Close Ups

I went to Bunn’s creek to take my close up pictures. I took my close up pictures outside because I found out that close up pictures are generally more taken outside. I also find that taking pictures outside is a lot easier then taking pictures inside, because there is natural light, a lot more to take pictures of and the view is nicer.  

Taking close up pictures was fairly easy. The Only problem I had was that sometimes my subject would be so light it would blend into the snow so my camera lens would not focus on it. I tried out some different modes and found that the portrait mode and my close up mode worked out the best in those types of situations.

Things I learned about close up photography:

- The best types of close up shots are done outside.

- Its better to take close up shots in the summer or springtime because you can get insects, flowers and berries. Of course I had to ignore this advice because its winter here in Winnipeg and Winnipeg winters are not warm ones!

- You should just find a spot in nature and take some time in that particular spot finding more close up opportunities.

- Use a Marco mode on your camera. For me this mode is just called “close up mode”.

- Shady days are good for close up photography because the light is dim.

Websites I used: 

http://www.digital-photo-secrets.com/tip/3051/7-tips-for-how-to-take-close-up-photos-of-nature/

http://digital-photography-school.com/getting-up-close-with-close-up-lenses

Landscape

I had to take 2 different trips for getting some good landscape pictures. Unfortunately I live in Winnipeg, and during the winter there aren't a lot of inserting landscapes to take pictures of… I did my best though to make them look creative and different! 

On my first trip I brought my camera to my Oma's house. My Oma lives by the floodway, so I climbed up there to get some different angles. It was super cold out, but the sun was shinning so I decided to brave the cold and use the sun to my advantage. I haven't had a super sunny day where i took pictures, so I am really happy with how my pictures turned out because they are very bright instead of dull looking.  

Here are my three best pictures I took that day:

 

On my second trip I went to Bunn’s Creek. The weather wasn’t too cold, and the sun was shinning so I was also able to get some nice looking pictures on that day! I really enjoyed landscape photography because you get to look at pretty views of different landscapes. I had fun with this type of photography.

Things I learned about Landscape Photography: 
- Make sure that your whole scene is in focus. Landscape photos aren't suppose to be  blurry.
- Use a tripod. The more steady your camera is, the more clearer your picture will be.
- Have a focal point, or your picture will be boring.
- Remember the rule of thirds when taking your pictures.
- Have a busy sky. If your sky is not busy, make sure your foreground is interesting so your whole picture isn't plain looking. 
- Shoot during the morning or evening for more creative lighting. 
- Don't shoot on an angle. 
- Take your time when taking your pictures. Take pictures of all your surroundings. You'll never know what looks good or what doesn't look god unless you try it. 
- When editing your pictures, try increasing the saturation for a more brighter look. 


Websites I used:
http://digital-photography-school.com/11-surefire-tips-for-improving-your-landscape-photography
http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2010/09/09/10-quick-landscape-photography-tips/

Black and White Photography

I had to take 2 trips for my black and white pictures. With black and white photos, you never know if you're picture is going to look good in black and white so it’s hard to know if you have enough pictures that will look good in black and white. You can take inside black and white pictures, but I prefer to go outside. I find that you can get better pictures that way since there's natural lighting and plenty of things to take pictures of. Last year in my digital pictures class we did a unit on black and white photography. I really enjoyed it so I decided to learn more about it. I'm going to talk about the main things that I learned about black and white pictures. 

My first trip I went to my Oma's house, and took pictures in the forest that's right behind her house. Black and white photos can be tricky because when taking the picture you need to make sure that you have good lighting so that your photo won't be to dark, but you also go to make sure that there isn't to much light that your picture will look too bright. You also got to make sure that there is a lot of texture so that your picture won't be boring. This is something I would frequently forget, which is why I had to go out for the second time and take more pictures.

When taking black and white photos you shouldn't take your pictures using a black and white filter that is built in your camera. You should just take pictures like you regularly would, and them edit them later using black and white filters from whatever editing program you use. The reason for this is because sometimes pictures that you meant to be black and white look better in color. For example, when I went out to take black and white pictures I took some picture that I thought would look good in black and white, but when I got home and edited them I realized that they really did not look good in black and white! Unfortunately this meant that I had to go outside and take more pictures, but I have to learn from my mistakes. 

On my second trip I went to Bunns Creek. I was happy with how my pictures turned out. Taking two trips was actually good because now I have a bit more variety in my pictures.

Things I learned about black and white pictures:

- When editing your pictures look for contrast. Most black and white photos have a part of the photo that is white and a part of a photo that is black. 

- Make sure when editing, you also have some shades of grey. If you do not have some grey, your photo will look dull. You can achieve this by using your flash when taking pictures. 

- If you don't have much color to begin with don't turn it into a black and white photo. You will only make your picture more dull and boring looking. 

Websites that I used:

http://improvephotography.com/832/black-and-white-photography-tips/

http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2011/02/02/10-quick-black-white-photography-tips/

Headshots

For headshots I got both of my younger sisters to help. Danielle Algera helped me by being the model in my pictures. Serena Algera helped me by holding up a black blanket behind Danielle in each of these photos as a backdrop.

One big thing about headshots is the clothing and makeup that your subject is wearing. A lot of headshots go for natural looks. Which means there is very little makeup involved, and for clothing you wear casual clothes with solid colors, and no glitter or no dark clothes. I decided to go for the natural look for my headshots so Danielle did her hair how she regularly does it and she wore no makeup. I think if I had done my headshots differently I would have made her put makeup on because sometimes I find the flash drowns out her facial features, which is what you’re mainly supposed to focus on.

  Other things I learned about headshots:

- You have to make eye contact with your subject. Capturing eyes is a big part of headshots.

- Do close up shots.

- When you’re taking pictures of girls, you shoot more slightly down on them. This makes their eyes appear bigger and is a typical pose for girls. For guys, you shoot more slightly up to try to emphasize strength and it makes them look more confident.

- Use flash to add more depth to your subject.

- Backdrops are usually plain. The most common color for backdrops is grey, black and white. When choosing a backdrop you’re supposed to consider what you are going to use the picture for, and where it will be placed. For example, I chose a black backdrop because it would look good with my blog. If I had chosen white, my pictures would have blended in with my blogs background, which would have made my pictures look bad.

Websites I used for Headshot techniques: 

- http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-take-the-perfect-headshot-six-tips

- http://www.backstage.com/advice-for-actors/headshots/5-tips-professional-photographer-posing-headshots/

- http://www.headshot-photos.com/tips.php