HDR - High Dynamic Range

In class last Thursday, we worked on another HDR image. I've really gotten interested in this process, as I love landscape and nature photography, and I think those topics lend themselves to HDR a little better than portraits. I haven't tried this process with portraits yet, but I intend to, as I love the results. I know I have to play with HDR a little more, and if I plan to use it, I have to prepare myself more: use a tripod, program my camera, and complete the set of images quickly. So far, I've only used three images, I haven't tried it with five yet. So, more to come with this....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dorothyheplerphotography/sets/72157622572064271/

University City Public Service Memorial & Dedication

Saturday morning, October 31 (Halloween), was the dedication ceremony for the new flagpole and public service memorial. University City Police Department has lost four officers in the line of duty during it's 103-year history. The officers remembered on Saturday were:
*P.O. Wilbert J. Downey,

EOW 12-12-1969
*Det. James E. Boevingloh,

EOW 1-23-1970
*P.O. Francis J. Graham,

EOW 2-22-1976
*Sgt. Michael R. King,

EOW 10-31-2008
Saturday was chosen for the memorial as it was the anniversary of Sgt. King's death. It was a cool windy day, with Old Glory and remaining fall colors brilliant against the clear sky. Delmar Blvd. was closed to traffic for the ceremony and a huge U.S. flag hung over the street, suspended between two fire trucks. A small crowd was in attendance, mostly the honorees' families and University City Police and Fire Departments. It was a priviliage to be there to see these officers honored and remembered for their ultimate sacrifice and their families extended the courtesy and gratitude of the City of University City.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dorothyheplerphotography/sets/72157622704834156/

Black & White Photography

The title of this assignment is a little misleading as the final product is a B&W image. However, the original image was to be shot in color and converted to B&W, per the lesson last Thursday. Having shot B&W film and seen the results, it's obvious that shooting an original color image, especially a digital image in RAW, results in a much better image. Although we could use some previously-shot images, I tried to find new ideas. My first outing was simply in my backyard, on Thursday afternoon while it was still raining lightly. On Friday morning, I went to Cliff Cave Spring. Although it was overcast, it only sprinkled a few times. There was a lot of water in the spring, so it made for some interesting shots.

Macro Photography

Our new assignment from Thursday's class is Macro Photography. I knew I would not have the capability of "super-macro", but still be able to do some "close-up" shots. Last summer, I really got involved in shooting some large ants as they worked on eating the coating from the peony buds, so I was looking forward to this assignment. It was still raining when we got out of class Thursday, but by mid-afternoon, it had stopped but was still overcast. I started in my backyard, challenging myself to look for the artistic, not just the documentary. I was pleased with some of my images, and on Friday, I wanted to do some more. I went to the spring at Cliff Cave Park, one of my favorite spots, as I wanted to see the progression of fall color. I found myself looking at things differently, not just waiting to have an idea jump out at me. I tried to find a different view or angle, making myself work harder.

Studio Portraits of Sasha & Gracie

While setting up my "studio" for our portrait assignment, our three cats became very interested in what I was doing. They loved playing around the hanging sheet and were confident that I had just hung the sheet for them. I grabbed the camera and tried to capture some images. I'll have to get them playing again. Gracie is the Calico and Sasha is the black cat.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dorothyheplerphotography/sets/72157622573227392/

Studio Portraits

After our lesson in class on Thursday, I could not wait to get things set up at home for studio portraits. I made a trip to Wal-Mart for the cheapest king-size sheet I could find and some clamp lights. Thanks to our recent basement remodel, we now have track lighting with four light heads per track. Each of the heads can be repositioned and turned off if not needed. So I was able to use these as "key" lights. My first "victim" was my husband, Tim. I knew I was going to have to work him a little, as he is not very expressive, and does not smile on request. I was pleased with the results and it was good practice.

On Monday, my friend Dana came down for coffee. I asked her to pose for me and she did a great job. I tried a few different things with her: changing backgrounds, changing lights around, having her change positions. It was obvious how important light positioning is to the balance of light on the subject's face.

Studio Portraits of Holly & Henry

In class on Thursday, Tony took us upstairs to the photo studio. I had seen the studio last semester but had never been inside. He showed us how to set up three clamp lights at different angles for proper portrait lighting. We did use a pull-down studio backdrop, sort of a dark-gray color. Holly was our first volunteer model and made a great subject, very natural and comfortable before the camera(s). She was also very animated and easy to photograph. Tony wanted one of the men as the next subject, so Henry (sort of) volunteered. Although he was at first reluctant, he did start getting into the spirit of things. We only had a few minutes and there were so many of us trying to get photos, I didn't feel completely happy with my results, but I could see how easy it is to get professional-quality photos with a little effort.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dorothyheplerphotography/sets/72157622554419600/