Day: April 8, 2012

It seems I can’t be satisfied with my photos unless I get at least one bird shot every day. Today, though, I resisted running out with my camera when the hummer was at the feeder dueling with the bee again, hovering over the fountain ready to plunge in, or sitting or a branch surveying the yard. But when the robin was bathing, I just had to grab my camera. I started shooting inside through the window, then decided to see how close I could get walking outside. The robin didn’t leave the fountain as I inched closer but I didn’t want to push my luck so I stayed back further than I normally would since the robin isn’t used to me. Of course all of the rules of composition went right out of my brain and, consequently, my composition was terrible. So this photo is cropped but the exposure is SOOC.

Focal Length 300mm
ISO 200
f/8
1/100
Cropped

While I poked around my house trying to find something that might illustrate today’s challenge theme, “hidden,” because I had no Easter eggs, things that are normally hidden on this day, I opened a ceramic walnut that I keep on a cabinet and I was surprised to find a stash of bills that had completely slipped my mind. I guess I haven’t opened that walnut since before my husband passed away five years ago. It held our gambling stash for our occasional forays to nearby Thunder Valley Casino. We were apparently ahead by $65.

When I took the photo, I tried to keep in mind what I’m learning from my latest photography class. I listened to this week’s first lesson on the treadmill at the gym this morning so composition was swirling around my head: identify the subject; keep it simple; rule of thirds; balance. I know there’s more to the lesson but those were the things I thought about with this composition. I know all this stuff from the several classes I’ve already taken and I try to put it into practice in my daily photo shoots but sometimes I get too caught up in the moment to remember them, like when I’m following a hummingbird around the yard or tracking a hawk soaring overhead. The reminders contained in this lesson are good for me. I also tried to be extra careful with exposure because all the photos we post during the nine weeks of class must be straight out of the camera. No tweaking, not even just a little. What you take is what you post—so here’s my own take on WYSIWYG—WYTIWYP—pronounced “whit – ee – whip.” 🙂

As I look at my photo, I think I was fairly successful in applying the rules of composition. The subject is the money and I think there is no doubt about that plus it is apparent that the money is inside something else so it sort of tells a story; it’s simple, no extraneous background, or distracting elements; the photo is loosely divided into horizontal thirds and the 5 on one of the bills is at one of the crucial intersections; the top of the walnut literally and figuratively puts a lid on the money so it creates a balance with a bottom, middle and top.

Focal Length 170mm
ISO 100
f/8
3/5 second
SOOC