Feeling of depth 01

This weeks exercises are about depth in an image. I challenge you to create image that shows maximum feeling of depth.In order to archive this you need to determine a foreground and a background that jumps into your eyes.If you create the composition in your mind consider that the foreground and the background could be an image in itself.

depth-of-field-01.jpg

In this images I use the rocks as my foreground, the lake itself serves as a “connector” between the rocks and the mountains. The mountains and blue skies are the background.

Enjoy and happy photographing

Light Studies 01

This weeks photographic exercises emphasise the usage of light. Take your camera and pick one lens that you use for all the shots. I picked my 85mm portrait lens and a 12mm extender because I wanted to shoot close-ups. The pick a f stop that you use for all your shots. I picked f2.8 because I wanted a very narrow depth of field. The use of a tripod is highly recommended to keep the camera stable. The pick a light source. I picked a small umbrella with a daylight (5600k) light bulb. You may choose any other light source even a flashlight. Then set up and focus your camera and take at least two shots. The only difference between the shots should be the direction of the light. Your subject can be anything in your house or apartment. Here is my first example:

light-studies-1a.jpg

My subject is a knob of my wife’s drawer. As you can clearly see there is a very shallow depth of field and the light is coming from about 1o’clock.

light-studies-1b.jpg

In the second example the light is coming from 11 o’clock giving the image a totally different feeling. All the settings are the same, only the light comes from a different direction.

Happy photographing and don’t forget “photography” means painting with light!

Dominance 05

dominance-05.jpg

The dominant subject doe not necessarily be the largest part in the composition. This flower is dominant for two reasons:

1st: The yellow color distinct the subject from the rest of the image which is green. Yellow is also “lighter” than green and our eyes usually go to the lightest part of the photograph.

2nd: The yellow flower in in focus. I purposely chose a small f-stop to keep the subject in-focus and blow out the rest of the image.

Enjoy and happy Friday!

Dominance 03

dominance-03.jpg

I photographed this old lamp at Bodie, CA. Bodie is a ghost down which became later a state park in California. The lamp definitely dominates the entire image. It is the only subject in focus and therefore your eye just goes to it. By the way this image was shot with the cheapest of Canon’s 70-200 L lenses. This lens always amazes me. It is extremely light and therefore great for hikes in the mountains and it is extremely sharp as you can see in this image.

Happy photographing!