Light Meter Experiments

Light Meter Experiments

This is a vintage light meter that my grandpa gave me. I’ve never actually used it, but I think it’s beautiful. I wanted to photograph it in low light, so I set it up next to a dim table lamp in a dark room. I left my little point-and-shoot camera in its default auto-exposure mode, and turned on the macro setting to focus on close-up details.

What surprised me is the variety of images I got depending on how the camera auto-exposed the image. Many were lighter and had a cooler light temperature. But then I would slightly change the angle of the camera, and it would re-evaluate the light situation, producing a dark, warm shot like the one above.

Below is a sample of the different images I got from this shoot. These all came directly from the camera, and the only variable was how the camera evaluated the exposure and white balance. I suspect that the lack of light was what helped produce a greater variety of images than I would get if I tried this experiment on a bright, well-lit object.

I find it interesting how the act of photographing a standalone light meter became an demonstration of how my camera’s light meter works. I think that experimenting with your camera’s automatic settings in a low light situation would be a useful exercise for anyone who wants to better understand how exposure and white balance can manipulate an image.

Vintage Light Meter

Vintage Light Meter

The Daily Create: Light Meter

March 4, 2012 3 comments Read More
The Daily Create: The sunset after the storm

The Daily Create: The sunset after the storm

The Daily Create Assignment: Take a picture of your favorite type of weather.

My favorite type of weather is any type of dramatic transition from one type to another. I love when it begins to rain while the sun is still shining, or when the dark clouds roll in on a bright summer day, or when the sun comes out while the snow is falling. This photo was taken after a dramatic storm (there were actually tornado sightings in some areas of the city.) But afterwords, as the dark clouds broke apart and drifted away, you could see the sun setting behind it.

February 27, 2012 4 comments Read More
Limbo

Limbo

Limbo by wanderthisworld
Limbo, a photo by wanderthisworld on Flickr.

This is a travel poster for Limbo, a project inspired by the ds106 assignment to create a minimalist travel poster based on a movie. I was initally drawn to this challenge for the travel context, but I was a bit stumped as far as a movie location. All of my favorite movies have such a strong sense of place (India, Australia, Italy, etc.) that there would be little to differentiate it from a standard travel poster. Then I realized that one of my favorite movies, Up in the Air, stands out because it has no consistant location. Instead the recurring theme of the movie is the idea of being in a state of transition. Therefore, I decided to create a poster encouraging people to visit the State of Limbo.

In this movie, the main character, Ryan, spends most of his time flying from city to city to tell people they’re fired from their jobs. He states that the purpose of his work is to, “make limbo tolerable.” This is the line which inspired me to name this place Limbo.

The irony of the movie is that while Ryan has to send employees into the supposedly intolerable state of limbo, he actually thrives on living in this in-between state. He enjoys living on the road and having nothing to tie him down.

The tagline, “everyone needs a place to call home” comes from a conversation in which Ryan’s brother-in-law is making a case for buying real estate. Ryan shudders at the idea, because to him, living in Limbo is home.

This poster is designed from Ryan’s perspective, showing the freedom and weightlessness of being in Limbo. As a traveller, I can certainly relate to this feeling—I feel most alive when I’m on my way to somewhere else. Limbo may be scary for some, but for others, it’s an exciting place to be.

February 20, 2012 6 comments Read More
The Daily Create: My Workspace

The Daily Create: My Workspace

The Daily Create Assignment: Take a photo that represents your current job, or one you once had.

As a design & media coordinator, this is what my workspace usually looks like. I always seem to be working in all the programs at the same time. (I am RAM’s worst nightmare!)

I created this image using a random photo I snapped of my desk on a particularly chaotic day, and a screenshot of my digital desktop. Neither of the images seemed to stand on their own as a representation of my workspace, so I blended them together.

I took the screenshot with Photoshop’s checkerboard transparant layer serving as the backdrop, and then I layered the photo of my desk on top of it in Photoshop. I reduced the opacity of the photo to get the grey boxes to show through. Then I added a gradient layer mask to the photo to make the edges more transparent than the center.

