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!

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.