6) Project: Looking through the viewfinder. Exercise: Fitting the frame to the subject - page 25.

Deciding the subject.

To meet all of the criteria, there were many subjects I could have used, both indoor and outdoor, however having some very beautiful locations where I live, I was keen to get outside and shoot something in a landscape, subject to weather conditions (which have been incredibly poor of late!). 

It was however, important to choose something that I could gain easy access to and it was also important for me personally to choose a subject that would be interesting in its own right in each shot.

I chose a castle close to where I live, as this exercise would allow me to view the castle differently than I normally do and I also chose it as I know in the future I will revisit the castle and take further shots.

Setting up.

There was minimal set up with this shoot, only to choose a location suitable to shoot the castle from as there are various different angles available, many which have significant interference from its surroundings. 

The equipment used.

Camera: Canon 500D

Lenses: Canon 18 - 55, Tamron 70 - 300.

Settings and results.

As the task was very specific to obtain 4 different shot of the same subject at different focal lengths to enable to subject to fit the frame, different settings were used and also one photo used a different lens altogether to enable me to zoom in a lot closer.  Here are the settings and results.

IMG 3373 – Normal Shot, entire subject in viewfinder.

IMG 3373

Lens: Canon 18 - 55

Focal length: 25mm

Focal length in 35mm: 40.1mm

Shutter speed: 1/400

Aperture: f/5

Camera setting: Aperture priority

ISO: 100

Metering: Matrix

White balance: Auto

Flash: Not used

This is the type of shot I would normally take with little thought to composition, just point and shoot to get a shot of the subject I want.

IMG 3374 – Image where subject fits the frame, edge to edge as best as I could achieve.

IMG 3374

Lens: Canon 18 - 55

Focal length: 55mm

Focal length in 35mm: 87.7mm

Shutter speed: 1/320

Aperture: f/5.6

Camera setting: Aperture priority

ISO: 100

Metering: matrix

White balance: Auto

Flash: Not used

IMG 3378 – Close up so that none of the edges are visible, just one part of the castle.

IMG 3378

Lens: Tamron 70 - 300

Focal length: 300mm

Focal length in 35mm: 476mm

Shutter speed: 1/250

Aperture: f/5.6

Camera setting: Aperture priority

ISO: 100

Metering: Matrix

White balance: Auto

Flash: Not used













IMG 3370 – Quarter or less of frame, showing the moat of the castle, emphasising the surrounding area.

IMG 3370

Lens: Canon 18 - 55

Focal length: 18mm

Focal length in 35mm: 29mm

Shutter speed: 1/250

Aperture: f/5

Camera setting: Aperture priority

ISO: 100

Metering: Matrix

White balance: Auto

Flash: Not used

L-Frames/cropped images.

Original shot before cropping:  IMG 3370 (see above)

You can clearly see by L-Framing/cropping you can significantly change the entire composition of a photograph, ultimately changing perhaps the image you are trying to portray and the message it is sending to the viewer.

Findings and conclusion.

Once again I am satisfied as to how this exercise went and the overall results.  I am however a little disappointed with the shots, as the light was particularly poor (the best it has been in a while though!) as it doesn’t show the true beauty of the castle as it should, as it really is quite magnificent on a summers day.

Overall the exercise has taught me that there are many different ways to frame a shot using the viewfinder and also that when photographing such as wonderful subject, like a castle, it is perhaps better to take some time over the composition to choose the best shot, or even take a multitude of shots of which you perhaps may not have thought of before.  They may not be the images you were originally planning to take, but stepping back and reviewing the same subject from different angles can produce some very interesting results.

I have also learnt that although cropping is now fairly easy, it can also dramatically change an image that has already been taken, to produce an entirely new image altogether, thus also altering the message the image is portraying to the viewer and also how it is perceived.  It is also a fantastic tool to make a simple adjustment on a shot that may not be ‘quite right’ and create a shot that works.

5) Project: Photographing movement. Exercise: Panning with different shutter speeds - page 21.

Deciding the subject.

Knowing that I would be going to a local motor circuit, I waited to complete this aspect of the shutter speed exercise, as cars racing would be a perfect subject to experiment with different shutter speeds whilst panning, to try and show the 'action' and 'movement'.

