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Diagram for Class Needed
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Jan 15, 2018 00:42:50   #
bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA
 
I am preparing to teach a class to senior citizens on the basics of photography. Many of these people have no math skills and will not understand formulas. I need a graphic to show them how the f-stop numbers are related to focal length. I remember an illustration I saw many years ago where instead of showing head-on side-by-side views of diaphragms set to each f-stop (like almost all the illustrations I have found), it showed circles over layed on the centerline of an illustration of the lens to focal length distance to the film plane. E.g., f2.0 was illustrated with two circles each half the diameter of the focal length sided by side fitting the distance while f8.0, for example, had eight circles side by side on the line shown below. Each f-stop was shown in a series of separate similar drawings, one below the other on the same illustration.

I have spent hours with Google trying to find such an illustration without success. I do not have either the drafting skills or the software necessary to produce one myself. Could someone please direct me to a source for such an illustration or provide me one.

Thank you!

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Jan 15, 2018 00:58:34   #
bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA
 
bpulv wrote:
I am preparing to teach a class to senior citizens on the basics of photography. Many of these people have no math skills and will not understand formulas. I need a graphic to show them how the f-stop numbers are related to focal length. I remember an illustration I saw many years ago where instead of showing head-on side-by-side views of diaphragms set to each f-stop (like almost all the illustrations I have found), it showed circles over layed on the centerline of an illustration of the lens to focal length distance to the film plane. E.g., f2.0 was illustrated with two circles each half the diameter of the focal length sided by side fitting the distance while f8.0, for example, had eight circles side by side on the line shown below. Each f-stop was shown in a series of separate similar drawings, one below the other on the same illustration. Only a few f-stops should be needed to get the point across.

I have spent hours with Google trying to find such an illustration without success. I do not have either the drafting skills or the software necessary to produce one myself. Could someone please direct me to a source for such an illustration or provide me one.

Thank you!
I am preparing to teach a class to senior citizens... (show quote)

Reply
Jan 15, 2018 01:50:25   #
BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA
 
bpulv wrote:
I am preparing to teach a class to senior citizens on the basics of photography. Many of these people have no math skills and will not understand formulas. I need a graphic to show them how the f-stop numbers are related to focal length. I remember an illustration I saw many years ago where instead of showing head-on side-by-side views of diaphragms set to each f-stop (like almost all the illustrations I have found), it showed circles over layed on the centerline of an illustration of the lens to focal length distance to the film plane. E.g., f2.0 was illustrated with two circles each half the diameter of the focal length sided by side fitting the distance while f8.0, for example, had eight circles side by side on the line shown below. Each f-stop was shown in a series of separate similar drawings, one below the other on the same illustration.

I have spent hours with Google trying to find such an illustration without success. I do not have either the drafting skills or the software necessary to produce one myself. Could someone please direct me to a source for such an illustration or provide me one.

Thank you!
I am preparing to teach a class to senior citizens... (show quote)

Thy this:

SHUTTER SPEED, F/STOP, IOS

Turn on (open) a water valve.

The size of the pipe correlates to an f/stop.

The length of time between opening and closing the valve correlates to your shutter speed.

The water pressure correlates with the brightness of the scene (ISO).

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Jan 15, 2018 03:10:33   #
bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA
 
BHC wrote:
Thy this:

SHUTTER SPEED, F/STOP, IOS

Turn on (open) a water valve.

The size of the pipe correlates to an f/stop.

The length of time between opening and closing the valve correlates to your shutter speed.

The water pressure correlates with the brightness of the scene (ISO).


That will work later in the presentation when they have been introduced to all three elements of the exposure triangle, but what I need will go prior to that point when I am explaining what a diaphragm is and what f-stops are.

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Jan 15, 2018 03:56:02   #
BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA
 
bpulv wrote:
That will work later in the presentation when they have been introduced to all three elements of the exposure triangle, but what I need will go prior to that point when I am explaining what a diaphragm is and what f-stops are.

