Monday, September 25, 2006

Hello,
Hoped everyone had a great weekend. I created blog at http://artsandphotos.blogspot.com/
I love to hear your comments about some of the photos I have taken. I will also be posting my assignments here.

Sunday, September 24, 2006

Camera manual

Adjust the ISO?
- Manually adjusting the ISO is only possible using the creative zone modes (P, Tv, Av, M & A-DEP). There's a quick button next to the LCD display for the "ISO" which lets me go to the menu options and select either ISO 100, 200, 400, 800 or 1600 speed.

Color balance?
- Does this mean the white balance? If not, then I don't know how to adjust it on my camera.. If it means the WB, there's a similar button next to the screen "WB" which allows me to choose from 8 different options, auto, day light, shadow etc.. Works also only using the creative zone modes.

Exposure compensation?
- I can under/over expose my picture in the creative zone modes by simultaneously pressing down one button (Av+-) and turning another (Main Dial).

File size and compression?
- I go to menu and from the first tab I select size/compression. This will allow me to choose from L(3456x2304), M(2496x1664) or S(1728x1152). For each size there are two possible compression settings: fine and normal. Here I can also choose if I want to take pictures in RAW+JPG or only in RAW.

Exposure meter mode?
- In the creative zone modes I press a button next to the LCD. This is a button with a square marking and something in the middle of the square, looks almost like en eye. This takes me to the menu where I can select between evaluative metering, partial metering and center-weighted averaged metering.

Macro focusing?
- This is one of the basic zone modes. I need to choose this mode, focus, zoom and shoot. All the metering will be automatically done by the camera.

Flash mode?
- In the creative zone modes I can choose to have the flash burst even if it doesn't automatically pop-up. This can become handy if there's too much light coming from behind the object, a person for example. To choose not to have a flash at all, I need to turn the dial to the non-flash auto mode. In the basic zone modes flash photography is fully automatic. In creative zone modes, flash can be used whenever necessary. Canon EOS 350D offers an extensive line of features for playing around with the flash and I really don't know yet how it all works.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Five photographs I wish I took and didn't

I've put up the assignment for this week on my blog. You can get there by following the link in this post. I also found a review of Photoshop Elements version 5 done by PC Magazine. It is also listed on my blog.

5 photos I did not take

College Parties

The crazy parties definitely come with the college life. Last year we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in our tiny apartment. Everywhere you looked was green from cups, to steamers, to hats, to balloons, to confetti, and our clothes were even green. I wish I captured all the laughter and craziness that was going throughout that night.


The Soccer Life

I wished I had a photo of this day…all my life I've been playing soccer for my dad's law firm. About two summers ago our team was unstoppable. We won game after game after game…it was the happiest feeling in the world. When we made it to the championship we were all pretty nervous, excited, and a bit tired because it was eight in the morning. We played our hearts during that game if we stumbled or fell we would keep on going. In the second half we were in the lead 2-0 and after that last whistle blew we jumped for joy and ran allover the field saying we’re number one.



Willy

Willy was our friendly energetic golden retriever that we dearly loved. Even though he bugged us when we were watching TV or when we were trying to eat at the dinner table. I remember on the night before Christmas we must have had five pies laid out and ready for Christmas brunch the next day. As we woke the next day we had a huge surprise in stored for us. Willy, the trouble-maker, ate all our delicious pies!! When I reached high school Willy became old and very weak so one day we took him to the vet and put him to sleep. I will never forget Willy, but I wish I had more photos of him.


No One Cared

I know this sounds pretty harsh, but I’m not too fond about beta fish. My mom used to have this bluish beta fish that she loved so much. Some how the fish got sick and his tail began to rot. Everyone knew this fish was done for by the looks of it, but my mom kept giving it medicine day after day. One day I heard my mom squeal, “He’s dead!” She then took out the fish net and scooped the poor guy out of the tank. My mom walked slowly towards me with the fish and said, “Would you like to say any last words.” I probably had the most confusing look on my face and I just had to laugh. I’m thinking it’s just a fish for goodness sake flush the fish down the toilet. I wish I took a photo of my mom right when she said those words because she sounded so sad and convincing.



Cruising in the Caribbean

A long time ago my grandma treated my mom, sister, and I to a cruise ship in the Caribbean. We were busy bees on that ship attending all the amazing shows and attending activities on and off the ship. I believe I got caught up in all the fun that I felt like I didn’t have the time to take any photos around or off the ship. I was going to take a photo of the stingrays but for some reason I thought it would distract them. I wished I took photos on the cruise so I would have a better memory of the whole trip.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

5 pics not taken

5 Pics I didn’t take, but I wish I had…

This is kind of hard trying to think back of the moments not captured on film…

1. I wish I could be enough courageous to take pictures in the open, of people I don’t know. There are a lot of occasions when I think this is not an appropriate place or time to take a picture, even though it would be the most perfect time to take one or two. For example when you’re shopping at a local store, at school, at work etc… This is one thing why I haven’t taken some pictures I wish I had, the lack of courage to take the camera out of my pocket…

2. As a kid, we went to England for two months with my brother to spend the summer with our relatives there and I came back only with one photo. I wish I had taken more pictures back then.

