Sunday, May 29, 2011
Sunday's Assignment
Should have titled this "find some junk in the garage to photograph." There is plenty of metallic stuff in the garage- just difficult to get to. I like the surface of this blade as it shows years of use- the lines are eternally etched in the metal. But can you see my fingers in the upper left hand corner? Almost too difficult to tell that they are there, but being the novice photographer that I am, they are. Spent the day yesterday at a photography workshop downtown. Even though it rained all day I came away with a lot of information. What I need to do is practice, of course, but also learn more about my lenses. I took my 18/200mm lens but I still don't get how close I can get to the subjects that I'm shooting. I tried shooting this blade close up (like 18mm away) but the shutter wouldn't release. The farther I had to get away from the object the more difficult it was to prop the blade up. Tried looking for my shutter release cable but couldn't find how to attach it to the camera. Ended up using aperture as I wanted to blur the background, although realistically there is nothing to blur.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Friday's Assignment
Forever Blue, a photo by scookster on Flickr.
Make a photograph dominated by the color blue.
Walked into school today and realized that I had a perfect shot for today's assignment and no camera. Decided to see what kind of picture my iPhone would take. Seems to do okay. Yesterday the 8th graders emptied their lockers and kept the doors open which would have made a more interesting shot. Much to my dismay, the doors were all closed when I came into school this morning. Lucky for me, the kids went on their 8th grade trip so the halls were clear of the screaming masses and I was able to take this photo.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Thursday's Assignment
As I looked around while driving to work today I realized that there are more vertical line designs than there are horizontal lines. It wasn't until I got home that I decided to take a picture of this basket. I have plenty of wicker baskets at home which offer a variety of horizontal lines. But over the years my collection has lessoned as I have begun to streamline our possessions- although my camera equipment seems to be reproducing as everywhere I look is a lens or a filter or a lens cap. But instead on focusing on today's assignment I spent much of the day thinking about the picture that I took yesterday. I decided to post a picture of the light tent that I put together- just for future reference. Maybe some day I'll become famous and then I can look back on my primitive attempts at professional photography.
And here's the light tent that I put together:
Of course, I didn't take a picture of this yesterday when the sunlight was streaming through the window. Today is overcast and the lighting is not quite up to par. I tried to replicate yesterday and it's not quite working but you get the idea....
And here's the light tent that I put together:
Of course, I didn't take a picture of this yesterday when the sunlight was streaming through the window. Today is overcast and the lighting is not quite up to par. I tried to replicate yesterday and it's not quite working but you get the idea....
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Wednesday's Assignment
Naturally, I have no idea how to do a high key photograph. I looked the term up and it has something to do the image's key tone as being high instead of mid-tone. Looked at many examples and lots of how-to's. Most of the examples had to do with portraits and black and white. I really wanted to do a flower as I don't have any people around the house volunteering to have their picture taken. One of the how-to's gave me some step by step instructions. So I stopped over at a nearby fabric store to pick up some items. First I needed to set up a light tent (more $$$ that I need to spend I guess). I found some flimsy white material to act as my light tent. When I arrived home I set up the fabric over an end table. Used the exterior light which was coming through the patio door and set up a lamp on the other side. That way I had two areas of light going through the fabric which lends itself to soft lighting around the object, lighting the subject and background evenly. Then I took one of the flowers that I bought yesterday and propped it up against a piece of green paper. Now, the tricky part. The how-to suggested using the manual setting and experimenting with f-stop and aperture. To me it just means moving the dial left and right. One thing it did mention was that the tones would be bright and there would be little or no shadows. When looking at the histogram for this photo the graph appears on the far right indicating there are no shadows or dark areas. At least I can say I know what that means- but have I been successful in doing a high key photo? Who knows. Really should have taken a picture of my light tent so that when I become famous I can look back on my first endeavors!!!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Tuesday's Assignment
Picked these flowers up from the grocery store today. I have no idea what these flowers are called (maybe lilies?) but I do know they exemplify the color yellow. I seem to be spending lots of money to photograph the picture of the day. I just don't have the energy to drive around to get the picture that I need. So much easier to stop by the local store. Yellow was pretty easy to find as there are plenty of flowers in that color. Unfortunately, the flowers in my yard have not begun to bloom so I had to resort to the store bought kind. I placed this bouquet in a small vase and set it up in the sun. Forgotten which setting I used- tried both automatic and aperture but I think I ended up choosing the aperture one. Kept changing the f/stops from high to low but I still don't know what I am doing.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Monday's Assignment