Start with the water, then you can transition to light. A valve is a shutter; the size of the pipe is the f/stop. Forget about the technicalities. Concentrate on the results; the water in the bucket is your image on the sensor or film. I've taught it this way; it works.

If you can find an old junk SLR, tear it apart. Then you can show the diaphragm as you show the water valve. A valve with a timer (even a stopwatch, although a projected timer is best) on it can be compared to the shutter.

Remember the ultimate goal is to fill the jar, pail or bucket exactly to its rim. Partially full is underexposure; an overflow is overexposure.

Good luck.

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Jan 15, 2018 07:48:03   #
BebuLamar
 
Are you sure that some of them don’t hane a PHD in mathematics?

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Jan 15, 2018 08:24:59   #
Bill_de Loc: US
 
You might do better with nothing but photo examples. Anything from small figurines to stuffed animals will work. Just use the same ones all the time. Even if you get into landscapes, a stuffed bear in the foreground, in and out of focus, will have more impact and be more memorable than all the charts in the world. Charts will work for some, but you will lose others to boredom.

IMHO

--

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Jan 15, 2018 09:34:00   #
bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA
 
BHC wrote:
Start with the water, then you can transition to light. A valve is a shutter; the size of the pipe is the f/stop. Forget about the technicalities. Concentrate on the results; the water in the bucket is your image on the sensor or film. I've taught it this way; it works.

If you can find an old junk SLR, tear it apart. Then you can show the diaphragm as you show the water valve. A valve with a timer (even a stopwatch, although a projected timer is best) on it can be compared to the shutter.

Remember the ultimate goal is to fill the jar, pail or bucket exactly to its rim. Partially full is underexposure; an overflow is overexposure.

Good luck.
Start with the water, then you can transition to l... (show quote)


Thank you. That sounds like a workable concept. I will consider it, but I will still need the graphic I have described at some point.

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Jan 15, 2018 09:36:16   #
bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA
 
BebuLamar wrote:
Are you sure that some of them don’t hane a PHD in mathematics?


One of the men was a teacher, but most of the people do not have the background. The ages range from the late 80's to almost 90.

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Jan 15, 2018 09:38:58   #
bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA
 
Bill_de wrote:
You might do better with nothing but photo examples. Anything from small figurines to stuffed animals will work. Just use the same ones all the time. Even if you get into landscapes, a stuffed bear in the foreground, in and out of focus, will have more impact and be more memorable than all the charts in the world. Charts will work for some, but you will lose others to boredom.

IMHO

--


That would work for showing depth of field, but I am trying to show the relation of f-stop to focal length; i.e., how the f-numbers are derived without going into hard mathematics.

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Jan 15, 2018 21:05:49   #
BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA
 
bpulv wrote:
Thank you. That sounds like a workable concept. I will consider it, but I will still need the graphic I have described at some point.

Have 3 prints (or computer screens) of the same scene, one underexposed, one properly exposed and one overexposed. Use a clear jug or jar. Fill the jar 3/4 full, and the underexposed picture. Then run the water until the jar overflows, and show them the overexposed picture. Finally, fill the jar right to the top and show them the properly exposed picture. THEN segue into your more technically oriented lesson plan.

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Jan 15, 2018 21:43:51   #
via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP
 
bpulv wrote:
I am preparing to teach a class to senior citizens on the basics of photography. Many of these people have no math skills and will not understand formulas. I need a graphic to show them how the f-stop numbers are related to focal length. I remember an illustration I saw many years ago where instead of showing head-on side-by-side views of diaphragms set to each f-stop (like almost all the illustrations I have found), it showed circles over layed on the centerline of an illustration of the lens to focal length distance to the film plane. E.g., f2.0 was illustrated with two circles each half the diameter of the focal length sided by side fitting the distance while f8.0, for example, had eight circles side by side on the line shown below. Each f-stop was shown in a series of separate similar drawings, one below the other on the same illustration.

I have spent hours with Google trying to find such an illustration without success. I do not have either the drafting skills or the software necessary to produce one myself. Could someone please direct me to a source for such an illustration or provide me one.

