Courtesy of Carree Michel

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CCSS: 6.EE.A.2.C, MP1, MP2, MP3

TEKS: 6.10A

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Girls Who Click

Free workshops teach teen girls to photograph nature like the pros

February 17, 2020
By Mara Grunbaum

Last September, 15-year-old Daphne Perlich took a boat ride through a California wetland. Suddenly, a baby sea otter popped out of the water and began playing with a discarded boot. Daphne whipped out her camera to take a picture. Luckily, a world-renowned wildlife photographer was there to offer advice.

Daphne was attending a free workshop held by Girls Who Click. The nonprofit was founded in 2017 by award-winning photographer Suzi Eszterhas. She has traveled the world photographing wildlife. Now she takes time between her adventures to teach teen girls the tricks of the trade.

Last September, Daphne Perlich took a boat ride through a California wetland. Suddenly, a baby sea otter popped out of the water. It was playing with a discarded boot. Daphne, 15, whipped out her camera to take a picture. Luckily, an award-winning wildlife photographer was there to offer advice.

Daphne was attending a free workshop held by Girls Who Click. Photographer Suzi Eszterhas started the organization in 2017. Eszterhas has traveled the world photographing wildlife. Now, between her adventures, she teaches teen girls photography skills.

Courtesy of Daphne Perlich

Pelican photo by Daphne Perlich

Eszterhas launched Girls Who Click after becoming frustrated that her male colleagues far outnumbered female ones. “This career has brought me so much happiness,” she says. “There’s absolutely no reason why it should be male-dominated, and I don’t want girls left out.”

Eszterhas and other female photographers lead daylong workshops across the U.S. Each one begins with the photographer sharing her experiences in the field. Next, they teach some camera skills and how to respectfully photograph wildlife. Then the group heads to a natural area to spend the afternoon using what they’ve learned. 

Eszterhas launched Girls Who Click partly out of frustration. She didn’t like that there were more male nature photographers than female ones. “This career has brought me so much happiness,” she says. “There’s absolutely no reason why it should be male-dominated. I don’t want girls left out.”

Eszterhas and other female photographers lead daylong workshops across the U.S. First the photographer talks about her experiences in the field. Next, students learn camera skills and how to respectfully photograph wildlife. Then the group heads to a natural area. They spend the afternoon using what they’ve learned. 

Courtesy of Stacy Frank

Suzi Eszterhas shows teens how to take a photo of an animal hiding in a tree stump during a Girls Who Click workshop.

Some students use the cameras on their smartphones. Others use digital cameras with settings that control how much light reaches the camera’s sensor. Photographers can fine-tune these settings to take the perfect shot. “Suzi helped us out a lot, and I learned a lot,” says Daphne.

Eszterhas hopes a few of her students become professional photographers. But even if they don’t, they’re still learning skills for jobs as biologists, conservationists, and park rangers, which all use photography to educate the public. “My dream is that these girls pursue a life outdoors that really helps our Earth”, she says.

Some students use the cameras on their smartphones. Others use digital cameras with settings they can control. The settings affect how much light reaches the camera’s sensor. Photographers can fine-tune them to take the perfect shot. “Suzi helped us out a lot, and I learned a lot,” says Daphne.

Eszterhas hopes a few of her students become professional photographers. But even if they don’t, they’re still learning important skills. Biologists, conservationists, and park rangers can all use photography to educate the public. “My dream is that these girls pursue a life outdoors that really helps our Earth,” Eszterhas says. 

USING A FORMULA

Photographers control how much light enters a camera by adjusting a setting called the f-number. The f-number represents the relationship between the camera’s focal length (the distance between the center of the lens and the sensor) and the diameter of the aperture (the hole that lets in light). Lenses are described by their focal length. A 50 millimeter lens, for example, has a focal length of 50 mm.

f-NUMBER FORMULA:

EXAMPLE

A photographer uses a lens with a focal length of 50 millimeters (mm) and sets the f-number to 5.6. How wide will the aperture open?

STEP 1

Replace the variables in the f-number formula with the values you know.

STEP 2

Isolate the unknown variable and solve.

5.6 = 50 mm ÷ a
5.6 × a = 50 mm
a = 50 mm ÷ 5.6
a = 8.92857..... mm

STEP 3

Round your answer to the nearest tenth.

a = 8.92857… ≈ 8.9 mm

So the diameter of the aperture is about 8.9 mm.

USING A FORMULA

Photographers control how much light enters a camera by adjusting a setting called the f-number. The f-number represents the relationship between the camera’s focal length (the distance between the center of the lens and the sensor) and the diameter of the aperture (the hole that lets in light). Lenses are described by their focal length. A 50 millimeter lens, for example, has a focal length of 50 mm.

f-NUMBER FORMULA:

EXAMPLE

A photographer uses a lens with a focal length of 50 millimeters (mm) and sets the f-number to 5.6. How wide will the aperture open?

STEP 1

Replace the variables in the f-number formula with the values you know.

STEP 2

Isolate the unknown variable and solve.

5.6 = 50 mm ÷ a
5.6 × a = 50 mm
a = 50 mm ÷ 5.6
a = 8.92857..... mm

STEP 3

Round your answer to the nearest tenth.

a = 8.92857… ≈ 8.9 mm

So the diameter of the aperture is about 8.9 mm.

Use the information above to learn more about how Suzi Eszterhas uses different aperture settings. Round your answers to the nearest tenth. Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.

Use the information above to learn more about how Suzi Eszterhas uses different aperture settings. Round your answers to the nearest tenth. Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.

Smaller apertures make subjects in both the foreground and background appear focused. To photograph a group of penguins in Antarctica, Eszterhas might use a 70-mm lens with the aperture open only 4.4 mm wide. Which f-number setting would she pick to achieve this?

Smaller apertures make subjects in both the foreground and background appear focused. To photograph a group of penguins in Antarctica, Eszterhas might use a 70-mm lens with the aperture open only 4.4 mm wide. Which f-number setting would she pick to achieve this?

A. 8

A. 8

B. 16

B. 16

C. 11

C. 11

D. 22

D. 22

A. To photograph animals like orangutans, Eszterhas often uses a lens with a focal length of 70 mm. If she sets the f-number to 2.8, how wide will the aperture open?

A. To photograph animals like orangutans, Eszterhas often uses a lens with a focal length of 70 mm. If she sets the f-number to 2.8, how wide will the aperture open?

B. What’s the aperture diameter if she sets the f-number to 5.6?

B. What’s the aperture diameter if she sets the f-number to 5.6?

Super-zoom lenses with long focal lengths allow you to get a close look at faraway subjects. Eszterhas uses them to take pictures of dangerous animals like tigers. If she sets the f-number on her lens to 8, the aperture opens to 62.5 mm. What’s the focal length of this lens?

Super-zoom lenses with long focal lengths allow you to get a close look at faraway subjects. Eszterhas uses them to take pictures of dangerous animals like tigers. If she sets the f-number on her lens to 8, the aperture opens to 62.5 mm. What’s the focal length of this lens?

Would you choose a low or high f-number setting to photograph an animal you saw on a bright day? Explain.

Would you choose a low or high f-number setting to photograph an animal you saw on a bright day? Explain.

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