End Of Exams! Woohoo!
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Labels:
40mm,
Personal,
Portraits
How I Edited It
Usually, the first thing I do when after choosing the pictures I want is increase the contrast. I personally find contrast adds more to the image though I think there is such a thing as too much. Anyway, I increased the clarity slightly and I tried some split-toning. I chose green and pink to give it a old-ish feeling (though I wondered if I achieved that). That's all, just a simple edit.
"Outsider's" View on Photography
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Labels:
40mm,
Photography Education/Experiences
How I Edited It
Usually, the first thing I do when after choosing the pictures I want is increase the contrast. I personally find contrast adds more to the image though I think there is such a thing as too much. Anyway, I increased the clarity slightly and I tried some split-toning. I chose green and pink to give it a old-ish feeling (though I wondered if I achieved that). That's all, just a simple edit.
What's Been Going On?
I've been on hiatus for a while, I know. I'm not going to make excuses but I will say that I've had so much work, both coursework and exams which didn't go as expected. I was so stressed, there was a point where I didn't physically touch my camera for a MONTH! I hadn't been feeling like taking pictures and not being able to take pictures made it worse. The only way to push through the creative block is to just take pictures, even if they're mundane. It gets you using your skill so it doesn't get rusty. Anyway it's been a while since I've taken anything, although right up until I stopped I was my usual trigger happy self. The picture in this post is from a group meeting I had in university for coursework, but my mind was wandering and I had bought the 40mm. I should add that the 40mm has taken up residence on my camera and I've rarely taken it off because of the large aperture (2.8, not as big as an aperture of 1.4 but I'm not complaining) and it's macro capabilities.
How I Edited It
I like how I managed to get some bokeh on the ring. I chose black and white instead of colour because it wasn't adding anything to the picture whereas black and white was more atmospheric. I also tried out some split toning just to see how it would affect the picture. I used blues and greens to give it a kind of metal effect but I preferred the traditional black and white. Apart from that, I generally like to push the contrast up quite a bit and depending on the image, sometimes I like to thicken the blacks a bit more.
Finding the Image
Now that I have a bit of breathing space I can take more pictures. I know this is a bit random but when I started, I realised I was beginning to get neurotic about the technical details of each shot. I was so focused on the exposure and whether it was "technically" right, that afterwards I would take a look at my pictures to come to the sudden conclusion that I wasn't satisfied with the images because there was nothing special in the composition or the subject wasn't really interesting either. I've learnt much about technical details in terms of ISO, aperture, shutter speed and what they all do but I find that I focus on the numbers too much. I've made myself a goal that I'm going to pay more attention to the image. I know that sounds obvious but it's surprising how easy it is to get lost when you're first starting out.
So that's all from me this week, see you next Wednesday!
Back to Blogging! And How I Edited It: Diamond Ring
Full View
Labels:
40mm,
How I Edited it
What's Been Going On?
I've been on hiatus for a while, I know. I'm not going to make excuses but I will say that I've had so much work, both coursework and exams which didn't go as expected. I was so stressed, there was a point where I didn't physically touch my camera for a MONTH! I hadn't been feeling like taking pictures and not being able to take pictures made it worse. The only way to push through the creative block is to just take pictures, even if they're mundane. It gets you using your skill so it doesn't get rusty. Anyway it's been a while since I've taken anything, although right up until I stopped I was my usual trigger happy self. The picture in this post is from a group meeting I had in university for coursework, but my mind was wandering and I had bought the 40mm. I should add that the 40mm has taken up residence on my camera and I've rarely taken it off because of the large aperture (2.8, not as big as an aperture of 1.4 but I'm not complaining) and it's macro capabilities.
How I Edited It
I like how I managed to get some bokeh on the ring. I chose black and white instead of colour because it wasn't adding anything to the picture whereas black and white was more atmospheric. I also tried out some split toning just to see how it would affect the picture. I used blues and greens to give it a kind of metal effect but I preferred the traditional black and white. Apart from that, I generally like to push the contrast up quite a bit and depending on the image, sometimes I like to thicken the blacks a bit more.
Finding the Image
Now that I have a bit of breathing space I can take more pictures. I know this is a bit random but when I started, I realised I was beginning to get neurotic about the technical details of each shot. I was so focused on the exposure and whether it was "technically" right, that afterwards I would take a look at my pictures to come to the sudden conclusion that I wasn't satisfied with the images because there was nothing special in the composition or the subject wasn't really interesting either. I've learnt much about technical details in terms of ISO, aperture, shutter speed and what they all do but I find that I focus on the numbers too much. I've made myself a goal that I'm going to pay more attention to the image. I know that sounds obvious but it's surprising how easy it is to get lost when you're first starting out.
So that's all from me this week, see you next Wednesday!
To be completely honest, I haven't been taking many pictures but I'm trying to make myself do it even if I'm busy. Moving on, I bought the Nikkor 40mm about a week ago and it's been so interesting to see everything from a different perspective. I haven't done any portraits yet but I'm hoping to do a shoot with this sometime between now and Christmas.
Features
- Maximum aperture of f/2.8
- Minimum aperture of f/22
- Macro ability
- Manual and manual/autofocus focusing
- Has Af-S (Silent Wave Motor)
Putting aside the f2.8 aspect of the lens, the main feature is obviously the macro capability. This is the main reason I bought this lens because I personally have always been more partial to close-ups as opposed to landscapes and general wide-angled images. Focusing is quite fast but sometimes it does miss the mark every now and again. There is a manual/autofocus switch on the side of the lens which allows you to easily switch between the two but there is also a fully manual option.
Test Shot
I took ring as a test shot to see how close I could go up to it and to test the sharpness. One thing I did encounter was that if you moved even a little bit, sometimes the focus would go off. I think that's true for most macro lenses.
I used natural light by putting this on a window sill to light it properly and you can look at the EXIF info for the rest of the shooting information. One thing that should be noted is that if you have to focus a certain amount out then it will automatically go up to f/3.3 and above so you have to keep an eye on it
Apart from that I really like this lens. It allows me to have a new perspective without spending extortionate amounts (for a student anyway).
Thoughts on the Nikkor 40mm f/2.8 Macro
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Labels:
Photography Gear,
Technology
To be completely honest, I haven't been taking many pictures but I'm trying to make myself do it even if I'm busy. Moving on, I bought the Nikkor 40mm about a week ago and it's been so interesting to see everything from a different perspective. I haven't done any portraits yet but I'm hoping to do a shoot with this sometime between now and Christmas.
Features
- Maximum aperture of f/2.8
- Minimum aperture of f/22
- Macro ability
- Manual and manual/autofocus focusing
- Has Af-S (Silent Wave Motor)
Putting aside the f2.8 aspect of the lens, the main feature is obviously the macro capability. This is the main reason I bought this lens because I personally have always been more partial to close-ups as opposed to landscapes and general wide-angled images. Focusing is quite fast but sometimes it does miss the mark every now and again. There is a manual/autofocus switch on the side of the lens which allows you to easily switch between the two but there is also a fully manual option.
Test Shot
I took ring as a test shot to see how close I could go up to it and to test the sharpness. One thing I did encounter was that if you moved even a little bit, sometimes the focus would go off. I think that's true for most macro lenses.
I used natural light by putting this on a window sill to light it properly and you can look at the EXIF info for the rest of the shooting information. One thing that should be noted is that if you have to focus a certain amount out then it will automatically go up to f/3.3 and above so you have to keep an eye on it
Apart from that I really like this lens. It allows me to have a new perspective without spending extortionate amounts (for a student anyway).
