The Kit

I will be using the following Kit:

Canon EOS 5D Mark II EF 24-105L IS USM Kit.
SanDisk Extreme CompactFlash Card 8GB 60 MB/s
SanDisk Extreme CompactFlash Card 8GB 30 MB/s



I have read the Canon camera website for details of my kit which includes the following descriptions:

"This full frame EOS 5D Mark II combines outstanding resolution with 3.9 fps shooting and superlative high ISO performance.  The addition of full HD movie recording expands the boundaries of photography." It looks like the camera won a TIPA award in 2009. I am pleased with it and want to learn how to do it justice.

The site describes the 24-105mm L series Lens for photographers who target the face of nature in the course of their explorations.  So that fits in with my 'nature' theme.  It goes on to say its the perfect companion for shooting on the move and achieves crisp, undistorted L-series image quality throughout the entire zoom range.  It features high dust-moisture resistant qualities for reliable performance, even in the most severe conditions and meets the rigorous demands of professional photographers.  The lens boasts a super UD element, a GMo Aspherical lens and a Replica Aspherical lens and while I don't know what all this means, it sounds a good one, and hopefully I will get what I want from my pictures.

A Hoya Pro1 digital filter UV filter, 77mm,  fitted to the end of the lens serves as a permanent lens protector to guard against  dust/damage/weather.  It also absorbs the ultraviolet rays which often makes outdoor photographs hazy and indistinct.  This is a multi-purpose, fine-weather filter for colour and black and white photos.

I have not yet used the EW-83H Lens hood that came with the lens, but I intend to during this course.

The tripod is a CamLink TPPRE-27 that extends from 68cm-165cm high.  It is suitable for camera and video use, hence the large handle (for video use) which often gets in my way I have found with camera use.  I bought this tripod without much research, from a local store to where I work (in my lunch break) when I decided I needed one urgently during level 1 work.  I liked the fact that the guy in the store showed me how to use it and it seemed the easiest, lightest, whilst stockiest build like one they had in stock that day.  It also came with its own carry case with shoulder strap.   At the time I had thought I may not use it that often anyway.

                                                              Features:

                                                              *  sand bag hook on centre column
                                                              *  braced rhombic legs with quick locks
                                                              *  carrying handle
                                                              *  self levelling rubber feet

Digital Manipulation - Minky

I took this shot of Minky my cat outside in the garden during October last year.  Though I liked the image, I thought the background was a bit distracting and so used the image as an overlay of 2 images as part of a task in my Level 1 work.  Now I have come back to the original image for  Level 2, I have deleted the distracting background and tweaked the brightness/contrast controls in photoshop:-

                                                                       Wild Minky
                                   aperture f5.6 shutter 1/3200 iso 800 focal length 90mm

I used the clone tool to make the background completely black,  by using quite a large heavy brush, because I was covering a large black area. I clicked on the top right of the image, to pick up the black colour on the brush, then proceeded to  brush over the coloured background, top left. As I worked I switched to a smaller brush when getting lower and near to the cats outline, so that I did not mix, or catch the cats colours on the brush.

I have given the image a full black background to make Minky look more dramatic. I had prepared by going into the garden with my camera and watched and waited until Minky was doing his own thing. He laid down and was reaching over to groom his fur.  He has a  trait of stopping mid way and just  gazing, so here I seized the moment.  With his fixed look and colours he emulates a wild cat to me, though in reality he is very soft and loveable.  I got in as close as was comfortable, on his level, without making him turn to look at me and with the camera set to aperture priority because I had to be quick, and I only wanted him in focus,  I ran off this image, among others.  The daylight was good I thought, coming from the left behind me, it seemed to be shining on and highlighting his facial features well.
I consider the manipulated image to be big improvement on the original.

I had taken the original image in file format 'jpeg' and presented it on my blog.

Researching animals

I thought it might help to read about pet photography, as I want to experiment/practise with pet portraits,  which may lead to the inclusion of animals on location within my nature scapes.
 I have looked at tips online at the website: photo.tutsplus.com/articles/shooting-articles/quick-tip-top-tips-for-pet-photography. (with thanks to Graham)
Here I learned the following:

Pet photography is similar to photographing children as in it can be difficult to get them to strike the pose you are after to make a good composition.  However if you get it right, it will be worth it.  It is easier to work with animals if you know the animal personally, so if I photograph my own pets, I stand a better chance of it working.

