Prototype for Understanding Photography - Essay Example

Prototype for Understanding Photography 101 Table of Contents Prototype for Understanding Photography 101 This multimedia prototype is designed to help young teenagers interested in photography understand the higher quality digital cameras that are available today. Many of these cameras continue to have settings available such as aperture and shutter speed which seem to have little to no real meaning in today’s world of the computer chip and instant memory. A fun and interactive demonstration will both keep their attention and provide them with an idea of how these terms apply in older film cameras as well as how they can be used in the newer digital cameras for greater control and effect. Flowchart Script 1. Imagine you are inside a black box. Black frame in video 2. Suddenly, a bright light flashes in. Action takes place on screen, angling for effect 3. As you turn around, you realize that an entire world can be seen just outside of the hole created Scene in slow motion of an animated film 4. Just as you’re able to get an idea of what’s out there, the hole closes and everything becomes dark again Screen flashes quickly back to black. 5. You have just experienced shutter speed. In photography, whether we are talking about the old time film cameras old Kodak pops on screen or the high tech new cameras of the now generation new Nikon, our control over the shutter speed is only one element of taking a good picture. 6. Click on a picture to see how shutter speed can affect the outcome of an image Two pictures appear, one of a blurry bunch of lights on a dark night (clicks to slide 7), one of a runner in clear focus (clicks to slide 10). (7.) Clicking on picture 1 provides following slide: This image might be useful as a cover image for a gruesome sci-fi mystery of mysterious lights hovering over an unsuspecting quiet canal community repeat of blurry boats picture, but it was supposed to be a picture of a group of lighted boats in a Christmas parade. Although the boats were moving very slowly (you can still get an idea of how big the boat was and how narrow the canal), the slow shutter speed on the camera exposed the ‘film’ (this was a digital camera after all) for a long period of time. (8.) Moving back inside our camera again, video starts, growing from the center of the screen to fill the screen with black, we see the shutter open light begins to shine in and get an image of the boats sitting in the canal and everything is crystal clear. But then the shutter stays open a little longer and the boats begin to move. Video traces the motion of the boats allowing the picture to get distorted. Since we can’t forget the image we saw to start with and now we have to deal with the changed image in front of us, the picture begins to get blurry. The longer the shutter stays open, the blurrier things get video mimics this description. Video ends. (9.) Still screen and written instructions: Would you like to see what happens at other shutter speeds? Clicks to slide 10 Or Would you like to learn more about those strange f-numbers that pop up from time to time? Clicks to slide 15. (10.) Clicking on picture 2 produces the following slide: Every poised muscle, drop of sweat and strain of effort can be traced in this image of a runner sprinting at top speed for the goal. Obviously, he did not stop in mid-air like this just to take this picture. (11.) Video is seen of man running along and stopping, mid-stride, to smile and wave motionlessly at a camera on the edge of a track. The shutter speed is set at a very high rate, causing it to open and close at almost the same instant, faster than the blink of an eye, so that the motion is ‘frozen’ in time. (12). Standing inside our camera, screen flips to black this motion is so quick that we really only have time to see one thing – the runner video shows faded runner’s outline in very slow motion moving across from one edge of screen, suddenly flash into full color and solid but cut out of the original picture so he is the only thing seen on the screen and then flash to outline form again. (13.) Just like we didn’t have any time to register the details of the backfield, neither did the camera show picture again demonstrating how the background remained fuzzy. (14.) Video ends on still shot screen with the following written instructions: Would you like to see what happens at other shutter speeds? Clicks to slide 7 Or Would you like to learn more about those strange f-numbers that pop up from time to time? Clicks to slide 15. 15. The f-stop is not an abbreviation for a bad word or an indication that the camera somehow doesn’t like numbers. Instead, the f-stop is a measurement that relates to the aperture. Video 3d of a lens as seen from the side. Camera circles around and focuses in on the aperture as it opens and closes. As the opening in the lens expands, the f-stop number decreases and as it closes, the f-stop number increases. 16. The f-stop and the shutter speed are closely related, which shouldn’t be any surprise. Just in case, let’s take one more trip inside the body of our camera. Video spins into black. When the aperture is set to a large setting, say f-1.4, video adds a chalk outline of a wide aperture, the shutter speed needs to be faster so as not to let in too much light. Video clicks on and off to illuminate a quick image. When the aperture is set at a smaller setting, say f-16, video adds a new chalk outline of a small aperture, the shutter needs to stay open a little longer in order to catch a decent image. 17. So why is it important to know about things like f-stop and shutter speed? Video scratching its head. After all, most digital cameras today offer several automatic settings that seem to make taking a good picture foolproof. Video of art prints popping up one at a time. But the truth is, when you know what you’re doing, you can come up with all kinds of effects that can be downloaded directly to your MySpace account and amaze your friends. Storyboards Boards 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 Boards 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16 Final story board Tasks Task Number of hours taken Graphic production 6 hours Script writing 6 hours Storyboarding 4 hours Flowcharting 4 hours Notes 1 hour Notes I decided on this media type because young teenagers like to be entertained without a great deal of effort on their part. By combining video with still screens and some interaction, the teen doesn’t have to make a great deal of effort to get a quick overview of how these tools work, but the interactive pages keep them involved enough that they have to pay attention and input something once in a while. At the same time, this interaction gives the teen a sense that they are deciding what they want to learn and the chance to skip an entire section if they choose. The navigation from the final shutter speed screen on either photograph is intended to allow the student to skip an entire segment if they feel they already have a pretty good understanding of how this process works. The content was selected because a greater number of teenagers, particularly young teenagers, are getting their own digital cameras and have little or no idea of how to work those extra settings. This is intended to be a quick, entertaining and informative guide regarding these extra elements that may be helpful when they are attempting to take pictures that they can upload for immediate use on their web pages. Read More