Wesleyan College - Digital Photography (ART275) - Fall 2021
Project 1 - Basic Camera Operations
Getting to understand my DSLR camera, photography basics, and technical terms
Tools: Canon EOS Rebel XSi with "kit" [18-55mm] lens
Overall Grade: 96 / 100
Professor Comments: I enjoy your enthusiasm towards photography and how you're not scared to try new techniques or fail. Your exposures look good, and your compositions feel thought out. Nice work in class so far and thank you for enthusiasm! I look forward to seeing what you make for our more open ended projects coming up. Some of the required bracketed images for the project are duplicate shots without any real adjustments, which affected the grade.
My only real comment about all digital photography is that compression for web display is really horrible and depresses me. The loss of detail and color from the RAW format to JPG is something I despise. I have asked that we submit our finals in PNG format (which may help) - but as of this project, that was not allowed.
Fingers crossed for future projects.
Provide 6 'textbook' examples of specific photography principles along with multiple [bracketed] shots for each category.
Great Depth of Field - ƒ/22.0 | Shutter 1.6 sec | ISO 100
Class Critique: Love the composition - the clouds are like brush strokes on canvas! Like how the lanterns look like starbursts.
Shallow Depth of Field - ƒ/3.5 | Shutter 1/6 sec | ISO 200
Class Critique: Perfection! Everything forces the eyes to the subject (the bull figure). Love the coloring.
Response: Fought hard to balance the bright light to the left without losing the highlight on the figurine coming from a window behind me while shooting. Some color balance editing in cameraRaw for the gold tone.
Response: Fought hard to balance the bright light to the left without losing the highlight on the figurine coming from a window behind me while shooting. Some color balance editing in cameraRaw for the gold tone.
High ISO - ƒ/3.5 | Shutter 1/600 sec | ISO 800
Class Critique: Not really what expected for a high ISO shot. (received explanation of conditions) Ohhh! Love the dappling of the light through the leaves in the background, that really helps make the shot.
Response: I explained this was shot in the dark shade of a rather large tree - then the ISO made sense for everyone. Further, the fast shutter is due to it being a very breezy day, and getting the web and spider detail was more important. Adjusted white balance in cameraRAW to help bring out the webbing.
Low ISO - ƒ/8 | Shutter 1/3 sec | ISO 100
Class Critique: Just wow! Super detail with the dark trees and that burning sunset! The color gradient of the sky is totally smooth! Great use of that low ISO and the Rule of Thirds.
Response: Moon with Venus on Sept. 9, 2021. Wanted to get a more dramatic shot of the pairing; lots of experimentation with shutter, ISO, white balance and aperture. Did not get what I wanted, but this is still really good. Absolutely minimal editing with cameraRAW - optics and a tiny drawback on green tones to help the purple of the clouds balance between the red and blues.
Note to self - learn about infinity focus.
Fast Shutter - ƒ/5.6 | Shutter 1/400 sec | ISO 100
Class Critique: Excellent positioning with the bush behind the fountain or would not see the water droplets. Nicely done, composition is good, and can even see the detail of the dropping water on the surface.
Response: Another breezy day - surprised this actually came out as well as it did. :) The only editing was a slight uptick of saturation to punch up the coloring and the optical adjustment for the camera's profile.
Slow Shutter - ƒ/18 | Shutter 30 sec | ISO 400
Class Critique: Not what expected for slow shutter - don't really see any blur of motion, just the branches in the foreground which could be out of focus. What's with the lines to the left?
Response: Using long shutter in hopes of catching lightning from the passing thunderstorms at night. I did like how the long exposure turned the lamp lights into starbursts - thought it was a good play of light in darkness. The lines are actually a grid from the screen of my dorm's window - was shooting from inside, through the screen. No editing with cameraRAW.
Not exactly textbook, I know.
