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Science Fair Project using Science of Photography


I'm a senior in high school, and I am required to conduct a science experiment in order to pass my physics class. I'm also enrolled in a photojournalism class at school and I am very interested in photography. I was hoping to find a good experiment that I can perform that entails the science of photography. I must be able to calculate something, and my teacher suggested something having to do with light exposure versus chemical exposure or shutter speed versus the type of lighting. Because I am not a very experienced photographer, I don't know exactly what I can do. If you can help me out with some suggestions I would be very grateful. Thank you!


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August 28, 2004

 

Vince Broesch
  How about time-lapse? Take a picture of a flower every 12 hours with the camera mounted on a tripod, for about a week. Then you could calculate the rate of growth. Or maybe beside a dark highway, you could open the shutter for some set amount of time as a car passes by, knowing the arc of the line made by the headlights on film, and the distance from camera to car, and the time of exposure, could you estimate the speed of the car?
Just some ideas...
Vince
www.PhotoAgo.com


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August 28, 2004

 
- Gregory LaGrange

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  Why does depth of field increase with smaller apertures?
How does a pinhole camera work without lenses?
What happens to film when exposed to light, and what do the chemicals do to get the negative?
How does a telephoto make things look closer?.
What about fall-off of light intensity in relation to distance?


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August 28, 2004

 

Bob Cammarata
  I think that photographing motion, timing of exposure, and how it relates to everyday life would be a good area to explore.
You could start out with a photo of a recognizable subject ... such as a waterfall, hovering helicopter, or even rushing traffic on the interstate photographed at 1/60 second ... which is the approximate speed our eyes and brain are able to perceive motion.
Then, demonstrate the same scene at progressively slower and faster shutter speeds to show how, through photography, one is able to create a sense of motion in an everyday scene by slowing down the time of exposure, or stopping the action completely by using a faster speed.


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August 28, 2004

 
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