After twelve hours of photography instruction and 38 pages of notes, I decided to put what I had learned into practice. It was a perfectly overcast evening and Andy actually started the session by snapping a few shots of Belén and I playing outside with the cat.
I took over after awhile and attempted a few shots in manual mode before I decided to play it safe with AV (aperture priority mode) and snapped a some fun shots of which I have whittled down to this single shot worthy of sharing.
The composition on the photos isn’t perfect but I did:
- make sure I had not cut off any joints
- tried to make the subject(s) and intent of the photo clear
- warm up the colors of the photo (after the shot)
- tried to get the right exposure by messing around with aperature and ISO
Progress….but oh how much more I have to learn and digest from my weekend learnings.
My favorite shot of the day was Andy’s…I think it is precious.
Do you have a favorite photography tip to share?
Related posts:
- Photography 101 For one, we have a lifetime of photos to take of Belén and theoretical child number two. We love to...
- Lessons in Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO One of my New Years resolutions is to learn how to take better photographs so when my friend Jaimee asked...
March 28th, 2010 at 10:21 pm
Great job! I think exactly what you did is what you need to do. You can listen to theory over and over, but you really have to practice it. What better of a subject than your child? Great photo of Andy and Belen!
March 28th, 2010 at 10:23 pm
I think what you did is exactly what you need to do… Getting out and practicing what you learned. Theory only goes so far and then it’s practice, practice, and more practice until it’s not as much thinking. Great shot of Andy and Belen!
alecia Reply:
March 29th, 2010 at 8:30 pm
Thanks!
March 28th, 2010 at 11:27 pm
Glad your class went so well – anxious to hear all about it as I can always benefit from tips as well. Great photos of you, Belén and Andy… Look forward to many more! Love, Mom
March 29th, 2010 at 9:44 am
Very cute!! I’d be curious about the stuff that you learned. I had never heard the joints rule, but when I think about it I actually subconsciously follow that rule.
One suggestion (and again all of your photos look great) is to play with your white balance. You can even do a custom white balance to the particular setting. I’ve started using it more and more in the last year or two.
It will capture the colors as they are true, it adjusts using white as the index. It will help take away some of the pink that you see on the skin because it is actually showing you the true colors instead of compensating. Probably doesn’t make any sense and I can explain it better in person when I can talk with my hands
Again, I think that the pictures are great, but it might be a helpful tool for you to use on your camera. I’d be happy to show you how to do it.
alecia Reply:
March 29th, 2010 at 8:30 pm
I found that a lot of the composition rules I learned were things you do just kind of know intrinsically. I will definitely take you up on teaching me about custom white balances. So much to learn! I know it just takes time, but I am impatient when I am ignorant on a subject.
March 31st, 2010 at 7:42 am
lovely pics! photography is an art isn’t it! so difficult to master. practice and practice and understand why one of them is sooo great! lovely blog!
Babs´s last blog ..Why I like our life in Amman!
March 31st, 2010 at 9:29 pm
Love the pics, you two did an awesome job! I was happy to be able to carry on a little depth of field and shutter speed conversation with Andy in the hall yesterday. It at least sounded like I knew a little what I was talking about. Maybe just to me, LOL! Let’s get together when you get back!
April 5th, 2010 at 11:15 pm
Of the many forms of lines in a photograph, the emotional lines in an image are the most important for anything with people. The “chin forward, turn that way, gentle smile” portraits capture the image of a person, but they don’t tell you anything about the person.
For the vast majority of people pictures, it is the interaction of people with people, people with their environment, people with their pets, that is where the image really gets its value. Love, curiosity, wonder, joy, sadness, happy times, these are where you’ll find the best pictures, pictures that contain the true essence of the moment.
Need practice? Take pictures at your friends’ kid’s birthday parties, and keep your eyes open. You’ll find great opportunities among the events, and usually nobody cares too much if things are a little blurry or not perfectly exposed. The technical challenges will be there, but it is fairly low stress — when things work it is fun to share.
Oh, and awesome job with the tongues — that’ll probably be in your favorites list for a very long time!
Happy shooting!