Lady

Today we're having a short intermission from the Weekly Project shots, courtesy of Lady the Kitten. Because, as any photographer who loves their pet knows, it's impossible to resist picking up the camera when they're calm and adorable, and happen to have settled against a perfect background in good lighting!

The problem with this is that, the instant I get up to get my camera, Lady goes from blissful sleepiness to full-on hunt mode with whatever I'm pointing at her as her main target. And taking pictures of a hyper kitty who takes the sound of your lens focusing as the ultimate provocation? Yeah, not that easy. However, the rewards for getting it right are great:


Lady of Mischief


Hunt Mode ON

Weekly Project - HDR

Today's post will be short -- I'm due for a run and a salsa night!

This week's assignment was to create my first HDR image, and figure out the whole HDR process in general. So I downloaded a Photomatix free trial, and got to work on a set of photos taken on last week's Canal walk. Here is the result:

Before HDR (i.e. image closest to the HDR result. I got the HDR image by combining 3 shots):


After HDR:


Seeing as this was a bit of a rushed job, I don't have an insightful tip to share. Which is why I'm making HDR a two-week project! So over the next week, you can look forward to more (and hopefully better) HDR photos.

Also: please don't forget that you're invited to suggest new projects any time!

The Weekly Projects are small assignments I take on to try things I otherwise wouldn't and expand my range. While I do have a few things in mind, suggestions are very welcome. If you have a project idea, would like to share your thoughts on my posts, or would like to join me on my little adventures and post a link to your own results, it would make me very happy. And I would bake you cookies. Really.

Weekly Project - Light trails

Hello again, guys and gals, and welcome to my second Weekly Project!

For this week's project, I wanted to get some good night shots of light trails (made by cars' head/tail lights) reflected in the Rideau Canal. This... didn't quite turn out as I had planned. I only got to go out once, on what felt like the coldest September night in history, so I didn't really have the endurance, patience of mobility I would have preferred. Still, here are some choice shots:







This week's tip: check the weather, and dress the part. I know, I know, a big "duh" factor for anyone over the age of 10, but sometimes the most basic things (like weather... or lens caps...) can trip you up if you lack the presence of mind to deal with them.

Next week's project is a somewhat less of a photography and more of a Photoshop project that I've been putting off for a long time because I had no idea where to begin. Next week I will be trying to make my first ever High Dynamic Range (HDR) image. If you're wondering what that is, examples/explanations can be found here, here and here.

HDR can be done subtly or over the top; it has its lovers and its haters, and quite a few polemics have been thriving for a while on the topic. For my part, I think it's a technique that can get very attention-grabbing results and that, like many things, it's best used just short of any extreme. I'm trying it not only because it's been a big trend in photography recently, but also because I want to finally figure out what it takes to make a good HDR photo, and what takes it "too far." Stay tuned for results next week!

The Weekly Projects are small assignments I take on to try things I otherwise wouldn't and expand my range. While I do have a few things in mind, suggestions are very welcome. If you have a project idea, would like to share your thoughts on my posts, or would like to join me on my little adventures and post a link to your own results, it would make me very happy. And I would bake you cookies. Really.

Weekly Project - Light painting, take 2!

I know, I know, my weekly assignment post was due yesterday. It's an awful way to start the whole thing, and yet I promise I have a good reason. And that reason... is this:



This little kitty, whom Jeff has very aptly named Lady, came into my life earlier this week and melted our hearts until we just had to take her home and build our days around her every whim. She will undoubtedly become one of the most spoiled (not to mention photographed) felines in the known world. For now, though, I didn't want to disturb her for too long.

Getting back to this week's Light Spirograph project, below is the second set of images, taken using the same general technique, but a different light source, and a few tweaks.


A pretty basic shot to start with (reminder: see more about this project here). The lens was a lot closer to the light source, hence the broad light trails. I was hoping for thinner and more defined trails, but after seeing these I thought they were pretty cool as well.


About half way through the shoot, I had an idea: why not twist the string from which the light was hanging, and see what happens. The results varied from the photo above (i.e slight deviations), to odds tangles of weirdness.


An example of the more extreme rope-twisting thing.

This week's tip: try, try, and then... try some more. Different light sources, different focal lengths, longer or shorter exposures, throw the light in other directions (or twist the string. Or use elastic. Or use a double pendulum by tying another object, of about the same weight as your light source, about half way down your string, and throwing it in a different direction than your light source), or anything else that comes to mind. Take the time to try, and see what works for you.

Next week's project, courtesy of Jeff, is another light painting project. This time, it will be head/tail light trails reflected in the Rideau Canal. Stay tuned!

The Weekly Projects are small assignments I take on to try things I otherwise wouldn't and expand my range. While I do have a few things in mind, suggestions are very welcome. If you have a project idea, would like to share your thoughts on my posts, or would like to join me on my little adventures and post a link to your own results, it would make me very happy. And I would bake you cookies. Really.

Weekly Project - Light Spirograph

Why hello there! I bet you forgot I also update this site from time to time. And yet here I am, back after a long and painful period of seclusion in the real world. Also: I've had no Internet access for the past few weeks. Still, I've managed to somehow survive this dry spell and now I'm back, with a shiny new modem/router and some photography-related news to share.

I've decided that, for the next little while, I'll take on one little photography project a week, and try to explore it in a few different ways, whenever inspiration strikes. Each Friday, I'll name my assignment for the week, and post some shots of my progress whenever I have the time to pick up my camera throughout the following week. At the end of each project, I'll post one or two best photos, as well as, hopefully, a few tips learned by experience.

What will my projects be? Aaah, good question. And the short answer is: this is where YOU come in. I do, of course, have a few projects in mind (things I keep reading about and never get around to trying, mostly), but what I'd love, most of all, is for all of you out there to suggest something for me to try. It can be anything at all (within the limits of law, reason and decency, of course), with the minor catch that it has to be possible for me to do it within the confines of my lovely little town of Ottawa, Ontario.

So please, if you have an idea, if there's something you'd like to see me try, or something you think I'd like to try, just mention it in the comments, and I'll add it to my list.

First Project - "Light Spirograph"

Have you ever played with a spirograph as a child? I got one when I was in elementary school, and was fascinated with it for the longest time. So when I saw this post on Digital Photography School, I had to try it.

The first step was finding the right light source. After searching high and low, I found a small book light, with two little LEDs. Wasn't sure it would work, but I gave it a try and I got the results below:





I'm not entirely happy with my first results. Mainly, I find them too fuzzy. The two parallel light trails (from the 2 LEDs) are kind of cool, but they got too diffused for my liking, leading to the very soft and blown out middle parts.

And so, tonight the second part of the experiment will take place, using a different mini-flashlight, generously donated by Kat, a.k.a. the world's most amazing personal trainer. Stay tuned for results, and don't forget to let me know (in the comments) of any projects you think I should take on!