PHTG 1048: Week 6 and 7

I’ve gotten a bit behind on writing about my experiences at Langara the past couple weeks but with me going back to work I’ve been busy re-learning the ropes of my job. I got the opportunity to work with the company I did my BCIT Co-op with. I’m here for 3 month, which will help offset some of our costs for our upcoming excursion.

Week 6

Week 6 involved the critique of our photos from the previous week. Going through like 17 people’s photos (5-6 photos each) over a period of 3 hours was a bit long. I enjoyed it, as we slowly got to the end of our class, I was worried that we wouldn’t have time to go over my photos! It was done by first name and with my name being at the lower end of the alphabet I had to wait last.

Finally seeing other people’s photos was good. I was curious to see what other people would come up with and with our class (which has a vary wide photographic experience) it is nice to see how other people would compose their shots etc.

Week 7

Week 7 we were to bring out camera equipment as it was to be an on location shoot. Unfortunately, the weather (again) did not cooperate with us and there was a bit of difficulty trying to get photos for our next assignment. It actually started to pour with rain at one point too. We could have shot inside, but I just wasn’t feeling that either.

So what did we have to shoot? Well, the following 6 photos are what we’re supposed to capture for this assignment:

• Photos 1 & 2: Simplicity in Composition. Photos should have no more than 3 elements
• Photos 3 & 4: Depth of Field. Wide aperture and Narrow aperture. We’re also to ensure we utilize the Hyperfocal Distance to maximum our scene’s sharpness
• Photos 5 & 6: Motion. 2 photos that should follow one of the following: Panning, Zooming, Flash Shutter Drag, and Slow Shutter Speed

So during our last class, I wasn’t really feeling it. The weather and lighting outside wasn’t the greatest but I did manage to play around with some slow shutter speeds with the water feature in the front of the Library at Langara.

This is actually an HDR (high-dynamic range) photo. I took 5 separate and bracketed exposures in hopes of slowing down my shutter speed to create the cottony effect that I love with streams, creeks, rivers, and waterfalls. I also had my circular polarizer on which also helped block 2-stops of light. The less light I can let into my lens, but slower the shutter speeds one can get. Eventually, I would LOVE to obtain some Neutral Density (ND) filters so that I can do long exposures during bright, full sunny days.

Technically, it is a slow shutter photo, but I don’t think I would be allowed to use it for my assignment, as any photos submitted for assignments must be un-post-processed. I did do a couple of single slow-shutter photos, but I have other photos I could probably submit for my assignment which I would prefer to use.

Again, I would like to thank Peter for allowing me to use his tripod. I would really love to get a proper tripod like his one day, but they get quite expensive. The ballhead he has on his tripod is about $500! The legs (and center column) are also carbon-fibre so one would look at about $800-900 for that sort of setup. It is light and quite sturdy, which is what I would like. An issue I have with my tripod is even with my little camera and the Ef 50mmf1.8 (plastic construction) lens, my camera wobbles on the $30 tripod I have.

I have looked at tripod manufacturers such as 3 Legged Thing, Really Right Stuff, and even Gitzo but they are all a fairly expensive investment. Photography can be such an expensive hobby and/or profession!

Next Week for PHTG 1048

We’re getting closer to the end of our course. Next week will be Week 8 with only 4 weeks to go. I’m getting more excited because now we’re going to get into Studio Photography. Next week is a demo for Portrait Lighting in a Studio setting. Our instructor Andrea, will be going over lighting, setup and safety. We won’t get to shoot until the following week, but I hope to be able to utilize as much time as possible learning and shooting as this is the reason I am taking classes. I want to learn to shoot portraiture both in and outside of a studio environment. To become more comfortable and confident in shooting portraitures is a goal of mine.