Orion Cover

Orion Cover, originally uploaded by edwardjohnphotography.

I froze taking this photo, but it was well worth it. A picture of this light structure is on the cover of coffee table book, but I like my version better. Shot tripod mounted with Nikkor 18-55mm lens at 1/30 sec - F/11. ISO 200. I'm sure many people have taken pictures of this thing head on with someone standing under it (I know because I have,) but I prefer to take different views of an object to get a different perspective. Remember the movie Dead Poets Society where Robin Williams had all of the kids stand on their desks? Well that's the idea, take a look at things in a different way.

Fun with F1.8

Fun with F1.8

Taken with my Nikkor 50mm 1.8 lens at F1.8, you can see how the background becomes a complete blur. Opening the aperture as wide as possible makes the light scatter and not focus on one particular part of the photo receptors. This shot is not intended to be a masterpiece, but more an exercise in understanding depth of field.

Always carry your camera

Rainy Dawn

One of the first things I learned about photography was to always carry your camera. Today I was rewarded with this shoot at the Warren Community center in Warren Michigan. This massive sculpture bears the signature of David Barr and it is called Dawn. Without knowing it, I have already seen David's striking work in many locations including Hart Plaza in Detroit and the Flint Bishop Airport. This sculpture caught my attention right away and forced me to end my phone call to take the shots. The rain was heavy at times and I didn't expect to have a photo opportunity. This shot was taken with my 18 to 55mm Nikkor Lense at 23mm. The ISO was 100 at f4 with 1/800 exposure time since I was looking directly into the clouds.

Let the photo assignment begin!

You are witnessing the birth of a large assignment. A photo assignment with the goal of becoming a better photographer. Every day I will post a photo taken within the week along with a brief description of how the photo was taken and other aspects of the situation as the photo opportunity came to be.

My gear:
Nikon D80 - A great entry level digital camera with amazing features for the price
Quantaray 70-210mm f4.5-5.6 lens - By far my favorite lens if the light is right.
Nikkor 50mm f1.8 - A necessity for taking gymnastics photos in low light conditions.
Nikkor 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 - Standard lens that came with my camera and great for getting those wide angle shots.

And so the assignment begins:

Purple Tunnel

Calling this shot purple tunnel is a bit inaccurate because the tunnel changes colors continuously. I found this location while traveling through the Detroit Metro Airport from terminal A to Terminal C. The sights and sounds of this tunnel are intended to make you forget you are underground and give a peaceful feeling of tranquility. I looked a bit out of place and got many stares as I stood with my camera, but the shots taken were worth it. I used the 50mm lense with F6.3 and and ISO of 400. Wishing I had a tripod, because I could have used a lower ISO. I chose shutter priority on this shot in order to control the speed of the shutter at 1/25.

I welcome your comments and suggestions for improvement.

Thanks for joining me on this journey to become a better photographer.