Lesson1Number2: Photographic Composition

"tip toe" - ryan
Ok, it's still technically Wednesday and I got my post up. After breaking my 14-45mm kit lens, I still had the composure to walk outside and take this shot with my 40-150mm lens.

'Windows, Bricks, and Vines" - Mike
Taken at St. Catherine's College, Cambridge University.
42 mm,1/30 sec,f5.3,ISO 200,pattern weight,p-mode

"Forgotten Pipe" - Cary
I vowed to go inorganic this week and it was tough given the great weather and abundant springtime vegetation this past week. Thankfully there are tons of shelters here at ERDC with all sorts of interesting industrial stuff just sitting around gathering dust. I had taken some pictures in this shelter of valve handles when I spied these pipe sitting near the doorway. Thanks again to LiveView, I didn't get my clothes all dusty taking this low-angle shot. Some of my other "keepers" are posted here if you're bored.
E-3 ~ 12-60mm, 3.2sec, f/22 @ 12mm, ISO 100, matrix meter, RAW image processed in Lightroom

'bird bath' - Kirk
Two weeks in a row I resorted to using patio ornaments.
55mm,1/20 sec,f10,ISO 200,center weight,p-mode

"Applewood Shavings" - Matt
Life is a lot more enjoyable when you understand your equipment (both camera and carving tools) and have them in good working condition. I was intrigued by the triangular composition and wanted to try it out.
35mm, f/4.8, 1/4sec, center-weighted, aperture priority

Get in Close. No, Closer. Nope, Still Closer.

"Feed the birds" - Tim
Captured this photograph of a House Finch during his lunch time. I also took many pictures of Gold Finches, but this picture turned out clearer. The picture was taken through my 8.5x binoculars (something all you SLR people can't do).
113mm equivalent + 8.5x binoculars, f/5, 1/160 sec, iso 200, center-weighted

"April Showers" - Mike
It's been raining quite a bit here in Merry Old England. I got this shot in-between the rain. The red buds open into really pretty white flowers, but most of them are still buds as it is only 30-50 degrees. I apologize for the plant photo, but I haven't had much to work with here on the Military Base. Hopefully, I will have more to choose from this weekend.
55mm, f/13, 1/125 sec, center-weighted, aperture priority

"knock, knock" - ryan
I happened to snag this picture when nobody was home.
E500 - 27mm, f/4.4, 1/160 sec, matrix, aperture priority

"The Deckers" - Matt
I thought I'd use this week's challenge to bring in a new view of my wonderful family. Note the evidence of Elizabeth's first manicure.
55mm, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, center-weighted, program mode

"A daisy seeks the morning sun" - Cary
My neighbor has a patch of daisies by their mailbox and with these killer blue skies we've been enjoying, I wanted to isolate one against the sky. The geometry of my camera with lens at full extension on a low tripod and the height of the daisy left precious little room between the eyepiece and the ground. Thankfully, the E-3 features LiveView with an articulating LCD screen which made this shot MUCH easier. See the set-up and some other close-up shots here.
E-3 with 12-60mm, f/22, 1/60sec @ 60mm, ISO 100, A-priority, matrix meter, RAW file processed in Lightroom

"afternoon sun" - Kirk
Thought it would be fun to get an up close look at the neighbors patio ornament. I adjusted the background color to be more blue and bumped up the highlights on the face and beads.
Nikon D40,55mm,1/125 sec,f5.6,ISO 200,+1.67 exp. comp,center weight,p-mode

Splash

"Rockin' Mississippi" - Susan
Although I actually took this picture about a week before the topic of "Splash" was announced, I decided to post it anyway, because I thought it turned out pretty cool. This picture was taken when Tim decided to throw a big rock into the river.

"no sugar" - ryan
I had what I thought was a good idea, but come to find out, you can't get sugar cubes at Kroger. So, I went for this picture instead.
E500 - manual flash, 45mm, f/5.6, 1/800 sec, iso 800, matrix weighted, shutter priority

"Splash Crown" - Cary
After experimenting a bit with timing and fluids of different viscosities (oil, milk, water), I decided I wanted to try and catch the "crown" effect that happens immediately upon impact of a drop in the liquid. It took me a bit to work out the timing and I still missed about half the time but I got several "keepers" of which this is one I liked best. Others, including a good milk crown and other non-crown ones I also liked, can be seen here.
E-3 w/ 18-180mm, f/22, 1/250s @ 180mm, matrix meter, A-priority, RAW file processed in Lightroom

"Controlled Splash" - Matt
I've always wanted to try one of these. It was fun trying to make an interesting colored liquid. I think the picture turned out ok. Now that I've tried it, I don't think I have to ever try it again.
Manual Flash, f/8, 1/500sec, Center Weighted, Manual Exposure

" orange splash" - Kirk
I know, this is not too original. Amazingly this is one of the first shots I took and yes the colors are bumped up a bit.
manual exposure,f/20,1/500 s,ISO 200,manual flash 1/8 power

"One drop" - Tim
A bit of food coloring produced an interesting splash picture.

"Ker-splash" - Mike
We found a nice puddle on a family walk after the storm. My favorite shot was from a stone one of the kids dropped in the puddle. I got some fun shots of the kids jumping in the puddle as well. My other splash shots can be seen here if you're interested.
55 mm, f/16, 1/250 sec, Center Weighted, Pop-up Flash +1.0 EV, Manual Mode, Manual Focus

Complementary Colors

"have you seen my peeps?" - Kirk

Boy is getting marshmallow peeps to stand up using toothpicks hard. I set these up on my deck and then put myself in some very awkward positions to get different angles. I liked the way the sun made the sugar glisten and the touch of shadows.

f/5.6,1/800 sec,ISO 200,matrix meter,a-priority

"With a Smile in Her Eye" - Matt

OK, so this wasn't the best of the plan I had. I had a hard time with the lighting and, as a result, couldn't get the vivid colors I had originally intended. Still, it was a fun idea and I think it looks pretty cool.
f/9, 1/2.5 sec, 1/16 shaded manual flash, manual mode, spot meter, ISO 1600

" The Loner Daffodil" - Tim
I finally captured a photo that I somewhat liked. I found these flowers as I was driving through downtown and stopped to take pictures of them.
f/3.4, 1/70 sec, 58 mm equivalent, ISO 200

"Complimentary Bellies" - Cary

Mmmm... Jelly Bellies. I first made an entire Jelly Belly color wheel and then shot them in their complimentary pairs and all jumbled together. I liked this pairing the best. You can see all the pictures here. It turns out the blues where the hardest ones to come by. At the link there are also a few pictures taken of the floor of an airport you all have probably visited. Anyone know which one?

E-3 w/ 12-60mm, f/22, 2s @ 60mm, ISO 100, A-priority, RAW file processed in Lightroom

"complementary cronies" - ryan
I was able to frame this after an early morning rain. I love taking pictures just after a rain.

f/5.3, 1/125 sec, 41 mm, ISO 200, Matrix Weighted, A Priority

"Yellow Purple Fusion" - Mike
After taking several shots that I didn't particularly like, I decided to try an abstract shot. This photo is unaltered other than some minor color adjustments. I used the long shutter speed and put the lens way out of focus to get this effect.
f/5.6, 1/2 sec, 55 mm, ISO 200, No Flash, Center Weighted, A Priority

"Berry Complementary" - Susan
I spotted this Holly bush when Tim and I went down to visit the river and was able to get this shot with the Riverfront Murals in the background.