This Week in the Digital Photography School Forums

Weekly Assignment

We finished the Sharp assignment this week, and there were some very sharp entries. Both in focus and subject. It was very hard to pick a winner this week, as usual, but we thought that Andel’s needle, while kind of scary was a very nice example of something sharp, both in focus and subject. Our two runners up also had some good interpretations of the sharp theme. Our first runner up was for the broken heart, which summaries the pain of a broken heart very well with the sharp spikes that are a part of this sculpture. Our second runner up was cbinsa for the sharp corkscrew that has stabbed cbinsa on a number of occasion when reaching into the junk drawer. We really liked the nice depth of field combined with the diagonal lines and an overall image that just screams “sharp”. Well done to everyone who participated!

This week’s assignment is Natural Framing. Basically what this means is things like borders, nature paths, windows, and all other manner of things that set up a nice natural frame outlining the subject that you’re focusing on. In order to be eligible for the mini-contest, your photo must have been taken between 11 – 25 June 2008, the EXIF must be intact, and your post must include “Assignment: Natural Framing” in order to show your permission for it to be included in the contest. Next week’s assignment is “Feet” since we already did a hands assignment a few months ago.

Weekly Poll

This week we asked forum members what mode they shoot in most frequently. The results were pretty close between aperture priority and full manual, but there were still some people shooting in other modes. There’s no right mode to shoot in, as long as you’re comfortable with it.

prince said “When I am practicing I have started prefering Av mode, but when I can’t risk practicing while I am with friends/family to capture some moments I prefer Auto”

While midwestslp said “I use mostly P mode due to being scared stiff of missing a shot because I still haven’t mastered the the modes, buttons, etc. on my camera. But this summer I’m determined to make the move to manual. Wish me luck.”

Ewie said “I used to shoot mainly in aperture priority (Av) mode but as I’m gaining in confidence I am finding that I mainly use full manual mode. I like that fact that I’m telling the camera what to do, not the other way around…Being the control freak that I am, I’m also learning to manually set white balance to suit each scene. I bought an expodisc some time ago and I swear by it. It saves so much time in POST and I find I’m rarely adjusting the WB later, and if so, only very minor tweaks.”

And last, but not least, Nathan deGargoyle described the modes this way, “A if I’m being Apathetic, M Most of the time, S for Special occasions!”

Check back later this weekend for the newest poll.

Hot Threads

• How do you get your shots?: When do you normally go photographing? Are you a daily photographer? A weekend photographer? Do you photograph while walking your dog? dannyrich wants to know what your photographing patterns are.
• Missing the past…maybe…: Were you once a film photographer? Do you miss the feeling of anticipation you used to have after shooting a roll of film? Do you think it’s as exciting to see your pictures on a computer screen as it is to hold them in your hands? shootoften wants to know if you miss the past or if you’re more than happy to embrace the digital age.
• Making Rain: Have you ever wanted to take a picture in the rain, but it’s just all too sunny out? Or maybe you want to take a picture in the rain, but you don’t want to take your camera out in it. What about making your own rain? Check out this “How I took it” from mdpix about making your own rain with something almost everyone has in their backyard.
• Need tips on focusing [macro]: If you’re new to macro photography, getting things in sharp focus can be difficult. This can be made even more difficult if you’re new to manual focusing. So, how do you get things in sharp focus? And how do you get things in full focus? Share your own hints and tips in this thread.

Other Threads to Note

As usual, it’s also time for another week of What Would You Do, our weekly post-processing thread where you get a chance to practice (or show off) your post-processing skills. The game is simple and open to all levels of post-processing experience and all types of editing programs. If you think you can improve on the picture in the first post, then come and give it a shot and show us what you would do!