Focal Length - Part 1.1

Compare the focal lengths from a specific distance to see the coverage the lens gives you.

Here are the shots with the Samsung 20-50mm lens using the marked points of 20mm, 24mm, 35mm, and 50mm

I did not use the table tripod.

Images taken in aperature priority mode, raw sf + jpeg. I did not edit these photos, but saved the .srw as jpg using adobe lightroom. I think those images looked clearer than the .jpg images from the camera.

ISO 250
1/160 sec
f/22
20mm

ISO 250
1/160 sec
f/22
24mm

ISO 250
1/80 sec
f/22
35mm

ISO 250
1/160 sec
f/22
50mm

I just went outside to take some shots, and this was a little difficult as I was also trying to keep an eye on little man at the same time with baby girl asleep in the house in her swing. So once I took these shots, I had to run to the back door to check on her! Fun, fun

To be honest I am not really sure how to compare these images. I prefer being closer to the subject (in this case a cluster of Saguaro cacti) and I feel I should have started either closer to them from the widest angle (20mm) or work backward from the longest focal length (50mm).

I find it interesting that at 35mm the shutter speed dropped by half. I did not think that focal length played a role in that, as the pyramid is ISO, Aperature and Shutter Speed. But, the exposure is brighter than the other two images because of the longer shutter speed...

I do like how the 20mm gives more option of background and foreground in the frame. the 35mm just seems cramped in and cropped versus the 50mm appears to be on purpose. Perhaps it is the tailgate of the truck that caused that and I should have been more cautious of the subject. But since this was strictly a focal length exercise, that was my main priority.

I also find it interesting that the saguaro cluster appears more in the center at 50mm and slightly to the right at 20mm. It seems that the entire plane shifts just slightly to the left the longer the focal length.

I'm really excited about the clouds. Hurrah for cloudy days in the desert! :)

Next will be this same exercise using the Cannon lens...  

Claiming

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

I already have claimed The Berry Bunch with Bloglovin, I figured I might as well do this one too. And since google reader is no longer in effect, this will make those of you who use bloglovin as your reader a little easier to follow the blog. :)

Happy Bloggin'!

What's in My Camera Bag

The first assignment in the book is to list what you have. So here is what is in my Camera bag.

My Camera

Samsung NX100

My Lenses

Samsung 20-50mm iFunction 3.5-5.6

Cannon EF 28-80mm 3.5-5.6

EOS - NX lens adapter

My Lighting

Samsung flash SEF15A

I have 1 battery, several memory cards but never have needed more than 1. We also bought a table top tripod a while back.

I like that I can use other camera lenses with my camera but there is one problem, they only function on manual. I have not gotten too good at focusing manually quickly. I cannot change the aperture with the canon lens. 

I would love to have a telephoto zoom lens (and a decent tripod). I think that would be incredible and would have been nice when we found the owl in the cactus on our property. But we still got an ok shot of the owl (meaning you were able to make out that it was an owl. :) 

I would also like a wider aperture, wide angle and fish eye. I think it would be fun to experiment with those. It is amazing how pricey lenses are, not to mention the cameras themselves! But an actual DSLR would be nice to get eventually but not practical unless you are a photographer because of the price. But who knows? My opinion may change. :)

I borrowed a book - Composition

Ok, so I picked up this book from the library. 

I want to improve my photography. I have wanted to do that for years. The summer before I started high school I remember walking through an Office Depot looking for desks. There was this awesome corner desk. It was huge, with frosted glass tabletops and brushed nickel accents. I loved it. My mom told me she could see me behind a desk like that when I was older. I imagined a desk like that for a photography business. 

Fast forward 4-5 years and I tried to take an ART class at the community college. I did poorly because I did not produce work that the teacher liked (I can not draw). She asked me how I planned to make a career in art if I couldn't draw. I told her I wanted to go into photography but I needed to take that entry level ART course in order to take it. The photography classes were not just for digital but for film as well. The teacher just scoffed at me, rolled her eyes and walked away. Yeah, way to make me feel confident!

The second time I tried to take the ART class I came down with pneumonia. The only classes I managed to finish were more necessary classes for my transfer to a university for a teaching degree. Needless to say, I didn't finish that ART class and didn't get into photography classes.

Now that I have finished college, had a couple kids, worked through feeling entirely discouraged because of a camera that did not have the functions I wanted, then feeling like I just couldn't do a decent job taking pictures, I have decided to give it another try.

That's where the book comes in. I managed to read through the first chapter yesterday and feel fairly motivated to work through the assignments at the end of the chapters in hopes that it helps to improve my photography skills. 

I hope to document this here to show growth and improvement, or at the very least to help keep me accountable. I know with the newborn and a toddler that it is going to be difficult to keep it going and all I am doing is adding one more thing to my already full plate of tasks and projects.

Hubby laughed when he saw the book. "My wife wants to be a photographer", he said. I looked at his joking face and seriously replied, "since as long as I can think back I have wanted to be one". I know that being a professional photographer isn't going to happen, but if I can feel good about the pictures I take then at least that is something...

So here is for round two of making this attempt through the 10 chapters of this book. My goal is to go through a chapter a week what I can when I can. I think that sounds decent enough... We will see how long I can check out this book for.

Happy Picture Taking. :)