Exercise 14 - An Organised Event

What: The main brief of this exercise was to photograph an organised event.

Where: Edinburgh, Outdoors

When: Afternoon on a mild overcast day.

How: I looked over a number of public events and chose one where there would be a number of people moving around and a number of varied activities.

I decided up on the Edinburgh Mela as it ran over several days and had many differing events on during the run of the Mela festival.

Armed with a number of differing lenses I wanted to use as many differing lenses as possible and in varying styles to capture the crowds and the performers.

Even as we approached the site I could see that people were rushing to get into the site.

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 14mm (35mm equivalent 21mm), aperture f9.5, speed 1/30 second, ISO 400, Daylight white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 11-16mm lens,

Once I started to focus on the passersby, everyone was enjoying the day and meeting with their friends and family.

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 46mm (35mm equivalent 69mm), aperture f5.6, speed 1/90 second, ISO 800, Daylight white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 18-70mm lens,

I almost abandoned this shot, but I feel that the branch obscuring the second individuals face gives the image a little bit of fun mystery. I also liked the look on the left hand subjects face.

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 195mm (35mm equivalent 292mm), aperture f5.6, speed 1/350 second, ISO 2000, Daylight white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 70-300mm lens,

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 270mm (35mm equivalent 405mm), aperture f5.6, speed 1/1000 second, ISO 2000, Daylight white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 70-300mm lens,

I then went to one of the main performance tents and caught the last part of the Chinese dancing. The girl on stage was performing the peacock dance.

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 240mm (35mm equivalent 360mm), aperture f5.6, speed 1/125 second, ISO 2000, Auto white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 70-300mm lens,

After the dancing the stage was reset for the arrival of the local Chinese choir who sung traditional fishing and farming songs.

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 122mm (35mm equivalent 183mm), aperture f5.6, speed 1/60 second, ISO 2000, Flash white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 70-300mm lens,

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 155mm (35mm equivalent 232mm), aperture f5.6, speed 1/45 second, ISO 2000, Auto white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 70-300mm lens,

I was particularly pleased with the composition of this shot as I managed to get all the singers as they focused on the conductor.

While the singing was going on I turned and started to photograph the crowds looking for suitable interesting individuals or groups.

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 92mm (35mm equivalent 138mm), aperture f5.6, speed 1/500 second, ISO 2000, Auto white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 70-300mm lens,

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 155mm (35mm equivalent 72mm), aperture f5.6, speed 1/125 second, ISO 800, Auto white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 18-70mm lens,

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 13mm (35mm equivalent 19mm), aperture f9.5, speed 1/30 second, ISO 400, Shade white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 11-16mm lens,

Back outside the tent a couple stilt walkers were dancing to the tune played by a wandering obo player, as she danced and played the stilt walkers talked to the crowd and lifted children into the air.

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 300mm (35mm equivalent 19mm), aperture f5.6, speed 1/750 second, ISO 2000, Shade white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 70-300mm lens,

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 210mm (35mm equivalent 315mm), aperture f5.6, speed 1/1500 second, ISO 2000, Shade white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 70-300mm lens,

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 220mm (35mm equivalent 330mm), aperture f5.6, speed 1/250 second, ISO 2000, Shade white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 70-300mm lens,

Towards the end of my visit I went over to the second performance tent where local musician were playing a combination of African and folk music.

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 300mm (35mm equivalent 450mm), aperture f5.6, speed 1/60 second, ISO 2000, Fluorescent white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 70-300mm lens,

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 300mm (35mm equivalent 450mm), aperture f5.6, speed 1/60 second, ISO 2000, Fluorescent white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 70-300mm lens,

I particularly enjoy watching musicians as they play, as you can watch them get lost in tune, the rhythm and the memories of the music

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 260mm (35mm equivalent 390mm), aperture f5.6, speed 1/45 second, ISO 2000, Fluorescent white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 70-300mm lens,

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 260mm (35mm equivalent 390mm), aperture f5.6, speed 1/60 second, ISO 2000, Fluorescent white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 70-300mm lens,

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 300mm (35mm equivalent 450mm), aperture f5.6, speed 1/45 second, ISO 2000, Fluorescent white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 70-300mm lens,

I enjoyed this exercise as I had worked out in advance what I wanted to capture, the crowds and the performers. I was pleased that I was able to find location to photograph from that allowed me to observe and photograph without interrupting people.

