Week 3 - Concrete + Earth

Well, "Week 3" took a lot longer than a week, but it gave me enough time to come up with a few shots I'm really happy with.

I took this photo on the beach in San Francisco. I finally got a good "frame within a frame" shot, which also made use of the rule of thirds

San Francisco Ruins:

Week 3 - Concrete + Earth / Week 2 - Trouble With Lines / Week 1 - A Weekend in ATL - image 1 - student project

The next shot was taken on a walk with my Boston Terrier, Danger. I thought the marks on the ground were really cool. I'm lucky that he takes direction well - he sat and waited while I took a few shots trying to get the right composition.

Danger Dog:

Week 3 - Concrete + Earth / Week 2 - Trouble With Lines / Week 1 - A Weekend in ATL - image 2 - student project

Finally got an abstract building shot in San Francisco. I like the way this one turned out, but I don't think it's as crisp as I'd like (I had to crop heavily) and I think there might be ways to improve the composition. Side note - Frank - do you have a photo of this exact building on the intro page for this class? If not, it sure looks similar. If so...great minds?

SF Abstraction:

Week 3 - Concrete + Earth / Week 2 - Trouble With Lines / Week 1 - A Weekend in ATL - image 3 - student project

And now, a total departure from the urban landscapes in the first three shots. I took these while hiking over the weekend. I almost didn't bring my camera because I didn't want to damage it, but the camera made it through the hike unscathed, and I am really glad I had it with me. (Full disclosure: There was a near disaster moment when I stepped on a slippery rock while crossing the creek, but fortunately my instincts kicked in - I saved the camera instead of breaking my fall. I'm slightly bruised, but it's worth it.)

Mossy Tree:

Week 3 - Concrete + Earth / Week 2 - Trouble With Lines / Week 1 - A Weekend in ATL - image 4 - student project

Leaf detail:

Week 3 - Concrete + Earth / Week 2 - Trouble With Lines / Week 1 - A Weekend in ATL - image 5 - student project

I came across these four butterflies while hiking. My camera has no zoom, so I was standing in the creek right next to them and it didn't seem to bother them at all. This was a lucky find, and I think the image turned out really well.

Eight Wings:

Week 3 - Concrete + Earth / Week 2 - Trouble With Lines / Week 1 - A Weekend in ATL - image 6 - student project

Week 2 - Geometry and Lines

I thought I would get some great shots for this lesson, but my photography sessions were fairly rushed, and I didn't end up anything I'm really excited about. I'm posting my favorites of the bunch, but I'm hoping to work on this a bit more in the next few weeks.

The first few shots are from The Goat Farm in Atlanta. This one is kind of fun - I like how I caught all 3 of them in the same pose:

The Way We Walk:

Week 3 - Concrete + Earth / Week 2 - Trouble With Lines / Week 1 - A Weekend in ATL - image 7 - student project

I thought this window looked interesting and geometrical. Not sure if there was a better way to crop it.

Mondrian Window:

Week 3 - Concrete + Earth / Week 2 - Trouble With Lines / Week 1 - A Weekend in ATL - image 8 - student project

Rope Swing:

Week 3 - Concrete + Earth / Week 2 - Trouble With Lines / Week 1 - A Weekend in ATL - image 9 - student project

I took this one at Serenbe a few weeks ago, so it wasn't shot specifically for this class, but I threw it into the mix because I thought it had some interesting diagonals.

Bakeshop:

Week 3 - Concrete + Earth / Week 2 - Trouble With Lines / Week 1 - A Weekend in ATL - image 10 - student project

Took this one on the Atlanta Beltline.

Stop Hatin'

Week 3 - Concrete + Earth / Week 2 - Trouble With Lines / Week 1 - A Weekend in ATL - image 11 - student project

WEEK 1 - Intro to Composition

I've always had an interest in photography, but never had the tools or motivation to do much about it. Now I have the tools - an awesome camera (Fuji X100s) and Photoshop CS6. I signed up for this class because I thought it might help with the motivation piece. It definitely has - I have been carrying my camera around nonstop. I probably took about 500 photos over the last few days, and I found it impossible to limit myself to just 5 final selections.

The weekend started out with visit from a turtle in our courtyard. My husband and I decided to introduce the dogs, and I thought it would be the perfect photo op. I got a few decent shots out of it, but this one is my favorite and probably the most well-composed. Tried to play with the rule of thirds here. It's not spot on, but with the turtle in the lower right and Wes in the upper left, it's close:

Dog Meets Turtle:

Week 3 - Concrete + Earth / Week 2 - Trouble With Lines / Week 1 - A Weekend in ATL - image 12 - student project

I spent some time wandering around my neighborhood - it's an old warehouse district that now has a lot of converted factory lofts. It's a little bit gritty and has a lot of character. I thought the find below was interesting and just a little bit creepy. I struggled with this shot in post - the strong backlighting and washed out background was difficult to work with. I'll probably revisit it later. Thought about rule of thirds here - hippo in bottom right, chain link bar placed at the bottom third of the shot:

Chainlink Hippo:

Week 3 - Concrete + Earth / Week 2 - Trouble With Lines / Week 1 - A Weekend in ATL - image 13 - student project

My husband was kind enough to join me on my trek and pose for me. I really like the way this shot turned out. Thought about rule of thirds here - his face towards the upper right, the other point of interest (sunglasses) at the lower right. :

Wes:

Week 3 - Concrete + Earth / Week 2 - Trouble With Lines / Week 1 - A Weekend in ATL - image 14 - student project

Here is my first foray into "street photography". This one was "shooting from the hip" - I was surprised that I even managed to get her in frame, and I was totally shocked that she was in focus. I heavily cropped this one:

Sidewalk Girl:

Week 3 - Concrete + Earth / Week 2 - Trouble With Lines / Week 1 - A Weekend in ATL - image 15 - student project

In the evening we ended up at a neighborhood dive bar - here is a shot of the tattooed mermaid that adorns the entryway. Played a bit with distinct foreground/background in this one. :

Elliott Street Figurehead:

Week 3 - Concrete + Earth / Week 2 - Trouble With Lines / Week 1 - A Weekend in ATL - image 16 - student project

One of the locals has this heavily mirrored Vespa - I see it around town all the time and just had to snap a picture. I like the way the Vespa handle is turned - almost like it's looking at something just out of shot:

Needs More Mirrors:

Week 3 - Concrete + Earth / Week 2 - Trouble With Lines / Week 1 - A Weekend in ATL - image 17 - student project

I took this one inside the bar - can you tell what it is? Not a lot of motion here - very horizontal - but kind of a cool abstraction. Placed the in-focus element right at the top 3rd of the shot:

Dive Bar Detail:

Week 3 - Concrete + Earth / Week 2 - Trouble With Lines / Week 1 - A Weekend in ATL - image 18 - student project

I like the way this one turned out, though that plastic cup bothers me a bit. It's mostly horizontal but creates some interest/motion with the height of the guitar and the shadow leading the eye to the line of empty beverages. I placed the floor at the bottom 3rd of the shot. :

5 Drinks In:

Week 3 - Concrete + Earth / Week 2 - Trouble With Lines / Week 1 - A Weekend in ATL - image 19 - student project

The last stop of the night was another favorite bar - this shot catches bartenders Paul and Chris mixing cocktails. I like the perspective/diagonals on this one. Had a bit of trouble getting exactly the right crop, but I think it works:

Stirred:

Week 3 - Concrete + Earth / Week 2 - Trouble With Lines / Week 1 - A Weekend in ATL - image 20 - student project

And with that, a busy (and well documented) weekend came to a close. Looking forward to Week 2's project!

Kristen Benel

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