Workshop Experience : Photography Studies College Week #14
Well it's getting closer to portfolio creation time and the time pressures are rising. I am way off on my Still Life and Personal portfolio sections, but hope to start this week in ticking some content boxes there ....
In class this week we looked in to Still Life as it happened, so a timely insight into an area of photography I personally have not really explored too deeply.
Scott took us through some category basics, and then we focussed the work of Chema Madoz. Amazing. Simple. Uncluttered. Quite enthralling and inspiring.
© Chema Madoz
All the usual creative foundations apply to still life - composition, colour, lighting, etc - and the form exists in two categories : Constructed and Found Object. There is also an unwritten guide that suggests the object(s) must be able to be placed on a table top - i.e size is modest.
So what differentiates average and good still life frames? Light, Depth of Field and Design. Look through some of Madoz's work and he has nails did all and some.
I immediately started thinking about what line I could take and have decided I will follow a project around "Drawers". Still Life interpretations of what we put in our various shaped drawers - kitchen, garage, rooms, etc. Will see how we go and I will post some early ideas as I go.
Been getting out with the drone for some aerial work of late, and really enjoying it. The Melbourne morning light at dawn is getting stronger and causing contrast almost from the get go of sunrise which is great for the abstract look I am trying to refine. The above frames are from a nearby to home marina and skate park. The skate park angles in particular came up well I thought.
On a practical note, DJI updated their DJI Go app and with usual DJI style, little supporting documentation came along with it (sigh). For this missing the extra camera menu that you used to press and hold the shutter button, its now folded in to the main camera menu under Photo. All the functions are now in there - HDR, AEB, multi exposure, etc.
Given the limitations of the Phantom3 pro camera (fixed aperture mainly) the settings I have been using are getting a little more refined. For maximising the EV range of the captured image, I am using the log colour profile, customer contrast down by 1, sharpness down by 1, RAW setting, and manual. I am using AEB every now and then but prefer to do the bracketing manually by adjusting shutter speed. Then little bit of post processing wither in Photomatix and/or LR, and they are pretty good. (until someone offers me an Inspire Pro to play with (-: ).
I also purchased the Headplay POV goggles, and will drop a few impressions on them soon once I have a good crack at it - without vomiting. Not using it for photography but more for keeping my daughter amused whilst I fly around taking images.
Until next time !