October 31, 2011

Elebenty

Photo Eleven


I've learned that you can't force a photograph.

You sort of just have to let it do it's own thing.

And the easiest way for me to do that is to let nature be nature.

It has all the colors and lines one could ask for.

All you need to insert is perspective. 

So here is my perspective...



~Photography can only represent the present~
~Once photographed, the subject becomes part of the past~

October 29, 2011

And The Tenth Day Was Christmas In October!

Photo Ten



Let's revisit how to take pictures that have better clarity.

One of those tips was to use a tripod.

I searched around the house and couldn't find
the old one that had been hanging around.

So I sent Derek on a little trip while he was out.

He took a look at tripods from twenty bucks
to ones that were a few hundred bucks.

And in the fifty to one hundred dollar range he found a lovely
tripod that goes from twenty four inches to sixty inches.

It also will hold a new camera up to eleven lbs
if I were to get a new camera.

Wait for it. Here are the two best parts.

It weighs only three and a half lbs.

And Derek was an awesome boyfriend and got it for me.

So the picture above has the Promaster 7100 Tripod.

Thank you Derek you're the best boyfriend ever!



~Buying a Nikon doesn't make you a photographer. It makes you a Nikon owner.~

October 28, 2011

You Keep Looking But You Can't Find The Woods, While You're Hiding In The Trees

Photo Nine


I planted this willow tree in my parents side yard when my grandfather died.

It's been a few years. Well, more like eight years.

But every time I see it I am happy that it looks as lovely as it does.

I still have a few things that he made.

And I'll always hold onto them.

And when the tree gets a little larger I'll be able to
sit out under it and play with the little hexagon game that he
gave me and think about all the fun things he and I did.

One of the best things he ever taught me was how to get a free soda from
the vending machine at the side of the drive through across from their house.

I'm pretty sure that where ever he is he thinks about me from time to time.

And hopefully he thinks that I am doing alright.



~ Landscape photography is the supreme test of the photographer~
~And often the supreme disappointment ~

October 27, 2011

∞ Wilder Than Any Eight Second Ride ∞

Photo Eight


Meet Consuela!

She is a my double deluxe mannequin. 

Personally I don't like all the blue.

I guess more so that the material on Consuela is shiny.

And all of the artificial light.

Better luck to me next time.



~Photography deals exquisitely with appearance, but nothing is what it appears.~

October 26, 2011

Lucky Number 7!

Photo Seven


Decided to play with lines again.

Same thoughts as before though.

Should have gotten lower to the ground.

Cheers for my first Black and White photograph in this series.

I figured I would have gotten there sooner than I actually did.

I'm already a third of the way to developing a new habit.

According to research it takes 21 days to build a habit.

Or seriously kick one for that matter.

So in theory after I finish this 50 Photo challenge
I will have developed a new habit.

No complaints will be coming from this photographer.

I'm not even sure I can call myself that.

I still suck pretty bad at taking pictures.

Maybe one day after one or two or three of these fifty photo
challenges I will feel better about using the term photographer.



~Photography to the amateur is recreation.~
~To a Professional it is work, hard work too, no matter how pleasurable it may be.~

October 25, 2011

A, B, C, D, Exposure, F, G, H, I . . .

Photo Six


Finally decided to really play around with exposure.

Well after the fact.

In a Photoshop kind of mood today.

And this is what I came up with. 

It's unique and interesting.

And most defiantly different.

It's a security box and lock on a rail ride shack.



~Photography produces pleasure by simplicity.~

October 24, 2011

High Five For Day Five?

Photo Five


Not too much to say about this picture.

I've read that you should try to use lines to lead
the viewers eyes to your point of interest.

I tried to use the ties as horizontal lines to lead you to the hook.

I'm ok with the picture, but not 100 % satisfied.

I wish I would have taken the time to get a little lower to the ground.

If I had done that I think the ties would have had a better visual effect
by showing more depth to the photograph..



~There is only you and your camera.~
~The limitations in your photography are in yourself.~

October 21, 2011

Life's Candy, And The Sun's A Ball Of Butter. Don't Bring Around A Cloud To Rain On My Parade!

Photo Four



Still working on my composition.

But I'm decently happy with the outcome of this picture.

Specially because it was taken just after that nasty cold rain we had.

I'm surprised that I had as much light as I did.

A friend mentioned to be more aware of my light sources.

Looks like that'll be something that I need to study up on as well.

I'll leave on that note. Now raise your glasses.

Cheers to the freakin' weekend!


~No photographer is as good as the simplest camera~

October 20, 2011

Rule Of Thirds Day...

Photo Three



Another problem I have with my photographs is keeping them interesting.

I can keep color in them. And I am working on clarity.

But visual interest, Eh... I'm not doing so good there.

So after searching around I have found a lot of info on the rule of thirds.

Basically divide your screen or photo into nine parts of a grid.

Sort of like a tic tac toe grid. My camera has a feature in the options.

Place points of interest on the lines or corners of the grid to
give the picture better visual interest.

Here are some tips to keep in mind.

(1) Avoid cutting your landscape in half by placing the horizon in the middle.
Accent spacious places by keeping the horizon low in the picture.
To make the picture emphasize closeness position the
horizon on the top third line high in the picture.

(2) Choose an angle that allows the natural lines of a bridge or
road to lead the viewers eyes to your main point of interest. 
Diagonal lines are dynamic, curved lines are flowing and graceful.

(3) When doing portraits use the grid lines for placing peoples eyes or
for group shots use them to place their heads.

(4) Use the vertical grid lines for things like trees, waterfalls,
a person with a background or foreground, or a main point of architecture.

(5) If you want a specific focal point use the corners of the middle square.

(6) Don't forget that the thirds rule is a guide and can be broken.



~ There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs~

October 19, 2011

Everyone Has To Start Little...

Photo Two




Just encase you haven't figured it out by now the item that I will be
taking the 50 photographs of is the Size K Boye Crochet hook.

I've noticed that I have a really hard time with my clarity in my pictures. 

Some tips that I found online are;

(1) Using a tripod

(2) Using the shoulder strap

(3) Taking multiple pictures at once

(4) Resting your camera or wrist on a sturdy stationary object

(5) Your shutter speed needs to be more than your lens length

(6) Photoshop your better pictures to sharpen them to great

(7) Aperture is important.

(8) Utilize Macro mode

I hope that I will be able to get some sharper images using these tips.



~ Mistakes are allowed! The more mistakes you make, the more you learn. ~

October 18, 2011

Uno, Ein, Um, Een, Une, Yksi, One.....

Photo One


Here goes nothing...

This is day one of fifty, that I will be posting a picture
of the same object in all sorts of environments.

Can you figure out what the item is going to be?

I promise it's in there!

I'd like to think that I am pretty good at a lot of things that I do.

However, I know that I'm not so great at photography.

And that brings us to the whole reason for this blog.

I want to challenge my photography knowledge and skills.

I may or may not post pictures on weekends.

And I might even share some of the info that I learn along the way.

Food for thought to go along with the picture above is color.

And what colors compliment one another.

Here are some Color Chords....

Red, Yellow, and Blue.

Purple, Green, and Orange.

Blue, Green, Red, and Orange.

Purple, Blue, and Green.

Red, Orange, and Yellow.

The concept is that when you choose colors that are
equal distant on the color wheel you can't go wrong.

I guess you can't really go wrong with monotones either.



~ "Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst" - Henri Cartier-Bresson ~