Media & Environment

Diffusers 
 
In optics, a diffuser is any device that diffuses or spreads out or scatters light in some manner, to give soft light.
 

Optical diffusers use different methods to diffuse light and can include ground glass diffusers, teflon diffusers, holographic diffusers, opal glass diffusers, and greyed glass diffusers.
 

Perfect reflecting diffuser- A Perfect (Reflecting) Diffuser (PRD) is a theoretical surface with 100% Lambertian reflectance (does not absorb light). 
 

Diffused Reflection
Diffuse reflection is the reflection of light from an uneven or granular surface such that an incident ray is seemingly reflected at a number of angles. It is the complement to specular reflection. If a surface is completely nonspecular, the reflected light will be evenly spread over the hemisphere surrounding the surface.
 

The most familiar example of the distinction between specular and diffuse reflection would be matte and glossy paints as used in home painting. Matte paints have a higher proportion of diffuse reflection, while gloss paints have a greater part of specular reflection. 
 

Diffusion Light Reflection

Diffusion Filter
A diffusion filter is a translucent photographic filter used for a special effect. When used in front of the camera lens, a diffusion filter softens subjects and generates a dreamy haze. This can also be improvised by smearing petroleum jelly on a UV filter or shooting through a nylon stocking. Diffusion filters may be uniform or may have a clear center area to create a vignette of diffused area around the clear center subject.
 

Diffusion filters are also used in stage lighting (and likewise in photography setups), where they may also be called diffusion gel, or just diffusion. This is a reference to color gel, which is another type of lighting gel. Diffusion gels soften the light in order to reduce or diffuse shadows or glare.
 

Silk sheets can also be used in this manner, and in fact were until the invention of translucent plastics. “Opal” is a common translucent or opalescent diffusion. 
 
 

Diffusers in Photography
A flash diffuser spreads the light from the flash of a camera. In effect, the light will not come from one concentrated source (like a spotlight), but rather will spread out, bounce from reflective ceilings and walls, thus getting rid of harsh light, and hard shadows.
 

This is particularly useful for portrait photographers, since harsh light and hard shadows are usually not considered flattering in a portrait.
 

A diffusion filter is used in front of a camera lens to soften the image of the scene being shot.

 Submitted by Sabari, II MA Communication, 17, July, 2008.
 
 
 
 
 

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WILD LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY
Taking wild life photos it is so very thrilling to take good pictures particularly wildlife, as it is risky and always a matter of chance you dont even know where, when and what you will get to shoot. Being one with the nature and wildlife is an experience to cherish, and for that photography is just an excuse, for Wildlife photos we have to travel so far, difficult to approachyhe locations to photograph animals, spend ones hard-earned life time savings on equipment they must love the wildlife.

Wildlife refers to animals living in a natural state without the care of humans and who cannot be named, all pets cannot be consider wildlife even though a pet dog, birds- wild birds are a part and parcel of wildlife. Wildlife photography can be an expensive affair, unless you are lucky to stay at location you wont get good result.
 
THERE ARE BASIC REQUIREMENTS NEED & RULES
Good SLR or DIGITAL Camera,
Tripod,
Autofocus camera body, Depth of field preview facility,
AUTO FOCUS- Its allow you to focus accurately & easily it help with aging eyesight,
Manual exopsure capability,
LENSES- Imaging stabilization techniques, long telephoto lenses with wider maximum apertures through way closely,
REMOTE SHUTTER RELEASE- Helps you to achieved sharper, image without physically touching the tripod,
TRAP FOCUS- Pre focus manually at a spot fire the subject is actually at the pre focused spot,
FACILITY TO FIRE MANY FRAMS PER SECOND- It allows you to capture many frames in the continuous burst,
FOCUS CONFIRMATION- All modern camera confirm focus are also tell you in which direction to turn the lens,
SPOT METERING FACILITY- For precise metering,
 

RULES
Avoid photographing the animal when the lighting is contarst takin in less shadows,
Aviod dappled lighting when the sunlight is filtering through the trees,
Dont ignore the back ground because cannot set up the scene,
Wait till you get good action from the animals,
Carry beans bags up situations in car or an open jeep using the camera on a tripod is not always possible, or convenient in such situation it is better to support the lens on a bean bag.
 