This is about the only vista I see on a daily basis and it's about as good as it gets, although the grasses below the deck do need to fill in. Also, I noticed that the overgrown shrubs at the back of our yard are being trimmed by the neighbors behind us. They are quite overgrown but over the years have given us a lot of privacy. Today I see there's a big hole where some branches use to be. What the heck! By the time they finish there will be nothing but dead branches on our side of the fence. Plus, I kind of like the shade that the overgrowth gave us- which is why I have little grass. Now that the sun is bearing down on us my shade loving plants will probably die. That and it looks like I'd better do something about the bushes on our side of the fence. Not quite what I had planned to do this summer.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Sunday's Assignment
Tools? We've got plenty of tools. Unfortunately, they are scattered all over the garage floor. We have old tools, new tools, clean tools and rusty tools. Any chance there's any organization when it comes to keeping track of our tools? Nope! That's why we tend to have lots of duplicates because when we can't find one we go out and buy another. I was talking to someone yesterday about garage sales and tools. He tended to think that garage sale groupies are always on the lookout for older tools. I alluded to the fact that when and if I get a chance to clean out our house for good the first thing up will be a dumpster. Now I'm thinking that maybe I'll get to sell them on ebay and make a nice profit! But in the end, I decided to take a picture of some garden tools. At least I know where they are and where they belong when I am finished with them!
Friday's Assignment
Actually took this picture earlier today. Wanted to run over to Lake Katherine to see if there was anything interesting. Was gone all weekend and this was the first opportunity that I had to take some pictures. I remembered that Friday's assignment had something to do with a fence and saw these amazing purple flowers. Should have looked to see what kind of flowers these were. Lake Katherine was crazy crowded with people, even around 8 a.m. so didn't hang around too long. Really difficult to take pictures when people are roaming all over. Kind of neat little statue in the background though- I can just imagine him howling at the moon.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Thursday's Assignment
Couldn't decide between oreos and flowers today. Found some neon colored flowers at the grocery store and almost bought those. But opted for the oreos as I figured white against black would equal high contrast. After loading the pictures in my computer I've discovered that I don't like the way the white plate reflects the light. Didn't use a flash and the only light I had was coming in through the window. I tried to adjust it in photoshop but I don't know that program too well and spent a lot of wasted time getting nowhere. Not sure if I should have just changed this picture to black and white to eliminate the glare of the background. And funny how I thought the cream would be WHITE when I twisted the cookie in half. What gives with the cookie crumbs? Good news though- the head for my tripod came today so I am very excited about trying it out. Unfortunately it weighs a ton so I will have to build up my muscles to prepare for my summer photo excursions.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Thursday's Assignment
This is so not in focus but it was so difficult to take a self portrait. It is especially difficult since I don't have my tripod yet and had to set my camera on the end table to take this shot. Decided to take a picture of me in my winter attire as I couldn't think of anything else besides ice cubes and ice cream. To get a picture I had to focus in on something reasonably close, find the self timer, set the self timer and then try to get myself back in the right spot (with or without glasses)- and I did this over and over again. Finally decided I had spent enough time on this assignment and whatever I got I would post. I do think I should have cropped the picture to take out the backdrop- guess you can figure out that I am in my living room and not the frigid outdoors. As I've mentioned before, a white backdrop would have done the job!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Tuesday's Assignment
Now that I've taken this picture I wonder if I even know what radiating lines are. I assume that the lines converge in the center of the masher. Unfortunately, I'm always second guessing myself as I want these pictures to be perfect. Creatively I like the way the shadow overlaps the original lines. But one of these days I have to pick up some white poster board to use for a backdrop. I used some white drawing paper but now that I'm looking at this picture I realize that it's picking up the shadow from the screen door. So much to take into account when shooting photos. On the other hand, it does give it some texture so maybe people will think I actually know what I am doing.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Monday's Assignment
Silhouette of Jax, a photo by scookster on Flickr.
