Through the Lens - DP101 Assignment 3

Since I've been trying to photograph something everyday, I have had a little bit of a head start on the latest assignment from Through the Lens - Digital Photography 101. The theme for Assignment 3 is Better Composition. It is something I've been working at and wasn't quite sure what the rule of thumb was other than the Rule of Thirds. Now, I have more options available as seen hereafter with eight photography tips. Besides this blog, these photos have either been added to my Photoblog and Flickr accounts or they already reside there. Enjoy!

#1 - Rule of Thirds

This photo was taken at about 1:30 a.m. during an approaching lightning storm. I was hoping for streak lightning in the background but wasn't so lucky. I did, however, get plenty of sheet lightning providing adequate background lighting for the subject. The original was about a 106 second exposure, though still quite dark. The contrast and colors were tweaked in PS.

#2 - No Background Clutter (and Rule of Thirds)

The picture of the deer was taken in June while on vacation to Durango, Colorado. I didn't get any closer for fear of a hoof attack!

#3 - Viewpoint Angle

This is another photo that was taken in June for the Grand Opening of the Midwest Genealogy Center in Independence, Missouri (free plug?) Dirk (in pic) and I are members of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). They'd like me to be in the Color Guard, but then who would take the pictures?

#4 - Fill Frame

Meet the granite girl I affectionately refer to as Rebekaha. She is the same subject as photo #1. Rebekaha is part of a large headstone about a mile from my house. This has to be the neatest grave marker in town. It stands about 8 feet tall which requires a step ladder to get an angle as seen in this pic.

#5 - Lines

After sleeping in this morning (teachers get to do that during the summer), I awoke to find a fog still hovering outside. Not wanting to miss this weather opportunity, I skipped breakfast and headed out to get some fog photos. Well, they weren't so great, but I did find several vacant spider webs covered with fog dew inviting me to capture their image for this assignment!

#6 - Details

Flowers weren't in bloom outside my home when I took this picture, but I couldn't pass it up for this part of the assignment. It was taken at the Flower & Garden Show in March. Check out the details of the stamen and pistil on this flower. A picture of the flower including its stem would not have been as striking as the flower alone.

#7- Know the Subject

The Church of Saint Luke (Episcopal) in Excelsior Springs, Missouri is the reason I slept in. Another night shot taken after midnight with a 4 minute exposure time. The street lights provided the lighting I needed. Other than cropping, this image has remained unaltered, although I must say, it looks awesome in b/w.

#8 - Breaking the Rules (Panning Blur)

A visit to a skate park in Kansas City today allowed me to complete the assignment. It wasn't necessarily my intention to copy delineated's idea of a skateboarder. It was the only thing I could think of at that moment. I would imagine that trains, cars, bugs, birds, pets, airplanes, runaway shopping carts, and more could be used as a subject of panning blur. By the way, I did try the camera toss. It was scary thinking that my concentration on tossing it just right would cause me to lose focus on catching the darned camera. I managed to eek out one somewhat decent picture after about three attempts. I may try it again if I can rig up an apparatus that will simulate the effects of a toss but without the possibility of camera wreckage!

All in all, I had a great time with this assignment and am looking forward to the next one. While waiting for Hallie to post it (in about 2.5 weeks), I shall continue taking photos using what I've learned from this and past lessons. Thanks, Hallie!

DP101 Assignment 2

I made it a point to go out to shoot some pictures in manual mode today. The assignment is to familiarize myself with the white balance function. With my camera, when using auto mode, the white balance is automatically adjusted too. Using any of the manual settings allows manual selection and adjustment of the white balance function. Hallie did a nice job explaining it at Through The Lens: Digital Photography 101 Assignment 2.

In my experimentation, I would find a subject, set up my camera on a tripod, and shoot one auto mode picture (as a benchmark) before switching to manual. I used the same aperature and shutter speeds as auto mode to duplicate what was taken in auto mode only to find out that too much light came in. So, I adjusted my aperature and shutter speed until I was satisfied. Basically, what I found out when I moved the pictures over to my computer was that the ISO setting was set to 1600! I didn't notice and was too uneducated to check!

The day wasn't a complete waste though. I did see the differences in white balance settings through my experimentation. The pictures may have been clearer with a lower ISO setting like 100 or 200. I must have been somewhere really dark to use 1600 recently. Oh well. I guess I learned two lessons today - white balance adjustments and ISO settings! My plan is to redo the assignment, possibly at the same locations. Here are a few pictures I took today at ISO-1600:

Hall of Waters in Excelsior Springs, Missouri
Auto mode

This first photo shows the sand colored wall as something cooler than sand. When I was seeing it with my own eyes, it was a much warmer color even with the scattered clouds overhead that were partially blocking the sunlight.

Hall of Waters in Excelsior Springs, Missouri
Manual mode with white balance set to direct sun at -3

This image is slightly warmer than the one taken in auto mode, but it still isn't where it should be.

Hall of Waters in Excelsior Springs, Missouri
Manual mode with white balance set to direct sun at 0

The sandy color in this photo is about where it should be, at least according to my eyes. I still want to show what it looks like if it is too warm...

Hall of Waters in Excelsior Springs, Missouri
Manual mode with white balance set to direct sun at +3

Here it is! This one really does have too much sunshine in it making it appear too warm. The differences are very subtle, especially when looking at them on a little 2" camera screen.

Now, I need to go out and do it again, but with the ISO set correctly! ;-)

Through The Lens: Digital Photography 101 - Assignment 1

Today, I joined the Yahoo! group ThroughTheLens-DigitalPhotography101@yahoogroups.com. This group was created by an amateur photographer for amateur photographers as a means to learn photography tips and techniques with each other. I believe it is a wonderful platform to use to learn and share various aspects of digital photography. I'm really looking forward to it.

The first assignment is to read the camera manual and then go out and take some pictures. Having had my Nikon D40x for a year now, I've found that the manual is a necessity when "auto" mode just doesn't cut it. So, for the first assignment, I'm a step ahead. I've already read the manual. As for the photos, I've posted some images that I captured just two days ago.

It was supposed to be a foggy morning. I wasn't sleeping well, so I got up early to take advantage of the fog. By the time I arrived at my destination at Watkin's Mill Park in Excelsior Springs, Missouri, the fog had already burned off. I still took time to take pictures. Hereafter are a few examples.

A Still Morning

Fence Row

Old Bridge

Ivy

Photography

Last year, I purchased a Nikon D40x camera. It's a digital (10.2 megapixel) SLR. It came with two lenses, an 18-55mm and a 55-200mm. The only equipment I've added since has been a polarizer filter and a replacement battery after the first one quit. The camera goes with me most of the time because I want to be prepared for whatever image may present itself.

As with most photographers, my goal is to improve my photography skills. My plans to accomplish this goal are classes, online communities, and trial and error, of course. The most important thing, though, is feedback. If you're reading this, and you see photographs dated after this entry, please comment on them if you have the time. I would appreciate any constructive criticism. Please, don't feel as if you shouldn't offer suggestions as to what could have been different or better. That's what I'm looking for. Your advice will be appreciated.