Fireworks - Take Two

f/10, 5s, ISO 3200

A year ago, I attempted to take some pictures of Fourth of July fireworks and was not successful in doing so. For fireworks this year, I was prepared. For the last few years, Jake and I usually watch fireworks with his grandparents in Wisconsin. I even remembered to pack my tripod at the last second before we headed out the door.

f/10, 5s, ISO 3200

I set aperture to f/10 to get longer exposure, so that I get this effect that all the lights blend in. I planned on setting the ISO lower for better picture quality, however my camera would not take pictures since it was so dark outside.

I did everything I wanted to do from the last post, but looks like not much improvement here. I was hoping for those gorgeous Fourth of July fireworks you see on a postcard.

I bought a Groupon last week for an online photography class through flying photo school. I am pretty excited, because there is so much I can research myself and I could use some critic/suggestions on my photography. It's a learning process, and one of these days I'm going to create postcard-like firework pictures.

f/16, 13s, ISO 3200

Instagram Love

I finally gave up my not-so-smart phone and upgraded to an iPhone 4s. It was an instant love. Not to mention all the awesome apps that I can use to find restaurants, maps, blog, and more. Even better, I am in love with Instagram. A bit slow on the "look-I-can-take-vintage-photo" move, but it definitely brings in another creative aspect with photography.

Now I can take pictures of every meal I have and every place I visit, and them share with the world in a touch of the screen. Wow, I sound like I just learned how to use the Internet. 

This weekend jake and I went to Cincinnati for a friend's weekend. My iPhone and Instagram worked well in low light situations (beats my DSLR when I don't have a speedlight or prime lens).

Although some pictures I took from this weekend look like they are from an lost-and-found roll of film (remember those?)

It's more than aiming with my phone and click. Understanding which one of the numerous photo edit options takes lots of trial and error to create a life-like photo. Such small device with some genius photography mind can create this awesome app. Give it a try. You'd love it.

P.S. You can follow my daily updates at From Horses to Photography Facebook Page (Click!)

Composition - Part II

Last time I discussed some elements that would make good photo composition. Such as the rule of thirds, depth of field, leading lines, and texture and pattern. However, composition does not just end here. There are lots more to it than meets the eyes. Before writing this and the previous post, I did lots of research on photography composition and not one website has the same advice. But here are a few more composition elements that will help make your photo “pop”.

Simplicity
      By keeping the scene minimal, our brain quickly picks out subject of interest. But the camera does not discriminate, it captures everything the frame will allow. Then it is up to you to choose the subject by selecting a focal length or camera viewpoint that would make subject the center of attention.

f/4.5, 1/1600, ISO 100

Fill the Frame
       When shooting a large-scale scene, leaving too much space will make the subject seem small and loses the focus as being center of attention. Zoom in to fill in the space, or get closer to the subject. Use nature elements, like trees, to fill in the spaces around the frame.

f/9, 1/320, ISO 100

Background
      Busy background makes the subject blend in and loses the focus. Simple background, or using focal length to blur out the background are great ways to allow the subject to tell the story.

f/10, 1/160, ISO 100

Foreground
      Instead of having the horizon in the middle of the picture, shift it up or down based on what is the subject. For example, if the sky is the subject, lower the horizon, and vise versa.

f/16, 1/80, ISO 200

View Point
      Before snapping the picture, think about where do you want to position the subject of interest. If you have been snapping at eye level, maybe switching the view point to above or below the subject.

Here is a picture of my sister when we were at Bayou Festival in New Orleans. Instead of snapping a portrait of her, I took the picture from above.

f/5.6, 1/160, ISO 400

Go Crazy
      It is important to understand the concept of composition, but bending rules sometimes bring out jarring effects. While writing this post, I had a hard time finding pictures that would fit these composition element categories. Everything I know about photography so far is by experimentation and practice. Now I know what look for before snapping. You see, there is still so much to know about photography and I am just getting started.

f/4.2, 1/13, ISO 3200

Sources: 
http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2012/04/12/10-rules-of-photo-composition-and-why-they-work/ http://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/10-top-photography-composition-rules http://photo.tutsplus.com/tutorials/composition/master-the-art-of-photographic-composition/

Composition - Part I

This morning I walked across a stage, shook many hands, and received my master's of science diploma.

