Photoshop Collage Techniques - In Class Assignment #6

Tear Down the Walls

Lightroom - In Class Assignment #5

Ten Compositions - In Class Assignment #4

PROJECT #3 - Motion - Imagination

Imagination
Motion Project

I wanted to experiment with light motion photography. I find that type of photography that has a still figure (or subject) with a swish of ethereal light eye catching. I placed my camera on “S” (Shutter speed setting) with the following camera settings – WB: S APERTURE: F25 SHUTTER SPEED: 1/1.3 ISO:  100.  The sun had just set (behind me and to the right), the sky was overcast, and I was surrounded by green leaves. I set a timer, and when I heard the shutter “click” and then I moved an LED flashlight in my right hand. I adjusted the levels of the picture, to bring out the color and light. I also used a filter to reduce as much of the surrounding noise as physically possible. Finally, I cropped the picture to center the focus. I found this picture to be curious or imaginative in mood. I took this photo right outside of my house; off of my patio. I took a handful of pictures before I obtained the picture where I was in focus, and the swirl of light was most eye catching. I was trying to use the rule of thirds, catching the swirl of light in the left two cross sections of the image. I also was attempting to use the compositional element of dominant eye.  The strongest part of this image I feel is the reflective light in my eyes and on the palm of my hand.  I feel, that once again, the weakest part of this image is the NOISE. I think I am going to start going full manual mode, and be able to adjust the ISO.  I am learning so much about how to use my camera, and wear my mistakes are, with possible methods to improve them. 

Shutter Speed - In Class Assignment #4

1/200

1/250

1/400

1/800

1/2000

1/4000

Aperture - In Class Assignment #3

F25

F16

F13

F10

F8

F6.3

F5

F4

PROJECT #2: Black & White - The Forgotten

The Forgotten
Black and White Project

I was driving home from helping out my in-laws when I saw this barn off of Route 302. The sky was ominous, and the barn looks so tragically forgotten. I knew I wanted to use it for my B&W project, and I wanted the barn to be a muted color scheme.

My camera was set to automatic landscape mode (WB: AUTO, APERATURE: F10, SHUTTER SPEED 1/320 ISO: 200). This picture was taken mid-day, with natural overcast lighting (the sun was obscured behind clouds to the left of me.) 

In Photoshop I enhanced the vibrance and the exposure the image. I enhanced the contrast slightly. Using the magnetic lasso I inverted the selection, isolating the landscape from the barn. I made the image black and white (Reds: 97, Yellows, 28, Greens: 61, Cyans -39, Blues: -14, Magenta 80). I created a layer mask of the barn, and decreased the sautation to -40, which gives the barn a muted, almost monochromatic feel. I then had to retouch the leaves of the tree that were in the foreground of the barn, and using several layer masks was able to turn all of those to black and white, giving the image a more complete feel.

The cloud cover gives the image an ominous tone. I believe the strongest part of the image are the clouds, especially since they are in a black and white scheme. The are multi-tonal. The weakest part of the image is the tree in front of the barn... I wish I could have given it the same effect as the sky. I really enjoyed this assignment, it allowed for me to learn how powerful a monochromatic picture can be. I wish I could have muted the barn more. ... so it was just barely colored.