Day #49 @ Photography Project 365

Specifications
Camera: Nikon D60 (model replaced by Nikon D3000)
Lens: Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX
Flash: Nikon SB-600 Speedlight
Tripod: N/A
ISO: 100
Shutter Speed: 1/60 sec
Aperture: f2.5

Comments
A friend of mine came over to get a head-shot today. This was actually my first time taking a professional portrait for someone (not that I've ever done it for myself either). Anyway, it went rather smoothly. I used my dark curtains as a backdrop and bounced my flash off the white ceiling. I wish I had a 50mm prime lens but my 35mm served well too.

Hope he likes it.

joel@shutteria.com

Day #48 @ Photography Project 365

Specifications
Camera: Nikon D60 (model replaced by Nikon D3000)
Lens: Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX
Flash: N/A
Tripod: Slik Pro 400DX
ISO: 100
Shutter Speed: 30 sec
Aperture: f8.0

Comments
Window frames do a great job at... well... framing a shot. I remember taking a photo some time ago from inside a building and it turned our really well. I decided to try something similar today. This photo was taken from my apartment and shows our view towards the south.

joel@shutteria.com

Day #47 @ Photography Project 365

Specifications
Camera: Canon Digital IXUS 70
Lens: N/A
Flash: N/A
Tripod: N/A
ISO: 400
Shutter Speed: 0.8 sec
Aperture: f2.8

Comments
We still had a lot of snow today and I took this photo on the way back from the office. Unfortunately, it turned out pretty soft but I was determined to process it and post it as my shot of the day anyway (of course, my determination was partly due to the fact that I didn't have an alternative). I increased the contrast and saturation to get this "retro" effect.

joel@shutteria.com

Day #46 @ Photography Project 365

Specifications
Camera: Nikon D60 (model replaced by Nikon D3000)
Lens: Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX
Flash: N/A
Tripod: N/A
ISO: 400
Shutter Speed: 1/15sec
Aperture: f2.5

Comments
I got a lot of fruits on the way back from work today. The 1:1 aspect ratio that I used for this photo (cropped it in post-processing) worked well.

joel@shutteria.com

Day #45 @ Photography Project 365

Specifications
Camera: Nikon D60 (model replaced by Nikon D3000)
Lens: Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX
Flash: N/A
Tripod: N/A
ISO: 400
Shutter Speed: 1/20 sec
Aperture: f2.0

Comments
It's Valentine's Day today and this is the card I got my wife. That's not all though!

joel@shutteria.com

Day #44 @ Photography Project 365

Specifications
Camera: Canon Digital IXUS 70
Lens: N/A
Flash: N/A
Tripod: N/A
ISO: 400
Shutter Speed: 1/30 sec
Aperture: f2.8

Comments
We went for a swim today. I took this shot after we were done with our swim and had finished washing up. This is a simple photo but I find the composition appealing - the leading lines on the ceiling, pattern on the floor, doorway, reflections, etc.

joel@shutteria.com

Day #43 @ Photography Project 365

Specifications
Camera: Nikon D60 (model replaced by Nikon D3000)
Lens: Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX
Flash: N/A
Tripod: N/A
ISO: 400
Shutter Speed: 3.6 sec
Aperture: f2.5

Comments
We switched our broadband service provider today. We moved from DSL to Cable and are happy that we made the move. This is an eerie shot of our new cable modem.

joel@shutteria.com

Day #42 @ Photography Project 365

Specifications
Camera: Canon Digital IXUS 70
Lens: N/A
Flash: N/A
Tripod: N/A
ISO: 800
Shutter Speed: 1/8 sec
Aperture: f3.5

Comments
Black and white photography has the distinct ability to bring out shapes and contours very well. We still had a lot of snow today and I tried to capture its contours in my shot of the day. The relatively low height of the street lamp helped accentuate the contours. In post-processing, I increased the contrast significantly to highlight the contours further.

joel@shutteria.com

Day #41 @ Photography Project 365

Specifications
Camera: Nikon D60 (model replaced by Nikon D3000)
Lens: Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX
Flash: N/A
Tripod: N/A
ISO: 400
Shutter Speed: 1/60 sec
Aperture: f2.5

Comments
I think that this shot falls into the "forced perspective" category. I wanted to create a dramatic scene indoors using objects I had readily available. In the background is a picture of the Swiss Alps that I took in the early part of 2009 when I was there on vacation. I used this picture as the backdrop. In the foreground, I placed a little angel figurine. Guess what I mounted it on - a Weissbier glass. Finally, I used an LED flash light to make it look as if a ray of light is coming down from heaven and shining on the little angel.

