Project 365 - Day 6

Project 365 - Day 6

Date & Time: Friday, April 18, 2014, 7:55 pm

Camera Used: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Settings:
     Focal Length: 28 mm
     ISO: 400
     Shutter Speed: 1/25 sec
     Aperture: f/4.8

Post Processing Software(s): Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.4

Comments:
I had mentioned before how I wanted my images to be sharper, especially the ones I have taken of the sky. I was browsing through Flick, and saw photos taken with the same camera I have. The images were so crisp, and breathtaking- You can see the details on every single freaking cloud! UGH! I wish I could take similar photos. Now, I don't know how much post processing the person did, or if those were the results of really great photography, but I did notice when browsing through the Exif of the photos that he had set his saturation to "high," and his sharpness to "hard." Mine were set to "normal."

I wish I had known this prior to taking this photo, maybe it would have come out better. Plus, maybe it would have taken me less post processing time- not that I did a lot. Since I had started this project, I have not had the need to "photoshop." I have been doing just basic tweaking using the Lightroom software. Honestly, I don't think I'll ever skip post processing. Even professional photographers use and depend on softwares, such as Lightroom and Photoshop. But the goal is to not depend on this software/process so much, but to achieve the photo I want through the manipulation of the settings of my camera.

-o-o-o-

Date & Time: Friday, April 18, 2014, 2:02 pm

Camera Used: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Settings:
     Focal Length: 14 mm
     ISO: 100
     Shutter Speed: 1/1000 sec
     Aperture: f/3.5

Post Processing Software(s): Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.4

Comments:
This was going to be my "Photo of the Day," until my sister told me about the beautiful sunset. But I'm posting this anyway. :)

So earlier in this post, I had said that I have not had the need to "photoshop." I was close to doing it with this photos- I wasn't able to capture the blue sky with my camera. Honestly, I don't know remember if there were clouds, but I wish that the sky in my photo was blue. Of all the shots I took, I did take one in "auto" mode, just to compare to the ones I took in "manual." The sky didn't come out blue in that photo either, so maybe that's just how the sky was. It was a bright day after all. Now, that I had changed the saturation and sharpness settings, maybe the camera will capture the sky in more detail.

Come to think of it, maybe I should "photoshop" this image. I am pretty decent (well, decent to good) when it comes to "photoshop"-ing but it wouldn't hurt to improve my editing skills, in addition to my photography skills (whatever I have anyway...) As mentioned earlier, even professional photographers use these softwares.

-o-o-o-

Why am I doing this project? Click here and find out!

xx,
Pamela

Project 365 - Day 5

Project 365 - Day 5

Date & Time: Thursday, April 17, 2014, 1:55 pm

Camera Used: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Settings:
     Focal Length: 33 mm
     ISO: 100
     Shutter Speed: 1/320 sec
     Aperture: f/14

Post Processing Software(s): Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.4

Comments:
I actually didn't plan on taking this shot. We were on our lunch break, and were about to go back to work, when this happened... Katie, one of our Maltese dogs, refused to go back inside the house- she was enjoying the sun too much! Since I haven't taken my any photos for the day yet, I decided that this will be it. Now, I understand why one should always have his camera on hand, just in case a shot like this should present itself. I just wish that I had more time to play with the settings of the camera. We were running late, and once again, I was pressed for time. This time, however, I was much quicker in figuring out which shutter speed and aperture to use. I must be improving. :)

Here are a few more shots of Katie:

-o-o-o-

Why am I doing this project? Click here and find out!

xx,
Pamela

Project 365 - Day 4

Project 365 - Day 4

Date & Time: Wednesday, April 16, 2014, 9:57 am

Camera Used: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Settings:
     Focal Length: 21 mm
     ISO: 100
     Shutter Speed: 1/60 sec
     Aperture: f/4.3

Post Processing Software(s): Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.4

Comments:
I chose this photo because it showcased this weird thing we call "weather." The flowers are in bloom, and yet it snowed. This past weekend it was warm enough that my cousins were wearing shorts and flip flops! And now, I am back to wearing my winter coat! Crazy, I tell you...

Just to warn you, this project will probably contain a lot of photos of trees, grass, and flowers. During the weekdays, I don't really go anywhere except work and home; both of which are surrounded by trees, grass, and flowers. LOL.

-o-o-o-

Why am I doing this project? Click here and find out!

xx,
Pamela

Project 365 - Day 3

Project 365 - Day 3

Date & Time: Tuesday, April 15, 2014, 6:00 pm

Camera Used: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Settings:
     Focal Length: 25 mm
     ISO: 100
     Shutter Speed: 1/5 sec
     Aperture: f/4.6

Post Processing Software(s): Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.4

Comments:
This picture seems pretty boring compared to yesterday's photo. I realize that a great photographer, or at least a decent one, should be able to take photos of mundane looking things, and turn those photos into something that's interesting and fun to look at. I am not there yet.

Yesterday was a gloomy, rainy day so it was hard to get inspired and be creative. While taking the photos (I took more than one!), and during post processing, I realized that I could  adjust the settings/exposure to make the photo brighter, but I wanted to catch the wetness of the ground and the gloominess of the day; had I done that, the mood I was trying to achieve would have been lost.

-o-o-o-

Why am I doing this project? Click here and find out!

xx,
Pamela

Project 365 - Day 2

Project 365 - Day 2

Date & Time: Monday, April 14, 2014, 10:45 pm

Camera Used: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2

Settings:
     Focal Length: 24 mm
     ISO: 100
     Shutter Speed: 40.0 sec
     Aperture: f/5.6

Post Processing Software(s): Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.4

Comments:
This was taken about two hours before the eclipse was supposed to start. I probably should have taken a picture of the eclipse while it was taking place... Actually, I planned on it but then I got lazy... Day 2 and I was already feeling lazy? I know, not a good start. :/

I wish the image was sharper, but I couldn't get the camera to focus. I had to zoom out in order for the camera to focus, and when I finally got it, I zoomed in to get my desired shot. I am sure there is a better way to get this shot. Clearly, I have a lot to learn.

I used a tripod to take this photo because I knew I don't have steady hands. Plus, the shutter speed was set at 40 seconds so there was no way I can stay still for that long! Do photographers eventually develop a steady hand?

-o-o-o-

Why am I doing this project? Click here and find out!

xx,
Pamela