Mane's Photograpy

Maeniel · Joined: 22 Mar 2008 Posts: 1052 Location: Next to Waldo

So I recently changed my major and am now taking a photography class. Each week we need to turn in a set of 10 photographs relating to something different - either a technique like long exposure or a subject like self-portrait. I'll be posting the ones I'm partial to here. The rest...you don't get to see. Razz

We've had four projects so far, so I'll be posting a different project every other day for the next week, then I'll post my projects weekly.

I would REALLY appreciate constructive criticism. I'm not going to change the photographs (I've already turned them in), but hopefully some criticism on what I can do next time or what worked well/what didn't work so well in the photographs in relation to the topic.

Week 1: Single Object Transformation

Basically the point of this project was to take one object and produce 20 pictures over the course of two weeks that transform the object in such a way that it is unrecognizable. All photos were to be in black and white. My object was a brown scarf.

Week 1 - Single Object Transformation

Cast

Coiled

Gordion's Knot

Jesus

Medical Experiments

The Thinker

Slam Dunk

Week 2 - Single Object Transformation

Arbor

Carnivine

Docked

Great Escape

Nazgul

Pteridophyta

Strangling Hold

Syrup

Willow
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theBSDude · Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 3:55 pm Post subject:

Jesus and Nazgul have to be my favorites.

well, duh.
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Asa · Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2009 11:30 pm Post subject:

Wow. Those are amazing photos. I think the only thing I can notice, as amateur photographer and totally lacking experience with B/W, is that there's not a lot of contrast in some of them. I'd like to see more bold areas of Black and White, rather than all shades of gray.
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Sasha Lupine · Joined: 26 Jan 2009 Posts: 155 Location: Somewhere

I loved the Medical Experiment and Arbor. I seriously wish I had your photography skills.
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thespaceinvader · Joined: 23 Mar 2008 Posts: 650 Location: Cardiff, UK

Nice.

But it's not Gordion's knot, it's the Gordian Knot. It was knot that was found, according to legend, in the city of Gordium.
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Maeniel · Joined: 22 Mar 2008 Posts: 1052 Location: Next to Waldo

Thanks everybody!

Asa: I really have NO experience in b/w, and I think it shows in a lot of them.

Sasah & BS: Thanks a lot! Smile

Encouragement like that is what makes me want to produce better photos.

Space: Thanks for the tip! I've already turned it in, but I may be able to fix it before the final art exhibition. I knew the legend (ish), but I didn't know that. XD

And here are more! Very Happy

Week 3: Fast Shutter Speed

The objective this week was to freeze time and capture it in motion. It was tricky at times because, due to my limited time with the camera and my complex schedule, I wasn't able to go out in the daytime to photograph and ended up with grainy photos because of the dim light. It was fun to work with aperture and shutter speed, though. Again, critique is encouraged!

Avalanche

Boil and Bubble

Dash

Dragon

Jumper

Shot

Ultra Blue

Wish

Easy

Breezy

Beautiful
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Asa · Posted: Sun Feb 15, 2009 8:55 pm Post subject:

Some of those are absolutely beautiful. Are you sure you don't go to my university? A friend of mine has the exact same assignment. She had me twirling around and around in a full skirt to try and catch motion with a fast shutter speed this week. Normally this isn't a problem, but I had just eaten two slices of congealed greasy pizza, and my stomach was not happy.

I really loved Boil and Bubble and Wish, but Dragon and Shot didn't show up - I think your link was dead for Shot. Your macro work is amazing, and I think that's your strongest field.
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Self-styled Forum Grandmother, because I hand out nicknames and hugs whether you want them or not. ^_^

Keeper of the Library and the Gateway to Haven

Nem: "It's the sort of face you just know is getting ready to poke you with something sharp."
BS: "...then insist you eat a brownie."
__________________
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this and all is mended...
Give me your hands if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.

theBSDude · Posted: Tue Feb 17, 2009 12:56 pm Post subject:

Maeniel · Joined: 22 Mar 2008 Posts: 1052 Location: Next to Waldo

Beautiful was fixed. Smile

And thank you guys so much! You comments are really encouraging.

