Gimp Assignment #4: PANORAMIC

In our fourth Gimp editing assignment, we worked with panoramic pictures.  I took a picture of the view from my driveway...or rather I took three.  With the use of a "tripod"...my mail box, I took three pictures, each with 10-20% overlap.  The overlap allowed me to merge the pictures together and form an over all panoramic photograph.  I learned to use some new tools in Gimp, including opacity and the eraser tool.  I continued to use the layers tool, and also discovered a trick that allowed me to more easily create my final picture (paste as new layer.)  The opacity tool allowed me to see through one layer and line it up with the next when we were merging our three individual pictures into our final panoramic.  The eraser tool allowed us to get rid of the lines and distortion that occurred when overlapping our pictures.  It was definitely a lot trickier than I would have guessed!  The detail of the trees made it especially hard to line up my pictures, which is probably why we were warned to use a picture with a simple background(:  In the end I ended up doing an overall levels adjustment to lower the amount of lightness in the picture.  I'm super happy with my final result.

Gimp Assignment Three: PHOTO DEMO ASSIGNMENT

In our third Gimp editing assignment, we worked with portraits.  We took one window portrait using the natural light from outside and a white piece of poster board (bounce card) to reflect the light.  There was a distinct difference in the shadows and light form using and not using a bounce card.  When I was taking pictures of Sam by the window, the light was more evenly distributed if we used the white poster board.  We then took a picture in the studio.  We had a hair light, fill light, and key light, then captured photos of someone sitting on a stool in front of a sheet.  Taking the pictures into Gimp, we were able to create white background boarders using different levels which gave us a great final product.  I am becoming more and more familiar with Gimp each time we use it.  I'm also working on recognizing when pictures need levels adjustments.  Being able to recognize and adjust levels makes a HUGE impact on the quality of my pictures.

Photo Assignment #3: BLACK & WHITE

For our third photo assignment, I chose to capture black and white photos.  While shooting, I really looked for objects that provided great contrast.  I originally set out looking for things that were strictly black and white…I began with the piano and music sheets.  As I ventured through my house, I began looking at things, thing that I see day in and day out, in different ways.  I’d barely even noticed the lights in our kitchen and dining room before I shot for this assignment.  It was weird discovering new things in MY OWN house I’ve been living in for years now.  I shot all of my pictures in color, and then worked on them in Gimp for the most part.  A challenge I faced was not having enough contrast in my pictures.  A lot of great pictures I took, I was unable to use because when put in black and white, everything just washed away.  I was able to deal with lack of contrast by adjusting the levels in some of my pictures.  I haven’t worked with black and white photographs very much, so this week gave me a whole new perspective for photography. 

Through this assignment, I experimented with the “de-saturizing” tool which made all of my pictures black and white.  I also used levels adjustments, and am becoming more familiar with the effects of this tool.  For a few pictures I used the contrast tool which more clearly distinguished the blacks and whites of my pictures.  This tool was good in some situations, but often made the pictures look “fake” in the finals products.  I learned that all of the tools Gimp has to offer are good…in moderation.  A lot of the levels adjustments I did added noise to my pictures.  Although converting to black and white often took away some of the grain in my pictures, I had to find the right balance between the levels, digital noise, and de-saturation.

My best picture was one shot of the plants on top of our fire place.  I didn’t originally think that these plants would work for black and white, but the light coming through the nearby window provided a lightness that contrasted the outline of the plants.  I really liked how the plant curved over and had an interesting shape that stood out against the well lit white walls.  I never even laid eyes on these plants before taking these pictures.  They really are quite appealing.  After some minor levels adjustments, and de-saturation, this picture came to be what it is.  I’m very pleased with the result.

My Best Photo:

Technical Info:
-ISO 400
-Aperture: f/5.0
-Shutter Speed: 1/13

Photo Assignment #2: STILL LIFE!

