Results of my photography learning goals

N65 pictures

2010-05-10T17:16:00.000-07:00

At a wide aperture:

Stopped down:

Stuff for sale!

2010-04-17T21:29:00.000-07:00

I'm raising money for a better camera body and have the following items for sale. All items are from a smoke free home, all prices include shipping (some include insurance as well!) I only ship to the US, and I only accept paypal purchase payments. Without further ado, here are the items:

9 issues of Photoshop Elements Techniques newsletter. Each issue is about 35 pages (no ads, all content!) of tips and techniques for PSE. Very helpful! Includes all issues between Nov/Dec 2008 and Mar/April 2010. $35 shipped (Subscription is $59/year and this is 1.5 years)

Scott Kelby’s Photoshop Elements 6 Book for Digital Photographers The best resource I found for figuring out a workflow and how to do things. Somewhat used, but still in good shape. Out of print – Amazon used copies start at $30 – I’m asking $25 and including the shipping.

The Best of Photoshop Elements Techniques, Vol. 2 Contains every 2007 issue of Photoshop Elements Techniques newsletter in .pdf, as well as 3 hours of video tutorials for PSE. For use on a computer with a DVD drive, will not play on a TV. $25 shipped

The Best of Photoshop Elements Techniques, Vol. 3 Contains every 2008 issue of Photoshop Elements Techniques newsletter in .pdf, as well as 5+ hours of video tutorials for PSE. For use on a computer with a DVD drive, will not play on a TV. $25 shipped

Magazine lot: 3 issues of Digital Photographer (issues 32, 71 & 86) with the accompanying CDs of tutorials, brushes, etc. 2 Issues of Photoshop Creative (issues 51 & 54) with the accompanying CDs of tutorials, brushes, etc. Oct 2007 Outdoor Photographer, Sept/Oct 2009 issue of Layers, and Nov. 2009 issue of Shutterbug. $10 shipped

4 of the included CDs (the other is still attached to the magazine it came with and is not pictured)

SOLD!~~6 issues of~~

Professional Photographer magazine (Aug 2009 – Jan 2010) Lots of good articles on the business side of photography. $8 shipped,

Photography for Dummies by Russell Hart First photography book I read. Since I no longer feel like a dummy, I’m passing it on to someone who wants to get past the “dummy” phase. Used, but in good shape. $7 shipped

Mom’s Little Book of Photo Tips by Lisa Bearnson Great little hardcover book with tips on composition, etc. Very basic but I found it useful when starting out. $7 shipped

52 mm UV protector filter by Tiffen (2 available) Just a basic filter to protect the lens while shooting and darken blue skies. $7 shipped

55 mm circular polarizing filter by Quantaray. Helps to reduce glare and reflections. $7 shipped

55 mm neutral density filter (N2) reduces the amount of light coming into the lens to allow for slower shutter speed when you want to get motion blur but not stop down the aperture. $7 shipped

Blue striped Phatstrap with navy minky lining Longer strap to wear messenger style, with the quick release tabs. 35 inches in the fabric portion, and each connector is about another 5 in. (45 in total length) I used this some, but now that I have an R strap, I never use this one. $25 shipped

Gary Fong’s Puffer Nice diffuser for the popup flash when you need to use it. I never use it now that I have a speedlight, so I’m hoping someone else will use and enjoy it. In great shape, still with the original package. $14 shipped

LowePro Neoprene neck strap Liked this when I first got it, but ultimately decided I’m more of a messenger strap person. This one is nicely cushioned and has a little stretch to it. $13 shipped

Lowepro holster style camera bag Main compartment will hold a body with small zoom attached. Has an inner mesh pocket and an outer pocket as well. Has a loop for a belt to go through and a long shoulder strap. $15 shipped

Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 G VR lens. The basic kit lens for many Nikons, this is a nice, versatile lens. I really liked the Vibration Reduction feature this has. Will autofocus on ALL Nikons, as it has the AF motor in it. See sample photos here. Comes with all the original packaging, the manual, front and rear lens caps, etc. (Ignore the small case, it is in the wrong photo and really goes with the 35 mm 2.8 posted below) $135 shipped and insured

Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6 G VR IF-ED lens A great little zoom with Vibration Reduction for all Nikons (has the autofocus motor) See more info here. Comes with all the original packaging, the manual, front and rear lens caps, hood, etc. $185 shipped and insured

SOLD! Nikon AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8 G prime lens This is a great prime lens for indoor portraits. It can shoot nice and wide, making it good for low light situations. Will autofocus on ALL Nikons, as it has the AF motor in it. See more info here. Comes with all the original packaging, lens pouch, hood, the manual, front and rear lens caps, etc. $185 shipped and insured

Nikon N65 Film SLR Body Nice film camera for someone interested in dabbling with film photography. Compatible with almost all Nikon lenses. This is the one that has the LCD screen on the top. Comes with 2 packages of the batteries it needs (batteries expire in 2012 and 2014 so they should be fine) and a dozen miscellaneous rolls of film for you to practice with. The film is just your generic Kodak or Fuji, a couple rolls are C-41 B&W. Comes with the original box and quick guide. Still hunting for the manual, when I find it I will include it. $90 shipped and insured.

