Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Blue

I stumbled across a fun new photo project the other day. Anna Carson is hosting Project Blue where, you guessed it, people post photos of something blue. Hmm I thought, this will be fun. I have loads of blue things around. 113 (yes really) attempts later I'm humbled to say that my photographic skills still lag far behind my artistic vision. I can "see" what I'd like to capture in my mind's eye, but making that vision a reality is a lot more challenging. I'm learning (and hopefully improving) each time I take out my camera but SLR's are a whole new world for me and the learning curve is still steep. One of these days I'm going to have to find the time for a photography class. In the meantime, I'm haunting photography sites and trying to glean tips and techniques wherever I can. Oh, and taking hundreds of pictures.

Here are two that managed to hide from my overactive delete key.

Constructive criticism gladly accepted.




21 comments:

Leora said...

Neat. To participate, you just fill in her little form? I'll think blue today. Blue doesn't naturally occur as often as other colors, so it is a bit more challenging.

Constructive criticism? The scissors look great! Why the expectation of criticism? Or are you saying, if someone has something helpful to say, it's OK if it comes out in a critical manner?

Gina said...

I think you've done a great job.. that's the trick to getting good shots...take heaps and select the best!! That's all I do. Looking forward to seeing more of your blue! :)

Robin said...

Yes, to participate you just sign the linkie with your name and the link to your "blue" post. Come on along, it's fun.

By constructive criticism I mean that I'd love to hear any suggestions people have for how these pictures could be improved upon. I too like the way they came out (as opposed to the 90+ something that I deleted) but there's always room for improvement. I'm still a real amateur with all of this and am happy to learn from others more experienced or knowledgeable or with a better eye than mine. All I ask is that it be constructive, i.e. said with a genuine intent at helping, rather than a generic "your pictures suck" type response.

Robin said...

Thanks Gina, we cross-posted :). I'm definitely good at the "take lots" shotgun type approach. Thank heavens for digital!

Anonymous said...

Great takes! Love the perspective of each.

Melli said...

LOL! I think there's far more amateurs playing "blue" than pros! I wouldn't worry too much about it -- just have FUN! That's really what photography is about -- fun and experimenting!

Robin said...

Oh I am having fun Melli, but I'm also very interested in growing as a photographer and moving beyond where I am now :). I made the move from point and shoot to DSLR because I wanted to take better photos - things that my P&S couldn't manage. Now that I've got the better camera I'm working on the technical knowhow that needs to go with it to really reap the benefits of an SLR and create the pictures I can see in my mind's eye. I'm still definitely having fun though, don't you worry :).

Robert said...

It is your vision that will continue to drive your photographic skills. Keep at it and have fun. Since I've been experimenting with getting in close, I really like how you did these two images. Starting back and moving in. I look forward to coming back and see where you go next!

Anonymous said...

Maybe if mine were blue, I wouldn't lose them so much?!

Janet said...

First of all, I love the blue against the gray. Great choice of colors! And sometimes it DOES take many, many shots to get a few good ones. I like the first shot better than the second, not sure why. Just appeals to me more!

Raven said...

These came out great. I know what you mean about the vision and what comes out. It gets very frustrating, especially for someone as impatient as I am. I think these are both really interesting angles.

Karen Coutu said...

I think you did a great job, especially with the first shot. I like the reflection.

Anonymous said...

Hey, who's to criticize? I'd never say anything "cutting." At least you can "see" what you want to capture. I'm not that visual, I just snap a picture. You did a good job.

Unknown said...

this reminds me...need new pair of scissors. :)

Shannon said...

I love your blue photo! I have no criticism since I am certainly no better in the photography department though I aspire to be great. Just keep pluggin' away!

L^2 said...

You did a nice job with these, and I really like the first one. To me photography is about seeing things in new ways. It’s all about finding interesting light/shadows and angles (and many times that means taking tons of shots just to get one or two that you really like). A lot of people's (snapshot) photos are boring because they show a view from the same way we all see things every day – like looking down at a flower or a child. – but when you change the angle a bit (like moving down to shoot at eye level with the flower – or in this case the scissors) it gives a more interesting perspective. Plus, there’s some nice bokeh going on in the first one, which is always a fun effect to try for, especially when doing close-up photos. :-)

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

I think you're doing fine. But then, what do I really know? Not too terribly much, I must confess...

Phyllis Sommer said...

ooh, nice. i like the second one best.

Unknown said...

I love the first one. I love reflections and shadows.

Lilli & Nevada said...

something simple with a beautiful blue color

Shelly said...

I'm with you...really want to learn. These photo challenges have taught me a lot and the best thing is they force me to get out there and shoot a whole lot of shots. The funny thing is that the shots I think will be good...aren't and the shots that I don't think will be good...are! Lesson? Shoot and shoot and shoot some more ;) The fabulous thing is that the pro's who participate are so incredibly kind and supportive of folks like us who are trying to learn.