My project 365 for 2015

[Benjo255]

I don't know if I am in the correct section, but today I'm starting my 365 project. One photo a day, published here and on Facebook.
The rules I gave to myself are:
- only B/W photos;
- only F/8 aperture;

My goal is to achieve better geometrical composition, best understanding of lines, patterns, textures, shadow, light, contrast.
The F/8 fixed aperture rule is to avoid easy "beauty bokeh" pics and to learn to take advantage of existing light in situation of darkness, if they'll ever happen.

Here's My first shot, n. 1:

 

[Bo4key]

Good Luck with your project.

I like the parameters you have set for yourself.

 

[kdthomas]

In this case I might like to see the bears centered in the frame, and there seems to be an object upper frame left, and above/right of the balloon.

 

[Gary A.]

Great new years resolution, love the parameters (get a tripod) ... but stuffed bears ...??? You gotta pick up your game.

 

[Benjo255]

I had other more centered, but this was the one more satisfying from angle/lights. There's no other objects...is't a very slight reflection on the cloth under the bears. I could have underexposed it until erasing it, but it wasn't disturbing and I liked it. I appreciate a lot your feedback!

 

[Benjo255]

ove the parameters (get a tripod) ... but stuffed bears ...??? You gotta pick up your game.

Ahahahha! This was without a tripod, about 1/125 and 6400 iso. Fortunately Xe-2 (i have to give her a name...soon or later) is good at high iso. My picture in the train with the dog was over 25.000 iso. During daylight I shouldn't have any problem (full sunny day at f/8 it's often faster than 1/1000 at 200 iso).

Stuffed bears....yeah I know, but when I started this project I was at home, without car, evening and they were pretty nice to shoot as a New Year Beginning
Your comments are always welcome!

 

[Gary A.]

You are redeemed by shooting Fuji. lol I am a Fuji fanboy. But pick up your game ... use you imagination, shoot out the window, shoot a time exposure ... you're Italiano ... get creative. Felice Anno Nuovo!

 

[Benjo255]

You are redeemed by shooting Fuji. lol I am a Fuji fanboy. But pick up your game ... use you imagination, shoot out the window, shoot a time exposure ... you're Italiano ... get creative.

Thank you for making me smile! Fuji XE2 is really a great camera. I will use al my italian creativity!

 

[Gary A.]

You are redeemed by shooting Fuji. lol I am a Fuji fanboy. But pick up your game ... use you imagination, shoot out the window, shoot a time exposure ... you're Italiano ... get creative.

Thank you for making me smile! Fuji XE2 is really a great camera. I will use al my italian creativity!

 

[rikihana.fox]

Great idea, I'm trying to learn photography myself and that's a great way to keep learning, goodluck with it all buddy

 

[sleist]

I wish you luck, but why limit yourself to f/8? How does such an arbitrary limitation help you learn anything?
I could see maybe making the first week of the month "f/8 week" or something, but a whole year, every shot, every day?

I shoot well over 50% of my shots with smaller apertures, but I'd last about a week with such a limitation. To each his own, but I think limiting yourself to a single focal length would teach you much more about composition and how to see. And you'd have the added benefit of not tossing 1/3 of the exposure triangle out the window while forcing yourself to use less than optimal camera ISO values. Assuming you want the best results for all the time you will be spending with the camera of course.

Good luck!

 

[Benjo255]

I wish you luck, but why limit yourself to f/8? How does such an arbitrary limitation help you learn anything?
I could see maybe making the first week of the month "f/8 week" or something, but a whole year, every shot, every day?

I shoot well over 50% of my shots with smaller apertures, but I'd last about a week with such a limitation. To each his own, but I think limiting yourself to a single focal length would teach you much more about composition and how to see. And you'd have the added benefit of not tossing 1/3 of the exposure triangle out the window while forcing yourself to use less than optimal camera ISO values. Assuming you want the best results for all the time you will be spending with the camera of course.

Good luck!

I understand your doubts, but first of all I didn't say all my photograph in this year will be at f/8. Only the ones belonging to the 365 project will be at f/8 and BW. So during the year I'll shoot for sure color photograph from f/2.8 to f/16, but only B&W and F/8 are in for the project. So f/8 can relate to two moments: before shooting (when I'll set the camera to f/8 because I want to take a shoot for my project) or later in the workflow, when I'll select only f/8 shots (and that will also improve my skills in making selections).
Why all this? For several reason.
I found myself always shooting bokeh pictures or full sharpness pictures. So I was sleeping on the edges of the aperture span, while there's a world inside. So f/8 will help me exploring the "in between" area. If you want a Bokeh at f/8 you must be really close to the subject, which is something that I love in reportage and street (my favourite genres). F/8 it's easy to use during daylight (providing you focus correctly), but it's quite a challenge in night street photography. You are right, aperture it's one of the exposure traingle and...so how can you shoot when it's blocked on f/8? You raise iso? ok, but you get noise. You slow speed? Ok, but you will have a moved photo. Then? The you start searching for light. And that's what I hope.
I am already limited to one single focal lenght, since I only have the fuji 27mm 2.8. I use the Nikon 50mm 1.8 one shot every 200, so...

I could agree totally with you if I only shoot B&W and F/8 all the year, every day. But fortunately only the photos for the project 365 will be B&W AND f/8.

In the end, this project it's not supposed to raise technical skill or knowledge of the camera. It's just made to raise up creativity. When you cannot move in your usual directions, you start creating new directions. And that's what I want. I see everywhere on the web beautiful images, perfect from every point of view, but they are the SAME. Sameness.
I want to explore new lands of photography, so that's why I limited myself.

 

[fotomonkey]

You are redeemed by shooting Fuji. lol I am a Fuji fanboy. But pick up your game ... use you imagination, shoot out the window, shoot a time exposure ... you're Italiano ... get creative.

Thank you for making me smile! Fuji XE2 is really a great camera. I will use al my italian creativity!

Pasta?

 

[Benjo255]

My only doubt is...where do I post the next pictures? In this topic or a different topic for every picture?

 

[asnoozy2002]

That's sounds like a nice project