taking good

photos

josh terry

taking good

photos
josh terry

TABLE
OF
CONTENTS

// Shutter Speed 2
// Aperture
4
// ISO 6
// White Balance 8
// Rule of Thirds 10
// Framing 12
// Depth of Field

14

// Leading Lines 16
// Perspective 18
// Negative Space 20
// Symmetry 22
// Repetition 24
// Glossary 26

-m
oti
o

ntim
ing

Shu
tte
rS
pee
d

settings
Shutter speed is widely
regarded as the most crucial
of camera settings. The term
comes from the fact that the

cameras shutter must open and

close in order for light to reach its im-

age sensor or film. Shutter speed is how

long a cameras shutter remains open to

let light in through the aperture.

To the left are three images of bicycle

bri

gh
tne

ss

stands found near the biotech quad of the

Georgia Institute of Technologys campus. The

image on the left is an example of underexpo-

sure due to a shutter speed that is too fast, the im-

age on the right is an example of overexposure due

to a shutter speed that is too slow, and the image in

the middle is an example of proper exposure as a result

of an appropriate shutter speed.

Quick Tips

1. Faster shutter
speeds generally
lead to sharper,
but darker, photos.
Use this when in welllit conditions.

2. Slower shutter speeds

generally lead to blurrier,
but brighter, photos. Use
this in poorly-lit situations
or for long-exposure
shots.

3. Shutter speed is usually

manually adjusted by
turning a wheel behind
the capture button.

Aperture is often the go-to

-d
ept
ho
f fi
eld

Ape
rtu
re

settings

setting when adjusting depth

of field (see page 14). Aperture,
or F-stop, refers to the size of the
opening in the cameras lens when

capturing a photograph.

To the left are three images taken

with different aperture settings. The

image on the left is an example of a low

aperture setting, which means the lens let

bri

gh
tne

ss

light in through a relatively large opening.

The rightmost image was captured using a

high aperture setting, causing the lens to let

light in through a relatively small opening. Finally,

the middle image was taken using an opening

somewhere between the former two, causing light

to enter the lens through a relatively moderate-sized

opening.

Quick Tips

1. A higher
aperture setting
leads to photos
having a deeper
depth of field, so
more will be in focus.

2. A lower aperture
setting leads to a
shallower depth of field,
meaning that less of the
photograph will be in
focus.

3. Aperture is typically
adjusted manually by
scrolling the shutter
speed wheel in either
direction while holding
the F-stop button.

ISO

settings
ISO is a camera setting
that refers to how sensetive a

-g
rai
nwa
rm
th

camera is to light. Photographs

taken in well-lit conditions are
typically shot at a low ISO in order
to minimize grain and loss of detail.

When shooting in poorly-lit locations

where it might not be appropriate to

use flash, a higher ISO allows for better-lit

photographs at the cost of visual fidelity and

color accuracy.

On the far left is a photograph taken at 100

ISO, and the far right image was captured at

bri
gh
tne
ss

1600 ISO, whereas the image in the center was

taken at a moderate 400 ISO. As is evident, a higher

ISO leads to brighter, less crisip images, whereas a
lower ISO leads to darker, more accurate photographs.

Quick Tips

1. Crank the ISO

to a higher value
when shooting in
low-light conditions
where a flash is
unacceptable.

2. Ideally, you should

always leave the ISO
setting as low as possible
in order to take clearer
photographs, at the cost
of some brightness.

3. ISO is typically
adjusted by opening
a menu within the
cameras settings. It is
usually safe to leave this
setting on automatic.

Wh
ite B
ala
nce

settings
White balance refers to
the manner in which digital
cameras may balance the white
levels of photographs in order to
manipulate the color temperature

of photograps. Often adjusted in

tem
pe

rat
ure

order to work with a photographs

light source, white balance may entirely

change the mood of an image.

