One of the most powerful tools a photographer has in their toolkit is the camera’s ability to focus on certain things, while blurring other elements. The primary way this is achieved is through use of the APERTURE of the camera lens. In this project you are going to be photographing various objects of interest that you have brought in from home. Each one of these objects should be something that you have a personal connection to and can tell a story about. (e.g. an old gameboy, a hockey glove, a brown leather shoe from when you were younger, your first ipod etc.) Through learning about APERTURE and DEPTH OF FIELD you will tell a story about these objects by shooting them in different ways. We will continue to use the 3 Elements of a good photograph: Filling the Frame, Removing the clutter, Finding the light.
Review of Camera Basics and How aperture works can be found here
Project Criteria: This project will be broken down into 3 Challenges, each with specific things to look for as you shoot and plan.
Challenge #1- The Sliver of Detail( 2 albums TOTAL)
Album Name-Sliver of Detail Photos Required: 4 Best Photos
FLICKR ALBUM NAME: Sliver of Detail
P.O.V. Various
Light Source: Natural Light, near a window or direct sunlight
Composition:
Using one of the wide aperture lenses( 50mm or Macro Lenses) you are going to try to pick a small area of focus on your object to get in focus. Think about what angle you should shoot from, what will you keep in focus, and what is the story behind the element that you keep sharp.
For example: If I am going to shoot an image of an old hockey glove, I may choose to focus on a particular tear or wearing of the leather that reminds me of when I damaged the glove. I could then tell that story by forcing my viewer to focus on the tear or hole in the glove rather than the whole glove.
Another example might be a pair of old leather shoes with worn out soles. I may focus on just the soles of the shoes and tell the story of how I used to go hiking in the trails in North Vancouver years ago. Either way, by focusing on one small area of the object you are using the power of the lens and the SLR camera to tell a story that wouldn’t be as powerful if the whole object was in focus.
EXAMPLES
Challenge #2: The Still Life
Using several objects in this next challenge, you are going to set up a still life and capture interesting compositions that have the objects arranged, lit and photographed in interesting ways. Study the tips on this website before you get started.
Photos Required: 5 Best Photos
FLICKR ALBUM NAME: The Still Life
P.O.V. Various
Light Source: Natural Light, near a window or direct sunlight, lamp light if necessary.