Ergonomics

In class yesterday we looked at ergonomics. Ergonomics is about adapting the task to fit the abilities and capabilities of an individual. Occupational therapists are "constantly making slight invisible changes to an activity to adapt the needs of those taking part and ensure that it continues to work for it's intended purpose" (Caulton & Dickson, 2007). We are often making decisions about whether the competence of an individual has shifted in regard to their preferred and habitual abilities. Therefore, we are required to have an understanding of the activity and the person.

I need to fully understand photography, analysing and breaking it down, in order to be able to be able to make changes so that it can fit each individuals needs and capabilities. We were required to break photography down in relation Person/Activity/Environment, a well known structure used throughout our course. This analysis is related to me personally.

Person:

Some things we identified to fit under person were: age, responsibilities, gender, time available, preference, financial resources, personal space, competence/skills, and sense of individuality.

Photography is a preference of mine. It's something I choose to do and gives a sense of individuality. I never took photography in school and was never introduced to it, no one in my family are photographers. For as long as I can remember I've always admired other photographers work and wished I had their talent. (I forgot were I was going with this..) This year I was kindly given a camera to borrow and discovered for myself the wonderful world of photography and am teaching myself (with the help of a friend).  I generally have time available to do photography, less when I have assignments due. But somehow I find time to fit it in. This week I have spent way, way more than 2 hours!

Competence/skills: there are many skills required in photography. From understanding your camera and how to use the settings, right down to editing. My competence in photography is continually improving. When I first began to take photos, at the beginning of the year, I was using full auto mode because I didn't understand the settings on my camera. I did understand about lighting and positioning of objects in the frame etc due to my art but i was getting bored with auto. I wanted to be fully in control of my shot. So I did some research and discovered how to control exposure - ISO, aperture, shutter speed. (you can read about these here and here).

Here is an example of the kind of effect you can get from different apertures...

Aperture: f/5.6

Aperture: f/20

Now I am also discovering how to use Photoshop to edit my photos. Here's what I've been distracted by today..

Original

Edit

Overall, I think I'm fairly competent in this activity and my skill is and will be continuously developing. There are many skills required to do this activity and so I haven't gone into all of them. Some of these will be mentioned in other headings.

Activity:

Some things we identified to fit under activity were: robustness, adaptation, rhythms, costs, manuals/ways to do the activity, processes, and degree of engagement necessary.

Cost: Photography for me is a costly activity, I'm a poor student! It's a pretty expensive hobby to have with camera bodies costing from about 500+, then there's the lenses which are bought separately, plus other little bits and pieces. With technology evolving rapidly and all the different lenses available it can be endless spending. Once you have the basics it's alright. Besides I'm still learning lots, best not to impulse buy until I understand the different lenses! Here is a link to the canon 550d (my toy!). This is a review but will give you an idea of the 'robustness of materials' and also knowledge needed when looking for a camera to buy (knowledge really goes under the person heading).

For me, when photographing, I guess I do get into this kind of rhythm. Once I'm out there in nature shooting I become more inspired and 'in the zone' as I go. This brings me to degree of engagement necessary, when I'm taking photos that's usually all I've set aside to do. However, the other day I was taking photos whilst chatting at lunch, so it's pretty easy to switch between that activity.

Manual/way to do the activity: Every camera comes with a manual so you are able to understand all your camera settings. But there is no one way to do the activity (photography) it's completely up to me. Each photographer has their own style and way of seeing things. Over time you will be able to see my style, whatever that may be.

Processes: Some would have very strict processes to go through when photographing. I'm pretty easy though. Generally I grab my camera, check is has enough battery and free memory space, find a spot and start shooting, adjusting settings as I go.   

Environment:

Some things we identified to fit under environment were: physical - materials, structures, spatial organisation. Richness of the environment, culture - how you do things in your space/place etc, season, stimulates to do/not to do, accessibility, and social environment.

For me, the physical environment is where it all happens. It freely gives endless 'things' to photograph and is definitely accessible to me. Seasons bring wonderful and different colours, I love the colours that autumn and spring bring (check out previous post). The environment definitely stimulates me to get out and take photos. I was reading a book yesterday and a wee sparrow came into the garden by the lounge window and was bouncing around whilst peering inside. That was enough for me to grab my camera and get outside!

In regards to the social environment and taking photos. I'm not really comfortable taking photos with others around, I don't like people watching me even if they're actually not. It's also not really appropriate to take photos of people in buildings and although I'm not yet into portrait photography, I had my camera with me at tech the other day and I felt a little intrusive with my camera in people's face. They didn't actually mind but it's good to be aware of how comfortable people are with it. So there are socially appropriate times and places to take photos.

As I mentioned before, every photographer has their own style and way of seeing things. So in regards to the cultural environment (how I do things) I can't really give you an exact description but you can check out my photos as I post and see the way a capture images.

Lake Hayes