Image of the Week #19

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This week in image of the week:

This is one of those photos that I’ve found in the depths of my computer and thought, I completely forgot I took this shot!

It was taken last summer in Quimper, France in the Cathedrale St Corentin. I love taking photographs of buildings/architecture and churches are no exception. Although I do try to be respectful of others in the church who may find a lot of camera flashes a distraction.

So I took the shot of this stained glass window using no flash and it turned out better, due to the lack of flash silhouetting the walls, and with the sun coming through the window it really makes it stand out.

Mandy

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Image of the Week #18

This week in image of the week:

This is a photograph of our rocking chair that we bought when our first child was born and we’ve used it for both of our children, so it has some sentimental value.

But unfortunately we have had to get rid of it recently, it was also a little worse for wear, but mainly because of moving my son into this bedroom and we needed the space.

I didn’t plan the shot I was just walking past the room one day and the scene caught my eye. The sun was just coming through the window right so I grabbed my camera and took the shot. It was only a couple of days later that we started to decorate, so I’m really glad I took the opportunity to take this photograph.

And that’s one of my favourite parts about photography, photographs are great ‘memory savers’. I didn’t know we would be getting rid of the chair when I took the shot, I say always take the opportunity because you never know when you may need it in the future.

So it’s an end of an era and our family is moving on, but we still have this photograph and the memories!

Ooh I’ve gone all emotional!

Mandy

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TPB News

Just a quick news post updating you on some new features.

You may have noticed a few changes to TPB (The Photographer Blog) recently, I have added a logo and favicon for the web browser that I created in Adobe Photoshop Elements 3. I’ve added them so I can make TPB easier to recognise and remember. Let me know what you think of it!

I’ve also changed the email RSS subscription form in the sidebar into a link that will take you to a sign up page instead.

I’m a little behind at the moment updating my flickr account with my project 365 photos, mainly because we are in the process of moving my son into his own bedroom (he was sharing with his sister). So I am having a little trouble finding my computer under all the obligatory mess that goes with decorating and moving furniture. The good news is we are nearly finished. Which will be brilliant for me because when my kids are happy then I can work in relative peace!

I have more planned that I’ll keep you updated with…

Mandy

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Image of the Week #17

This week in image of the week:

This has got to be one of my all time favourite photographs (of mine), I love finding a chance to take a photo slightly differently and although on it’s own Albert Dock (in Liverpool) is a very interesting and historic subject I thought it’s reflection would look just as good.

It’s one of those photos that I didn’t plan, it just struck me as I was walking along. The restaurant hadn’t opened yet so the table at the window was empty except for the salt and pepper pots! You may also notice my son’s head appearing at the bottom of the shot.

I love the architecture of the old warehouses around Albert Dock and the contrast of the more modern restaurant facade frames the shot nicely. I’m sure there could be improvements to be made but I didn’t have much time between passers by and my son! For my first reflection shot though, I am pleased with the results.

Mandy

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Would You Like a Nikon D60 DSLR?

Well you could win one on the Digital Photography School Forums this month. One lucky forum member will win the Nikon D60 at the end of the month for just participating (but NOT SPAMMING) in the forum this month, April 2008.

Find out more about winning a Nikon D60 DSLR camera

The Main rules are that you are a Digital Photography School Forum member and that you participate in the forums by adding value, asking or answering questions in April. Then a winner will be picked from random. The more posts you make the better chance you’ll have of winning.

I joined the forum a couple of months ago after reading the Digital Photography School blog. There is loads of information and sections to look at so I have been getting to grips with it recently, but this competition has given me a much needed boost to visit regularly this month.

Seeing as I am looking to buy a DSLR soon then this competition is extremely appealing to me. I know the chances are slim but if I don’t try then I will never be in the running! Even if I don’t win I bet I’ll know more about digital photography at the end of the month than I do now, after hanging around the forum for a full month…

Mandy

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Image of the Week #16

This week in image of the week:

We went to Conwy in Snowdonia, Wales yesterday, it was a bitterly cold day although it was sunny (at times), and there was snow on the mountain tops. So there were some wonderful views of the mountains.

This is a shot of the Conwy valley from just outside of Conwy itself behind the castle.

I love Wales it’s a beautiful place full of history, I’ve done a lot of walking there when I was doing the Duke of Edinburgh Award and the scenery is stunning. Conwy itself is really old and the Castle is a great place to explore. We are going there later in the year on a camping holiday so there will no doubt be more photos to follow.

Mandy

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What Does F-Ratio Mean?

This is part of the subject which was discussed in lesson 3, lenses, light and magnification of the Photo 101 course that I am following. It looks at brightness and f-ratio’s, magnification and field of view.

I found this lesson a harder one than the other two, although it is explained very well. I had to read through it a couple of times before I really got it. And this was partly because I had missed a key sentence, so it just shows it pays to reread an article!

F-ratio

My favourite part of the lesson though was the explanation of f-ratio, what it is and how it works. This is one of those photography terms that I hear people talking about and read about, but was not really sure what it was or what it meant.

F-ratio describes the relationship between the diameter of the lens and the focal length. F-ratio = focal length divided by diameter of the lens.

The f-ratio of a lens is always written on it somewhere. I always wondered what all those numbers on a lens meant!

If I put this information together with what I learned in the first two lessons then it is building a picture. Of how the design of a camera uses what we know about light and how it behaves to create an image. And we can then choose the right lens or settings for the situation, depending on how much light there is available to create the best image possible.

The different parts of the puzzle are starting to come together…

Homework

The homework this week was quite hard as most of the options were suited for DSLR’s, but that was fine because there was an option for point and shoots which was to use the macro setting on the camera.

My camera is a cheap point and shoot and I have been having problems getting the macro setting to work successfully. I keep it at the minimum distance that the camera suggest of 0.6m. And I found using a tripod and the self timer gives the best results. But I think I have done alright with the photos below (they are better than previous ones), although there is a bit of digital noise and they are not completely macro, but the best the camera will allow.

Mandy

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My First Month of Project 365!

Well I have finished the first month of my Project 365, the first milestone. I’ve uploaded all my photos to my Flickr account, except two which I took on my mobile phone, I’m still looking for the lead to upload them to my computer!

I’m not doing a specific project 365, like a self portrait one. I’m more documenting my year where possible and the things around me. Which is really interesting. Some days are harder than others when thinking of something to shoot, but it’s challenging and making me look for photo opportunities everywhere.

So much for this photo a day thing, I never realised that to get that one photo I was going to have to take so many! But because I am taking so many photos I feel I am starting to improve and I’m learning a lot, as well as getting better at spotting photo opportunities.

I’m really enjoying it, and just looking back at last month is rewarding and gets me excited for this month.

Here are three of my favourites from this month, if you would like to see more then take a look at my Flickr account.

Mandy

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