52 Frames

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2021-02-14: Golden Hour

Challenge: It's the last scene of your movie, just before the credit roll, what shot are you leaving your audience with?

We saw what happened to Koenig and his people. What becomes of Thompson is left to the imagination of the moviegoer.

I used a snoot with a grid made out of black straws to put a little splash of light on the telegram. This draws the eye and makes the background, lit with a warm white bulb, warmer and moodier. I used an ND8 neutral density filter to get the flash dark enough. I had it on its lowest setting, but had it very close to the telegram to minimize the splash on the floor. I added 3200 ISO grain and did my best with color grading. 16:9 aspect ratio and a shallow depth of field complete the attempt at a cinematic look.

2021-02-14: Golden Hour

Challenge: Take a photo that captures the magic of golden hour - the first hour after sunrise or the last hour before sunset, when the light is filtered through more atmosphere and takes on a golden cast.

Burning Sky	This was the night of the switch to the latest challenge. Just after I submitted my Single Point of Focus picture, I looked outside and saw the high, even cloud layer. I grabbed my camera, tripod, and an extra lens and raced over to my office building's parking lot. There were others up there taking advantage of the prime shooting location and glorious sunset. I just love when the clouds are lit from below like this. I'm hoping to get some morning clouds that look similar - I have a better place to shoot from. I might do another shot in the evening as well, if I get the chance, from the location of the next shot - shoot the lake's reflection of the burning sky.
Golden Anglers	This really shows the value of shooting a lot of pictures. I kept walking back and forth along the bridge, shooting this picture from different angles. I got pictures with ducks on the lake, ducks in flight, sun glare more or less prominent on the lake, more or less visible ripples. I hadn't intended to have the reeds in the picture at all, this shot was sort of a "well, as long as I'm standing here" thing. I wound up loving how the reeds pick up the golden sunlight, and the two anglers happened to be holding their fishing rods in a photogenic way. It all came together, largely because I shot about 35 pictures.
Egret on Golden Pond
Birds Standing on Golden Pond

2021-02-07: Single Point of Focus

Challenge: Use focus to put a single element in the scene in sharp focus, using sharpness to draw the eye to the subject.

Test Shot 1	Test shot to see how blurred the background would be.
Test Shot 3	First attempt to get the shot I was going for.
Nightsicle	Trying a completely different shot, mixing focal plane blur with motion blur.
Pancake with Blueberry Syrup	Moved the camera so the focal plane was parallel to the plane of the pancake. Used a small plate, small pancake, and small blueberries. Used forced perspective with the plate elevated on a pint glass to make the plate look normal size relative to the setting. Coffee cup is a short demitasse to keep the rim well below the focal plane.

2021-01-31: Horizon Lines

Challenge: Take a picture that incorporates horizon lines as a dominant element.

Tempe Town Lake Pedestrian Bridge

Tempe Town Lake pedestrian bridge, flat and parallel to the surface of the water.