Photo Secrets San Diego by Andrew Hudson Great book on photo opportunities in and around San Diego. Bought this for our family vacation last year and found it a great general travel guide as well. $12 shipped

Handmade knit newborn cocoon in various earth tones from green to brown to rust red. One side has the knit stripeys:

The other (my favorite) has a nubbled texture:

It holds a real newborn better than a stiff doll:

$17 shipped
Contact me at theutahdoula@gmail.com to purchase.

Nikkor 55-200mm VR AF-S lens

2010-04-17T21:27:00.000-07:00

55-200 Samples:

Photos of the lens:

Nikkor 35mm 1.8 AF-S lens

2010-04-17T21:26:00.000-07:00

35 mm 1.8 Sample Photos:

Photos of the lens:

Nikkor 18-55mm lens

2010-04-17T21:24:00.000-07:00

18-55 mm Sample Photos:

Photos of the lens:

Playing with macro

2010-01-07T17:42:00.001-08:00

Today I bought myself some flowers for the sole purpose of taking photos of them:

It was fun.

Nov. 30

2009-11-30T06:02:00.000-08:00

I did it! A post for every day this month! Here's one from last year - I am looking forward to taking more fun Christmas photos this year....

Nov. 29

2009-11-29T17:58:00.000-08:00

An oldie but a favorite of my kids. We climbed this big sandstone bluff in Southern Utah....

Nov. 28

2009-11-28T09:39:00.000-08:00

Just playing with different kinds of processing. Another one from our hike...

Nov. 27

2009-11-27T02:52:00.000-08:00

I promise, this is the LAST "faces on fruit" post. I just thought it was funny!

Nov. 26

2009-11-26T10:45:00.000-08:00

Nov. 25

2009-11-25T07:23:00.000-08:00

Another one - it was much more drab SOOC. I enhanced the color a bit, and added a texture and frames to draw out the color. Also experimenting with a square crop.

Nov. 24

2009-11-24T07:12:00.000-08:00

One bit of color from our hike. I used a texture on this one as well.

Nov. 23

2009-11-23T11:11:00.000-08:00

Another from our hike:

Nov. 22

2009-11-22T18:55:00.000-08:00

We took the last hike of the season on Friday. Everything was brown and drab so I decided to run with it. I love how it turned out!

Nov. 21

2009-11-21T20:49:00.000-08:00

Now that the weather is getting cold, this is my favorite treat:

Nov. 20

2009-11-21T18:42:00.000-08:00

Last night, opening night of Brigadoon!
My daughter was the star of the show - and not just in my opinion. She played Fiona, the female romantic lead:

but SHHHHHHH! Don't tell her that this is my favorite shot of the night!

Nov 19

2009-11-19T15:12:00.001-08:00

My husband cracks me up! Last night as we were heading to bed, he went to go get a drink of water and took for-ev-er to come back. When he came back he said "sorry - I just couldn't leave the cutie face all alone."
And this morning I find he has done this:

Nov. 18

2009-11-18T19:09:00.000-08:00

Look what I found in the fruit bowl! My 16 yo and 7 yo thought it would be funny to put a face on the cutie...

(and in case he's reading this: Happy 40th birthday to my OLDER brother!)

Nov. 17

2009-11-17T12:01:00.000-08:00

And look who we saw at the game? Had to take this one stealth...

Nov. 16

2009-11-16T21:17:00.000-08:00

A shot from my Friday night date. Yes, we went to a hockey game, trying something new.

And can I just say that this was AWFUL to try and get good shots! UGH. Can't blow out the ice, get a good shutter speed, constnatly changing light, color casts from the changing electronic ads, etc.

Nov. 15

2009-11-15T12:01:00.000-08:00

Every time I do a birth up at LDS hospital, when I leave the parking garage, the dome of the capitol catches my eye. It is very close to the hospital, and when I go to check for traffic it looks as though it is sitting in the street. At night it is particularly striking. Friday morning leaving the hospital at about 4 am, I realized I had my camera with me. Drove a block from the hospital and found a spot to shoot this from the driver's seat of my car:

Nov. 14

2009-11-14T12:01:00.000-08:00

The last "round thing"

Nov. 13

2009-11-13T16:33:00.001-08:00

Continuing the "round things" theme:

Nov. 12

2009-11-13T16:32:00.000-08:00

Another round thing:

Nov. 11

2009-11-13T16:31:00.000-08:00

(Somehow my auto posts didn't work, so they're all coming today...)
For an assignment on round things:

Nov. 10

2009-11-10T12:01:00.000-08:00

Can you tell I am wishing it was Spring?

