Memorial Day in Renton was a mostly cool and cloudy day. Generally, I wouldn’t exactly be thrilled about this, but the lack of bright sun was a good thing for going out and getting some more controlled lighting on my photos. So, I went out and took some pictures.
Today’s set was about learning the technical side of using my camera as much as it was about capturing interesting images. With the more even lighting over everything, I was able to play around more with different focus and exposure options on my D70. Since the lighting was consistent when I was outside – i.e. no changing shadows and light color from the setting sun – I was able to take more time to try different compositional variations as well as get more natural colors on the subjects.
Before heading out for the shoot, I stopped by Borders and flipped through some of the photography books in their art section. I was silly enough to not write down the titles and authors of books I thought were interesting, but I did glean some nice tips about how to create better images in the camera even before transferring them to my computer. I was, however, smart enough to look at actual photography technique and creativity books and not just digital photography books. I already know how to transfer images from the compact flash card and how to use Photoshop. I just needed inspirational sparks for the actual taking of the pictures.
Without going into specifics, the tips helped a great deal with today’s set. I noticed that I took more time to really look through the viewfinder and compose the shot before snapping the shutter. I looked at the same subject from different angles trying to find an interesting image. Since I worked with small plants, I also got some good practice shooting objects affected by the wind – auto-focusing on a stem of tall grass swaying in the wind isn’t the easiest thing in the world for me right now.
I also had a good session with Sheena after the outdoor shots. Normally, she’s hanging out in the living room or on my desk, so I always have to deal with all the furniture and miscellaneous junk in the background. When I got home, I found her playing in the bedroom in one of the relatively empty corners and immediately jumped at the chance to photograph her in a much more controlled environment.
Although the images weren’t always the sharpest or clearest photos, they did capture the more light-hearted and playful side of Sheena. Whenever I pay attention to her, she has a tendency to roll around on her back, which is why all of the shots are of her upside down and on her side. The lighting wasn’t the greatest, so many of the shot were relatively long exposures. While I didn’t have to adjust the levels of the outdoor shots at all, I did have to lighten up the midtones a bit with Sheena’s set. I think the lightness of those photos enhanced her bright and playful mood and really brought out the rich color and texture of her fur.
Overall, I’m very happy with today’s set. I felt like I made a more conscious effort to break from my old habits and think more about how to best represent the subject in the image. To make better use of the frame, I tried to get closer and closer to the subjects and place them in more interesting areas within the frame. I also made sure to take as many shots as I felt like I needed instead of looking for the “perfect shot”. I do have a 1 GB compact flash card, so I might as well use it up when I shoot.
The complete Memorial Day set can be viewed here or by clicking the thumbnail sheet above.
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