Exercise 7 – Object in different positions in the frame

F6.3, ISO200, 1/80s, 35mm

This exercise is about positioning the main subject in different parts of the frame.  The first shot about was taken on arrival in Campbell Park without much thought for composition.

(1) F8, ISO200, 1/160s, 57mm

(2) F7.1, ISO200, 1/125s, 57mm

(3) F8, ISO200, 1/200s, 57mm

(4) F7.1, ISO200, 1/125s, 57mm

(5)  F5.6, ISO200, 1/100s, 57mm

I then took photographs for the sculpture in the centre of the frame (4), a little way from the centre (1), close to the edge of the frame (2), in a bottom corner (3), in the top corner (5).

Of all the images taken the one that works most comfortably is the one with the subject a little way from the centre (1),there is a good balance of the amount of foreground in from of the statue but also a good portion of the sky which was quite nice with the fluffy white clouds.  You can see a good amount in front of the statue but enough behind it so that you are not wondering what has been missed out.       

The one which worked the least comfortably was with the subject in the top corner of the frame (5), it just feels out of balance, maybe if there was something more interesting going on in the foreground this would have worked better, but as there isn’t I find my eye wandering over all the foreground to see if there is something I should be looking at.   

The image with the statue in the middle of the frame (4), does work in that your eye is instantly drawn to the subject and you don’t tend to look for anything else in the frame, so if that was your aim when taking the photograph you would say it was successful, however as this statue is of a face I still prefer it just slightly off centre.

While I was at Campbell Park at the statue I took a few more shots, they don’t fit with this exercise but my favourite of the day is this one below.

 F7.1, ISO200, 1/125s, 56mm

Exercise 6 - Fitting the frame to the subject

This exercise is about demonstrating how the amount of a subject and/or area surrounding a subject can alter the viewer’s perspective and the whole feel/emotion of the final image.

When taking a photograph I would normally look at different angles and positioning of subject in the frame before taking it, so this exercise illustrates the process I use when taking a photograph.

I chose to do this exercise at Milton Keynes Village church where there is a poignant memorial to the soldiers who lost their lives during the war.  It reminds me of what modern Milton Keynes was built around.

F5.6, ISO200, 1/80s, 35mm

This is the first photograph I took as I entered the church yard without too much thought on composition.

F5.6, ISO200, 1/125s, 250mm

I then moved around to fit the memorial as closely as possible to the frame.

F5.6, ISO200, 1/50s, 80mm

For this third image I zoomed in on just one part of the memorial.

F5.6, ISO200, 1/60s, 10mm

F7.1, ISO200, 1/50s, 20mm

F5.6, ISO200, 1/60s, 35mm

I moved around the grounds for a bit and took three shots where the memorial took up only a small part of the frame to stress the surroundings.

Out of these three images I prefer the first one.  Looking back at it now away from the location it makes me feel like the memorial is standing strong and tall looking out over and for all the others in the graveyard and reinforce the message that these men gave their lives for others.

I made two crops of the original photograph.  This first one shows the memorial in the foreground and the fresh flowers on the graves for those cremated behind.  I liked the idea for this crop as it gives the feel of the soldiers leading the way and offering protection to those following behind.

For the second crop I opted to have the memorial on the right of the frame and the lamp that illuminates it at night to the left.  If this was taken at night the lamp would illuminate the monument, a symbol that they are not forgotten.

Making crops on the original image in photoshop is useful to identify further options you might have missed at the time and something I could start doing with all my work.  However rather than crop original image, once identified a better framing I think I would rather return to the location, where possible, to try and re-take the image to get same result as the crop but at best possible resolution.

Exercise 5 –Shutter Speed – Panning

This second exercise on shutter speeds involves following (panning) with the movement at various shutter speeds to see the effect it has on the image.

By the time I started this exercise they had started a scrimmage rather than drills. I took the camera off the tripod to be able to pan with the action.  Again as in the last exercise light conditions were not good enough for really high shutter speeds i.e. 1/400’s.

F2.8, ISO1600, 1/500's, 200mm

At shutter speeds of 1/500’s and faster all the action is sharp and the background.

F2.8, ISO1600, 1/320's, 200mm

F8, ISO1600, 1/40's, 200mm

With the shutter speed set between /320’s and 1/40’s I managed to keep the main focus point on the player sharp but the backgrounds get more and more motion blur in them.

(*)  F16, ISO1600, 1/15's, 200mm

By the time the shutter speed got down to 1/25’s - 1/15's the focus subject starts to loose sharpness.

F22, ISO1600, 1/8's, 200mm

Anything with a shutter speed of 1/8’s and slower the images get more and more abstract with the motion blur.

Of all the photographs taken for the two shutter speed exercises my favourite is the one taken at for this exercise at 1/15’s (marked with a *).  It really portrays the speed of the sport but still maintains enough detail that you can tell what it is and know the team colours.

The blurring in an image definitely gives more sense of speed.  I prefer a balance somewhere in the middle, enough sharpness to see some of the detail in the subject but also the motion blur you get when panning with the subject.  Which shutter speed/method I choose in the future will depend on the job brief and what the image is going to be used for.  I think I will try getting a few ‘banker’ shots using a fast shutter speed and panning first before making more of an effort to get some with a slower shutter speed.

This exercise would have been easier if I had waited to do using race cars as hockey players tend to weave in and out and not pass in a straight line making panning harder.  However the results came out as expected and I wanted to push myself to improve my skills.

Exercise 4 – Shutter Speeds

This exercise is about showing movement through an image and the effect of shutter speed on this.

My initial thoughts were to wait and do this exercise in a couple of weeks when I’m going to Silverstone, but as I am keen to keep momentum going decided to do it at the ice rink.  Many thanks to the MK Hurricanes Ice Hockey team for allowing me down to their training session.

I set my camera to shutter speed priority so it automatically calculated the correct corresponding aperture to prevent reciprocity failure. I used a tripod for the exercise and took photographs at different shutter speeds as they skated past doing drills. 

f2.8, ISO1600, 1/4000's 104mm

This wasn’t too successful at the higher shutter speeds due to low light levels, even at ISO1600 with a F2.8 lens as shown above.

F2.8, ISO1600, 1/1250's, 104mm

F3.5, ISO1600, 1/320's, 104mm

At shutter speeds from 1/320’s upwards the image is sharp and not showing motion blur.

F4, ISO1600, 1/250's, 104mm

F20, ISO1600, 1/15's, 104mm

At shutter speeds between 1/250’s and 1/15’s you can start to see motion blur more and more though the image is still recognisable.

F22, ISO1600, 1/8's, 104mm

F22, ISO1600, 1/4's, 76mm

Anything below a shutter speed of 1/8’s and the image becomes more and more abstract.

More photographs from this exercise are on my flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/csp1/sets/72157627130128297/with/5979788894/