Have you considered that maybe how the f/stop numbers are derived is not really necessary to know? What they do when taking a photograph is what is important. Theory is nice to know, but I'd venture to say that you will lose your class if you go into theory in any depth. Simply show them what they need to do to take a decent photo and then they can learn from there and move on. You need to make if fun, they don't want a degree in photography, they want to take decent photos. Just my thought on this. I have taught Lightroom classes before so I know how hard teaching can be and how easy it can be to lose people as they become confused. Keep it simple, keep it direct.

Thank you!
I am preparing to teach a class to senior citizens... (show quote)

Reply
Jan 15, 2018 23:04:41   #
btbg
 
bpulv wrote:
I am preparing to teach a class to senior citizens on the basics of photography. Many of these people have no math skills and will not understand formulas. I need a graphic to show them how the f-stop numbers are related to focal length. I remember an illustration I saw many years ago where instead of showing head-on side-by-side views of diaphragms set to each f-stop (like almost all the illustrations I have found), it showed circles over layed on the centerline of an illustration of the lens to focal length distance to the film plane. E.g., f2.0 was illustrated with two circles each half the diameter of the focal length sided by side fitting the distance while f8.0, for example, had eight circles side by side on the line shown below. Each f-stop was shown in a series of separate similar drawings, one below the other on the same illustration.

I have spent hours with Google trying to find such an illustration without success. I do not have either the drafting skills or the software necessary to produce one myself. Could someone please direct me to a source for such an illustration or provide me one.

Thank you!
I am preparing to teach a class to senior citizens... (show quote)


BHC has given you a viable option for what you are trying to teach. However, the point I would make is why are you trying to teach what you are posting about? They are senior citizens who just want to be able to take better photos.

Help them learn how to use their cell phones or the cameras that they own and then teach basic composition and lighting. They don't need to know theory, and probably aren't even interested in what you are proposing to teach. If you are not careful they will all lose interest before they get to take even one photo.

The ability to make a clean well focused, properly exposed image is what they want. That's what you should be teaching. Then once they are hooked on photography then you could teach theory to anyone who is really interested in that. I doubt that most will be.

My mother fits your demographic and she loves photography, but she could care less about theory. She just want to shoot the world around her.

Also don't be so condescending about about people's intellectual abilities. That generation is much more skilled in basic mathematics than current high school or college students.

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Jan 16, 2018 07:04:15   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
btbg wrote:
Also don't be so condescending about about people's intellectual abilities. That generation is much more skilled in basic mathematics than current high school or college students.


Right! They designed buildings, bridges, and space craft without computers.

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Jan 16, 2018 07:04:46   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
bpulv wrote:
I am preparing to teach a class to senior citizens on the basics of photography. Many of these people have no math skills and will not understand formulas. I need a graphic to show them how the f-stop numbers are related to focal length. I remember an illustration I saw many years ago where instead of showing head-on side-by-side views of diaphragms set to each f-stop (like almost all the illustrations I have found), it showed circles over layed on the centerline of an illustration of the lens to focal length distance to the film plane. E.g., f2.0 was illustrated with two circles each half the diameter of the focal length sided by side fitting the distance while f8.0, for example, had eight circles side by side on the line shown below. Each f-stop was shown in a series of separate similar drawings, one below the other on the same illustration.

I have spent hours with Google trying to find such an illustration without success. I do not have either the drafting skills or the software necessary to produce one myself. Could someone please direct me to a source for such an illustration or provide me one.

Thank you!
I am preparing to teach a class to senior citizens... (show quote)


There are many diagrams available online, from simple top complex.

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS726US726&ei=-uldWt-4CqWzggeHmqugBg&q=exposure+triangle+chart&oq=exposure+triangle+&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.0i20i264k1j0i67k1j0l3j0i20i264k1j0l4.13410.13410.0.15035.1.1.0.0.0.0.83.83.1.1.0....0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..0.1.83....0.lo8hcZPdv5A

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