Make a photograph that features a silhouette today.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Sunday's Assignment
Follow the line, a photo by scookster on Flickr.
Make a photograph with a strong line that leads the eye through the image.
Shot this photo using the flower setting on the automatic. I wanted to eliminate the background but by doing that the straw was not entirely in focus. Decided to get my monopod out as my tripod is malfunctioning but can't quite get the monopod to work properly. How difficult can it be? I am trying to lean over and shoot the straw straight down the side but the monopod does not have an elbow that I can hang the camera from. I can now see that using bean bags might have been a good idea. But how could I have utilized the program setting- or the other settings for that matter? Would using the different exposures have eliminated the background too or would I have needed a black backdrop? I actually set the cup on our glass end table and I would have thought the carpet would shown through. I guess by using the flash it eliminated any of that. I do so want to get an external flash so that the lighting will be softer. That and a new tripod!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Saturday's Assignment
Isn't that an oxymoron? What the heck is hard light anyway? I figured it must have something to do with sunlight, but today is a pretty gloomy day so it'll be difficult to find any sun to shoot in. I looked "hard light" up on google and it said something about lighting and the sharpness of shadows vs the softer shadows with soft lighting. So once again I set up my photo shoot- took four sharpened pencils, a white piece of paper, took the lampshade off of the lamp and set the lamp down on a box. The problem that I have with this picture is that even though the shadows are sharp the paper is no longer white. Hmmmm. Not quite sure what I did to cause that except that I went into aperature vs program mode. Didn't notice that the paper had changed color until I loaded it into the computer. I have to remember to look at EVERYTHING that I am shooting, not just the subject.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Friday's Assignment
Frame a view using a door or a window today.
Almost afraid to post this blog after the blogger malfunction these last couple of days. So with much trepidation I begin this entry. Not too excited about doing this assignment today. I know this is a repeat and I think that last time I tried taking a picture through the front door of E's dollhouse. That was virtually impossible as I had to deal with miniature issues- small door, little light, entry area limited. Maybe I should have tried it again as my skills have improved somewhat. But this photo shows the view of our backyard from the second floor master bedroom. For years we lived with no deck- when we first moved in darling hubby discovered an infestation of carpenter ants in the decking area. After ripping out the wood he left it unfinished for a whole lot of years. Maybe ten years ago or so I finally convinced him to let his brother finish the deck. It looks so nice! We don't have steps leading from the deck into the yard which is kind of a hassle. I don't know if we thought about that or were more concerned with the security issue. Should have, would have, could have I guess. But I love sitting on the deck, in my glider, early in the morning. With the leaves filling in it often feels like I am actually sitting in the tree tops.
Thursday's Assignment
You probably don't know this but blogger has been down since Wednesday. And I didn't know that until I finished yesterday's entry and it was for naught. As soon as I clicked post it disappeared into space and there was no way that I could retrieve it. I hate when that happens (and it has happened a few times) as when I am writing off the cuff I usually have something creative to say. How can I replicate my creativeness when it disappears in a "poof"? I imagine that I was writing about how much I like this doorway. It is the color I've always wanted to have yet when we replaced our front door I went for a more muted color. Our doorway is set back so that the only person who would have got much joy out of seeing a red front door would have been me. I did stop by the grocery store to pick up a few red fruits and vegetables just incase. Left with a box of red and black frosted cupcakes instead. How could I pass up cupcakes adorned with the Chicago Bull's colors? Unfortunately, no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get a perfect photo with the red cupcakes. Either too RED or there was too much red in the background. The assignment said that the photograph had to be dominated by red but the cupcakes just didn't cut it. So I did what I do best- I ate them!
