The discourse zone I chose to
focus on is photography in Baytown. I am familiar with engaging in and
discussing the specialized language of photography, and find it is full of jargon
that those outside this discourse zone have a hard time following. Five of the
operative terms, or jargon, in relation to photography include: aperture, shutter
speed, exposure, f-stop, and composition.
Perhaps the biggest thing that
non-photographers don’t realize is that photography is in a completely dependent
relationship with light. The use or misuse of light is the deciphering factor
between a good photograph and a bad photograph. In fact, the word ‘photography’ itself comes
from the Greek words “phos” (light) and “graph” (to draw). So, ‘photograph’
literally means “to draw with light.”
Aperture is the lens opening through
which light passes to expose the film. The size is calibrated in “f-numbers”
(f-stop); the larger the f-number, the smaller the lens opening. Directly
connected to aperture is the shutter speed- the smaller the lens opening is,
the slower the shutter must be in order to capture the most light possible to
create a clear picture.
Exposure is also directly connected to
aperture and shutter speed, because exposure refers to the amount of light that
is found in a photograph. In essence, the lens aperture controls the intensity
or the amount of light in a photograph, while the shutter speed controls the amount
of time the shutter stays open. All of
these things together form the composition of the photograph.
Everyone sees these concepts in their
everyday life whenever they see an ad or a photograph, but only photographers
can have an easy, coherent conversation using these terms.
Three topics that are timelessly
interesting to photographers include: How to build a better portfolio, how to
make more money with your photography, and how to take better portraits.
How to build a better portfolio:
How to make money:
http://franklinarts.hubpages.com/hub/Top-10-Ways-to-Make-Money-Selling-Your-Photos
How to take a better portrait:
http://digital-photography-school.com/10-ways-to-take-stunning-portraits
http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Learn-And-Explore/Article/gtnurpql/how-to-take-great-portraits.html
