Early Morning

Another of the shots from my day experimenting with the 'toy camera' filter:

Experiments for a new technique - Double Exposure

I think double exposure is not for anybody. Even doing it in camera, it required a lot of post processing to get to a point where I kind of liked the result, and even so it is very easy to fall into a 'cliche', like I did here by juxtaposing some flowers and my friend's portrait.

This is the final image:

And this is the original:

I think this was OK for a first experiment, but for next time I will think of some ways to give my double exposure more meaning. What do you think?

Week 19 - A New Technique

This week's challenge was all about trying something new and experimenting. I tried playing with double exposures and freelensing (shooting with the lens detached from the body of the camera), but in the end I did not think my experiments were good enough to include in an album, so I went with my fallback plan of trying out the "advanced filters" feature on my Fujifilm X-E2 camera.

There are a lot of filter to play with, among which selective colour, 'tilt-and-shift' and soft focus, but the two I experimented with most were colour-pop and toy camera. Colour pop (obviously) gives all colours a boost of saturation, making them stand out, while toy camera produces weird colours and a prominent vignette, to simulate a cheap film camera of old. I also went one step further in my experiments and tried a lot of shooting from the hip, centered subjects and finding weird or unusual shots during mundane activities like walking in the park. I had a lot of fun and captured a few interesting shots, out of which I chose this one to submit:

I just realized this is the first photo with a portrait orientation that I submit for the 52 frames project... Anyway, I like this shot because of the sharp angles and the unbalanced feeling it gives me, I like the lines forming a V and splitting the frame in three, and I like that the guy's hands and body are also forming Vs and sharp angles.

All in all, playing with this filter has been fun, but I don't know if I would use it on a day to day basis. The colours are interesting, but the vignette is a bit too much for me most of the time.

Week 18 - Behind the Scenes

I took this shot in an unused exhibition space of the National Library. I liked how the empty exhibition panels let some of the light from the doors through and created long shadows on the floor, as well as coloured glimpses of the world outside. A mom and her baby wandered off from the main exhibition into this empty space and peered from behind the panels, and I took the chance to use them as a back-lit subject. I also tried a cross-processing technique which worked better than I expected in such a high contrasting scene.

PS. My photo got featured on the group page, with the following caption: This image was carefully planned and executed by Irina Dodea, for this week's "Behind the scene" challenge for our framers. Take a moment to read the story behind this shot, or alternatively, admire with us the multiple lines, pleasing symmetry, and excellent use of contrast in this scene (underline by me for bragging)

Week 17 - Macro

This challenge was a bit of a chore for me so I have been postponing this post for a while, and lagging behind on the subsequent weeks as a result. I don't know why, but macro is just not for me. I really like what other people can achieve with macro photography, but moving a tripod around a subject to try and capture its most interesting minute details is not my cup of tea. I'll take waiting for hours in a spot on the street over it in not time!

The fact that I am trying to exclusively use my mirrorless camera added to my frustration, because I cannot get a decent macro shot with this camera and my kit lens. I tried a few close-ups, but in the end none had the intimacy of a 'real' macro, so I caved and got out the big guns: Nikon D300 and an old macro lens that no longer works in auto focus. I armed myself with all the patience I could muster, set up the tripod and started circling one of my blooming orchids. I did get a few shots that I consider decent, and in the end I ended up using a big colour and sharpness boost to create a 'symphony in pink' (I know, pretentious title):

What do you think?

Week 16 - Through a Child's Eyes

Also known as 'tutu time' :)

It was not easy trying to photograph my daughter playing, but I did have fun.