AAW: VOTING: April 6-13, 2026: Low Key Photography
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Back in 1979, I was taking photography classes through the University of Maryland while stationed in Schwetzingen, Germany, The assignment was depth of field.
Here was another treatment of the lantern and lighting. I was going for the homey look with the dish cabinet. Neither this one or Assignment 1 was chosen. But I had fun thinking of new ways to show a lantern.
Friends & Family: Nearly 20 years old at the time, Rio Grande SD40T-2s No. 5400 and 5405 rest between assignments in their old stomping grounds at Helper, Utah the afternoon of Feb. 28, 1999. The late 1990s were a great time to watch and photograph Rio Grande “tunnel motors” here in their native habitat. On most occasions, a visitor could find at least 12 on site in the yard, running on a local, or working a manned helper to Soldier Summit.
Styling assignment: Camera: Canon 1DX Mark II. Lens: Canon 24-70mm, f/4.5, SS: 1/50, ISO 200. Light source: Canon 600EXII-RT Speedlight w/Impact 24" x 24" Quickbox with grid. Note: Child was not sitting on a shelf. He was laying with his back on the floor. Image was shot from above.
This assignment was about the choice and use textures and backgrounds to complement or contrast.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AcfKFjgMJ8 - "Wherever You Go" - Brian Simpson
In shooting this plant, my first concern was "trying to tame the chaos." This plant possessed a fierceness to it, with petals and shapes going every which way. I found it seductive but extremely busy. Did I want deep DOF with front to back sharpness, or did I wish to go soft and romantic with shallow DOF focusing on the some petal edges closest to me? (I went deep.)
The vibrancy and color of this plant is always a troublesome one for me (and my cameras). Do I go for auto white balance or custom? (I went both.) I shot against a white background under soft, natural light (basically northern sky) to eliminate shifting color-of-light temp issues.
After shooting was done, I picked the image I liked most and started to process it. I often work fast as I process. Music sometimes sets my mood and pace; other times it reflects it. When working fast I tend to work more intuitively (feeling) and not consciously (thought), although I'd be uncomfortable trying to put a % to that mix.
Periodically I stop to see if the image is looking as I want.
Oddly enough, if an image isn't "making it," I seldom start over from scratch (raw file). I don't know why. I just make corrections as I go, usually by adding layers (sometimes I label these layers, sometimes I don't; I wish I always did. I get lazy). In my younger days I studied painting (oil and acrylics). You don't chuck a canvas when something isn't working, you just paint over it (the Mona Lisa is about 30 layers deep. Yes, 30!) That attitude still lives for me.
Image done. Then to the assignment. Pick a texture - again, a mainly intuitive process. Apply and process it. Adjust color (hue, saturation, contrast), blur, sharpen, depth to suit. Process more. This can often take as much work or a long to do as processing the image. Most times I use only one texture (repeated as desired. On occasion, two. Seldom more).
Now the process feels more purposeful. Analyze the image with a conscious eye, looking for what's working, what's not, what do I want? Make changes; sometimes really itsy-bitsy ones that no one will ever see or note, and I probably won't remember having made.
Finally I get to, "Enough. I'm done. It's done."
The great, New Wave film-maker, Francois Truffaut is reported to have said about film-making, "You you start a film, you want to make a truly Great Movie. Halfway though, you're working to make a Good Movie. By the end you just want to get the damn thing done and not be ashamed of it."
Yep. Sounds about right.
Texture: my own.
Assignment 52 -- "Fine Art" -- what might you hang on your wall?
This assignment inspired me to experiment with HDR, to attempt an "old masters'" sort of glow to a still life. Amazingly fun & addictive!
(Shot in natural light, late afternoon sun.)
Our assignment is Landscapes. I had wanted to compare a number of shots that I had taken before the start of the course, one in particular was a panorama that I actually took on my iPhone. I've tried a similar shot and stitched using Photoshop Elements 12.
On our vacation to the New Brunswick we were visiting this old farm and found these three beautiful kittens in the barn. They were so friendly we wanted to take them home.
For my school assignment we had to take photos imitating a photographer. I got my inspiration for this photo from Lissy Elle Laricchia. Who is amazing, I was so excited to go out and shoot, which I haven't done in long time. I drove maybe 50 miles to this destination and when I got there I took 3 photos and my camera died. Cried. And then came home and got this.
They all fit nicely into this ONA Brixton. Question is... Do I need all of them on assignment?
Since getting rid of all my Canon gear last summer, I am very happy with the image quality of the Fuji X-System and its' form factor. Much more portable!
Someone asked " Do you ever decompress at all between maid assignments on a given day? and I responded - "Well, sometimes I will take a walk in the park before I start the next house."
and THEY responded " Wait - you said you track like 8.5 to 10 miles each day inside these houses scurrying around up and down stairs.....and to RELAX - you go for a WALK?!
Lots of processing here but it's not a cut-out. I reduced the noise only on the background and added too much sharpening only to the leaf to try and compensate for the lack of focus - anyway - it was fun to try - I recommend the assignment for anyone who wants a good laugh at their own expense and if you do please send me the results. No fair pre-focusing and dropping the leaf in front of the lens - this involves running and panning - I'm a purist at heart!
Taken for Assignment 52 assignment #4..Only had the use of white paper for backdrop,window light and a mirror for fill light.
"Weekend Assignment and Contest"
WAAC #448 "Panning shots" [OPEN] www.flickr.com/groups/weekend_assignment/discuss/72157680...
117 pictures in 2017 92. Full of Beans www.flickr.com/groups/2938364@N21/discuss/72157673894120066
Our Daily Challenge FREEDOM is the topic for Sunday - March 26th, 2017 www.flickr.com/groups/ourdailychallenge/discuss/721576784...
This was my first assignment with my Olympus gear.
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M5
Lighting: Camera off-flash using a Canon 580 EXII
Triggers: Pocket wizard X and Plus II
One flash at One O'clock.
(Would like to see a BTS, go to my pool).
I'll beat everyone to this critique: I wish that I got his whole hand.
What I learned from doing these photos is to give myself some extra room when shooting. I was trying to stay zoomed in and keep the action tight. Because they move so quickly up this board and they can swing erratically; it was hard to keep the feet and arms always in the frame while zoomed in so tight. I’m balancing on the top of this board so it is difficult for me to move around. In retrospect I should have not worried about zooming in so tight because you can always crop the unwanted areas out...it is much tougher to recreate a hand.
I'm not sure if I should crop tighter on the right and top?
What about the color of the light in comparison to the other campus board photo.
Which one is better?
Feedback please!