karen </p>

[Leonard-just-Leonard]

<p>any forest or treed area will do during the bright daylight hours. if your lucky some wildlife or assorted critters will add a bit of interest to the whole shot.</p>

 

[ben_goren]

<p>Karen,</p>

 

<p>If you really get stuck, find a cardboard box. Lay it on its side so the opening faces you. Put

something recognizable inside the box, and set the whole thing outside in bright sunlight, being sure to

keep the sun from shining inside the box. Photograph the box and its surroundings. That should

demonstrate the point of the assignment pretty well.</p>

 

<p>For bonus points (if I were teaching the class), expose properly for the inside of the box, for the rest

of the scene, and (trick question) for both.</p>

 

<p>Cheers,</p>

 

<p>b&</p>

[irusan]

<p>I know what your teacher is wanting/expecting you to discover and, with this in mind, I think L.J. Leonard's idea is a good one. I would just add that, to make the results more apparent, make sure that the area of shadow is fairly large.</p>

<p>In fact, take along a friend and dress them in a black suit or dress or pants/shirt or... and place them in a darker area of the scene.</p>

<p>I think the question is fine for a "beginner" but the phrase "what is the optimum ISO for your camera?" would send experienced shooters into apoplexy <grin> - our first question back would be, "define '<em>optimum.</em> ' In some cases, "optimum" could be the exact opposite of what the question is seeking.</p>

[irusan]

<p>Ben's idea is also good but we were writing out replies at the same time.</p>

[Wouter Willemse]

<p>Karen,<br>

While it's certainly no problem for most here to help, just a question, since this is the second request for help in a short time. Do you feel you're learning the right things from this course, and what exactly about the exercises do you find hard?</p>

<p>So, maybe we can help in a more constructive way than assignment by assignment - sorry if it sounds mean, but it's seriously meant constructive. I think to most it is clear what these exercises are trying to teach you, but in the end, the important thing is you pick up those lessons from the course, and learn to see when which bit and piece of the puzzle fits in.<br>

(A second point here: if you find assignments structurally difficult, the fun will slowly slip away, and that could be a pity!)</p>

<p>This assignment, apart from teaching a fair bit on ISO, to me also refers to recognising light a bit. Something like "<em>good range of tonal values from deep shadows to bright highlights</em>" is also more or less a situation to learn to recognise. Hence my question. My apologies if seems insulting, certainly not meant that way.</p>

[maury_cohen]

<p>Karen,<br>

I think you need to stay after class (or raise your hand more often while in class) if some of the technical terms that are coming up are confusing. This may make the assignments more understandable.<br>

It's a teacher's responsibility to communicate effectively. If they're not, it's your responsibility to let them know.</p>

[Alan Marcus]

<p >Karen, this is a good assignment!</p>

<p >An automobile will do. Think about it! An automobile in sunlight has black tires and a vivid paint job. Under the car and beside the car will be shadow. You can include some buildings and bushes in the background. </p>

<p >You set your lens at f/8 that is a moderate (about the middle aperture. In aperture priority mode, you are telling the camera what aperture it must use. You set the ISO set to 50. Now the camera's automation forces the camera to select the appreciate shutter speed. Stated a different way, in aperture priority mode, you select the aperture (f/number) and it is locked in. Now the camera's metering system selects a suitable shutter speed. The aperture is preset by you, the shutter speed is a variable set by the camera. </p>

<p >Let us assume that the camera selected 1/125 second. That means the exposure will be f/8 at 1/125 second. You take the picture and reset the ISO to 100. This act caused the imaging chip to gain sensitivity to light. Now the amount of light required for a correct exposure is 50% less than before. Because at this elevated ISO less light is required, an over-exposure will result unless action is taken. The chip logic of the camera in aperture priority mode will change the shutter speed making it twice as fast. The revised shutter speed will be 1/250 second. This act prevented the over-exposure. You take the second picture. </p>

<p >Now you reset the ISO to 200. Again, this stetting reduced the chips need for light energy by 50%. The chip logic of the camera will compensate by altering the exposure time to 1/500 second. You take the third picture. </p>

<p >Now you rest the ISO to 400. Again this setting reduced the chips need for light by 50%. The camera's exposure logic will compensate changing the exposure time to 1/1000 second. </p>

<p >You can do this repeatedly, each time you double the ISO the chip's need for light decreases by 50% and the camera's logic doubles the exposure time to make sure the shot is correctly exposed. By doubling the exposure time the time light is allowed to play on the chip is cut in half. This is the needed compensation required to maintain an optimized exposure. </p>

<p >Nobody said the science part of photography is easy. </p>

[karen_reece_buck]

<p>hi wouter<br>

As I said i am a complete beginner and I started this photography course on-line which said it was for beginners and I don't think it is as its like a different language and yes i am <br>

finding it difficult and i have no one to ask at all just look through books ect. So I though people might help me a bit if i ask the questions that i don't understand so to me its not fun<br>

at all at the moment as i don't know what a tonal value is and what i should be taking a photo of. So I am hoping that other photographers will help me and then one day i will help others too. <br>

I won't ask again if people don't want to help. </p>

[SCL]

