Digital Photography Guide

Weekly Assignment

Last week we started our “Back to Basics” theme with an assignment on the Rule of Thirds. This is a compositional rule which suggests that photos are more effective if the subjects are placed on one of the lines which would divide the frame into 9 equal parts. Well, we had some great pictures this week that showed us just how effective the Rule of Thirds is when composing a photo. Our winner this week was SarahN for her balance beam shot. We thought that the placement, colour, and depth of field all reinforced the idea of thirds, and everything lined up so very nicely. Our first runner up was edmDusty’s shot of the Four-Part Eye. Not only was the eye well placed along the rule of thirds, but the colour from the merged photos was really striking. And last but not least was onomatopoeia’s sleepy roses. We liked how the focus was on the main rose, but how each of the other roses was sitting on other parts of the Rule of Thirds grid. Well done everyone!

This week we’re continuing our “Back to Basics” theme with our Balance assignment. Balance is one of those tricky things to understand in photography because it’s hard to define. But to help you figure out what Balance is, you can check out this DPS Blog post or read some of the links in the first post in the Balance assignment. As always there are a few simple rules to follow to participate in the mini-contest to have your photo featured on the blog. First, your photo must have been taken between 11 - 25 February 2009. Second, your post must include the words “Assignment : Balance” to show that you want it included in the contest. And last, but not least, your EXIF should be intact and it helps if you include the main points in your post. Next week’s assignment will be Rhythm. We are aware of rhythmic patterns in music and they exist visually as well. It can be pleasing and soothing or somewhat erratic, but it keeps our eye moving in a repeating pattern. Fence posts, ripples in water, as well as shapes that echo each other such as circular patterns of different objects, are all examples of rhythm in composition. These elements should compliment each other, creating a flow that is pleasing to the eye.

Hot Threads

• Best way to learn portrait lighting setup?: One of our newer sections of the forum that’s really been taking off is the Lighting Techniques section. One forum member has just purchased their first studio lighting kit and now needs some help learning how to use it. If you have suggestions or if you are also wondering the same sort of thing, come along and discuss it in the forum.
• Let another photographer use your equipment?: One question in the forum that has been getting lots of attention is this one about letting someone else use your gear. Of course you would hope that someone would help you out if you were stuck, but would you really trust someone else with your kit? Come share your opinions in the forum.
• Event printing: As an event photographer, one thing that you can do is to print your photos right at the event to sell them right away. But if you’re new to doing something like that, what do you do? You ask for advice from our knowledgeable forum. Come join in the discussion especially if you have experience in on-site printing at events.
• What Would You Do (#87): Each week we have our weekly post-processing thread that’s open to any level of post-processing skill. These threads let you post-process another member’s image and show us how you would work with it if it were one of your own. So whether you have Paint or Photoshop, Picasa or Picnik, come join us to show us what you would do.

Weekly Assignment

Would you believe that the Negative Space in a photo can be just as powerful (and sometimes more so) than the subject? Well, last week that’s exactly what our goal was. While sometimes silence can speak volumes, negative space can show volumes. We had a very clear winner this week too. Nathan deGargoyle gave us a great example of how to use negative space well with his self-portrait. The darkness really added to the atmosphere. Speaking of atmosphere, phillj’s snorkel shot also spoke volumes about the atmosphere making that water seem a very cool, refreshing place while also showing us that a photo doesn’t have to be in B&W to take advantage of negative space. And last, but not least, liliann’s framed shot used a black background to create the negative space both within the photo and in the frame itself.

Whether it’s warm or Cold by you, cold is our newest assignment. So whether it’s cold weather or an ice cold glass of lemonade, your goal this week is to show us an example of cold. As always there are a few basic rules to follow to be included in the mini-contest to have your photo featured on the DPS Blog. First, your photo must have been taken between 28 January - 11 February 2009. Next, your post must include the words “Assignment: Cold” and the date that the picture was taken. And last of all, the EXIF should be intact. Next week’s assignment is the “Rule of Thirds“.

Hot Threads

• A Guide to Shooting Self-Portrats for Those Who Are Afraid to Try: Saralonde, one of our admins finished a 365 self-portrait project not so long ago. She found that she learned a lot from the experience and decided to put some of that into a post to help people who are new at self-portraits learn from her experiences. If you’ve ever considered self-portraits but just weren’t sure where to start, come read some of the advice here.
• CD’s: Our Earning with Photography section of the forums has been extremely popular, and one question that is on the minds of photographers more frequently is whether or not to give CD’s of images. But that also brings up another question and that is how do you present the CD to the client? Come share your opinions in this thread.
• What kind of photography do you do?: One of our forum members was curious about how whether most forum members’ shots were planned or unplanned. Without a doubt we have members that cover all areas of the spectrum, but why not come and share what portion of your photos are spontaneous vs planned.
• What Would You Do: Each week we have a post-processing challenge where members are able to edit the photo from another forum member to show us how they would process it. These threads are a learning experience for everyone, so whether you use Picasa or Photoshop, if you’re interested in post-processing, come and participate!

Weekly Assignment

We finished the High ISO assignment this week, and there were a lot of really creative entries. We were able to pick out 3 of our favourite shots, but it was a challenge (as always!). That being said, our winner this week was duna’s sparklers. The use of the high ISO let her get the shutter speed up high enough to catch the little sparks and their detail. Our first runner up was lyskabar’s “Ingrained Farmer.” While the title creates a lovely play on words, the grain really helps bring out the detail and creates a timeless quality to the photo. And last, but not least was ana.gr’s Julia, 1600. In this case, the grain really helped add to the soft look of the photo and helped create a really lovely portrait. Well done to our winner and runners up! And also nicely done everyone else, it’s all the quality shots that we get submitted that make our task of picking just 3 pictures a difficult one!