Yippeee! Woot! Woot!

It feels great to accomplish something big.

Now back to a topic that I have not touch on for a while. Photography.

Composition is a photography topic that I have yet to fully understand, but it is what makes your photo "pop". Some elements that make good composition include texture, depth of field, pattern, symmetry, and lines. A successful picture is one that has a good balance of one or more of the elements above, and immediately draws viewers' attention to it. Sound abstract? I understand. Composition is about how to position your subjects in the frame that will make the subject the subject. 

A very well-known "rule" (even though there are no rules in photography) is the "Rule of Thirds".

f/2.8, 1/400, ISO 200

 
Imagine the picture is divided up into nine squares, with two horizontal and vertical lines. The rule of third says you should position the subject along the lines, or at the points they intersect. Some may debate that this is an overrated approach. Even by moving away from the centre can make everything else in the scene balance with the subject.

Here are other examples of what would make good composition.

Depth of Field:
    This gives a more three-dimensional and the depth view of the picture by giving a foreground, middle ground, and background.

f/2.5, 1/3200, ISO 200

Leading lines:
    This plays on the fact that our eyes are naturally drawn along lines, while a poorly composed photo leave us not sure where to look. It is like a "journey" through the scene, pulling viewers into the scene.

f/9, 1/160, ISO 100

Texture and pattern:
     These two also give a more three-dimensional feel.

f/3.5, 1/15, ISO 400

Lots of photography talk here, till next time then.

Photo Pal

This is my lovely friend Robin.
I met her last year when I just started my graduate courses.
I envy her awesome Nikon D7000, I offered an even trade with mine but she refused.

f/2.8, 1/160, ISO 100

We are photo pals.
Robin and I met up this afternoon at Ashland Henry Clay Estate to take pictures.
The weather has been crazily warm today with perfect light for outdoor shoots.

f/2.2, 1/1600, ISO 100

These were taken with my new prime lens.
It does take a while to get used to the fact that I can't zoom in or out.
However, I love the details and colors in the photos.

f/2, 1/800, ISO 100

f/2, 1/1000, ISO 100

f/2, 1/2000, ISO 100

I have never gone on a photography session with anyone before.
It's interesting to see what others see as photogenic material in an area that I don't.
Robin took pictures of everything, like the design and hinges of a door or the texture of building sides. Things that I never once consider as "pretty".

Beauty is everywhere, it's only a matter of where you point your lens at.
That's what makes our photos define us.

f/4.5, 1/320, ISO 100

Bokeh: Take One

The term bokeh is not misspelled like what I had previously thought. It is derived from Japanese, meaning the aesthetic quality of blur or out-of-focus highlights. Bokeh can be created using the background light source and its reflection, by using large aperture. The actual science behind it is beyond me, so is the technique. Whenever you see pictures with blurry light bubbles and a focused object, that's an example of bokeh. I have also read on other sites that bokeh is not limited to just light reflection, it could be anything with out-of-focus area. So far, using my new 35mm f/1.8 lens, I am able to get very blurry background while keeping the object focused.

f/1.8, 1/50, ISO 400

I think I see some light bubbles in the background...

f/2, 1/2000, ISO 400

f/2, 1/4000, ISO 110

Never thought I would see dandelions in February.

f/2, 1/2000, ISO 180

f/1.8, 1/4000, ISO 140

Amazing colors with this new lens. I love every part of it, even Lola knows that.

f/1.8, 1/4000, ISO 100

I think my pictures can be considered as being aesthetic quality of blur, or at least an attempt to do so. More on this topic later. That's what I love about photography, with endless possibilities. Should there be "right" or "wrong" way to take beautiful pictures?