For our second photo assignment, I chose to capture still life photos.  Choosing still life, I never imagined the planning and set up that would go into achieving a great picture.  I originally had a black skirt covering my calendar and then black paper on my desk to create an entirely black background for the photograph.  And although the black provided great contrast to the items I was capturing, there was still something missing...light. Taking the pictures in ordinary light from my room was boring and just kind of "normal looking."  I wanted some light that would make the objects pop and really produce more quality pictures.  I ended up using a desk lap that I could easily move around and create shadows and interesting effects with.  In the end, I was extremely pleased.  

Through this photo assignment, I learned to modify the lighting and and set up a background that works with a picture.  I've never had to plan to take pictures as much as I had to for these.  I moved around, turned lights on, turned lights off, etc. and eventually achieved the looks I really wanted.  One challenge I had to work with was digital noise in my pictures, especially in the black backgrounds.  To deal with this grain in my pictures, I edited all my pictures in Gimp, a tool I am becoming increasingly familiar with.  Doing a levels adjustment in each of my pictures, and using the clone tool in the background every so often, really enhanced the quality of my photographs.

My best photo was shot was of my gladiator shoe.  I shot this picture multiple times, but I just couldn't get the effect I was going for.  I love these shoes, the sparkle and gold in them, and I wanted to capture a quality image of them.  I finally moved my desk lap to create a little bit of shadow in the picture which I really liked.  I did a little bit of a levels adjustment to create a bigger contrast between the shoe and the black background and loved what I ended up with.

My Best Photo:

Technical Info:
-ISO 200
-Aperture: f/6.3
-Shutter Speed: 1/10

Gimp Assignment Two: CAR MAKEOVER!

In our second Gimp editing assignment, we were worked on a photograph taken by Noelle Jacobs at the auto show a couple years ago. Although the original picture was quite lovely, it still had more potential. Using tools such as cropping/ straightening, the Clone tool, Dodging and Burning, and Levels in Gimp, we were able to take this picture from average to fantastic. We were given a demo image that we were to model with our editing. It's truly amazing how much editing can be done and the effects you can achieve. I was unfamiliar with any of the tools we used in this assignment, but my favorite was definitely the clone tool...that poor man in the background didn't know what he was in for! But eventually, we were able to use the clone tool for "good" and remove the lights going across the hood of the car, just one of the steps in developing our new and improved photograph.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Photo Assignment 1: NATURE

For our first photo assignment, I chose to capture pictures of nature.  We were asked to take pictures that reflected the atmosphere we live in.  It was bitter cold over the weekend while taking my pictures, but I couldn't resist the sun reflecting on the snow and the brilliant clear blue sky.  It was absolutely breath taking.  I enjoyed venturing out into my back woods where I haven't been since I was a kid.  Although my fingers were frozen by the end, my experience outdoors opened my eyes to how beautiful winter really can be.

I really learned to use the natural light of the out doors to enhance the quality of my pictures, and adjust  the settings of the camera to develop the best pictures.  It was awesome to finally be able to apply the knowledge we gained in class...and actually see the differences in the pictures!  When I shot my first pictures, all of them were white.  I was able to turn the ISO to the lowest setting on our cameras and started getting more quality pictures.

My best photo was shot from my deck.  I spotted a forgotten wind chime dangling in the cold with part of the woods in the background.  I shot using a large aperture, so the depth of field was small which put the wind chime in focus and slightly blurred the tress in the background.  The sunshine reflecting off the metal of the chime and the amazing blue sky really helps this photo stand out.

Technical Info:
-ISO 80
-Aperture: f/2.6
-Shutter Speed: 1/320

Gimp Assignment One: POP ART!

In our first Gimp editing assignment, we worked on creating our own pop art image.  This was my first time working with Gimp, and I found it very fun and pretty easy to work with.  I feel like, with time, this tool will become very helpful in helping me become a successful photographer.  I took an image of myself and copied it four times, each time "colorfying" the image to a different color (red, green, blue, and yellow.)  The final effect was a unique picture that catches the eye.