Monday, March 15, 2010

Images

I've been out in the garden with my 50mm lens again.  I must say that I'm becoming increasingly fond of this lens.  It's sharp, and it's pretty quick too.  It's also quite limiting when compared to a zoom and you have to move around a lot more to get a shot.  All this does really is remind me of my mum's favourite poem.  Using the nifty fifty makes you look carefully at the shot; observe what's there and take a bit of time to compose the image.  Remember that in my 505050 project I'm not allowing myself any image processing either in or out of camera.  I suppose it's a bit of a trip back to the old Kodachrome days when you'd sit around the projector to watch Uncle Eric's recent holiday shots!
I find that I look for angles and shapes that I may not have looked for previously.  Shapes, colours and textures are becoming as important as the view.

In no way am I claiming to be expert, nor am I suggesting that any of the images in these posts are anything more than snapshots by an amateur.  What I am suggesting is that you can see a lot more if you take the time to just look; perhaps a better word would be, observe.  There's so much of beauty and interest that we miss, which, I have to say, seems rather sad.

So there you are.  Don't think there's nothing of interest near where you are and defer getting out and taking some shots.  Take your time, observe what's going on and how the light plays different games at different times of the day and look for shapes and contrasts rather than typical scenic views and beauty.

One other thing.  Try to avoid using those post processing tools like Photoshop for a little while.  I'm not against these tools (here's a few HDR shots you might like), but just put them to one side for a little while and see what you can create with just you and your camera.

That's what I'm trying just now.  Are you going to have a go too?

2 comments:

  1. I really like these three shots. You're absolutely right about using just the 50mm focal length, (or any that's constant) - it forces you to see things in a whole new way. I also shot fenceposts the other day ... nice the way the bush of Totara Park fell out of focus behind them.

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  2. I particularly like the purple tinted latch on the weathered wood. You surprise me again with your eye for detail.

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