Assignment #1

(all photos shot with 50mm lens at varying f-stops and ss on a tripod)

The photography class is going great. This past week I practiced the 6 correct exposures and of the many many many photos I took these were my three favorites and fit the assignment requirements. All were shot in RAW format on Adobe Color mode. All were taken in manual settings with auto focus using bbf. No post-processing or raw processing done either, per lesson requirments. So here they are. My first assignment.

The hardest part of this lesson was getting used to the confines of a tripod and really thinking of that great shot.

Exposure!!!

I started my online "Understanding Exposure" class last week. This week I am hard at work on my first assignment, due this Sunday! =) I will post my assignment photos after they have been critiqued by my instructor. So check back next week for this weeks assignment. We get an assignment weekly for the next 8-weeks. Woo hoo...

dodge, a great tool!

(Before)

(After)

This is a tedious chore and hard on the eyes! Challenging to see what is pure white and what is still tinted. After 30-45 minutes of playing this is what I got. I really like how it turned out. But I would dread having to make this kind of improvement over several photos of like issues! Must always strive to use appropriate background to eliminate this work.

Canvas Quality

I had to post this crop of baby K. I just love this picture and have ordered some professional prints. Depending on the quality... I think this has potential for canvas. Doesn't she look to sweet in this shot!

Little Miss K

Pose 1

Pose 2

Pose 3

Pose 4

Pose 5

Pose 6

Pose 7

Pose 8

Pose 9


Meet my 6-month-old niece Little Miss K. During a recent visit I did a mini photoshoot with her and what a wonderful happy little girl she was. So willing to pose and full of smiles and happy eyes. I had a great time with this shoot and hope that her mommy likes the pics. These are my top 9 faves. All pics were shot with my 50mm lens at f/2 with flash and natural lighting in a makeshift studio. =)

Face Play

Practicing with flash....

Practicing b&w color conversion....

Practicing a creative crop..... Voila!

Flash-tastic!

Settings: ISO 100 50mm f/2 AV SS Window Light + Fill Flash on Camera

(Very little PS work, just sharpened for web and added watermark)



Settings: ISO 100, 50mm F/4, AV SS 1/13, No flash, natural light - window

(PS converted to B&W using Gradient Map, sharpened for web & added watermark)

So I got my new flash today .... Sekonic L358! It's awesome! I've just learned the very basics of what it can do and have big plans next week to get lots of practice.

Photoshop Play

This shot, taken a few days ago, was dark due to the bright window backlight and no fill flash in the foreground. Yet, it appeared to be a great shot otherwise. So, I decided to practice my PS skills on it and turned it into a "high key" style print. I think it is a fun play and hopefully the more practice I get the more natural my results. This shot also lacks catchlights in the eyes. I think it looks neat to see the whole eye but catchlights really add depth.

The last few days I have been working on brushes and created a brush watermark! What a discovery. This photo has my new brush watermark. I'm sure I will continue to develop and re-invent my watermark as I progress in PS skills. =)

My Little Bunnies

Practicing Easter Props and Posing.

All pics shot with 50mm lens in natural afternoon indoor lighting. No flash (wish I had one) and no reflectors (wish I had them too). Photoshop edits to all. I'm finding the 50mm lens needs a alot of space to get the subject within the lens. It's difficult to get the focus correct with a small aperature (oopss... had too small of one for these f2 or thereabouts). Bummer, as I was hoping to have both kids in a shot together and IN FOCUS but with the small aperature it was one or the other.

Thanks for stopping by!