DAY 14: Projector Photography

 For our last meeting, what we did was projector photography. We have two models again and an allotted time also for every group of three persons so that there is an order and we'll experience all to be the photographer. We choose projector photography over body painting photography honestly because it will not cost us much and I think it is more convenient for us. 

     Projector photography was not as easy as what I thought at first. You have to choose the right image suited with your models. But all in all, everything is a worthy experience. 

    

 It's the last day of our Visual Communication class and I wonder how time flies so fast. This course became very special to me because it brought back my love for photography. I was then discouraged because I have no good camera to use until we had this photography class and  I was able to realize a lot of things. I am thankful to my classmates who let me use their cameras whenever needed and to our professor who not just teach and share his expertise about photography but appreciates the work of everyone and enthusiastically give his comment how to make each photo better. I learned a lot. As in A LOT. Now, I feel this way:

     "Everything I need to know about photography, I learned in Visual Communication :) "

     

    

DAY 13: Lessons from a Certified Google Teacher

Disclaimer: This post isn't much focused on photography thingy but it contains a lot of thoughts and words that will feed your mind and heart to be a successful photographer or in whatever type of career you want someday. 
   

     Proudly, our professor, Sir Rey of Rey Mendoza Photography, became one of 50 teachers in Southeast Asia chosen by Google to attend on its recent convention and be one of its certified teacher. With the fact that it was a sought-after seminar, knowing what had been talked about on that event is a very nice experience. Good thing, our professor dedicated part of our class hours to share us inspirations and things on the said event. 

     We watched a cute video about the parable of the talents. After some reflections, the lesson from the story had been connected to our Visual Communication subject. To sum it up, here's what our professor told us:

"Photography and videography is not a talent, it is skill. 

Everything that needs to be learned is not a talent" 

"You have to work on your talent"

"It's not about what had given to you but what you do about it"

     After watching the video, we had an activity to write in a paper, we wrote our talent, what we have done about it, and what are action plan for the talent which we do nothing about. A verse from the bible was also mentioned to us because it is somewhat very applicable to take initiative and do something about our talents. 

" Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" - Matthew 7:7

    As a student, I realized that I need to know what I really love and that I have to do something about on what I perceived as my talent and on the things I'm good at. We also learned the 10X THINKING which is a redical way to think and the MOONSHOT THINKING which is choosing to be bothered and thinking that something might be possible not because it's easy but because they're hard. 

"When you found passion, you're unstoppable".  

     We also learned Pecha Kucha which is a new effective way of delivering a talk or seminar with a limited span of time. After watching a video explaining what Pecha Kucha is all about and the tips for doing it, we tried doing it and had our own individual presentation with just 20 slides and a limited time . 

"Pressure makes diamond"

      I felt that the class became so productive and we have learned life lessons that will help us to be successful someday.

DAY 12: Product Photography

These are the guidelines or the objectives you must have in doing product photography:

1. Standout. You're product must be the one which stands out in the photo regardless of what the background is.

2. Sharp. There should be no blurry photos when it comes to this type of photography because the aim is to persuade and advertise what you are shooting.

3. Focus Stacking. This is digital merging of the 3 focus points of your product, an alternative way to have a shot which the near whole product is focus even if you're using is just a kit lens.

4. Lighting. There should be proper lighting so as the product will be shown clearly and attractive. 

After discussing things about product photography, we had talked about the photo album that we'll pass on finals and  tips in doing the layout. 

Thoughts that I've learned:

"Less is more" 

"If you're holding a camera and you think you can Photoshop it later, put down your camera and slap yourself" - Zack Arias 

Day 11: Digital Panorama

     Have you seen good photographs with very long width? Those are what we had done for the day, we learned about digital panorama.
     We had 3 different shots of a particular view that we stitch and make as a one whole shot. That kind of photos are called panoramas.

(I'll upload some of my shots when my internet connection goes fast)

     The following are some stitching software that you can use for your photos:
1. Photoshop
2. Hug In
3. Autopano

     Aside  from doing the panorama shot, I also learned other useful things:

- The quality of shots that your typical camera could take can actually be like the ones that very expensive cameras take, just use ISO 100. (however it depends upon the situation but using ISO 100 is advised)

- Your lens is at its best in its middle aperture.

