OVERALL INFORMATION

I have a couple of photos to share. I took them in the same room with the same camera settings, but with slightly different lighting conditions.

Camera Used: Canon EOS Rebel T6
Lens Used: Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II
Shooting Format: Both RAW and JPG, but only the RAW was processed.
Date Taken: 11 February 2023 between 7:30 and 8:15 pm
Date Processed: 11 February 2023 between 8:30 and 10:30 pm
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/4 sec
ISO: 200
Focal Length: 55mm

Overall, I found that I did have to make a compromise with my settings. I couldn't get the sharpest of photos because the lighting conditions meant that I had to use a slower shutter speed. I also didn't have the space to set up any form of tripod, which meant that I had to take the photo hand-held, introducing a little bit of camera movement.

I prefer to shoot everything 100% manually. I use the manual mode and I have my lens set to manual focus. Doing this, I find that I have the most control over how my images look.

FIRST PHOTO

Title: "Rainbow"
Concept: An artistic, abstract photo of one of the tools that define me. In addition to telling stories with photos, I enjoy telling stories through written word. I wanted to create the mood I feel when I write: inspired, at peace, and sort of distant from the rest of my environment.

Lighting Conditions: Dim and diffused white light from the ceiling in my living room and my PC monitor set to 100% brightness as a backlight behind the pen cup, which is a cooler light.

I chose the smallest aperture I had access to because I wanted the close background to be very blurry to eliminate unrelated elements and keep the background very simple.

I ended up using a slow shutter speed to keep my ISO low. I held the camera in my hands, but tried to stabilize it with my body and desk. This meant that I wouldn't get super sharp focus, but I'm okay with that since this was meant to be an abstract photo anyway.

I kept my ISO at 200 because that's the lowest my camera would allow, and because I didn't want a huge amount of noise in my photo.

The lighting conditions meant that I needed to use a slower shutter speed and a wider aperture for my camera to receive enough light to capture the image I was going for. Because I used a backlight (my monitor), I had a little more light to work with and it created some beautiful glow through the plastic bodies of the pens.

I do feel that I somewhat achieved what I was going for. I don't know if this photo actually ticks the box for being abstract. I also am not quite sure I created the exact mood I was going for, but I think I came close.

RAW Version

DSLR Fundamentals Practice Photos - image 1 - student project

Edited Version

DSLR Fundamentals Practice Photos - image 2 - student project

SECOND PHOTO

Title: "Into Cyberspace..."
Concept: A symbol of cyberspace (an RGB keyboard) and shallow DOF come together to create a metaphor of the long and unknown journey into the digital world - Cyberspace. I wanted to create an uneasy feeling tinted with awe and uncertainty.

Lighting Conditions: Dim and diffused white light from the ceiling in my living room and the individual RGB lights on my keyboard.

I again chose the smallest aperture I had access to because it was necessary to create the atmosphere, mood, and metaphor I had in mind.

I ended up using a slow shutter speed to keep my ISO low and to allow the RGB lights to glow. I held the camera in my hands, but tried to stabilize it with my body. This meant that I wouldn't get super sharp focus, but for this image that was a compromise I had to make. I think the softer focus actually kind of works though.

Again, I kept my ISO at 200 for the same reasons as before.

The lighting conditions and my concept meant that I needed to use a slower shutter speed and a wider aperture to be able to capture the photo I wanted. The lighting also created some nice glow around the letters of the keys, adding more to that "Cyberspace" theme.

I am more confident with this one. I think I got the exact look I was striving for. The metaphor might not be very obvious, but that's something titles are useful for.

RAW Version

DSLR Fundamentals Practice Photos - image 3 - student project

Edited Version

DSLR Fundamentals Practice Photos - image 4 - student project

When I post artwork to my social profiles, I usually add a frame and my logo/signature. I didn't know if I should do that here, so I didn't.

Brittney King

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