DO’S & DONT’S
Every photographer must have passion 4 his work and always holds true for all types of photograph,
Never put your subject as risk, avoid temptation to clear the branches,
Study your intended subjects: know its habits, likes & dislikes, its breedings habits, its helps you to better understand the subject,
Be there at the right time, don’t be lazy, don’t think of your personal conforts, get up early and be at the predetermined location,
Best time: Early morning & late evening are the time when most predators are active,
Carry all the equipments for the spot, carry spare camera, batterries,
Strictly avoid perfumes & deodorants: They have gerat sense of smell of hearing, and dont  use mobile phones,
Be patient:  They will not follow our rules, and you cant expect them to do what you would like, you have to sit out at a location for hours,
Dont let small difficulties or failure upset you: winner never quit and quitter never win,
Have a positive approach,
Be dressed for the occasion: you cant be expected to concentrate on your photograph if you are wet in a freezing strom,
Clothes should blend with the background.
 

HIDE PHOTOGRAPHY
Hidden photography also calld BLIND photography.

Camouflaged materials taken placed on top to hide the frame work
PIT BLIND: Dig a pit in the ground about 5 feet deep & 4 feet in diameter, it allows you very low level shots.
BOAT BLIND: By using mini tripod will hide the camera by the camouflaged, photographer should be confort, do not drift the boat till you get object to fire the photo.
 
 

HARSH LIGHT
LIGHT is a friend to all photo, without light there would be no photograph, every one should take photo when light is with in our control, mid day sun when light is not ideal, shadows devoid any detail,

DIFFUSES will be used when there is harsh light, diffuser can be soften the harsh sunlight & the subject, closer the diffuser to the subject, the softer the light,
when more contrast hold it bit away will create a bit more contrast on the subject.

Submitted by Sabari, II MA Communication, 17, July, 2008.
 
 

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PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
A Good portrait is the sum of lighting, pose, composition  & ur technical skills.
Intro:

               Portrait photography-records the likeliness of a person and it portrays the subjects personality, mood, expression & it reveals the character of the person.
1st things 1st:

First impression is the lasting impression.
To take good Portrait first create a comfort level between the photographer and the model.
Fancy accessories won’t help, unless the model is comfort with you.
Your attitude, your assistant and studio set-up makes the model comfortable. So make the working area neat and tidy.
Don’t scream and don’t talk too much.
The idea of relaxing the model is because the model’s state of mind is reflected in the portrait.
 

Your working space:

      There is no space problem in outdoor Photography. But it is a problem in Indoor Photography.

Head & shoulder portrait working space 14*10*10*feet height is enough.
Full length portrait working space 20*12*12*feet height is enough.
      Smaller space than this will do, but this makes the working area comfortable.

DISTANCE BETWEEN THE SUBJECT AND THE BACKGROUND IS IMPORTANT.

Lighting and other Equipment:

Equipments needed:

Lights
Soft boxes
Reflectors
Umbrella mounted studio flash
Scrim
 

      Lighting can be simple or elobrate but it depends on the studio size, your skills in lighting and the budget.
Camera & Lenses:

      D-SLR is enough for high ended work. It has field-of-view crop factor. Dont use wide angle lens for portrait photography because it will cause distortion to the subject. Tele lens in range of 200 to 300mm will compress the facial expression, so avoid it.

Head & shoulder portrait-focal length of around 75 to100mm is needed.

Full length portrait-focal length of around 50mm is enough.

In the studio:

      Once you are comfortable with outdoor try in Indoor. In Outdoor Photography one sun light and one shadow but in Indoor photography multiples of light and many shadows. Place reflectors to avoid shadow.
3 types of studio portrait lighting:

1.Short Light or Narrow Light

It is a corrective lighting for plump(round) faces. So that the face may appear narrow.
Light areas of a print project and the dark areas recede.
The main light is also called as key light and it gives importance to the outline of the face.
If we keep the major part in shadow& highlight only small area, the face will appear narrow. This is the lighting trick we employ in Short lighting.
Fill-In-Light:

Its purpose is to fill the shadow created by the key light.
This should be placed at the subjects eye level, close to the camera but opposite to the key light.
Care should be taken that it should not create second shadow of the nose.
 

