This Week in the Digital Photography School Forums (20-26 June ‘10)
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Weekly Assignment
We wanted you to look at things a little differently, and to do that, our assignment was on Low Angles. Getting down close to the ground can give a different perspective to your photo. It might make the subject look more powerful or even more whimsical. Overall, changing your perspective from the usual 5-6 foot vantage point can really help add interest to a photo’s composition. Our winner this week was phillj’s motorcycle rider. This is one of those shots that helps add a feeling of power to a shot. Getting low on this photo not only showed that photographing motorbikes from a low angle works great, but also that it can really add a different mood to a shot. Our first runner up was tzk333’s cityscape. This shot was nice and crisp, and combined with the cool colours and good composition it was definitely a winner. This goes to show that getting down and adding to the foreground in a cityscape can really help to capture the feeling of the city. Not necessarily because it shows the height of the building, but also because it can help show its character at a more personal level. In this case, you get to see a more human based side with the people coming down the walkway. And last, but not least was skoggiel’s cat. We all know that cats have a superiority complex, and the low angle really helps emphasise that. This shot has some really nice warm colours, and the depth of field concentrates on the lower features of the face. Although the general rule is that you want to focus on the eyes, with the lower perspective this sort of focus works perfectly. Well done everyone!
We also started a new assignment this week, and we’re focusing on Mid-Day Portraits. We’d all love to shoot during those golden hours during the day, but sometimes it isn’t feasible. So this week, show a portrait using one or more of the 3 techniques mentioned in Darren’s blog post. As always, a quick reminder of the rules. First, your photo must have been taken between 16-30 June 2010. Second, your post must include the words “Assignment: Mid-Day Portrait” and the date that the photo was taken. Finally, your EXIF should be intact, and it’s helpful if you can include some of the main points, such as camera, lens, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc. Next week’s assignment will be The Eighties. This idea comes from that “lover of eighties music”, Sime. What did you look like? What did photos look like? What did cameras look like? Take us back to those glorious days of parachute pants and shoulder pads, big hair and Cabbage Patch kids , Back to the Future and E.T., Madonna and MC Hammer, early Nintendo and huge mobile phones, etc. Have fun with this one!
Hot Threads
- Doing Black & White Right: 3 Methods: While there are probably dozens of different ways to convert colour photos to black and white, OsmosisStudios has shared a great tutorial with 3 of the most common ways to convert to B&W. If you’ve ever wondered how to get better black and white photos, this thread will be a wealth of information for you.
- How to Photograph a Jump: We’ve all seen the photos of people jumping. In fact, just a few months ago, we had a jump assignment over on the forums. But how do you do a good job of capturing those jumps? Come share your tips for photos of jumping over in the forums.
- What 2 Places in the World Would You Want to Take a Self Portrait In?: It’s a pretty straight forward question. But say you could go anywhere. Absolutely anywhere. And once there, you can take a self portrait. Where would you go? Would it be to the top of Mount Everest? The bottom of the ocean? Some tiny little village at the end of the world or a suite at the top of a luxury hotel in a major city? Come share your 2 locations and tell us why over in the forums.
- Fast Lenses?: If you have an SLR of some sort, you may have come across the term fast lenses. Fast lenses refer to lenses with a wide maximum aperture. But what is the benefit of having these kind of lenses? Obviously if there were no constraints on price or manufacturing we’d all have them. But why is the shallower depth of field seen as a good thing? If you’ve ever wondered or you’d like to offer your opinion on the subject, pop on over to the forums and share your thoughts.
- What Would You Do: We’re back with another week of WWYD, our post-processing challenge where you get the chance to edit another member’s photo and show them how to do something they may not have expected with it. Whether you’re new to post-processing or could photoshop in a new hat, you’re welcome to participate in these threads. And if you’re in the mood for another challenge or game, pop over to the Games & Challenges area of the forum and see what catches your eye.
Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips.
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