Setting up.

This was really a case of arriving at the track and walking around, taking different shots at different locations and using differernt shutter speeds based on where I was at the time.  I didn't use a tripod, as this is my first time of doing any kind of panning shots and I felt it may have been a little more difficult trying to achieve this on a tripod, especially when photographing cars on a winding track.

The equipment used.

Camera: Canon 500D
Lens: Tamron 70mm - 300mm
Flash: Not used.

Settings and results.

IMG3720

IMG3720
Camera setting: TV (Shutter priority)
Focal length: 70mm
Equivalent in 35mm: 111mm
Shutter speed 1/200
Aperture: f/8
Flash: Not used
Metering: Matrix
ISO: 400
White balance: Manual - Shade
Exposure compensation: +1/3

IMG3803 















IMG3803
Camera setting: TV (Shutter priority)
Focal length: 300mm
Equivalent in 35mm: 476mm
Shutter speed: 1/500
Aperture: f/6.3
Flash: Not used
Metering: Sport
ISO: 200
White balance: Manual - Shade
Exposure compensation: None

IMG3825















IMG3825
Camera setting: TV (Shutter priority)
Focal length: 109mm
Equivalent in 35mm: 173mm
Shutter speed: 1/500
Aperture: f/7.1
Flash: Not used
Metering: Spot
ISO: 400
White balance: Manual - Shade
Exposure compensation: +2/3

IMG3885

IMG3885
Camera setting: TV (Shutter priority)
Focal Length: 119mm
Equivalent in 35mm: 189mm
Shutter speed: 1/100
Aperture: f/20
Flash: Not used.
Metering: Spot
ISO: 400
White balance: Manual - Shade
Exposure compensation: +2/3

IMG3887
















IMG3887
Camera setting: TV (Shutter priority)
Focal length: 119mm
Equivalent in 35mm: 189mm
Shutter speed: 1/100
Aperture: f/18
Flash Not used
Metering: Spot
ISO: 400
White balance: Manual - Shade
Exposure compensation: +2/3

IMG3889

IMG3889
Camera setting: TV (Shutter priority)
Focal length: 119mm
Equivalent in 35mm: 189mm
Shutter speed: 1/100
Aperture: f/20
Flash: Not used
Metering: Spot
ISO: 400
White balance: Manual - Shade
Exposure compensation: +2/3

IMG3952

IMG3952
Camera setting: TV (Shutter priority)
Focal length: 100mm
Equivalent in 35mm: 159mm
Shutter speed: 1/100
Aperture: f/10
Flash: Not used
Metering: spot
ISO: 400
White balance: Manual - Shade
Exposure compensation: +2/3

IMG3976

IMG3976

Camera setting: TV (Shutter priority)

Focal Length: 176mm

Equivalent in 35mm: 279mm

Shutter speed: 1/500

Aperture: f/5

Flas: Not used

Metering: Spot

ISO: 400

White balance: Manual - Shade

Exposure compensation: None

IMG 3982

IMG3982

Camera setting: TV (Shutter priority)

Focal length: 70mm

Equivalent in 35mm: 111mm

Shutter speed: 1/125

Aperture: f/10

Flash: Not used

Metering: Spot

ISO: 400

White balance: Manual - Shade

Exposure compensation: None

IMG4003

IMG4003

Camera setting: TV (Shutter priority)

Focal Length: 109MM

Equivalent in 35mm: 173mm

Shutter speed: 1/200

Aperture: f/6.3

Flash: Not used

Metering: Matrix

ISO: 400

White balance: Manual  - Shade

Exposure compensation: None

IMG4027

IMG4027

Camera setting: TV (Shutter speed)

Focal length: 104mm

Equivalent in 35mm: 165MM

Shutter speed: 1/60

Aperture: f/10

Flash: Not used

Metering: Matrix

ISO: 400

White balance:  Manual - Shade

Exposure compensation: None

IMG4057

IMG4057

Camera setting: TV (Shutter priority)

Focal length: 119mm

Equivalent in 35mm: 189mm

Shutter speed: 1/50

Aperture: F/14

Flash: Not used

Metering: Matrix

ISO: 400

White balance: Manual - Shade

Exposure compensation: None.

