Year in Photos: 2013

PART 1:

Photojournalism

Rules: Rhythm - There are many heads and flags which gives the photo some rhythm.

            Rule of Thirds - The main subject is in the bottom left quadrant rather than the center.

            Light - The light from the fire gives some more dramatic lighting.

Lighting: Sources - Torches, moon, street lamps.

                   Mix of artificial and natural.

                   The lighting makes the photo more dramatic and gives it a darker, more grim feeling.

To get this photo, the photographer had to get right into the action and up close. For the camera itself, he probably had to use a wide aperture, a high ISO, and a medium speed shutter speed.

                   

Photojournalism

Rules: Rule of Thirds - The subject is in the bottom right quadrant rather than the center.

            Simplicity - The shoes and blood are the only things in the photo, there's nothing else to pull your attention away from the main subject.

            Contrast - A normally peaceful place and object is turned into a symbol of the tolls of war.

Lighting: Source: It looks like the photographer just used the natural lighting from the sun during the day.

                  Natural Lighting

                  The lighting enhanced the photo since it helped you clearly see everything.

To get this photo, the photographer had to be in a tense area and had to look for something powerful that would translate well to a photo. With the camera, they probably used a low ISO, an average speed shutter speed, and a medium aperture.

Animals

Rules: Rule of Thirds - The moose is in the bottom right quadrant rather than the center.

            Simplicity - The background is very simple and there are no things to distract you from the moose.

Lighting: Source - It looks like the lighting in the photo came from the moon which reflected off the water.
                  Natural (??)
                  This lighting gave me a better feeling of the atmosphere and also gives the photo an ominous mood.

To get this photo the photographer probably had to wait a long time and very quiet, since too much noise could startle the animal and ruin the photo. In terms of the camera, he probably used a high ISO, a slower shutter speed, and a wide aperture. Possibly a tripod as well.

Urban

Rules: - Rhythm - The poles repeat and add some rhythm.

               Light - You can see the shadows and light creeping in from the outside.

             
Lighting: Source - It looks like the photographer used natural lighting with a longer exposure.
                  Natural
                  The lighting makes this photo interesting because of the vast contrast, there's places with dark shadows and others with bright light and it adds to the photo's feeling.

To get this photo the photographer probably had to look for abandoned things that could be interesting, and he had to find some way to make it look interesting. With the camera, I think he might have used a tripod, a medium ISO, a high aperture, and a slow shutter speed. 

Photojournalism

Rules: Balance - There are no empty areas in the photo, everything adds to the photo.

             Rule of Thirds - The main subjects are off center.

Lighting: Source - The only source of light seems to be the sun.
                  Natural
                  The lighting from the sun allows the dramatic shadows to be present which add to the grim feeling of the  photo.

To get this photo, the photographer had to put himself directly into a dangerous situation and had to stay with the action. With the camera, they probably used a low ISO, a medium aperture, and a fast shutter speed.

PART 2:

1. Photograph The Night Sky

2. 

3. A very sturdy tripod, camera with manual mode and the ability to shoot RAW. 

[Optional] - Remote trigger, lens with wide aperture.

4. You should look at a light pollution map, check the moon phase, learn the 500 rule, and decide whether or not you want star trails.

5.

• Shoot when the sky is as dark as possible.
• Shoot in an area with low light pollution.
• Shoot on nights of the new moon so that the stars are brighter.
• Use a smaller focal length lens.
• Use a high ISO.
• Use a very long exposure (20 sec.+)
• Focus on infinity, take a test shot, then adjust from there.

6. Use Lightroom for RAW file conversion, color correction, basic luminosity control, contrast, sharpening and noise reduction. You can either experiment until you like how it looks, or use the provided preset. Then, transfer the photo to Photoshop and use luminosity masking to make your stars really stand out.