Photo Class: Week 1

I have started a new photography class. It's just 4, 1.5 hour classes, but I'm already really enjoying it. The instructor spent a little time on ISO/aperture/shutter speed and so forth, but also gave us information about lenses and filters. There's so much to learn! Anyway, each week we will be given an assignment for the next class. This week's assignment is to take a picture with a filter. He's given us a very broad definition of filter for the purposes of the assignment, as many people don't have a DSLR and therefore can't attach a real filter to their cameras.

I decided to stick with something somewhat like a real filter, of the kind you would hold in front of your camera, rather than attach to it. Homemade, it looks like this:

I used clear wrapping paper, essentially, and made the frame with 4 chopsticks. Not pretty, but functional.

And the result is this!

It's not a stunning piece of artwork, but it IS fun.

Video cards, part 4

I have saved my favourite image for last!

Once again from the blue card, once again hand held. And yes, once again cropped! But that's pretty much where the similarities end. This card has a shiny silver heat sink on it. The fins of the heat sink produce a strong pattern which I left intentionally off-center. I love the way the silver reflects the blue of the card, making it looks even more metallic and cool. There's also a secondary pattern in the black chips running along the bottom of the image. They're blurry and hard to focus on, and yet they want attention, even as the fins demand to be the center of attention.

Which of the pictures from the past 4 days was your favourite?

Auto white balance, 0 exposure bias, ISO 200, aperture 2.8 and 1/15 exposure length, no flash.

Video cards, part 2

Day 2 brings us a fabulous red card! A brilliant background for contrast. I did use a tripod, but in an effort to allow in as much light as possible, it turns out I was on a bit of an unfortunate angle.

I knew in the drawer of treasures would be cards of all colours, and I was not disappointed! With this one, the white lines around the silver solder are strongest, but the paler red lines on the dark red of the card itself are also fascinating. I still can't decide whether cropping would have made it more powerful, or taken away the magic... So, you tell me! Here are 2 very different crops. Which of the 3 images do you like best?

I need a stronger macro lens. This should be sharper. That issue aside...

This wasn't the center of the original photo, so it's not perfectly focused. But it's still a very cool image!

Auto white balance, 0 exposure bias, ISO 800, aperture 2.8 and 1/25 exposure length, no flash.

Video cards, part 1

My boyfriend has a load of old computer parts, so I asked if there were any I could take pictures of - I wanted ones that he wasn't afraid I would damage, just in case! He offered up a whole drawer full of colourful cards, and over the next several days I will share a few of my favourite images with you.

As soon as I flipped to the back of this card, I knew what I wanted a picture of. This little section reminds me of a portrait on someone's wall, with a lovely silver frame.

I had to hand-hold the card for this one, because I was trying to get closer to the window (and natural light) than my table would allow. As a result, the card was at a slight angle, and the right is a smidge further from the camera than the left. It makes the "portrait" look crooked, but I'm pretty sure it's not. Next time, I will move all the furniture instead!

Auto white balance, 0 exposure bias, ISO 800, aperture 2.8 and 1/25 exposure length, no flash.

Shiny, wavy, pattern

I think this object is pretty cool in "real life". And I think it makes for a great photo too!

The pattern is the repeating waves in the metal. I've thought that was neat since the first time I saw it, but with all the warped and partial reflections on the curves, I think it's even more interesting! And looking at the bottom of the waves, you can almost wonder if they are bending in towards the camera, or away from it.

So, what do you think the object is?

Auto white balance, 0 exposure bias, ISO 800, aperture 4.5 and 1/160 exposure length, no flash.

DPS: Weekly challenge

The Digital Photography School apparently does a weekly challenge, and this week's challenge is...

Patterns

They refer to this post from a couple of days earlier as the inspiration for the subject. Those are some pretty awesome pictures!! If you don't want to share your images with all of DPS (they tell you how in the post), feel free to share them with the tiny group that is me, by commenting here!

New 30 day

Life and my computer have gone haywire, so I am once again behind on the "daily" aspect of this blog!

I'm going to try a new 30 day photo challenge. I will not post them all, because some just won't be that interesting (or good!) but I like this particular one. Day one: pretty pattern. I wanted to avoid what was (for me) the obvious and choosing a fabric for it's pattern. So on my day off, with the weather being cooperative and moderate, the camera and I went for a long walk.

There's actually two patterns here. One is in each individual pane of glass, and the second is the cross itself, formed of different panes that the surrounding ones. I love how simple and understated this is. The designer clearly didn't feel the need for this cross to scream out it's presence, but it's still easily seen and obvious. Two, very pretty, patterns.