Findings.

Having had a really fun (albeit wet and cold) day photographing the cars, it is clear to say that changing the shutter speed has quite a different effect shown in the end result.  This was really my first attempt at panning, and although it is quite tricky, it is satisfying once you finally start producing results and once you learn quickly that the best results are achieved when you follow through the entire sequence, almost moving the camera 360⁰.

You can see from the above images, using a slower shutter speed intensifies the effect of movement.  This combined with panning, allows you to keep the focal point relatively sharp, yet allowing movement to show in the blurring of the edges of the car and the scene around as seen in image IMG4057.  A shutter speed of 1/50 was used here, which certainly emphasises the movement quite dramatically, especially when you have something significant in the frame that is completely static showing the blur effect against the sharpness of the car, in this instance the tyres of the chicane.

Whereas, if you look at image IMG3976, you can see a shutter speed of 1/500 was used, along with panning.  This makes for a much sharper shot, less blurring of the surroundings, a sharper car, thus being a lot less emphasis on the movement of the car, however, still a pleasing shot nevertheless.

I also found that there are many influencing factors that can change the result as well, depending on what subject you are shooting.  For instance, if you are taking shots of cars racing, each car will produce a slightly different result if travelling at different speeds, if you keep the shutter speed the same.  It is with this in mind, that it is clear that panning and photographing movement really will produce quite varied results.

Conclusion.

This by far has produced some of the best results for me to date, especially capturing the beauty of a racing car.  Looking at this exercise and the previous exercise, it is very difficult for me to decide which results I prefer as I honestly think that faster shutter speeds freezing the action is appropriate in certain situations, whereas when photographing a racing car, for me it is indeed the essence of the subject moving that really allows you to ‘feel’ a part of the action.

Image IMG3720 really captures the movement of the car and even though the shot is not as ‘sharp’ as perhaps you would expect a photograph to be, if it was, in my opinion it would have the same atmosphere or feel as it does now.

Whereas image IMG3825 uses a faster shutter speed of 1/500, freezing the action  is still a pleasing shot and you can still tell it is a car going around a racetrack by looking at the entire composition, it doesn’t ‘speak movement’ or ‘speed to you the same as image IMG3720 does.  But in image IMG3803, it is not really an issue using a shutter speed of 1/500 freezing the action, it perhaps indeed adds to the drama of the shot as the car is coming out of chicane and is much more head on to the camera.

Images IMG3952 and IMG3976 are similar in comparison, again with IMG3976 using a faster shutter speed, thus showing less movement in the shot, but nevertheless still a pleasing photograph to view, but IMG3952 using a slower shutter speed showing much more movement, especially in the cars wheels, adding to the sense of drama perhaps.

However, reviewing all of the photos above, I would be hard pushed to choose a favourite between images IMG3889, IMG4027, IMG4057.  They all capture beautifully the movement in the cars, by blurring the track, background and indeed the tyres in the last two shots to really give you the feeling and sense of the speed in the photo. 

In image IMG3889, I think the simplicity of the background and foreground which is slightly blurred is very pleasing against the contrast of the car and its sharpness added to by the amount of movement seen in the cars wheels, making this probably my favourite shot of the day.  Having said that the impact of the foreground and background that is blurred in both images IMG4027 and IMG4057, makes choosing a favourite very difficult!  However, I think it is safe to say that these three are my favourite shots, so my shutter speed of choice when photographing racing cars would be a lower one allowing for the sense and feeling of movement to be seen and felt in the photo.

4) Project: Photographing movement. Exercise: Shutter speeds - page 20.

Deciding the subject.

For this exercise, I was going to do cars racing as I had plans to photograph a track day.  I was going to photograph them for both this exercise and the next, but then I realised how challenging this would be when trying to photograph a car moving at extremely high speed across the screen of my camera that was stationary.  I was prepared to give this a go however I wanted to gain the most from the exercise so it was more important for me to understand shutter speeds and the different results produced, so I opted for a more simple yet effective option. 

