Challenge for July 2008: Gas expensive? Photography Where you live! Gems Nearby!

These pictures were posted on my birthday, May 19th! Now 6 weeks later, the price of oil has surged and travel is more expensive. So I thought Shane's idea is right on. We need to search out the gems nearby! So you are challenged to photograph what you might normally walk by! Asher



This is about checking out places in your own neighborhood that you have never explored. Virginia Theological Seminary is about two miles from my house and I don’t how many thousands of times I’ve driven by over the past 20 years without having investigated it. Founded in 1823, it is the largest of 11 Episcopal seminaries and yet very small…232 students in 2007 (yes, I read their website). They offered Masters and Doctorial degrees on about 100 acres of super prime northern Virginia real estate…beautiful place. So drove up the driveway, parked, and walked around for a half an hour with the tripod. It was a Sunday and not a soul about (that I could see)...would have been nice to get some people in the shots but they must have all been home or in church...?

These shots are OK photographically but nothing worth jumping up and down over...HOWEVER, this post is really is remind us to check out where we live…you never know what is out there.

And if you have done the same, please add photos of a place in your neighborhood that you have passed by for eons and finally took a moment to explore.

1. Basically the whole of the place is one building and a chapel...this is the main building...



2. Path around one side to the front...


3. The front...this is what happens when you don't take care to set up a perspecitive shot with a 14mm carefully.


4. A little corner off the chapel that I found interesting...

Great idea

Shane - you are right. We do neglect our own area frequently. I like the idea. I have not done a good exploration of my neighborhood since I took a formal photography class several years ago where I had a weekly assignment and I HAD to take some photos. I will put that on the list of things to do.


You could straighten that in PS...Nik actually taught me to do that when I did a series of images for an interior designer and none of the parts of the image were in the right perspective. Now, I would shoot it differently and stitch instead of going so wide.

Since we are talking 14mm, which lens was that? I see 16mm in the EXIF!

Shane, you must correct these in photoshop and brighten them. I'd collage them perhaps in B&W. That would be worth trying.

Anyway, these are a great group of images to make a good point. People also ignore the very fine girl next door!


Asher

Why are you using ISO 50? This is not a native ISO, at least AFAIK! You could then have a faster shutter speed!



Image Allign is another good program.

So guys, look around your home turf. There's a lot to photograph. Show us what would be interesting if we visited. Happy picture making!

Asher