Islesburgh Photographic Club - Month 1

This was my first time along to this club and first to any photographic club so I was a bit nervous yet curious to see exactly what it was all about.

The organisers made me very welcome and included me very well in the evenings events.

First up was to select 20 images from a list of 63 to be put forward for a club vs club competition - The "Tovil Battle". This was an interesting show of various images over a whole variety of topics. Wildlife and Landscape shots seemed most prominent. After the 20 or so member all voted for their favourite images there was a clear 20 images that are now to be sent away.

After a cup of tea and a chat with a few of the other members about our setups and what we like/dislike taking shots of we moved onto the second part of the evening.

This was to view and critique a selection of images from a travelling photograph collection. There was about 40 images again covering a whole range of subjects. This then followed by a local retired proffessional photographer expressing his likes and dislikes about the collection.

The final part of the evening was more judging. There is an "in house" competition and this month the theme was "close up". This time we had to mark the images between 1 and 5. There was 16 images in total and I just marked on my personal preference over anything else. My favourite was a close up of a dog's nose. Just because I can appreciate how difficult a subject it is to get a decent shot of.

It was a very informative evening and I will be sure to head back.

Heres the club link for info - IPC

Project 2 - Focus with a Set Aperture

Project 2

The idea in Project 2 is Analise the effect aperture has on the various parts of a scene. To demonstrate this, 2 or 3 photos are required to be taken at the smallest aperture but focusing on different areas of the frame.


For these images I was looking to find 3 objects all of similar sizes so the difference would be clearer to spot the difference that the aperture made to the Depth of Field. I was struggling to find something that I thought suitable for this task. I lot's of idea's but all inaccessible to me at the time. While wandering with the camera I stopped at 'Toft' ferry terminal and thought to try this exercise out.

I am not as happy with the images as I could be but was keen to keep momentum with getting these projects done.

Here are the images:



The focus here is on the 1st post at the left edge of the frame. The small aperture has thrown the second and third post's out of focus.



In this shot, the focus is on the second post in the centre of the frame. The post's adjacent have now lost focus.



In this shot, the focus is on the furthest distance. I realise that I have partially cropped the first shot out of frame but as you can see that the 2 posts to the left of the post in focus are out of focus.

I don't really have a preference to any of the 3 images but I do now notice more than before how by one element being in focus pulls your attention away from other parts of the shot. If time allows, I would like to come back to the project with a different set of objects and have another go.

What I am Reading.....

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009: Portfolio 18

Got this as a present from my wife to get me all inspired and boy did it work.

Some amazing images in a very well presented format. Structured through various subjects such as Animal Portraits, Mammals and Plant Life it brings some picture that you can only dream of taking.

The image that most appealed to me had to be the Black Grouse on a cold morning. The photographer has even captured the breath of the grouse hitting the cold external air.

Brilliant!

Project 1 - Focal Length

I visited Delting Boating Club yesterday afternoon firstly to bail out my little boat but also to get started on these projects.

I took 3 Images focusing on Pontoon 2 at the Marina. These pictures were printed off at A4 size and I returned to the location to compare them to the actual scene.

Image 1

This image was taken at what I perceived to be nearest to the Human eye. 50mm Focal Length

Nikon D40 with Nikon DX 18-55mm Kit Lense - F5.3, 160



Image 2

This image was taken at my available 'shortest' focal length. 18mm Focal Length

Nikon D40 with Nikon DX 18-55mm Kit Lense - F5.6 125



Image 3

This image was taken at my available 'longest' focal length. 300mm Focal Length

Nikon D40 with Tamron 70 - 300mm Telephoto Lense - F5.6 200



These images were printed off and I returned to location. I found that the 50mm image was closest to my face, the 18mm image would have to be way behind my head and that the 300mm image was several metres in front of me.

Profile

Well a little bit about me….. My name is Kevin Finlay. I am 25, married to my wonderful wife Leanne and have 2 Dogs and a Cat to fight with for her attention. We live in a village called Brae in the north mainland of Shetland and have done for just over a year.

I only really got involved in photography with any serious enthusiasm when I moved to the Shetland Islands two years ago. Before then I had been a bit of a snapper with my compact camera but nothing serious. I bought my first DSLR last year (a Nikon D40) and have just this week upgraded to a Nikon D300s, although I suspect I shall continue to use the D40 until I am up to speed with the book on the 300s.

My main passions and reasons in getting into photography was Nature photography. I love to get out and about in the Shetland wilderness with my trusty helper (Labrador named Bailey) drag the camera along and just soak up the surroundings.

I have no previous experience or other qualifications related to Photography or other Creative Arts, If fact quite the opposite. I am the Site Manager for a Construction firm within Sullom Voe Oil Terminal.

Outwith photography my other main interests are motorcycles, wargames and my dogs. I am sure they will appear in some medium within this coursework as models or by getting in the way!

*Update*

I have received the workpack from OCA and I am very pleased with the quality and content of the package. It seems very well structured but daunting at the same time. Having read over the first few projects and having a bit of a brainstorm, I am just looking forward to getting started.

And the blog begins.....

Having just Enrolled on the OCA 'Art of Photography' Course and eagerly await what's in store for me. I see from reading on the forums that a blog functions as a logbook so thought I would make a head start in a bid to be organised.