This Week in the Digital Photography School Forums (29 Nov-5 Dec ’09)

Weekly Assignment

This week we wanted you to show us something you were Thankful for, and shoot it at 50mm (if possible). Our winner this week was overwhelmingly clear. Congrats to galaxygal for her shot of her daughter who is getting healthier and healthier every day since her botulism scare. The brightness of the shot and the tight depth of field really created a warm shot of this little angel. While we expected to see a lot of shots of children this week, this one really caught our eye because who wouldn’t be thankful that their baby is recovering. Our first runner up was Shutterbugdeb who was thankful for the Thanksgiving leftovers that create tasty new meals in the days that follow. The warm tones and the well staged setup made for a nice food shot that definitely emphasized Thanksgiving. And last, but not least was a shot that was funny and clever all at the same time. Joedit is thankful for the small mercies (make sure to click on the link or the picture to see it bigger). The creativity involved in this shot really made it stand out, as did the attention to the depth of field and the consideration taken in setting it up.

This week’s assignment is Storyboards. The goal is to take a series of 3 shots that tell a story with a distinct beginning, middle, and end. It should be simple enough that it doesn’t require any explanation, but it should also take into consideration the basics that we try to emphasise with some of our technique assignments such as composition, lighting, and depth of field. If you are entering the mini-contest this week, make sure that all 3 of your shots were taken between 25 November – 9 December 2009. This week a more general version of your EXIF is fine (lens and camera used), but include as much info as you can. In order to be eligible for the mini-contest, make sure that your post contains both the date the photos were taken and the words “Assignment: Storyboard”. Next week’s assignment is Technology. Consider how you use it, how it helps you in your day to day life, and consider how you want to portray it. Is it a help or a hinderance? Remember to make your shot interesting and apply what you’ve learned.

Hot Threads

• What are your photography goals for ’10: Hard to believe that another year is rolling around, but as it does, it may be time for you to think about what your photography goals are for the new year. Come and join in the discussion and share your photography goals for 2010 with us over in the forums.
• Confidence issues: Sometimes we all have a few issues with confidence. But what do you do when you’re too worried about what other people think and whether or not you’ll screw up to actually go out and take pictures? How do you get past that point and how do you relearn how to enjoy photography?
• Help me break out of a rut: And if you aren’t having confidence issues, maybe you’ve experienced the slump that can come from feeling like you’re in a photographic rut. If photography courses don’t float your boat and you want to find another way to recreate that spark, what suggestions would you give for how to get out of that rut?
• Got gloves?: In some parts of the world it’s getting to be cold and wintery. Aside from the other cold weather issues with photography (lenses fogging up, batteries lasting shorter times, etc), how do you keep those fingers warm and dry when you’re photographing in the cold? Come share your suggestions for the best gloves to use when you’re out photographing.
• What would you do?: Come join in our weekly post-processing thread where you get the chance to share and learn by editing a photo from a forum member. It’s your chance to see how you and others would change a photo if it were your own photo you were editing.