Photography Topics

Science of Photography

The Science of Photography refers to the areas of science, such as chemistry and physics, that makes photography possible. The mechanics of a camera, the dynamics of the shot and the chemical development of the film must be properly balanced and played out for the photographer to be able to take and develop his pictures. In fact, at every stage of the process of photography, some aspect of science is necessary to carry the process along to the next stage.

Before the photographer takes his shot, he must compose, or set up, the scene. Lighting, lens aperture, shutter speed, focal length and the angle of the shot are all part of the science of setting up the shot. If there is insufficient lighting or the shutter speed and the film speed aren’t aligned, then the resulting shot may be underexposed or blurry.

The next stage in the photographic process is to develop the film. If the photographer is using a manual camera, then he will have to process his film in the darkroom, using and enlarger and a series of chemicals baths. Should the chemistry at this step be off, the photographer can potentially ruin his prints or, worse yet, the original negatives.

However, if the photographer takes his pictures with a digital camera, then the science of photography moves into the electronic world of computers. After uploading the pictures to the computer, the photographer can manipulate his digital images with computer software, such as Photoshop. This field of science relies on measurements such as pixels and dots per inch.