I needed something different, so today was "G" day (just a letter chosen at random). I promised myself I would take at least 5 pictures (it started as 10) of anything that started with G, was shaped like G, etc. This was harder than it sounds, but it did stretch me to think about my subjects differently.
The nice thing about this exercise it is gets me out of the mode of judging which subjects are photo worthy, and encourages me to shoot subjects I normally would overlook. The picture of my motorcycle gloves are a great example. I use these gloves every day, yet it never occurred to me to take pictures of them. I like how they turned out on the tank, however, so I am glad I did this.
I doubled up this creative exercise with one of the technical exercises from my previous blog entry. I used an f1.8/50mm prime so all zooming had to be done with my feet. This definitely takes some getting used to and forced me to move around and find the right angle and the right distance for each shot. This can be especially challenging with a 50mm lens as I found I need to get a long way away from my subjects. In some cases I simply could not get far enough away and wished I had brought my kit lens for its wide angle ability. However, I think it is also important to learn to operate within the parameters of the equipment I have on hand, so technically this exercise was also a success.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Learning to use the camera
One of the places I hang out quite frequently is http://www.dpreview.com/. The forums there are some of the most extensive I have found and there are tons of photographers ready to answer questions and provide photographic criticism. A commonly asked question in these forums is, "I am buying a new camera. I heard the kit lens is no good. Which lens should I buy." One of the other photographers at this website prepared an excellent response which can be viewed here:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1031&message=16309636
The synopsis of his reply is that the photographer, not the lens, is responsible for taking good pictures. He provides a long list of things every beginning photographer should do with the kit lens before worrying about buying a better one. I think he was right on and I have been working my way through this list. I still have the following items I want to do:
6. Intentionally underexpose or overexpose an image to create a feeling that you want to convey to the viewer of your picture.
7. Experiment with bokeh and use it in a creative manner. Yes, the kit lens is capable of bokeh!
8. Set your lens to a zoom level and leave it there all day long. Practice zooming with your legs.
9. Spend an entire day with the lens set on manual focus. Learn how to focus without relying upon the automatic focus feature.
12. Take pictures in the bulb mode. Star trails, automobile taillights, ghost images, and fireworks are all great opportunities to create an image you would be proud to share with others. Yes, the kit lens can do all this too.
13. Capture an image of a lightening bolt.
14. Take a picture of the moon. Not a close up of the moon, but a landscape picture which includes the moon.
15. Try panning. Fast moving vehicles or an athlete at a sporting event are great subjects to practice the technique of panning.
16. Take some pictures of water drops until you get one that you want to print.
17. Take some portraits of your friends.
18. Take some candids of your friends.
19. Ask 10 strangers if you can take their picture.
20. Take some self-portraits of yourself. Find one that you would like to share with others.
22. Go downtown at night and take some exposures without the flash. Learn to use the available light.
26. Make someone laugh with a picture you took.
27. Make someone pause and reflect with a picture you took.
29. Visit someone else’s online photo gallery. Find an image you like and see how close you can imitate it.
30. Look through a magazine. Find a picture you like and see if you can imitate it as well.
My knowledge of photography and the functions of my camera cannot help but improve by completing these exercises. Plus, these kind of exercises help keep me from falling into a rut. Periodically I will add a new entry to my blog that focuses on one of these items. I hope to complete all of these items by the end of the year.
Now, stop reading my blog and go take some pictures! =P
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1031&message=16309636
The synopsis of his reply is that the photographer, not the lens, is responsible for taking good pictures. He provides a long list of things every beginning photographer should do with the kit lens before worrying about buying a better one. I think he was right on and I have been working my way through this list. I still have the following items I want to do:
6. Intentionally underexpose or overexpose an image to create a feeling that you want to convey to the viewer of your picture.
7. Experiment with bokeh and use it in a creative manner. Yes, the kit lens is capable of bokeh!
8. Set your lens to a zoom level and leave it there all day long. Practice zooming with your legs.
9. Spend an entire day with the lens set on manual focus. Learn how to focus without relying upon the automatic focus feature.
12. Take pictures in the bulb mode. Star trails, automobile taillights, ghost images, and fireworks are all great opportunities to create an image you would be proud to share with others. Yes, the kit lens can do all this too.
13. Capture an image of a lightening bolt.
14. Take a picture of the moon. Not a close up of the moon, but a landscape picture which includes the moon.
15. Try panning. Fast moving vehicles or an athlete at a sporting event are great subjects to practice the technique of panning.
16. Take some pictures of water drops until you get one that you want to print.
17. Take some portraits of your friends.
18. Take some candids of your friends.
19. Ask 10 strangers if you can take their picture.
20. Take some self-portraits of yourself. Find one that you would like to share with others.
22. Go downtown at night and take some exposures without the flash. Learn to use the available light.
26. Make someone laugh with a picture you took.
27. Make someone pause and reflect with a picture you took.
29. Visit someone else’s online photo gallery. Find an image you like and see how close you can imitate it.
30. Look through a magazine. Find a picture you like and see if you can imitate it as well.
My knowledge of photography and the functions of my camera cannot help but improve by completing these exercises. Plus, these kind of exercises help keep me from falling into a rut. Periodically I will add a new entry to my blog that focuses on one of these items. I hope to complete all of these items by the end of the year.
Now, stop reading my blog and go take some pictures! =P
Monday, June 11, 2007
More portrait photography fun
I completed two more assignments for my church, which were taking portraits. I had much better results with the exposure. I still used the coffee filter diffuser but I upped the exposure +1 and the flash compensation +1. Shooting in RAW saved me again because the white balance was all messed up, but I was able to fix this easily in post processing. I also took several practice shots ahead of time and tweaked the adjustments until the histogram looked right.
I got some good feedback from the person requesting the photographs. She is using them for the church website and for the couples she really needs the heads to be at the same height. She also would like to see their heads closer together. Next time I do this I will make sure to have the people sit on stools to adjust their height and I will take a few poses with them spooning to get their faces closer and looking in the same direction.
Quite to my surprise, I enjoyed taking these portraits. It was fun interacting with the people and joking with them to get them to smile and relax.
I got some good feedback from the person requesting the photographs. She is using them for the church website and for the couples she really needs the heads to be at the same height. She also would like to see their heads closer together. Next time I do this I will make sure to have the people sit on stools to adjust their height and I will take a few poses with them spooning to get their faces closer and looking in the same direction.
Quite to my surprise, I enjoyed taking these portraits. It was fun interacting with the people and joking with them to get them to smile and relax.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
