Oh Shoot!

I am a student again. Well, kind of. I enrolled myself in an online introductory DSLR photography course through JessicaSprague.com, called "OH SHOOT! Photography." My camera has been attached to my body for the past five weeks as I have learned about shutter speed, aperture, shooting in manual, and focus. I have 2 more weeks left until this course ends and I start up another class. I think I just might be addicted. I love taking notes,highlighting, and studying; call me a nerd, but I am in heaven. Needless to say, I have been busy. When I have been on the computer lately it has never been to blog, but to peruse photography websites, chat in photography forums, read my lessons, watch podcasts, post assignments and manage my image work flow. Sorry if you have felt neglected, or wondered if I had fallen off the face of the earth--which you probably hadn't. I am just busy. Here is an overview of what I have shot (feel free to skip over the technical talk and just glance at the pictures).

Week one we studied Shutter Speed. Shutter speed is the part of your camera that controls the motion or movement. Your shutter speed determines the amount of time you let light come into your camera, which in turn affects the type of movement in your photo. If you want to show movement,or motion blur, you need to set your camera to a slow shutter speed, allowing your camera to take in light for a longer period of time. If you want to freeze movement, you need a faster shutter speed, which allows less light to come into your camera. There is more to it than that but I realize not every one is into all of the technical jargon like I am.


Looking back at this old assignment makes me want to erase it because the compositions are lack luster and the lighting is over exposed, but it was week 1. It did serve its purpose, which was to show images freeze and show movement.

Week 2 was aperture. This is one of the main reasons that I got interested in Photography. I loved looking at pictures that showed a subject in focus set in a background that had a creamy monet-esque blur. I dreamed of getting that blur. I used to think that good pictures meant that everything needed to be in focus, but when there is depth to a photo, or depth of field as they call it, this can really tell the person viewing a photo what to focus on. So, an open aperture means that there is going to be a small area of the image that is going to be sharp and in focus, and a closed aperture means that there is going to be a large area that is sharp and in focus within the image. Confusing? Yeah, I know.

Here is a picture of my closed aperture assignment:



I closed my aperture off quite a bit and the whole picture is "in focus," even though I took a horribly blurry picture. These pictures are all straight out of camera too, so I feel even more vulnerable showing them because I can't soften some of the mistakes that I have made in photoshop. Although photoshop can never fix a blurry picture.

This next picture is my open aperture assignment. This is what I have been dying to learn how to do, because it creates more interest in a photo as opposed to one that is all in focus (although there are many times when having everything in focus is necessary, like in landscapes or when the location is just as important as the subject and not a distraction to it).



There is a world of difference between the closed and the open aperture photo. This second one is a heck of a lot more interesting. But, maybe that is just me.

The third week of class we shot straight into a Manual mode--this class is not self paced or slow paced, it is learning photography at a full sprint.

Most cameras are set to automatic--meaning your camera decides everything for you. And then there are partial, or priority modes where you have control over one factor, as I did in all of the above photos, where I determined the aperture or the shutter speed and then the camera did all of the rest. In manual mode you do everything. It is very intimidating, and there is a lot of trial and error, but I think I prefer this mode because I get to be in control of how I want the image to be taken. It seems scarier than it really is. I also think that I am becoming a better photographer (and I use that term very loosely) as I shoot in manual because I am coming to understand what my camera is capable of doing and the relationship between all of the components.

Enough technical talk, here is my first assignment shot in Maual Mode:



Yes, this is a picture of Jake's amazing pizza. And the green stuff is not spinach or mold on the pizza, it is gorgonzola. Divine. This picture was actually shot outside, at dusk, without a flash---which is something I try to avoid whenever possible because it can create harsh lines, shadows, and lighting.

Last week's assignment we learned more about focus. If you look at people taking pictures, most of the time you will see that they take the picture horizontally and that their subjects are centered right smack in the middle of the frame. I, having been one of these people myself, have since learned that there is a rule of thirds, that empty space can be visually appealing when balanced, and that a subject off to the side of a picture creates more interest and balance.




Since learning manual three weeks ago, my camera has stayed in this mode since. Here is a smattering of some other pictures that I have taken in Manual Mode:













This last picture is the only one that I photoshopped. The background in this picture is bark dust, and the original coloring of it matched Liv's skin tone too much and washed her out, so I made it sepia toned. I figured if the picture was trying to be all brown to just go with it and make the switch.

I am excited for this week, I learn more about lighting which I don't know much about at all.

There you have it. This is what I have been up to. This is where I have been hiding when I am not doing church callings and chasing my children around. Let me know what you think!