How far away the lights should be:

Use flash meter to adjust light according to the aperture we wish to use.
Consider the f-stops at a particular distance. Hence f/5.8 is 5.8 feet in distance. Now place the key light at 1 stop distance i.e. 8feet.
This provides 3:1 light ratio accepted for color portrait. 
 

Hair Light:

      If the hair light is used properly, we can separate the subject and the background. Thus we can add depth to the subject. Soft boxes can be used to give importance to the shoulders. Too much of hair light will change the black hair to white. So care should be taken in hair light.
Kicker Light:

      It is used to separate the shoulder and the background tone. It is placed at the bach of the subject and opposite to the key light.
Background Light:

      It gives importance to the  background and not to the subject.its purpose ia to give tonal separation between subject and the background. If possible segregate the subject from the background so that you can light background in any color.
2. Broad Light:

It is a corrective lighting for thin and narrow faces.
In this lighting the key light gives importance to the broader size of the face and leaves the short side in shadow.
This has the effect of broadening the face because the major part of the face is in lit.
 

3. Butterfly Light or Glamour Light:

Butterfly shape shadow forms under the subjects nose.
Key light is placed facing the subject, little above the subjects head so that the shadow fall down.
Catch light should be placed at 1’o clock position.
It is not used for men models.
Care should be taken that the shadow should not touch the lip line.
 

Rembarant  lighting:

      It is a combination of SHORT LIGHT & BUTTERFLY LIGHT.   

Submitted by    G. ADHITHYA PRIYA, II M.A MASS COMMUNICATION,17, July, 2008.

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ECO CLUB office bearers are meeting the PRINCIPAL at her office on

 18, July 2008, 3 PM to formulate this year’s plan.

Suggestions from members, are welcome.

First year students are briefed about the CLUB ACTIVITIES on 17 July, 2008 at GRD Auditorium, PSGCAS.

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First year students of this academic year are to get briefing about this course on 17 July, 2008 at GRD Auditorium, PSG CAS. Time: 11.30 AM.

Significant change: Fee Rs. 2,000 to  incorporate 30 students.

Class Timings: Mostly 3-5 PM. Few saturdays for Practicals.

Total Contact hours: 180 (90 per semester).

Planning to start classes from August first Week.

Interested students type your Name, Class in the Comments box below or meet me in the Department from 3 to 4 PM today

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MEMORY CARDS

A memory card or flash memory card

is a solid-state electronic flash memory data storage device used with digital cameras, handheld and Mobile computers, telephones, music players, video game consoles, and other electronics. They offer high re-record-ability, power-free storage, small form factor, and rugged environmental specifications. There are also non-solid-state memory cards that do not use flash memory, and there are different types of flash memory.There are many different types of memory cards and jobs they are used for.

Some common places include in digital cameras, in game consoles, in cell phones, and in industrial applications. PC card (PCMCIA) were among first commercial memory card formats (type I cards) to come out in the 1990s, but are now only mainly used in industrial applications and for I/O jobs (using types I/II/III), as a connection standard for devices (such as a modem). Also in 1990s, a number of memory card formats smaller than PC Card came out, including CompactFlash, SmartMedia, and Miniature Card. In other areas, tiny embedded memory cards (SID) were used in cell phones, game consoles started using proprietary memory card formats, and devices like PDAs and digital music players started using removable memory cards.

From the late 1990s into the early 2000s a host of new formats appeared, including SD/MMC, Memory Stick, xD-Picture Card, and a number of variants and smaller cards. The desire for ultra-small cards for cell-phones, PDAs, and compact digital cameras drove a trend toward smaller cards that left the previous generation of “compact” cards looking big. In digital cameras SmartMedia and CompactFlash had been very successful, in 2001 SM alone captured 50% of the digital camera market and CF had a strangle hold on professional digital cameras.

