Slight delay of Cedar Point trip

...moved it from Wed-Thu to Frid-Sat because of the weather. The original trip would have been thru a thunderstorm stretch - the weekend is suppose to be 70s and sunny (we'll see). Cost me an extra $40 though (weekend rates). Another advantage is the park stays open till 10pm on weekends so I should be able to get some night shots.

Wish me luck to get some good photots! :)

Al

Photo Review #1

Finally got it, and close to what I expected. If your interested, the three photos submitted are in a previous post.

#1 - The cat
The response to this was good. I apparently accomplished what I was suppose to do - feature the subject in focus with the background "fuzzy". There was some confusion however on the f-stop setting (f16) but after doing a few test shots it appears that the depth of field is sensitive to using Zoom. Since I was using 135mm zoom on this shot - even f16 softened the background.

#2 - The dock
This one was liked the best - infinite depth of field, interesting subject. The reviewer was partial to nautical shots however, so I should take this with a grain of salt.

#3 - The scooters
I didn't really like this pic other than I did capture the movement, and the reviewer agreed. The suggestions were to zoom in on one of the scooters rather than both, and keep the subject to the left of the frame (with the empty space "in front" of the moving object. Makes sense. I'll be practicing more movement shots soon....

Going to Cedar Point on the 27th

I'm going to package up my camera and head to Cedar Point for a couple days. The amusement park will give me ample opportunities to take motion shots - maybe a few at night :) and I need a few days away anyway. If we have time, we'll include some "nautical" shots around Sandusky too - beautiful location.

Next

I'm a couple booklets into the next unit of the course. Reading about exposure now. Will also be adding a few non-lesson pictures here soon as I continue practicing.

Al

Units 2 and 3 arrived... and I got my test results for Unit 1

Part of what I wanted to do in this Blog was to let my readers know the value of the NYIP course. Although I got a deal at $895, the regular price is $1200, so if anyone is considering taking a course; I'm hoping that my experience will help you make that decision.

Unit 1, which I've already completed, consisted of the following. The texts are full color booklets consisting of 15-75 pages of material in an 8x10 format.

• Text, Eye of the Photographer
• Text, Camera
• Text, Lens
• Text, How to use your Camera
• Text, Intro to the Business of Photography
• Audio CDs discussing each text
  
• DVD video summarizing Unit 1
• NYI Photo Log
• Photo Project (3 photos)

Unit 2

• Text, Image Capture
• Text, Exposure
• Text, Processing Blank-and-White Film
• Text, Digital Processing
• Text, Filters
• Text, Developing your Eye
• Audio CDs discussing each text
  
• DVD video summarizing Unit 2
  
• NYI PhotoWorld Press Card
  
• Photo Project (3 photos)

Unit 3

• Text, Natural Light
  
• Text, Available Light
  
• Text, Artificial Light
  
• Text, Strobe
• Text, The Perfect Print
  
• Text, Darkroom
• Audio CDs discussing each text
  
• DVD video summarizing Unit 3
  
• Photo Project (6 photos)

The general idea is you read few pages, then listen to the CD, then read, then listen, then watch the DVD, take a quiz, take your photos, and send it in. You will receive your graded quiz with the right answers, and an audio tape where the instructor tells you what's good and bad about your photos - then on to the next Unit. There are 6 Units in all and the projected time to cover all the material is 10-13 months, although your certainly free to run through it faster if you wish to.

Unit 1 Test Results

I learned something about myself already. Although I was serious about learning this, I was rushing it just a bit. There were 30 questions on the Quiz, and I ran through them without really focusing on them since I felt I understood the material. I missed 5, which got me a "B"; but after reviewing what I missed - I got the dreaded "I knew that!" feeling.

Given this was really an "open book" test, I should have done better. What I learned about myself here is that I was more interested in getting the Quiz out of the way that I was on Aceing it. I think I'll spend more time on the future ones just to satisfy my need to know I did my best.

FYI: I haven't gotten the photo results back yet, but I suspect something similar will happen there. I was pleased with the first two (see the photos in a previous post) but copped out on the third one once I got the technical portion of the shot to work. I should have gone out looking for a "good" subject to practice the skill on rather than settling on my first attempt. I'll let you know as soon as I get the results.

