Branching out! (Toga's photography course experience topic)

[Austin Greene]

WEEKLY UPDATE: Week 2: "Hard Light Hardball"

Studio this week was focused on one thing, architecture. Not the interior lighting, Homes & Living Magazine type of fluffy architecture, but rather photographing design elements of the exterior of buildings. We were set up to shoot the UCD Mondavi Center, a beautiful, state of the art theater and viticulture facility. While most of the class went about shooting wide, focusing on the building as a whole, I decided I would do something just a tad different. The building in question is beautiful, there's no doubt about it, but wide-angle shots of it are plastered EVERYWHERE. So, instead of shooting from afar, I decided to get personal and see what my developing abstract-orientated eyes could get me. I'm learning that as far as abstracts go, I enjoy texture, shadow, and patterns the most. You'll see what I mean in just a minute.

The lighting was incredibly hard, some of the hardest I've seen. Since there were hardly any colors to speak of, and the lighting wasn't helping any, I decided to play hardball as well and focus heavily on contrast and repetition between patterns and shadow.

Here are the results, both images are SOOC with the exception of my using an in-camera filter to add a bit of grain for texture and adding a black border after the fact for the purposes of posting (the whites blended with the forum's background). If you prefer to see the unordered versions, check them out here.

If you have any CC, I would really appreciate it!

1. In this one I wanted to create the feel of slowly being pulled from left to right by the tiles and the rim of the grating. The hope is that as your eye is being pulled you'll indulge a little in the shadows below. The image is actually sideways from its original orientation, and that grating is really about 10'x20', but I didn't want scale to come to mind in the image.

Sideways Up by TogaLive, on Flickr

2. Here I wanted a person to get the feeling of having to "cock" their head a bit. I tried to hide some of the joints so the change in tile size would seem suspicious as if part of the building was out of place as you move up.

Depth by TogaLive, on Flickr


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ORIGINAL POST:
Hey everyone!

So this quarter at UC Davis I decided I would take my first photography course. In addition to using it as a way of de-stressing mid-week, I am also using it as a way of branching out as far as photographic areas of interest, so you can expect to see a lot of things you normally wouldn't from me, such as patterns, abstracts and the like.

Up to now I have shot almost exclusively wildlife, and while it will remain my focus area, I appreciate the challenge the class brings. Normally I rarely look for abstract patterns, but I am learning yet another way of looking at the photographic world through my work in the course.

This thread will serve as an ongoing topic dedicated to the photos taken over my next three months in the course, and my general experience in the course. Consider it a journal of sorts. Every week I'll post new images by editing this first post, so keep checking back when you see it pop up now and then!

Like I said, this is a fresh learning experience for me, and honestly quite a challenge considering how set I was in my ways. I'm pretty far outside my comfort zone, so any and all CC is truly appreciated! Be brutal if need be, the goal here is for me to learn! If you don't feel like CC'ing (I'll often be posting quite a few images, so I understand), please let me know which shot is your favorite of the week if any! If you do CC, please include the image number, and week number if possible.


I hope you enjoy them! If you can, please take a moment and leave a reply


Note: All photos are shot JPEG and are SOOC as per course requirements, unless otherwise noted.


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ARCHIVE:
Week 1: "Learning to See, Again"

This week we had overcast skies, with dappled light paint everything. Since I'm trying to learn as much as possible in the course, I decided I would try something I have never done before since picking up a DSLR, shooting in black and white. My goal was to focus on patterns, contrast, and using shadow to emphasize details.

1.

Going With The Grain by TogaLive, on Flickr

2.

Airduct Gradient by TogaLive, on Flickr

3.

The Scars We Bare by TogaLive, on Flickr

4.

Cast Iron and Shadow by TogaLive, on Flickr

5.

Those Small Details by TogaLive, on Flickr

Hit me with that CC!

Best,

Toga

 

[invisible]

Of your images here, #1 takes the cake for me due to the subtly different textures it has going on. You have some nice textures in #3 too, but the image is not as interesting overall.

The great thing about shooting abstract is that it improves your composition skills without you even noticing. Creating good abstract images is a challenge because not only do you need to think about composition, exposure, etc., but also you need to find a way to make the image interesting without a real subject in it. You're creating something out of nothing, sometimes truly making chicken salad out of chicken @!*#. With abstract, you're going to start paying more attention to texture, shadows, light, etcetera, than ever before – without a subject, those things become key elements to make any kind of magic happen.

When you go back to shooting your "usual" stuff after a while of shooting abstract, you find it easier to create balance or tension in your frames. A good analogy is someone who goes to the gym and lifts weights – when they leave the gym their heavy backpack suddenly feels light.

There is a hazard associated with shooting abstract, though: it can become addictive

 

[Austin Greene]

Of your images here, #1 takes the cake for me due to the subtly different textures it has going on. You have some nice textures in #3 too, but the image is not as interesting overall.

The great thing about shooting abstract is that it improves your composition skills without you even noticing. Creating good abstract images is a challenge because not only do you need to think about composition, exposure, etc., but also you need to find a way to make the image interesting without a real subject in it. You're creating something out of nothing, sometimes truly making chicken salad out of chicken @!*#. With abstract, you're going to start paying more attention to texture, shadows, light, etcetera, than ever before – without a subject, those things become key elements to make any kind of magic happen.

When you go back to shooting your "usual" stuff after a while of shooting abstract, you find it easier to create balance or tension in your frames. A good analogy is someone who goes to the gym and lifts weights – when they leave the gym their heavy backpack suddenly feels light.

There is a hazard associated with shooting abstract, though: it can become addictive

Wow, I was expecting replies, but not one packed with such great info!

First, I'm glad you like #1. Either it or #5 was my favorite, but they are very much apples and oranges in terms of subject. I'm a fan of the small details as well, and its great to know my first attempts at abstract photography weren't a complete flop

I am determined to make the most of the course. Even today in our first studio I felt challenged in ways I have yet to be otherwise, so I am confident my overall abilities will improve in unique ways.

I really appreciate the great CC, it makes all the difference when I am so unfamiliar with such new areas of photography. I can hold my own in my comfort zone of wildlife, but man, this is a whole new ball game!

 

[Frequency]

When it comes to abstract you are at the verge of falling into mediocrity...but you have come out really successful....
They are neat with interesting patterns or none...
My favorite is #1 too and if you ask me to vote out one, i would do that on #5.... the lower part here is a bit sore to eye
Hope you will be able to keep up the thread interesting though out
Regards

 

[Austin Greene]

THREAD UPDATED: 4/19/2012 (New pics at very top)
Hope you enjoy the new shots!

 

[Frequency]

I like your new postings....

The "sidewise up" is more liked... i would love more compression of the rectangles towards the right so that there is a better contrast towards two extremes...
In the "Depths" depth is lacking... even here if you had gone closer to the wall with a wider angle... the distance of wall to the other end would have enhanced giving more justice to the caption... i did not mean they are bad though

Regards... like to see more patterns from you.....

Regards