TRANSCRIPT 🔗
1
00:00:01,470 --> 00:00:03,870
(Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) It's Flash Card Friday here at Mass Science
2
00:00:03,870 --> 00:00:06,390
History, and this Friday I'm bringing you some
3
00:00:06,390 --> 00:00:07,090
perspective.
4
00:00:07,710 --> 00:00:09,150
That was a photography joke.
5
00:00:11,230 --> 00:00:13,590
Today I will talk about some simple math
6
00:00:13,590 --> 00:00:16,290
tricks that will help you improve your photography.
7
00:00:16,770 --> 00:00:18,910
Whether you are using a phone or a
8
00:00:18,910 --> 00:00:20,750
camera, these tricks will help you get some
9
00:00:20,750 --> 00:00:23,530
of the best photos with a new perspective.
10
00:00:24,070 --> 00:00:26,450
First, let's use the rule of thirds.
11
00:00:26,730 --> 00:00:28,350
Imagine that your photo is going to be
12
00:00:28,350 --> 00:00:31,710
divided into nine equal parts, with two horizontal
13
00:00:31,710 --> 00:00:33,550
lines and two vertical lines.
14
00:00:33,770 --> 00:00:34,310
It's a grid.
15
00:00:34,610 --> 00:00:36,690
And your phone might even provide you with
16
00:00:36,690 --> 00:00:38,810
a grid if you choose to access it.
17
00:00:39,090 --> 00:00:42,650
Use this imagined or applicable grid to place
18
00:00:42,650 --> 00:00:45,670
key elements along these lines or at their
19
00:00:45,670 --> 00:00:48,570
intersections for balanced, engaging photos.
20
00:00:48,890 --> 00:00:50,870
Next, consider leading lines.
21
00:00:51,130 --> 00:00:52,090
This is a cool trick.
22
00:00:52,410 --> 00:00:55,170
There are natural lines that guide the viewer's
23
00:00:55,170 --> 00:00:56,710
eyes towards the subject.
24
00:00:57,090 --> 00:01:00,230
Think of roads, fences, pillars, or rivers.
25
00:01:00,590 --> 00:01:03,010
When you use these, they add depth and
26
00:01:03,010 --> 00:01:04,150
interest to your photos.
27
00:01:04,390 --> 00:01:06,070
I will post a picture of me on
28
00:01:06,070 --> 00:01:08,970
my website at masssciencehistory.com that my husband
29
00:01:08,970 --> 00:01:11,410
took when I graduated with my second degree.
30
00:01:11,830 --> 00:01:14,510
It was taken at the downtown LA Public
31
00:01:14,510 --> 00:01:16,890
Library in front of a giant pillar.
32
00:01:17,270 --> 00:01:19,250
And I will give him the credit for
33
00:01:19,250 --> 00:01:21,170
the photo, even though it was my idea.
34
00:01:21,170 --> 00:01:23,830
But it'll give you an idea about leading
35
00:01:23,830 --> 00:01:26,790
lines and how they help take a beautiful
36
00:01:26,790 --> 00:01:27,370
picture.
37
00:01:27,850 --> 00:01:29,070
Oh, and by the way, while you're at
38
00:01:29,070 --> 00:01:30,950
Math, Science, History, don't forget to click on
39
00:01:30,950 --> 00:01:32,570
that coffee button and buy a cup of
40
00:01:32,570 --> 00:01:34,790
coffee, because every cup of coffee is a
41
00:01:34,790 --> 00:01:37,390
donation to the podcast Math, Science, History.
42
00:01:37,870 --> 00:01:40,290
So next up, symmetry and patterns.
43
00:01:40,470 --> 00:01:42,430
These are really pleasing to the eye.
44
00:01:42,650 --> 00:01:45,630
So look for symmetrical scenes or repetitive patterns
45
00:01:45,630 --> 00:01:48,250
and center your shot to emphasize them.
46
00:01:48,570 --> 00:01:51,270
I love symmetry and repetitive patterns, because they
47
00:01:51,270 --> 00:01:53,610
really yield stunning results.
48
00:01:53,870 --> 00:01:55,970
Then there's something I talked a couple of
49
00:01:55,970 --> 00:01:57,830
weeks ago called the golden ratio.
50
00:01:58,110 --> 00:02:00,370
It's like the rule of thirds, but it's
51
00:02:00,370 --> 00:02:01,490
a lot more dynamic.