To the left are three images of a bird,

each of which illustrates a different white

balance setting. The far left image was taken

at a white balance of 7200K, often used to warm

photographs taken in cool lighting. The center

col
or

image was captured at 4000K, typically used to

maintain the integrity of the colors of photographs

taken under white light. The right image was taken at

3000K, which cools photographs taken in warm light.

Quick Tips

1. Under clear
blue skies and in
extremely bright
conditions, a higher
white balance setting
allows for truer colors.

2. When photographing
subjects indoors under
warm light, a lower white
balance setting often
allows for cooler, truer to
life colors.

3. Like ISO, white

balance is adjusted by
opening a menu within
the cameras settings. It
is usually safe to leave
this setting on automatic.

The rule of thirds is widely

regarded as the most essential

vie
we
r

Rul
eo
f th
ird
s

composition

pleasing photographs. Viewers

eyes are often drawn to imaginary
lines that divide photographs

into thirds both horizontally and

vertically, and even more so toward the

the

wi
th

ing

wo
rk

technique to taking aesthetically

intersection points of those lines.

The meerkat to the left sits upright, its body

curving along the left and bottom thirds of the

photograph, its head at the intersection of the

top and left thirds, adding visual appeal.

Quick Tips

1. When photographing
a live subject, try to
place its eye or face
near the intersection
points of the imaginary
lines drawn by the rule
of thirds.

2. You dont always

have to follow the rule
of thirds: experiment
for interesting results!

10

fra
min
g

st
ot
he
sub
je c
t

composition
Framing involves orienting
yourself relative to the subject
of a photograph such that the

environment in which you are

shooting acts as a physical frame

around the subject, increasing the

clarity of any photograph by drawing

attention to its subject.

The gorilla seen to the left is framed by

dra
wi
ng

foc
u

its surroundings quite well. The tree to its left,

the grass and rocks beneath it, the leaves

above it, and the rocks behind its shoulder all

serve to draw attention to it.

Quick Tips

1. Always make an
attempt to position
interesting, yet not
distracting, objects
between yourself and
your subject in order to
draw attention to it.

2. Leaves, branches,
and other plant life
serve as excellent
framing tools.

12

em
ph
asi
z

ing

dep
th

dep
th o
f fie
ld

composition
Depth of field refers to the
region that is in focus within a
photograph. A photograph with
a deep depth of field will have a
relatively large range of distances
in focus, whereas a photograph
with a shallow depth of field will have

a relatively small range of distances in

focus.

Both the image to the left and the image

below possess a fairly shallow depth of

field, as their subjects are in focus, but each

photographs background is out of focus.

Quick Tips

1. Moving closer to an
object will often reduce
the depth of field of
a photograph, and
moving farther from
an object will yield a
deeper depth of field.

2. Photographs
captured with a low
aperture setting tend
to contain relatively
shallow depths of field.

14

Leading lines aim to guide a

vie
we
rs
gaz
e

lea
din
gl
ine
s

composition

viewers gaze along lines within

a photograph in order to draw
attention toward and along the
subject matter and other important

details. These lines may be physically

within a photograph, or implied by

repetition of objects within the image.

The face of the vulture to the left contains

dra
wi
ng

the

plenty of interesting features, which are

accented by the leading lines along its head.

Beneath, attention is drawn to the otter through

the leading lines in the water and tis body shape.

QuickTips

1. Leading lines may

be physically within a
photograph, or implied
by the content of that
photo.

2. When placed
along the thirds of a
photograph, leading
lines become even
more effective at
directing attention.

16

composition

refers to the location of the

gv
iew
poi

nts

Per
spe
ctiv
e

In photography, perspective
camera relative to the subject
being photographed. Perspective
may be manipulated in such a
way to make certain objects look
disproportionately close, far, large, or

small in a photograph.

