Week 52: Creative: Self-Portrait
When you are trying to do your photo project
and your family keeps photobombing you.
Well it is supposed to be a "creative" self-portrait -
so I went with it. 🥰😂🤣
Week 51: Technical: Exposure Compensation
Challenging lighting situations where you want to capture the highlights as well as the shadows
call for the use of exposure compensation.
This beautiful Christmas ornament and Christmas lights are a great example of how to
create an HDR image look without using HDR and focusing only on
exposure compensation.
Week 50: Composition: Golden Ratio
Often called Fibonacci, the spiral leads the viewers eye to the squares (the subject),
compose your image using the Golden Ratio.
I have a difficult time visualizing golden ratios and golden triangles;
but when I put the golden ratio layover on this one....
I GOT IT!!
Week 49: Vision: Look Back
We need to look back to see how far we've come.
If you were Captain Ahab, which skill would be your whale?
Well this isn't a whale but... 🤣
my whale is lighting so I used these elephants to try to light from the side.
I wanted to fade from light into complete darkness without any photo editing.
Week 48: Creative: Split Tones
A little technical work on an iconic Calgary landmark
to bring out particular colours in the highlights and shadows.
Week 47: Technical: Step Back
The goal....
Edit your image to where you think it's perfect and let it sit for two days.
Then return to it and see if it works. Print a picture and review it from a different perspective before finalizing.
The result...
Thank goodness for beautiful sunrises.
I edited it on the first day and when I went back to it...
I actually didn’t change a thing. 😄♥️
Week 46: Composition: Golden Triangles
A golden triangle within a composition is when your eye is drawn by the subject
in a diagonal across the photo from one corner to the other.
In addition there should be a visual line from the bisecting line to each other corner in the photo.
I find golden triangles quite difficult to use purposely in a composition;
so this time I thought I would work with the obvious.
Week 45: Vision: Show Half
Cropping in tight to part of a subject can frequently create a more compelling image.
Here is the better half of my puppy. 😂
Week 44: Wildcard: Photographer's Choice
If you know anything about farming corn
This image should tell you a powerful and sad story.
Anyone want to offer an explaination?
Week 43: Creative: A Song
This weeks goal was to create a photo from the title of a song.
I immediately had a vision of the photo I wanted to create.
We have these stairwells in our school with big windows at the top.
I wanted to use the bright lighting and overexpose the photo to blow it out;
creating.....
A Stairway to Heaven!
Week 42: Technical: Shutter Drag
...and she keeps spinning, and spinning!
Thank goodness for willing subjects who will repeat the action until you get the photo right.
A 3.2 second shot with a built in flash firing on the second curtain to get the freeze at just the right moment.
Week 41: Composition: Rule of Odds
The goal was to compose an image highlighting an odd number of subjects.
In keeping with the season of thanksgiving I choose to "focus" on gourds.
I really did not want to just have three identical objects lined up with varying depth of field;
so I worked on a less geometric composition.
Week 40: Vision: Classic Novel
Inspired by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Week 39: Creative: Abstract
When still cars move fast!
Week 38: Technical: Focus Stacking
A week of firsts for me.
My first attempt at focus stacking.
A technique which combines multiple images taken at different focus distances
to give a resulting image with a greater depth of field.
Especially helpful in macro.
Week 37: Composition: Eye Lines
Eyes are powerful in a photo.
When we see someone looking at something it draws our eye to what they are looking at.
Just what is it that fascinates this little boy?
Week 36: Vision Ordinary
Find beauty in the ordinary.
Just an ordinary little pink petunia.
Not exotic, not amazing, not very special...
Really?
Week 35: Loneliness (One is the loneliest number)
Sometimes we need to rethink our perspective.
Loneliness sounds depressing and sad.
Sometimes however a moment of loneliness is just what we need.
It brings us peace, tranquility, perspective and rest.
What a lovely restful vacation we had.
The ending however....
We were driving long to our last stop which supposed to be at the Sicamous KOA;
when a fatal accident shut down the highway 14km from our destination.
Thinking of those unfortunate to have their lives changed forever we were determined to
manage our perspective;
to be grateful rather than upset about a delay in travel.
Beside us was a sign indicating a campground was just meters ahead of us.
Family Tree Riverside RV and Campground in Sicamous.
We called to see if they had room.
The loveliest lady answered the phone and said of course she could make it work.
Many people pulled into the campground that night and the staff worked tirelessly
to make sure everyone was taken care of.
What a beautiful campground, what beautiful people.
Instead of being stressed about not making our travel goal
we found a beautiful, peaceful, quiet, welcoming place to rest.
What a lovely change to the end of our holiday;
a beautiful place to be lonely.
Week 34: Technical: The Wild Side
Birds in flight require stuff, a fast finger on the trigger, and a fast shutter speed.
