Portrait Challenge

OK- This was hard. The challenge as presented to us: http://digital-photography-school.com/10-shots-10-portraits-1-focal-length-take-this-photography-challenge

My result: I admit, I took more than one shot of my subjects. I did delete many photos. Using my new fixed focal length (prime) 50 mm lens was not an easy task for me, after getting very comfortable with my zoom lens. But I did complete it and the result is that I have learned more about a new lens that I wouldn't have learned without completing the challenge.

Sweetness!

I just had to post this image of my daughter and friend working on a GarageBand piece after school. Kids and computers...two of my favorite things!

A Trip to Troester's Farm

I posted my photos from our first Photography Club outing at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kmorrow/sets/72157622352712423/. Although extremely windy, the Sunday evening Holt County prairies provided great imagery and inspiration. I'd like to choose my favorite image to post here, but I struggle with choosing one favorite. I think it is interesting that with a whole group of us photographing the same location, how different our shots really are! Here are three images that I will post to remember this photo event by.

Sunrise Photo Shoot at the Farm

Unedited, untouched favorites from this morning's sunrise photo shoot at the farm.






And one more slightly edited (cropped, color boost) photo with a very patient subject! However, I still think my ISO was set too high to compensate for the early morning low light and no tripod.

All in all, however, the 800+ images that I captured made the 6:30 a.m. wake-up time at the farm entirely worth it! Enjoyed a 4.5 mile run and several cups of coffee immediately following. Why can't every day be like this?

Composition Challenge: BACKGROUND

Although Mrs. Gotschall spoke about "de-cluttering" the background, I wanted to post examples of using your background to tell a story.


I just like this photo and how you can see Drew's dad, Grandpa, and boat in the background. To me, including this information in the background helps the viewer imagine what is going on in the subject's mind.

The "longing" in her eyes is explained by her cousins on the tube in the background.


Had I just focused on the ducks, without including any background information, you may have
a completely different story in your mind when viewing this photo of Washington, D.C. Likewise, focusing on JUST the Lincoln Memorial without the ducks in the foreground, wouldn't have been as interesting of a photo either, in my opinion.

Finally, I made this photo this morning in my front yard. I could have captured the sunflower alone, but paying attention the background and including our house number gives the image a sense of place and tells a more personal story to me.

Composition Challenge: STRONG CENTER OF INTEREST

Of course having a strong point of interest is important for any composition. I decided to post a photo of mine from the spring to illustrate how you can use color to create that point of interest as well.

Composition Challenge: LINES

I used the lines of the barbed wire fence as well as the horizon line to add interest to this silhouette of a cow in the pasture.