I also noted the best words for the whole class session by my professor that really catch my attention. Here it goes,

"Your camera will soon die, the good thing is, you already had memories out of it" 

- Sir Rey Mendoza

DAY 10: Photo Shoot

     We had a photo shoot today and we hired models. Since we're many, there is an allotted time for every group of three persons to shoot so that we will all have the opportunity to take a shot and direct the models. The time given for every shoot is just 4-5 minutes which is somehow good so we can practice as early as now, working under pressure.
   
     Before we started officially the shoot, our professor advised us few things:

1. Go for quality not quantity
2. Work as a team
3. We can use trigger and external flash.
4. The external flash should not be directed in front of the model
5. Have fun. Enjoy your shoot!

(I'll upload later some of my shots when my internet connection goes fast)

 It's been a great new experience! 

STOP- MOTION VIDEO!

     Hey (: Look at what we've made! An original stop-motion video titled, "The Shoes Story".

Just click THIS to view our video (: 

THANKS! 

My Rim Light Shot!

     This is my entry for our Rim Light Photo. The shot needs to have light on its edges. I have my own title for this shot  and there is a certain reason why I named it that way. At first, I struggled in doing my photo because I have no available light which can produce a good glow. Our flashlights aren't working well also. I am also a bit hesitant if my first work is correct, if it really portrays what a back-light shot should be. Until I've got a surprised visitor that night, the very moment which  I am feeling not contented with what I am doing because I can't take good photographs. 

     I think that it's coincidence that He visited me because my mood changed. What's the best thing that happened that night? Before he leave, he opened the lights of the motorcycle that he is riding. When the light hits the plants, Voila! I yelled and turned very happy. I explained him about the back light stuff that I am doing in my room a while ago before he came. I asked him to keep the lights on toward the direction of the leaves in front of our house. Now, this is my shot! (: Because of what had happened before I finally got my photo, I called it as:

Meant-to-be Serendipity

DAY 9: Rim Light

     Some of the videos as our midterm exam were shown in class. Those were 1-minute videos showcasing ourselves. After each video, our professor is giving his comments and recommendations on the videos. By giving constructive criticism, it's not just the owner of the video who's learning but the whole class as well.

     One of the new learning that I get is the 80/20 Rule in Videos. 80% must be you, facing the camera while talking and only 20% are the shots of you from different angles. I guess my video got 100% face the cam haha!

     By the way Here's my VIDEO! YOU'RE.JUST.ONE.CLICK.AWAY!

     Rim Light was discussed to us which is our next photo to pass on Wednesday. It is a photograph in which the edge of your subject has lights on the edge that seems glowing. I hope I could borrow a good camera and take a good shot! I should think of my concept as early as now.

    Thank you and God bless!

DAY 8: Introduction to videography

     Look how time flies so amazing, we're now into video stuff! 

These are what our professor wrote on the board which are in need to check in the video:

1. Frame Rate
2. CF Cards/ SD Cards
3. Audio
4. Lighting
5. Composition
6. Exposure (Shutter Speed, Aperture, ISO)

These are the other equipment that could make your video better:

1. External Flash/Speedlight
2. Tripod
3. Lights
4. Reflectors
5. Video-Head (for tripod)
6. Microphone (for audio)
7. Script

We also have choices where to try in shooting: in Studio, Outdoor shoot, or with the use of Speedlight. Our Professor showed us videos that explain things we should know in shooting videos. He also explained some concepts after the videos. Here are what I've learned from the video and from my professor:

SD - Standard Definiton

HD - High Definition

FPS - Frame per Second

SDHC - Secure Digital High Capacity Card

Tips:

•  In buying Memory cards for your camera buy the CLASS 10. Bring your camera with you and check the memory card. Shoot a 3-minute video. If it's not fake, it shouldn't stop until it completes the 3-minute video.
• To have a good slow mo, you should have 60fps.
• When you have interviews with busy backgrounds, make it a point that the aperture is big so as you could have a blur background.