I'm curious to know what your first impression was when you saw this photo.

joel@shutteria.com

Day #40 @ Photography Project 365

Specifications
Camera: Nikon D60 (model replaced by Nikon D3000)
Lens: Nikon 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR ED
Flash: N/A
Tripod: Slik Pro 400DX
ISO: 100
Shutter Speed: 1.0 sec
Aperture: f16.0

Comments
I tried to take a photo with "zoom burst" today. I set the shutter speed to something low (in this case, 1 sec), focused, released the shutter and zoomed in on the object while the shot was being exposed. This technique adds motion to an otherwise still object.

joel@shutteria.com

Day #39 @ Photography Project 365

Specifications
Camera: Nikon D60 (model replaced by Nikon D3000)
Lens: Nikon 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR ED
Flash: N/A
Tripod: Slik Pro 400DX
ISO: 100
Shutter Speed: 2.0 sec
Aperture: f5.6

Comments
My niece was born today!

These are a couple of letters that we got from my nephews some time ago (their mother helped them articulate their thoughts).

joel@shutteria.com

Day #38 @ Photography Project 365

Specifications
Camera: Nikon D60 (model replaced by Nikon D3000)
Lens: Nikon 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR ED
Flash: N/A
Tripod: N/A
ISO: 200
Shutter Speed: 1/20 sec
Aperture: f11

Comments
I went for a walk in a nearby park this afternoon - I was hoping to catch a great shot of a tree covered in snow. Unfortunately, by that time of the day, most of the snow on the trees had already melted away. Anyway, I tried to make the most of my day out.

This is my favorite photo from the afternoon. The vertical composition fits the erect trees well and the handrail serves as an effective leading line into the shot. I also find the contrast appealing.

This path leads up a small hill that kids often sled down when there is enough snow.

joel@shutteria.com

Day #37 @ Photography Project 365

Specifications
Camera: Canon Digital IXUS 70
Lens: N/A
Flash: N/A
Tripod: N/A
ISO: 400
Shutter Speed: 1/2 sec
Aperture: f2.8

Comments
I went for night swim today. There's a public pool pretty close to our place and we've been trying to make regular visits there this winter. The route from the bus stop to the pool is indeed a pleasant and scenic one.

I took this photo on the way back. I tried to catch as much of the "S-line" as possible. It would probably have helped it I was a foot taller or so but I think it worked pretty well in any case.

joel@shutteria.com

Day #36 @ Photography Project 365

Specifications
Camera: Nikon D60 (model replaced by Nikon D3000)
Lens: Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX
Flash: N/A
Tripod: Slik Pro 400DX
ISO: 100
Shutter Speed: 2.5 sec
Aperture: f1.8

Comments
I felt a little creative today and decided to play with some Bokeh. I stumbled upon a DIY tutorial some time ago about creating Bokeh shapes and decided to give it a shot. I plan to post a guide and pictorial on this soon. In short, I cut a heart-shaped hole in the middle of a piece of cardboard, placed it on my fast lens, aimed at some out-of-focus lights and snapped away.

joel@shutteria.com

Day #35 @ Photography Project 365

Specifications
Camera: Nikon D60 (model replaced by Nikon D3000)
Lens: Nikon 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR ED
Flash: N/A
Tripod: N/A
ISO: 400
Shutter Speed: 1/25 sec
Aperture: f8.0

Comments
I had to leave the office just after lunch today as I was expecting a technician to stop by and inspect our heating system. The technician never showed up but on the positive side, I got to spend a bit more time capturing my photo of the day.

There's just something about dark tree barks against a backdrop of bright snow that intrigues me. The great contrast between foreground and background is simply captivating. I have also found (and read) that taking shots from different angles can indeed yield very pleasantly different perspectives. I typically try going real low or real high to get some alternative compositions.

