Exercise: Fitting the frame to the subject

This is a very simple subject, but it is clear in its appearance and compact in shape.

This photo is a straight forward composition of the mug, pen and pad.  It is unimaginative and uninspiring.

For this composition I got closer to the scene and held the camera at an angle.  It is a far more interesting image of a simple subject.

Here I have cut off the edges of the scene, again it makes for a more interesting image.

Here I moved away so the scene takes up a small part of the composition.

This exercise shows how a simple object can be made to look interesting just by trying out different angles and distances.

Exercises 4 and 5 - Movement and Panning

These will follow once I can get outside and find a victim to photograph!

Exercise 3: Focus at different apertures

This uses the same composition as the previous exercise.  I focussed on the middle of the composition to try to highlight the difference aperture settings make.

f/5

f/29 

f/11

The photograph at f/5 has the narrowest area of focus, whereas the photo at f/29 has the widest.

Exercise 2: Focus with a set aperture

These photos were taken from the same position, using an aperture setting of f5 (the lowest setting).  For each photo I focussed on different parts of the composition.

My preference is the first photo, with the first tin most in focus.  It is the easiest to view as it makes sense to the eye and as it is in the foreground it appears to be the sharpest of the images.

Exercise 1: Focal length and angle of view

Seeing as I am starting this course in November, many of my photos will be taken indoors!  The first exercise requires the photograph to be taken from the same position with different focal lengths.

The first photograph is taken at 26mm.



This photograph is at 18mm

This photograph is at 55mm

And finally this photo is at 200mm

Project: Getting to know your camera

My camera is a digital SLR camera: Nikon D5000.  I have two lenses, 18 - 55 mm and 55 - 200 mm.  Each lens has a Skylight filter attached.

OCA The Art of Photography

This blog is my Learning Log for this course.