A little update on my photography path

An Update About My Journey in the Photography World

               Since I've been swamped with school work and school in general, I haven't had much time to get out and take pictures. Since I'm doing yearbook, I have been able to take advantage of that at least to get some photo taking in and advance my skills (the little I have). I've been able to go to a few of my school's basketball games and take some pictures. I've been able to work with taking pictures at different angles and lenses. Recently I was able to use a portrait lens for the first time, learning that might not be the best kind of lens for a basketball game if you are right on the side line and they're coming right towards you.

 I wasn't able to get a lot of pictures when they were shooting because I was right behind the hoop they were shooting on. What the camera mainly focused on, I learned, was maybe a face or two. In order to get the whole shot, I had to go back towards the bleachers and possibly where people could barely see me but I could see them. A few times the referee even told me I could get closer to the sideline, which I found kind of funny. Next time i'm going to try a different lens. I was able to get some really good shots when my partner suggested that we actually go into the stands to get a better angle. Since it was only girls freshman basketball, very few supporters were there. Just mainly parents, which worked to our advantage. We were able to go back and forth, back and forth all along the bleachers. Switching sides to get different angles on each camera. Going up and down (since I didn't have zoom on my) and occasionally going back down onto the court and getting a few sideline shots.  Photographing sports is a really different type of photography that I've found fun yet challenging to be creative with trying to come up with different angles. That's exactly what Photography is, being creative.

Besides Yearbook I  haven't really been able to get any photography action. Luckily to my rescue a friend comes along asking me to be in his movie. Obviously I said yes because what if it were to go to Hollywood? I could become famous! (most likely not) Him knowing I'm into photography, he asked if I could get a camera from my yearbook class (since I have an $80 crap camera and having done this plenty of times before with permission obviously)  and be the official photographer for his movie. I would get full credit which would end up helping me in the long run for my career. It might even look good on my college application. Being able to say I was the official photographer for a movie. You never know. Even the small things count. In these next few weeks, I hope to be able to grow in my knowledge and experience. To be able learn from my mistakes and hopefully get pointer tips from those around me that are more well experienced (and hopefully get a better camera).

Tips

Tips 
        So even though I'm new at this, I thought I might share a few tips for beginners.

          Lets start with the basics: CAMERA MODES
                                Here's a list of some of the basic modes and advanced modes on the mode dial.

Basic:
          Automatic
          Portrait
          Macro (a.k.a close-up)
          Landscape
          Sports
          Night Portrait

Advanced:
          Program
          Shutter-priority
          Aperture-priority
          Manual exposure
          Auto Depth-of-field
          Flash off








 











Here's what they all mean:


Automatic: Complete automatic photography: the camera analyzes the scene and tries to choose the best setting that produces the best results

Portrait: Design to produce softly focused backgrounds for flattering portraits

Micro (Close-Up): produces softly focused backgrounds  especially suitable for close-ups of flowers and other nature subjects 

Landscape: Designed to keep both near and distant subjects in sharp focus

Sports: Selects a faster shutter speed to capture fast moving subjects with out blur 

Night Portrait: Same as portrait, but combines flash with a slow shutter speed to produce softer lighting and brighter background. Use tripod to avoid camera shake.

Program: Camera select both the f-stop (aperture setting) and the shutter speed to ensure proper exposure, but the user can choose from multiple combination of the two settings. Full control over color, flash, and other advanced settings.

Shutter-priority: The user sets shutter speed and the camera selects the f-stop that will produce a good exposure Full control over color, flash, and other advanced settings.

Aperture-priority: The user selects the f-stop and the camera selects the shutter speed that will produce a good exposure. Full control over color, flash, and other advanced settings.

Manual Exposure: User controls both shutter speed and f-stop. Full control over color, flash, and other advanced settings.

Automatic Depth-of-field: Camera selects the f-stop needed to keep all objects in the frame in the zone of sharp focus and then selects the shutter speed that will produce good exposure. Full control over most (but not all) color, flash, and other advanced settings.

Flash Off: Same as automatic but with the flash disabled.

Since I am still learning about working a camera, my knowledge is very little to share. Even learning about the dial mode and what is what and when to use which one helped me. A little goes long ways.

A little about me

The History Behind Photography
               Photography was created around the 1800 when Thomas Wedgwood attempted to capture an image but was unsuccessful. In about the mid-1820's, Nicéphore Niépce succeeded but the required exposure in the camera took several days and the earliest results were still raw. His associate eventually developed a camera that only took minutes of exposure allowing the picture to come out clear and detailed. This was called the daguerreotype process.

 

A Little About Me

                

               I never really new what I wanted to do as a career until I was in 6th grade. I always loved taking pictures and I was decent for an eleven year old. As I was growing up, my career choices was always changing. Then were never the stereotypical little girl dreams like becoming a princess or a ballerina for I was never into those things. For the longest time I wanted to be a teacher. Then it would change to being an actress and back to a teacher. At one point I wanted to be a masseuse, which is a little weird choice for a little girl to want to be. As years went by, growing up, I was always thinking about things I could do. As a joke with myself I always thought, why not become a photographer? Never thinking I actually would lean into that choice more then all the other possibilities in the world, I kept thinking. It wasn't until my little sister came into my family that I started to take more pictures. Whether it was with my Ipod or a little video camera I had asked for for my birthday that year, I was always taking pictures of her. 

               As the next year went by, I started to get really into the idea of becoming a photographer. I found myself thinking "that would be an amazing picture," as I was in the car looking at the way the sun was perfect lighting behind the trees, setting. Before I knew it, I was in love with the idea of becoming a photographer. Christmas of 2014, my parents gave me my first digital camera. I started taking picture of everything, especially my siblings.

 This a picture of when I want on a trip to L.A. What I love about this picture is the reflection of the book in the window as the scenery is blurring past.

Towards the middle of 8th grade year, my parents decided to let me go on the 8th grade trip to Washington, D.C and New York. Obviously stoked, I readied my self to have a blast taking picture of all these amazing sites. Everywhere I went, I had a camera out (definitely must have looked like a tourist!). Besides one other girl, I was the only one to have an actual camera on them and not a phone.   

          Here in this picture, is a statue of Franklin D. Roosevelt with his beloved dog Fala

  

   In this picture, I visited the Korean War memorial. This is a life size statue of a soldier. It shows what they wore and carried with them in the war.

 In this picture you see the Washington monument with a view of the lake. 

 Here you see the St. Patrick's Cathedral (still under construction getting ready for the pope) 

                Sadly, August 13th of 2015 was actually the first time I had ever used a real camera that had a viewfinder and an interchangeable lens. As I continue my journey with photography, I advance in my knowledge with cameras and experience. As I am only in high school and can't do much as a freshman, I do as much as I can. Since as a freshman you can't take photography, I decided to go into yearbook hoping I can learn more skills not just with cameras but also with writing.