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Happy Easter! Happy Spring!
Spring is the season of change – and it’s (finally) come to my attention that I need to make a few. Aside from the usual ones (anyone else dusting off their New Year’s resolutions?), I’ve realized that field trips, house calls from the flu-fairy, uncooperative weather, family and school commitments (in other words, my life in general) is not conducive to doing a chapter a week in my photo book. So, I’m changing – getting smart for a change, actually. Instead of rushing to get a chapter done every week (and stressing and cramming and beating myself up), I’ve decided to give myself at least two weeks per assignment so I can really learn the material. Because learning the material and improving my photography skills, not finishing a chapter a week, is the real point of having the assignments in the first place.
Yes, sometimes those simple solutions really are the best. And that simple act of giving myself permission is a huge change for me.
I’ll still continue to post on AMOS weekly – because I don’t want to lose the habit of taking photos every week. That’s had a huge positive impact on my photography (and my sanity!). The time between assignment posts will just be longer.
Speaking of assignments, here’s Chapter 7 – Landscapes:
But first – check out this neato site with flash cards for photography terms! http://quizlet.com/11357559/basic-photo-definitions-flash-cards/
- Aperture and focal length: Take a photo with your longest focal length (ie, telephoto) and smallest aperture (ie, f22). Then keep the aperture the same and use your shortest focal length. Compare the depth of field in the photos.
- Rule of Thirds: The rule of thirds is a compositional tool. Imagine your viewfinder divided into thirds horizontally and vertically (like a tic-tac-toe grid). The most interesting place to put your subject is anywhere those lines intersect. (Some cameras have a grid overlay feature that you can turn on. Check your manual! It’s a very handy feature; I keep mine on all the time.) Pick a scene and experiment with placing the subject on different intersection points.
- Horizons: Select a scene with a horizon line. Experiment with putting the horizon on the top, middle and bottom third of the frame.
Have fun and feel free to share your photos, comments or questions. Or just share what changes this spring is bringing you.
See you next week!
Good for you! I think you should give yourself permission to take as long as you think you need (or as long as you’re still having fun) with each assignment, but maybe that’s too loose to stay with the goal. In any case, yay you! And I love your eggs.
Thanks, j! Giving myself permission – while still staying accountable and on target – is a huge milestone for me.
We had so much fun making eggs! After we ran out of eggs to color we used the rest of the egg dye on my water color art paper and extended the fun for hours. Just makin stuff – without a purpose or a goal – just because it was fun. It was like instantly excavating right down to the little kid locked away inside of me. 🙂