I also enjoyed the challenge of photographing the performers in different lighting conditions as they were set for the performers and not really for photography.

Exercise 13 - Standard Focal Depth

What: The main brief of this exercise was to set the focal length of the camera lens as close to “standard” focal length as possible.

Where: Edinburgh, Outdoors

When: Afternoon on a mild overcast day.

How: I held my camera in portrait position and with both eyes open I moved the focal length of the lens so that the scene I was looking at the camera focal length matched that of my normal eyesight and they looked the same.

I think I may have had a slight problem here as due to my topic pupil the focal depth of my vision is abnormal, as the pupil is being crushed by the eye muscles I cannot focus my eye properly.

Using a kit 18-70mm lens on my camera I found that after a few adjustments that my focal depth is somewhere around the 40mm range on this lens rather than the expected 27mm to 32mm range.

While at a community gathering in Edinburgh, I went around the entire site looking out for subjects or actions that I found interesting, once I had spotted something I noted the location and came back later where I could find a position to be inconspicuous and where I could photograph without attracting too much attention.

The requirement to have little distance to the subject did not allow for clear and concise framing, by hanging the camera a lower position meant that the frame could be interfered with by practically anything from passersby and the simple fact  that I had to shoot and trust the I had captured what I wanted.

While circling back around the site I noticed someone trying to attract people to attend a nature event.

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 44mm (35mm equivalent 66mm), aperture f5.6, speed 1/180 second, ISO 800, Auto white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 17-80mm lens,

The subject made eye contact a number of times and I waited until they went back to attracting visitors before I fired the shutter. I wanted her to be relaxed and comfortable with being photographed.

I had noticed a person dancing to the various musicians and performers through the day, I wanted to get close and photograph them as they danced but they were just moving too fast and I could not keep up.

I waited until they stopped dancing around the site and had settled in one position and was dancing with a large piece of white cloth which caught the slightest breeze.

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 44mm (35mm equivalent 66mm), aperture f5.6, speed 1/100 second, ISO 800, Shade white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 17-80mm lens,

 

I had to crop the shot down as I was still too far away, but I am much happier with the framing and action within the frame. The subject is caught within their thoughts and movement to the music and is not focussed on what is going on around them.

I am much happier with the second image as it really keeps the attention on the central subject. Using a zoom lens would probably have created a large amount to bokeh in the background and would have isolated the subject completely from their surrounds. Up close with a wide angle lens may have produced quite a dynamic image but it would have distorted the subject if I had tried to compose both the dancer and the cloth within the frame.

Exercise 12 - Close and Involved (Wide Angle Lens)

What: The main brief of this exercise was to get close and involved with the subject by the use of a wide angled lens

Where: Edinburgh, Outdoors

When: Afternoon on a mild overcast day.

How: I had a found already to my cost that using a small point and shoot camera would be of no use, as even thought the images were coming back as having a focal depth of 17mm or 18mm when in  fact the find image was nothing of the sort.

Example of the point and shoot at apparently 17mm

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Kodak Easyshare, Exposure Mode Auto, focal length 17mm (35mm equivalent 96mm), aperture f5.2, speed 1/250 second, ISO 250,Auto white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera.

 

Possessing the widest angle lens for my DSLR that I had, I decided that this may be of better use as it was a 11 mm-16 mm meaning that I would have to get close.