Well, I am.

Nov. 9

2009-11-09T17:26:00.000-08:00

An oldie...

Saw this just outside our sliding glass door last spring.

Nov. 8

2009-11-08T09:19:00.000-08:00

Skylight of the room where the UDA Fall Retreat was held yesterday.

Nov. 7

2009-11-07T12:14:00.000-08:00

A final textured photo:

Some flowers in my neighborhood overlaid with the bluish-glazed bronze of a whale statue at the lighthouse in San Diego. I like how the texture gives it an impressionistic feel.

Nov. 6

2009-11-06T12:12:00.000-08:00

Another textured photo:

Cherries on our backyard tree this summer overlaid with peeling paint from somewhere in San Diego.

Nov. 5

2009-11-05T12:10:00.000-08:00

Another textured photo, this one is a flower at the San Diego Wild Animal Park overlaid with a photo of the wall of our hotel room in Vegas.

Nov. 4

2009-11-04T12:07:00.000-08:00

Taken in Dimple Dell Park. Used a texture overlay from a picture of tan bark in a play area at the San Diego Zoo.

Nov. 3

2009-11-03T12:01:00.000-08:00

Dragonfly caught by the frost:

Nov. 2

2009-11-02T12:01:00.000-08:00

Taken for a photo assignment on the topic of "Yellow"

I'm going to TRY for a photo a day around here....

2009-11-01T20:02:00.000-08:00

for the month of November at least!
Here's today's:

Taken last summer in Dimple Dell Park.
(Hey, I didn't promise NEW pictures, though some will be...)

Hiking Albion Basin

2009-08-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

Today we went hiking in an area we'd never ventured into before: Alta Ski Resort. Our hike was in the area behind the first ridge you see here:

We'd heard all about these hikes before, and that they were really popular (no kidding! See all the people on the trail here?)

It took some creative framing sometimes to keep ski lifts and people out of the shots.
But it turns out that the areas cleared for ski runs are just BURSTING with wildflowers! So we decided to go check it out. And it was quite the show!

We hiked mostly through meadows in the "supreme lift" and "Ceret Lift" area until we came to some switchbacks

that lead past a waterfall:

and up and over a ridge to Cecret Lake:

That mountain behind the lake in the second photo is Sugarloaf, at the top of one of the most well-known runs at Alta.

The lake was full of these funny looking salamanders swimming just under the surface:

And the views were incredible! (Sing it with me now: "The Hills Are Alive, With the Sound of Music....")

Close-ups of flowers in Albion Basin

2009-08-02T10:50:00.001-07:00

I took my new macro lens on the hike, and when I wasn't using my wide angle to capture large vistas I was using it to get close ups of the flowers. It's hard to do handheld macro, expecially when your blood is pumping from hiking up a trail at 9000 feet, but I got some good ones!

Fun with Photoshop

2009-07-27T21:31:00.000-07:00

So it's hot here. Way too hot to do much but sit inside and feel like a slug. (Well, maybe I could eat ice cream - if I had some. But going to the grocery store means going out into the oven that is the world outside....)
So anyway, today I was playing with photoshop and found a tutorial to do a fun effect:

Don't know if it will ever serve any real purpose, but it was kind of fun to play with on a hot summer afternoon!
Here's hoping tomorrow's temps are only in the double digits instead of triple!

Parade Photos

2009-07-24T12:52:00.000-07:00

So in Utah, the 24th of July is a holiday. A BIG holiday. It celebrates the day when Brigham Young came into the Salt Lake Valley and announced "This is the right place" and so they settled here.
Every year there is a BIG parade. Third biggest parade in the US, they say. Only the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Rose Parade are bigger.
We don't go when we can avoid it. It's hot and I hate crowds. Plus you have to get up early, which I also hate.
But what we do is go to the float preview party! It's free, air conditioned, and open 11 am to 9 pm two days in the week before the parade. You get to see the floats up close and meet the people (usually all volunteers) who made them. Plus it is at the expo center 5 minutes from my house. We went Monday this week and then watched the parade on TV today.
Here are some of my pictures from the floats:

Someone is REALLY proud of all kinds of Utah inventions, including the Jarvik 7 artificial heart that was the first one implanted.

The Children's Hospital float had a "Monsters vs. Aliens" theme:

Long Time No Post!

2009-06-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted, but I *have* been working on my photography! My latest photos, from my trip to San Diego, can be found can be found HERE.
This morning I did a photo shoot with my friend's 4 daughters. Haven't even pulled them off the camera yet, but when I do, I'll post some here!

