{Project 52} Week #3

Well, my friends, we’re up to week #3! So far, so good right? Its been pretty smooth sailing!

With week #3 here, Id like you to take a look back at the three photos you’ve taken so far for this project.

Do you know where you’re going with this yet? Do you know where you’d like to go? Are you working on your own theme for P52 (street, still life, sport, night photography, etc.)?

For me, as I originally mentioned at the beginning, I really want to improve my “real-life” photography. By that, I mean that since 90% of my body of work in still-life (and I LOVE still-life), it hasn’t given me much opportunity to take photos of people, places, or nature. Still-life is controlled. People, especially children, move! Lighting conditions vary outdoors and in, and scenery changes on a constant basis. I'm ashamed to admit that after 2.5 years of owning my DSLR, I haven’t really taken enough time to “know” my camera.

In the beginning, I read my manual front to back, bought a book on digital photography to soak up some more knowledge, and joined lots and lots of photography groups. Then, I jumped in – head first – and never took the time to go back and learn more. Exposure triangle, ISO settings, Shutter Speed – these are all things you can know in theory, but what about when it comes time to actually applying them? These are the points that I know I won't master in 52 weeks, but I certainly intend to improve!

So with that being said, I've vowed to comprise at least 75% of my Project 52 with "real-life" photos. The other 25%, I'm dedicating to still-life, but unedited still-life - no textures or fancy photoshop techniques - just clean edits. I want to be able to see the sharpness in my photos improve naturally, I want to clearly notice the depth of field, and see the catchlights in my daughter's eyes. And although I'm trusting my own eyes more with manual focus, I want to become more comfortable with setting all the adjustments on my camera manually, and trusting that, with a little time and patience, I can get it right.

Hubby brought a bag of these home the other day, and we ate them all within 24 hours. I sliced, I photographed, we ate. :) The exposure was NOT what I was hoping for, and it was hard to adjust it without blowing out the contrast on the inside of the orange. It took some work but, with practice, I hope to be able to adjust my camera's setting in these situations, in camera, to avoid so much editing out of camera.







And before I forget, I was thinking about throwing a bit of a challenge into next week's Project 52 Link-Up. I think it'll keep things from getting mundane and keep the momentum going.

"COLD"

For those of us in the colder parts of the world, this should be an easy one, and my friends elsewhere, this will give you a chance to get creative. There are so many ways to interpret the word "cold", so thinking outside of the box is definitely a good thing! Remember, this is totally optional and you don't have to follow this suggested theme to participate.

Big thanks to everyone whose shown love by joining in and featuring the button on their sites!

Enough talking, time to see what you've been shooting!

*Update: I've decided to enter this photo into the "Click It Up A Notch" contest for January! Although you know my feelings on photography challenges, I figured why not? Doesn't hurt every now and then. :) Please go see all the other lovely entries!