Instructional Assignment

I've gotten the pictures that have been sent to me, I have just been working a LOT so I haven't had a chance to post them.  I will have them up here in the next day or two, don't forget to critique once you see them!

New Assignment for June 12

Since this assignment is going to be due on Father's Day I thought we could try to do something with that.  So instead of making this a literal photo of your father, I want you to photograph an object, item or place that makes you think of your father.  This can be taken literally (like a picture of a favorite shirt or of a gift he gave you) or it can be translated a little more loosely (like a place that gives you the same feelings you felt when you were around him).  If you want to include your father in the photograph, that is fine, but his actual person should not be the main subject of the photo.  With this I want you to really think about how places and things can give you the same feelings and memories as the actual person, maybe even more.

I know that not everyone has a father around for various reasons, but that doesn't mean it won't be a nice exercise to think of them.  If you are absolutely not feeling like you can do this assignment, I do understand that it really hits close to home for some.  You are welcome to take the same assignment and base it around someone in your life who has either been like a father to you or someone who may not be a father-figure to you, but is a great father to their own children.  Mostly what I want you to get out of this assignment is being able to find a place or object that can evoke the same feelings and emotions that you may have experienced with this actual person.

Have fun and good luck!

Time's up!

Your photos are due NOW!!!!  Make sure you have emailed me all of your photos at info@pbkpix.com so that I can post them!  Come back soon to see the new assignment for next time!

Assignment Due

Your assignments are due TOMORROW!!!!  I know it hasn't been a huge amount of time for the amount of photos you need to take but this is mostly an exercise so that everyone can learn from the tutorials.  Please email me your pictures asap!!!

Perspective

Perspective is a work that pretty much everyone has heard and knows a definition of.  The version I am going for is a new perspective.  For this we really need to look at a subject from an angle that not everyone might see.  To really do this well, the best thing to do is take 20 or so photos of the SAME THING.  This will force you to move around.  Maybe you will lay on the ground to take the picture?  Maybe you can get a stool and stand up higher than the subject.  If this is a subject that is usually viewed from a certain level, move until you see it from a different angle.  This is a skill that will help tremendously if you are taking photos of pets or small children.  Most photos of children and pets come from an adult perspective, and this will help you, and anyone viewing your photos, to see them a little differently.

Notice the difference between these two sets of photos.  The only change I made with them was going from a regular standing position to sitting on the ground.  It really makes a difference of what you see.

In the cases of both of the above image sets, the photo from the regular standing height is far less interesting than the one where I changed my angle.  Below are a few other images showing a perspective that would be different than the angle you would normally view the subject.

    

Leading Lines

Leading lines are really exactly what they sound like.  They are lines within your photo that lead toward your main focus.  These, when used correctly, can be used to help bring more focus to your main subject.  The lines can be literal, such as the lines within fabrics, brickwork or a path.  The lines can also come organically from a horizon line or water line for example.

 This one is pretty self-explanatory.  The lines in the path go directly into the house.

 Here is an example of the organic lines.  The lines in the grass, the water and the sand all lead into the subject from the right as well as the lines from the bench leading into the subject from the left.

 In this example the lines from the bricks lead directly into the subject, and there is one that leads directly to his eyes, which really makes you look into them.

  Here we have a path that leads right into the couple walking away.

 Here is another example of nature creating the lines with the water line on the other side of the river.  Notice how the subjects eyes are looking right along the lines as well.

Framing

Framing is one of the easier techniques to understand, even if it may not be the easiest to execute correctly. Basically, use objects within your photo to crate a frame.  These can be anything, but you want them to stay at the edges of the image to draw the eye in wherever the main focus is.  Usually it is best if these framing objects are either darker or less in focus than the main focal point so that they do not draw too much attention.  Frames can be only on the sides (like the photo of the house), only top/bottom (like the one with the grave marker) or all around (like the one with the pond.  Generally, frames are in the foreground (closer to you) and the main focus in in the middle ground or background.  The main point should be in focus, though, which is why this can be difficult to execute.

Here are a few examples.