Aquarium

2009-05-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

Went to the Living Planet Aquarium today. CROWDED but I got a few good ones. Totally want to go back when the place is deserted to get more!

Pictures of this week

2009-05-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

Taken around the neighborhood:

Playing with zooming during a long shutter speed:

Hiking to Rocky Mouth Waterfall:

Timpanogos Cave pictures, part 1

2009-05-14T19:10:00.001-07:00

These are the ones that were easy to edit. I will post more when I figure out how to edit them.
A formation called "bacon" - it really does look like strips of bacon hanging down, only bigger. These were about 2 feet long and 1 foot wide:

A bulge of cool looking formations. At some point I'll edit dh out of the background and it will look better:

A formation called "popcorn":

Some "flowstone":

A stalagtite close up. I loved using my speedlight wirelessly for close-ups of things. Wasn't so hot for bigger views.

Some dripping stalagtites. Our guide said that they drip only 1-2 times a day! These were among my favorite shots:

Hiking to and from Timpanogos Cave

2009-05-14T19:03:00.000-07:00

This trail is a tough climb! It is 1.5 miles but goes up over 1000 feet! But it is a beautiful area and the views are great. Here are some of my favorite shots from the trail:

Cave pictures coming soon....

Having fun with editing

2009-05-05T12:01:00.001-07:00

This shot was almost completely gray before I started playing with it. It looks very different now!

Maternity Edits

2009-05-02T08:23:00.001-07:00

So, this is my very first time editing for real. As in I am not just playing around to see what I can do, but really trying to make the pictures look good. I did try a bunch of different looks.

I just hope she likes them! I get to do the newborn on Monday...

New blog layout!

2009-05-01T08:06:00.001-07:00

I keep forgetting to post what my goal IS until I go to post the results. Well, obviously, my goal this week was to redesign my blog so I could post bigger pictures. SO here I go, testing it out! These are all pictures I took on a hike earlier this week.

2009-04-25T08:46:00.001-07:00

One more edit to show off. This one has taken me HOURS. But it has been fun and I have learned a TON!
Before:

After:

Photo Editing

2009-04-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

So my project this week has been photo editing. I am overwhelmed but feel like I have learned SOOOO much!

My first project was a picture I took on vacation last summer. It needed some straightening, because apparently the ocean was crooked that day, and I also did a little boosting of the color.
Before:

After:

My second project was a little more complex. I took one of the shots from last week's maternity session and worked on the skin tones and color balance.
Before:

After:

I know I still have a LOOOOONG way to go, but it has been fun to learn these things. I just hope that tomorrow I can remember it all!

My first maternity shoot

2009-04-17T20:26:00.001-07:00

My first time EVER doing photos for someone not family. I was nervous, but this mom is a good friend, so once we got started, we were laughing and talking and it was easier. All of these were taken at her house and yard, using only natural light. All are straight out of the camera, except for the addition of the watermark. (Which is another first for me, and one I slapped together pretty quickly. I'm not lovin' it, but I am short on time!)

We did a silhouette picture using a trifold screen she had placed in front of a sliding glass door. The panels were narrow, this is the best I could do and you can see the frame and hinges above her head and by her neck. I'm trying to decide what (if anything) I could do with my almost non-existant photoshop skills to fix it.

Gentle constructive criticism is welcome!

Flash experiments

2009-04-10T21:01:00.001-07:00

UGH this was HARD. I don't even understand half the "basic instructions" in the manual!
So I set up my SB-600 on my D80 and the manual said to use program mode. Well, I did, but it wouldn't let me adjust ss or aperture at all. The viewfinder said it would be underexposed and it was:

This was taken with the flash pointed directly at the stuffed penguin. It wouldn't take a shot at all when I angled the flash up to bounce off the ceiling!
So I decided to ditch the owner's manual and see what would happen when I went to manual mode.
The first shot, with the flash again pointed directly at the penguin, turned out OK.

But when I tried to angle the flash up to bounce, it wouldn't do a thing. So I decided to switch to a different lens. I had been using my zoom at 55mm, but the aperture on that lens doesn't get too wide. My 50mm 1.8 did better. This is with the flash straight on, I think it is a bit overexposed, though I was able to get it centered in the viewfinder. Any idea why?

