Thursday, September 29, 2016

Thursday, September 29th


Share Two and Critique:


My first photography was taken at Fort Peck Lake. I attempted to capture a rainbow in the photograph.








For my second photograph, it was taken in Wolf Point, Montana and is of the Missouri River.


Sierra R. Hentges

Thursday, September 29th



I found an interesting e-book "Photo Guide to Iceland" written by Finnur Frodason (Finn) and Haukur Parelius Finnsson (Hawk). These two men traveled throughout Iceland taking beautiful photographs and detailed notes of their experiences. Each photograph at various locations come with a description of the subject, area of Iceland it was taken, nearest town, accessibility, GPS coordinates, description, driving directions, sample photographs with metadata, seasonal information, and sometimes a fun fact or useful tip. This guide gives advice to future photographers of what subject is best to shoot in summer, autumn, and spring seasons. Together, Finn and Hawk visited approximately 50 locations within Iceland along with photographs of the Northern Lights, volcanic eruptions, and aerial shots.


The second portion of the e-book contains a summary of general information on Iceland, a guide of the best times to visit Iceland, weather conditions/patterns, roads in Iceland, safety information, gear that would be useful/necessary, sunset and sunrise times, and Icelandic nature words. I believe this is the ultimate guide for planning and conducting a photography trip throughout Iceland. It gives experienced details and great advice. These guys have provided everything from locations to gear, hotels and rental cars and helicopter tours so that any potential future photography will have ever resource to prepare for an amazing trip.


http://www.natureexplorer.is/assets/Photo-guide-to-Iceland-spreads_9485265.pdf



Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Wednesday, September 21st





This picture is of the Missouri River located seven miles from Wolf Point, Montana. Wolf Point is my hometown and located on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. I can remember when I was a kid coming down to the river to fish and swim, going across the old bridge and counting the beams on top looking up towards the sky, and watching the annual tiny boat race at Harry's Nite Club. I enjoy this picture because of the vibrant colors in the water and trees. The bridges, strategically placed in the middle of the photograph, make it pop. I also admire the light source in the photograph. I would say the light source is either back light, or slightly side light-I can remember standing slightly side ways when shooting the photograph. This photograph was taken at sunset on a clear day.




This photograph was taken at Fort Peck Lake, Montana. Fort Peck is in the northeastern corner located approximately 50 miles away from Wolf Point, Montana. I enjoy the various color aspects in the water depicted from the front light source. This photograph was taken at late sunset. You can also see the 45 degree angle, showing that the photographer was standing and looking down at the water. An interesting element of this photograph is that it was raining during the sunlight.

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Tuesday, September 20th

The purpose of this blog is to demonstrate two of the seven Rules of Dominance.


In my first photograph I tried using the rule: "diagonal lines are more attractive than vertical ones" and "sharpness is more attractive than blur". I feel like the sharpness in the tree bark and in the leaves in an accurate description of the image. I also appreciate the light source in the bottom left corner.




In my next photograph, I wanted to demonstrate the Rule of Dominance that states: "light is more attractive than dark." The shining sun in the middle of the picture depicts a noticeable light source. With that, you can says diagonal light rays shooting from the sun's light source as well. I also especially enjoy this photograph because of the enormous big blue sky ("large draws more attention than small").






Sierra R. Hentges

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Wednesday, September 14th



I read an interesting article titled, "Teach Yourself Photography", by Discover Digital Photography. This article described basic composition, camera modes, unique techniques, information regarding aperture, ISO, and shutter speed, lighting-pretty much everything we've been learning about the past four weeks. This article did a good job breaking down complicated aspects of each of these categories and describe more of how to achieve the best picture quality rather than what is more technical. The author also included many of his own personal techniques and advice to readers in order to obtain the best possible photograph.


I especially like the videos in the article. In the first video, "Beyond the Rule of Thirds", the speaker says how he experiments with different techniques of digital photography (even breaking the rule of thirds) in order to take beautiful photographs. The second video gives a very detailed explanation regarding the relationship between aperture, shutter speed, light, and ISO and the techniques the speaker personally uses with different types of photographs (landscape, nature, portraits, etc.). The speakers give the audience different advice with respect to photography experience. I especially like this video because he describes exactly what needs to be adjusted with different shots and how to make these changes on the camera itself. In the video, he takes pictures right there and then and you can physically see the differences in shutter speed, light, ISO, and aperture.


The last video is a very basic online tutorial in digital photography for beginners. I admire that the article was able to show readers (or watchers) how to make changes on the camera itself. I know that I sometimes struggle to make changes in settings because I'm not sure how to manipulate the camera to different settings or which setting is most appropriate for the shots that I am looking at taking.




http://www.discoverdigitalphotography.com/2015/teach-yourself-photography/



Thursday, September 8, 2016

Thursday, September 8th



I found an interesting article regarding various depths of field. Shallow versus deep depth of field is important when shooting different scenes, especially in nature photography. By adjusting the depth of field within the photograph, the photographer is able to localize and emphasize certain details or hide distracting features in the scene. The amount of depth of field varies from each situation and different factors affect this.


According to this article, the easiest way to control the depth is using the aperture setting. This is the most simple way of adjusting depth because it does not require the photographer to change equipment or shooting position. Also, the aperture can be easily adjusted in a number of exposure modes.


The smaller aperture that is set, the greater depth of field achieved and the more of the shot appears in focus. However, remember that you have a limited range of aperture levels so you cannot always set the perfect aperture to every scene (or shot).


Other factors include focal length and the focused distance of the object. The article states that the wider angle of the lens, the more depth of field will be achieved. Also, the closer the focused distance, the less depth of field will result.


All of these are good tips, and the article did a good job explaining the factors and situations that affect various depths of field. I am interested in trying different techniques to alter the depth of field on my next shoots.
The next photos is from "Digital-photography-school" website demonstrating both narrow and wide depths of field. I'll show one example photo and one of my own that related to each depth of field.
Narrow:

Narrow depth of field: The first photo is an example. The second photo is my own.


Wide depth of field: The first photo is an example. The second photo is my own. Taken in Madison Valley, Montana.








http://www.techradar.com/how-to/photography-video-capture/cameras/deep-depth-of-field-vs-shallow-10-common-questions-and-answers-1320909


Sierra Hentges



Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Wednesday, September 7th


One summer afternoon my girlfriend, a friend, a I decided to take an airplane ride from Wolf Point, Montana to Billings, Montana. My friend works as a self-employed farmer and is an experienced pilot. We got in the plane, took off, and saw beautiful Montana country. This picture is an aerial view of Fort Peck Lake. Fort Peck Lake is located in northeastern Montana and expands approximately 130 miles. It is the largest body of water located in Montana. This lake houses over 50 different kinds of fish. The reservoir at Fort Peck Lake was created from 1933 to 1937 by constructing a 3.8 mile long dam across the Missouri River that still stands today.


Fort Peck Lake is a large tourist attraction in the summer time and especially for anyone looking to fish. There is over 1,520 miles of shoreline for people to experience. A summertime favorite is going to the lake, fishing, camping, and swimming. I especially like this picture because you can see the large body of water and different shades in the water as well as the stunning sky in the top. Because it was cloudy that day you can see where the clouds cast a shadow over the land. This was one of the best airplane rides I've ever had, and I cannot wait to take another!


http://www.visitmt.com/listings/general/lake/fort-peck-lake-reservoir-and-recreation-area.html