Photography Board Monthly Assignment, January, 2010: Through the Window

[Pea-n-Me]

Thank you to everyone who participated in last month's assignment.

I thought this month might be a little challenging for many of us since wintry conditions outside are not especially shooting friendly. I also thought we might have a lot of new friends with new equipment joining us.

Through the Window. What do you see? How do you see it? How do you shoot it? What is the window itself like? Is there a reflection? Do you use a flash, or not? Daytime? Nighttime? Inside looking out? Outside looking in? Angle? Home? Commercial? Stained glass? Old? New? Broken? Critters? Architectural style? City? Country? Focus on the window itself or on the view beyond? Who looks out your windows and why? Tell us a story with your pictures.

There are so many ways it can be done, and it will be fun to see what everyone comes up with. Don't be afraid to get creative (all types of windows are acceptable). Sure, we'd love to see what the views are like outside your home windows. But let's see somewhere you wouldn't ordinarily shoot. Let's think about windows differently today than we did yesterday.

Remember, the whole idea is to get out using our cameras, therefore shots should be new. Post as often as you like.

Stay Warm and Happy Shooting!

 

[MichelleVW]

Grr, had the wrong White Balance setting...but here's a coyote loping through my back pasture!! I usually am good about checking the setting since I messed up a bunch of outdoor pics one day, but I was in such a hurry to catch him before he ran off that I just clicked away!!

 

[WDWFigment]

I don't think I've taken the time to say "thanks" for doing this in the past, but thanks. I'm one of those people who admittedly doesn't have much interest in photography beyond Disney (and Christmas!), so these challenges present a great opportunity/motivating force for me to continue to learn and grow as a photographer (hopefully). I may be less than enthused about the shots I take for the challenges, but at the very least, they keep me from getting rusty between trips! Plus, they make it a little easier to justify buying new gear (if I use my camera gear 12 months out of the year versus only 2 weeks and occasional random days, it's much easier to justify spending more).

Anyway, time to go pick up that camera and see what I can do!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I don't think I've taken the time to say "thanks" for doing this in the past, but thanks. I'm one of those people who admittedly doesn't have much interest in photography beyond Disney (and Christmas!), so these challenges present a great opportunity/motivating force for me to continue to learn and grow as a photographer (hopefully). I may be less than enthused about the shots I take for the challenges, but at the very least, they keep me from getting rusty between trips! Plus, they make it a little easier to justify buying new gear (if I use my camera gear 12 months out of the year versus only 2 weeks and occasional random days, it's much easier to justify spending more).

Anyway, time to go pick up that camera and see what I can do!

Thank you! I think you almost singlehandedly kept last months's thread going! (j/k)

I think they're fun and give us all not only something interesting to do outside of Disney, but kind of help us all get to know eachother here. I love seeing what everyone comes up with.

I also remember being new to this board and being very intimidated, using, at the time, my old HP point and shoot (which I loved, btw). I want to keep these assignments friendly and open to all so that everyone feels comfortable posting their work.

 

[MichelleVW]

Thank you! I think you almost singlehandedly kept last months's thread going! (j/k)

I think they're fun and give us all not only something interesting to do outside of Disney, but kind of help us all get to know eachother here. I love seeing what everyone comes up with.

I also remember being new to this board and being very intimidated, using, at the time, my old HP point and shoot (which I loved, btw). I want to keep these assignments friendly and open to all so that everyone feels comfortable posting their work.

I want to thank you too and especially the "keeping it friendly" part! I like to look at the photos on the Canon message board, but some of those people are harsh so no way would I post any pictures on there!!

 

[DisneyHumbug]

My Canon XSi was less than one day old....I took this thru the back door of my daughter's house, looking into her dining room. You can see the kitchen counter reflected from behind me. When I learn what I'm doing, this could be a really nice shot.

 

[WDWFigment]

So these might fit another challenge category as well (probably better!), but I think they work. I planned on using the Nikkor 70-200 2.8 for this, but I wasn't pleased with any of the images I took with it. The focal length didn't work well with the layout of our house/window.

Sigma 30 1.4:



I intentionally went with deep blacks in his back and outside with the tree shadow on the side of the house. Not sure how well it works, but whatever.

