Note to Self

Using the burst mode on the camera results in a lot of photos.  Like 180+ in 20 minutes.  Even though half of them were unusable for a variety of reasons (out of focus, heads cut off, etc.), that still means I've got a lot of photos to sort through.

However, the burst mode does produce some entertaining results....

I have a feeling Abby's going to need therapy as soon as she finds out I've posted those photos on the interwebs... 

But the burst mode resulted in some good, non-embarrassing photos, too.

Fi, using the Doodle Launcher.

Yep, 180+ photos is a lot but I like the good ones in the batch.

And, of course, I got a few 'portraits', too.  Because, well, I can.

Day 273/365.

Photos Taken in Haste

I try to shoot with intention.  Today, my intentions were two-fold: 1) get inside before it started raining, and 2) be quick in the studio so I could shower before dinner.  Unfortunately, neither of those intentions lends themselves to high quality photography.  The girls had fun, and I got a chance to try a few things in PhotoShop, so it wasn't a complete loss.  Because it was quite cloudy, I used the 50mm with the aperture at f/1.8 (wide open).  At 1/500 shutter speed, the action shots were a wee bit blurry, but it was fun....

Ah, shallow depth of field, how I love you so!

The only issue with the 50mm is that sometimes I'm a bit too close in to the action.  In my next life, I think a 35mm f/1.8 would be a fun addition to the bag....  In the meantime, while I will probably officially use the 50mm primarily for portraits, it results in some entertaining action shots.  Especially when I had the camera on 'burst' mode.

First stage of ejection from the Doodle Launcher.  Too bad she's being ejected out of the photo!

Doodle Launcher in full fling mode.

A little blurry around the ears, but the idea is clear.

Blurry tennis ball, but the important stuff is in focus!

Not 'tack sharp' as they say, but they evoke a gray Fall afternoon - which is what I was going for.

And since it started raining, I did take the girls into the studio for a few minutes.  I should have taken more time to set up the lighting, but I got a couple of shots I liked.

Fi, not closing her eyes at the flash - for once!

Dorkadoodle!  I could have spent more time in the 'processing' phase to work on the contrast, but it's getting late.

Fi, not closing her eyes for the flash twice in one day!  A miracle!

 

Yes, Abby is squashed to the right of the picture, but I love her expression.

Day 272/365.

Experimenting with Low Light, Action and Aperture Priority

Today was another damp, gray day and I thought this would be a good chance to play around with the aperture priority setting.  I prefer to shoot in manual, but I haven't quite found 'the zone' where I can have a wide aperture and a fast enough shutter speed to not have everything be completely blurry.  So I figured using aperture priority would give me a chance to see what an acceptable shutter speed is for action photos when I've got the aperture 'wide open'.

I think 1/640 is about the bare minimum I can get away with if I want to have relatively crisp shots.  Of course, this is with the ISO set at 200 - I like the sharpness of the photos I get with the low ISO - although I tend to get hyper-critical because I'm generally looking at the photos on the computer where I can zoom in to 100% and then I get all angsty if the photos are grainy.  I probably need to print some higher ISO photos and see what they look like.  But that is an exercise for another day.

While this photo has some issues (and you would have to know that Abby is leaping toward the camera, which is why her leggies look so small compared to her upper body), I like it.

The ear flappage is a little blurry, but there is plenty of light on Abby.  BTW, Abby is cropped at the waist because the original photo cut off her feet, which made her look off balance.

This is a nice shot - Fi is looking at me, her eyes aren't too dark and it's obvious she is moving.  I like it.

Abby in action!

Abby is a little dark, but I generally like the shot.

This is a 1/500 photo - definitely more blur but you don't lose the idea of the photo - and I like the blur of the moving ears and tail.

A little bit of sun, so 1/800 made this shot crisper.

1/800 here, too - crisp and good separation from the background.

This photo cracks me up because it looks like the top of Abby's head is being flattened by the top edge of the photo as she tries to leap out of the picture!

When the sun came out the camera went to a 1/1000 shutter speed, which, in my opinion, let in a little too much light - I'd have set it at 1/1250, at least, but again, I was experimenting - and returning to my belief that manual generally works better for me.

Totally not following the rule of thirds here, but I had good reason for it.

Again, a little too bright - and while I can adjust the exposure to some extent with Lightroom, I like it better when I just use a slightly faster shutter speed.

 

Sproing!

Here I was just on the wrong side of the sunlight...

Anyhoo, hopefully I will actually remember what I've done today when I go back to shooting in full manual.

I also got some portraits today because, well, I could.

I think before my photography class starts, I need to replace that white lattice fencing with some more neutral green fencing.

I don't know why Abby's chin is tennis ball yellow - perhaps it is some weird reflection...  But notice the cropping - no limbs cut off at the joint (something I learned in the free dog photography class I've been watching).

This final photo amuses me; it's not photographically brilliant, but it's an easy exercise in perspective - and the only time Fi will ever look bigger than Abby!

Day 271/365.

Rainy Day

Today has been a cool, rainy, gloomy day, so other than venturing out for walkies, the girls and I have been hanging out inside.  So, I spent more time working on what I did yesterday - the rule of thirds and giving the girls 'space' in their portraits.

Damp dog, wondering why I'm sticking a camera in her face... This isn't the best use of the rule of thirds, but Abby would have been more squashed to the right if I had really stuck to the 'rule'.

Damp dog, resigned to photographic interlude; better adherence to the rule of thirds.

Once the girls dried out a bit, I took some 'studio' photos, still trying to give the girls space in the photos and play around with the rule of thirds...

This one was a bit tough, as Abby is a long dog (they both are), and even though her tail is cut off a bit, at least you can see some of it.  She's a little squashed on the right-hand side, but again, she's a long dog.

It would be nice if Abby was actually looking at me, rather than Fi (who is off-camera), but I still like the shot - she's not boxed in and I've mostly adhered to the rule of thirds.

Ah-ha!  Now she's looking at me!  Seriously, how cute is that photo?

And finally, a summation of the rainy day.  I like how the photo is a bit dark and Abby has a 'whatever' look on her face.

*sigh*

 Day 270/365.