And with this lens I was able to experiment with angling the flash up to bounce off the ceiling and not look so overexposed:
90 degrees (straight up)

75 degrees

60 degrees

45 degrees

I don't see a whole lot of difference, just some slight deepening of the shadows in the blanket on the left side of the picture as the angle increases.
And finally, I tried bouncing left and right. I didn't have much of a good reflective surface to bounce from on either side, but I gave it a shot. Both are at 45 degrees:

A bit more difference here as you can see the shadows switch sides.
I need to try this on a human model. I'll see if I can talk one of my kids into cooperating tomorrow.
Some questions if anyone has tips:
1. Why would the owner's manual recommed program mode? I've never used it for anything, ever. Maybe I'm just clueless, but why would I be locked out of changing aperture and SS in program mode?
2. I couldn't get the flash to bounce behind me, yet I hear people talking about that all the time. Is that done with the flash remotely? Or do I just have a model of flash that won't do that?
3. Any good, easy to understand web sites on using this flash?
Thanks!
As for a shot of the week, I've been a slacker. I even went to a conference at a beautiful historic resort in the mountains, took all my equipment, and didn't take a SINGLE SHOT! It was cold with freezing rain so I holed up in my room, ate junk food and watched TV with my coworker instead.
So I'll post a few pictures of the same resort I took with my film camera a few years ago. They are among the first roll of film I ever shot on an SLR:

Change of plans!

2009-03-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

I decided to put off the flash because we didn't have any batteries for it! I'll pick some up at Costco tomorrow and then I can play with it to my heart's content.

In the meantime, I decided to try again with the bokeh/defocused lighting. Had the brilliant idea (one of those head-smacking moments) that I should just turn the autofocus OFF and manually make it all blurry. Duh, right?

So here's how it worked: (All shots are f/1.8 ISO 100 and 50mm, except where noted)

1/15 sec

1/8 sec

Much better, eh?

I was finally able to get the octagon shapes, but at a wider aperture than Peterson describes. I had to experiment before I could find it. f/4.5 SS 1/2 sec

So that was good. I was happy I could figure it out. So then I decided to try some shaped bokeh. It isn't fabulous, but I am pleased with this first try!
1/4 sec

1/6 sec

.3 sec

.3 sec

Favorite picture of this week is a kind of wierd shot of Callie at the Mad Science demonstration at the science fair. It's a slow shutter speed to show motion and I kind of like it - I think it has an almost impressionist look to it:

f/4
ISO 100
55 mm
1 second

RESULTS!

2009-03-20T21:07:00.000-07:00

And a day early, even!

So this was a hard exercise, probably because the assignment was to use a lens with macro capabilities and I don't own one. I did use my zoom and it worked OK. I really liked the big, blurry one:

f/4.8 ISO 100 102 mm .3 seconds

But never was able to see the pentagon or octagon shapes he described at f/11:
f/11, ISO 100 1.6 seconds 102 mm

And couldn't even get twinklies at f/22!
f/22 ISO 100 102mm 8 seconds

The Christmas lights WILL be put away tomorrow since I took them off the trees and left them heaped on the porch. We will be getting some snow over the weekend AGAIN! so we had better get to it.
Picture of the week:

A gorgeous sunrise I spotted while driving the kids to school. Had to grab my camera and run outside the minute I got home to capture this from my front yard! It you look closely, you can see the Snowbird Tram in the picture on top of one of the peaks.
Next week's goal: Experiment with my Nikon SB-600 flash I bought this week! It came yesterday but I have not used it yet. I'll have pictures by next Saturday.

I promise, I have been working on it!

2009-03-17T07:01:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted anything because the most recent exercise I did (from Understanding Exposure) was about using the depth of field preview button. Sice it is about hte preview and not the picture, it didn't really result in anything postable. But I have been taking pictures and practicing! Here are some of my recent pictures:

f/4 1/4000sec. ISO100 50 mm

f/4 1/500sec. ISO 100 50 mm (cropped)
f/4 1/4000sec. ISO100 50 mm
f/5.3 ISO100 1/800sec 165mm
f 5.6 200mm 1/60 ISO100
This week's goal (due by Saturday) is a Christmas tree light exercise from Understanding Exposure. Maybe doing this exercise will spur me to get the lights off the bushes in the front yard. The snow & ice that was keeping them stuck there has been gone for a few weeks now....

Gymnastics

2009-03-06T21:57:00.000-08:00

So, I haven't yet done this week's goal (tough week) but I did take some interesting pictures tonight. We went to a women's gymnastics tournament between the University of Utah and Arizona State University. Our seats were rather nosebleedish:

See where the portals are? We were between the portals a few rows from the walkway. I brought my biggest zoom. (Nikkor 50-200mm VR 1:4-5.6)

Arizona is in maroon and gold. Utah is in black and white. Unless it says otherwise, all pictures are at f/5.6 200 mm and ISO 800:
The gymnast introduction. 1/25 f/4.2 60 mm

Yes, she really was flipping upside down! SS 1/50 sec

At the end of a long set of flips. SS 1/100

Loved this one. Burst setting is my friend. Would be better cropped, I know. But I'm lazy so all of these are straight out of the camera. f/5.3 1/100 sec 100mm

Vault was SO hard! This is the only one that is remotely good, and I probably took 50 of the vault alone. At least my focus was OK here. All the others were out of focus, blurry, or only showed the gymnast's butt. 1/100 sec

I like how this one shows the rotation as she flips. 1/50 sec.

