Boy Scout Troop 22

When we first started work on this merit badge, the troop library didn't yet have a copy of the merit badge book, and much to our surprise neither did the Council office. So, we assembled the material you might have found in the book, below. We've left this page available for historical purposes, and in case it's of use to other scouts.

Requirements (2006)

1) Explain how the following elements and terms affect the quality of a picture:
Light-natural light/ambient, flash
Exposure-aperture (f-stops), shutter speed, depth of field
Composition-rule of thirds, leading lines, framing, depth
Angle of view
Stopping action

2) Explain the basic parts and operation of a film camera or digital camera. Explain how an exposure is made when you take a picture.

3) Discuss with your counselor the differences between a film camera and a digital camera. List at least five advantages and five disadvantages of using a digital camera versus using a film camera.

4) Do ONE of the following:

• A) Produce a picture story using the photojournalistic technique of documenting an event. Share your plan with your counselor and get your counselor's input and approval before you proceed. Then, using either a film camera or a digital camera, produce your approved picture story. Process your images and select eight to 12 images that best tell your story. Arrange your images in order, then mount the prints on a poster board. If you are using digital images, you may create a slide show on your computer or produce printouts for your poster board. Share your picture story with your counselor.
  
• B)Choose a topic that interests you to photograph for an exhibit or display. Get your counselor's approval, then photograph (digital or film) your topic. Process your images. Choose 20 of your favorite images and mount them on poster board. Share your display with your counselor. If you are using digital images, you may create a slide show on your computer or produce printouts for your poster board.

5) Discuss with your counselor the career opportunities in photography. Pick one that interests you and explain how to prepare for such a career. Discuss with your counselor the education and training such a career would require.

Let's talk about the requirements:

1) Photographic Terms/Qualities

If the text below doesn't answer a question for you, this site should be able to.

Light: Direct sunlight will generate dark shadows. The direction of the light will place those shadows in unattractive positions underneath the subject's eyes and nose. One solution is to move the subject into the shade where he will be lit by skylight rather than sunlight. Skylight comes from a large source and is therefore diffuse. Diffuse light does not cast strong shadows.

Portable camera flashes, by contrast, have very small light-producing areas and, therefore, produce very hard-edged light with pronounced shadows. Flash units also tend to be mounted right next to the camera lens, producing an unnatural look. How often do you see the world illuminated by light emanating from your head? You probably don't - unless you're wearing a caving helmet or a head-mounted camping light. Light tends to come from overhead sources - the sun, ceiling lamps, etc.

The easiest way to soften the lighting in your flash photos is to bounce the light from the flash unit off a large white surface. Walls and ceilings work for this, as do portable folding reflectors. You can also buy diffusers that attach to your flash that help a little bit as well.

Exposure: Aperture affects the depth of field and therefore which portions of the image will be in focus. Shutter speed affects how much movement appears.

Aperture is the degree to which the iris or diaphragm inside the lens is opened. Lenses are designed to gather as much light as possible. The diaphragm is just like the iris in your eye; it can be closed ("stopped down") to block off a portion of the light coming through the lens. A lot of work went into making a lens good at gathering light. Why would you want to throw away some of that?

The first reason to stop down a lens is that the world might simply be too bright. If you're using high-speed (sensitive) film and have a slow shutter that must expose the film for at least 1/500th of a second, using a smaller aperture is the only way to prevent too much light from striking the film and overexposing it.

A more interesting reason is for control of sharpness. Suppose the lens has a maximum aperture of f/2. The depth of field will be shallow. Only the object on which you focussed will be sharp. Things closer or farther from the camera will be out of focus. The range of distances for which objects are acceptably sharp is called the "depth of field". Notice the word "acceptably" in the definition. What is acceptable in an 8x10 print viewed from across the room may not be acceptable in the same print viewed at arm's length. What is acceptable in an 8x10 print viewed at arm's length may not be acceptable in a 30x40 print viewed at arm's length.

If you want more objects in the scene to be acceptably focussed, you have to stop down the lens to a smaller aperture.