I wanted to use something that was of a consistent speed, so I could see the full effect of what changing the shutter speed would achieve.  I considered my son riding or running, I considered a swing in the park however none of these produced a consistent speed, so I opted to use a Mickey Mouse clock, which has his leg as a pendulum. 

Setting up.

I set the camera on a tripod and used the self timer (2 seconds) so each and every shot was consistent in all other ways, except shutter speed.

On shots IMG4108 to IMG4112, the only variable settings are shutter speed, aperture and ISO.  Otherwise the camera was set up as follows:

Camera setting: TV (Shutter priority)
Focal length: 176mm
35mm equivalent: 280mm
Flash: Not used
Metering: Matrix
White balance: Auto

Equipment used.

Camera: Canon 500D
Lens: Tamron 70-300
Flash: Not used
Tripod used.

Settings and results.

Here, I will only note the variable camera settings: Shutter speed, aperture and ISO.  All other camera settings remained the same as noted above.

IMG4108

Shutter speed: 1/100

Aperture: f/4.5
ISO: 1600

IMG4109

Shutter speed: 1/50

Aperture: f/5
ISO: 1000

IMG4110

Shutter speed: 1/25

Aperture: f/5
ISO: 500

IMG4111

Shutter speed: 1/15
Aperture: f/4.5
ISO: 320

IMG4112

Shutter speed: 1/10

Aperture: f/5
ISO: 200

As you can see from the above photos, there is a clear and significant difference from the movement of Mickey’s leg from the shot taken at the shutter speed of 1/100 as seen in image IMG 4108 to the shot taken at 1/10 as seen in image IMG4112.

I was satisfied with the results being produced, so at this time I opted to zoom out to show the clock in its entirety and used a greater selection of shutter speeds to see if there really was any clear visible difference at shutter speeds that were closer together.

As I zoomed out, I changed the camera set up as follows.  So in images IMG4115 to IMG4122 the only variables here now being shutter speed and ISO.

Camera setting: Shutter priority
Focal Length: 70mm
35mm Equivalent: 111mm
Aperture: f/4
Flash: Not used
Metering: Matrix
White balance: Auto

IMG4115

Shutter speed: 1/10
ISO: 200

IMG4116

Shutter speed: 1/15
ISO: 320

IMG4117

Shutter speed: 1/25
ISO: 500

IMG4118

Shutter speed: 1/50

ISO: 1000

IMG4119

Shutter speed: 1/80
ISO: 1600

IMG4120

Shutter speed: 1/100
ISO: 1600

IMG4122

Shutter speed: 1/125
ISO: 1600

Findings.

As you can see from the above shots, there are some very marked differences in the photos taken at the slower shutter speed, to those taken at a faster shutter speed.  Image IMG4108 is zoomed in using a shutter speed of 1/100.  You can see that this is a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the movement completely of Mickey’s leg.  In an example such as this, this makes for an ok shot however is that because I know Mickey’s leg moves?  If this were shown to a person who had no knowledge that Mickey’s leg was a pendulum, then I think it would be safe to assume that they really wouldn’t understand this shot at all.  Whereas if you look at image IMG4112, still zoomed in but using a much slower shutter speed of 1/10, you can clearly see that this shot was taken at a speed which has allowed for movement to be captured in the leg by it being blurred.  The viewer is much more likely to understand and appreciate the essence of a shot like this, understanding that the leg is indeed moving.

Moving on from the zoomed in shots, the shots showing the clock in its entirety, makes for an altogether different picture.  You could show someone the picture taken at the highest shutter speed, image IMG4122, where the movement is frozen, however this wouldn’t necessarily have the same confusion perhaps as the zoomed in shots and they would simply assume they are looking at a picture of a clock. 

Slowing down the shutter speed produces the same effect as achieved in the zoomed in shots. so shots taken at the slower shutter speed of 1/10 as seen in image IMG4115, you can clearly see the movement in the leg by the amount of blur that has been produced by lowering the shutter speed.

Conclusion.

