In-Depth #5

Due to the Coronavirus, the last two weeks haven’t been the most eventful. Still, I went out and took some photos so here is a quick update: 

 Starting off, just under two weeks ago, I went into the forest by my house to take photos. I didn’t get amazing photographs, but I got a couple of macro shots, and I got to test out my new flash diffuser. I made the mistake of not bring my full-size tripods, so I couldn’t get some of the shots I hoped for. Here is one macro shot.

 

Also, about a week ago, my sister made some pie for a baking competition with her friends, so I took some photos of her and the blueberry pie she baked. They turned out ok, and it was cool to take some portraits., but all in all, I would consider the pie better than the photos. 

Finally, a couple of days ago, I hiked up the hill behind my house to take photos of some waterfalls and streams. Sadly, the photos didn’t exactly turn out. Here is a short explanation:

  1. When I went up the hill by my house to take photos, it was mid-day, meaning that there was harsh light beaming through the trees. This caused hot spots in the image, rendering some sports very dark, and other spots to be overexposed. Here is an example.2. When I tried to lower the highlight and raise the shadows in post, it makes the image look super HDR, and not very appealing. Though it’s not the end of the world, it definitely doesn’t make for an amazing image.

3. The last major problem I faced was that I was super rushed because I was walking with my family, so I didn’t have time to take multiple images and find the best compositions. This photo below faced the problem of uneven light, but it also isn’t composed brilliantly. I definitely could’ve found better compositions, but I was in a rush.

 

I will try to go back to the same locations when the light is more even to try and get better photos.

Some Questions and answers:

1. What kinds of learning opportunities does the mentor provide to expose you to new learning? 

Neil provided me with some amazing learning opportunities during In-Depth. For starters, most of our learning was out in nature, where we took photos of the landscapes and wildlife. When we weren’t outside, I got to go to the aquarium to take photos before hours! During that experience, I got to watch his professional workflow, and I got to take photos of a pengiun from up close. It was awesome! Additonally, Neil organzied an online meeting where we could work on photo editing which was also a great opportunity for learning.

2. What kinds of learning opportunities exist to reinforce new learning?

Though it is hard because of Covid-19, I can reinforce my learning by discussing photography in theory with him during video calls, and then trying what we discussed alone. I did this when we went over post-processing as I took the info I learned, and I know use it to edit all my photos.

3. What kinds of opportunities exist that might accelerate learning?

Since I can’t meet Neil in person becuase of Covid-19, an opportunity to accelerate learning would be through video calsl, where we could further work on post-processing, and maybe break down famous images.

4. When you get together what do you talk about?

During my meetings with Neil, we would take about the compositons of the photos we were taking, the settings, and he would give me advice on how to better the image. Additionally, he would tell me some stories of his time as a photographer. When we had our digital meeting, he would show me some of his photographs and explain he he shot and edited it.

5. What is going particularly well in your mentoring relationship right now?

In our mentoring relationship, something that is going particulary well is that I have been able to learn a lot from him, and better my photography ability. This is because he’s a great teacher, and he has provided me with great opportunities.

6. What are you learning about one another?

From the mentorship, I have learned a fair bit about Neil. I learned about how he started photography, and all the places he has gone to take photos, and I learned he worked at the aquarium for a number of years. On a more personal note, I learned that he went to the highschool that my grandfather used to teach at(but he was already retired), and knew my grandfather through hatchery programs. Overall, I think I was able to bond and connect with Neil throughout the mentorship.

2 comments on “In-Depth #5Add yours →

  1. Don’t underestimate these photos, Ev, they are terrific! I hope you can share some of them with me !

Leave a Reply to qmtk Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *