Worm's Eye View Photo Assignment #5 Results: Scott

With each assignment, it gets more difficult to choose just one image to get the A+. I loved all of the architecture shots and the couple of cool portraits from a different perspective. I selected Scott for the A+ since, as his caption on Flickr states, you feel like you're there. Please do check out his photo here since this small thumb nail does not do it justice. I really do feel like I'm on the trail when I view his image. Congrats Scott. Please send your mailing address to stacie.errera@yahoo.com and I will send out your gift card for Starbucks. I'll post the next assignment after I return from an overseas trip. So be on the look-out for assignment 6. And if you've played along since the first assignment, you'll get your certificate of completion after turning in #6!

Your Assignment Is...Take a Photo from A Worm's Eye View: Due 10/31/09

Getting low on the ground and shooting up towards your subject can create a dramatic effect. This is called a "worm's eye view" since you are essentially viewing the subject just as a worm would. As opposed to a bird's eye view, well, you get the picture. Now, I literally laid down on the ground and shot up to make sure I could get the full length of the lighthouse in my shot. However, crouching down can achieve the effect. So can raising your subject. For example, your subject is up on a ladder, or porch, and you are on the ground. Use your imagination to get below your subject. You will see how you can crop out distracting backgrounds, include more sky, or incorporate something special in the photo. You can also give the illusion of height, power, strength and more when you shoot upwards. Assignment #5 is due on 10/31 and you can use Mr. Linky's below to link your assignment from your own blog, your Facebook page or your Flickr page. Or, as always, you can email it to me (stacie.errera@yahoo.com) and I will post it for you! Someone will get the A+ and a $5 gift card to Starbucks. Good luck and don't forget to download the free photo tips card to help you out with this assignment.


Your Photo Assignment Is... Participants

1. laura 2. Laura D 3. Shauna @ They Call Me Lucy

4. Jamie 5. Jeanne 6. Amber D.

7. Denene 8. Stefanie 9. Scott

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Free Photo Tips Card Download #3: Positioning

Getting above or below your subject makes your images interesting. Download this new card set here and add to set 1 and set 2. Printing it on photo paper is best so it is heavier weight (luster or matte) and add it to a D-ring to clip onto your camera bag. Enjoy!

Rule of Thirds Photo Assignment #4 Results: Stefanie

You guys all really nailed this one. The rule of thirds can make a huge difference in your photos as several of you demonstrated on your blogs for your entries. Congrats to all of you. I selected Stefanie's for the A+. I think the technique is really clear here: The boat is positioned in the lower right third, and the horizon of land is in the upper third making for a very well balanced and interesting shot. (Stefanie, please email me at stacie.errera@yahoo.com so that I can send you your Stabucks gift card and copy the award here for your blog). Check out Stefanie's blog at http://prncsstefy.blogspot.com. Look for the photo assignment #5 to be posted soon. Thanks for playing!

Another Rule of Thirds Example-Your Photo Assignment is Due 9/28

Here's another quick example of the rule of thirds. I love its simplicity. I called it heading home on my Project 365 blog. The main subjects are located in roughly the lower left third of the grid. Read more about the rule of thirds here, here and here. Don't forget to turn in your assignment (using rule of thirds) by Monday, 9/28. You can read all about the assignment here. And you can always send me your photo and I can upload for you.

Change Your Position for Better Photos

Just like changing the scenery can give us a whole new outlook and change our mood, so does changing your position when taking a photo. It is very common for all of us to just shoot pictures from a standing position, but this leads to somewhat boring images. We have all gotten a much better shot just by crouching down or standing on a chair or bench. Not only do you get a whole new perspective, but this helps to eliminate distracting backgrounds for a clean, more professional look. For this shot, I was standing on the bulkhead while my subjects were down on the shore, allowing me to give a real sense of where they are since I was able to show both the sand and the beach grass in the shot. Plus, the busy background harbor was now out of the shot. Look for the next photo tips card download about positioning yourself for better photos to come shortly (see #1 here; and #2 here).