BTW- I sure hope they recover my Wednesday blog entry. I sure did like the way the lilacs turned out.
BTW- I sure hope they recover my Wednesday blog entry. I sure did like the way the lilacs turned out.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Wednesday's Assignment
Not sure if this qualifies as a soft light photograph. Tried googling "soft light" and still wasn't quite sure what it meant. One of the examples said to use light coming in through a window; or if it's cloudy outside photographs will look softer. Many of the other sites said to use studio lamps but for the most part it was referring to portrait photography. I was going to use some of the flowers that I got for mother's day but they are losing their petals fast and furiously. So instead I decided to cut one of the few lilacs on my newly blooming lilac bush. I planted these shrubs three years ago, and they are finally starting to bloom. With much trepidation I snipped one bloom and set it up near our sliding glass window. Used the "flower" symbol on the automatic side and with the flash disabled was able to get this shot. I hope it qualifies as "soft".
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Tuesday's Assignment
When I was small I remember having hot chocolate on a cold winter day. The chocolate powder came in a can- Nestle's, I think. It was a powder but not instant like you get today. On the stove, my mother would bring some milk to nearly boiling, mix in the powder, throw in some marshmallows and it was delightfully fulfilling. Unfortunately, this stuff tasted terrible. Maybe it was too sweet or perhaps it was because I mixed it with water. Or maybe it's because I am not a big fan of chocolate. Nevertheless, it's not something I fathom having today anyway. The temperature outside neared 90 degrees although it had to be 60 degrees in the library. Maybe next time I'll take a picture of a cup of tea. Now that I could stomach!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Monday's Assignment
Kind of tricky to do this kind of picture. No matter what you don't want a straight line in the photo. I wanted to take a picture of a flower but there's not much blooming in my yard yet. When I left school today I saw a dandelion that had turned to fluff or puff or whatever you call it. So I got down on my knees to take a picture of the fluff/puff. A few teachers had begun to leave and probably were getting ready to call the paramedics when they saw me go down to the ground. Thank goodness they weren't looking too closely. But my 35mm lens wouldn't let me get a good closeup. When I got home I decided to put the closeup filter on in addition to the 35mm. Still trying to figure that one out as once it's on it is impossible to twist off. Fortunately, it seem to do a pretty good job on this flowering tree. Not quite sure what this tree is called- maybe a Dogwood? Didn't use a tripod which I should have as zooming in will probably show camera movement. Still like the fact that I could get relatively close to the flower. Next time I'll drag out my monopod.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Sunday's Assignment
Been busy all weekend but thinking about each and every assignment. In fact, today I took a couple of photos, not sure which one I wanted to submit. Each is different in its own way; but for both I ended up shooting from ground level.
Today was one of my better days. Spent yesterday with the boys and their child/children. Wanted to let them go to their in-laws today. Because of that I was able to do anything and everything I wanted to. Weeded, mowed and weed-wacked until I couldn't move another muscle. But the weather was perfect so I wanted to do as much as I could outside. The Hostas are starting to grow and the vines are beginning to loop around the arbor. I can't wait until they fill in and are blooming- may take a few years and hopefully we are still living here. I can't believe that I actually laid on the ground to take these pictures. I am beginning to feel like my dad!
As for the last couple of days, here are some rather mediocre shots.
Friday's assignment was to take a photo of a shadow. The sun was fleeting and when it peeked out for a couple of seconds I took this shot of my glider. Couldn't find anything else that gave off enough of a shadow.
