Studio Lighting

I really liked this project because it gave me the chance to experiment with different types of studio lighting. It was definitely harder than I thought it would be, but I think I finished with some pretty great shots! To shoot these photos I used my Canon Rebel XS, with my basic 18-55mm lens. For the first photo I used a shutter speed of 1/50 and an aperture of 5.0. I attempted 2:1 ratio lighting by placing two lights on her left and one on her right. This gives a great look to any photo if done correctly and I am very pleased with my results. For my second photo I used a shutter speed of 1/50 and an aperture of 5.6. I used similar lighting as the first photo, but made Alicia pose looking to one side so I could get a profile shot. I really like this photo because the lighting causes a shadow to fall along her jaw bone, accentuating it. For the last photo I used a shutter speed to 1/30 and an aperture of 4.5. I used pretty balanced lighting in this photo with one light on each side. Overall, I had a lot of fun with this. I took many photos and the 3 I chose I obviously liked the best. Alicia and I had a lot of fun shooting this and I was probably inspired the most just by the joking atmosphere we had. We were goofing around just taking a lot of silly photos while experimenting with the different lights and seeing what would happen if we moved each one. We had fun and I shot some great photos in the process!

Playing with mixed lighting

This assignment was to take photo involving mixed lighting, so daylight combined with an added light source. I took this photo of my lovely model Vanessa using my Canon Rebel XS. The shutter speed was set to 1/60 and the aperture was 7.1. I used a basic 18-55mm lens. This photo includes natural light from the window outside, a fill light with the school lights above, and I used a reflector sheet to bounce the outdoor light onto the other side of my subject. I think this is a beautiful candid shot because I caught her laughing. The yellow light from outside mixed with the white light of the interior creates a joyful mood to this photo. I was obviously inspired by the gorgeous weather outside to create this happy photo. I had fun experimenting with mixed light and think I had a great outcome!

New Perspective

This project challenged us to find our name in the world around us. This gave me the opportunity to become more creative and forced me to look around me in a way I hadn't before. This project was a great exercise to help train myself to always look for something more in a photo. I edited the finished project so that all of the photos had similar colour tones and would look more like one cohesive photo. I really enjoyed this project because it let me explore a more creative side of myself!

Who inspires me?

(The above photo set is called "Fantastic Voyage" by Slinkachu.)

I recently came across a photographer by the name of Slinkachu who has been working on a project which he calls "little people" for five years now. I find his work so interesting! He uses small figurines and creates a scene in an ordinary setting and creates a unique photo which tells a story. He usually has photos in sets of 2 or 3 photographs starting with the intended scene, and slowly zooming out to see the "ordinary" scene it took place in.

He intended this project to make people more aware of their surroundings. I love this idea because it reinforces the idea that with photography you can make even the simplest of things interesting. In his biography he says that "the scenes I set up, and the titles I give these scenes aim to reflect the loneliness and melancholy of living in a big city, almost being lost and overwhelmed." I think his work inspires me because it proves the well known quote "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". He takes things you would see every day on the side of the road and turns them into an interesting photograph! Visit his website or his blog to see all of his photos and to learn more about him!