     After the discussion, we started to shoot for our midterm videos!

DAY 7: Lighting and Food Photography

     Our professor introduced to us the Photolight Pro App. The app lets you practice visually the lighting in a studio. You can freely move the lights anywhere you want. By the help of this app, you can still learn new techniques and ways in lighting your models all by your own,though you have no studio at home. 

     After the demonstration of the use of Photolight Pro App, some studio equipment available in our lab were shown to us. These are the following stuff:

•  Light Reflector (which our professor challenge each to fold) - it's circular and have two sides with different color. One is silver for a neutral reflection and another is gold to give a warm lighting. You can use reflectors if for example the lighting is not enough and you don't have any extra flash to lighten your subject. 
• Umbrella Reflector - we often see on TV umbrellas during photo shoots in a certain TV Series where the protagonist is a model. I thought it's just a normal umbrella but it isn't. It has different layers for additional purposes and a good light modifier. 
• Strobe Lights - these are the common lighting equipments with stand that you see in studios.

      Take not that the bigger the reflector, the softer the light.

     When we're all done in trying to fold the light reflector, we had an activity. We form groups and set up on our own some studio equipment! We had discussed also about the stop of light. It's the measurement of light and we found out that it can be divided into 3. 

• 1/3- 2/3 - then 1 stop  like in aperture,  4 - 4.5 - 5 - 5.6 

     After the discussion, we finally had our food photography! We made it by groups. Thank God I was able to borrow a camera from my classmate who's already done in their food pictorial.

     Our concept was simple, a birthday. hahaha! We bought cupcakes, colorful candies, creams, and cute candles! Look at my shot, I think it's a bit dramatic. I was flattered when my professor told me that it's a composition. I just need to add some fill light. He mentioned us before we do our activity about the fill and key lighting which we talked about also in our Film Theories class last semester. 

    The photo was warm with a dark background that suggests certain dramatic effect. A lonely birthday indeed, Lol! 

DAY 6: Color Temperature!

     Do you experience taking a bluish shot? Have you encountered problems about the color of the shot different from what you want it to be?

     The answer for those problems is simple. You just have to know the concepts of color temperature. In connection with this, you have to know the purpose of AWB of Auto White Balance in your camera. I didn't know before how to adjust colors and why on earth an SLR have a something such as AWB with cute little icons. Thank God I'm enrolled in Visual Communication class. 

Now I know! 

     Look at the pictures below, I shot them with same level of the stuff in exposure triangle, it's only the AWB I've changed in every shot. See the differences between each shot. 

   

An outdoor shot

An indoor shot

     I bet the differences in each photo are very visible that I need not to explain it anymore, right? Can you see now the power of White Balance?

     Actually, you could edit your shots in Photoshop if ever you didn't get your desired color for your photo but imagine if your in a wedding and each shot are a bit bluish or very yellowish? It take a long time to edit all those in your photo editor software. In order to save time, you should know how to play adjust the colors in your camera so you'll not need the help of photo editors anymore. 

     A good photographer doesn't rely so much on Photoshop anyway, one click by a skilled person who's always willing to learn is enough already. 

     Our professor gave us an activity which I think will be very helpful for all of you guys who don't know yet adjusting the color temperature. Let's discuss it step by step. Before we go to the 6 Basic steps, read this first, you might be needing this in the future, or it might help you understand some basic concept.

NEUTRAL COLOR  - In Digital (Additive)  

         White            -100% RGB

         Black             -50% RGB

         Gray             - 25% RGB

    Okay, Are you ready? Here are the 6 Basic Steps to Custom White Balance! I'll use a larger font size to emphasize them. I also took pictures for better understanding.

1. Set WB to Daylight

2. Shoot a Neutral Color

The background is a white board. It's neutral!

3. Set Custom WB to photo

4. Choose custom WB in camera settings

5. Take photo again

6. See if WB is correct

The photo has a correct white balance now!

     Go and play with your camera's white balance! I hope my learnings could help you too!

Alphabet Composition!

     Look at my masterpiece! I worked hard for this. Finding letters from ordinary things wasn't that easy as you think. I regret because what I passed is a collage with white background and I found out after that it would look better with this black background. Well at least, I've learned!