The second was Saturday's assignment- take a photograph of the sky. Every time I wanted to stop driving to take a picture of the sky the landscape would change and I wouldn't get enough of the sky that I wanted. For the most part the sky was a gray and blah. Would have like a sunnier sky and if that wasn't possible at least a storm or two. The entire drive out to the far western suburbs is via interstate and no place to stop. When I finally got off of the interstate the horizon was no longer visible- hence I am aiming my camera straight up into the sky. But the entire time my head was spinning right to left looking for the best shot. This looks weird- as I aimed the camera would auto focus and refuse to release the shutter. Don't know why but this is the best I could do.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Thursday's Assignment
Illustrate randomness in a photograph today.
So many things to take pictures of. Spur of the moment, aim and shoot. But I wanted to be more literal- what exactly could I do to illustrate randomness. I thought about a bag of tootsie roll pops. Always have a bag here as we both like to eat them when we need a little sugar. But for some reason the bags contain mostly chocolate and a couple of orange suckers. Yuck! But the last one I opened had mostly cherry and strawberry. A little better selection but why can't all of the bags contain a little of each. I guess that would best describe randomness. But then I thought about finding a random penny on the ground or random change in my pocket. Couldn't come up with a good shot for either of those. So I thought about these domino pieces that I have and the random chance of coming up with the particular tiles that you need. Always the luck of the draw. Not totally thrilled with the way I set the pieces up. I think a black piece of felt might have been a good backdrop. I had some colored pieces that I could have used but they looked odd against the white tiles. And a white background definitely did not work. As usual this photography stuff is a work in progress.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Wednesday's Assignment
DSC_6670jpg, a photo by scookster on Flickr.
Actually, I just did this assignment a couple of months ago. Used a slice of tiramisu and knew I didn't want to repeat that idea. So me and my trusty camera headed off for a fabric store. Figured there would be lots and lots of layers in that store. And there were- just not what I was looking for. There were rows of shelves upon which thread lay layered, and rows of shelves that held rolls of fabric. Not quite the look that I was looking for. But I did find these fancy boas all layered together and I thought they'd fit the assignment.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Tuesday's Assignment
Just like me to drag out the grill when the temperature is dropping into the 30's. It's like the 3rd of May and the weathermen are predicting frost tonight. What happened to spring? I have so much to do in my yard and haven't had an opportunity to do much of anything. But because time is of an essence tonight, I decided to grill these "healthy" hot dogs. All meat hot dogs that is- no turkey or chicken for us. Can't even say that it's beef. Just all of that stuff that you'd rather not think about when hot dogs are produced. I probably should have gotten my tripod out as I am sure I wasn't too steady taking this closeup. But I did say it was cold out, didn't I? And when it's cold I spend as little time outside as possible.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Monday's Assignment
I believe this glove still has dust from the baseball fields of long ago. That or it just goes to prove that our house is extremely dusty. Fortunately, this glove is not as old and moldy as his childhood glove. Wasn't quite enthralled with taking a picture of that one as it is kind of moldy, but he hangs onto it nevertheless. Must bring back fond memories! Hubby was a baseball fanatic when he was younger. I do so think that he was hoping one of our boys would go on to be a baseball star. It wasn't in the cards and if you ask them, those years are ones that they prefer not to remember. He was tough on them; I'm sure he was reliving his own youth through them. But they loved being part of a team. Just didn't live up to his expectations and because of it I think they will be less than likely to push their own kids in sports. Too bad. He was an involved father when it came to sports- just kind of over the top.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Sunday's Assignment
I am actually venturing out beyond my property lines, although I am still shy about shooting pictures. Couldn't find much in my little suburb that had anything to do with culture. The southern burb's are not exactly known for exuding cultural activities. Everything seems to happen north of me- at least by 20 miles or so. But we do have a suburb near us that does actually have a cultural arts building. Remembered that they display these benches as works of art. Started soon after the cows were on display downtown. The theme for this bench was children's story characters- how appropriate that this bench be outside of a pub. It's really "darling" and they do show off the artistic abilities of the residents. I only saw a few benches though- I don't think the new benches are displayed until sometime in May. Can't wait to see what they come up with this year!
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