It's been a while since I updated with more pictures. I have quite a backlog to process and post, actually, but I've been sharing pictures individually, in the photography social group, and on Facebook (and now a friend is pushing me to get a Flickr account). This thread takes the most effort to update, so it's been a bit neglected.
New! I've changed the way that I'm processing my images. In order to see the EXIF data (aperture value, focal length, white balance, camera and lens used, etc.) you can now view the image properties, and that data should be there for you. This can be done either through your web browser (right click > image properties, in most browsers) or by downloading the picture and examining its properties on your system.
New Gear! I've since returned home to New York and have three new pieces of equipment to add to my photography back: the Zuiko Digital 50mm Macro lens, the EX-25 extension tube, and the Zuiko Digital 70-300mm lens. The 70-300 will be replacing my 40-150mm as the telephoto lens of choice and will allow me to get much better wildlife shots. I'll explain more about each piece of equipment when I get around to posting shots taken with them.
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Today's set of images come from The Getty, an art museum located in Los Angeles. Museums in general tend to be difficult enviromments due to erratic light colors and dark areas. The Getty was a bit different. Being in Southern California, there were many windows in most of the exhibit halls. The building was also made out of a rather interesting type of stone. Those two factors combined created an issue with the white balance of many of the pictures. There were a number of dark areas, as well...
An art museum is generally a boring place for a photographer. Taking pictures of paintings seems like a bit of a weird thing to do, and while there is a certain skill involved in it there isn't much for a photographer to get creative with. Sculptures, on the other hand, are an entirely different story. The angle and position of the picture can drastically alter one's perception of the sculpture, and in some cases they can make the sculpture come alive. A failed picture would result in the sculpture appearing about as appealing as a lump of curved stone.
Even though some of these are a bit blurry due to lighting issues and a lack of a tripod, I'm submitting them for scrutiny. Enjoy!
The Gentle Hand
This statue was located outside, just before the museum entrance.
Song of Light and Stone
The pattern of light coming in from ceiling windows against the stone walls at the museum's entrance.
"Venus with Dolphin" (dolphin not included)
The lighting in this area was very good, but the colors were off. In a series of about 10 pictures I manually adjusted the white balance until the colors on the screen matched with the color of the stone in front of me. Partially out of laziness I think I used this white balance setting for the vast majority of other sculptures, even though the lighting in the rooms may have slightly varied in color.
"The Sphinx"
The Sphinx - Alive
The first image of the Sphinx captured the statue in its entirety rather well. The second image was intended to make it appear a bit more dramatic.
Dog (from "Bear and Dog"[/b]
While this is a poor capture of the sculpture itself, the angle and depth of field give it more of a living feel.
Neptune
While blurry, I liked my concept with this image. Neptune presents us with a shell.
"The Grotesques"
This was a close-up part of a decorative plate. It was one of a few attemps at capturing a two-dimensional artwork and presenting it in a nice fashion. Any thoughts on it? I likely won't be doing much of that in the future.
Museum in Monotone
I admit it - I don't know much about art history, so I breeze by paintings because I can't appreciate them much and I can't get any creative pictures with them. I was partially inspired by
escimo's photography, which is often done in monotone ("black and white"), and took this picture for artistic effect. I have a long way to go before I can match
escimo in monotone photographs.
Hello Down There
"Boy with a Dragon"
"Boy with a Dragon" - Another Angle
I wasn't sure what the overall intent of this sculpture was supposed to be. Was the boy playing with a dragon? Fighting with a dragon? It looks to me like the boy is breaking the dragon's jaw. I attempted the various angles to see if it evoked different feelings about what was going on.
"Pluto"
It's What's for Dinner
I physically position myself so that the shot could appear close behind the creature, and then utilized the depth of field to make the scene appear a bit more alive.
Come Along
This was a rather busy sculpture, but again by utilizing depth of field I was able to draw attention to one area and keep the scene looking alive (or so I think).
Water Sports
Here's some human photography, which is rare for me. I'd originally wanted to capture the stark contrast in colors between the water in both fountains, and I did so in other pictures. However, I spied this young boy and his father between the two, as the boy was happily flicking his hands in and out of the dark water. I've seen better photography of people, but this was a start.
Arcing Fountain
The only challenge in this one was gathering up the courage to hunch down in front of the fountain and get some pictures from this angle.
The Origin
This was a neat little fountain. Located just outside of the museum's main entrance, I'd imagine that many people notice this odd trough of running water and follow it to its end, where it seems to simply drip down a hole. But there's a fun little surprise to be realized...
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As always, comments and criticism appreciated.