Alpha Photography Blog

Now the New Year is here I’ve started to think about different photography projects I can look into this year. Normally my travels provide a wealth of choice in terms of subjects, but 2007 didn’t bring new destinations, so for 2008 I’m going to be proactive!

Sure, travel is fun and it’s not just about photography, but if you’re away somewhere, it makes your eye tune into different scenes, looking for something interest. Having been to the same destinations mulitple times, I venture to look at the same things with a new perspective, but it’s not quite as fun as seeing something for the first time.

So, before this year gets too far away from me, I’ve started to think about different projects I can look at…

The first is a camping trip with a bunch of friends to photograph star trails. City lights are terrible for viewing stars, which means driving for at least 3 hours away from the city to really see any bright stars in the night sky.

The major consideration is the type of equipment. Naturally a tripod is a must, as well as a cable release. Then there’s what type of camera. My grandfather gave me his Pentax K1000, which is a heavy, mechanical camera. The battery lasts for hours and hours, which is perfect for star trails.

Depending on the weather, I’d like to try a shutter speed of 5 hours and another of 8 hours and compare the difference. So long as the trip comes off, I’ll let you know how this experiment goes.

That’s the first outing. The other photo I’d love to get is electric lightning. That’s a little more difficult to plan. I’ll just have to keep my ears and eyes on the news and drive to a mountain during the storm.

Hmmm…. We’ll see about that one.

A good waterfall shot is also something I’ll like to get. For that I’ll need to invest in a stronger Neutral Density filter, so I can really slow the shutter speed down. Here is my best effort to-date:

Considering the amount of sunlight I was pretty happy with this shot, but there’s too much contrast.

Some fun, candid people photos would also be great. That is getting more and more difficult to do though. People get suspicious as to what you’re doing, and what you’ll be using the photos for.

Then there’s the problem with getting model releases if I want to use any of the images in stock libraries. I might just practice and see what I get.

So, these are part of my New Years photographic resolutions. Wish me luck!

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