I took this shot just before sunset. The golden rays of the sun served well to light up the upper part of the tree. I used a high angle in order to capture the pathway, which adds some leading lines and pattern to the shot.

joel@shutteria.com

Day #34 @ Photography Project 365

Specifications
Camera: Canon Digital IXUS 70
Lens: N/A
Flash: N/A
Tripod: N/A
ISO: 400
Shutter Speed: 1/4 sec
Aperture: f2.8

Comments
I pass this junction everyday on the way to and on the way back from work. It's very close to our apartment. I always felt that this junction would make an excellent object for photography - especially at night. It's busy, the lights are dazzling and there is almost a sense of urgency in the scene.

I used my little IXUS to take this shot on the way back from work today. I used a slow shutter speed to catch some light trails, which I did successfully, I guess. In post-processing, I used the Topaz Adjust filter to make the image smoother.

joel@shutteria.com

Day #33 @ Photography Project 365

Specifications
Camera: Nikon D60 (model replaced by Nikon D3000)
Lens: Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX
Flash: N/A
Tripod: N/A
ISO: 800
Shutter Speed: 1/25 sec
Aperture: f2.5

Comments
This is my good friend, Markus. Well, part of him anyways. He was a little nervous about having his photo published on the Internet, so I had to find a way around it - I cropped his face out.

I used Topaz Adjust to enhance this shot in post-processing and made it look like a painting.

joel@shutteria.com

Day #32 @ Photography Project 365

Specifications
Camera: Nikon D60 (model replaced by Nikon D3000)
Lens: Nikon 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR ED
Flash: N/A
Tripod: Slik Pro 400DX
ISO: 400
Shutter Speed: 8.0 sec
Aperture: f4.5

Comments
Who ever said a DSL modem doesn't make a good object for photography?

We're in the midst of changing our telephone and Internet provider. This baby here ain't gonna be there for much longer, so I decided to photography it while I can. In Lightroom, I increased the "black" setting to the maximum. Then, I tweaked the curve to be S-shaped and hence, increased the contrast.

joel@shutteria.com

Day #31 @ Photography Project 365

Specifications
Camera: Nikon D60 (model replaced by Nikon D3000)
Lens: Nikon 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR ED
Flash: N/A
Tripod: Slik Pro 400DX
ISO: 100
Shutter Speed: 1/6 sec
Aperture: f3.8

Comments
We went for dinner with a couple of friends after church today. I ordered a spaghetti and my dear wife, a pizza. I guess we forgot to specify that the pizza was for one human being.

The food was good.

joel@shutteria.com

Day #30 @ Photography Project 365

Specifications
Camera: Nikon D60 (model replaced by Nikon D3000)
Lens: Nikon 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR ED
Flash: N/A
Tripod: N/A
ISO: 400
Shutter Speed: 1/80 sec
Aperture: f5.6

Comments
I found this scene just so adorable. There was a lot of snow outside and these kids decided to build an igloo with their parents. Well, their parents probably did the most part but I'm pretty sure they had a great time too.

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Specifications
Camera: Nikon D60 (model replaced by Nikon D3000)
Lens: Nikon 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR ED
Flash: N/A
Tripod: N/A
ISO: 100
Shutter Speed: 1/125 sec
Aperture: f5.0

Comments
It has been really cold the last few days. Need I say more?

joel@shutteria.com

Day #29 @ Photography Project 365

Specifications
Camera: Canon Digital IXUS 70
Lens: N/A
Flash: N/A
Tripod: N/A
ISO: 400
Shutter Speed: 1/4 sec
Aperture: f2.8

Comments
Look at that pile of...


I took this shot on the way home from work. We've been having so much snow here in Munich the last few days. Scenes like this are scattered across the city at the moment.

joel@shutteria.com

Day #28 @ Photography Project 365

Specifications
Camera: Canon Digital IXUS 70
Lens: N/A
Flash: N/A
Tripod: N/A
ISO: 400
Shutter Speed: 1/100 sec
Aperture: f3.5

Comments
We got lots of snow in Munich!

joel@shutteria.com