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1. FULL FRAMING (taking a walk around your view-finder)- Scan
the top, sides and bottom of your view-finder. Your main subject should nearly
touch these boundaries. If it doesn't, move closer to the subject.
2. SUNNY RULE
- SUNNY 16- On a bright sunny day, set your aperture on 16 and
your shutter speed as close as possible to your films ISO rating. This will produce
properly exposed pictures with all films and all film speed ratings.
- CLOUDY BRIGHT 11- Use the above rule for shutter speed and
use f-11.
- CLOUDY 8- Use the above rule for shutter speed and use f-8.
- STORMY 5.6- Use the above rule for shutter speed and use f-5.6.
3. FULL MOONEY RULE
- FULL MOON 11- For proper exposure of a full moon, set your
aperture on 11 and your shutter speed as close to your films ISO rating as possible.
- HALF MOON 8- Use the above rule for shutter speed and use
an aperture of 8 for pictures of a half moon.
- QUARTER MOON 5.6- Use the above rule for shutter speed and
use an aperture of 5.6 for pictures of a quarter moon.
4. SUNSETS - Meter the area of sky directly above sun and use
this setting as the basis for exposure. Using one f-stop less light will produce
the effect of a picture taken one half hour later.
5. PHOTOGRAPHIC GRAY CARD- When the camera meters a mid-tone
the scene will be properly exposed.
6. FILM SPEED- Use the lowest film speed (ISO) you can to preserve
sharpness, color saturation and reduce grain.
7. FLASH FILL - For flash use outdoors, place the ISO setting
for the film you are using on your camera meter. Double this number and place
it on the flash ISO dial. Meter the scene with the camera and select an f-stop.
Match this f-stop requirement with the automatic flash color mode controls. Shadows
will be filled with flash lighting and appear one stop darker than the fully illuminated
subject.
8. BRACKETING - Expose for a mid-tone then adjust exposure
to +1 and -1. For extreme lighting go one exposure step more each way.
9. "RULE" OF THIRDS - Place your center of interest, vertically
or horizontally, at the 1/3 and 2/3 points in your viewfinder for a stronger compositon.
10. COMPOSITION - When the word rule is used, substitute un-rule,
for there are no rules, only considerations.
11. CLEANING FILTERS AND LENSES- A well washed 100% cotton
T-shirt is softer and more scratch resistant than photographic lens tissue. To
clean filters and lenses simply "HUFF" (breathe on the lens until it fogs) and
wipe clean.
12. PROTECTIVE FILTER- Always leave this filter on for lens
protection.
13. SHUTTER SPEED WITH FLASH- Always use 1/60 second.
14. LOW SHUTTER SPEED- To prevent camera movement blur when
hand holding the camera use a shutter speed which most closely matches the millimeters
of the lens you are using.
15. DEPTH OF FIELD- Use f/16 (largest number f22, f32, etc.)
for maximum depth-of-field and f/2 (smallest number f3.8, f4 etc.) for minimum
depth-of-field.
16. FILM- Establish the amount of film that you think you will
use, then multiply by a factor of two. When working for a client multiply by a
factor of three.
17. PALM READING- To select an average tone exposure reading,
"read" the palm of your hand with your thumb extended. Then, using your thumb
up reminder, open up your aperture (smaller number) one stop.
18 FOCUS- Focus 1/3 of the way into the picture and use f-16
for the greatest depth of field.
19. FILTERS- When using an 80A blue (outdoor to indoor) filter,
open 2 stops when using a hand-held exposure meter.
20. PHOTOGRAPHING A CAR - A three-quarter front view makes
the most effective photograph for selling a car (Paul Douglas, photographer).
21. PHOTOGRAPHING LANDSCAPES - Assume that a dramatic "photogenic"
effect will rarely last more than one hour.
22. BUY A DURABLE CAMERA - If you want a durable camera, you
should buy the simplest camera in the highest price range you can justify (Robert
B. Yepson, Jr., editor The Durability Factor).
23. FREE-LANCE RULE OF TWO - If you want a merely adequate
return on an untried free-lance photography project, decide what you think you
can get away with charging, and then double it. The final expense and aggravation
will exceed your original estimate by a factor of two.
24. FREE-LANCING - Free-lance photographers should expect to
put in one un-billable hour for every billable hour.
25. SHOOTING FILM - One good shot per roll of film is a good
take.
26. TAKING PICTURES UNDER WATER - Most leaks in an underwater
camera housing show up at very shallow depths. If no leaks appear within 15 feet
of the surface, there is a 95 % chance that none will appear at greater depths
(Flip Schulke, underwater photographer).
27. EXPERIMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHY - It takes three tries to get
a new process or effect right. The first try reveals any obvious shortcomings,
and the second try cleans these up so you can see what you really need to do.