52
00:02:01,890 --> 00:02:04,510
It's a ratio that is about 1.5
53
00:02:04,510 --> 00:02:05,070
to 1.
54
00:02:05,170 --> 00:02:07,530
So you place your subject at a point
55
00:02:07,530 --> 00:02:10,610
that follows this tiny ratio for a naturally
56
00:02:10,610 --> 00:02:12,050
appealing composition.
57
00:02:12,490 --> 00:02:14,650
Now let's talk about light and exposure.
58
00:02:15,110 --> 00:02:16,930
Math is utilized for this too.
59
00:02:17,290 --> 00:02:19,390
Doing a callback to the rule of thirds,
60
00:02:19,630 --> 00:02:21,590
if you have a line of light like
61
00:02:21,590 --> 00:02:24,930
a sunset, position the horizon along the top
62
00:02:24,930 --> 00:02:28,070
or the bottom horizontal line and place the
63
00:02:28,070 --> 00:02:29,590
Sun near one of the intersections.
64
00:02:30,090 --> 00:02:32,390
This really harmonizes the photo, and I know
65
00:02:32,390 --> 00:02:33,730
that's a funny way of saying it, but
66
00:02:33,730 --> 00:02:36,210
it's a third, and it creates this balance
67
00:02:36,210 --> 00:02:38,330
and the eyes fall in a certain way
68
00:02:38,330 --> 00:02:40,930
to truly see the application of the Sun
69
00:02:40,930 --> 00:02:42,690
to the sunrise or the sunset.
70
00:02:43,130 --> 00:02:45,950
Math is at the core of photography, especially
71
00:02:45,950 --> 00:02:49,550
when balancing shutter speed, ISO, and aperture to
72
00:02:49,550 --> 00:02:50,470
get the perfect shot.
73
00:02:50,850 --> 00:02:53,450
Shutter speed, measured in fractions of a second,
74
00:02:53,750 --> 00:02:58,570
like 1 250th or 1 1000th, controls how
75
00:02:58,570 --> 00:03:00,390
long light hits the sensor.
76
00:03:00,830 --> 00:03:03,830
Longer exposures let in more light, but can
77
00:03:03,830 --> 00:03:05,950
blur fast moving objects.
78
00:03:06,370 --> 00:03:09,230
ISO adjusts the sensor's sensitivity to light, with
79
00:03:09,230 --> 00:03:12,390
lower numbers with the ISO being 100, producing
80
00:03:12,390 --> 00:03:16,070
clear images, and higher numbers like an ISO
81
00:03:16,070 --> 00:03:20,170
of 3200, adding brightness but also grain.
82
00:03:20,870 --> 00:03:24,270
Aperture, which is measured in f-stops, controls
83
00:03:24,270 --> 00:03:26,370
how wide the lens opens.
84
00:03:26,790 --> 00:03:30,030
Lower f-numbers, like f
Load full transcript
over 2.8,
85
00:03:30,270 --> 00:03:32,510
let in more light and blur the background,
86
00:03:32,830 --> 00:03:35,850
while higher f-numbers, like f over 11,
87
00:03:36,090 --> 00:03:38,090
keep more of the scene in focus.
88
00:03:38,570 --> 00:03:42,610
These three settings form the exposure triangle, where
89
00:03:42,610 --> 00:03:46,470
adjusting one requires balancing the others to achieve
90
00:03:46,470 --> 00:03:47,750
proper exposure.
91
00:03:48,210 --> 00:03:49,770
It's like a tripod, you know, if you
92
00:03:49,770 --> 00:03:51,990
adjust one leg, you have to adjust the
93
00:03:51,990 --> 00:03:53,490
other two so it's not leaning.
94
00:03:53,950 --> 00:03:57,450
A fast shutter speed, like 1 1000th, requires
95
00:03:57,450 --> 00:04:01,030
a wider aperture or higher ISO, while a
96
00:04:01,030 --> 00:04:03,170
slow shutter speed, like 1 30th, may need
97
00:04:03,170 --> 00:04:06,570
a smaller aperture or lower ISO to avoid
98
00:04:06,570 --> 00:04:07,550
overexposure.
99
00:04:07,950 --> 00:04:11,990
Understanding these mathematical relationships helps photographers control
100
00:04:11,990 --> 00:04:15,490
light, motion, and depth to capture the perfect
101
00:04:15,490 --> 00:04:16,089
image.