Depth Of Field: (Left) Narrow Aperture Increases Depth, (Right) Wide Aperture Decreases

Shutter Speed: As long as neither the camera nor subject is moving, the shutter speed a camera selects doesn't matter too much. If they are standing up, most subjects won't be able to hold still for a 1/2 second exposure. If the built in meter shows the shot is under exposed, the photographer should open the aperture until the shutter speed is 1/15th second or faster. If the photographer is handholding the camera (not using a tripod), the 1/15th of a second exposure will likely result in a lot of camera shake showing in the picture. When using a normal lens, the general rule is to use shutter speeds of 1/60th or faster. Longer lenses magnify the subject but they also magnify camera shake. The traditional rule for handheld photography is to use shutter speeds of at least 1/focal-length. So if you've got a 250mm lens you'd use shutter speeds of 1/250th or faster. You should use faster speeds if you intend to make big enlargements from your originals. You can get away with slower shutter speeds if you either (1) brace yourself against a solid object, (2) rest the camera/lens on a solid object

Shutter Speed: (Left) Long Exposure shows movement, (Right) Short exposure stops movement

Composition:

• Implied lines hold the picture together. Use lines in photographs to focus attention.
• The eye will always go to the lightest and brightest colors. Use contrast to identify your subject/purpose
• The visual "center" of a picture is not the "bull's eye center", but the intersection of vertical and horizontal thirds.
  
  (from http://www.best-family-photography-tips.com)
• Look for ways to give the center of interest in your pictues the most visual attention by looking for visual simplicity.
• Achiving good informal balance is another composition rule leading to professional looking results.
• A "frame" in a photograph is something in the foreground that leads you into the picture or gives you a sense of where the viewer is. Framing can usually improve a picture. The "frame" doesn't need to be sharply focused
• When the subject is capable of movement, such as an animal or person, it is best to leave space in front of the subject so it appears to be moving into, rather than out of, the photograph.
• Avoid mergers, such as plants sticking out of people's heads, telephone poles "rising" from shoulders, etc.

2) Basic Parts and Operation of Film and Digital Camera

3) Digital vs. Film Cameras

The main differences between a digital and film camera:

• a film camera focuses light onto light sensitive film.
• a digital camera focuses light onto a light sensitive computer chip. The small computer in the camera saves the image on the chip to a file.
• Light is shined through the film onto light sensitive paper to make a picture.
• The file is sent to a computer which prints a picture on paper.

Digital Advantages:

• Instant review of pictures, with no wait for the film to be developed: if there's a problem with a picture, the photographer can immediately correct the problem and take another picture.
• Only successful pictures need to be printed. This means you can take many shots of the same scene but with slightly different settings, then choose the best one. Doing this with film would be too expensive.
• Minimal ongoing costs for those wishing to capture hundreds of photographs for digital uses, such as computer storage and e-mailing, but not printing.
• If one already owns a newer computer, permanent storage on digital media is considerably cheaper than film.
• Images may be copied from one medium to another without any degradation.
• Pictures do not need to be scanned before viewing them on a computer.
• Ability to print your own pictures using a computer and consumer-grade printer.
• Ability to print your own pictures using printers that can communicate directly with the camera, or its memory card, for computer-less printing.
• Digital cameras can be much smaller than film cameras of equivalent quality.
• Ability to attach information such as the time and date of the photograph, model of the camera, shutter speed, flash use, film speed, and other similar items, to aid in the reviewing and sorting of photographs. Film cameras have limited ability to attach data, though many film cameras can "imprint" a date over a picture by exposing the film to an internal LED array (or other device) which displays the date.
• Ability to capture and store hundreds of photographs on the same media device within the digital camera; by contrast, a film camera would require regular changing of film (typically after every 24 or 36 shots).
• Many digital cameras now include an AV-out function (and cable) to allow the reviewing of photographs to an audience using a television.
• Digital photography makes it easier for you to play with the camera settings, different styles of images can be tried out, learnt from and techniques improved all without the expense of film processing.
• Digital anti-shake tools allow taking sharp hand-held pictures where previously a tripod was required

• At the same price level digital cameras cannot match the quality of film cameras.
• Film cameras are generally more reliable and durable than digital cameras in outdoor environments, especially in wet, cold, and/or humid weather.
• Film cameras can potentially work without batteries, as the image is stored on film rather in memory using CCD/CMOS sensors and associated electronics which require power to operate.
• There are special types of film, such as for infrared light, that have no equivalent in digital.
• Film remains more admissible as evidence in court, because it is much harder to fake than digital.
• Film can show a wider range of color and light.

4) The Picture Story

Ideally, this will include around 8 photos glued or taped to a poster board, with captions under each to tell the story. Good photo story ideas include: the parts of a troop meeting; a boy scout parade; a day at the fair; a day in the life of a pet dog/cat.

5) Careers in Photography

Each scout should make a 2 minute oral presentation on a career in photography. You can find info at California Occupational Guides, including Photographer; Photo finisher; Technician; Film editor. What training do I need? Where do I look for a job? What do I do on the job? How much can I make?