One Lens - Take 1

I have been working with the Canon EF 50mm 1.8

I stood in the same spot, and focused along the rail 

and was very impressed with how at each length the 

lens gave a different perspective and completely 

altered what I thought I wanted the image to look like. 

Homage

A confession

I started working on this month's assignment this week. The assignment is to use a single lens or single focal length all month long. I like the idea of the assignment because it might help me to simplify the camera process to pay more attention to this image. I also like it because it forces me to explore the capabilities of a lens. I imagine if I use the same lens all month then I will be able to anticipate in the future the types of photos it is good for and what kind of technical approach I should take when using it.

I started working on the assignment on Monday. And, my first impulse was to cheat.

I can take photos with my point and shoot this month; as long as I don't share or post them this month, no one will know that I wasn't shooting exclusively with the 17mm lens I had chosen. After all, the point and shoot is so much more convenient than my big camera. Of course, that would be cheating.

On Tuesday, I put my point and shoot away and packed up my camera with the 17 - 35mm zoom. I shot some Halloween photos on the way home and all was good.

On Wednesday, I visited my friend in South Lake Union in Seattle. City Light is finally demolishing the Greyhound Bus Barn which will become a substation in the future. The colorful heavy equipment and aerial view was mesmerizing. I took a few pictures at 17mm which show the Greyhound property in the neighborhood context. I was tempted to zoom up to 35mm to fill the frame more and get a better sense of the work going on. Of course, that would be cheating.

On Thursday, I had a few minutes to spend at Lakeview Cemetery in Seattle. I had seen the memorial of ceramic artist Robert Sperry on a previous visit and thought I could get in the spirit of the season by making some connection between his crows and the other monuments in the graveyard. I got some OK pictures, but will probably come back on a day with better light or use a longer lens (next month) to force the pieces together.

Also on Thursday, I joined a friend on a photo walk near her house. We had many photo opportunities, including an up close and personal with neighbor dog Maggie.

We were on the prowl for Fall and Halloween photos. Some were easy with the 17mm lens, including a nice squash and pumpkin photo. Other images would have been better if I had been able to step into the midst of someone's yard to get the shot. Oh well, I thought, I can always crop. Of course, that would be cheating.

Less than one week in and I feel that I am doing well on the assignment. It is very hard trying to fit what I visualize in my mind into a photo using the 17mm lens. But, I am pretty sure that is the point. The task of becoming proficient in photography is not about taking the easy road and capturing the ready made photo. It is about seeing the possibilities in a scene and having the comfort in the tools to make the pieces come together in a story.

I don't plan on cheating this month. But the temptation might just make me into a better photographer.

Spin on November Assignment

Howdy!

So I was procrastinating at work, thinking about photography (I really should turn photography into my day job...) and was trying to figure out how to start really diving in to knowing the limitations and the best way to have that come across in class, and so I pulled out my cell phone and started playing with it. This is what I created from my chair at my desk without changing anything on the cell phone manipulation tools.

The one of the sky is looking out the window at work.

It gave me an idea for my project with my camera this weekend or next.

good bye summer, hello fall ....

Some things just don't belong together

one-of-a-kind

Don's velomobile is peddle-powered, uses a very-long bicycle chain, and has a battery-powered assist for hills. His Dutch model was built for racing and has reached 70mph on a downhill run. The "skin" is a very thin fiberglass. I caught him at Magnuson Park before he headed home on the Burke-Gilman Trail and on to Magnolia where he lives. Look for Don in his bright yellow cocoon. He's one of only 2,400 velomobiles in the world he said.

Drum Master Reporting for Duty

October starting out with a BANG! Ready to go play some more tonight ...