28. TAKING PICTURES INTO THE SUN - When back-lighting is apparent,
open the aperture an extra one and a half stops.
29. SETTING YOUR RATES - Free-lance artists should determine
their hourly rate by dividing their annual income requirements by one thousand
(Mike Rider, art director).
30. BETTER EXPOSURES - If you are using negative film and can't
take several exposures, overexpose the metered value by one stop. You will have
a better chance of recording your information.
31. THRESHOLD BLACK - You should expose your prints in the
darkroom just long enough to get a black through the clear edge of the film. When
exposure is very near solid black or at the threshold of black, your good negatives
will look good and the bad ones will look bad.
32. SUPER BLACK - The observable difference between the apparent
solid black look of threshold black and super black is the addition of one f-stop
of light.
33. DARKROOM GREMLINS - In every first quarter photography
class, 25% of the students will have unexplainable results occur 50% of the time.
During these times increases in light will produce lighter pictures and decreases
in light will produce darker pictures.
34. DOUBT - When in doubt open your aperture one stop. When
in serious doubt open two stops.
35. GOOD COMPOSITION - Mentally divide your view-finder into
four areas. Look into each area and eliminate anything that isn't necessary.
36. HEADS - Look at the top of your view-finder and ask yourself
if heads are included. If you don't ask yourself this, then 50% of the time heads
will be partially or totally missing.
37. FEET - Look at the bottom of your view-finder and ask yourself
if feet are included. If you don't ask yourself this, then 50% of the time feet
will be missing.
38. HORIZON LINE - A picture taken at a slight angle to the
horizon will look out of balance somewhat like a painting which isn't hung straight
on a wall. Look in your view-finder and ask yourself if the horizon line is parallel
to the top and bottom of your view-finder. If you don't do this, the horizon line
in your pictures will be tilted 90% of the time.
39. WILDLIFE - Final image size and sharpness will decrease
proportionately as the desirability for the picture increases. To reverse this
effect, look through the view-finder and ask yourself how many times you could
stack your subject on top of itself, moving from the the bottom of the frame to
the top. If the number is greater than four your picture will lack impact. Move
closer to your subject or use a stronger lens.
40. CENTER - There is a natural tendency to place all subjects
in the center of the picture, known as the "bulls-eye syndrome." Place the main
subject or center of interest anywhere but the center of the picture. The center
is a very important place in a picture; however, when the subject is placed in
the center it becomes so powerful that nothing else can compete with it (Roger
Baker, art teacher, Clark College).
41. GOOD COMPOSITION - When cropping a print, use four sheets
of typing paper, one for each side of the print. Move the paper to eliminate unwanted
parts of the picture. The result will be good composition. See #11
42. CLEANING LENSES - A well washed cotton T-shirt is softer
and more scratch resistant than photographic lens tissue.
43. BLUE SKY - A clear north blue sky is a middle tone. An
exposure reading using the blue sky as a source will produce a proper daylight
exposure.
44. WATERFALLS - Use an average exposure reading as a base
then reduce the exposure by one f-stop for detail in bright sunlit water.
45. FOCUS - If your subject has eyes, focus on them.
46. GOOD PICTURES - Twelve significant photographs in any one
year is a good crop (Ansel Adams, photographer).
47. PHOTOGRAPHIC SEEING- Seeing simply is seeing significantly
( Jack Wilkinson, artist).
48. PORTRAITS- When taking portraits, squint, look at your
subject and ask yourself if you still see detail in the shadows around the eyes.
If you do, shoot. If not change the lighting or have the subject change position.
49. CHROMOGENIC FILMS- Chromogenic films contradict most rules
of black and white photography. This film is a dye based film which is processed
as a color negative film (C-41 process) and produces black and white images. ISO
settings may be varied between 50 and 800 for different lighting conditions. Exposure
at high ISO ratings produce very fine grain results.
50. SOLAR/LUNAR- The size of the sun/moon will cover one half
of your little finger nail when your hand is held at arms length.
51. IMAGE SIZE - When using a 50 mm lens, the image height
of a subject, as seen in your view-finder, will increase one height of the original
image for each additional 50 mm that is added to the lens. Thus a 100 mm lens
will double the image height.
52. MORE LIGHT - When you want to add light to make your final
print or slide look lighter, use the following rule: WHEN YOU WANT MORE SUN MOVE
TOWARDS ONE. This rule applies to the camera numbers that affect the aperture,
shutter speed, and film speed.
53. REDUCTIVE VIEWING - A more appropriate term for photographic
squinting, used to increase the contrast in a scene. (Ken O'Connell, Chairman,
University of Oregon Art Department).
This information is from Black Cat - Manufacturer of
the Original Black Cat Red-Eye Pen, Aqua-Dot red-eye pen, SteadiStrap, and the
Black Cat Extended Range Exposure Guide. http://www.teleport.com/~bcat/
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