Week 20 - Photo Contests

Recently I have been taking my inspiration for photo assignments from Photography contests, mostly from magazines.  Some of these contests I have been entering, some I haven't bothered but it's a very interesting way to put on a particular pair of glasses through which to view the world.  The most recent contest category I have been using is "Urban Landscapes".  When you think of Nelson, "urban landscape" isn't really a phrase that springs to mind.  But with that idea in my head I have been wandering Nelson and seeing things differently than I have before.  Suddenly that alley between Baker and Vernon looks very urban and instead of ugly overhead wires, I see the beauty of the repeating pattern of the poles that hold them up.

Canon 20D, Canon 17-85mm lens,
ISO 400, f/11, 1/250s

And with Urban Landscape in mind, the background behind this railing gives the railing that urban feel.  With trees behind it, it would look rustic or perhaps from a country estate.



Canon 20D, Canon 17-85mm lens,
ISO 400, f/5.6, 1/800s



Week 19 - Toothache

Last weekend came the first real test of Project 365... an absessed tooth.  I survived on food that required no chewing for most of the week and I hope to never see pudding or Alphagettis again!  I was jealous of the dog as she crunched her way through her kibble!  I did manage to take pictures every day, however.  Not very many pictures but enough to get my one per day.  Check out the pictures on Project 365 for March 12th through 15th and and you will see pictures of the scallop shell from our bathroom, the bowl of oranges in the kitchen, the stirring fork (from the Kraft Dinner my lovely wife made for me) and the courtroom at work from when I finally made it back to the office.  These are a couple more from Sunday and Monday, the two days I barely left the couch.  Not bad, considering...

Canon 20D, ISO 400,
Canon 17-85 lens, f/8, 1/100s

Canon 20D, ISO 400,
Canon 17-85 lens, f/5.6, 1/50s

Week 18 - Bamboo Tablet

This week I purchased a Bamboo Tablet for myself.  It was on sale and I've wanted one for a long time to make editing photos a little easier.  It's going to take getting used to but I think it's really going to help.  If nothing else, handwriting really works out well.

Unfortunately, I don't have any great examples of how the new tablet allowed me to improve a picture in Photoshop.  I don't really expect to get better results using the tablet, I just hope to get there a little easier.

As for photos, looking at my Project 365 for the last week, there isn't much of a common thread there but it was fun to just take photos of whatever struck my fancy on any given day.  Like on Tuesday for example:



Canon 20D, Sigma 150mm lens,
ISO 400, f/16, 1.3s

What's more fun that jelly beans?

Next week will be time to focus on a project again.

Week 17 - Best of Project 365 - February

My favourite picture from February is one I took at the office.  I have stepped over that rope dozens of times to get pictures of the windows and the railings but only this once did I try to get the picture that included the sign and it really adds to the composition.

Canon 20D, Canon 17-85mm lens,
ISO 400, f/5, 1/4s