Tokina 11-16:

My goal with this shot was to only get his face in focus; once I started editing, I second guessed that. His butt and tail would probably look better in focus. What do you all think?

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Thanks, Michelle!

Tom, I kind of like the selective focus look, but I'd like to see the cat shot with the tail in focus, too. Love the perspective on it!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

OK, OK, I know I said get out and shoot unfamiliar windows. But I couldn't resist when I walked downstairs this morning and saw this little bugger raiding my bird feeder, lol. My trusty S3 was nearby so I grabbed it so as not to lose the shot. I kind of like the way the branches framed the shot.

Took this one for good measure as I was looking around my living room. This is what hangs over my fireplace (and reflects the picture window). Cool story associated with it. My DH, who DCL, won it in the "Silent Auction" on the Disney Wonder in 2004. It is two photos framed together of the Afts of the two ships. I didn't know he'd even put a bid in but yep, he won it. On that cruise we had to evacuate all CMs off of Castaway Cay as Hurricane Frances was coming in. So as not to become stranded in FL, we had to get home before MCO closed and had to switch flights, etc. Needless to say we were late getting to the airport and then got held up by security for a full check. We were down to a couple of minutes to catch our flight and were literally running through the airport, each dragging a kid by the hand and DH with this huge picture he'd won under his arm in addition to the kid and the other stuff he was carrying! When we got to our gate everyone was already boarded and they were paging us. Then we come busting in with all our stuff and this huge picture. We love it, though, and in fact, we took the color of our whole downstairs from the yellow in the picture. "Disney Yellow".

 

[Frantasmic]

Sunset at 29,000 feet, through the airplane window

Somewhere over the Rockies via same airplane window

 

[Frantasmic]

I submitted this one this morning for a last minute entry into the composition thread. I think it goes in this month's as well.

 

[YesDear]

I know this is about two month's old but you do not get the chance to take a picture out a window and be 39000 ft up at sunrise over the North Pole! It was 87 below Fahrenheit!

 

[mom2rtk]

I know this is about two month's old but you do not get the chance to take a picture out a window and be 39000 ft up at sunrise over the North Pole! It was 87 below Fahrenheit!

Couldn't POSSIBLY be the North Pole.... Where's that little red and white striped pole???? Regardless.... COOL shot!

 

[dcg0317]

Tokina 11-16:

My goal with this shot was to only get his face in focus; once I started editing, I second guessed that. His butt and tail would probably look better in focus. What do you all think?

Beautifuls shots WDWFigment, I really like the last one a lot.

 

[dcg0317]

Some Icicles looking out my kitchen window. Both shot with my canon 50mm lens.

 

[YesDear]

Couldn't POSSIBLY be the North Pole.... Where's that little red and white striped pole???? Regardless.... COOL shot!

Oh it WAS there in the original picture. Somehow it dissapeared when I looked at it later!!! Must be magic!

 

[MichelleVW]

The girls went to the House of Blues in Downtown Dallas last night to see Nick Jonas so that gave DH and I time to kill. We went out to dinner then drove around and found this really pretty little shopping center. I had my camera and took a picture that will fit this assignment!!

 

[AndrewWG]

Well Linda I have learned 2 things since trying to do this assignment. First is that my windows are VERY dirty! The second would be that if you spray window cleaner on a 20deg window, it will freeze on contact and make it even harder to take a pic. Pics will be forthcoming, I just have to overcome these obstacles first...

 

[MichelleVW]

Well Linda I have learned 2 things since trying to do this assignment. First is that my windows are VERY dirty! The second would be that if you spray window cleaner on a 20deg window, it will freeze on contact and make it even harder to take a pic. Pics will be forthcoming, I just have to overcome these obstacles first...

oooh...you could get pics of the frozen windex!!!

 

[WDWFigment]

Beautifuls shots WDWFigment, I really like the last one a lot.

Thanks. I actually held his tail up like that resting on the front of my lens hood (I just realized that I couldn't have had his back and tail in focus even if I wanted to and still have achieved that perspective) while taking that picture.

Your second shot is really awesome, too. Love that falling bead of water!