Final Blog Post / Reflection

Coming into this class, I had no idea was I was doing. I didn't know how to draw and I didn't know how to paint. I knew I was decent with technology so why not try out photography! While first learning about ISO and shutter speed and things of that nature, I thought that I was way in over my head. It turned out that of you put in the slightest effort when actually composing the photo, you can work wonders with it. One thing this class taught me is that its not about what you choose to take a picture of, its how you make it your own. This class allowed me to expand my artistic horizons greatly. Dave told you how it was and that was super helpful. The class critiques worked wonders for my editing skills, and seeing what others did was a great help as well. In the end this class was great, and ill take these skills with me as I continue to photograph!

Blog Post

I wanted to talk about this photograph. Mainly because it mad me very upset with myself.  While at Yellowstone National Park, We came across two grizzly bears. They were hiding behind a tree for most of the time but once they finally came out I Fought my way through a crowd of people and took a shot I was proud of. Once I got onto Lightroom to edit, I save a giant stick right in the middle of the picture. After trying to use some Lightroom magic I was never able to remove it and make it look normal. Remember to always make sure there is nothing distracting in your photos!!

New Pictures

ISO:200 f/4.0 1/4000
This Photo I struggled with getting the camera to focus where I wanted it to. I wanted the sun to be the center of this photo. Didn't turn out exactly how I wanted.

ISO 800 f/11 1/1250
I found out that birds are very difficult to make photographs of. They are constantly moving their head and I needed a Quick shutter speed to try and capture one.

ISO 800 f/11 1/640
Buffalo seem to be very photogenic. After fighting through a crowd of people, this was the best shot I got of him.

ISO 200 f/11 1/600
This photograph taught me a lot about foreground. I wish that I would have captured the top of the Old Faithful and had less foreground in this picture.

ISO 200 f/11 1/600
I tried a different ratio for this photo. Almost the same edit as the previous. I think it captured the scale of Old Faithful.

ISO 800 f/11 1/4000
I cropped this photo to get rid of some distracting items at the bottom of the photo. I would have liked a bigger lens for this photo.

ISO 400 f/5.6 1/4000
The coyote blends in this photo. I really enjoyed the tree and tried to make that pop as much as possible.

ISO 400 f/5.6 1/4000
This photo captures the bear staring down the scavenger. I tried to capture the coyote facing the bear but I couldn't get in position fast enough!

ISO 400 f/6.3 1/4000
This photo is a bit blurry. I needed to change my ISO. The sun peaking through is what I enjoyed about this photo.

ISO 400 f/11 1/1250
This photo was all about the sky for me. I tried to make it pop and felt some foreground was needed for a horizon perspective.

Final Presentation

ISO: 100  f/22  1/4 sec

ISO 100  f/4.5  1/160 sec

ISO 400  f/5.6  1/3200 sec

ISO 200  f/5.0  1/640 sec

ISO 200  f/11  1/1600 sec

ISO 400  f/16  1/160 sec

ISO 400  f/11 1/400 sec

ISO 800  f/11  1/100

My Attempt at Black & White

This is my first attempt at a black and white picture. The issue I am currently having while editing is the grayish tint that outlines the mountains. I found this picture to be much more dramatic looking in black and white than it was in color.

Share two & Critique

Share 2 & Critique

Most Photographed Places in the World

What are the most photographed places in the world??

   Now that we have access to cameras everywhere we go via our smartphones, on average there are 1.8 Billion digital photos uploaded every single day. So I wanted to see what people were taking pictures of the most!

1. Central Park in New York City
2. Big Ben in London
3. Eiffel Tower in Paris
4. Burj Khalifa in Dubai
5. Gardens by the Bay in Singapore

5 Tips for Using Tripods

Tripods!

5 tips to shooting with a tripod

1. Only extend the legs to maximum height when needed. While the tripod legs are extended you will loose much of your stability while shooting.
2. Turn off image stabilizing. many lenses have an image stabilizer that accounts for hand shaking while shooting without a tripod. This is especially an issue at slower shutter speeds.
3. Use the mirror lock up feature on your camera. If the mirror moves, it can cause a slight shake that can appear in your photos while shooting with a tripod.
4. Add a 2 second timer. Even while pressing down gently with your finger, you can cause a vibration that can appear in your photos. Adding this 2 second timer will allow the camera to stabilize to get that perfect shot.
5. Use a lower ISO. This is assuming that you are using your tripod to shoot long exposures in low lighting conditions.

Youtube video on tripods: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SOBDagFhEk

Share 2 & Critique

First Picture
Focal Length: 37
F number: 4.5
Exposure: 1/160
ISO: 100

Second Picture 
Focal Length: 18
F number: 22
Exposure: 1/4
ISO: 100

Both Pictures Taken with a Canon EOS Rebel T3i

History

Here are some wild facts that I found on the history of photography!

1. The first camera was invented in 1916.

The inventor was Joseph Nicephore Niepce

      2. Every two minutes, we take more pictures than all of humanity did in the 1800's

      3. Anyone know the most viewed photo ever?  https://theuijunkie.com/microsoft-xp-bliss/

      4. The most expensive photo ever sold for 6.5 million to a private party.                                                   

Telephoto lenses

Telephoto lenses allow the photographer to create pictures at great distances. They are split up into three categories.

1. Short (85mm-135mm)
2. Medium (135mm-300mm)
3. Super (300mm+)

As you can imagine, the bigger the telephoto lens, the bigger the price tag. If you want the best, be prepared to spend thousands of dollars.

Recommendations while using a telephoto lens.

• Short lenses are typically used for shooting portraits
• Medium is used for sports and action photographers
• Super is for those who are after wildlife and simply can't get close enough

Share 1 and critique

This photo was created on the rims. It was shot on aperture priority mode with a Canon EOS Rebel T3i.
F16
ISO400

Still struggling with the light room side of things but I have learned to not just take a million pictures. Shoot and check every time until you get what you want!

Aperture. What the heck is it?!

Being the amateur photographer that I am, the biggest struggle is figuring out what all of these terms are. So, I might as well talk about one that has recently been discussed. Aperture has is described as being one of the pillars of photography. The other two are shutter speed and ISO. Of the research that I have done, it seems that aperture is the most important. It can make or break your photo.

Aperture can change the exposure of the photo. (Amount of light per unit area) I think this photo does a great job of explaining this visually.

As you can see, the photo at f/22 is very much underexposed. While at f/2.8 the photo is overexposed. Photography is a game of trade offs. Finding the magic somewhere in the middle is the key!

Raw vs JPEG

Every since I first heard of shooting photographs in "raw," it has compelled me to do my own research. After reading on the subject and watching some youtube videos of course, I found that the main reason that photographers choose to shoot in raw is because you are able to edit the photograph much easier. Instead of the camera working in its little fixes here and there, a raw photo allows you to manipulate it in whatever way you please.

I found a website that list 5 reasons to shoot in raw. (I am no expert on anything photography related.) Below is the link to that website and youtube video on shooting in raw.

https://petapixel.com/2018/01/08/5-reasons-shooting-raw-beginners/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_tHw8crqsY

This photo was taken on an iPhone 10. This location is located in one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been. The Beartooth wilderness in Montana.