Follow these 5 steps:-

1)  FOCUS ON THE FEATURES
 I will need to focus on their features, like their facial features; eyes, fur, teeth.  They may have habits that I can highlight or particular traits.  I should  decide how I want to portray them.  A good rule is focus on the eyes.

                                                                   Photo by Jeff Balke

This is a great animal face expression of the cat being verbal or yawning.  I took a similar shot (entitled Moaning Mertle) when experimenting with my cat in Level 1, and was pleased to get her eyes clear:-

                                            shutter 1/2000 aperture f.4.00 focal length 70mm

I used aperture priority then for the above image and now I am trying to take the cats on the manual setting (see below)

2)  DIRECTION
It will not be easy to make the picture look natural because animals will not follow directions very often.
I could try to evoke a reaction from them with sounds or gestures, objects, toys  or an offering of food, to  try to get them to focus on me.   If they are not my pets it would be best to have the owner present and let them try to coax them , as the animal is more likely to follow their instructions, if any.  I could put more than one pet together and get them to react with each other.  They may prove unpredictable but also could produce some wonderful moments, providing the other animals are not too distracting.

                                                                 Photo by Trey Ratcliff

I have a family of 3 happy cats and these images show their closeness:

                                        shutter 1/40 aperture f4.0 iso 200 focal length 84mm

                                                                     Billy and Mertle

Billy and Mertle are brother and sister and while they do have a bean bag each, often choose to share one. This week I took these images at home.  On this image I liked the way they were both looking out the window at a similar angle.  I was on their level and zoomed in hand held before they moved.  The top image is the original shot and the bottom image is what I have cropped and try to omit distractions in Photoshop.  However I do not know how to omit and change all that I wanted to:  and would like the right hand window pane also filled with greenery... so I need to learn how to do this in class.  Digital manipulation is part of my work and I would rather learn some techniques as I go along, rather than leaving till later when I look more at that section.   When taking shots of animals it is difficult to capture  them in a background you would choose, so post operation becomes more necessary to achieve desired results.
I think next time I would try a higher iso because taking from the inside of the room, there is only light coming from the window side, resulting in some dark shadows.

                                
3)  BE ON THEIR LEVEL
With a quick lens ready for them moving about alot. I should try to take the shot from their eye level.  It would be best to carry light equipment to be mobile and not burdened down with too much equipment, so as to be quick to respond to their movements.  I should aim to fill the frame with my subject, take portrait shots and try to get in close, where possible to enable me to capture their facial expressions and posture.

                                                                  Photo by jcoterhals

                                         shutter 1/32 aperture f4.0 iso 200 focal length 105mm

                                                                        Close Cats

This is a better composition.  I have cropped further in from the image above where I had zoomed in further than with the 'Billy and Mertle' image.  This resulted in a slower shutter.   The new composition follows the rule of thirds, like Art Wolfe's animal images (see Research 2 for Theme 1) The colours are better and I like the different textures. I focussed on the intersection of the heads.  I have tweaked the light controls in Photoshop, but I do like the way the light caught tips of their ears and even shines through Billy Bears right lobe.   I like the way Bear (on the right) has is left eye open and I can just about make that out, but would prefer to see more of eyes or eye next time.  The scene has a calm feel to it I think with the animals snuggling up together. They feel safe here, in contrast to the animals in the wild who always have to be on their guard.

4)  ENVIRONMENT
I should look for a decent amount of light to light up my subjects.  If inside I could look at a strong light source like artificial lights, or be near a window to use outside light.  If outside I would look for a bright day, not raining.  I could use props like furniture or have the animals hand held by someone, if they are small.  The pets may be more subdued indoors to produce relaxed compositions, and active outdoors resulting in more exciting shots.

                                                               Photo by snapped_up


5)  DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT
I should not be afraid to experiment.  I could place the animals in unusual settings to be more creative.  I might do this with manipulation.  I could change a background to show a plain one, like the one shown here, in order to set off the animal alone in the portrait, with no distracting background details.

