52 Variations - Variation Two

Piano Hands

Ok, week 2 is done and even a day early. I was motivated as I will be traveling on business as of tomorrow and if I did not get it done today it would not be done. I'm proud of myself as I do not want to miss my goal for the year.

This week the picture is of my son practicing the piano. I wanted to focus only on the hands and ended up achieving this with a similar lighting setup as last week with my 580 EXII above him to left on a light stand at 1/128th power while being gelled with a 1/2 CTO and using a 1/8 grid.

In the end the picture took very little post processing, just adding some edge darkening and some sharpening for the web. Other than that it is out of the camera. So here it is, Piano Hands...

On the whole I am pleased with the shot but there are of course some things I would change. For example, I would have pulled back the sleeve on the sweatshirt he was wearing as it invades his left hand. Attention to detail is something I need to continue to work on. Oh well, what is life without constant advancement. :-) But as I said, on the whole I am pleased with the outcome and my wife is already asking for a print. That is a very good sign!

And for those of you that like setup shots...

Feel free to leave some comments and let me know what you think.

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As always go to the Flickr set for all project pictures by Clicking Here. You can also find a full explanation of the project along with an index of the shot by Clicking Here.

52 Variations - Variation One

Focus

Here we go sports fans. The first of my weekly project for 2010. I'll do my best to keep these posts short, so lets get going.

My son like millions of other children loves video games, in particular, his Wii. Watching him play this evening I decided to get him playing to the glow of the TV. Below is my attempt at that.

The setup was simple. My son was sitting on the sofa, actually playing his Wii by the way, with my 580 EXII about 3 feet in front of him on a light stand at 1/128th power. The 580 was gelled with a 1/2 CTO and had a 1/8 grid on it to focus and soften the light. I didn't want the light to spread too broadly while not wanting harsh shadows, hence why I did not use a snoot.

By the way, did I note that my son does not love having his picture taken? Well, he doesn't as he has been my photography test subject for years. If you don't believe me take a look at the below from this week's shoot. It shows that he tolerates my obsession. Thank you Gustavo for putting up with me.

Well, what does everyone think? Do you like the lighting, do you get the feeling he is illuminated by a video game screen?

Oh and for those of you that like setup shots here you go. Just please ignore my messy basement.

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As always go to the Flickr set for all project pictures by Clicking Here. You can also find a full explanation of the project along with an index of the shot by Clicking Here.

52 Variations

aJust like millions of photographers out there I made a new years resolution to shoot more. My first instinct was to do a 365, or shot a day project. However, I know myself and I know my workload from my paying job. Anyone who reads this blog knows I can go some time without making a post due to my job. So I need to temper my project with the reality of my job.

Reality, how boring, how do I do a project with the reality of my work...hmmm....let me think...

The idea of a shot every week is very doable. My first stab at that with the Shot a Week project last year showed that. I had a goal of 10 weeks and made my goal. So I decided to extend my goal, or stretch it a bit. So here we go...

The idea is a shot a week. No excitement or challenge in that, but each shot is to be of my son and there must be one for each week of the year and must be planned, not candids, and involve some sort of staging even if it is simple. Hence the name 52 Variations. I want to force myself to plan and execute, not just take advantage of what is in front of me. I've determined that is the area I need to grow in, planning and execution.

My objective is to plan the shot during the week, executing it over the weekend and post it on either Sunday or Monday of the following week. This is realistic and very possible, even with my workload.

So keep you eyes open on Sundays or Mondays for a new shot of my son. He is an unwilling subject so this should be fun.

Click here for the Flickr Pool for the project.

Project Index:

- Variation One: Focus

- Variation Two: Piano Hands

- Variation Three: Snap Shot

- Variation Four: Research

- Variation Five: Nerf Warrior

- Variation Six: Jedi

- Variation Seven: At Play

- Variation Eight: Light Art

- Variation Nine: Sweet Dreams

- Variation Ten: Grandparents

- Variation Eleven: Puppy Play

- Variation Twelve: Burbuja

- Variation Thirteen: Razor
- Variation Fourteen: Spring
- Variation Fifteen: Aquaman
- Variation Sixteen: Tender Moment
- Variation Seventeen: Speed
- Variation Eighteen: Joyful
- Variation Nineteen: Jammin
- Variation Twenty: Pull...Pull
- Variation Twenty-One: Futbol
- Variation Twenty-Two: Fore
- Variation Twenty-Three: Bummer
- Variation Twenty-Four: Chef
- Variation Twenty-Five: Pool Play
- Variation Twenty-Six: Sprinkler Play
- Variation Twenty-Seven: Aim...Fire!!!
- Variation Twenty-Eight: Hug
- Variation Twenty-Nince: Little Sister
- Variation Thirty: Duck!
- Variation Thirty-One: Hide & Seek
- Variation Thirty-Two: Making the Shot

Starting off the year right

How long as it been, too long I know. While we were in a recession in 2009 and I was fortunate to be employed work was a killer. The scramble for business and the the nature of my full time work consumed all of me in the second half of 2009. So of course keeping up my blog was the last thing on my mind. It shouldn't of been, but it was. I needed it but it just wasn't possible with everything else going on.

Of course I have a resolution for a new project and have a new system to ensure I follow through with it better than I did with the Picture a Week Project, so keep an eye open for a description of what will be going on with that.

For now I leave you with the above water drop shot I did the day after Christmas with my son. The purpose of the shoot was to educate him on some basics physics, but it was also fun for me as water drop shots were something I had been wanting to do for a while. Feel free to take a look at the full set of shots at Flickr if you want to.

Talk to you soon.

Rediscovering 17mm

So, I was on vacation with the family in Washington, DC. While I always love being on vacation with the Familia I also use these opportunities to take pictures...something I can never get enough of.

I went with a straight forward kit consisting of the below, taking some things I knew I would need and others I hoped I would use.

- 5D Mark II

- 24-105 f/4 L

- 17-40 f/4 L

- 70-200 f/2.8 L

- 580 EX II

- Tripod

- Other misc. items like batteries, etc.

Now, I knew I would use the camera, duh, and the 24-105 as it is a great travel lens so that was a given. However, I had my doubts about the 70-200 and the tripod. I was pleased I got to use the 70-200 even though it was only once, but I did. I did not get to use the tripod, no surprise, I brought it for night photography but was too tired after all the walking during the day to go back out at night.

What was a pleasant surprise was my 17-40, a lens I've always enjoyed but don't get to use as often as I like. It has been months since I had a need for it and I new I would need it when indoors at the various Capital Buildings and Monuments, but boy did I forget what it can do in the simplest of applications. Take the picture above as an example.

Its a simple portrait of my wife and son standing in front of the US Capital Building. Using a standard range lens I would have to back up quite a bit to get them in the picture, resulting in a lot of useless space a need to crop, etc. With the 17-40 on I was able to get nice and close, keeping them as the center of attention while getting the whole Capital Building in the background. Short of a a slight angle fix (something a lot of my pics from the trip needed - I seem to have been tilted the whole time) has no cropping, you just have a love that about a lens.

So my wish for everyone is that you go out and use a lens you have not touched in a while. Force yourselves to do so. You know why you love these lenses and why you keep them, you just need to go and remind yourselves by seeing some real world examples.

Oh, and have fun.