Exercise - Contrast and shadow fill

Using the same setting as previous exercise with the same diffuser and light source, I am using big white foam which is normally used as a lid of a container as a white card for this exercise.

Camera setting:
AV mode using manual focus on face and Auto WB and ISO100

Two sets of photos are being taken
1.Without diffuser
1.1 Without diffuser and no reflector

The most contrasty image

1.2 With white card far away


1.3 With white card close to subject


1.4 With dull face of foil


1.5 With shiny face of foil


1.6 With shiny crumple face foil


2.With diffuser
2.1 With diffuser and no reflector


2.2 With white card far away


2.3 With white card close to subject


2.4 With dull face of foil


2.5 With shiny face of foil


2.6 With shiny crumple face foil


The obvious different between the photos with diffuser and the photos without diffuser is the dark background if photo taken without diffuser and lighter background if photo taken with diffuser. This is because more light refract toward the wall in the background and around the object.

Exercise - The lighting angle

I have chosen to use a photo clip holder as my still life subject. I chose to have this taken in a kitchen since I can put tripod directly infront of the still life subject which is placed on the kitchen counter. I use flash light as a controlled light source and flash gun diffuser as light box for this exercise. the flash light is small enough to move around the photo clip holder. I had to use some of the kitchen light as a background light because this exercise was taken in the evening.

After reviewing the light and the subject, I have decided to take photos during the day using top of staircase. I made a light diffuser from scratch using cardboard and some plaster.
The diffuser is not 2ft x 2ft but it's big enough for the subject.

As a result of the 2nd attempt, I prefer this location.

Subject with out light:


A.Light with diffuser same level as the subject and camera:

1.Front


2.Side


3.Behind and to one side

This lighting position hight the edge of the subject the most.

4.Directly behind

This lighting shows the shape fairly well due to silhouette effect.

B.Light with diffuser point toward the subject at an angle of 45deg:

5.Front


6.Side


7.Behind and to one side



8.Directly behind


C.Light with diffuser point downward to the subject:
9. Directly above


10.Above slightly in front


11.Above slightly behind


Different lighting position gives different impression to the subject. I like all of them but if I have to choose, I like no.6 where the light pointing side way at an angle. It gives dimensional effect and doesn't create too harsh shadow.

Exercise - Outdoors at night

As I don't live in a city nor near the city centre anymore, this exercise had to be skipped and completed at a later stage when chance permitted. These photos below were taken in Central London at twilight under cloudy sky

1. floodlit buildings
The photos were taken along the river Thames. The sky was not completely black but it was quite cloudy and it got darker fairly quickly!
Shooting: Using tripod I set the camera on AV mode setting aperture at about 13
Post processing: Using PS3 to adjust exposure and lighting from RAW file






2.Brightly-lit store-front
Shooting: Setting camera on P mode because I wanted it to be quick.
Post processing: Using PS3 to adjust exposure and lighting from RAW file






3.Large interior with many people
I am not too comfortable of taking photos in a department store so I chose underground and train station instead.
I am using the same camera setting and post processing as above.
Tube:

Inside a store

Inside train station:


4.raised view looking along a busy road
I have chosen to have one photo with raised view looking down onto a street from a bridge and two other photos from the same level as camera only because streaks of traffic headlights and taillight are the same.

The photo below was taken with a London bus running pass and therefore the headlights and taillights of traffic are covering across the photo.




I do like taking photo at night and in the winter i don't have to stay up late to take ones but it's much colder!!

Exercise - Softening the light

I am using my stuff animals for this still-lift arrangement using reading lamp by the bed as the light source as it is fixed.
I am using 3 ply tissue as diffuser but use 1 out of 3 ply for the first setting and 2 plies out of 3 for the 2nd setting just to experiment the differences. I shot the photos using RAW and JPEG. Photos in JPEG are more vibrant than RAW file and therefore I open RAW and save onto Jpeg again.

Camera setting using tripod
f5, AV mode,ISO100

Photo 1 - bare lighting
exposure 0.4sec



Photo 2 - 1 ply of tissue as a diffuser
exposure 1 second


Photo 3 - 2 plies of tissue
exposure 1.6second


With the diffuser,
1.the shadow is less harsh with less strong shadow on the individual stuffed animal
2.the exposure time has increased.
3.Overall lighting is softer i.e. less contrast.
4.The diffusion was an improvement for this instance.

Exercise - Tungsten and fluorescent lighting

Part 1 - Tungsten lighting

AWB


Day light setting


Tungsten setting



Part 2 - Fluorescent lamps
I used compact camera for this homework for 2 reasons. one the fluorescent lighting I took here was at work and no camera was allowed! and two the camera has an alternative fluorescent white balance setting, ie. fluorescent H which is for daylight balanced fluorescent light

photo1 - normal fluorescent

AWB


Fluorescent setting


Fluorescent H

The AWB and the Fluorescent setting produced very similar result while the Fluorescent H setting produced more yellow lighting.

Photo 2 - CFL (Compact fluorescent light)
I took photos under this light thinking it's tungsten until I found out later that it's actually CFL.
AWB


Fluorescent setting


Fluorescent H

Exercise - Cloudy weather and rain

Part 1 - View in sunlight and under the cloud

This part of the homework, I took all photos near house. I had to wait for the weekend like this. Some weekend, there was no single cloud in the sky and some weekend, it rained the whole time.
I used "Day light" white balance with "Aperture priority" mode and "Evaluation metering" mode for this homework.

Photo 1 - building
These two photos below, the sun was behind me and the cloud kept drifting across the sun.
Sunlight
setting: f/13, 1/250sec, ISO200


cloudy
setting: f/13, 1/200sec, ISO200

That was about 1/2 f-stop different for these two photos. I could tell the different between the two photos. The one above has higher contrast because the sun made the colour of the building so bright constrasting with the bright grass in the foreground.
These two photos were taken by only 1 minute different.

Photo2 - Park
These two photos below, the sun was from my left hand, drifting in and out of the cloud.

Sunny
setting: f13, 1/200sec, ISO200


Cloudy
setting: f13, 1/125sec, ISO200

The two photos above are about 1/2 f-stop different.The two photos were taken at about 10 min different. I was waiting for the sun to come back out of the cloud.

Photo3 - Person
I took these two photos in different day but tried to keep the time to be about the same.

Sunny
setting f4.5, 1/1000sec, ISO200


Cloudy
setting f5.6 1/25 ISO200

The two photos above are about 6 f-stop different.

Overall, when the cloud cover the sun, the shadow edge is deffinitely less distinct. they look less contrast, more bland and less colourful.
From the photos above, I prefer the one under the sun.
Some photos maybe better taken in the cloudy day for example a portrait in black and white.

Part 2 - overcast day
I had to wait for the day the sky turned gray again and usually when it does, it is not happening at the right time because I am either at work or too ill.

Pronounced relief
These two photos have been post processed by increasing contrast and adjust white balance to day light (4900K) because the original look so dull and cold!
Photo1 - tree skin


Photo2 - tree skin


Strong colour:
Photo3 - Complementary colour

The good thing about taking colourful photo under cloudy sky is there is no risk of having harsh shadow.

Part 3 - raining
I took these photos in Wales one weekend. It rained most of the time but the scenery was very beautiful. My husband helped carrying an umbrella for me. (for the camera mainly)
I remember seeing a photo in a magazine I read. It's a photo in black and white of a little girl wearing rain jacket walking in the puddle. It was so beautiful.

photo 1 - rainbow


photo 2 - foggy background

The rain has made the grass more vibrant and the mist has create dramatic to the photo above.