 By 2005 however, SD/MMC had nearly taken over SmartMedia’s spot, though not to the same level and with stiff competition coming from Memory Stick variants, xD, as well as CompactFlash. In industrial fields, even the venerable PC card (PCMCIA) memory cards still manage to maintain a niche, while in cell-phones and PDAs, the memory card market is highly fragmented.Nowadays, most new PCs have built-in slots for a variety of memory cards; Memory Stick,

is a flash (non-volatile) memory card format developed by Matsushita, SanDisk, and Toshiba for use in portable devices. Today it is widely used in digital cameras, handheld computers, PDAs, mobile phones, GPS receivers, and video game consoles. Standard SD card capacities range from 8 MB to 4 GB and for high capacity SDHC cards 8 MB to 32 GB as of 2008.The format has proven to be very popular.

However, a change in the format, while allowing capacities greater than 4 GB (SDHC), has created compatibility issues with older devices which cannot read the new format. Since SDHC format cards have the same physical shape and form factor as the older format, this has caused considerable confusion for consumers.^[1][2] SDHC cards require an SDHC capable device firmware, generally not found with older devices.

Speeds

There are different speed grades available which are measured with the same system as CD-ROMs, in multiples of 150 kB/s (1x = 150 kB/s). Basic cards transfer data up to six times (6x) the data rate of the standard CD-ROM speed (900 kB/s vs. 150 kB/s). High-speed cards are made with higher data transfer rates like 66x (10 MB/s), and high-end cards have speeds of 150x or higher. Note that maximum read speed and maximum write speed may be different, with maximum write speed typically lower than maximum read speed. Some digital cameras require high-speed cards (write speed) to record video smoothly or capture multiple still photographs in rapid succession. The SD card specification 1.01 allows for a maximum speed of 66x. Higher speeds of up to 150x are defined by specification 1.1.The following table lists some common ratings and their respective maximum transfer rates.

2.Compact Flash (CF)

is a mass storage device format used in portable electronic devices. For storage, CompactFlash typically uses flash memory in a standardized enclosure.The format was first specified and produced by SanDisk in 1994.^[1] The physical format is now used for a variety of devices.CompactFlash became a popular storage medium for digital cameras. In recent years it has been widely replaced by smaller Secure Digital cards on the consumer end, but it is still a preferred format for D-SLR cameras, for its superior capacity and reliability.

Type I and Type II

The only difference between the two types is that the Type II devices are 5 mm thick while Type I devices are 3.3 mm thick.^[8] The vast majority of all Type II devices are Microdrives and other miniature hard drives. Flash based Type II devices are rare but a few examples do exist.^[9][10] Even the largest capacity cards commonly available are Type I cards. Most card readers will read both formats, with the exception of some early CF based cameras or poorer quality USB card readers where the slot is too small.

3.The xD-Picture Card

 is a type of flash memory card, used mainly in digital cameras. xD originally stood for extreme Digital.^[1] The cards were developed by Olympus and Fujifilm, and introduced into the market in July 2002. Toshiba Corporation and Samsung Electronics manufacture the cards forOlympus and Fujifilm. xD cards are now sold under other brands, including Kodak, SanDisk, PNY, and Lexar, but are not branded with the respective companies’ logos, except for Kodak.

xD cards are used in Olympus and Fujifilm digital cameras and Olympus digital voice recorders; Fujifilm also made an MP3 player (xD-MP3) that used the cards. As of 2008, xD cards are available in capacities of 16 MB (16 MiB), 32 MB, 64 MB, 128 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB (1 GiB), and 2 GB.

Submitted by Vincent, II MA, July, 2008.

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360- Degree Panoramas

360- Degree Panoramas are relatively easy to create. You just need an eye for locales that makes compelling panoramic photos and some specialized software.

