Yes! I got it!

The mini assignment has been completed!  Whatever was holding me back for the this part of the assignment finally clicked this evening.

In the photos above - which one do you think looks the best?  (properly exposed) 1, 2, or 3?

Lisa wondered if I was possibly being a perfectionist about the assignment.  (I've been known to be that way, so it was a good question to ask)  I thought seriously about that and went through my photos again and no, there was something wrong.   Maybe several somethings.

I thought maybe my gray cards were too light, so I went to Kinkos with a file for the gray cards and they came back VERY different than the ones I had printed.  I think getting that part right was half the battle!

I was also setting up my scene in poor light, so once I moved the scene and chose a few different colors all of a sudden could see what I needed.

The second part of of the assignment I still haven't done.  Once I finally got the gray card section finished, my model went to bed.   I think he knew that I needed a model.   I just read through the third part of the assignment and I think I can get that done tonight as I don't need a model to complete it. 

Week three was given last night, so I don't want to get too far behind.  I also didn't want to fake learning this part - it's obviously very important!

The middle photo, number 2, is the properly exposed photo and I got two thumbs up from my instructor.   Whew!


Oh, I love that plate.  It's from IKEA and I only purchased one.  I didn't need a set, but I needed one!
I really did need it.  :^)

Happy December!
Kristin

Week One, Lesson One

Today is the very first day of my photography class online.

The first thing that I realized was that I needed a different lens for the class. The directions said that I needed a fixed aperture lens, but I sort of glossed over that part since I didn't know what that meant.

I'm really good at glossing over things.

Not sure when I need the lens so I ran over to the local photo store and bought the lens...$150.

When I got home there was a package at the door and it was the grey cards that I ordered last week, for week two of the class.  Turns out I misread that part, too!  I needed two different grey cards and I only ordered one.  sheesh.  Let's hope I can get the other one ordered.

I just read over the first assignment.

I'm terrified.

It's explained that I need to set my metering to a specific setting.

There's a diagram for my type of camera.

I can't figure it out.

There's a diagram for crying out loud and I still can't figure it out.

I've looked, adjusted, scrolled, Googled, looked through my camera manual, everything I can think of.

Several times tears welled up in my eyes.

This is how it always ends.

I get so frustrated that something so minor derails me.

I quit because I can't get passed something.

This is why I decided to take the class so that no matter what, I would have to continue.

I'm going to have to break down and say the words I loath to say.

"I can't seem to find it on my camera.  Could someone help me please?"

It's like when someone explains, for example, "This towel will soak up water from your body after a shower, after you go swimming, after getting out of a hot tub or even if you just went swimming in a lake."

Then someone asks, "My lake is bigger than the lake you showed.  Will the towel work for my lake?"

or someone else says, "What about the ocean?  Will it soak up ocean water?"

It makes me just want to go screaming into the night.

I don't want to ask that question!

Ugh.

There's no such thing as a dumb question.

OK.

I won't let the first day get me down.

Deep Breath

Deep Breath

Deep Breath


Have a great day!
Kristin


**The photos above are all the Riverside area from one of my neighborhood walks a few weeks ago.

UPDATE (Tuesday 16 Nov)  I figured it out!  I figured it out!  I can't even begin to explain how I got there - it's a combination of about a dozen things - but I got it.  I haven't gotten a decent photo yet, but I figured out the metering!