Final Project

 I learned how to use my digital camera in this course. It was a beautiful thing to finally understand all the buttons and what they did. I was taught how to do everything from changing my iso to making sure my white balance was adjusted properly. Everything was laid out in this course that a camera can do and how the user can change those settings. Now knowing my camera better and being able to adjust those shots is how I was able to make the beautiful shots in this post. I believe this course is a must take for any photographer just starting out and any hobbyist who just wants to learn more!   

             The five pictures I chose are all leaf related. I find macro and nature photography my favorite styles. I applied different techniques in each of these pictures. One style I didn’t use in these pictures but which I had a lot of fun with during the class was black and white. I didn’t want to remove the beautiful color out of any of the pictures. I think in a leaf’s journey the color kind of helps tell the story. However with as much as I liked the black and white photography, I was still tempted! However I believe all the shots in the post came out exceptional! The first picture I used natural light and a cloudy white balance to get the clear color on cloudy day. In the second picture I lowered my Iso and aperture to make most of the leaf to be in focus and let less light in for more sharpness. With the third picture I raised my Iso setting so I could focus on a midpoint in the leaves and have the rest of the path be out of focus. In the fourth picture (and my favorite) I used natural back light and a higher Iso to get the great lighting effect. This shot I believe came out beautifully! The fifth shot I was trying to play on shadows, I adjusted Iso, exposure, and aperture to get the longer shadows I got on the leaf. I had a lot of fun taking these photos and I learned a tremendous amount about my own talent during the exercise.

                Along with the blog work and the reading of the course information and personal research, I really do believe that this course has given me the tools and information necessary to move onto bigger and better things. I’ve taken many courses over the years and I don’t think I’ve had such a strong learning experience in a single class like I have with this one. Now I feel like I can take gorgeous shots with my camera that not only I will enjoy but that everyone will enjoy. I’m actually sadden to know that this is the final lesson, but I know that I will take everything I learned along with my in all my future endeavors with photography. They always say you have to have a strong base in anything to go
anywhere!