I had already tested the suitability of close up photography with a visit to Jupiter Art Land where I took a number of closeup shots of statues in the woods using the 11-16mm wide angle lens and I knew that I was going to get within three feet of people to obtain a close image.

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 13mm (35mm equivalent 19mm), aperture f16, speed 1/6 second, ISO 800,Shade white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 11-16mm lens,

 

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 11mm (35mm equivalent 16mm), aperture f16, speed 1/30 second, ISO 800,Shade white balance, Center Weight metering, Hand held camera, 11-16mm lens,

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 11mm (35mm equivalent 16mm), aperture f16, speed 1/45 second, ISO 800,Shade white balance, Center Weight metering, Hand held camera, 11-16mm lens,

These images are from a visit to Jupiter Art Land, I found myself always within about 3 feet from the statues when I photographed them as it allowed the full statue to be contained within the frame.

I visited a community gathering in Edinburgh where I hoped that there would be a number of events and enough people where I could use the lens without attracting attention when trying to photograph someone within a few feet away.

I was again at the disadvantage of my disability so I knew that I to balance the twin objects of obtaining the photographs without being knocked to the ground by accident.

My first attempt to find a number of locations to shoot from did not work as I could not get close enough to anyone quickly and take the shot as they passed as the lens is very slow to focus. I managed to obtain a number of close-ups of subjects but they were all blurred.

 The second attempt was a bit more successful; I hung the camera around my neck and with one hand to control my balance on my walking stick I placed my left hand around the camera so that the tips of my fingers just touched to the top of the shutter release. This allowed me to move in and out of the people and first the shutter when I thought that I might capture and interesting image.

In the main I was pretty unsuccessful, most of the images were incorrectly framed, blurred or at a completely odd angle. I could get close enough to people but the lens being slow to focus meant that I mainly photographed them as they passed or they adjusted angle of approach at the last minute and I ended up getting a close up of their jacket.

The requirement to have little distance to the subject did not allow for clear and concise framing, by hanging the camera a lower position meant that the frame could be interfered with by practically anything from passers-by and the simple fact  that I had to shoot and trust the I had captured what I wanted.

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 14mm (35mm equivalent 21mm), aperture f9.5, speed 1/60 second, ISO 400, Auto white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 11-16mm lens,

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 14mm (35mm equivalent 21mm), aperture f9.5, speed 1/180 second, ISO 400, Auto white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 11-16mm lens,

I noticed here another flaw with using the wide angle lens and that was that some movement caused distortion, here the subjects hand has “jellied” and distended.

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 14mm (35mm equivalent 21mm), aperture f9.5, speed 1/250 second, ISO 400, Auto white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 11-16mm lens,

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 14mm (35mm equivalent 21mm), aperture f9.5, speed 1/45 second, ISO 400, Daylight white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 11-16mm lens,

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 14mm (35mm equivalent 21mm), aperture f9.5, speed 1/250 second, ISO 400, Auto white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 11-16mm lens,

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Nikon D80, Exposure Mode Manual, focal length 13mm (35mm equivalent 19mm), aperture f9.5, speed 1/60 second, ISO 400, Auto white balance, Matrix metering, Hand held camera, 11-16mm lens,

Re examining the images I see that from the way I had decided to step up the camera and then use a kind of surveillance technique of photographing meant that I could not adjust the settings of the camera; once I had picked an f-stop and what kind of white balance and metering I wanted I could not really adjust anything while moving. Even the focal length was pretty much fixed unless the camera was bumped slightly knocking the lens back from 11mm towards 16mm.

The exercise was quite a challenge not only physically but also mentally as I had to trust my instincts and just hope that I had captured what I wanted.

I am not truly happy with the results of the exercise as I found that the choice of lens was too extreme, at 11-16mm a lot of the subjects were further away from the lens than I had hoped. I may revisit the exercise using something more like a normal kit lens starting at 17mm where I can work between 17mm and 24mm to obtain better framing and composition.