Here comes the time to summarize what I learned in Week 3 (or Week 2 as I started counting from 0 😉 )Last week I wrote about three pillars of photography and intended to use that on my Photography camera or try on the Manual mode of my phone. Bummer I am unable to get hold of the Camera, neither iPhone has Manual mode in its Camera App. (Well, unless I pay for 3rd party apps). So, while I work out my logistics here, Let’s talk about a few tools I found very useful:
As I said earlier in 1st post, I had camera enable phone since 2016. I have been a vivid (horrible ) photographer since the beginning. But the problem is when you are taking 100s photos everything is for memories. And over time you have so many pictures you don’t want to look back at them, will eat up the memory of your phone. While I always have been good at deleting pictures I don’t like still there are just too many of them. All the good memories are just lost in many many shitty photographs.
“Key to Remembering your life is deleted your photos”
A while back I stumbled on this video by John Harris.
Google photos is the tool I have been using for a year now. Ever since Life has been so easier. Best thing I have changed 3 times never had to worry about losing memories. Once In a while, I scroll through the google photos app on my phone and delete a lot of photos. The key is you don’t need more than a couple of pictures from one place/moment.
Check out more about Google photos and how to use it to back up your pictures here:
Best part about google photos for me; It tags your photos and automatically categorize them by <date>, <months>, <location>, <by person or persons> or even <things>. For example, one quick search for “Saskatoon”, would give all the pictures I have taken in Saskatoon. or the search for “Dogs”, will give all the pictures of dogs in my photo galley. While I was writing this blog and trying to collect screenshots of the application, I found another cool feature. It created a map of your pictures. Here is a map of all of my photos ever taken:
SASK:
INDIA:
I also found this memory of an amazing day I had completely forgotten about: (Shows how powerful this tool can be)
Another tool, I have been exploring as learn photography, is “Snapseed”, I have always found the inbuilt editor of my phone quite capable until I stumbled upon Snapseed a few weeks back. “Snapseed” plays well with google photos. And is very useful for fine touchups, I have not used it much beyond basic editing yet. Honestly, I don’t understand it much; probably I will dedicate my whole week just to learn basic photo editing with Snapseed and writing a blog on it. Meanwhile check out this blog on Snapseed: ClickMe
At the start of the blog, I mentioned I was unable to get a hold of a smartphone camera, which gives me more control over camera configurations or a photography camera. But as I was looking for resources to understand the three pillars I discussed in the previous blog here, I found this amazing tool. This kind of allows me to simulate the ingredients of photography for better understanding.
On this simulator, there are three sliders to control in the Left Top section:
- APERTURE
- SHUTTER SPEED
- ISO
On the right top section: This will change depending on what is clicked on. This section described the effect of the slider selected. At bottom of this section, a simplified illustration is shown. For example: when I select ISO, the more I move the slider to right, the more grainy the picture would look (or they are calling it digital noise). OR, move the shutter slider, I will show if the blades on the plane will come out as still (nice and clear) or blurry.
The important thing, around the bottom of the top-left section, there is the “Exposer Meter “. Which actually, gives me the idea of the image will come out as too bright or dark. And Goal is to keep this meter at the center; By using the combination of three parameters.
Below is the slide show is various combinations for the scene. And as I am trying this out, I am realizing one thing: “You can’t have it all”.
In Frame #3, I was trying to freeze the blades, but it was getting too dark, so, needed to compensate with ISO. And the picture is too grainy.
That was all the learning I have to share for blog#3. Interestingly that all without evening picking up a photography camera. Just the use of technology and tools in this digital world has made out life so easy. This brings me to “SAMR Model”.<Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition>
Technology start with providing substitutes as new invention come along. Similar to when world moved from film photography to digital photography. While digital photography was on rise, there came the time of digital tools i.e Photoshop, providing “Augmentation” to photography. Now with time, even the camera on the phone getting as much as professional camera, “Modifying” the whole concepts of photography. With the addition Smart features and advice capabilities or call is all on one capable device, “personal smart phone”; there is change in preceptive how we see and take photographs. we only need to worry what we want in frame and modern phone is capable to find optimal configuration it needs to capture a good photos. And is completely “Redefining” the photography space. Here is one interesting article I found about photography with any modern cameras, “Computational Photography”
Its wonderful, concept of “SAMR Model”, which categorizes four different degrees of classroom technology integration, is applicable to my personal learning journey. In a way, How I am learning photography just by using online tools without any instructor or making making notes on this blog for future myself (and other, depends how useful reader find it), can be easily broken down into application of “SAMR Model”.
That’s all for blog #3.
To close off; if you have made so far, Thank you a lot. Its September 30th is 2 days (from publishing of this article); I would encourage you to take a few moment to honors the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Read more about this day here “National Day for Truth and Reconciliation”.