                                                                      Photo by frozi

I like this image as it is amusing to think a rabbit would jump this high. Also the way he/she is in the spotlight and shows very clear details of fur, eyes and nails.   If I was not able to capture animals in the wild adequately, I could perhaps resort to pets with a twist  (Steve's advice).

Assignment 206 Statement of Intent for Theme 1

For my first theme I have chosen 'Nature'.

                                              The title of the theme is:  ITS ONLY NATURE.

Intentions/purpose of the photography to be undertaken:
I want to further my Level 1 work shooting photographs on location when out and about.  I enjoy walking around nature type areas, I find it relaxing, so will focus on this.  I will be looking in National forest enclosures for anything that catches my eye, from a scene, an animal, a tree, a leaf, water or any mixture of such things.

Reasons for selection of theme (including inspiration from the work of others):
I enjoyed my Level 1 work in Landscapes immensely so want to continue on a similar theme with a hope of progressing.  I feel I need more time in the field to practice technique and manual controls of the camera.

Again I will look at the work of Art Wolfe amongst others.  Here are some more of his inspiring pictures:

                                                                 taken by Art Wolfe

                                                                  taken by Art Wolfe

                                                                  taken by Art Wolfe

                                                                  taken by Art Wolfe

                                                                 taken by Art Wolfe

                                                                   taken by Art Wolfe

The Photo Imaging Equipment and medium that will be used and why:-

Canon EOS 5D Mark II EF24-105L IS USM kit

SanDisk Extreme CompactFlash card 8GB 60 MB/s

SanDisk Ultra CompactFlash card 8GB 30 MB/s

Tripod

Mac Computer with Photoshop CS5

I will be using this kit because I have enjoyed its results so far and want to experiment more with it.  I have found the lens to be versatile.   I will need to add a shutter release button.  I would also like to experiment with an ND graduating filter.

Techniques that will be used and how they will help convey the visual message:

I will use a range of controls on the camera to experiment.  I will take many shots to enable me to pick out the best.  I will analyse the images on the computer later,  to determine the need to return to a scene to re-shoot it differently/ better.  Post capture I will tweak images in Photoshop using controls to make them brighter/lighter and change contrast/colours controls.

How light quality can be used to help convey the visual image:

I will use natural light as I do not yet have a flash.   Again I will look for bright conditions, not necessarily sunny, just good enough light for the scenes to look well.

Safety Considerations:

I will becareful where I go and not stray too far alone.   I will take care of my equipment and its set up.  I will wear good walking footwear and not try to carry more than is comfortable for too long.  I will try to take the car as near as I can to a scene shoot.

Assignment 206 Statement of Intent for Theme 2

I have decided to do theme 2 on Animals.
                                     The title of this theme is:  ANIMAL SCAPES because I hope to capture some animals as part of a scene and others as portraits.

Intention/Purpose of the photography to be undertaken:-

I intend to photograph animals; some in the wild and some as peoples pets. The photographs will either be close ups of the animals (portraits) or may be more distant as part of a scene.

Reasons for selection of theme: (including aspiration from the work of others)

  I have chosen this theme because I love animals and want to photograph them.  They are part of nature so I think it ties in well with my Theme 1 on Nature.  I plan to photograph some wild animals and some pets. Therefore the photographs may be portrait or landscape.

I get some aspiration from watching nature documentaries like those hosted by David Attenborough.  I have also looked up photographers work on the internet.
                                                                                                         
                                                                                                             
         The Photo Imaging Equipment and medium that will be used and why:-

I will be using the following for my photographs:-
Canon EOS 5D Mark II EF 24-105 L IS USM kit
SanDisk Extreme CompactFlash card 8GB 60MB/s
Tripod
Mac Computer with Photoshop CS5

This is the equipment so far.  I enjoy the results of this kit and that is why I will be using it.  I also need to learn and experience more work with it.   I have found  the lens to be versatile in Level 1 so I hope it will be good enough for what I want to take shots of at Level 2.  If however it becomes apparent  I need more equipment, I will look into the possibilities at a later date.

