March 31st Photo Walk Recap

Tonight the Camera Club met at Artistree to photograph shapes, explore depth of field, and just enjoy being outside and photographing again!  It was fun to peek at each other's cameras and see some images straight out of camera.  Looking forward to seeing your final products on the blog soon!

We are going to meet next Tuesday, April 7th at 6 pm.  Becky will prepare something for the club to discuss (if you have any ideas or suggestions, please leave a note in the comments).  Please add your photos to the blog by then so we can share feedback and enjoy each other's work!

We will have another photo walk on Tuesday, April 21st at 6 pm.  We will determine a location at the meeting on the 7th.

Great work tonight, everyone!

Shapes or depth of field?

My camera has been fixed and I'm so happy to have it back.  Shapes or depth of field?  It could be either or none.  I just like the photo.

Shapes

This is a shadow of an empty toilet paper roll.  I like that it is an interesting shape and not easily recognizable.

Shapes at Hannah's Birthday Party

My older daughter was suffering from the stomach flu and had to go to the ER for fluids, so I was really distracted at Hannah's birthday party.  I didn't take very many photos, but here is one with depth of field and shapes that I really like.  Thankfully, she's all better now!

Depth of Field in a Recent Photo Shoot

Here are a couple favorites from my photo shoot yesterday.  In the first photo, I purposefully kept the baby and the dad in focus, blurring out the bedroom to keep your focus on them.  Depth of field is really important in indoor photography, as well as making sure to diminish distractions in the background.

This is the same bedroom, but on the bed.  I was focusing on the baby and trying to blur out the pillows.  Then big brother came crawling by!  So funny.  That's why selecting your focal point is key--you don't want the camera to focus on brother and not the baby.

Two newborn shoots in two days!  It's been a busy weekend!

Added 3/30/15 as I continue editing:

52 Week Kudos

Who would have thought? My mud photo was chosen as one of the best photos for "Nature" at my 52 Week challenge.  I'm so excited because there is nothing like having someone whose photograph you admire compliment yours!  Here's the link if you're interested in checking out some pretty inspiring photos and would like to join the group!  All abilities welcome!

http://myfourhensphotography.com/2015/03/16/m4h-project-52-nature-eye-candy/

My week has been made :)

light and shapes

 

I'm shooting with a point and click right now.  I liked the way the light reflected on the crystal pitcher, so I got on the floor and took some shots.

I'm wondering how this would look in black and white.

Becky's Mud Puddle Photos

Here are my photos from the other evening.  I can't say that I love them, although I think it has to do with the ugly yellow hue of the mud more than anything else.  Photographing nature isn't really my thing, but it's always fun to get outside one's comfort zone!

I used a very shallow depth of field, around f/2, to try to really bring the focus to the reflection and not the mud.  Do you think it was too shallow?  Should I have kept a bit more texture to the mud?

The second one is my favorite.  I think I like the composition the best.

March 10th Meeting Recap

Tonight we had our first Artistree Camera Club meeting of 2015!  It was great to see familiar faces and welcome some new ones.  We basically went over logistics tonight, but we had a lot of fun!  We reviewed posts from last year, and I encourage all the members to revisit the links from the previous posts and familiarize yourselves with terms like aperture, shutter speed, composition, etc. so the club can use them for constructive criticism and to provide useful feedback.  If you have any questions about these terms, please let Becky know.  I find these two photo tutorials incredibly helpful in learning the ins and outs of your camera.  Start there or visit Digital Photography School, another really great resource, for clarification!

We will meet for our photo walk in 3 weeks, on Tuesday, March 31st at 6 pm at Artistree for about an hour, depending on the weather and the light.  Fingers crossed for a beautiful spring day!

The next formal meeting will be Tuesday, April 14th at 6 pm at Artistree.  We will discuss lenses and cameras, as well as review the month's posts provided by all club members, sharing their images.  Please email Becky if you need help posting, and please share often!

For the next month, please photograph SHAPES and play with DEPTH OF FIELD.  Looking forward to seeing how you all interpret these!

So exciting to be back together! Don't forget to photograph with intention!

Welcome Back!

Welcome to the Artistree Camera Club! I am thrilled that the club is up and running again, and that we are beginning to turn a corner into warmer weather with longer days to spend enjoying the world around us.  Tonight will be about getting to know each other and getting reacquainted with the blog, as well as reviewing what the ACC covered last year and planning for upcoming meetings.

I.  Say hello and share our gear, what we like to photograph, and what we have been up to this winter.

II.  The Most Important Member of Our Group, The Artistree Camera Club Blog

• The blog is how group members communicate with one another, share our images, provide positive feedback and constructive criticism, and save all the wonderful tutorials we have covered over time

• How Do I Post To The Blog?
• Log into Blogger.
• Next to Artistree Camera Club click on the orange pencil
• Type a Title
• Give a brief explanation/description
• Add images by clicking on the little photo icon
• Upload your image
• Add selected
• Click on your image and select X Large
• When you are finished, click Publish

• How Do I Protect My Images?  Review here.
• What do I do after I upload my images?  Check out what your friends have been doing and leave a comment or two.
• Are we all registered administrators to the blog?

III. What did we cover last year?

• Understanding Aperture
• Understanding Shutter Speed
• Understanding ISO 
• 3 Steps To A Better Portrait
• Difficult Lighting and Metering
• Composition
• What Is A Diptych?
• How To Photograph Northern Lights

Please take some time to review any topic on which you feel you need a refresher.  Email Becky (rubsomedirtblog@gmail.com) if you need clarification, have a question, or would like me to cover this further in the future.

IV.  What should we work on this month?  Photographing With Purpose.

This year I have been working on a 365 day photography project, as well as participating in a weekly photo challenge at My Four Hens Photography.  My goal is to cement who I am as a photographer, embrace my style (lifestyle/photojournalistic), accept I need not apologize for it, and to take risks.  Taking a quality photograph every day has helped me to feel much more confident in my ability as a photographer and to enhance my photos.  I am learning to hone my craft, and you should, too.

What does it mean to photograph with purpose?  It means to consider how you want to take a photo before you begin shooting: perspective, depth of field, lighting, composition.  Take more time before the shot and fewer photographs trying to "figure it out."  Have a clear vision in your mind of what you are trying to achieve and make it happen.

Having an assignment where I can only submit one or two photos has been very helpful forcing me to photograph with purpose.  For example, last week my Project 52 assignment was Shapes.  Here are my shots and submissions:

I ended up going with the first photo because I wasn't happy with my composition in the second photo.  Food photography has never been my forte.

I took this shot from several perspectives, including framing the shot with a pile of snow and shooting the woodpile the long way.  However, not only is this more my style, I felt like it highlighted the idea of "shapes" the best.

This month, try not to take a zillion photos and hope to luck out into the perfect shot.  Compose and photograph with purpose.  What is the ideal photo you'd like to create?

V.  The Fun Part: 

• What should we work on this month?  A technique?  A theme?  Both?  Is there something timely to March/April that we cover?
• When should we meet for a photo walk?

Thank you so much for being here!  I am truly excited and am looking very forward to any and all images you share!  

Here We Go Again!

After a brief hiatus, I am so pleased to say that the Artistree Camera Club will be up and running again tomorrow night, Tuesday, March 10th at 6 pm!  Can't wait to reconnect with you all and meet new friends!