With a virtual reality photo or 360-degree panorama, you capture an entire scene in all directions. When viewed on a computer screen, you see just part of the scene at first but you can pan around to look left, right, and even behind you. These are a great way to show off everything at a certain location. At first you must choose the 360-panorama image. Remember your panorama will also look better if your subjects are some what distant. Anything close to the camera will distorted or won’t line up properly in the final image. If your camera tilts up a little in some pictures but down in others, you’ll end up with distort in the final panorama. Most importantly, you want a lot of overlaps in each frame. Make sure that at least a third of each picture overlaps with previous frame.

Now check that the spirit level in tripod is perfect and then mount on the panorama system on the panorama plate. Align the camera on the + mark on the panorama plate horizontally. Fix the, nodal point this is the most critical part of the process. The nodal point resolves the parallax in the object shifting on the camera frame while negotiating horizontal panorama movement of the camera. When you move the camera to take the next shot, the object should not move its position in the second frame compared to the first.

Adjust the camera to the center focusing point and do not change it in the consecutive shots. The distance between nodal points depends on the lens and focal length you are using. Once the nodal point is fixed based on the focal length you will be using, the number of shorts are devised. During the whole shooting sequence, the light condition, the focal length and the focus must not changed.

Finally, you’ll need special software that stitches the individual frames and to creates a 360- Degree Panorama than you can view in PC or display on a web. Just drag and drop the image, then click few buttons. Software will do lining the photos, blending them together, and saving the finished image.

EQUIPMENTS NEEDed for 360-Degree panorama Photo:

Preferably a full frame digital SLR camera.
A wide-angle zoom lens(17mm-40mm or 16-35mm or prime 14mm)
A tripod with good quality ball head and a panorama plate.
Stitching software like Auto Stitch or Adobe Photo Shop.

Submitted by SURESH, II MA, July 2008

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USING FILTERS
For photographers with film cameras, filters have been popular accessories allowing for a number of special effects and techniques. Whether being able make the best of current lighting situations, or to enhance or manipulate them, filters offer an array of options to photographers.
Types of filter that still prove their worth even in today’s digital age.
UV/ Sky light:

The most basic and popular filter in use today is the UV filter. Its primary purpose is to reduce the effect of haze, clarity, misty views and it’s also reducing excessive blueness due to UV rays when shooting outdoor.
Polarizer:

Polarizer increase color saturation reduces unwanted reflections, cut through atmospheric haze and generally heightens contrast. In very bright light situations when you need to cut down the light to do so by stopping down the lens, this proves extremely and another thing is deepen the blue in the sky. 
Neutral Density:

A plain grey filter that cuts down the amount of light reaching the film/ sensor without altering the color is a neutral density filter.

There are two types of neutral filter:

1. Solid filter

2. Graduated filter

         Graduated filter have one half clear and other half as a neutral filter. It is used to bring an overly bright part of a scene into the dynamic range of the film or sensor.
Diffusers:

Most popular for portrait photography, the diffuser/ pastel filter softens harsh lines, minimize wrinkles, and other blemishes without significantly comprising the sharpness of an image. They are useful even on landscapes as they reduce harsh contrasts and add a romantic feel. Another variety, the centre-spot filters allows the main subject to be clear while progressively diffusing the surroundings.  
Graduated color:

Similar to a graduated ND filter, with the exception that one half instead of being ND is colored. A deeper color at one end fades into being clear glass at the other end effectively adding color to the part of the image. They can be used as photo enhancers or for creative effects.
 
 
 
Enhancing:

Enhancing filters are meant to intensify all color in a photograph- reds, oranges, greens, blues, and violets- the only color that remains unaffected is yellow. But apart from enhancing colors, these filters can also leave a noticeable magenta cast in the white and grey areas and other neutral hues.
Infrared:

To capture the infrared range of light one requires an infrared filter. IR filters are use to reduce the amount of blue and green light reaching the film. People too are good subjects, but account for long exposures and the fact that they will look ghostly and pale. People shots work better in nudes because clothes block the heat emanated from the body.
Using filters is both creative and aesthetic process. Keeping the end result in mind, employing the correct filter for the correct purpose becomes necessary. Of course any thing in excess can actually ruin your objective.                                                                                

Submittitted by SURESH, II MA, July 2008
  
 

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What do many different file extensions that come pegged with digital image represent? How can we best use them? How do they differ from each other?

