Thursday, April 21, 2011

Pictures From The Past


Erica, Or Tyra? Taken on 4/12/2011 at 11:15 a.m. Colorado Springs, CO.
F-Stop: 2.5 | Shutter Speed: 1/1000 | Nikon D5000
The sun was shining really bright the day we went out for this photo shoot, so we found shade next to a pine tree. I used a large aperture to blur the background, and tried to focus on her eyes. I made minor changed in camera raw & photoshop, adjusting the exposure, levels, and a little contrast.

Baby Julius. Taken on 1/3/2011 at 10:27 a.m. Helena, MT
F-Stop: 2.8 | Shutter Speed: 1/300 | Nikon D5000
I took this photo a few days after my nephew was born. I had just gotten my new 50 mm lens for Christmas, and was learning to use it. It only has manual focus, so I had some issues with focusing correctly. This is one of my favorite shots from the shoot. In photoshop I edited the levels, and changed it to black and white. After that I gave it a little more contrast.

Baby Blue Eyes. Taken on 3/2/2011. 9:41 a.m. Colorado Springs, CO.
F-stop: 1.8 | Shutter Speed: 1/1000 | Nikon D5000
I did a photo shoot of baby Madison in March, and she was the perfect model. The window light was great, and she was happy the whole time. I tried to focus on the eyes on most of the pictures. I edited the levels, and the contrast in photoshop.

LOVE. Taken on 1/14/2011 at 5:41 p.m. Colorado Springs, CO.
F-stop: 1.8 | Shutter Speed: 1/40 | Nikon D5000
It was dark in the apartment, I used the light from my kitchen to create the cool shadows, but I left the lights off in the living room. I took lots of pictures until the focus was just right, making the love stand out like a sore thumb (or maybe it should be called a sweet thumb?). I set the camera on the edge of the ledge to avoid camera shake. I edited the levels in photoshop, and also used a blue photo filter adjustment layer to get rid of the yellowish light from the kitchen.

Water Bubbles. Taken on 2/17/2011 at 11:40 a.m. Colorado Springs, CO.
F-Stop: 1.8 | Shutter Speed: 1/3200 | Nikon D5000
I took this photo in my kitchen sink. I plugged it up and ran the water, trying to capture bubbles in a new way. I changed the metering (I think that's what it's called) so that what was in motion would blur a little bit, but tried to make it fast enough that the bubbles would be in focus. I really like the way it turned out.

I'm A Little Tea Pot. Taken on 2/10/2011 at 1:39 p.m. Colorado Springs, CO
F-stop: 1.8 | Shutter Speed: 1/10 | Nikon D5000
I didn't have very good light for this photo, so I had to use a big aperture and a slow shutter speed. I rested the camera on the counter to avoid blur. I focused on the reflection of the kitchen in the teapot. I wanted the photo to represent my love for herbal tea, and the kitchen. I tried to set up the photo so that people would get lost in the reflection, and then after a while realize that it's a picture inside a picture.

Drip Drop. Taken on 2/12/2011 at 11:34 a.m. North Cheyenne Canyon Park, CO.
F-stop: 4 | Shutter Speed | 1/2000 | Nikon D5000
As my husband and I were on a hike, we found some melting snow on the side of the trail. I composed the shot trying to use rule of thirds wanting to take the picture when the drop was in position. I took lots of pictures, at a fast shutter speed so that it would be in focus. I used a large aperture for shallow depth of field, making the drop the focal point. I love that you can see the reflection in the water drop. I did have to crop it, and I edited the levels.

Big Wave. Taken on 2/9/2010 at 4:04 p.m. On coast of Haiti.
F-stop: 11 | Shutter Speed: 1/500 | Nikon D5000
I took this photo on a cruise that I went on with my husband. I got really lucky because right when I set up my camera, this giant wave came. I stayed there for at least 15 minutes waiting for another big wave, but none came. I edited the levels, and added some contrast. I also saturated the rocks to make them more orange, so that they compliment the blue sky.

Mexican Bliss. Taken on 2/12/2010 at 11:01 a.m. Tulum, Mexico.
F-stop: 4.4 | Shutter Speed: 1/640 | Nikon D5000
When I saw this view, I knew I had to get the shot just right to capture the beauty of the scene. I used the rule of thirds to make a focal point, and used the plant in the right corner to create good visual pace, keeping the eye moving around in the photo. In Photoshop I edited levels, contrast, and I saturated the greenery a little bit.

The Sky is The Limit. Taken on 2/12/2011 at 11:08 a.m. 
North Cheyenne Canyon Park, CO.
F-Stop: 14 | Shutter Speed: 1/100 | Nikon D5000
I tried to get a unique perspective with this shot by setting the camera on the trunk of the tree looking up towards the sky. I tried to focus on the branches at the top. I edited the levels and contrast.


6 comments:

  1. Drip Drop is a great photo Sara... I looked and saw yours and wanted to recreate a similar thing myself yet with no avail. I love the colors. Looks like you have been to some great places to take pictures. Well done.

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  2. Thanks Danno :) I had to take lots and lots to get that shot :) I set my camera shutter to continuous so that it took picture after picture (like for sports). That helped out a lot. Good luck!

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  3. I really loved all of your pictures! You are really creative. i can't even decide which one would be my favorite. I liked how you used water in three of your pictures and each one had a different look to it, with one being crisp, one blurry, and the other kind of in between.

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  4. You have some really good pictures. I especially liked Water Bubbles because like you said it makes you look at it another way. I also liked The Sky is the Limit. You did a great job keeping almost everything in focus. It's like a snapshot from your own eyes.

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  5. Sara, all I can say is: Wow. You have taken some really great pictures using ordinary everyday subjects. That really encourages me to try harder to find the beauty in my everyday life, like the sink bubbles and teapot. I also like how you gave a very detailed explanation of each photographs process (even if it is required for the assignment). Your explanations were clear enough for a novice to understand. Can wait to see what this semester holds.

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  6. Sara can I have a copy of your "sky is the limit"? you could even autograph it. I'm serious I love it. Too bad it's from last semester...

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