January 15, 2012 - Eastern Market Washington DC.

January 15, 2012 - Eastern Market Washington DC. Ran down here this morning for a bit of shopping. Am a fan - and am glad that it has been revitalized after the fire several years ago. Picked up a few bits of this and that - chili makings, lemons for Caesar dressing, and shrimp to steam for dinner. Today was colder and windy. Not as many folks outside, but still everything was well attended. They've torn down the temporary structure that was used while the market was being rebuilt. Only wish is that parking were easier to find. Sunday shopping - didn't have to pay a meter. Tons of history in this place. It was used as a hospital during the civil war.

Photo details: Canon 5dII, handheld, natural light. 70mm focal length. ISO 100, 1/100th @ f/5.0. Retouched with Lightroom - mostly just color balance and overall exposure. No real cropping, though straightened up the frame slightly.

Critique: This probably deserved more of a wide angle than I shot here. Framing is a bit odd - almost too tight. Was fighting to keep the top of the flag pole and the people's feet in the frame at the same time. Was shot mid-day, which isn't usually conducive to a great angle of light. It is just past mid-winter and the sun is at a fairly low angle. That gives a bit of drama, but also created some odd shadows.

January 8, 2012 - Wine and Cheese at Screwtop

 
January 8, 2012 - Wine and Cheese at Screwtop

Tonight was the monthly pick-up for Wine Club at Screwtop. We met friends, did the tasting, and then grabbed a table for a bit more wine and some food. We started with a Cheese and Charcuterie Sampler - some of which is pictured above.

Photo was shot on the Canon 5DmkII, using the 50mm f/1.4, handheld. Exposure: 1/160th @ f/1.8 - ISO 100. Lit by available light - which in this case was a window camera left plus a bit of overhead halogen or incandescent lights. You can see a bit of the competing color balance - warm sparkles from the lights, plus the cooler sky colors. Minor retouching was done in Lightroom. Working the short Depth of Field again - the 50 is good for that.

What do I like about this frame? I like the overall warmish, inviting colors. I'm a big fan of wine and cheese, so for me, the subject matter is appealing. The contrasting shapes are fun, as well. Yes, that one cheese really is that orange. And delicious too! As was the Blue.

What could I have done better? I think my composition needs work. I tend to do most of my shooting with spot metering turned on, and the focus locked at the center point. I think this leads to everything being right smack in the middle of the frame. My bad habit is to just fire the frame, without recomposing to add a bit of interest. I had some of that going on here. I did do a bit of cropping, which is helped things a bit, but still, I have a lot of 'look right here in the middle' going on.

January 6, 2012. Saki Cat

January 6, 2012. Saki Cat - Always the whirling dervish. She loves to fetch and will retrieve over and over and over, returning whatever it is, dropping it nearby and trilling, until you throw it again. Shown here is a crinkly happy-face fuzzball, which is one of her favorites. And, she'll alternate who she brings it back to for the next throw. She'll dig it out from behind things, if it lands there, or out from the midst of other things - such as the basket of shoes we have by the back door. Over and Over and Over. Always a ball of energy.

The photo was taken with a Canon 5DmkII, a 50mm f/1.4 lens, and available light. Exposure: 1/4 second at f/1.4, ISO 200. The camera was handheld, which likely accounts for some of the lack of focus. The constant motion of the cat accounts for most of the rest. Using the wide aperture gives me a very short depth of field - this is one of my favorite go-to methods for cat photos and the like, focusing attention on piece of the greater whole. I was shooting from a low point of view - with the camera was basically sitting on the ground. This is another of my preferences for cat or pet photos. Shoot from their eye level, their point of view.

What could I have done better? I feel the photo is a bit flat, color-wise, and soft, focus-wise. I probably could have use a tripod or similar, though that can be tough if you're following a moving target like a cat. I could alternately have cranked the ISO a bit to give me a higher shutter-speed which would have been easier to handhold without completely sacrificing the motion blur. The 5D2 is good enough in low light that wouldn't have introduced my noise; that was one of the reasons I bought it in the first place.

Finally, looking at the picture, I think its likely time for a new cat toy - that one is looking a bit too well enjoyed.