This beautiful male red winged blackbird is just about to take flight at Burnaby Lake regional park.
Week 33: Figure to Ground
The bright jellyfish stand out against the dark blue background making them the center of focus a
t the Vancouver Aquarium. I love taking pictures of these beautiful sea creatures.
They are so graceful and photogenic.
Week 32 Vision: Alphabet
A is for antelope; T is for toys; P is for photo project; and H is for here it is.
A is for antelope; T is for toys; P is for photo project; and H is for here it is.
Week 31: Wildcard: Photographer’s Choice
Standing on a bridge hoping for something magnificent to shoot
when this beautiful bird of prey appeared in the sky.
With great planning and forethought I watched his flight path and
lined up to take the shot when he was sailing right over my head.
Week 30: Creative: Circles
Circles in my circles;
lots of rings in these old stumps.
Week 29: Technical: Twilight Zone
Playing around with a little Photo Booth and a little photoshop.
Hearin' the twilight, hearing' the twilight zone - Manhattan Transfer
🎤🎶🎵
Week 28: Composition: Left to Right Rule
As many of my followers know I love photographing birds.
At this time of year in Calgary we are lucky to have the American White Pelican drop by for a visit.
I was spending some time down by the river photographing these fine feathered friends
when this diva upstaged all the others by flying directly in front of my camera.
Shoot fast quickly!
High shutter speed, tracking quickly and viola this weeks project.
English is read from left to right;
because of that our eyes are trained to always focus on the left first as we look at something.
In photography as on the stage the left side of the frame will capture the viewers attention first
and their eyes will then follow through to the right side of the image.
It follows then that an excellent rule of composition is to have your
subject moving through a frame from left to right as this lovely pelican is demonstrating here.
Week 27: Vision: Flattery
The challenge this week was to choose your favorite master photographer and imitate their art or technique.
There was only one go to on this for me and it was Ansel Adams.
The choice was made even easier by the location where I would be shooting this weekend.
The Drumheller Valley in Alberta is an incredibly unique landscape
which lends itself easily to dramatic, sweeping landscapes with vast skies.
Things couldn't have been lining up better for the shot
as some wonderfully stormy clouds began to fill the horizon.
When you shoot from the heart you shoot with passion and that creates spectacular photos.
This area is easy for me to shoot from the heart in.
Off side of the camera is a historical location entrenched with my families history.
It is an abandoned coal mine which at one time belonged to my family.
Long since shut down and abandoned we still spend time in the area;
imaging what life must have been like in the days when
the quest for black gold ruled the west.
Dogwood Week 26: Creative: High or Low Key
As a photography and musical theatre teacher my curriculums often collide.
When it is nearing the end of the school year you look for creative time fillers.
I spent a wonderful class with my musical theatre students modelling for a high key photo shoot.
One of the criteria I gave them for working on modelling was that they could not show their whole face.
That certainly resulted in lots of creative and interesting poses.
The result of this photoshoot was some amazing images that my students were thrilled to receive as gifts.
This is one of my favourites from the series.
Dogwood Week 25: Technical: Starburst
Challenge to create a very strong focal point
and add an entirely new dimension of interest to your image using a starburst.
Thought I would experiment with my stage lights.
Dogwood Week 24: Composition: Contrast
Elements of contrast can bring interest to a photo so this week I looked for something contrasting element.
As I was on a walk about I noticed these lilacs in different stages of development.
Contrast - alive and dead
- purple and green
- soft and crunchy
- light and dark.
Dogwood Week 23: Vision: No Peeking
This weeks goal was to shoot as if you were using a film camera.
A picnic and play in the park provided the perfect opportunity.
No time for peaking when you are chasing around these two;
but plenty of cute opportunities to shoot.
To make it more challenging and maximum playing time I pretended I only had a roll of 12 exposures.
Dogwood Week 22: Creative: Door
The unexamined life is not worth living. - Socrates
Take the time to look back on where you have been.
Reflecting on our past gives power to our present and hope to our future.
Dogwood Week 21: Technical: Product
Just bought myself some Crocs and decided they would make a great product shot.
Dogwood Week 20: Composition: From Below
How low can you go?
Changing a flat is bad enough without the spare stored under the car being stuck.
Dogwood Week 19: Vision: Edge Cut Sun
Thrilled with the way this turned out.
Worked hard to get the lens ball in just the right spot to capture
the edge cut sun with it's spectacular lens flare.
Dogwood Week 18: Wild Card - Photographer's Choice
My intent was to work on the composition of these three flamingos.
I loved the way they were playing together.
I wanted to convey their connection by having the viewers eyes flow through the image
following the line of their black beaks.
Dogwood Week 17: Humor
Hear no evil,
see no evil,
speak no evil!
