Assignment: Toys April 28 - May 12

[Saralonde]

After a difficult assignment like "Film Noir", we need a little time to remember our childhood and play a bit so "Toys" is our subject. This might be a good break from a month's worth of b&w Do you have a loved toy from your past or do your children have a favorite? Tap into your inner child this week!

A self-portrait with some toys from my childhood:


As always, rules:

Just a note to new posters: DO NOT start a new thread for your post. Please just hit the reply button at the bottom of any current post and put your image there.

1. Your original image you submit should be taken between the 28th of April and the 12th of May. Each week as an assignment closes on the Wednesday, it will be AUTOMATICALLY deemed *CLOSED* after 8am GMT ( 3am EST) and any posts after that time will not be eligible for the assignment competition. Don't wait until the last minute to post!

2. Your post must include B]"Toys"[/B] (to show your permission to count it for the contest) and the date the picture was taken (to show that it is a valid entry).

3. EXIF data should be intact. It helps if you can include the main points (including camera, lens, date taken, ISO, shutter speed and aperture) in the text of your message.

4. Only one entry per member (if you can't restrain yourself until the end of the first week you can post two or three separate pictures but your entry should be in a separate post and the only marked with the text above). It must be an original image taken by you.

5. Remember the cross-site image size limit (740px on the longest side). (If it's wider than the image above, it's disqualified)

6. If the image does not exist in post at the end of the contest, it is disqualified. If you modify anything on flickr and re-save the image then the link is broken and the message needs edited to link the picture again before it will be included in the contest.
For everyone, please do not repeat other people's photos by quoting them until the contest is over. If you want to comment on or discuss an entry you can use a link to it (or just delete the picture from the quoted text).

7. If you are looking for the winners of the mini-contest, please check the front page of the DPS blog Saturday late afternoon (EST) and here.

Next week: "Still Life". Still life photography is generally a small grouping of inanimate subjects. A classic in art, a Still Life gives you a lot of creative control over your subject. You have time to set it up in a pleasing composition and plan for lighting, two very important aspects of this type of photography. Learning to create a good still life can be useful by many different types of photographers. Wedding, stock, and food stylists all rely on the ability to compose this type of shot.

Keep a few things in mind:

Composition: The rule of thirds is a good idea to keep in mind when you are arranging your subjects. Groups of three or or other odd numbers are also pleasing to the eye. Try to arrange your objects in such a way that the eyes flows from one to another. It's also a good idea to have them related to each other in some way that makes sense to the viewer or gives a visual story. Arrange and rearrange as many times as necessary. Experiment!

Lighting: Soft natural window light works, as well as stronger lights and shadows for a more dramatic effect. Consider your subject and decide what works best.

Backgrounds: Be careful of these as they can add or distract from your picture. A shallow depth of field can lessen a busy background or try using a solid background of paper or cloth.

5 Still Life Lighting Tips for Beginners

[Obijuan]

Feo is back with some friends. The cats are hiding inside the house but there is no escape now.

From Drop Box

May 4, 2010
1024×735 pixels – 78KB
Filename: Feo Yard 018.JPG
Camera: NIKON CORPORATION
Model: NIKON D90
ISO: 200
Exposure: 10.0 sec
Aperture: 8.0
Focal Length: 50mm
Flash Used: No

[MO Photos]

EXIF:
Date Taken - May 3, 2010
Camera - Nikon D90
Exposure - 1/500
Aperture - f/8.0
ISO - 200
Lens - Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D
No Exposure Bias, No Flash fired

[PowerPix]

I want this toy!

Camera: Canon EOS 50D
Exposure: 3.2
Aperture: f/16.0
Focal Length: 50 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: -1 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Date and Time (Original): 2010:04:30 08:27:42

[ydnew44]

http://

0.167 sec (1/6)
Aperture: f/6.3
Focal Length: 55 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Canon 5D
taken 1/5/2010

[Evald]

This is my first assignment posting. I love the weekly assignments...no more "wow there is a turtle, lets take a picture of it." Now, I have the motivation to create well thought-out artistic pictures.

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T1i
Date: 05/03/10
TV: 1/13
AV: 4.5
ISO: 200
Focal Length: 25mm

[mseigafuse]

I decided to have a bit of fun with one of my sons old toys (now outgrown), some perspective distortion, and finally some post processing toys (the flood plug-in and topaz adjust).



Camera: Pentax K100D
Exposure: 1.6
Aperture: f/40.0
Focal Length: 90 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Date and Time (Original): 2010:05:04 19:11:28

Hope you like my new car

[LenDog]

"Slinky"



Some Copper Hill customers may recognize this. My real toys are in the garage, since the weather hasn't been "playing" lately.

Date Taken: 2 May 2010
Camera: Sony @330
Lens: Tamron 60mm Macro
Exposure Program: Aperture
Focal Length: 60mm
Shutter Speed: 1/6
Aperture: F/2.5
ISO: 100
Flash: Off, did not fire

[4stages]

Taken On: 5/4/10

"Monkey"



Camera: Canon EOS Digital Rebel
Exposure: 0.02 sec (1/50)
Aperture: f/5.0
Focal Length: 238 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: No Flash

[sdhondatuner]

Here is my "Big Boy Toy" in action.



Taken: 05-04-2010
Camera: Nikon D90
Lens: Nikkor 18-55 mm
Exposure: 0.125 sec (1/8)
Aperture: f/19.0
Focal Length: 18 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: -4 EV
Flash: No Flash

PP: Adjusted RAW, cloned out Car-Rig, edited license plate, cropped, and resized for flickr.