February 19, 2012 0 comments Read More
The Daily Create: Prized Possessions

The Daily Create: Prized Possessions

The Daily Create Assignment:
Take a photo of your most prized possession.

I think there are many levels of prized possessions. My family is, of course, the best thing I’ve got. But in terms of actual possessions, I’d call it a tie between my old family photos, and my phone (which helps me keep in touch with my family, since we live in different states.)

February 19, 2012 0 comments Read More
The Daily Create: A new angle on the Weisman Art Museum

The Daily Create: A new angle on the Weisman Art Museum

The Daily Create Assignment: Take a photo of someone else’s artwork in an interesting way to make it your own.

I’m a huge fan of Frank Gehry’s work, so I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to see one of his buildings almost daily. This building faces out towards the river, and is typically viewed at a much different angle.

I wanted to reinterpret Gehry’s art into my own, so today, I went down to the river to photograph the building from a different angle. From this location, I’ve always thought this building has an obscure, dark mood to it. I emphasized this by toning down the color and adding more contrast. I also cropped it close to make the forms more dramatic. The texture was accidental—my phone takes noisy pictures, but I’m really appreciating the affect, as it reminds me of cubist paintings.

February 18, 2012 0 comments Read More
The Story Behind the Bird Photo

The Story Behind the Bird Photo

Today’s Daily Create prompted us to take a photo of a bird. This photo was actually taken a few years ago, but it immediately came to mind as the perfect image for this assignment. I’ve been using it as an avatar on social sites for a while now. Even though I think it’s a silly photo, and I’m barely in the picture, I like what it represents for me. I thought I’d use this chance to tell the story behind the photo.

Sevilla, Spain, 2008

I was studying in Spain, and some friends and I were in a park where the birds were literally flocking around the people. (This may have had something to do with the fact that we were encouraged to feed them…)

Playing with pigeons

I was really not comfortable being around this many birds, having had one attack me in a park in Chicago. But my friends kept telling me there was nothing to worry about. Look at them!

Playing with pigeons

Adam, pigeon man

I was still not convinced, but by the time I started to walk away, a pigeon was sitting on my shoulder. There was a moment of panic, as I prepared for it to pull my hair and peck at my head just as the last one did, but then I realized that none of this was happening. It was just sitting there, hanging out, waiting to be fed.

I took a photo of this to remember that things aren’t always as scary as they seem. Sometimes, situations you may be inclined to avoid can actually turn into a great memories. You may even get a cool photo out of it, too!

February 18, 2012 2 comments Read More
The Daily Create: Growing Up

The Daily Create: Growing Up

The Daily Create Assignment: Take a photo of an object that represents how old you feel.

The object that best represents how old I feel would be my ID. I now work at the same university where I attended college, which makes the question of how old I feel confusing. I’m only a few years out of school, so I still live and feel like a student (sharing a decaying apartment, depending on a bus pass,) yet as staff I’m expected to act like a professional (meaning no more jeans and flip flops!) It’s really weird to be in the same environment, but have a totally different Identity.

February 15, 2012 2 comments Read More
Spontaneous Discoveries

Spontaneous Discoveries

This is why I keep a camera with me at all times. Despite the fact that we’ve had only a dusting of snow, I came across a snowman that someone had built on the steps of a beautiful church. This tiny little ball of frozen water and twigs totally made my day.

February 15, 2012 2 comments Read More
Istanbul: A Place I’ve Never Been

Istanbul: A Place I’ve Never Been

For years I’ve been admiring the “Places I’ve never been” series by JHill Design, so I finally decided to put my own twist on it.

Istanbul has always been at the top of my list of places I want to see because it seems to be so rich with culture and beauty.

To create this image, I blended the silhouette of the famous Blue Mosque over an ornamental pattern and a map of the region (because it’s always fascinated me that the city bridges both Europe and Asia).

February 15, 2012 4 comments Read More