102
00:04:16,470 --> 00:04:18,910
Another way math is used in photography is
103
00:04:18,910 --> 00:04:20,410
with focal length and zoom.
104
00:04:20,850 --> 00:04:23,410
Focal length is measured in millimeters and will
105
00:04:23,410 --> 00:04:25,730
define how much of the scene you want,
106
00:04:26,010 --> 00:04:28,070
so when you zoom in or when you
107
00:04:28,070 --> 00:04:28,530
zoom out.
108
00:04:28,950 --> 00:04:32,270
Photographers use math to obtain the desired focal
109
00:04:32,270 --> 00:04:34,210
length to control how much of a scene
110
00:04:34,210 --> 00:04:36,950
they captured and how subjects appear in relation
111
00:04:36,950 --> 00:04:37,870
to their surroundings.
112
00:04:38,330 --> 00:04:41,590
A shorter focal length, like 18 millimeters, captures
113
00:04:41,590 --> 00:04:44,630
a wider view, making it great for landscapes
114
00:04:44,630 --> 00:04:47,990
or large scenes, while a longer focal length,
115
00:04:48,090 --> 00:04:51,970
like 200 millimeters, zooms in, making distant subjects
116
00:04:51,970 --> 00:04:55,270
appear closer and more detailed, like in wildlife
117
00:04:55,270 --> 00:04:56,550
or sports photography.
118
00:04:56,870 --> 00:05:00,050
The choice of focal length also affects perspective.
119
00:05:00,490 --> 00:05:04,070
Wide-angle lenses exaggerate distances, making objects seem
120
00:05:04,070 --> 00:05:08,330
farther apart, while telephoto lenses compress space, making
121
00:05:08,330 --> 00:05:10,070
objects appear closer together.
122
00:05:10,370 --> 00:05:12,190
This is why a photo of a city
123
00:05:12,190 --> 00:05:14,990
skyline taken with a zoom lens looks like
124
00:05:14,990 --> 00:05:18,290
the buildings are stacked tightly together, while a
125
00:05:18,290 --> 00:05:21,990
wide-angle shot of the same skyline makes
126
00:05:21,990 --> 00:05:23,550
them seem more spaced out.
127
00:05:23,870 --> 00:05:26,250
By understanding how different lenses change what we
128
00:05:26,250 --> 00:05:29,570
see, photographers can use focal length to create
129
00:05:29,570 --> 00:05:32,830
the exact composition and feeling they want in
130
00:05:32,830 --> 00:05:33,290
an image.
131
00:05:33,650 --> 00:05:35,090
Finally, depth of field.
132
00:05:35,510 --> 00:05:38,490
Depth of field is controlled through aperture settings,
133
00:05:38,810 --> 00:05:40,110
so let's say you want to get a
134
00:05:40,110 --> 00:05:42,550
photo with the shallow depth of field, which
135
00:05:42,550 --> 00:05:44,890
would make the background blurry and focus on
136
00:05:44,890 --> 00:05:45,330
the subject.
137
00:05:45,890 --> 00:05:48,050
In that case, a lower f-stop number,
138
00:05:48,270 --> 00:05:50,750
which is a larger aperture, would help you
139
00:05:50,750 --> 00:05:53,030
get that perfect photo with a blurry background
140
00:05:53,030 --> 00:05:54,250
and a sharp subject.
141
00:05:54,670 --> 00:05:57,030
Now, let's say you want the entire scene
142
00:05:57,030 --> 00:05:57,850
in sharp focus.
143
00:05:58,170 --> 00:06:00,370
You would use a higher f-stop number,
144
00:06:00,610 --> 00:06:02,770
which means you would use a smaller aperture.
145
00:06:03,310 --> 00:06:06,350
This increases the depth of field and keeps
146
00:06:06,350 --> 00:06:07,450
the scene in focus.
147
00:06:07,790 --> 00:06:11,890
Math helps photographers frame the perfect shot, so
148
00:06:11,890 --> 00:06:14,970
whether you're calculating focal length or just trying
149
00:06:14,970 --> 00:06:17,770
to focus on getting a clear picture, remember
150
00:06:17,770 --> 00:06:20,850
that math is always in the frame, whether
151
00:06:20,850 --> 00:06:22,630
you notice it or not.
152
00:06:23,090 --> 00:06:25,450
Until next time, carpe diem.