SAY CHEESE American photographer Ansel Adams once said You don't take a photograph you make it A photograph can be more than just a record It can also be art By looking at a subject in new ways and controlling the elements that make a great shot a photographer can make a photo express ideas and emotions CREATING PHOTOGRAPHS I People have been fascinated by light for thousands of years The first photographs were created by combining optics or the science of light with chemical reactions Digital photography pairs optics with technology to produce electronic images Today technology has advanced so far that within a few minutes anyone can snap a photo edit it and share it with countless others THE MAKER MOVEMENT What exactly is a maker A maker is anyone who builds or creates something But there is more to the maker movement than just creating Makers ask questions They think outside the box and ask What if They know that there are often several ways to approach any project Making is about innovation or putting a new twist on something that already exists Capturing an action shot is all about timing Snapping multiple pictures in a row provides lots of images to choose
READY SET MAKE Makers come together in makerspaces Many schools libraries and museums house makerspaces designed to inspire educate and innovate However if you have a camera smartphone or tablet a makerspace can be anywhere Makerspaces provide a place to share your ideas and ask questions about other people's projects There are also online communities that connect makers from around the world Make sure you ask a responsible adult to check any websites you use START NOW Anyone can be a shutterbug Some photographers pair their interest in art and technology with their favorite pastimes If you are a sports fan try capturing action on the field If you like writing snap some shots to showcase alongside your stories or poems The best way to learn about photography and to get your creative juices flowing is to start snapping pictures So grab your camera smartphone or tablet and get started Teamwork is key to the maker movement Makers get new ideas by collaborating or working with others Use your imagination and have
BEYOND WORDS Images can be incredibly powerful They can be used to record a special person place or event From family snapshots to advertisements photographs are all around us Before the camera was invented people captured images by painting and drawing Creative makers are using technology to change the way people experience art MORE THAN WORDS Photographs can evoke or bring out powerful emotions Images are universal so they can be experienced by anyone no matter what language they speak or what country they live in In photojournalism still images can convey or capture an emotion or statement that is impossible to express in words OPTICAL ILLUSIONS Seeing is not always believing Using point of view scale and other techniques to trick the viewer's eye are fun ways to use a camera Some of these trick pictures have become popular at tourist attractions such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy Tourists often pose near the tower which tips to one side They position themselves so they appear to be holding the tower up F To set up this trick shot the girl is positioned to look as though she is holding the tower up Other tourists pose to look as though they are pushing the tower over How would you set up your shot 0
EXPOSED A picture's exposure is determined by the amount of light the camera captures and for how long it enters the camera This is controlled by the camera's aperture shutter speed and ISO If too much light is used parts of the photograph will appear overexposed or washed out If there is not enough light the shot will appear underexposed or dark Many digital cameras adjust automatically depending on the light they detect However you can get creative and override the camera's settings to try out different exposures in your work NEAR AND FAR Every photograph has a depth of field This is how much of the IA picture appears in focus If a photographer wants to draw the viewer's eye to something in the front of the picture they use a shallow depth of field This is achieved by shooting a subject close up and allowing more light into the camera The subject appears sharp while the background is blurry A deeper depth of field shows more of the image in focus and allows less light into the camera Try combining more than one design element in your work such as an interesting point of view and a shallow depth of field o Be a Maker Look at the world around you and brainstorm how you can use point of view in your pictures What happens if you change the angle you are shooting from Can you make something appear much larger or smaller Experiment with placing your subject closer to and farther away from the camera Use your
