I was surprised that so much was placed on the technical side of the shots in Assignment 1 (what have we to do for level 3 course for goodness sake) but at least now know.
It was a great day that got me thinking in very different ways about the methodology of taking shots. Derek's main message is "low and close"; get the camera down to the ground and close to an object of foreground interest. He also is a big believer in using the wide angle lens and enhancing images much further then I have tended to.
Here is an example:
This image along with others was taken along the Bristol docks.
We also reviewed images for Assignment 2 and I have selected some different ones from original choices.
Three strong messages from this day:
- Low and close;
- Use ND Grad filter - have bought cheap one for 77mm;
- BE BOLD particularly with Photoshop
Some useful tips seeing how Derek uses Photoshop; got to get back to using the main product, not just the RAW converter, particularly for sharpening but also for layers. Practised later with some images. Use fixed ISO and set WB to shade.. Remember that most zoom lenses work best in f9-f13 range.
Feel much more confident now that have these extra tools in the camera bag.
Also this week I have acquired Photomatix. This resulted partly from reading in his notes that Derek does some HDR conversions. Used my OCA student status to download Photomatix with the plug in for just £27, a 75% discount. The program is easy enough to use; spent a couple of evenings playing with it using some images taken last Sunday on the Brecon Beacons. We used today for some images.
I like Photomatix - it is simple enough to use and results are usually good.
For what is supposed to be a beginner's day (albeit Derek said I was more intermediate as evidenced by that fact that my camera was set up well and I had a usable tripod!) Derek covered a lot of ground. Will keep in touch for mentoring purposes.
Went to view some images from A Level students at City Academy today. Surprised at the technical ability of some of the students; demonstrates why there is a presumed higher level of technical competence in this course than I was prepared for. Some good images including car lights and interesting stuff taken using a scanner.
