Decisions, decisions
Mostly the result of an experiment to get to know my camera better.
Mostly the result of an experiment to get to know my camera better.
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Apr, 2015Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this picture right in my living room. The marble chess table is one of my prized possessions, and I love the chess pieces as well. It's like a day in a park on a life-sized chess board, only Groot is just about 15 cm tall here.Time
I believe that this was a late afternoon.Lighting
The lighting is all natural, no flash, no particular setup. The light from the windows with shades drawn seemed pretty perfect for this shot.Equipment
I used a Canon EOS 600D on a tripod, no flash. I tried a lot of different depth of field variations until I found one that made this shot as good as I could have hoped for.Inspiration
As I said above, I just love that chess table and the pieces I inherited with it. As this is one of my early photo experimentations, I was basically just trying to find everyday objects to use for somewhat interesting photos. So I played around with Groot and the chess pieces. I have a whole range of pictures from this shoot, but this turned out to be the best. Juxtaposing the modern toy with the classic pieces on a marble table seemed like a perfect setup. It's playful, and for some reason, the title "decisions, decisions" came to mind right away. It's really one of the shots I'm most proud of, since everything about it was planned.Editing
I do all post-processing with Lightroom. With this shot, I just tinkered a tiny bit with saturation, contrast, and temperature.In my camera bag
To be perfectly honest, I had to sell my camera for the time being. I'll invest in a new one as soon as I'm able. So usually, I just carry an iPhone with me for everyday shots. Everything else unfortunately will have to wait until I'm able to invest in another Canon (or, if I get to be rich some day, maybe a Leica).Feedback
I'm really such a newbie when it comes to photography, and the manual settings are still often a struggle. It took me a lot of attempts to get the depth of field and composition of the picture just right. So I believe the only real advice for anyone in my position is to not give up trying. Everything that is slow going at first will become easier and quicker with practice. I learned a lot from my failure to get shots right, and I intend to keep practicing as soon as I have another camera. And if manual control is too much of a struggle when a quick shot is wanted or needed, then I believe there's no shame in using Autofocus, even though most photographers will tell you that this is a big no-no. However, in my opinion, a good shot taken with Autofocus and the joy that comes with it beats a failed shot taken with manual controls. Maybe my advice for other newsbies like me would therefore be to use Autofocus in vacation or other settings where a failed shot would be unfortunate, and practice manual controls in controlled settings (like in a self-made lightbox). With practice, the need to use Autofocus will become less and less frequent. Also... Look around you. Your house or apartment holds things you hold dear. These things, especially when set in contrast with something else (modern/ancient, serious/playful, dark/light) can easily make for an interesting shot. And sometimes, you are rewarded with a shot like this one, where even years later, I'm so happy with the result, I always end up smiling when I see this picture.
