Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Camera Lens Testing
This activity helps students learn more about cameras, and how to take better pictures.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Digital Photo Resolution
Do you have a favorite picture? When you have a photo that you treasure, you want it to look as good as possible. Find out how the resolution of a digital photo effects the way it looks when you print it out. How does the quality of the...
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Color Saturation
Lively, vivid colors can add pizzazz and turn a dull photo into a work of art. Learn how changing the saturation levels of the colors in your photo can really make it pop.
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Science Buddies: Photography With Near Infrared Illumination
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have an extra sense? What if you could hear above the normal range (ultrasound) like dogs or bats? This project shows you how you can use a camera, tripod and a special filter to take...
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Science Buddies: Digital Pinhole Camera
If you sit under a leafy tree on a sunny day, you may notice spots of sunlight on the ground from light passing through spaces between the leaves. Try putting a piece of cardboard on the ground and examining the spots of light on the...
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Science Buddies: Digital Photo Contrast
What do you do if you take a photo and it turns out too dark or too bright? You can use your computer to fix it for you. In this experiment you will investigate how changing the contrast of a digital photo will change the colors and...
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Science Buddies: Color Profiles
Did you know that the same digital photo you see on a computer monitor may not look as good in print? When it comes to color profiles, there are a lot of options: RGB, CMYK, grayscale and indexed color are just a few. Learn how to choose...
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Science Buddies: Bit Depth, Colors and Digital Photos
How many bits of information are in a digital photo? It depends on how many possible colors there are. Learn how to choose the right number of colors and bits to post your photo on the web or send it to your best friend.
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Science Buddies: Pinholes, Light and Aperture Size
Pinhole cameras are not a thing of the past. Even compared to all of the latest technology, a pinhole camera still gets beautiful results. Find out how this very simple aperture design works to control the way light enters the lens of...
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Science Buddies: Macro for Micro?
If the prefix "macro" means large and "micro" means small, then why will the macro setting of a digital camera help take a better picture of a small object? Do this experiment and get the big picture.
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Science Buddies: The Golden Rules of Photography
What is it that famous photographers do to make their images so pleasing to the eye? Find out if simple rules of geometry and symmetry can make you a better photographer.
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Science Buddies: Focusing Your Flash for 'Freezing' Motion
Here's an interesting flash photography project. With an inexpensive Fresnel lens, you can concentrate the light from your flash. You'll be able to shoot with a smaller aperture and a shorter flash duration. This will give you a greater...
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Science Buddies: Measuring Height or Distances With a Camera
If you know or calculate the field of view for your camera, you can use it to measure distances and the height of almost anything. It's all a matter of basic trigonometry.
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Science Buddies: Digital Photos and Dynamic Range
Digital cameras can be a great way to learn about photography. Most digital cameras today have LCD screens, so you get instant feedback on your photo. If you make a mistake, no problem, you just delete the picture. It's nice that you...
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Science Buddies: Measuring Speed of Moving Objects With Stroboscopic Photography
A strobe light can illuminate an entire room in just tens of microseconds. Inexpensive strobe lights can flash up to 10 or 20 times per second. This project shows you how to use stroboscopic photography to analyze motion.
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Science Buddies: Measuring Velocity With a Video Camera
A video camera records 30 "frames" or distinct images per second. (That's for an NTSC camera in the U.S. PAL cameras in other areas of the world take 25 frames per second.) You can use this fact to time events and measure velocity. One...
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Science Buddies: Camera 'Shakes'
You can compare the picture quality for photos taken at different shutter speeds with the camera handheld vs. with the camera on a tripod. (This is best done with a camera that has manual exposure control.)
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Science Buddies: Digital Image Processing
Students who are mathematically inclined can use the student version of a program like MatLab or Mathematica to convert a digital image into numbers, then perform operations such as sharpening or special effects. This is a great way to...
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Science Buddies: Image Compression
Compare the strengths and weaknesses of different digital image formats. How does the amount of compression affect a JPEG image? What happens when you save a JPEG image multiple times?
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Science Buddies: Dots Per Inch (Dpi) and Image Quality
Your digital photo comprises a certain number of dots in the x and y directions. What happens to the print image quality as you "stretch" those dots out to larger and larger pictures? (Note: This experiment studies the dots per inch in...