Art of Photography - Introduction

Exercise: Focus with a set aperture

I prefer the first one of these photographs all taken at f1.8 and even though the focal point was at different points in the bottom two photos it is difficult to tell this.  Which may be due to the camera's relatively small sensor or the fact that the distant part of the scene is so distant, and the front part of the scene is so close  - I know you can take a photo at f4.5 for instance and if you're close enough to your subject still have a small depth of field, - and maybe there isn't really anything in the middle.  I focused on the black horizontal line in the middle photo and the top of the pole in the final one.  The reason I prefer the first one is because the texture of the moss is interesting and quite evocative of an imaginary mini world.  I think the other two aren't different enough.  I should try this with a better camera too to check out the difference with focal points and maybe with a row of books or something where the middle-ground and background are less far away.  I used this camera as it is the one I carry around in my bag and therefore the one I will use most when not working at home or in someone else's home.  (It only goes up to f11 though which I know may not always be suitable in which case I will take the other one out with me.)

Exercise: Focus at different apertures

Oh, look, I've made the same mistake again - not enough differentiation between the two higher apertures.  These are in order from top to bottom - f1.8, f5.6, f11.  I prefer the first one though because the texture of the dirt is interesting and the fact that the rest of it is out of focus means you get to just see the dirt really - although you can still see the context.

 

Exercise: Shutter speed

I feel a bit like I'm going to 'get into trouble' here because I've done something a little different to what was specified in the file.  But I have three kids to raise and occasional work to do so I really need to manage my time and I think experimenting while taking these images for someone's styling blog and website was useful even though the subject is walking towards me in most rather than across my view, although she did also walk across my view in a few.  I've foolishly uploaded them in no particular order - apologies!

This end shutter speed was 0.3 s and with f22 & ISO 125.  I like the fact that a tiny bit of her is in focus and the rest of the frame is out of focus but with a sense of traveling quickly.  The shutter speed needs to be very slow to allow for the zoom to be manipulated while the photograph is being taken which meant I needed a really high shutter speed and low ISO.

f.2.8, 1/320, ISO 400 - there is very little sense of movement except perhaps in the bottom of of her, maybe.

 f22, 1/10, ISO 400 - Lots of fluid movement and a sense of going somewhere.  I like the patterns swirling in the skirt.

f22, 1/2, ISO 400 - even more movement but some form is lost in her leg which may be too far although I quite like it but I'm not sure about the facial features.

 f22, 1/2, ISO 400 - again I am not sure about the weird facial features but still like the crazy patterns in the skirt.

 f22, 1/2, ISO 400 - I think the patterns in the skirt works best here and have focused on that entirely with cropping -perhaps I could have cropped her face out altogether as the outfit was the point of the photo and her face looks weird.

 f22, 1/2, ISO 400 - I think this works least of all as the pattern is too much for the purpose of the photo although it's the same camera settings as the previous few photos.

 f22, 0.3, ISO 125 - probably doesn't work from the point of the blogger who wants to show the colours and shapes working together but I liked this effect anyway.  Feels like someone being whipped away.

 f22, 0.3, ISO 125 - I love how the pattern and the effect of traveling with the zoom work together here although it wasn't what the stylist/blogger was looking for.

 f3.5, 1/650, ISO 400 - No blurry bits at this shutter speed

f3.5, 1/650, ISO 400 - I think this one works best considering what the client wanted.  It's clear and sharp and there is movement but that's in the subject's action rather than through the cameras influence -i.e. there is slow shutter speed to give the impression of movement.

Exercise: Panning with different shutter speeds 

I wanted to  go out and take photos of the buses or take the kids somewhere and pop them on a carousal. But it NEVER stopped raining.  So in the end for the same of time I took these photos of the kids' Scalelectrix.  It was really hard to get a photo showing the car in focus with the background out of focus because it was so fast and getting them to go slower was tricky - although they came through in the end but I don't think I did!  (I do have an an image of my son on a roundabout swing at a fair I took a few years ago now when I first took an evening class which I was very proud of where he is in focus but the rest of the image is streaked - I love that image but it's of my son so I'm bound to.  Perhaps I'll pop it up here anyway)

 I quite like the one above and below actually.  The one below is probably my favourite of the two but it looks nothing like the object that it is.

I took these ones on Flickr a few years ago when I first started learning about panning.  It's not something I have practiced much since but feel I ought to!