Techniques that will be used and how they will help convey the visual message:
I will be looking to get in closer with some pet photographs to help convey the animals features, so I will be looking at the portrait type of shot with some of them.  I will use different settings on my camera and experiment with the controls until I am happy with the results.  I will take lots of shots and choose the best ones.  I will hope to capture features like clear eyes, different facial expressions, their posture, fur details and fill the frame with my subject.  Where I take shots other than portraiture, I will be looking to capture the animal within a landscape scene, so not so close up on these occasions; the technique here will be to wait and choose the right moment, having first observed my subjects for personality and/or character habits within an environment.  I may re-visit a scene at different times of day, or on different days, again experimenting and to see if I can capture any new better shots than previous (after analysing them post capture on the computer).

How light quality can be used to help convey the visual message:
I will be looking for a decent amount of light to set off my subjects as I do not use a flash at the moment, so if indoors looking to photograph them near to a window or strong light source.  Where outdoors I will be looking for enough natural light to make the animal look good in a scene.

Safety considerations:
I will be guarding the safety of the animals and not put them into any dangerous situations that is not within their normal means of activity (pets).  I will not be photographing any dangerous animals so I will not be in any danger myself.  I will take all necessary safety precautions for the camera equipment not placing it within near reach of an animal that may damage it.  I will take all necessary precautions when out and about to not only guard myself as in where I go, at what time of day, but also watching how much equipment I carry at any one time so as not to drop/damage any, or myself.

Introduction to Assignment 215 - Digital Image Manipulation

Task 1a)  Produce a portfolio of images

I will need a minimum of 5 images produced in a portfolio which demonstrates the following digital image manipulation skills:

*  a 'Before and After' image demonstrating significant improvement to quality
*  a combined image from at least 2 different sources
*  a 'Black and White' Conversion
*  an image which has been cropped and resized
*  an image which has demonstrated use of masking and selection

Images produced for other assignments may be used for this task, but they should be of varying file formats.

Task 1b)  Written account

I need to produce a written account that includes:

*  reasons for choice of methods
*  describe the methods used for the final images
*  techniques used and how they helped convey the visual message
*  reasons for the choice of file format for each image
*  outline photo output technique

My work will be assessed using the following criteria:-

Image demonstrates significant improvement to quality
Image combined from at least 2 different sources
Quality of Blank and White conversion
Use of cropping and resizing
Use of masking and selection

Introduction to Assignment 206 - Principles of photo image capture

Task 1a)  -  Produce a folio of images:-

 I need to select 2 themes and produce a minimum of 10 images on each theme.
A thematic approach must be applied and the set of images must be related within the theme.
Each image must also stand on its own merits.  Images can be provided on any form of media which must be agreed with the tutor prior to the task.

A statement of intent should be produced for each selected theme and agreed with the tutor before undertaking the assignment.  The statement of intent should include:

*  the title of theme to be undertaken
*  a brief statement as to the intended purpose of the photography to be undertaken
*  references to stimulus material (the work of other photographers and other influences)
*  an overview of the equipment and materials (media) to be used
*  a brief explanation of techniques to be used and why
*  a brief explanation of how lighting conditions can be used advantageously
*  a brief assessment of safety considerations

Task 1b) - Supporting evidence for folio of images:-

I need to provide a written account for each folio of images which includes:

*  the statement of intent
*  information on the research undertaken and influences (including details of the research material,                    
    subject/location/event, influences and intention/purpose of images)
*  the preparation and planning undertaken (including reasons for equipment and materials selection,
    equipment and materials preparation and health and safety considerations)
*  how the equipment was used to capture images (including the method of image capture and
    operational procedures followed)
*  why the final images were selected  (including how they relate to the theme)
*  relevant documentation used
*  health and safety, legal and ethical considerations

My work will be assessed using the following criteria:-

Images are relevant to the theme
Use of techniques
Use of lighting
Use of exposure
Use of equipment and media

Assignment Decision

I have decided to do Level 2 Certificate in Digital Image Manipulation, this includes:-

 Unit 206:  Principles of Photo image capture
 Unit 215:  Digital Image Manipulation

I have made this decision because I want to continue in landscapes photography to a higher level and improve and develop in manipulation skills.