Well evil maybe overstating this mischievous little dwarf;
but still I think he is up to no good if you look close.
Dogwood Week 16: Technical: Portrait Lighting
Many different types of Portrait Lighting to explore...
this one is called butterfly lighting.
Much to my husband's surprise it has nothing to do with actual butterflies.
Dogwood Week 15: Composition: Rule of Space
Inaugural flight for our new drone.
For this project the subject needed to be entering into the frame to engage with the photo.
The subject (the drone) is moving in from the right side and moving to the left.
He is also moving farther away from the camera as he flies.
Just for fun seen as how this is the rule of space - he also seems to be headed to space. LOL
Dogwood Week 14: Vision: Diptych or Triptych
A triptych connects 3 images together as one image to provoke a thought or tell a story.
As many of you know this darling little boy is suffering from refractory epilepsy.
That means medication is NOT bring his seizures under control.
In an attempt to fight this he has been put on the ketogenic diet; which means positively No sugar.
Unfortunately in a kids world Easter is all about the candy.
Easter morning was his first test of Ketogenic (sugar and carb free candy).
...and the day continued Happily Ever After!
Dogwood Week 13: Creative: Leading Lines
More lines than any one picture needs I am sure;
but I found the lines all leading upwards to be
a strong visual metaphor in this composition.
Dogwood Week 12: Technical: Macro
The winter has been long and cold.
There has been more snow than we have seen in years.
Ice is a constant state of being.
Although it is the last day of winter it feels that the season will never end.
But wait....
Look close...
Encased in the ice, struggling to break through, just a little hint of spring;
just a little bud starting to grow;
just a speck of life coming out from underneath the snow.
Dogwood Week 11: Composition: Negative Space
In the hoards of snow we have had this year
these little guys have been buried all winter.
Is it a sign of spring that they are starting to peak out?
In compositions using negative space the viewers eye
should be drawn to the main subject
by the vacant surrounding space.
Right now anything that peaks out of the mounds of snow attracts my eye. 🤨🇨🇦❄️❄️❄️
Dogwood Week 10: Vision: Selective Colour
Green, the ever elusive green...
Somewhere buried deep beneath the snow and ice is actually a hope for spring.
Usually on a selective colour edit I tend to get a little in your face with my post-processing.
Took this weeks opportunity to practice subtlety in editing.
Dogwood Week 9: Creative: Forsaken
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.
Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places.
In pursuit of love that had forsaken he began to venture deep
into the withering red forest;
through the bramble of dying red roses.
Dogwood Week 8: Technical: Zoom Burst
Changing the focal length during a long exposure adds movement to the frame.
I began this shot at 55mm and then zoomed out to 18mm.
It was a 4 second long shot at f/5.6 ISO 100.
In order to get a long enough exposure I added a neutral density filter to help out.
Dogwood Week 7: Composition: Fill the Frame
Get up close and personal to fill the frame with your subject and no background.
It looks like the beach but sadly it's just my kitchen.
Brown sugar grains zoomed in.
Dogwood Week 6: Vision: Alternating Rhythm
The Rhythms' Rhythm
Couldn't help a little play on the guitar strings (and on words) for this project.
The repeating rhythm visually of the guitar strings and their shadows
created the alternating pattern of light
needed to bring depth and visual rhythm to this photograph.
Dogwood Week 5: Wildcard: Photographer's Choice
For this weeks project the instructions were to capture an image on your terms;
who, what, where, when, why, how … it's all up to you.
There was a caveat: You must tell us your intent.
So as I set out to capture my image for this project
I knew I wanted to create an image where a fast shutter speed would stop an object in mid-motion.
Looking for something around the house to photograph I found a toy Tinkerbell with semi-transparent wings
and I thought that they would be an interesting lighting challenge.
Using a composite technique with layering and masking of different images
allowed me to have the fairy appear as multiple fairies in the image in different positions.
Each image was captured by my husband patiently throwing the fairy over the castle against my backdrop
as I took many shots to capture the fairy at the appropriate points in the image.
Dogwood Week 4: Creative: Quiet Moment
Take time to reflect.
Dogwood Week 3: Technical: Full Manual
I've been wanting to try and do this project for awhile.
Catching a bubble being burst is the ultimate action shot in my opinion.
Shot with 100mm macro lens at 1/4000 sec at f/3.5 ISO 6400
with no flash but lots of ambient light.
Dogwood Week 2: Composition: Colour Harmony
Simplicity and complexity in colour opposition.
"All colours are friends of their neighbours and the lovers of their opposites." Marc Chagall, Artist
Dogwood Week 1: Vision: Look Ahead
New year. New beginnings. New you. Look ahead. Interpret as you wish.
Looking ahead into the New Year;
into the future;
into the unknown time before us.
Every year has a new beginning but so does every day.
Take a breath and just begin!