By using a subject that has both a fixed and moving points, I think it has produced wonderfully clear results in demonstrating just what effect adjusting the shutter speed has to a picture and how, by slowing the shutter speed, clearly emphasises movement and portrays that to the viewer of the image.  Now that doesn’t mean to say that in all shots that have movement you would wish to use a slower shutter speed, allowing the movement to show, but I think my choice of subject has shown when perhaps it is more appropriate to use a slower shutter speed to show something that may not be apparent.

I also think the second set of images show that even a small adjustment in shutter speed can make a significant difference in showing the movement, as each time the shutter speed has been adjusted you can see the amount of blur changing.

It is with all of the above in mind, that on this occasion, I would probably say this about my preference: I like the faster shutter speed, freezing the shot, as this allows greater control over a moving image to enable you to freeze the action to make the most of your subject, however, I do prefer here the slower shutter speed shots showing the movement by blurring Mickey’s leg, like image IMG4116,  as this allows for the portrayal that Mickey’s leg is indeed a pendulum on the clock and is forever swinging!  

3) Project: Focus. Exercise: Focus at different apertures - page 18.

Deciding the subject.

For this exercise, again it was fairly easy choosing a subject, using the Lego people as before.  This allowing me to continue with the same theme and all of the exercises on Focus have been completed using the same subject, making it very easy to review the results overall, enabling me to clearly understand what the camera is doing when the aperture and/or the focal length and angle of view is changed when taking a shot.

Setting up.

Once again this was relatively simple.  I placed the Lego people in a diagonal line on a small wooden box.  However, this time I took the shots in daylight, taking away any complications or difficulties obtaining the correct result when using flash indoors of an evening.  The light is sourced from my conservatory.

Equipment used.

Camera: Canon 500D.
Lens: Canon 18 - 55.
Flash: Not used.
Tripod: Mini tripod used.

Settings and results.

To obtain the following results, I actually took a total of 9 photos at various different apertures.  I have used both the widest and smallest apertures and one mid-point to provide clear results showing the differences in depth of field when using different apertures.  The focal point in this exercise is the Harry Potter Lego Figure, the 4th figure from the front wearing glasses.

IMG4097

IMG4097
Camera setting: AV - Aperture priority
Focal length: 55mm
Equivalent in 35mm: 87.7
Shutter speed: 1/60
Aperture: f/5.6 - Widest aperture (smallest number/shallow depth of field)
Flash: Not used
Metering: Matrix
ISO: 400
White balance: Auto

IMG4101
















IMG4101
Camera setting: AV - Aperture priority
Focal length: 55mm
Equivalent in 35mm: 87.7
Shutter speed: 1/50
Aperture: f/14 - mid-point aperture (middle number - slightly larger depth of field)
Flash: Not used
Metering: Matrix
ISO: 1600
White balance: Auto

IMG4105

IMG4105

Camera setting: AV - Aperture priority
Focal length: 55mm
Equivalent in 35mm: 87.7
Shutter speed: 1/8
Aperture: f/36 - Smallest aperture (largest number - largest depth of field)
Flash: Not used
Metering: Matrix
ISO: 1600
White balance: Auto

Findings.

It is now perfectly clear on how confusing aperture readings are, as the smallest number e.g. f/5.6, you would expect this to be the smallest aperture but it is not.  I now understand that the smallest aperture e.g. f/5.6 is indeed the total opposite of what you would expect and is the widest aperture with a shallow depth of field as you can see from the blurring around the edge of IMG4097.  Thus making a big number e.g. F/36 the smallest aperture with the largest depth of field, as can be seen by the lack of blurring around the focal point in IMG4105.

Conclusion.

The results from this exercise were indeed so much better for taking the photos in daylight and I have subsequently printed the photos to enable me to study the depth of field range based on the aperture used.  I feel that this is probably one of the most confusing technical aspects of photography, as it would appear that everything is the opposite of what you would expect, for instance a small aperture number is indeed the widest aperture with the smallest depth of field and the opposite can be said a large aperture number.  So in this respect this exercise has been extremely valuable to me, now allowing me to understand a little better aperture priority, how this affects depth of field and also how when the aperture changes due to the amount of light passing through, the shutter speed also subsequently changes to prevent over or under exposure.  Overall I am very pleased with how this exercise went and the result and understanding it provided.