Night photography is something that I would like to try out, and since the days are getting shorter, I suppose my chance will be here shortly. The article I read for this week talked about a wide variety of types of night photography and broke down the settings as well as the easiest ways to set up your camera for a great shot. They recommend using a low ISO and a low aperture setting, for a long exposure to allow the light from the stars to register on the image.
I also wonder how a night shot in the winter would work, because to my naked eye, it always seems that nights are brighter with snow on the ground. This would make taking pictures easier, and I also wonder if this could help to correct the overexposure of snow that happens during direct sunlight hours. The weather conditions would be hard to endure, but I think the pictures made would be worth it.
Overall, I'm fascinated by the possibilities that this type of photography could ope
My first picture is from a Snowy Range Pass near Saratoga, Wyoming. It is more of a snapshot, this view was too cool to not take a picture, but I didn't line up the shot with any rules in mind. Looking back at it now, I see the jagged edges of the stream drawing my attention, and the white of the snow drawing my attention to the upper third of the picture.
This picture is from Two Moons Park, it was taken while some more of the wildfires were burning, so the main thing I was interested in while taking this picture was the contrast between the colors of the sunset and the colors of the trees as the sun went down. I'm definitely trying to use the color contrast and the red of the smoky sunset to draw the viewers to the center of the picture.
This article was very useful, and it reinforced some of the same points made in class. One of his biggest tips was to observe the group of animals for a period of time before taking pictures to help get a sense for their individual personalities and quirks, which can then translate into shots. Looking for this type of shot may take some investment, but it can also connect viewers to the subject even more than a simpler close up. The author of the article also suggested including a wider angle shot with some closer ones of the animals to give more of a sense of context as to where the animals live and their behaviors.
The equipment suggestions he has are to use a telephoto lens, but he has a different stance on tripods than we have talked about in class. And personally, I don't like the idea of carrying a lot of equipment around with me, so I'm more likely to use his approach of using a rock or my bag to stabilize my camera than I am to use a tripod. He also talks about cushioning his camera with a jacket or setting it on the ledge of a car window, to keep a safe distance from the animals.
The article wraps up with a mention to not neglect the possibility of photographing smaller animals, though they made pose some different challenges than the larger subjects. I also find myself gravitating to larger subjects because they are easier for me to locate and get in the frame than some of the smaller flight animals that may be startled easily.
This article brought up some good points that we talked about in class. Bringing subjects into focus can really mark what a professional photographer does that a layman doesn't. Some of the concepts we talked about in class were solidified by this article and it really helped to lay out some of the settings used to get great sharp shots. The author also made a point of applying all of the tips he uses into different styles as well, from macro to portraits. The many applications of these tips will be really useful in the future as well.
I liked this article because I had some issue with this when I was out shooting last weekend, I couldn't quite get the focus that I wanted to set my subject apart from the background. Granted, I have less equipment to choose from than a professional, but it helps to know that some of the adjustments he made are relatively simple and can be applied. I also struggled with the playback of my pictures, I wasn't sure how the little screen on the back of the camera was portraying my picture, or making it look worse than it would expanded on a better screen.
This article is super useful for creating a sharp depth of field when taking macro photos. Articles like this make photography much simpler for amateurs who want to try their hand at some of the same techniques that pros use to get usable shots. Some of the tips are simple, like using manual focus to get as close to the subject, and then moving the camera back and forth to get the subject sharp. Speaking for myself, I may not have tried this, mainly because manual focus is an intimidating concept to me, but just trying it is much simpler than I thought it would be.
I'm really excited to try these techniques out because I think that humans can often overlook the world around us because we get involved in our own lives too much to consider the smaller things in life. Macro photography allows the viewers to really appreciate all of the details found in nature. I also think that macro photo gives the audience less to focus on, and more time to really appreciate the subject of the picture. However, I didn't realize that there many more technical aspects than I had considered previously until we talked about it in class.
I do wonder what types of compensations I will have to make because of the lower quality of my camera, but I do hope to explore this type of photography more throughout the semester. I hope that maybe a different lens or lighting will help me bridge the gap between the types of photos I can make and the more professional grades of photos.
I'm sure we've all seen the feature video that floats around Facebook of the photographer who has begun a series of projects featuring the undersides of animals. His name is Andrius Burba, and his project is based out of Germany, but his work is gaining popularity quickly, thanks to the internet. There are series of different animals, including dogs, cats, horses and rabbits.
To get each series, Burba situates himself below the animal, which is sitting on a piece of glass. The background of each picture is black, keeping the focus of the audience on the animal, and also allowing for the light of the flash to reflect upon all of the details of the underside of the animal. The photo series of the horses was the most in depth, because of the nature of the shot and of the animals. A hole was dug into a pasture, and a sort of wooden box with a glass top was situated into the hole. The horses also wore a custom rubber cover over their shoes to prevent scratching the glass and for more traction as well. The horses were well trained, and performed some tricks to provide the angles for a good shoot. There were a few challenges in the shoot, they choose to shoot in winter and had to deal with condensation and frost on the glass. Horses also have ways of communicating boredom, particularly when they are forced to stand in one spot for extended periods, one of these behaviors is pawing, which could have scratched the glass or chipped it.
I like this photographer because it really does provide a change in the typical perspective that we usually look at animals with. The cats and dogs are interesting to look at, but I think that more personality is conveyed through the pictures of the horses (though I could be biased). By looking at the animals from above, the photographer exposes a whole new set of details on the animals body that aren't as well known.
The whole project has its own website: underlook.org
After reading this article, it has allowed me to really consider the pros and cons of owning a drone. Normally, I consider people with drones a little ridiculous. All of the equipment involved and the cost of it automatically make me think of the people operating a drone as slightly pretentious. However, after having seen some more of the shots captured with drones that would have been impossible to take (reasonably) just a few years earlier reinforces how much this industry is changing, and fast. Even though I have been watching technology advance for my entire life, for some reason it had never occurred to me that this would cause such drastic changes to this industry. And for all of my eye rolling about the idea of owning a drone, if I had the opportunity to take pictures with a drone, I would be the first person in line. And according to this article, it seems like drones are becoming more accessible to people who maybe didn't play with the early more technical models as children. This is the full article referenced in this post.