Pushing off for a twisting leap. 1/100 sec.

Floor was the best to shoot. It was closest to where we were sitting, but also because it is slower and more predictable. 1/50 sec

Another leap shot. 1/50 sec

Beam would have been better to shoot if the background wasn't so distracting. 1/100 sec

But you know what was as interesting to me as the gymnasts? This guy:

I was jealous of his gear AND his access!

This week's project: Learning the effect ISO has on exposure

2009-02-25T10:01:00.001-08:00

Same subject, same lighting, same aperture (f/8) for all photos:
ss 1/640 sec ISO 800

ss 1/320 ISO 400

ss 1/125 ISO 200

ss 1/60 ISO 100

Here the pictures look pretty much the same. That's because my subject is stationary. But if you look at the shutter speed, every time you double the ISO you roughly cut in half the shutter speed. So, if you want to shoot a fast shutter speed (to freeze motion, especially in low light) you can raise the ISO. Next week I plan to try the ISO experiment on a subject in motion. Maybe I'll even try to find something besides Callie's kinetic sculpture!

Redid last week's project

2009-02-25T09:29:00.001-08:00

Now that it is a cloudy day, and got better results!
f/2 1/2000 ISO 100 50mm Nice crisp frozen movement. Narrow depth of field.

f/22 1/40 ISO 100 50mm Blurred movement (but you can still tell what it is) Wide depth of field.

I like these SO much better!

This week's goal

2009-02-24T20:51:00.000-08:00

This week I plan to work on the effects of ISO on exposure. Results probably won't be posted until Sunday or Monday because I am presenting at a big conference on Saturday.

And this week's favorite picture of the week:

Last week's results

2009-02-24T20:44:00.000-08:00

Can't believe I forgot to post them here!
I had a hard time with this when I was trying to do it, because I couldn't find a place with good light. But here goes!
The task was to use a moving subject and play with aperture and shutter speed to get different effects.
f/22, 1/10 sec, 400 ISO, 50 mm

f/20, 1/50 sec, 400 ISO, 50 mm

f/14, 1/320 sec, 400 ISO, 50 mm

f/3.2, 1/4000 sec, 400 ISO, 50 mm

f/1.8, 1/4000, 400 ISO, 50 mm

As you can see, the pictures turned out very differently, from the total blur (and blownout background) of the first one to the motionless look of the last one. The last one would have been better but my shutter speed was as fast as it gets!

Opening night!

2009-02-19T22:08:00.000-08:00

So my daughter's play "The Mousetrap" opened tonight. She did a GREAT job! I took a few pictures. (Well, OK a lot of pictures!) It was really challeging to get pictures! Here are some of the best. Backstage before the performance:
(all in this set are ISO 100, SS 1/40, f1.8, 50mm)

And a few from during the performance:
SS 1/80 ISO 400 50mm f/1.8

SS 1/8 f/4 ISO400 55mm

SS 1/20 ISO 400 55mm f/4

SS 1/15 f/4.8 ISO400 120mm

SS 1/15 f/4.8 ISO400 120mm

Next Weeks Goal

2009-02-14T15:24:00.000-08:00

I am reading the book "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. He has an exercise in the book about seeing the creatively correct exposure. I've done it before with a stationary subject, but he suggests it with a moving subject so that's my plan for the week. I'll post the results Saturday Feb 21.

This week's results

2009-02-14T15:05:00.000-08:00

OK so I think I figured out the white balance issue. I tried it using a grayscale card instead of something white, and it worked much better! I took practice pictures in my kitchen, where the light coming from the right side of the picture is incandescent and the left is flourescent. Here is a practice picture taken with auto wb:

And here is one with the custom wb set with the card:

Not a lot different and not a lot better. I'm going to have to keep trying the custom setting in a variety of circumstances.
Now for the other part of my goal - which was putting my lenses to the test to see the effects of different apertures, shutter speeds and zooms. I have 3 lenses, the first is my 55-200 zoom.
Here are some test shots:
1/800 f/4 ISO 100 55mm

1/500 f/5.6 100 200mm

1/30 sec f/22 ISO 100 55 mm

1/20 f/32 ISO 100 200 mm

As you can see it has quite a range! I shot similar test shots of the same subject with all my lenses, but I'll spare you all the repeats.
My favorite shot of the week is not actually one I took this week. I'm in the process of scanning all the pictures I took with the old film camera and found this gem from 2006.

ARGH!