<p>Karen, I think you're missing the point people are trying to help you with. Everybody can tell you exactly what to do (and some already have), but part of learning is understanding and your own intellectual curiosity...such as looking up terms you don't understand, which is dependent on your knowing about resources above and beyond asking somebody to answer the questions for you. Nothing wrong with asking for help, but you should increasingly inject yourself into the solutions, hopefully following the guidance of your instructor, who presumably has given you some basic background for the task at hand. We were all once complete beginners and understand that it may seem a little foreign, but if you jump in both feet first and really focus on understanding the questions being asked, it will be more meaningful to your learning process in the long run. Photography is really FUN and even more so once you have an understanding of the fundamentals, as it allows you to begin to exercise creative control over your processes to achieve what you want out of a photo. So, keep asking questions and doing your research, and it all should start to fall in place shortly.</p>

[Srikanth]

<p>Whatever Wouter said is correct. I am also in the same stage as like you. But I took his suggestion in a positive way. When you take that in positive way, you won't feel anything bad about that comment because they guys are very helpful.<br>

Let us take that as challenge and will try to improve our basics first. If you didn't understand, GOOGLE is always there to help us out.<br>

If I reach the position to answer you, I will certainly do that.</p>

 

[kevin_delson]

<blockquote>

<p>I won't ask again if people don't want to help.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Karen,</p>

<p>At the risk of sounding corny, there is a old saying; and I am a firm believer in it.</p>

<p><em>"Give me a fish and I will eat for a day; teach me to fish and I will eat for a lifetime"</em></p>

<p>Many people here on PN can tell you precisely how to do the assignment..you'll probably get a high grade if you do everything we tell you, word for word. But; what have you really learned?</p>

<p>The question posed by your instructor is a excellent one!</p>

<p>As you work your way through assignments like this, they are designed to give you what many call "The Ahaaa" moment..or a epiphany..The realization that "Hey, now I know what this is, how it works and more importantly, how I can apply this to real world photography.</p>

<p>Physicians learn a lot of what they consider minutia, useless info while in Med school. Topics covered in depth they will never have to remember..but they DO remember as it makes "other" concepts far easier to grasp.</p>

<p>Don't get discouraged. </p>

[devon_mccarroll]

<p>Karen, who are you taking the online class through? If it's through Better Photo or PPSOP, then the instructors are available to answer your questions if you're confused. I've taken courses through both places (I prefer PPSOP), and I was always able to ask if something didn't make sense to me. If you're at a loss, tell them! That's how you learn.<br>

If you're taking the course through a different site and they aren't assisting you, then it's not a good course. You might be happier taking beginning courses at a local community college if any are available. Online classes aren't for everyone--they are much more difficult as you are working on your own alot more and need to be very disciplined and willing to face alot of trial and error on your own.</p>

[dan_south]

<blockquote>

<p>Select a scene that has a good range of tonal values from deep shadows to bright highlights.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>When I first started reading about photography, the term "highlights" confused me. I thought it mean little sparkly lights like the gleam from a freshly-polished automobile in the sunlight. But that's not what it means. A highlight is the part of the scene that's most brightly lit, and a shadow is a part of the scene that's much darker because it's not receiving the same directly light as the highlight.</p>

<p>What scene? Just about anwhere you go on a bright, sunny day should work fine.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>Use a normal lens with the aperture set at around f/ 8 and the camera in aperture priority mode or manual mode if not available.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>A "normal lens" is a lens whose focal length is about the same size as the diagonal of the size of your camera's film or sensor. Approximately 50 mm for a 35 mm (full-frame) camera or 35 mm for a camera with an APS-C sized sensor. If all you have is a zoom lens that covers this range and set it to the appropriate focal length depending on the type of camera that you are using.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>Set the camera to its highest pixel resolution if available.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Find the camera's QUALITY and/or SIZE controls and set them to their maximum values. Use the index in the camera's manual to locate descriptions of these controls.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p> Select the lowest ISO setting available and make a correct exposure.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>This value is probably 50, 100, or 200 depending on the camera that you're using.</p>

<p>As others have suggested, please make an attempt to contact the professors if the assignment isn't clear. Better yet, try to figure out some of these answers on your own. It's "difficult" but that's the point. You will gain skill and confidence and resourcefulness by learning to overcome difficult obstacles. What are you going to do when you're faced with a difficult situation and there's no one around to ask for help?</p>

[elnoralouisa]

<p>You might want to try a different course online somewhere. I recommend either <a href="http://www.ed2go.com">www.ed2go.com</a> which has some beginner courses, or also <a href="http://www.ppsop.com">www.ppsop.com</a><br>

I also started a 'beginner' course when I first got my camera. They asked for the info from the pictures, something like ISO, apet., shutter speed. etc. I copied it all down. What a pain for several pictures. I had absolutely no clue what any of it was. I didn't go any further in the course. <br>

If you don't understand what you are doing, and why, there's no sense in taking the course.</p>

[SCL]

