This Week in the Digital Photography School Forums (10-16 May 09)

Weekly Assignment

Canon Rebel XTi | .8s | f/5.6 | ISO100

People dug around in their kitchen cabinets and draws to participate in the Kitchen Utensils assignment and we’re glad they did. There was a lot of creativity with this assignment, which is what we were hoping for when we asked people to photograph ordinary, everyday items. Our winner this week was freezeframe’s “Crown of Forks” which we thought from the many fork shots stood out because of the great focus and regal result which not only took away some of the idea that it was forks, but emphasised the idea that the forks could be something else. Our first runner up was richcrox’s kitchen abstract. We know there’s a whisk in there, and probably a colander, but the complimentary colours in this crisp and yet warped image really stood out. And last, but not least was hlngre23’s apple peeler shot which had a nice focus on the parer and showed the utensil actually being used. Well done!

We’re currently running the Ghetto Lighting assignment so if you’ve been intimidated by people talking about using flashes and lights to create their shots, this is your opportunity to show us that all you need is a bit of creativity and something that creates light. Ghetto lighting can be things like flashlights, desk lamps, the light from your refrigerator, pretty much anything so long as it isn’t professional lighting, full sunlight, or using strobes and flashes (on or off camera). In order to be eligible for the mini contest, you need to have take your photo between 6 – 20 May 2009, you must include the words “Assignment: Ghetto Lighting” and the date the photo was taken in your post, and the EXIF should be intact. It’s also helpful for this assignment if you tell us what your lighting set up was. This week’s assignment will help you with next week’s assignment so don’t forget to try it out because next week’s assignment is: Gheto lighting + Reflector. For full details have a look at this week’s assignment thread.

Hot Threads

• Diffraction versus Satisfaction: If you’ve ever started reading some of the more technical issues that arise when you’re shooting with very large or very small apertures you may have come across the issue of diffraction. But what is it, and does it actually exist? An article was posted that kicked off a great technical conversation.
• Do you trust the new 16GB memory cards: You may remember back when 16MB was a large card for a digital camera, but flash based memory cards are getting larger and larger in size and now you can even get 16+ GB memory cards. But do you trust cards this large? And how long will you wait to see about their stability before you pick one up?
• Does White Balance Affect Exposure?: White balance certainly affects the colours that you see in your photos, but does it have any other unexpected side effects like changing the exposure? Come join in and read what forum members have said about this question.
• Problem with getting my fonts to work with CS4: There’s little more frustrating then when you download something, such as a font, and can’t get it to work. One forum member is having trouble getting their fonts in Vista to show up. If you can help, stop by the thread and offer your advice. And if you’re having the problem yourself, try some of the solutions that have been offered in the thread.
• What Would You Do: Come join in the fun with our weekly editing challenge where you get to edit the photo of another forum member. Whether you’re a beginner or you’ve been using Photoshop since version 1, you’re welcome to join in the fun.