Assignment 2 - 2 8R Photos

We are supposed to come up with 2 8R photos, anything we like. It's my first time handling a SLR, and though I'm not exactly awed by the photos I took, I thought they made sufficient presence on their own.

Creative Concept

#1 - A Child's Innocence
I've always enjoyed observing people, and babies and kids are my personal favourites. It is interesting to look at them play, when they laugh, it is true laughter, and without much worries.

A part of me have always dreaded growing up, and I always try my very best to retain any childlike qualities, as if they're the only way for me to be truly happy, like a child. The most endearing quality of a child is often their expression. Be it when they're sleeping, or when they're playing, you can always see laughter twinkling in their eyes, innocence on their faces, and/or true appreciation for the simplest things around them.

I seek to capture these expressions in this assignment. Can't say I failed, though it is indeed there is much room for improvement.

Olympus E-300
focal length 45mm.
F/5.6. 1/200 sec. ISO-400.

Comments
-Off-focus. Focus on wheel instead of baby.
- Try to take in background into consideration as well when shooting photos. It's a bit cluttered.

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#2 - East Meets West (Lantern Contrast)
My original intention was to shoot the elderly, so that I can contrast between my former photo with it. However, while looking through the shots I've taken, I thought the lantern shot makes a good photo, easily the best I've taken all day.

This was a chance shot. I was walking along the shophouses after visiting my friend at the hospital, and thought the red lantern looks interesting with the white lamps set as its background. I was trying to show a contrast between old and new, oriental and westernised influences.

It was around 7 p.m. in the evening and the sky was just starting to get dark. The stone lion, road bend and lights from the background added an extra touch to this shot. I'm quite pleased with the eventual shot I presented in class.

Olympus E-300
focal length 14mm.
F/3.5. 1/30 sec. ISO-800.

Comments
-Sheryl: The photo has all the basic colours in it. I think the time you took this photo was just nice. It's very pretty.
-Gerald: Can see some noise when the photo is blown up to 8R. Can try to retake the shot on a tripod stand to reduce handshake.

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Classroom Critique

I am most impressed by the shots Jie Ying presented in class. Her freehand butterfly shot is simple yet speaks for itself. Contrary to her personal critique, I thought the high aperture helps to focus attention on the foreground towards the butterfly sitting on the flower. A great shot.

"The Straw Hat" gives me a similar feeling of simplicity, with added nostalgia and a bit of holiday mood (lol think Redang and beaches). Both her shots use high aperture to reduce the depth of field and focus the eye to the objects in the foreground. Maybe it's just me, but I thought that it really adds a certain feel to the photos.

However, I still prefer the original version before she cropped it tight. The space around is filled with the blurry background, which does little to vie attention with the main object. I thought the space (which includes the chair, no idea why, it just feels weird after the chair is cropped out) gives the viewer more room for imagination.

Nevertheless, I am greatly impressed by her first attempt with the tricky SLR.

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Assessment
I give Jie Ying a perfect 10/10 for both her shots, to credit her for excellent camera control and photo composition.

In comparison, my "Child's Innocence" scores a 7.3/10 and the lantern a 9.5/10. That averages out to 8.4/10 for both my shots.

P.S. This is another shot of the lanterns I took as suggested by my friend. Thought the use of the wall to reflect the lanterns was quite cool too, so put the photo up to share. :)