Reminder

Anyone interested in continuing the Artistree Camera Club, please be sure to sign up with classes resume the first week in October!  Let's keep this awesome club going!

And Helen, the link to the Borrow Lenses website is here.

Keep posting photos as they inspire you for the rest of the summer!

Photographing Northern Lights

In the spirit of Helen's upcoming trip to Iceland, here are some tips I have found for photographing the Aurora Borealis.  I look very forward to seeing your photos from this trip, Helen!

So here are the tips I have found, in no particular order of importance:

1. Be willing to experiment!  The variables in this situation are always changing, so be ready to play around with your settings!

2.  Use a wide angle (so pull your lens in).  Zooming will move you closer to a 50mm shot, when you want your camera as wide open as possible (not just for your image, but also to allow as much light into the shot as possible).

3.  Experiment with your ISO to determine the highest ISO you can use without noticeable grain.  It may be 800, or even 400.  Be sure to use your wide angle when practicing.

4.  Use the lowest possible aperture (wide open eye of your camera) to allow the most light.

5.  Bring a tripod and have your shutter open for 15-30 seconds (depending on ambient light).  Use a remote shutter to eliminate handshake (or use timer).

6.  Don't shy away from including ambient light (a cityscape, car headlights), which can add a dramatic flair to your shot.

7. Wrap a towel or blanket around your camera if you're worried about the temperature.  Be sure to have extra batteries, because the cold can affect your battery's longevity.  Reintroduce your camera to warmth slowly to decrease the risk of condensation.

8.  Add interest and scale to your shot by adding something to your foreground.

9.  Be patient!

10.  Can you put your camera on manual focus?  Worried there will be nothing for the camera to focus on.  Is this the trip to make you invest in a "better" camera?

12.  Don't forget reflections, which can add so much to your photo!

For some unbelievable inspiration: http://digital-photography-school.com/11-awesome-aurora-images/

I am so unbelievably jealous!  Cannot wait to see what you come up with!

Sources:

http://digital-photography-school.com/photographing-the-aurora-borealis-%E2%80%93-ie-northern-lights/

http://digital-photography-school.com/an-introduction-to-photographing-the-northernsouthern-lights/

composition in Chicago

 My favorite:  a view from the ferris wheel.

 An interesting view of the Chicago skyline, taken from the ferris wheel.

 Frame the picture.  I had several of this scene, but I like that there is a frame on the top.

Choose a pathway.  Bright in the middle, but I think, you still want to investigate.

A Dirty Diptych

A diptych can be used to put two corresponding or polar opposite images side-by-side to tell a story or contrast ideas.  I like both of these images separately, but I like them best of all presented next to one another.

For other examples of diptychs and triptychs, click here.

Photo Walk Images

 These are my favorite shots from our photo walk last week. I'm so glad you sent us in this direction, Helen!

Composition and Perspective

Painting with my daughter.

Composition On The Farm

I took these photos before this month's meeting, but I just edited them so I think they count.  I wasn't consciously thinking about composition in the first one.  How could I have made it better?

 This one I was trying to use the leading lines to create a  more symmetrical shot.  A bit more successful, I think.

The barn is a great place to work on composition--the lines are endless and everywhere!

compostion

My best example of fluid path

Perspective: Dress made out of bread wrappers is interesting, but more interesting, I think, when there is an unusual perspective.

Balance: no pun intended, used the horizontal branch to keep the eye focused.  Otherwise it is just a pile of rocks.

Fill in the frame.  I find this one easy to do.

Rule of thirds:  Easy to understand, hard to do.  I must have taken 27 shots of these hay rolls, from all angles, at different times of day....this is the best of the bunch.

Red Barn Composition

I was struck by this barn at Murphy's Farm in Quechee, but since far away shots aren't my thing, I didn't quite know what to do with it.  I am not creative with composition when it comes to "things". I'm much more of a portrait person.  But I was intrigued by the symmetry of the barn (although I wish the truck and the kayaks weren't there).  What else could I have done?

And then I took a "selfie".

 

I like this one.

Interesting Article On Composition

Keeping our composition study in mind, this was an interesting article on using composition to improve your portraits.  Worth a read!

http://digital-photography-school.com/using-composition-create-powerful-portraits/

Composition

Once you've learned how to translate the image in your mind into a photograph you can achieve with your camera's settings, you may need to think about how you want to compose that shot.  There are many elements of composition, but here are some that apply for beginner photographers.

How does your photo flow?

• Fluid Path: Does your photo include leading lines (such as a road or stream) or include a foreground, midground, and background (which leads your eyes from one level to another)?
• Jarring Path: Does your photo include multiple, well-spaced elements for the eyes to bounce around between, with no lines (must be well-placed)?

Have a balanced photo, and consider including elements at the edges to keep the eyes focused.

Are you considering rule of thirds or a center-weighted image?  Look for a balanced shot that focuses the eyes where you want them to go.

Perspective: from what angle are you shooting?  Did you consciously make that choice?  What are you trying to convey with that perspective?  Is this the most flattering angle for a portrait?

Minimalist vs. Maximalist: keeping a calm, serene background with a single subject vs. a powerful, chaotic, crowded image with elements competing off each other.

Color: Keep in mind color theory--complementary (opposite on the color wheel), analogous (next to each other on the color wheel), different colors in similar shades, or the same color in different shades.

Fill The Frame: cut everything else out but the subject

There are many more elements of composition to consider, but this is just a starting place.  Don't get overwhelmed; embrace what makes you a photographer!

Sources for this post: Digital Photography School here and here

Up close and far away

 What to photograph when it rains?  Rain drops! 

I was shooting into the sun, but I liked all the shapes.

Direct Light And Shadow

I was doing a photo shoot and was photographing this little cutie in the shade through the fence post, but when I came around the other side, I couldn't resist the view from this angle, even with the inconsistent light.

Bokeh, by chance or by luck

 Just managed to capture this photo through a window...and the bokeh took care of itself.

 This was a huge dandelion, that I made even bigger by getting close, closer, closest.

I'm so pleased to be growing cherry tomatoes!  I think the focus ended up being on the little hairs on the plant.  I tried to get one of the green tomatoes in front of a dark background so the contrast would make the little tomato more important.

Becky's Woodstock Photo Walk Photos

We had a great time on our photo walk, discussing technique, pointing out interesting shots, and working on our bokeh and shadows.

My bokeh photos.  Aperture was f/2.2, using my 85mm lens.

These two shots were using the same aperture (f/2.2).  The only difference is how close I was to my subject.  By getting closer to your subject, and having the background at a good distance away, you will create better bokeh.

My shadow pictures:

I increased the aperture for these two shots to f/5 to gain a larger depth of field.  Because the bridge is on one plane and I selected my focal point, (plus it was a distance), there is more clarity than the stone wall, which I was sitting on.

And one that is kind of like a shadow.

Looking forward to our next meeting, which has been pushed to Tuesday, July 8th at 6pm.  Keep practicing and posting!

Camera walk around Woodstock

 I can't decide which is a better example of shadow.

 Becky, showing us the way to photograph.

 I like the reflection in this one.  It was fun to rediscover taking photographs in late afternoon.

The only caption for this one could be "shadow. "

 I like the gradual change of green to yellow/green and being able to see the individual blades of  grass in the foreground. 

I look 10 feet tall!