Comments on: photoclass, session 3

By: Deb

Deb — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 02:39:57 +0000

Ruby – I have some friends who are afraid of birds. I thought it was sort of weird when the one friends said she was afraid of them, was even creeped out by them, but I think there are a lot of people out there who are!

I didn’t think much of chickens (good or bad) before I started going to the sanctuary, but having gotten to know them (and a swan and a peacock, turkeys and a couple guinea hens), I have to defend them a bit here – they’re intelligent, lovable, the males are quite gallant, they band together to warn each other of danger, they form close bonds, they have all the quirks of personality that you’d expect to find in dogs or cats, just expressed a bit differently. They’re really quite fascinating!

By: RubyShooZ

RubyShooZ — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 03:22:13 +0000

Kitty photos always win out in my book but I do love the barn. I’d be inclined to crop the sky but I agree with the teach. The chicken well – second is much better than the first but – I’m going out on a limb here and letting my truth out…I have a thing against chickens, geese!, butterflies, hummingbirds and most any flying thing but chickens very much so.

Man, I didn’t mean to go there but it’s out now.

I too am learning much reading here with others and I thank you very much. I’ve always had admiration for you and still do – more and more as time goes by.

Peace always.

By: Deb

Deb — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 02:14:15 +0000

fw – your son’s feet were great! Glad tempest’s foot can inspire others, not just me! lol.

By: fightingwindmills

fightingwindmills — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 01:06:25 +0000

Thanks for the photography lessons, Deb. I get a lot out of whatever shots and comments you share. I’ve never taken a photography class, but I do like to imitate! Tempest’s paw translates to my son’s foot.

By: Deb

Deb — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 03:15:16 +0000

Jazmine – believe me, I take plenty of blurry pictures too! Some of it is how steady your hand is, some of it is the camera itself. Some lenses have image stabilization, and it can also have a lot to do with how much ambient light you have. (The more light, the faster the shutter speed, and the less issues we tend to have with handshake.)

One trick is to keep your elbows close to your body when you’re taking the picture, and to exhale all the air – both these things tend to keep the body more still and stabilizes the hands a bit.

Take many and take them often! The more you take, the more good ones you’ll get!

By: jazmine9

jazmine9 — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 03:11:13 +0000

Those are very good. I am always amazed at the clarity pictures can have, as opposed to many of ours that are blurry! I’m better at it than my husband, but still…
The paw is my favorite too. I love the contrast of colors in it, and I also love the chicken. The close up really brings out his eyes! LOL!
Thanks for these lessons. It inspires me to take more myself!

By: Deb

Deb — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 03:03:18 +0000

Thanks Hawk! And all photography starts with shooting and clicking! Actually, it starts with seeing, and then shooting and clicking, and then looking at the results, and repeating the procedure about a million times! It is more about the seeing, and that’s when it gets fun. One of my friends was told in his first photography class to lock himself in the bathroom and take a roll of film. He said it was really instructive in learning how to see everyday things in different and creative ways. So, you see, you might still have it inside you!

As for amounts of snow, none now. At the time of these pics (last saturday), there was maybe an inch on the ground (at least on the grass), though the roads were clear.

All the snowlovers have been disappointed by the snowfall in this area this winter, but I’m not complaining…not at all!

By: Hawk

Hawk — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:24:03 +0000

Dig the shots. You are just da bomb, Shutterbug!

I know diddly about photography. About the only thing I can do is point and shoot. If it ain’t automatic, I don’t fool with it.

Always good to see what’s happening in your neck of the woods. BTW, how much snow is on the ground in your locale?

Later…

By: Deb

Deb — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:06:21 +0000

Yeah, I’ve been pleased to see how much it helps to get feedback from someone with specifics of “such and such is distracting and here’s what I would do”. He’s a big fan of cropping (not everyone agrees with him), and I’ve often cropped to make a picture more what I want, so that was something I agreed with him on right from the start!

As for the alien white stuff, it is just proof that y’all in the north are evil! EEeEvil, I say!

Or, for colder snowier winters, move south? lol.

By: rich

rich — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:53:02 +0000

Thanks for posting these pics and comments. I am one of those fans of your feedback from your instructor. I really like the idea of cropping a picture to turn it from landscape to portrait. I never thought of cropping that way, it makes sense and really works for the photo you posted. Having seen a lot of your pics I love the technique of shooting a small part of a pig picture. Tempest’s paw is a great example of this. I would never think of doing that.
The best part though is that alien white stuff in the first two photos, we no longer get any of that mystery stuff in NYC.