SOMEONE PLEASE give me a project I can try with my film camera...I HAVE 4 ROLES! haha and extra batteries to boot!!!
Keep in mind...im just learning about exposure, depth of field, rule of thirds...the later two Im ok with...
I NEED SOMETHING TO DO !!! Ok...I dont find Peteys work very interesting.... ok no tripod yet? no cable release? - whats that you ask.
go out after dark take an assistant/lbodyguard -or where ever you can see lights - back yard?
put camera on the most solid thing you can, brick wall etc if no tripod,
iso 100 (if you got 100 film of course else 200 will work) , F8
F8
put shutter on "B" that means the shutter says open as long as you hold the fire button down.
so set the camera somewhere solid looking at something nice like a row of street lights focus
then put something black in front of lens, push and hold the fire button down, remove the black hold button down for a count of 10 seconds, lower black back infront of lens release fire
thats your first night exposure
the science of exposure blurs on film after a few seconds and a get ready for a new great scary word - reproprosity failure occurs.
so use the above example and play a bit, like do a F16 for 20 secs then do one for 30 secs, try a F1.4 you got the lens! and do say a 2 second and a 4 and a 8
you can also try some painting : open your appeture to Say F8 press and hold down the fire for say 8 seconds while moving camera all about you will get lines and circles of lights - abstract type thing
USE THAT NOTE BOOK RECORD THE SHOT NUMBERS AND YOUR EXPOSURES. good luck -oh also try this with both cameras.....the old 370 and the film will rock your world, even better if you use trannies
a The first thing to do with the rule of thirds is to ignore it. Just my opinion. Let your eye be your guide. Rules, rules, rules...
Go to http://www.flickr.com and just browse and see what catches your fancy. Then do a search for pictures with the subject as a keyword and you will find hundreds of ideas to copy. I mean by which to be inspired. Take a look at Pete Turner's work and then look at a whole bunch of other pro's work.
See what you like and then try to emulate your favorites It all depends on what kind of photography you like best, but if you want to practice on depth of field and rule of thirds, pick items around your home and arrange them into compositions (this is called still life photography). One of the most difficult things to learn is to use the light. It is often said that photography is painting with life, and if you don't master the use of light your images will not work. As a beginner you can trust the camera settings, but you still need to learn how different kinds of light will affect the image.
Do this. Photograph an object outdoors (say, a tree) at different times of the day and on different days. You'll discover that all the photos will look different (unless you live in a place where it always rains).
What I used to do is to "collect" objects. Go out and photograph, say, bicycles. Or doors. Or potted plants. Whatever you choose, but photograph only that. This helps to gain knowledge and discipline. | 