Your Assignment Is...Take a Photo that Demonstrates the Rule of Thirds: Due 9/28/09

The rule of thirds is one of the most powerful creative options you have when composing your photograph. A photo that has the important element of the photo at an intersecting point of a "tic tac toe" board, or in one of the right or left, top or bottom thirds of the photo, is one that is more compelling  than a shot with the subject centered. Most often, you don't want to position your subject smack dab in the center of the frame. It's boring. Although, this rule, like all rules, can be broken very effectively. That really depends on the shot. But if you start to think about not putting you subject in the center of the frame, you will train your eye to see better shots. For example, the eye closest to the camera should hit one of the intersecting points. Or the critical part of the landscape should be in the top third or bottom third, left third or right third. My shot here shows the subject off to the right slightly and in the lower portion of the frame. This gives the subject breathing room in the frame, the "white space" (which does not have to be white, but rather unimportant or non-distracting space in the frame) gives your eye a place to rest and then come back to the subject, and by positioning the subject as I did, you get a feeling of where she is and that where she is important to me and therefore should be to the viewer as well. Below is another example. This time a vertical landscape that also adheres to the rule of thirds. I added the tic tac toe board to both images also so that you can get a better idea of where the intersecting points or thirds of a frame are.

Please try this as you are taking photos over the next two weeks and turn in your photo assignment by 9/28/09 for your chance to get the A+ and a $5 Starbucks gift card. You can use Mr. Linky's below to upload your image that you have posted on your blog, Facebook, Flickr, or website for the assignment. Or, you can email your shot to stacie.errera@yahoo.com and I will post it for you. Good Luck!

Your Photo Assignment Is... Participants

1. mlspencerwv 2. Cris 3. Stefanie

4. Steff 5. Jeanne 6. farmnwife

7. ~Jamie 8. Margaret

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Boost Your ISO and Take Photos Without Flash

Sometimes the best indoor photos are taken without flash. Natural lighting is, well, so much more natural. The photo on the left is taken at ISO 200 with my built-in flash. The colors are accurately represented. And the noise (grain) is tight and sharp. But compare it to the photo on the left. Look at how you can see the night light and almost read the numbers on the clock radio? You can even see the wood floor in the room. That's because I did not use a flash and boosted my ISO considerably in order to get enough light to really make this photo work. I boosted the ISO all the way up to 1600. And the image is lit well because I used a very slow shutter speed, which allowed the ambient light in the room (the light in the shot, the light in the room behind me and the lights along the curtains) to record onto the CCD. The shot is certainly grainy, and the color is not as accurate as in the image on the left, but given a choice, I definitely prefer the right side. It has more dimension and life. Boosting your ISO makes the chip more sensitive to light, so you can shoot in lower light and still get the shot. In this case, my light level was so low, that even at ISO 1600 and with my aperture opened all of the way to let in the maximum amount of light through the lens, my shutter speed was very slow-just one quarter of a second (1/4). So I had my VC image stabilization feature on my lens switched on for this shot to be sure I could hand-hold the camera without getting blur.(Left: 18mm; F/9; 1/60th sec; ISO 200; flash fired. Right: 18mm; F/6.3; 1/4th sec; ISO 1600; no flash).

End of Summer Photo Lesson: Shooting in Open Shade

When the sun is really harsh, you can still get wonderful portraits by placing your subjects just inside a shady area. This might be just under an umbrella (like my example of these gorgeous siblings), inside a garage door, inside your house door, under the slide at the park, under the light of the first tree, etc. The key is to not position your subject too deep into the shade. You want all of the light that is just behind you to spill softly onto your subjects. This will give even lighting across the face(s) as well as great light in the eyes. (65mm -cropped; F/5.6; ISO 400).

BONUS Lesson: This second photo was also taken in the open shade of a small umbrella on a very bright beach. Here you can actually see just how close they are positioned to the edge of the shade. But I am throwing this in to illustrate leading lines. Your eye naturally goes to the boy first and follows down the line to the sitting girl, but notice how the lines of the table push your eye right back up again. This is a great way to keep your viewer engaged within the image.(55mm; F/5.6; ISO 400)

Window Light Portrait Assignment #3 Results: Jeanne

Three beautiful children and a perfectly posed cat. All lovely portraits by window light. Excellent job all! Jeanne's photo showed great emotion and wonderful catch lights in the eyes of her daughter who joyously posed in the curtained window. Jeanne can copy and paste this A+ mark onto her blog or facebook and she'll receive a $5 Starbucks gift card. Just e-mail me Jeanne. Look for assignment #4 to be posted later in the week. Thanks for playing along!

