Look for Daffodil Hill, Magnolia Plaza, and the many different kinds of cherry blossoms. When you are photographing see if you cn figure out waht is unique about each one.
Take at least 10 different long shots that use perspective to depict deep space. Look up at a tree or along a path. Use either converging lines or diminishing scale or both. These photos should use extensive depth of field meaning everything from near to far should be sharp. Using the shooting mode Av, set the aperture to f11. Use auto ISO.
Take at least 20 close up photos of individual plants that use shallow depth of field. There should be something in the foreground and something in the background. Donāt shoot from an aerial or birdās-eye view for these photos. Sometimes the foreground should be in focus, sometimes the mid distance and sometimes the things in the far distance. Use the shooting mode Av, set the f-stop to f/4 with auto ISO. Make sure that your shutter speed is faster than 1/60 th of a second and that the blur in the photo is shallow depth of field and not motion blur.
Put your 30 photos in an album on Flickr. Send your best example of perspective and of shallow depth of field to the class group.
Next week is Spring Break. Our next class is May 1.
Don’t forget to submit to the CUNY Photo Challenge. Due April 27th!
Depth of Field
Depth of Field-The distance between the nearest and farthest points that appear in acceptably sharp focus in a photograph. Depth of field can be shallow or extensive. While the term includes the word depth, depth of field refers to focus.
Photographer: Roy DecaravaPhotographer: Alex Baker
Perspective-the representation of a 3-dimensional space on a 2-dimensional surface by converging lines, diminishing scale and/or atmospheric perspective.
Sometimes photos combine perspective and shallow depth of field.
Photographer: Michael Kenna
How to control depth of field (with a camera)
These four factors control depth of field:
lens aperture
focal length
camera-to-subject distance
sensor size.
Aperture
Aperture is the size of the opening that allows light to hit the cameraās sensor when the photograph is taken.
Aperture values are expressed in numbers called f-stops. A smaller f-stop number means more light is coming into the camera and will create shallow depth of field. A larger f-stop number will let less light into the camera and create extensive depth of field.
The full stops for aperture are: F2, f28, f4, f5.6, f8, f11, f16, f22, f3
Focal Length is the distance from where the light converges in the lens to the sensor. If it is a short distance then the lens is a wide angle lens and shows a lot of the scene. If it is a long distance, the lens is a telephoto lens and it magnifies the scene. Wide angle lenses create extensive depth of field while telephoto lenses create shallow depth of field.
Camera-to-subject distance is how far the subject is from the camera. If everything is far from the camera, it is easier to achieve extensive depth of field. If the main subject is very close to the camera and the background elements are far from the camera, it is easier to achieve shallow depth of field.
It is the small size of the sensor that makes cameraphones so good at achieving extensive depth of field. It is also the main reason it is so hard to get your cameraphone to achieve shallow depth of field.
Sensor size-the smaller the sensor the easier it is to achieve extensive depth of field. Bigger sensors allow for shallow depth of field.
Bokeh-Bokeh comes from the Japanese word boke (ćć±), which means “blur” or “haze”, or boke-aji, the “blur quality.” Bokeh is pronounced BOH-KÉ or BOH-kay.
— From http://www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-explore/article/h0ndz86v/bokeh-for-beginners.html
For my final project, I am preferring to do my own theme. My theme will be Transit Subways Scapes.
My favorite interest for this project is rule of thirds and depth of field. Rules of thirds will look great on my subjects because it focuses on the subject while having a scenery background for the subject. Depth of field is useful towards subways and buses scapes. For example, I can shoot a subway photo in an above ground station. With the depth of field I can zoom in the train and having a focus of the train along the other subway cars following behind it. If I would shoot an underground station with the train coming in, I will need to adjust the exposure of the camera to have a better light quality.
Sometimes, we do not appreciate public transit as much as for commuters. I think personally, I like public transit. There are some underrated beauty of the subway that commuters miss most of the time. It doesnāt matter where you are late to work or going somewhere to be. We are all riding the same subway car.
We all have almost the same story as commuters to get to our place and we have to look back at it. We are all there to have something to get to our destination alive. Trains come and go to our daily lives that we have something productive to do in our lives.
My photography shoots will be taken most of them in a above ground station because of the scenery that the trains go through. I will be going through different boroughs of NYC to look for places that have a fantastic scenery along with it.
My photography style revolves around classic chrome with a hipster twistāit’s a bit hard to pin down, but there’s a consistent mood to all of the example photos. I’m looking for the nostalgic feel that only a film camera can provide. The problem is, shooting on film can be pricey. So, I’ve been experimenting with Fujifilm’s film simulation to get that retro look.
NYC is rushing, where everything moves at lightning speed. I’m after something different. I want to capture the city I know but with a slower, more relaxed mood. Think grainy shots, off-white balancesāimperfection is what Iām looking for. For me, it adds more personality to the photo. I’m on the lookout for spots with fewer people, maybe some empty buildings or objects that exude old-school charm. And a dog, animals are always nice.
I’m drawn to scenes like empty streets at sunset, misty parks if I’m lucky, or even rainy days if I can catch them. Iām not looking for tall buildings and skyscrapers, but more of Queens or Brooklyn’s lower and smaller buildings. I’ll be playing around with different techniques but mostly sticking to medium and long shots at eye level. I want my photos to feel like a journey back in time, where every flaw adds to the charm and every shot tells a story. The color profile Iām planning on using is pastel or other soft profiles that are gentle on the eye.
Finally, I want people who look at my photo to feel old, to reminisce about their happy days in the past, even if they didn’t exist. I want them to look at the photo and feel relaxed, as if they’re in the photo themselves. Not just a generic-looking stock photo, but a photo with personality and a story behind it.
My theme is exploring a popular district of New York that hasnāt changed. Some areas of New York have changed drastically over the years due to gentrification but this is one of the very few areas that still looks untouched. This time of year is the season I look forward to the most because of the cherry blossom trees, the warm weather, and the icy lady. Although Iāve lived in New York for over 20 years, there are some places Iāve never been around. Iāve decided Soho is the perfect place to take pictures. This part of the city showcases some of the essences of the city such as vintage architectural style, luxury, fashion, and art. Over the next few weeks, Iāll be capturing a variety of shots such as the buildings, some portraitures of āfashionā people, and art galleries, at different times of the day, and weather conditions. Some techniques that weāve learned Iāve enjoyed doing such as reflections and freeze/ blur motion.
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