2009-02-09T09:01:00.001-08:00

Sorry I didn't post on Saturday, I was at a birth all day. This week I didn't really get much better results than last time, I'll spare you the bad photos! But I *think* I did figure out what I am doing wrong. I'm going to try one more time and post the results on Saturday.
I also plan to do some practice shots trying out all the extremes my lenses can do as far as zoom, aperture, shutter speeds, etc.
Some good pictures I took this week, even though they didn't contribute to my goal:

This week's goal:

2009-02-01T08:26:00.000-08:00

Figure out this white balance issue! I'm going to try and figure out why it isn't working and keep trying. I'll post my results by Saturday the 7th.

Experiment 2 with white balance

2009-02-01T07:52:00.000-08:00

ARGH! This one was so frustrating, I didn't get it to work. I was experimenting with setting a custom white balance by taking a picture of a piece of white paper and telling the camera that this was how to set it. But as you can see here, I don't think it made any difference at all!
I started out using auto white balance and this is what I got:

Here I used a photo of a white piece of paper taken with no flash to set the white balance. I was thinking that if I used the same conditions to set the wb, it would work out even better. But no, his shirt has a very yellowish cast!

Here I used a photo of a white piece of paper where I used the flash. No flash used in this picture. But at least his white shirt looks whiter!

These were taken at night in incandescent lighting. So this morning I tried again just before the sun came up. All natural light, she is sitting about 4 feet from a south facing sliding glass door. Her jammies are a light blue, not white.
This is with auto white balance:

This is with my camera's "shade" preset:

And this is my attempt at a custom:

Am I doing it wrong? I'm just taking a picture of a plain white sheet of printer paper that fills the whole frame. Then I tell the camera to use that picture to set its own white balance. I was hoping it would work better than auto & presets, but I think it is worse! Any help would be appreciated!

Experiment 1 for White Balance

2009-01-27T13:18:00.000-08:00

So White Balance changes the tones of your picture to get the most true color. My camera has several preset white balances, which is what I played with this morning. I picked a nice tree across the street that looked nice covered in snow and contrasting with the clear blue sky. I took one picture with each of the White Balance Presets. Each one was taken on manual with a SS of 1/200, f/11, and an ISO of 100.
This one is meant for shade. I actually tried the shade setting in the shade later, but my exposure was off and it still looked weird. Definitely one to try again another time.

This one is meant for incandescent lighting, which is the most commonly used indoor lighting. Looks very blue, doesn't it! Not at all close to reality but kind of pretty!

This one is meant for flourescent lighting. Obviously it looks off here because there is no flourescent lighting in the sky over Utah. I plan to take my camera to work tonight and try this setting under the flourescent lights there. I hope and pray it will be a useful setting for when I get to take pictures at births!

This one is intended for use with the flash. Naturally, I did not use the flash on such a bright day. Plus the tree was too far away for it to have an effect.

This one is for when it is overcast. The camera people are so intuitive, they named it "Cloudy":

And the one that looks most like what I actually saw, the Direct Sunlight setting:

Makes sense, doesn't it?

My next plan is to try using these settings in the right time and place and see if they improve my pictures. I'll try the flourescent setting at work tonight and practice more with the shade setting as well.

And last but not least, some pictures I took this morning that I just liked and wanted to share:

This week's goal

2009-01-26T17:08:00.001-08:00

We got a new fluffy coat of snow today. My goal this week is to learn more about taking snow pictures, including how to set good white balance. I'll post pictures by Saturday, Jan. 31.

Yikes!

2009-01-26T16:42:00.001-08:00

Last week I made a goal but forgot to post it! My goal was that I wanted to try light painting, where you take a picture in almost total darkness and use a flashlight to illuminate what you want to stand out. Well, most of my experiments were total disasters! I will have to try this one outdoors in the summer, since my indoor experiments were total flops.
I did end up having fun "drawing" with my laser pointer:

All were taken on manual with a 4 second shutter speed, f/1.8 and and ISO of 100

Fun with Glow Sticks

2009-01-17T20:05:00.000-08:00

Tonight we turned off all the lights in the house so the kids could play with the glow sticks they got in their stockings at Christmas. And naturally I grabbed my camera! All were shot on manual with ISO 100, f/1.8 and SS of 2 seconds.

I also played around with lying the glow sticks on the floor and moving myself while the shutter was open: (same settings)
And my favorite:

The landscapes

2009-01-16T13:45:00.000-08:00

Mostly with these I was playing around with a shallow depth of field, which was a fun experiment. So the photos come in pairs with the focus changing.
For some of you if will come as no surprise that I practiced on fire hydrants. But for others, let me explain that my youngest used to be OBSESSED with fire hydrants and she actually has two full photo albums of just fire hydrant pictures. When friends and family go on vacation, she gets fire hydrant pictures from all over. She has pictures from over a dozen states and 3 foreign countries. The obsession has faded somewhat, but she still wants to be a fire fighter when she grows up, so she can learn to hook up the hoses and turn the water on.

