Lets learn more about Photography - Part 3 Terms of photography for kids Gr 3-4

We have learned more about photography, cameras and the history behind it.  Today we will have a look at the meaning of some general words that you may hear people use if they take photos.

                                

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A camera is obviously the thing you hold in your hand and with which you will take the photo, but if you do not want the photo to blur and keep the camera very steady, you will put it on a tripod - this is a stand with three legs that will hold the camera in one position.

The flash of the camera is the source of light.  If you are in a place that is dark, or at night, the flash will give light for the photo to be taken.  This can sometimes make the photo not look good because the flash is either too bright or not bright enough.  More expensive cameras have flashes where you can change the setting to give just the right amount of light.

You must look through the viewfinder.  That is the little glass where you will see what you are taking a picture of. Some people use the screen of the digital camera, but professionals will rather use the viewfinder.

If you want to take a good picture, you must make sure you focus correctly.  You can either set the camera to focus automatically or you can turn the lens by hand.

Many times the background is also important to make a nice photo.  The background is what is behind the object you are taking a photo of.  It will make a much nicer picture if you have someone stand in front of a tree than in front of rubbish. 

If you want to take a picture with a wide view where you can see more of the area where you are, you will take a panoramic shot.

Zooming in to take a better photo can be very interesting and if you photograph very small objects like insects, we say you are practicing macro photography.  A lot of detail is visible in these type of photos.

Digital photos are made up of dots.  The more dots there are, the better the quality of the photo.  This is called the pixels.   A camera which is  5 pixels for instance will take a better photo than a camera which is 1 pixel.  The higher the pixel, the clearer the photograph.

The lens is the glass the light travels through before it reaches the sensor and these are very specifically carved glass.  You can change the lens on some cameras and you can use bigger and smaller lenses depending on what you are photographing and if you want to zoom in and how many times you want to zoom.

When you press the button, the shutter of the camera will open to let the light in.  The darker it is, the longer the shutter will stay open for enough light to get in.

Have a look at the story and answer the questions.

1. What does a photographer do?
2. Who is the girl in the story?
3. What is a tripod and why will Eve use it?
4. What is a selfie?
5. What type of things will you see in a photo of a landscape?
6. Do you think you need a special camera to take photos under water?  Why do you say that?
7. Would you like to be a photographer and why or why not?
8. What would you like to photograph?