3. I haven’t got practically any photos of my friends back home. This is intertwined with the first one…

4. Either didn’t have my camera with me, or…

5. …the moment was too short to take a picture, cannot specify which particular moments those were, sorry…

Saturday, September 16, 2006

L3CIOS258TO1.pdf (application/pdf Object)

L3CIOS258TO1.pdf (application/pdf Object)
The week 3 lesson outline is posted. There are many links about basic concepts of photography. We will be covering camera skills for three weeks.

Dan's Gallery




Some pictures I have taken from the town I study, the town where I live and from my travels. The Gallery can be found by clicking here

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Describe, briefly, five photographs that you did not take, but wished you had?


- When I moved right before I went to get married I wish I had gotten at least one picture of the truck loaded and the people who helped, as this was the day before I left town and what an experience this all was, including be a stepping stone of my life, stressful, joyous and crazy.
- When the black bear scurried across the road almost directly in front of our truck and went down the embankment into the woods
- Getting fitted for my wedding dress. My friend Jodi was so stressed out and worried my dress would not be done in time, though I will write about it in my journal catching some of the intimate details and expressions to help with the documentation would have been better
- Kenon, my husband receiving his diploma from UAF. I have the program, the announcement but no real good pictures for this momentous occasion
- Pictures or at least one picture of my grandfather from a visit to his home in Florida when I was 16. My grandfather passed away soon after we visited him and I do not have any picture from our visit and it is something I can never get back.

Why do I take photographs?

Why do I take photographs?

I enjoy the possibility to visually express myself.
I want to take photos that address people.
I just don't have the knowledge and the touch to do it yet.
I like photos which I can say "WOW" to, whether it is of a
person, of a building, animal, an angle I haven't seen before..
I want to take pictures I enjoy looking at maybe even
thinking, "did I do that, did I take that photo? Was I there
at thetime the picture was taken?" And being able to
answer: "Yes!". I'm a student of marketing and hope that
to some extend I will be able to make use of my photographic
skills in my future work, whether it would be taking
photos, editing photos, or being generally involved with
graphics.

What photographs I imagined taking when I bought my camera?

All kinds of photos that interests me. Pictures of my
surroundings, where I go, my family, the nature, what I do,
etc. Digital camera gives so much opportunities in respect
of editing, deleting unwanted pictures, almost limitless
number of pics limited only by the size of your memory card.
I need to find out how to take impressive photos.

Assignment 1: Why do I take photographs?

I have a blog i just started on Vox, a new blogging service by Six Apart, Inc. I will use that blog for the class, please follow the link for my assignment, or go to http://crisby.vox.com

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Student Questionaire

CIOS 258 Student Questionnaire

Name: Katrina Lynn Paul (Nelson)

Email Address for joining web log: akkatrina@yahoo.com

1. What camera do you currently have?
Canon Digital Rebel XT EOS

2. How well do you know how to use your camera?
I know how to put my camera on auto then point and shoot

3. Do you have your camera manual? Have you read the manual?
I have my manual, but I have only read it as I have needed to figure something out.

4. How many digital photographs, roughly, do you have on your computer or stored on CD’s?
Between work and home I have thousands of pictures on my hard drive, shared drive, and on CD’s.

5. Do you have many negatives that you would like to digitize? Roughly, how many?
Currently I do not have any, but I know my parents do and I would like to learn how to do this for future reference.

6. Do you have experience with Photoshop or other photo editing software? Describe your experience briefly.
I have some basic (very basic) Photoshop use. I have used Photoshop to crop, zoom, and do some basic editing, blurring, and cloning.

7. Are you a comfortable computer user? Would you briefly describe your experience?
I am comfortable using a computer; I use one at work for most of the day. I am proficient in Microsoft office, Dream weaver, Internet usage and various other programs. I have a very basic knowledge of Photoshop, Quark, PageMaker, and Adobe Acrobat

8. Can you list a least five things that you would love to learn from this course?
ü Altering photos into B&W and/or Septra
ü What all the settings on the camera mean, and why one would use them
ü How to use Photoshop to edit my pictures
ü How to use blogs efficiently and effectively
ü Understanding resolution, pixels, size and formats better

Why do I take photographs?


Taking pictures has always been a way of documenting an event or place, being able to capture that moment in time that would otherwise be lost forever in the cracks of the mind. I love to scrapbook, and work on creating the storybook effect on my life and my family’s lives covering pertinent events and happenings. It is also great to be able to get those candid shots and be able to email them out to my parents and brothers to keep them apprised and involved in my live and vise versa(as a aunt to five beautiful kids I love receiving pictures as I only get to see them maybe once a year). Recently I have begun taking pictures for our campus and I am trying to get those pictures that capture the essence of our students and the campus surroundings. I hope to create that positive image that draws students, faculty, partners, and funders to our different campuses whether it is in person or completing the story or maybe even telling the story. I have not been as successful as I want to be which is partly why I am taking this class,

Friday, September 08, 2006

CIOS 258 Digital Photography Cysewski

CIOS 258 Digital Photography Cysewski
I have created a public Google Notebook where I have clipped many useful bits of information about photography. It will be a great tool for the course. Please look around. I also highly recommend Google Notebooks, it is a great program for gathering information.