DAY 5: Composition Making

     It's been a long time since we had our class. Though it's only one meeting we missed because of the typhoon, it feels that all of us haven't seen each other for a very long time ago. We thought that we'll already take the online exam as our prelims on that day that's why you would see a lot who were in rush reading notes and asking their seatmates.

     Relieved! Fortunately, we'll not take the exam yet! (because honestly I'm unprepared)

     The first thing we were asked to do when our professor came in is to prepare our portrait shot of one of our family members. We presented our works in front of the class while telling what's the context or situation while taking those photos and also the settings of the exposure triangle. My shot was under-exposed, my model was my sister.

     After the presentation our prof revealed that our topic will be about composition and to test how we see things with the lenses of the camera, we were tasked to do an ALPHABET PHOTOGRAPHY! There we spread outside the room eager to find anything that will show letters of the alphabet. May the best eyes win!The more creative you are, the more chances of winning! Lol.

     The secret maybe is to simply be a kin observer. Look on every small details in the surroundings. They may show the letters you're finding. We learned that in order to identify if you have at least good skills in composition, show your shot to others and if takes time for them to recognize the letter that you're trying to show, it's time to find another subject and work harder, while if they understand the letter immediately, go ahead and keep up the good work!

     These are some of the photos that I took when we done the exercise for almost an hour. I hope you understand what I am trying to show on each picture! All of the photos were shot inside the campus since we're not allowed to go outside the school because it's still our class hours though we're doing our exercise outside the classroom.

     After we tried our composition activity outside the room which we'll pass and present next meeting, our prof told us another new information about cameras that we should not forget. 

     It's about how the camera metering matters. We learned that cameras make black or white colors in the picture into a middle gray shade. Something like the color will always be in the middle tone. 

     Look at the picture below. The first one show the corresponding color where the center have the middle gray. The Second picture is an example of the metering we see in our camera whever we are about to take a shot. It's would tell you if it would be going to be over-exposed (more on left) or under-exposed( more on right), that's why to play safe you should let the pointer be at the middle. 

Photo From Google Images

Photo From Google Images

     It may be just easy and definitely the basics but at least the following sizes are already clear to us now. Thanks to our professor! Hahaha!

3x5 = 3R

4x6 = 4R

5x7 = 5R

8x10 = 8R

11x14 = 111R

     Thanks for visiting and reading! Watch out for my Alphabet Photography soon when I'm done!

May God Bless Us All! 

DAY 4: PORTRAIT LIGHTING PATTERNS

     The discussion and demo about the lighting patterns wasn't too long because our professor let us devote the remaining time to try by ourselves the lighting patterns of portrait shots.
 
 These are four lighting pattern:

1. SPLIT
    The face here is split into two where the half is dark and overshadowed while the other is clear.

2. BUTTERFLY/PARAMOUNT/GLAMOUR
     You will know that it's a butterfly lighting if you find a shadow right under the model's nose.

3. LOOP
     It is a shot wherein the shadow is on the side of the model's face. The nose's shadow is slightly slanted but is not touching the shadow at the bottom part of the face.

4. REMBRANDT
     It is the type of lighting pattern which you can see the triangle on one cheek of the model because the shadow of the nose overlapped with the bottom shadow part of the face.

There are also Styles in the lighting patterns, here are they:

1. Short - Light is on the area that's not facing the camera. For example is the model poses a side view and her left cheek is facing the camera, the light will be toward her right right face to obtain the short style.

2. Broad - It is the opposite of the short style. If it will be broad, the light now will be on the left face of the model which is the same area that's facing the camera.

     Our professor also told us some tips. He said that if you want to look thinner, you should use the side lighting. Mostly it's for boys but it could also be a shot applicable for girls. He also showed us some pictures that really transformed the model. The transformation happen without the use of any editing software, it's just simply because of the angles and poses. A model (like what we deed) could spread her arms, move his/her lower body parts a bit backward, or lean to look thinner.