The perspective of the photograph to

the left causes the monkey and its baby to

ipu
lat
in

appear closer to the chain link fence behind

them, and the tanuki below appears bigger

than it actually is as a result of perspective.

ma
n

Quick Tips

1. Zooming in on a
subject from far away
causes it to appear
to closer to the
background than it
actually is, a process
called foreshortening.

2. Birds eye and

worms eye view are
common interesting
perspectives.

18

em
ph
asi
z

ing

sub

jec
ts

neg
ati
ve s
pac
e

composition
Negative space refers
to the real estate within a
photograph that is not occupied
by the subject. Similar to music,
emptiness can be just as powerful
as objects when juxtaposed against

an interesting subject.

To the left is a turtle sitting on a log in

the middle of a pond. The obvious subject

of the photograph, the turtles precence is

emphasized by the otherwise empty frame.

The kangaroo below is also emphasized, as

there is little else to look at within the image.

Quick Tips

1. Photographs of
subjects with little else
to look at in frame
are often visually
interesting, no matter
how mundane the
subject matter.

2. Negative space
doesnt need to be
completely empty.

20

sti
ng
im
age

sym
me
try

composition
Symmetry refers to the
presence of similar, if not the
same, features taking up space
on each side of a subject matter

within a shot.

The bald eagle to the left is not

in a position such that it appears

cap
tur
ing

int

ere

symmetrical, but its background is: the

woodgrain on each side works to draw

attention to the bird. Similarly, while the

image below is not entirely symmetrical, the

space behind and on the zebra appears fairly

similar on each side of the photo.

Quick Tips

1. Symmetry may
conflict with the rule
of thirds, but may be
successful if executed
tastefully.

2. Symmetry may
be witnessed in the
background, subject,
or any other facet of a
photograph.

20

Repetition is the result of

im
pro
vin
g

aes
t

he
tic

qu
a

lity

rep
etit
ion

composition

visually similar things appearing

within a photograph multiple
times, often in an aesthetically
pleasing orientation.

The image to the left contains

multiple flamingos, each of which is

doing some unique activity. Despite the

uniqueness of each flamingo, their visual

similarity leads to aesthetically pleasing

repetition. Beneath, the presence of multiple

ostriches indicates repetition, as the presence of

an ostrich in the photograph repeats itself.

Quick Tips

1. When capturing
photographs
containing repetition,
aim to capture the
similar subjects in similar
orientations.

2. Balancing repetition
and negative space
within photographs
is often aesthetically
pleasing.

24

Glossary
Aperture (noun): The space through which light passes in a camera.
Depth of Field (noun): The distance between the nearest and
furthest objects judged to be in focus in an image.

Foreshorten (verb): Portray or show an object or view as closer than it

is or as having less depth or distance, as an effect of perspective or the
angle of vision.

Framing (noun): A technique used to bring focus to a subject

ISO (noun): The sensitivity setting of a digital cameras light sensor.
Leading Lines (noun): Lines in an image that guide a viewers gaze.
Negative Space (noun): Space in an image that is not occupied by
the subject

Perspective (noun): The sense of depth or spatial relationships

between objects in a photo, along with their dimensions with respect to

the viewpoint.

Repetition (noun): The recurrence of something within a photograph.

Rule of Thirds (noun): The notion that aligning subjects with lines dividing

a photograph into thirds, and the intersection points of these lines, adds
visual appeal to that photograph.

Shutter Speed (noun): The amount of time a cameras light sensor is

exposed while taking a photograph.

Symmetry (noun): Visual similarity across axes in photographs.

White Balance (noun): The color balance on a digital camera.

26

About the author

Josh Terry is a second year
computational media major
at Georgia Tech who aims to
work his way into the field of
UI/UX design. Born and raised
in Georgia, Josh has long had
a fascination with the visual
arts, which has come to fruition
through photography and
sculpting. Upon numerous
years of yearbook and design
experience, Josh opted to
create this photography tutorial
for class to open aspiring
photographers minds to the
possibilities of the medium.