Tagged: digital camera

color, texture, and doors: photographic study spring 2013

rainbow drip wall

This study was only my second course working in color digital photography. Of course I am familiar with my camera and with digital postprocessing, but it was tricky to channel my photographs into a cohesive study.

violent hole in wall

My biggest challenge with my digital camera, something I’ve almost certainly mentioned here before, is taking my time. Film is precious, valuable, scarce: and so I line up every shot as best I can. Digital space is nearly infinite, so, when shooting digitally, I tend to snap away. That spray-shoot approach always leaves me with a folder full of photos, but rarely are any of them of true value.

mystical window reflection

So this study, for me, was about practicing the first and most important step: taking the picture. Each of these images was something that caught my eye, and instead of impulsively shooting away, I paused. I stepped back, framed the image in my head, then in my viewfinder: and then snapped.

I can feel the difference. I took my time, and I think that approach is reflected in the presentation of these photographs. They’re all things that are above everyday notice, but I took the time to really look at them… and so they’ve been transformed.

brilliant turquoise door

And of course, the doors. A guest critic came to speak with each of us individually about our work, and he said to me, “what’s with the doors?” I don’t have a good answer, and I’m not going to be artsy about it: I just like colorful doors. I think they’re pretty. That’s why I took pictures of them. But maybe, by taking my time, I made the pictures a little bit more special than otherwise.

turquoise door with handle

The first half of the semester study was posted as February’s photographic gems, and I also posted the end-of-semester gallery display here, if you’d like to see how the whole study looked on the wall. I think it was a successful study, and very good exercise for my viewfinding eye.

anticipation

I can’t bring myself to take pictures for this post because soon, very soon, those pictures will look pretty lame.

Canon Rebel T1i : Digital SLR

This little guy is on its way to my house as we speak. My beautiful Canon Rebel T1i, my first digital SLR. Order tracking says it’s been “in transit for delivery” in my city since 10am this morning… I’m lost trying to figure out how UPS can’t make it from their office to my house in 9 hours. Silly order tracking, hyping me up and getting me all antsy.

I’m so excited!