Camera shake is a result of when the shutter speed is set too slow, resulting in a blurry photograph. Camera shake can also be a result of the camera actually shaking while being held in the photographers hand, especially when using a zoom lens. For this project the student will take several photos using various shutter speeds and zoom lens lengths with the camera both on and off of a tripod. After the photos have been printed the student will compare the how sharp and how blurry some are. This experiment will show that there is less camera shake when the camera is placed on a tripod, when using a faster shutter speed and not fully zooming in on a subject.
The movement of stars across the sky can be documented by taking star trail photographs using a digital camera, preferably one with a bulb setting. To take the photos, find a dark location where there are not a lot of city lights to interfere with the brightness of the stars. Set the camera to the “bulb” setting, where the shutter will only open or close when the shutter button is pressed. Leave the shutter open for several minutes to an hour to get a full sky of star trails. The student will then document where in the sky the photo was taken, the time, date and exposure settings.
Experiment with different film speeds to study the effect light has on the photo’s exposure. Either a digital or film camera can be used for this experiment using different film speeds, such as 100, 400 or 1600 ISO. When conducting the experiment find a subject to use as a constant subject and only alter the film speeds and aperture settings on the camera. When done, print out all photos and compare the different settings with the different results.
Test out the different effects of colored filters, such as blue, green, yellow, orange, red and polarized, have when used for shooting photographs. For this experiment find an outdoor setting with lots of colors and shades, such as a farm, beach or landscape. Shoot the same photo using the same camera settings, first with no filter and then use the different filters placed on the lens. Each filter will have a different effect on the photo, such as a yellow filter will make the sky appear darker and enhance shadow contrast. Print out the photographs and make notes of the difference with each filter.