35mm f/1.8

I got it! The 35mm f/1.8 lens, that is. So far, I love it! Remember my lens dilemma? It took me another two days to think about which I want to get. I wrote posts on photography forums asking for advice. Finally, I realized that I don't do much macro photography and if I were to get into it, I'd get a fancier macro lens.

It's a fast lens. By fast I meant the shutter speed, super awesome for low light photography (i.e. my kitchen). However, the lens takes a while to focus and since this is prime lens (no zoom option) I'd have to move around to get it autofocus. The lens hood that it came with is small, I'm not sure how this would work as sun flare reducer.

f/5.3, 1/30, ISO 1800

Lola's snout. 

f/2.5, 1/30, ISO 900, +0.3EV

Best sugar cookies I have ever made. At f/1.8, you can see the sugar granules.

f/1.8, 1/60, ISO 400

Lavender and cilantro seedling under grow light.

f/1.8, 1/1000, ISO 400

f/1.8, 1/1250, ISO 400

Instead of full-on autofocus function, this lens has M/A function (autofocus with manual override).
I need to figure out how to focus better, as the last couple pictures look like out of focus. Every picture always looks pretty on the small display screen on cameras, but its a different story once transferred onto the computer. Either way, wheeee I'm excited to use this lens outside, just in time for spring blossoms.

Lens

In a couple of my past posts on photography equipment, I expressed my interest in getting a new lens. Specifically, I want a lens with wide aperture for portraits, objects, and low light conditions. I have been doing lots of research, since lens don't come cheap. After reading tons of photography forums and product reviews, I am sure that I want this:

AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G
It is affordable, exactly what I am looking for.

www.nikon.com

Until the salesman at a local camera shop showed me this:
AF-S DX Micro-NIKOOR 40mm f/2.8G

www.nikon.com

Bahhhhhh more decisions to make!

The price difference is about $80. It comes down to how much macro photography I do. I have not experiment with macro photography simply because my current lens does not allow such thing. I do prefer landscape and wide aperture-type of photos. But everyone talks about how awesome macro is, especially for food photography. The macro lens (Nikon calls it micro, hence the confusion) can be used for landscape and daily use other zoom up objects. I am back to the drawing board.

Which should I get??



p.s. Happy Friday!!

Blue Snow

Ever notice how quiet when it's snowing out?

I took these pictures at 7:00am this morning.
The cloudy white balance effect gave a cool, icy, and blue effect.

f/10, 1/30, ISO 2000

I have been reading The Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby. The author doesn't get into the technical stuff of photography, instead he focuses on what a photographer should think in terms of his/her subjects.

I learned this about taking landscape pictures: Do not put the horizon in the middle of the frame. Think about what you want to capture first.

For example, the horizon of first picture below is slightly higher (the horizon being the top of the roof), hence more of the parking lot and apartment buildings are shown. The focus here is the snow on apartments and the tree.

f/11, 1/30, ISO 2200

Next, if I want the focus to be the cloudy sky and the line of trees behind the apartment building, then I lower the horizon line. More of the sky is captured in this picture, which then shifts the focus.

f/11, 1/30, ISO 1600

Get it? Simple enough.

 
This picture was taken an hour later with more light but still in cloudy setting. I tried to capture the snowflakes by setting at shutter speed priority. I probably need a zoom lens in order to see individual snowflakes.

f/4, 1/2000, ISO 2000

Recently I became obsessed with Pinterest. I love the beautiful pictures and how I am able to browse for things that I wish were mine. Follow me on Pinterest by clicking on the icon on the left. Maybe one day my pictures will become someone's "pins".

Happy Wednesday!


p.s. I entered Lola into the World Spay Day Photo Contest. Click on her picture on the left to vote for her!