Settings: SS1/4000 f/1.8 ISO 100
And some others from a walk around my neighborhood:

Both are ISO 640 and f/9 but the shutter speed is different. The first is 1/1000 and the second is 1/2500.
One more depth of field experiment:

Settings: Both f/9 and 640 ISO 1/1000 and 1/640 SS
And a few other random shots I kind of liked:

An abandoned bird's nest. Had to hold the camera high over my head to get it. Settings 1/80 f/9 ISO 640.

Reflection of mountain peak in the snow (cropped) Settings: 1/1000 f/10 ISO 640

Shadow of a paper snowflake on our kitchen blinds. SS 1/4000, f/2.0 ISO 640

Practice shot of doll baby foot. Settings: 1/1000 F/1.8 ISO 400

The people

2009-01-16T13:25:00.000-08:00

This was hard! Especially since my kids were SO unwilling to cooperate. "Aw, mom! Pictures AGAIN!"
But here are a few I got:

I was only able to get one of these. Settings: SS 1/50 f/2.8 ISO 640 If the children had been more cooperative, I would have tried again with a wider depth of field to get Callie in focus better. But since there was pushing and shoving it didn't happen. (Maybe I should have gotten shots of THAT!)
I only managed a precious few of Kyra, and those were all taken on the sly. Here she is brushing her hair, looking up after I called her name:

Settings SS 1/80 f/2.2 ISO 640
Took Callie & Brynn out on the deck one (relatively) warm afternoon and shot a few:

DRAT! That darn reflection on the glasses strikes again. Settings: SS 1/2000 f/1.8 ISO 100
Callie was giggling the whole time and it was hard to get focus because she was moving so much!
Here are a few of Brynn:

Settings: 1/4000 f/1.8 ISO 100
Yes, I realize the sun is blotchy on her neck, but I kept shooting anyway. Just pretend for me, OK? Brynn has a tendency to "overpose" for pictures, and she's afraid a flash will go off in her face so she squints her eyes. In an effort to get some more natural pictures, I asked her to make faces. She loved that!

Settings: 1/2500 f/1.8 ISO 100 Probably would have helped to boost the ISO here.
And a funny one, a close up of her mouth. Nearly a thousand dollars of detal work in there, so I hope you appreciate it, LOL.

Jodie, I may just take you up on your offer. Maggie and Jack would be fun to take pictures of, they both have such amazing eyes!

Week 2 goal

2009-01-09T17:08:00.000-08:00

Aim this new lens at people and landscapes!
Deadline: Saturday January 17

My first attempts

2009-01-08T09:07:00.000-08:00

So I shot over 100 pictures this morning with the new lens. Turned out to be a much, much bigger challenge than I'd thought because I can't seem to get the lens to work in anything other than complete manual mode - something I've never done before! Even the autofocus doesn't seem to work (even though it is an autofocusing lens that is compatible.....)
I'm definitely going to have to keep working with this lens. It's interesting having to move ME and not use the zoom like I have on my old lens. And I'm not used to having to think about BOTH aperture and shutter speed at the same time. Some of my shots turned out severly under or over exposed:

But eventually I was figuring it out. I shot some pictures of my daughter's stuffed pandas:

And some marbles:

(Lousy background, I know, but it's all I could come up with to keep the marbles from rolling away!)
The winter salt & peppers shakers:

and some shiny baubles my daughter calls her "treasure":

I'm really struggling with focusing. I wear glasses, and it's been well over a year since my last exam, so I realize that may be an issue. That's part of the reason I've always used autofocus! Can someone please help me figure out how to make autofocus work on my camera? My camera is a Nikon D80 and the lens is an AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D.

This week's goal: new lens!

2009-01-03T13:27:00.000-08:00

So my goal for this week is this: FINALLY use that lens I bought back in 2007! On the recommendation of a friend, I bought a 50mm f/1.8 lens over a year ago. I've never figured it out, but my goal this week is to get it on my camera, figure out how it works, and take some pictures! I'll post the results after I've played with it a bit.
Deadline: Next Saturday, January 10.

Aquarium Pictures

2009-01-03T09:08:00.000-08:00

I love aquariums! And even though it can be challenging, I love to take pictures in aquariums. These are pictures from our small local aquarium:

Here are some of my favorites from the Vancouver, BC aquarium I visited last summer on a business trip:

And some from the Oregon Coast Aquarium where we went on our family vacation this year:

The Oregon aquarium had many tanks with beautiful blown glass in with the fish. It made for fun pictures like the seahorse above.
I'm hoping (cross my fingers) to get to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta (my conference is there this year instead of Vancouver) and maybe Sea World with the family. We'll see if finances allow!

Christmas Pictures

2008-12-26T17:46:00.001-08:00

Some of my favorites taken over Christmas...