Window Light: Use it to take close-up photos, too!

It's important to capture possessions that are important to you and your family as it will be fun to look back on those photos years from now when the item is either gone or no longer shiny and new. But without a true 1:1 macro lens and macro lighting, you may feel you cannot get great shots of smaller objects like we see in home decor magazines. Nothing could be further from the truth. Any zoom that gives you a maximum magnification of 1:4 or better can yield great close-up shots (consult your owner's manual to see this specification for your lens, or check out the specs of any lens you are thinking about purchasing). And small objects can be photographed beautifully in natural light. Window light is my favorite light for people, but also for things. The harshness of mid-day light is diffused and makes for excellent quality light for a variety of subjects. Take this cute little beaded purse- a favorite possession of its young owner. Sitting at corner table in a small cafe at lunchtime, I couldn't help but notice how the light from the large window made the sequins sparkle. So from my booth seat, I zoomed in tight enough to catch the detail (and allowed enough of a glimpse of the non-working cell phone that resides inside this purse these days to complete the story!). The shallow depth of field, created due to my close proximity to the subject, keeps the focus on the purse details. (55mm; F/9; ISO 400)

Free Photo Tips Card Download 2: White Balance

Download the second set of photo tips cards on White Balance and add them to the first set about Aperture. I hope you find this set useful as you shoot. Experiment with your white balance outdoors to warm up or cool a shot. Click here to download.

Your Assignment Is...Window Light Portrait: Due September 5th

Assignment #3 is to take a portrait of a person or pet by window light. A few things to keep in mind: Natural window light usually means wide open apertures and slower shutter speeds, so consider boosting your ISO if necessary, be sure your anti-shake mode is on, or use a tripod to prevent camera shake. Two, the closer you are to a window, the more dramatic the shadow on the opposite side of the face will be. Positioning your subject further from a window means softer, more even light. Three, you can actually stand in front of the window and position your subject facing the window and it won't cast a shadow! This results in very flat lighting on the face. Four, shoot by a window even if it is overcast or there are soft sheer curtains. The light will be beautiful. Be sure to review the photo tips under "Lighting: Window Light" in the column to the right to see examples photos. Your assignment is due September 5. Use Mr. Linky's below to turn in your assignment, or send your shot to me to post (stacie.errera@yahoo.com). Someone will get the A+ and a $5 Starbucks gift card. Good Luck!


Your Photo Assignment Is... Participants

1. Jeanne 2. Stefanie

3. ~Jamie 4. Margaret

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Creative Framing Assignment #2 Results: Cris

You guys made this one really tough! Great photos everyone! Each one was very creative. Cris' shot of her kids framed by an inner tube float was nicely done and my pick for this assignment for the A+ and a $5 Starbucks Gift Card. The kids are positioned very well, with eyes at different levels and she zoomed in close to crop out part of the tube, which makes the shot interesting. Congrats Cris from Elementally Speaking! Email me your address and I will send out your gift card. Watch for photo assignment #3 to be posted next week. Thanks for playing!

Use Your Flash for Outdoor Photos

We all have heard the rule that early morning and late afternoon are the magical times for talking photos. But let's face it. At noon, we're at the pool or the beach. Noon is when the action is happening and when we are more likely to be taking photos. So in order to avoid the raccoon eyes that come with overhead noon time light, just turn on your flash! The small burst of light will fill in shadows and make your subject's eyes pop out just like it did for my subject. Look at the shot on the left with no flash. Harsh shadows fill in the eye sockets and the shadow is strong across her shoulder and neck. For the shot on the right, I just popped up my built-in flash and it makes a world of difference. To avoide over-exposing your subject, one trick is to dial in a small aperture like F/16 or F/22. For some people, images that use fill flash may appear to be too artificial. If you find the flash puts out too much light, there is a setting on most DSLR cameras whereby you can "compensate" the flash in a plus (+) or minus (-) direction. Dial in a -1 or -2 flash compensation and the flash will emit less light to fill in shadows more subtly. (For that tip, however, you will have to break out your camera manual to find the setting). So next time you're at the pool or beach this summer, and you cannot get your subject under an umbrella, or tree or some other type of open shade during those harsh hours between 11am and 3pm, then try popping up your flash! (25mm; F/16; ISO200)