     Throughout the whole class hours, the lesson that I've learned the most is that photography isn't really easy for beginners. You just don't need to be good in taking shots, you have to know as well how to talk to people. You should know how to make your clients feel comfortable during photo shoots. Photography isn't just about having good photos of the nature or the macro thingies, it's also capturing different kinds of people.
   

DAY 3: ISO and LIGHT PAINTING

     We had our assignment last week which is to submit the best photo that we can take, now that we know the purposes of ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture. So, our class starts by presenting the photographs that we have. I’m thankful they appreciate my shot. (If you want to see what I submitted and the other shots that served as my choices, click THIS)

     After the presentation, we had again a short discussion and review about the light control buttons. Our professor stressed out that the shutter speed controls the ambient light. Like on my other classmates’ shots, they can make their shots look a bit dim though it’s 12 o’clock in the afternoon and brighter even if it’s 6 in the afternoon. I can call it, “The wonders of Shutter Speed”. I realized that I really need to memorize by heart the functions of the exposure triangle so I would be able to get the shots that I want to establish.

     Remember ISO? It’s the sensitivity to light. Our professor called me to cite something that I learned and I said the ISO function. If for example you’re in a party which is dark, you can adjust you’re ISO to make your objects clear and visible. It can also be useful in museums and theatres where it’s a bit dark and the use of flash is prohibited.  Meaning if higher ISO capability, you can capture brighter images. It connotes too that the HIGHER ISO the camera has, the MORE EXPENSIVE it will be.

     One thing that I also love when I learned about it is the aperture. Because aside from it controls the light, it is also responsible for the Depth of Field (DOF). It’s important also especially for me who loves having blurry background.

     Our first activity is to experiment with the ISO. We went outside and took pictures with different ISO. Here are my shots. They have the same Shutter Speed and Aperture except the ISO, for me to be able to distinguish the difference between each ISO levels.

  

     When we’re all done with the activity, our professor thought us how to do the LIGHT PAINTING!

    So here’s the list of what I’ve learned:

·         ISO should be 100

·         You can set the camera first to auto, to have find the focus, then set it to manual again

·         You can set the timer to two seconds first for preparation

·         The aperture must be f/ the highest number so the hole would be small and there blurriness would not occur

·         Set the shutter speed depending on the shot that you want to have, for example you want a lot of details in your light painting, set it like 20 o 30, or try 6 if it’s just simple and small

·         You can also choose the bulb as the shutter speed so the time of the shutter to open and close will depend on how long you click the capture button

·         THE MOST IMPORTANT: YOUR LIGHT PAINTING WILL NOT BE AS GOOD AS YOU WANT IT WITH JUST ONE SHOT OR ONE TRIAL SO WHAT IT TAKES IS REALLY A LOT OF PATIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE!

     Look at the scenario in our classroom while we’re having our light painting session. Look also on what change the ISO did. Only the middle picture shows the exact lighting that we have in the room that moment. Observe the ISO magic! :) 

  

     No further ado, now I introduce you my own LIGHT PAINTING!!
(It took me a lot (as in 60 plus) of trials to have the best that I can)

f/27   30s   100   

f/27   30s   100

f/22   63s   100

    My first concept is to make the light looks like a smoke coming from the glass bottle but then I've realized that it'll be good if I'll try to put some stuff inside the bottle and use other light color.  

Show Your Best Shot

     Our professor required us to give next meeting a 5r copy of the best shot that we can capture. Now that we know the functions of the exposure triangle, he also told us that we need to put the settings that we used on the picture. Editing is not allowed.

     Look at my shot, as of now it's the best that I have!

f/ 5.6     1/90   100

The following are the photos that serve as my other choices:

f/ 5.6     1/15   100

f/ 5.6     1/30   200

DAY 2: Working with Shutter Speed

     Our class started at 8:00 in the morning until 12:00 in the afternoon. Honestly at first, I thought that it would be a boring class because it's a 4-hour session but I'm absolutely wrong. Everything became exciting and fun. It seems that the 4-hour class isn't yet enough for our photography subject especially now that we're putting what we've learned into actions. So before our professor--a professional photographer--let us went outside the classroom for the activity, he taught us first some of the essential things that we must be aware of.