                                                                                                 SHRIDHAR KUNTE

     An image is made up from two different types of data either pixel or vector. When these are displayed on screen, they rasterized to form pixels. There are three main formats for digital camera images, RAW, TIFF, JPEG.

RAW

The RAW image format is a file option available on some advanced digital cameras. This mode normally uses a lossless compression and produces file sizes much smaller than TIFF. Unfortunately, the RAW format is not standard among all camera manufacturers and some graphic editors don’t accept RAW either.

TIFF

TIFF( tagged image file format ) remain a popular standard for image files in pre press work. TIFF can be lossy or lossless. Some types of  TIFF offer relatively good lossless compression for bi-level (black and white, no grey) images. TIFFs are extremely versatile, allowing image files to store greater color depth, some times up to 16-bit per pixel (48- bit color- depth) though 8-bit is the rule in most cameras, due to the increase in the file size. Some high end digital cameras have the option to save images in the TIFF format, the TIFF image format is not widely supported by web browsers and should not be used on the world wide web. TIFF is capable of handling device-specific color spaces, such as CMYK. It is two to five ties smaller than RAW files.

JPEG

The JPEG (joint photographic experts group) image files are a lossy format and are widely used in digital cameras. Strictly speaking, JPEG isn’t a file format, but an image-compression standard. Most JPEG’S produced by cameras are JIFF (JPEG file interchange format) and EXIF (Exchangeable image file) complaint, which allows both image data and camera setting to be exchanged between hardware and software. The JPEG format supports 8-bit per color red, green and blue. But these files suffer generational degradation when repeatedly edited and saved.

GIF

GIF (graphic interchange format) has a limitation of an 8- bit palette, or 256 colors. This makes the GIF format most suitable for storing graphics with relatively small of colors such as simple diagrams, shapes and cartoon style images. The GIF format supports animation and is still widely used to provide image animation effects. It also uses a lossless compression that is more effective when large areas have a single color but proves ineffective for detailed or dithered images.

BMP

The BMP (bit mapped) format is used within the Microsoft windows operating system to handle graphics images. These files are typically not compressed and therefore large in size. The main advantage of BMP files is their wide acceptance, simplicity and the compatibility. Since these files are not compressed, the large size of BMP files are unsuitable for file transfer. But these are suitable for background images and wall papers.

PNG

The PNG (PORTABLE NETWORK GRAPHICS) file format is a descendant to GIF. This supports wide color (16 million colors). The lossless PNG format is best suited for editing pictures.

EPS

Encapsulated postscript (EPS) is a standard file format for importing and exporting postscript files. It is typically a one page postscript program that describes an illustration or entire page. Occasionally ESP files are called as ESPF files. It is a combination of text, graphics and images. Since it is actually a postscript file it is most suitable and flexible format. It contains a small preview image that is used to visualize its content.

PSD

A very popular photoshop file format, it can handle around 30000 pixels in two dimensions. It can also pickup special color information applied to an image. It has an limitation of being an application specific format and hence a drawback for those not using adobe.

JPEG 2000

This is new JPEG format. It requires plug in to read. It was specifically designed with emphasis on applications in the fields of modern web based graphics, databases and mobile communications.

WBMP

This format is a wireless based application format. Unfortunately, it supports black and white information.

Submitted by: Sudha.G, II MA, July 2008. 

SOURCE: Shridhar Kunte, SMART PHOTOGRAPHY

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HOW TO SHOOT STAINED GLASS

Few tips

1.    The right time to shoot stained glass is when there is maximum light passing through it.

2.    Rainy days and dark days are ruled out.

3.    Bright, overcast weather is just right.

4.    Set your camera on tripod and carefully frame your picture.

5.    Decide whether along with the stained glass, you want the surrounding design to fill the frame.

6.    In most cases, stick to your camera’s matrix or evaluative metering. If you desire a heavily saturated shot, underexpose by ½ to 1 stop.

Source: H.S BILLIMORA, Nov, 2007, Smart Photography.

Submitted by VishnuPriya, II MA, July 2008.

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