Posts

Showing posts from December, 2010

A quick tip to make snowy scenes pop! And some other seasonal shots too.

Image
Well I thought I would do a video on this, but time has been a little sparse lately so I decided to write up a post instead. Now if you're not familiar with how camera metering works then I'd recommend you check out Episode 6 which is on the topic to get you up to speed; the supplemental post has some good resource links if you'd like to learn even more. The Setup Have you ever looked out at a beautiful snowy landscape thinking what a wonderful photo it would make, then after taking the shot you ponder why it turned out so flat? Well, you can pretty much blame the way the camera's metering system works for this outcome. Let's use a simple example to understand what is happening. Before us is a landscape covered mostly with snow, a cloudy (thus white) sky and some trees also mostly covered with bright white snow. To our adaptive vision, all is well and the snow is a brilliant, almost blinding, white and the shadow areas of the scene (trunks of trees and expose

Viewer Q&A - Camera Maintenance and Care - Supplemental Post

Well I figure I better finish up the supplemental post to my Camera Maintenance and Care viewer request video I made a few weeks ago, seeing as I'm almost ready to start making the next episode. Overall, I believe that most people take fairly good care of their camera equipment, especially the amateur enthusiasts and pros out there. On the other hand, I do know a novice photographer who used her fingers to wipe the lens clean... I still shudder to this day. This video was the longest I've made since I started my photography series, but it was comprised of many short segments succinctly covering many camera maintenance and care topics. In no particular order they included: Replacing the camera body and lens (front and rear) caps to help prevent dust from collecting on the inner components of the camera and the exposed glass elements, respectively, and from other damage occurring (e.g. scratches on the lens; a finger accidentally entering the mirror box and poking some cri

Daisy ponders the angles of the wooden shark

Image
I know, I know! I'm a tad overdue in writing up that supplemental blog post to my camera maintenance and care video; soon, really, seriously, soon! I've finally posted a couple of photos of my wooden shark, which turned out quite well; the grain is just amazing as it flows along the body. She's essentially done except for a couple of coats of varnish to protect her delicate skin. In total I think I've spent around 17 hours on this project, most of that on sanding, detail work and a little pyrography to etch the eyes, nose, gills and mouth. I'm fairly sure what my next project will be and as soon as my mind makes itself up and I have a bit of that piece going, I'll post a pic of two of it. I'll also have to start using a vice of some sort for future work though, as there were a few moments where one would have come in very handy to free up both of my hands; this was especially apparent when using the rotary tool. Also, I couldn't help but snap a few o