Asa: Haha! That's really funny. No, that assignment was due three weeks ago.

Weed 5: Long Exposure

Basically we were trying to have slow shutter speeds that captured either motion or lack of thereof. A lot of this had to be in low-lighted settings or else they'd become overexposed.

Abduction

City of Blinding Lights

Comets

Devil's Cup

Ethereal Audience

Fireworks

Multitask

Ritual

Spirited Away

The Happening
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Asa · Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 5:34 pm Post subject:

Seems like the effect most of these had was to drain the shot of life, since there wasn't a lot of contrast and the subjects were moving too fast. It LOOKS empty, but it's not... I think there are more professional choices you could have made for content, that would have shown up better*, but the effect you did produce was creepy. Like a world filled with ghosts, that on the surface looked empty, but if you look close enough you see the signs of life. Then they're impossible to ignore.

*This will come with practice.
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Self-styled Forum Grandmother, because I hand out nicknames and hugs whether you want them or not. ^_^

Keeper of the Library and the Gateway to Haven

Nem: "It's the sort of face you just know is getting ready to poke you with something sharp."
BS: "...then insist you eat a brownie."
__________________
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this and all is mended...
Give me your hands if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.

Magus Gar Kan · Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 6:00 pm Post subject:

A very interesting set of pictures, out of curiosity, how did you get the shot of the phantom audience member?
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Asa · Posted: Wed Feb 18, 2009 6:24 pm Post subject:

Ha, that's Himself, and I'm also wondering how he got it phantom without movement.
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Self-styled Forum Grandmother, because I hand out nicknames and hugs whether you want them or not. ^_^

Keeper of the Library and the Gateway to Haven

Nem: "It's the sort of face you just know is getting ready to poke you with something sharp."
BS: "...then insist you eat a brownie."
__________________
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this and all is mended...
Give me your hands if we be friends,
And Robin shall restore amends.

Ravenna · Joined: 22 Mar 2008 Posts: 637 Location: Toward The Terra

RE: the phantom effect - I'm not sure how it's done, but I know you can achieve it without digital photography. I'm fairly sure it used to be part of the Higher and A-level curriculum here.

How is the effect achieved then?
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Maeniel · Joined: 22 Mar 2008 Posts: 1052 Location: Next to Waldo

I was most unhappy with the ones that used me as a subject. (My boyfriend was the subject in Abduction...and I'm fairly happy with that one. I was NOT happy with the woman who kept trying to mess up the shot.)

You can indeed reproduce this without a good digital camera--thought that's all I used. No photoshop. You basically set the camera to have a really long exposure time (I think I had something like 300/10--or 30 seconds) and a very small aperture (to not only prevent overexposure but to also keep everything in focus since I couldn't tell whether I was in focus or not). With these settings, movement is hardly registered at all--slow movement will be, but not normal speed. Also, if you fidget, your figure will become blurry.

I had to stay perfectly still for about 15 seconds and let the other 15 keep that space empty. I was lucky to get a fairly captivating movie so that the audience didn't move at all lol... The camera was mounted on a tripod, one of whose legs was shortened very much to create that angle.
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Maeniel · Joined: 22 Mar 2008 Posts: 1052 Location: Next to Waldo

Double post'd!

Week 5: Depth of Field

I had to take 4 pictures where the foreground was in focus, 2 where the midground was in focus, 2 where the background was in focus, and 2 "vistas" where a large amount of everything was in focus.

Arpeggio - Midground

Curious - Foreground

Equilibrium - Vista

Glaucus and Scylla - Foreground

Le Vieux Piano - Midground

Morning After - Foreground

Runway - Vista

Spirochetes - Background

Train of Thought - Background

True Blue - Foreground
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