<p>Karen - just a thought. What you are attempting to learn to do can be done in 5 minutes, including an explanation of how to do it which anybody can understand. I know because last summer I had a visitor from overseas, high school education, but he had never seen a manual camera before and knew nothing about cameras other than how to take a shot with his cell phone. We spent 5 minutes going over fundamentals, including basics of exposure in sunny, overcast and shadow situations. I placed a loaded manual camera with no light meter (yes, manual everything, including focus) in his hands and told him to join me in a walk in a nature preserve and take pictures of whatever interested him. He shot a full roll and we had it developed in a 1hr shop. He was shocked....every picture was well exposed, properly focused and his composition was incredible for a beginner. I don't think he has picked up a camera since then...but really....the concepts aren't hard to grasp. Might I make a suggestion...you probably have a friend from school, or a neighbor who has a camera....ask him/her to spend a half hour with you working thru the fundamentals of photography, you'll get it and like others said, it will be an "aha" moment.</p>

[john tonai]

<blockquote>

<p>When I first started reading about photography, the term "highlights" confused me. I thought it mean little sparkly lights like the gleam from a freshly-polished automobile in the sunlight... A highlight is the part of the scene that's most brightly lit...</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Actually Dan, they both are highlights. The bright sparkly lights are specular highlights and the brightly lit part is the diffused highlights. However, the diffused highlight is what most people refer to as highlight.</p>

[songtsen]

<p><em>"We spent 5 minutes going over fundamentals, including basics of exposure in sunny, overcast and shadow situations.....every picture was well exposed, properly focused..."</em></p>

<p>Stephen, you must be a great teacher!<em><br /> </em></p>

[Ray House]

Karen, definately keep asking questions and it might help if you were more specific as to what you're having trouble with. Part of the learning process is research on your part which will help in that respect. I just did a search on Tonal Values in the search box at the top right of this page and got 10 pages of responses. Also the learning tab will be very useful to you. This is meant to be helpful to you and don't get too discouraged as much of the techie stuff can be confusing. Best to you.

[andrewg_ny]

<p>Karen, don't be shy about asking questions here. My two cents--you might get more out of it by asking very specific questions about the parts you're struggling with, like:</p>

<p>"what's a normal lens?"<br>

"where/when might I find a scene with a full range of tonal values?"<br>

"how do I adjust ISO manually on my Nikon D5000?" (for example, though some might suggest you check the manual that came with it)</p>

<p>etc...</p>

<p>Most of us here will read those instructions and know immediately what the instructor is trying to get you to discover. So it helps to be really specific about which parts/concepts/actions you need help with. People here like to be helpful, but will probably have more patience with those who appear to be trying to help themselves too.</p>

<p>As for a scene, if you can shoot outside in daylight, just look for a scene that includes significant light and dark parts of the scene--perhaps some of it sunlit, some of it in the shade. Perhaps a white house in front of dark trees. Or a dark car parked in front of a light wall.</p>

[Wouter Willemse]

<p>Karen, my apologies, I did not (and do not) want to discourage you from asking questions. The opposite.<br>

What my post was more aimed at: we could also help you by explaining what tonal values are, to make the "tech language" easier. In the long run, I think, that is more beneficial. So what Kevin said about learning to fish.</p>

[dan_south]

<blockquote>

<p>Actually Dan, they both are highlights. The bright sparkly lights are specular highlights and the brightly lit part is the diffused highlights. However, the diffused highlight is what most people refer to as highlight.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Most photographic literature and discussion - including the OP's assignment - doesn't qualify the difference between specular or diffused highlights. Hence the confusion. My assumption was that they were talking about specular highlights, but as you noted, I learned that that's not what most photographers mean when they discuss "highlights."</p>

<p>You have defined the two terms clearly. Thanks! I wanted to assure the OP that it's not uncommon to struggle with the meaning of common photographic terms when one has little experience in the field. It seems that we are struggling with the exact definition of the term highlight even as we seek to define it.</p>

 

[karen_reece_buck]

<p>Thank you everyone for there help and advise. I will keep at the course as I am not a quitter and love photography, but did not realise there was so much to learn. But it's nice to know that there a many people out there who will give advice when stuck, and I don't know anyone who does. So thank you everyone.</p>

[johnw63]

<p>Has the instructor suggested a beginners book that would be of help ?</p>

<p>The hardest part of learning technical stuff is getting to know all the "geek speak". I'm in the computer field and I doubt there is an industry with more confusing terms, and geeks. </p>

<p>If you don't have one, try getting this book from Amazon:<br>

John Hedgecoe's "The new manual of photography" . It covers a LOT of stuff with lots of picture examples and less text.</p>

<p> </p>

[William Michael]

<p><em>"i am a complete beginner and I started </em><strong><em>this photography course on-line</em></strong><em> which said it was for beginners and I don't think it is as </em><strong><em>its like a different language</em></strong><em> and yes </em><strong><em>i am finding it difficult</em></strong><em> and </em><strong><em>i have no one to ask</em></strong><em> at all </em><strong><em>just look through books</em></strong><em> ect." </em><br>

<br>

There are many prongs to effective learning. Private Study is but one.<br>

<br>

I suggest you join a Camera / Photography Club - which meets regularly and goes out on Field Trips. <br>

<br>

WW</p>