Week 7 Exercise 2012 - Available Light is Very Predictable, Too

This week's exercise is super fun. It involves playing with eggs and a lamp. You'll need only one egg, unless of course you break it, in which case you'll need a replacement (or 5 or maybe just a nice styrofoam ball if you're clumsy) and one 40W or more lamp of any kind (halogen, energy saver fluorescent, tungsten.) I'd make you go through the process of moving the object further and further from the light but if you did Week 6's Exercise, you already know how it ends, so we'll just get to the good stuff.

Find your white balance and make sure it's set to AWB (auto.) Place your egg close enough to your light source to get an exposure you like. (Bonus points for creativity!) Without adjusting any other settings, use at least 3 other white balance presets. For your last exposure, I'd like you to challenge yourself and attempt to do a custom white balance. Please note the type of bulb (tungsten, fluorescent, etc.) you shot with when you post your images. Feel free to try with different type of light, too (another type of bulb or even natural window light!)

Week 6 Exercise 2012 - Window Light is Very Predictable

This is a super quick and easy exercise, but one that will help you to really grasp the ides of how window light works.

First you need an object (or subject - if you have a willing participant...) Throw your camera in M and start with an ISO of 200 and an aperture of f4.0. Put the object (or subject) right beside a north facing window. Meter for the light side and take your first shot. Move your object (or subject) about 2 feet away from the window, meter for the light side, and take your second shot. Repeat at 2 feet intervals until you've run out of space in your room. Repeat with a west or south facing window. If the day you shoot is overcast, you might want to try it again on a sunny day, and while you're at it, try out the Sunny 16 rule ;)

While shooting, take note of how the Law of Reciprocity affects your settings change as you move away from your window light. How far away do you get before your shutter speed drops below 1/60? Did you have to bump your ISO?

When you get your pictures on your computer, check out the quality of the light between your exposures - how hard or soft are the shadows? Are the shadows harder from the north or south window? Which side do you prefer? How far from the window is the "sweet spot" for you?

Send me a link when you're done!