Project 4

 Shutter speeds


In this exercise, i tried to find the slowest shutter speed available to capture the moment when the moving pendulum remained frozen.
I started the series of images with a shutter speed of 1/200th of a second, then took several images, each with a slower shutter speed than previous image.
The pendulum remained frozen until the shutter speed was down to 1/60th of a second. After that point, motion blur started to become more noticeable.
This blurring became more apparent with every further reduction in the shutter speed.

1/200 Sec                                                                      1/125Sec

1/100 Sec                                                                    1/80 Sec

1/60 Sec                                                                      1/50 Sec

1/40 Sec                                                                      1/30 Sec

1/25 Sec                                                                      1/5 Sec

1/2 Sec                                                                        1 Sec

      

Project 3

Focus at different apertures


For this exercise, i needed to take 3 photographs of the same subject using 3 different apertures.
The object of this exercise, was for me to be able to see the effect of using a different aperture has on a image.
The three images were taken with 1 image using the lens at the largest aperture, 1 image with the lens set at a mid point and the final image with the lens at the smallest aperture.


Image 1
F1.8   1/800sec  ISO 1600

This image was taken with the lens set at F1.8 (largest aperture)
As you  can see, only the center of the image is in focus, Whilst
the rest of the image is thrown out of focus.
From this i notice that the use of a large aperture in a photograph will result in a very shallow depth of field.
This also results in your eye being drawn to a certain area of a image.









Image 2
F8  1/40sec   ISO 160

In this image, i used an aperture of F8. This resulted in the depth of field to appear wider in the center of the image.
With the aperture set at a mid point, far more of the image appears clearer, but still leaving the background and foreground slightly out of focus.
There is not a huge difference in the depth of field between F1.8 and F8 in these images but that is due to the closeness of the objects.









Image 3
F22   1/5sec   ISO 1600

In this image, i set the lens aperture to F22, this resulted in most of the image to appear in focus, rather than just certain areas.
Again there is not a huge difference between image 2 and image 3 (F8 and F22) but the the depth of field is clearly visible between image 1 and 3 (F1.8 and F22)  from this, i can now have a better understanding of the principles of depth of field and how it alters the image.











Notes


This exercise has shown me how i can use various lens apertures, to create a different feel to a image. i found this exercise quite useful as it helped me get a better understanding of aperture and depth of field, and the effects that they have upon a image.
I have also learnt to check my camera settings before i take any more photographs, as i noticed after taking the last series of images that i had left the ISO at 1600.

Project 2

Focus with a set aperture


The object of this project is for me to get a better understanding of the effect focusing with a set aperture has on photographs. By focusing on different areas of the same image i should be able produce three different images of the same scene, but each with a different effect. As to which will be more pleasing may vary on the subject that is being photographed.

Image 1
F1.8  1/400sec   ISO 1600

When i took this image, i focused my lens on the object at the rear of the picture. This resulted in the first two objects appearing  slightly out of focus and i found that my eye was automatically drawn to the sharper image in the background.
I like the way the first two objects, even though not in focus, guide you towards the sharper object in the background, but i do find it distracting as my eye tends to wander to the blurred foreground object.











Image 2
F1.8  1/400sec   ISO1600

In the second image, i focused the lens on the object in the middle, this resulted in the objects in foreground and background to now appear slightly out of focus, again i found my eye automatically being drawn to the sharper of the three objects.
This image i find to be a little distracting as my eye constantly jumps from the sharp mid ground image to the out of focus foreground image, this makes it uncomfortable to view, but i think if the subject was different for example a tree in a field of wheat then the effect maybe different.







Image 3
F1.8   1/400sec   ISO 1600

In the third image, i moved the focus onto the foreground object, and again this resulted in the mid and background objects to be thrown out of focus.
Out of the three images taken, i find this one to be the easiest  to view. Even with two objects in the background out of focus i find the effect adds to the overall image and balances the photograph nicely.











Notes 
I think careful consideration should be given as to where in the photograph i focus, but also to experiment by focusing on different areas in the same image, this way i will get a better understanding on how depth works in photographs, and this should enable me to take photographs that are more appealing and easier to view.

I have also noted how your eye is automatically  drawn to the sharper areas of a image and this could be used to alter how you want the image to be viewed by others.