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Monday, 29 September 2008

Through the Eye of a Fish

Warning - Picture overload.........................
I am debating whether I like film or digital photography a little more?!?!?! It's a such tough call ~~ I recently picked up my LONG abandoned fisheye lomo camera to shoot again so that I can finish the last roll of film has been collecting dust on my desk. After spending a good $20 to develop a roll of 24ct 35mm film, my near-by photo lab did not disappoint me at all. I specifically request to push one F stop up to make the picture to be brighter. Due to the poor lighting receiver on the cheapy plastic lomo camera, typically the outcome pictures from the 100 iso film came out to be quite dark. So thank goodness to these local Mom & Pop photo labs are willing to fix these sort of issue in the development process. I am very happy with the result and I also use photoshop a bit to bring out some more contrast and saturation. Yah, I am switching back and forth from DSLR to Lomo. Two has very distinct difference and I started to like Lomo more because the craziness from the fisheye and the classy grainy texture from the film. Anyway, please come check them out and let me know what you think? I post the rest of my homework & pictures on flickr, add me if you have a flickr account.

Wednesday, 24 September 2008

What I like about photography is the picture itself, not the camera

"What I like about photography is the picture itself, not the camera." - Lomography Asia
The more that I shoot, the more that I become interested in photography. Even though each of my class is a good 2.5 hr LLLLOOONNNGGG for 2 nights a week and I don't get home until 10 or 11 pm during school nights, I still look forward coming to class every time. From the last few weeks of shooting, I've notice photography can be both private and social. Private in a way that you are capturing things from your very own point of view, you control & decide what goes into the picture. Social in a way that strangers who saw you in the act of taking a photo, then they started talking to you about photography & exchanging ideas. With many different possible forms of art which photography can create, I start to liking it, no I mean LOVING it! I feel that this new hobby of mine will help me to develop useful skills which will last for a life time.
Anyway, here are a few pictures I shoot in a nearby bookstore. Tell me which one you like best and least please! Thanks folks again for all your comments/inputs!! It really helped me a lot! For this week's assignment about applying color theory and Itten's color contrasts which is due tomorrow 9/25/08, I've already turned in my assignment last night. I am so proud of myself that I've finished this assignment early and did not procrastinate!
1) Photography for Dummies book

2) Strolling thru the Ficton books

3) Strolling thru the Non-Fiction Books

4) The Slander book
5) The Motion to Surpress book

6) Strolling thru the Kids Books

7) The Janet Evanovich Book

Thursday, 18 September 2008

Photography Homework about Exposure

Sorry for the late update. I have been swamp with work, school, my Mom, my other modeling gig and all kinds of things to do. I have been hoping something would happen at work like the power will be down or something like that where I can just go home and catch some sleep :P
Many thanks to all you readers who gave me all these encouragment to do better on my next assignments. I LOVE your comments whether you have anything postive or negative to say about it.
My latest photography homework is about exposures. Can you please tell me which of the following 6 photos got the best exposure and which one got the worst? Also, what's the best way to tell exposures? Do you use the meter reading? I need to hear your comments in order to improve myself better. Yes, be harsh & I can take it!!! Also, do you guys know any good website that tells you how to calibrate our monitor? All pictures look a bit on the brighter side on my PC computers at work, but darker on my monitor in school using Mac.
1) Steering Wheel

2) an Abandon Car

4) Junk Yard
5) an Abandon speed boat

6) Watering Hoses

Friday, 05 September 2008

Rambo & Hubby in their very own Rave Party

First of all, thank you so much to all of you who commented on my last post. I wouldn't be able to improve my skills without your kind words and supports.
I enjoyed my photography class very much. Our past 3 lectures were discussion about pictures on flickr. My 2nd photogrpahy homework which was due yesterday was about the topic of slow shutter speed. It's impossible for me to do this without a tripod & push to the 1600 ISO on my D40, so I did borrow someone's tripod and use one of the slowest shutter & highest ISO in order to capture the ray of light from the glow stick. I had a lot of fun shooting hubby & my dog Rambo for this assignment. Do you think I am crazy? Maybe just a little.....
Check out my picture spec & camera setting on my flickr acct if you are interested.

Thursday, 28 August 2008

Back to School - Taking Photography Class for Fun

Have you notice there were a lot more cars on the road since Monday? Traffic for me coming to work has been crazy lately and my normal 45 minutes commute expanded to a good one hour + drive. I think this has to do with many school has been started. I too, registered for a class in a near by community college to learn about digital photography. This is going to be my 2nd photography class experience. My 1st class was black & white photography using film SLR, it was a lot of fun developing pictures in the dark room. The only draw back is our typical lab session is about 3-4 hours long, 2 times a week & lecture for another 2 hrs also 2 times a week. I felt extremely exhausted at the end of the semester from working 40+ hrs/week adding on another 12 hrs of school. I swore that never take another night class again.
Something really tricker me to take photography class again this fall, it was something that I read from the Popular Photography Magazine about a Mom who has been taking care of 4 kids and became a professional photographer after she took some classes with their community center for once a week for about one year. Then I am thinking, even a Mom with such crazy hectic schedule can squeeze her time to fulfill her dream and found her passion, why can't I do it too? Therefore, I've decided to enrolled myself for the photography class to see if this would become my passion.
Our 1st homework assignments has 2 parts, this 1st part is to use the Aperture priority mode to shoot. I've taken a few photos of the Farmer's Market near work during lunch hour on Tuesday. I was using some hand-me-down DSLR from hubby LOL!! The Nikon D40 and its crappy kit lense. Tell me what do you think of the pictures? I would like to hear your critique & comments.



Our part 2 of the homework assignment is to use the Shutter Speed priority mode to shoot. Also, I would like to know what you like & what you don't like. Thanks!


Thanks for reading. I'll post some more on my next assignments.