A Photographer's Wish List

During my trip to Thailand I had a chance to hang out with my Aunt Joyce, who has been taking pictures for years and it was like having free photography lessons all week. Comparing my Nikon D3100 to her Canon D50, my camera seemed small like a point-and-shoot. Did you know that ISO sensitivity can be set to auto so you don't have to adjust it everytime? Also, you can set the compositions inside the camera so you don't need to adjust the contrast, light balance etc afterwards? Amazing. She gave me some tips on photography equipment that I am considering investing on when enough funding comes in.


Traveler's lens (AF-S DX NIKKOR18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II):


Compared to my AF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G, much more zoom power (11x) for landscape and close-up items.

www.nikon.com

 
UV lens filter:

Under bright and sunny conditions, this will make clear sky bluer and grass greener.

www.nikon.com

Lens hood:

This will not only eliminate those light bubble in bright and sunny days, but also a way to protect lens.

www.bhphotovideo.com

Recently I got myself this book:

www.amazon.com

It's pretty helpful so far, but there is only so much I can learn from a book. Like I said a million times before, practice practice practice! I am considering taking a photography class, just talking about these basic equipments is pretty overwhelming to me. I am not even sure if these are the correct accessories for my camera. One of these day I will get a hang of photography.

Focus

Probably 99.8% of my pictures were taken with the auto-focus function, i.e. I let the lens do its focusing until I hear the little "beep-beep" and I see the focusing red dots, I click. Even though I thought that means the picture is focused, the result shown on my computer screen is another story. This is especially true for me under low light conditions. I would take lots of pictures in my kitchen and the pictures almost always come out blurry. Until I learned this rule of thumb from Miz Booshay:

Rule: The shutter speed should not be lower than the number on the lens.

For example, this picture was taken at shutter speed of 1/15s and lens 20mm. The shutter speed 1/15 is less than the lens number 20mm =  blurry!

f/5.6, 1/15, ISO 3200

Here are more examples of what happens when I didn't follow the rule:


Lens at 40mm, shutter speed 1/6s...what was I thinking?

f/5.3, 1/6, ISO 1600

Delicious blurry cornmeal pancake

Lens 26mm and shutter speed 1/13s

f/6.3, 1/13, ISO 1600

This would have been a good strawberry shortcake...except at 42mm lens and 1/30s shutter speed.

f/5.3, 1/30s, ISO 1600

In Miz Booshay's post on focus, she mentioned 9 other tips on achieving sharpness and I thought this rule was the easiest to keep in mind (and steady hand) without messing with a tripod or trying to understand how lens work. Anyways, hopefully I will be able to remember checking my shutter speed before snapping or else I will be posting more blurry pictures.

Bubbles of Light

I have been taking lots of pictures during this lovely autumn weather with plenty of sunshine and beautiful fall colors. But I noticed that some of my pictures are turning out like these:

Bubbles of light in the photos

f/10, 1/25, ISO 400

Like this horse was taking a bubble bath...underneath the sun

f/14, 1/15, ISO 400

Besides the fact that Lola did not want her picture taken, bubbles of light filled this one too...

f/8, 1/100, ISO 200

At first I thought it was time to clean my camera lens, perhaps the dirt particles had caused this phenomenon. Could be true. But it turned out to be lens flare. This happens under very bright conditions in which the light does not go though the intended path in the lens, and instead the light is reflected within the lens before finally reaching the film.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lens_flare_scheme_en.svg

Although I should practice capturing bubbles of light in a more "artistic" sense, flare makes images look washed out with loss of contrast and color saturation. No good.

Here is what I need, a lens hood that can reduce the amount of unnecessary light entering the lens.

http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Lens-Hoods/4337/HB-36-Lens-Hood.html

Hmmmm....I think Christmas is around the corner.

Anyway, I can't complain about this sunny fall weather I am enjoying and it's even better that I accidentally "discovered" this bubbles of light.

On a final note, a big thank you to all the brave men and women in the military. Happy Veterans' Day!



p.s. Regarding the previous post on Claiborne Farm, I might have gotten a little confused over the annual fee for each horse. I meant to say "cover fee per occurrence"...think in breeding term.