Negative Space can have a powerful effect on a photograph. It can help draw the eye to the subject, create feelings of isolation, and just change the entire feel of a shot. That’s why this week’s assignment is Negative Space. In order to be eligible for the mini-contest, your photo needs to have been taken between 21 January - 4 February 2009, you must include the words “Assignment: Negative Space” and the date the photo was taken in your post, and the EXIF should be intact. Next week’s assignment will be “Cold”.

Hot Threads

• You have a great camera…: Have you ever been told this? Does it make you feel like people think that it’s your camera that goes out and takes good pictures rather than you, the photographer? Well, unless you have stitchbug’s camera (which apparently goes for walks on it’s own), you may feel frustrated hearing this. So what do you say when people tell you this?
• Making dull things interesting: A discussion came up in the critique forum which made one forum user ask the question: Can any subject be made interesting and dramatic in a photo? And the result of the question was a challenge to anyone out there to make the list of items in the thread look interesting. Stop by and participate in a thread which is sure to get you thinking more creatively and will help you realise that anything can be made intersting.
• 18 Minute Pinhole at Night: You read that right, one of our forum members (RussHeath) took an 18 minute exposure with a pinhole camera. The aperture for the shot was approximately f/150, and the camera was loaded with Fuji Superia 100 film. The result is definitely something to be seen!
• Do you under or over expose when shooting RAW?: While the ideal choice is to always get your exposure spot on, when you’re forced to choose between under and overexposing, which do you pick? Do you pick underexposure because it’s easier to rescule the shadows or do you come as close to overexposing as possible without clipping your highlights?
• What Would You Do (#84): What Would You Do is our weekly post-processing thread that let’s you edit the photo of another forum member who has graciously offered up their photo for people to edit. Whether you have Photoshop or Paint, The Gimp or Picasa, the game is open to all levels of post-processing skill, so come join in the fun. You’ll be amazed what you can learn!

Afternoon Snooze

Well, for the first time in assignment history, the judges have managed to make my job SO MUCH FUN! We have a tied first, a tied second and a third place… So, we actually have FIVE winners today from our assignment : sleep.

Tied in first place, we have “Afternoon Snooze” and “Bokeh Dreams” Second place went to “Street Sleep” and “10 More Minutes” And third goes to “Sleeping baby” Five very different images with certain different appeals to our various judges! Thanks guys for entering - Well done all of you.

Hot Threads

• Transforming a mediocre self portrait into an ICE PRINCESS: Teewinot (One of my favourite self portrait buddies) has posted an image she shot of herself and then turned into an Ice Princess! Check it out..
• “How you doin’ ?” - Then and Now: Here’s another way we can see how DPS members are doing - and how you’ve done so far. Compare yourself to yourself, posting something old and something new. They can be the same subject, but mainly add anything with time in between the taking. Adding the span of time makes it more interesting..
• Never shoot in raw?: I’m reading a book by Tom Ang and he states never to shoot in raw. everything I have read by Scott Kelby says you have to be crazy not to shoot in raw. other than file size is there any reason not to shoot in raw?
• Has anyone else ever felt..: …so frustrated of your photographic abilities that you just want to scream? Maybe I am just being too hard on myself and expecting too much. Now, I realise that I have only been serious about photography for the last year but I thought I would catch on by now. I feel like I take more bad shots than I do good. I guess I really need to analyse each shot better and learn from it. I don’t know. I just needed to vent. Thanks for listening.

Weekly Assignment  *Sorry for the late posting folks, I was cooking!!*

This week we finished the Dream assignment. The very last in our series of  Crumpler 5 Million Dollar Bag assignments. So, congrats to Zetson, our winner this week with the photograph “Dream” I’ve had dreams like that, mostly after a cup of strong Jasmine tea before bed! Our first runner up was JenniferAnne with “My Little Dreamer” awww, so very cute, well done. And, finally, for the second week running, and “as chosen by our special panel of experts” kelleyrie with the American Dream - Magic, well done!

This week’s assignment is Sleep. It just seemed right at the time, Saralonde asked “What should our assignment be fore next week, and, as I’d been doing some very long evenings in the run up to the forum redesign (Which I hope you”ll all agree is just great!) My immediate and unwavering reply was “Sleep!” As usual, there are a few rules for you to qualify to win. Your photo must have been taken between 7 Jan, 2009 - 21 January 2009, your post must include the words “Assignment: Sleep” and the date the photo was taken, and your EXIF should be intact with the main points in your post. Next week’s assignment will be “High ISO”.

Hot Threads

• Still Life Open Invitational: lindyannajones has posted a new challenge in the Share Your Shots part of our forum calling for people to submit their still life pictures. Whether still life is one of your main types of photography or you’re new to arranging your pictures, come join in the thread and share your still life shots.
• Who else is “shy” about their photography?: One thing that we often have to overcome as photographers is shyness. Sometimes we’re too shy to be in front of the camera so we choose to be behind it. However, if you let your shyness impact whether or not you take a pictures you may miss out on lots of opportunities. So if you’re shy or you’ve had to overcome your shyness, why not come offer some tips in the forum thread.
• How do you save your photos?: Digital photography means a lot of pictures since it’s much cheaper and faster than film. However, what do you do with all these photos? Do you save them all? Do you print them? Put them in books? Save them to CD/DVDs? How do you save all your photos?
• What Would You Do (#81): What would you do is back, alive and kicking. This week’s challenge is a special one thanks to an idea by one of our members to use a particular public domain picture to see what you would do with it. Drop by our weekly post processing thread and try your hand at editing it.