Al

Gargoyle or Snoopy?

Was walking in Sand Run Park this morning and found this tree trunk. Amazing how nature can pretty much do what it wants to do :) Let me know if I should title it Gargoyle or Snoopy.

Al

(not so) Free Stuff

My package showed up today from NYIP with all the free stuff I was promised.

(1) Carrying case - looks ok but most of what I have so far doesn't fit (lol)
(2) 4GB thumb drive (cool)
(3) White-Silver-Gold reflector screens (super cool)
(4) Monopod - leans against your chest, easier to transport than a tripod (also cool)
(5) Lens cloth - to add to the 2-3 I have already

All in all not bad. Not sure how much this stuff would have cost to buy, but free is free (or not-so-free), whichever the case may be. I'm sure I will get the chance to include some of the items in future pictures :)

Al

First Photo Project

Well I got through the first four lessons and got three photo assignments...

(1) subject in focus with background out of focus
(2) long depth of field (everything in focus, close to far)
(3) a motion photograph

Let me start by saying I never really tried these kind of shots before. Even with the better equipment, I've been a "set to AUTO" photographer - and got some really good pics that way too. But the whole idea of this education process is to open new doors and give me new ideas, so here goes.

Photo 1
This one wasn't too bad. Per instructions you open the aperture and you get a short depth of field. My camera lets me focus on the closer subject, lock it in, then move the camera to the framing position. Yes, I know, it's still kinda using the "AUTO" features of the camera, but give me a little time to become a "manual" guru, huh? Got my cat concentrating on a squirrel :)


Photo 2
Visited my daughter in Baltimore, MD over the weekend, and took a run down to the docks. This pic gave me the opportunity to close down the aperture and use a long DOF to capture everything from the broken concrete to the far end of the dock in focus (more or less).


Photo 3
This one was tough for me. First the subject... what moves? People, animals, cars, trains, amusement park rides. But I don't know enough about the required settings on this one - or know my camera's capabilities concerning this - well enough to take a good shot without many tries... and most movement shots don't stick around very long. I can see how this talent will take some time to master. Fortunately, our neighbor just got a new scooter - and he's been up and down the street 100 times today. So, I sat on the front porch and snapped, snapped, and snapped again until I go this one...


Perfect? Not by a long shot - it's really not that interesting and I had to crop my 10mp pick down to get this - but it's my first movement shot that actually worked :) I'm sure I will try this again and again until I get a good one.

Soo.... these are my three photo project shots. I'll send them in soon and see what criticisms I get - and yes, I'll share those with you too :)

Thanks for reading,

Al

Opening Word About NYIP

I spent a lot of time looking for an online or mail order photography course. There are many of them out there - the problem is there is no way to know which courses are taught by true professionals and which are taught by unemployed photographers who have to feed their families. In the end, I concluded that the technical material was the same in all courses - and I could certainly compliment any shortcomings with the multitude of internet resources.

What I wanted to "absorb" was the mind of the photographer - the thought process while looking for a good shot - to see if it differed from mine. If I could learn something along those lines - and combine it with a better understanding of the equipment - just maybe I could get better.

To be perfectly honest, one fact ultimately determined why I picked NYIP. "Educating Photographers Since 1910" and 20,000 students at any given time. That's a long time to run a business and a lot of years to screw up and ruin your name if your not careful; and a lot of students to complain if things weren't right. Is it a guarantee? Nope. But it is, at least, a comfortable beginning.

So, I sent in my payment and application, and a few weeks later got the first four lessons. At some point I'm supose to get some free gifts too - so I'll keep you posted. The lessons consist of reading and then listening to an audio of three instructors discuss what you've read.

The first thing I noticed was the audio portion was very informal. The three instructors basically shared their thoughts on the subject - answering questions posed by the schools dean. It felt a little "loose" and somewhat uncomfortable at first. By the time I got to the fourth lesson, however, I started to get the idea of the conversation - a more or less open conversation with three people that know more about the subject that I do - and as I listened I was learning.

I can't say yet if the rest of the course will follow the path I currently see, but I do want to share my experience with you in case your wondering if it's worth the time and money. I got the course during a sale for $895., about $300 less that normal - but whether $900 or $1200 I want you to know if I learn something.

Al