Focal lengths and FofV...

As focal lengths increase, FofV becomes smaller because the AofV becomes smaller, pretty standard. I think I explained that in the last post. But what does that really MEAN???? 

Well for this photograph of this dog (taken with a fixed 50mm lens which is said to give roughly the same FofV as a human eye) if the focal length were to be...say 25mm...the frame would be fuller with the subject and there would be much less background because it would effectively 'zoom'. It would look something like this (Obviously it would not look like this...I just cropped the previous picture to demonstrate the effect)...


Different lenses give different effects...For example taking the same photograph with wide angle lens and a telephoto lens would give very different results. With the wide angle lens (approx. 10mm) you wouldn't get much depth in terms of distance however you would capture a lot of detail in terms of width (hence the name) whereas with a telephoto lens (approx. 100mm+) you would get a great sense of perspective and tends to capture detail in the distance.

Field of View

Field of View (FofV) is generally defined as the amount of the subject area that is able to be projected to the sensor through the lens. In photography field of view can be changed by either changing your lens or (if you have a zoom lens as I have) changing the focal length. There are a couple of factors that affect FofV...

1. Angle of View- The term FofV is often used synonymously to the term angle of view (AofV) however they are slightly different things. Angle of view is more specifically a measure of the angle of the subject area projected to the sensor. Therefore FofV is dependant on AofV, the greater the angle, the greater the field of view.
2. Focal Length-The focal length is the distance from the sensor to the lens withing a camera lens. Focal length affects FofV because as the distance between the lens and sensor changes, the AofV also changes and in turn FofV is affected.

Even though FofV isn't a technical setting on a the camera, it is still very important because it can drastically change the composition of the photograph which may have a bigger implication to the photograph than how shallow the depth of field is or what shutter speed the camera is set at.

My WB Photographs...

I decided to see what i could do with a single premise. The same photograph but with different White Balance settings. I then compared the sets and decided which settings work the best with each composition. These are my three favourite sets...

AUTO

TUNGSTEN

DAYLIGHT

CLOUDY

SHADE

 With this photograph, the WB that works the most is the TUNGSTEN because even though are viable, he tungsten version is the most dramatic and gives the strongest impression, at least for me it does :)

AUTO

TUNGSTEN

DAYLIGHT

CLOUDY

SHADE

 With these set, the one that works the most is the SHADE because with the sunlight from the bottom of the frame, the shade setting gives it a warmth which I think gives it a little bit more character...

AUTO

TUNGSTEN

DAYLIGHT

CLOUDY

SHADE

 My favourite one from this set is the CLOUDY version, again because the warmth really works with the brick wall and with the warmth it gives the impression of sunlight on the tree. I prefer the cloudy version to the shade version mainly because I think that in the shade version, the colour temperature is too warm.

EVALUATION OF INTERIOR LOCATION BRIEF

My theme for the brief was ‘The Christmas Markets’. This allows me to combine natural light with the (slightly) indoor nature of the stalls. For the exterior brief, I did architecture, which didn’t allow a chance to include colour and energy and it was my first brief so I was still experimenting in B&W, so when I decided to do the Christmas markets my main aim was to capture colour as well as to capture Christmas! I wanted to portray how I see Christmas and what it means to me as much as possible. For inspiration I researched photographers such as Martin Parr... 

What I really enjoy about Parr’s work is the way he seems to take the ordinary and somehow make it seem EXTRAordinary. However what makes Parr’s work special is this irony he seems to portray in his photographs. Even though I was inspired by Parr’s work I would never be able to capture that irony even if I tried.

 I then did a test shoot when we went down on a few weeks prior to the final shoot. I went down to see what stalls where available, to see what works and what doesn’t work and to get an idea of the available light. Here are a couple of the results...

I found that with the test shoot, the results weren’t exactly what I had in mind. When I went back for final shoot, I would look for more colour. The photograph on the left was too dull so I would take photographs that incorporated more light. The photograph on the right is very bust with a lot of ornaments and gifts for sale which I really loved. I then used that more in the final shoot to give the impression of Christmas as it is nowadays, busy and chaotic.

I had a better idea of what I was looking for the second time around. So I went out and these were my favourite 10...

Xmas Gifts

F:3.5.0 SS:125 ISO:160

I really like this photograph because the lights inside the stall are so bright. I feel the warmth of the work is very welcoming and Christmas-y.

Xmas Jewellery

F: 3.5 SS: 25 ISO:160

I used this photograph because I think that Christmas means different things to different people. This could be a Xmas present for someone which I feel goes to show how Christmas is for everyone!

Xmas Jars

F:9.0 SS:125 ISO:160

I absolutely love this photograph because it is just SO colourful and there is so much going on much like Christmas. It’s also the repetition of it all…so many saucers so little food!

Xmas Baubles

F:3.5 SS:13 ISO:160

This isn’t one of my favourites to be perfectly honest but I decided to include it because of the colours and the layered aspect of the bauble display.

Xmas Decorations

F:3.5 SS:13 ISO:160

I love the texture of the ornamental duck. I also love the way there seems to be an endless supply of decorations from baubles to snowmen in the background.

 Xmas Hats

F:3.5 SS160 ISO:160

I don’t really know why I like this photograph, it’s just the idea of the hats are empty and they’re floating in mid-air. It intrigues me. If however I were to take it again I would do something about the exposure because its slightly underexposed.

Xmas Reef

F:5.6 SS:13 ISO:160

I included this photograph as well because I felt it was also very Christmas-y. For me, the main focus is the reef but then there is also the beaded chains in he foreground.

Xmas Figurines

F:3.5 SS:20 ISO:160

This photograph is my absolute favourite because it’s old fashioned before commercialisation where Christmas is about being with loved ones. I think this photograph captures the true spirit of Christmas. Also I find something quite humorous about them being tiny people.

Xmas Chocolates

F:8 SS:4 ISO:160

CHOCOLATE: a huge player in the Christmas game. I found this stall to be one of the happiest with the Christmas decorations of the roof and the Christmas tree shaped cookies. Similar to ‘Xmas Gifts’ the warmth of the scene is emphasised by the warmth of the light.

Xmas Rush

F:14 SS:1” ISO:160

This photograph for me encompasses what Christmas has now become which now, a rush! Everyone’s busy rushing around…except that gentleman in the middle of the frame. I also think the perspective adds to the chaotic nature of the composition.