     He explained us that when a picture has been printed or developed, the tendency of not having the exact color will occur. Facebook site or the printers that we use have only the CMYK wherein it limits the colors in a picture perhaps the color of a photograph in a digital copy would be more lively and sparkling than a printed one. Somehow, I still prefer having a photo on my hand that I could display on the wall or everywhere.

     Our prof also gave us tips in order to have stability while taking your shots. 

      They are the following:

• Try to stop breathing for a second while you're clicking the button.
• You can lean on to something like on a wall.
• You a tripod. Acknowledge its presence! Haha

     After the chit-chats, we're set to go outside and have a good shot!

     Our first thing to do is to work with the Shutter Speed. We should follow the given f/4 aperture and 400 ISO but the Shutter speed will be up to us.  Take note also that anything more than 800 ISO will cause or introduce noise. 

      I've had a hard time thinking of what shot should I have. I just can't capture everything that I want to, particularly because I didn't have my own camera yet so I have to borrow one when I have my plan shot already. 

     I am not yet good but soon, I will! I will do my very best. Professionals start from scratch too. They experienced being beginners also. Okay, this was my shot! I guess, there's nothing much to expect from a beginner but I love my shot!

DAY 1: Learning the Light Control Buttons

     This is my first post of the basic things about photography that I’ve learned from our visual communication meeting. Everything went well and productive. Some of the things that I’m confused about before are now getting into my understanding. I’m glad that our professor who’s a professional photographer already (here’s his site), taught things to us, the beginners, in a way we could understand the-pro-stuffs that he’s explaining.

     I learned that photography is an art where we draw with light. Since the light is the main element in photography, therefore we must study first the basic functions of some of the features in the cameras which are focused on controlling the light in different ways. Those are the: 1. Shutter speed, 2. Aperture, and ISO (International Standard Organization).

     To be more organized and understandable, below is the bulleted list of the things I’ve learned about the three:

A.   Shutter speed

·         It is concerned on how long the exposure of light will takes place in a shot.

·         I learned that it can be a fast one or a slow one.

·         I now know what’s with 1/60 or 1/250 when it comes to shutter speed; the denominator determines how many times you will divide 1 second for a shot’s light exposure.

·         The minimum shutter speed is at 60^th so it won’t be blurry

·         There are requirements when it comes to shooting slower speeds such as a strong posture, stable hand, and easy breathing.

·         If I want to keep my photo have a good glow and moderate light, I shouldn’t forget that the more light, the faster shutter and the less light, the slower shutter.

B.   Aperture

·         It is the hole in lens and can vary sizes depending on the type lens.

·          Through it is the way to control light.

·         It has something to do with the f/1.4, f/1.8, and etcetera that I see in DSLRs.

·         The higher the aperture’s denominator, the smaller the hole became. Meaning f/2 has bigger hole than of f/16.

C.   ISO/International Standard Organization

·         It is the sensitivity of light.

·         The higher the ISO, the brighter the image will be.

·         Based on my notes also, 400 as ISO will be enough for beginners but however, you should still try to experiment with your camera.

     I always encounter terms like .JPEG, .PNG, and also .GIF especially whenever I need something to save in my file. I’m glad that we also had a little discussion about them and to explain it well, here they go:

.JPE/G means Joint Photographic Experts / Group which supports 16 Million Colors while

.GIF means Graphic Interchange Format and supports transparency. There’s also the

.PNG which means Portable Network Graphics and works like the two which I have     mentioned above. I remember when I made my banner image on my Tumblr blog, what I’ve got as a border design was in a .png format. We also encountered

DNG meaning Digital Negative stuffs for lightrooms/ photoshops.

     Our first meeting I think was already a success because we were able to grasp the ideas and information given to us at the same time having some fun while learning. There are more things that we should know about photography but we should not feel down because that’s part of the process. Like what our Professor told us, Henrie Cartner Besson once said that a person’s first 10,000 photos are the worst. Why? It’s because learning and development really take a long time and perseverance. What we should not stop doing is to practice and practice. 

     Who knows maybe one day, one of us who are not knowledgeable about photography, would be the most in demand and famous photographer someday?