The Rule of Thirds

For one of the assignments this week we were practicing using the rule of thirds.

The first picture is where I used the rule of thirds. My focus point was the window and I put it in the right third of the photo. This left room for more of the fence and ferns to be in the picture, as compared to the second picture where I centered the window. The first picture seems more interesting due to this positioning. 

I practiced this again with this set of photos. I like in the first one since I moved the hinge to the left the top corner of the window was in the shot. In the second photo it is just the hinge, but I think it works better than the other centered image because of the closer details of the wood and the bolts on the hinge give something else to look at.

Different Lighting Effects

For this project, I played around with indoor lighting, since I do not feel comfortable with it and this is a perfect time to practice. I tired many different things, but these are the three I noticed differences in.

The first photo was shot with two lamps on in the house. One was in the front and the other was on the side. The one on the side did not have a shad over it and you can see the yellow-ish light it adds to the picture, as well as that there is more light on the left.

The second picture was shot only with the lamp on in the front. You can tell that the lighting throughout the photo is even, but there is not enough of it. Even with the flash it is a little too dark. This could also be partly because I always shoot in RAW format but did not edit these.

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The third photo has side lighting, to the right, and no front lighting. However, I put a sheet over the lamp to disperse the light more. You can tell by the shadows on the left side of the photo. I think this is my favorite lighting of the three.

Color Schemes

The first assignment of the week was to work on taking photos of different color schemes. The three different color schemes are monochrome, analogous and complimentary. The color scheme depends on what colors are present and where they lie in relation to each other on the color scheme.

For my first photo I focused on an complementary color scheme. This means colors that are exactly opposite each other on the color wheel. I decided to pick an object that is black and white because I think it makes it dramatic.

Analogous color scheme

The next color scheme I focused on was monochrome. This one was more difficult because I struggled with finding something that was just on color as well as would make an interesting photo. I think I will continue to grapple with this color scheme and see what else I can find. This is the photo I decided on however. I liked this one because of the different levels of the blocks of wood.

Monochromatic color scheme

This week I have noticed what an impact color can have on the photo. I will try to keep in mind some of the psychology of colors that we read about and see how it effects the mood of my photographs.

Macro Project

This weeks focus was on macro photography. I tried to get variations in my photos and not only to focus on objects, but different textures as well.

My collage

My favorite photograph, and the one I tried to highlight the most is the grass with dew drops on it. I also like the picture above it of the old frayed rope because it has interesting texture. I was surprised how much information a close up shot can show you. I have never focused on this type of photography so it was eye opening for me. I noticed things in the objects that I normally would not. It was definitely more of a challenge for me since I am not used to it, but I enjoyed being pushed outside of my comfort zone. I

Most of the photos were taken in the macro setting but I also did some in Av setting where I set the aperture because I could also set the focus point.I noticed sometimes in macro mode the camera did not know what to focus on and would not take the picture so I couldn't get the shot I wanted. It even did this in other modes as well. Does anybody have tricks for dealing with this

Compare and Contrast Wagon Wheel

These are two of my favorite pictures from the different views from the wagon wheel. I like the first one, the entire view of the wheel, because of the lines in the photograph. I like the intersections of the lines from the wood, the wheel and the cement. I also like the positioning of the wheel in the photograph.

The second picture is similar to the first because they are both shot from the front of the wheel. However, the second picture is more close up, revealing more details about the wheel. I like the way you can see the vines twisting around the pieces of metal. I used a low aperture in order to blur the background and like the way the blurred yellow flower adds a pop of color to the shot.

My favorite of the two photographs is the second one because it is a view you might not normally see when looking at the wheel on a daily basis. It shows the smaller details and a more interesting composure than the first.

One Object, Many Views

I chose to photograph an old wagon wheel outside my house. I feel like all the different views show a different aspect of the wheel.

Old vines intertwined with the wheel

This view brings out the rust spots

View from behind the wheel

A close up straight on view

Top view