  

Depth of Field

The depth of field is basically how far into the picture you can see and have it still be in focus.  This is changed by the aperture (or f-stop).  Depending on the camera and its age, it may be called either one.  This is the small ring around your lens with the numbers ranging anywhere from 1.2-16 or so.  Most automatic cameras and/or digital cameras control this function through the camera, so that little ring doesn't need to be turned.  When we are taking photos and trying to make a certain part the "Focal Point" of the photo, we need to make sure that part is in focus of course, but we also need to make sure the rest of the photo doesn't distract from that Focal Point.  This can be done in many ways, but depth of field (DOF) is usually the easiest way to do this.  This can take some work and some adjusting.  To attain this shallow depth of field the camera needs to be set at a low aperture/f-stop.  Those numbers correlate to the amount of light coming into the camera.

Remember when setting your camera:

Low F-Stop = Large Aperture = More light = Shallow DOF

High F-Stop = Small Aperture = Less Light = More DOF

My high school photography teacher explained it in a way that, it must be said, made him look like a crazy person, but it is completely accurate and easier to understand, so I'm going to try to show you.  This works especially well if you wear glasses and you take them off.

First, open your eye like this and try to fous on something.  Once you have found something that you can focus on (you can hold it close to your face if you need to)  look around and see what you can see.  This is an example of a "wide open" aperture.  This will be a large aperture and small f-stop (small number).  You can focus on one thing, but the rest of the room will be more difficult to see.

Second, relax your eye and just look around.  Focus on the same object and look around the rest of the room.  You should be able to focus on more things, but still not be able to see everything.  This is a medium aperture opening.

Finally, squint your eyes so you are looking through your lashes.  Your eyes should be very nearly closed.  If you look around the room you should be able to see most of it.  At the very least (if your eyesight isn't that good) you should be able to see more than you could with the other two.  This is a very small aperture, which would be a large f-stop (large number).

In the following images, we have very "shallow" depth of field.  This means that the plane of the photo that includes the main subject is in focus but everything that would be in front of it or behind it would not be in focus.

  

Rule of Thirds

The Rule of Thirds is a general rule for composing photographs in the most visually appealing way.  The rule states that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections.  Proponents of the technique claim that aligning a subject with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition than simply centering the subject would.  Here are a few examples of photos that use the rule of thirds.  Click on the photos to view them full-size and to better view the grid.

    

Use of negative space is one great way to utilize the rule of thirds. In these three photos, the subject is looking into the negative space, which draws the eye into the rest of the image.

  

When taking photos with a horizon line, the horizon should always be near the bottom or top third (never right in the middle).  This makes the photo more visually appealing.

New Assignment

New Assignment to be due Sunday May 29 by 12 Noon!!!

Over the next couple of days I'm going to put up a few "instructionals."  Each will show a technique that should be implemented in your photography to make it better.  Just remember, you have to learn how to use all of the rules of photography correctly before you can start breaking those rules.

Your assignment is to submit one photo demonstrating each of the rules shown.  Below are all of the topics I will cover and one photo will be expected for each.  Can't wait to see them!

1.  Rule of thirds

2.  Depth of field (You may use high or low depth of field but you must label which you think it is.)

3.  Framing

4.  Leading lines

5.  Perspective

Time's Up again!

All of your submissions for the "Within Reach" assignments are due right now!!!  Check back here soon to see the next assignment!

Final Chance!

Photos for Assignment 2 are due by 12 noon TOMORROW!!!  Make sure you email them to info@pbkpix.com asap!

Assignment 2 Submissions

1.  

2.

3. 

4. 

5. 

Assignment 2

Here is our next assignment.  I must start off by saying FREEZE!  And no cheating!

Now, look around you and see what is within your reach.  Choose two items and that is what you are going to photograph this time around.  These items can be picked up and moved to a different place.  They can be a person, an animal or an item, as long as  they are within your reach right now as you are reading this post.

I want to use this assignment to test your creativity.  How can you take a picture of whatever random things are near you and make them look nice?  Turn in 2-3 pictures this week by emailing them to info@pbkpix.com no later than 12 noon on May 15.

This "Within Reach" assignment will test your skills in many areas.  Be conscious of how close you zoom in on the subject.  If there is negative space, are you using it creatively?  Is everything well-lit and in focus?

Happy photographing!

Time is Up!!!

All posts should be in by right now to participate in the first week of our assignments!  If you didn't get it done this week, don't worry, I am posting another assignment in a few minutes.

Whether you did or didn't post, please comment on the other posts.  If you did post you HAVE to comment on at least 2 of the other pictures.  I would prefer you comment on all of them, you can comment on yours as well if you see things that you do or don't think work in particular with them.

Come back in about 15 minutes to see the new assignment!