Week Four Assignments - Natural Lighting

Using a Natural Reflector

f/5.6

1/640

130mm

iso 200

I may not be using a reflector correctly because I am not shooting the side of the leaves being lit by reflected light. Well...I'll have to look for other opportunities this week.

Back-lit Silhouette

f/22

1/1600

50mm

iso 200

Front-lit

f/2.8

1/400

34mm

iso 400

Meg is standing in the shade, facing a parking lot that is much brighter. The composition isn't the best, but it was the best for that location and since we were rushing off to an event, we didn't have time to look for a better location.

Back-lit

f/5.0

1/320

50mm

iso 800

I exposed for Norah's face. The background is obviously overexposed but her darling face is perfect!

Side-lit

f/2.8

1/200

50mm

iso 200

I really anticipated this assignment. One of my top goals with photography is to master natural lighting. However, I found myself rather frustrated this week. I did not have as much time to practice as I ideally wanted and when I did have the time, I had neither human subject or ideal lighting (v e r y overcast). The light was so beautiful Friday afternoon and I had found a number of great locations in a town I was visiting with Meg and 5 of her friends. But alas! They were occupied past dusk. I had mental images of 6 girls in formals at the old train station. What terrific images I would capture! So....here's the best I came up with.

Week Three Assignments

1/250

f/9.0

iso 400

I think the subjects interrupt the pattern of the stones, thus focusing our attention on them. I also tried to place them in the intersections of the rule of thirds.

1/4000

f/4.0

iso 200

The simplicity of the background keeps the subject our focus. I took two shots previous to this one and thought "blah" then I tilted my camera about 45 degrees. I think the result is much more pleasing to look at.

1/25

f/2.8

iso 200

I employed framing and rule of thirds for this image.

Panning (1/60 or slower; move camera same speed as subject)

1/30

f/11

iso 200

1/20

f/14

iso 200

These were hard!

Implied Motion (use 1/60 or slower)

1/60

f/8

iso 200

This is fun! Everything is in focus but the boy. He was just coming out of a spin.

1/25

f/4.5

iso 400

Frozen Action (use 1/500, 1/1000, or higher)

1/500

f/2.8

iso 200

1/500

f/2.8

iso 200

Who Cares Aperture (f/8, f/11)

1/400

f/2.8

iso 200

1/5

f/22

iso 200

blurry

1/40

f/8

iso 200

I think I'm love with f/8...and the boy too!

Singular-Theme Aperture (f/5.6 or lower)

1/640, f/2.8, iso 200

1/40, f/11, iso 200

1/10, f/22, iso 200

I really love how the dew drops on the metal are really the focus of the first image (f/2.8). I like the starburst effects in the second (f/11) and third (f/22) images, but because the more clear background detracts from the dew drops.

Storytelling Aperture (f/16, f/22)

1/50, f/22, iso 200

1/250, f/11, iso 200

1/3200, f/2.8, iso 200

I wish these images were larger. I did upload them large. Maybe because they are vertical? I think I actually prefer the second image (f/11). It seems sharper overall. The second tree in the last image (f/2.8) is the focus; the fore and background are blurred. I can see the difference in aperture settings in all these images.