Research: How Camera Works and Rules of Photography

We have a special photography class with the sole purpose of helping us in media studies. As photography is an essential part, without having an understanding of the basic rules of photography I won't be able to produce photographs to the required level.

In the beginning we were taught about how the digital camera works. We were taught about the main components of a digital camera such as the

• Lens
• Aperture
• Shutter
• Sensor
• Camera Software
• Memory Cards

A lot which I was familiar with. Below is an image of a handout provided by our teacher on how the digital camera works.

Our teacher introduced us to a simple rule "KISS" This is an acronym for Keep It Simple Stupid. Why she encouraged us to keep our photographs simple as it limits the number of things that distracts the eye from the main subject.

Another rule we were introduced to was the "Rule of Thirds". The photograph is divided into 3 parts like the image below.

Images from Google

Simply the rule of thirds states that the object of attention should be placed at the intersection of the dividing lines. (Green dots) But you can also place the object along one of dividing lines. If the object is placed in the middle it is less appealing to the eye as the human eye focuses on the sides rather than the middle of the photograph.

Framing is also important as it helps to decide where an image begins or ends this way the meaning of the image is constructed. A variety of camera angles can be used to frame an object into a photograph. The human infers meaning from the relationship between the camera and subject.