photo
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an original photograph created using a device with a lens known as a camera
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BotB's photography format! A single photograph, with optional filtering such as hue and luminescence adjustments.
Rearrangement or removal of photographic content is not allowed, nor is adding extra content on top of your photo (try
photomash or
visuall instead). Cropping your image is fine.
Like with other formats, your photo should be taken during the battle period for
XHBs.
Helpful tips for people new to photography:
- Sunlight is always best light if you're unsure. Florescent lighting may seem bright enough to humans but frequently it is a dim light for cameras and that could just be our eyes adjusting to being indoors.
- A lot of common cameras (e.g. smart phones) are defaulted to be in new comer friendly automatic modes in which the firmware will automatically try to make decisions for you in advance which may affect shutter speed, aperture, and focus. If you can't modify this and want to take crisper photos without blur, try holding your breath before pressing the shutter release.
- Flash isn't cheating. Photography literally means "light-writing" when broken down to its etymology. Sometimes you have to bring your own light. However, sometimes flash is the lighting you want since it can cast strong shadows. Adjust for this by using alternate light sources.
- Backgrounds: Some photographers may get so focused on the subject that they will forget that the background is an element that can distract or enhance the subject at hand. You will not always be able to control the background in live events but if it is a still life at home, consider how everything works together. There's simple ways to create backdrops with every day household objects. Bed linens and blankets, even large shirts, can be used and draped on top of tall enough surface (e.g. a table, a kitchen counter, even your bed) and held in place with a counter weight so that the focus of your photography can have a simple background without other aspects interfering with the subject matter. To get a seamless look, one trick would be to have a shorter surface (maybe a small end table or upside down box that is shorter than the top where you hang your backdrop from) in which the backdrop drapes down from the taller surface and over the shorter surface so that the object to be focused on is in a neutral background and floor. If your subject is too big for your backdrop, consider neutral walls, uniform patterns (e.g. brick face walls), or even have your subject down on the ground where you may have more clear space. Consider that background elements such as color, texture, pattern, will all interact with the central focus. Or to think of it in sprite editing fashion - imagine how your transparent background sprite looks against different backgrounds.
If you're able to go to modes besides auto, you'll be given more control. Photography rewards experimentation with settings. One method is called bracketing in which the photographers will change one variable and see which image looks better. Perhaps the photographer keeps all settings the same but adjusts just the shutter speed, aperture, or ISO. These methods all allow for differences in light and dark photos but have additional features
Shutter speed - this refers to time the camera's sensor is exposed and can result in not just the brightness but also blurriness and sharpness of the image. The speed of the shutter ranges based on the device. In some cameras, the B option stands for bulb which is a reference to a time when photographers manually determined how long an exposure was. One advanced trick photographers can attempt with a longer shutter speed is multiple exposures which would allow for a photographer to capture multiple angles of the same subject if timed and angled correctly.
Aperture - this is referring to how open the lens is for taking in the imagery which will affect the light but also the depth of field. For example, auto cameras that target humans smiling adjust the aperture so that those faces are the main focus. With adjusted aperture (which again varies based on the lens) a photographer could have a blurry background with only one central subject focused or have the entire image focused.
ISO - this affects the camera adjusting for the light. Photographers in bright (typically outdoor) situations would use low ISOs and in darker areas raise up their ISOs. For some high ISO is a problem because it results in grain which resembles a Moiré pattern or dithering. In classic film photographer this was represented by grain from the silver nitrate. This is a matter of taste and if the photographer enjoys crisp photography, the solution is low ISO + more light.