Digital Photography Challenge - Create Depth & Connect the Dots

This week my son and I went to the Botanical Gardens to get exercise and so I could take photos for our photography challenge, but we mostly ended up playing Pokemon Go! Play Pokemon Go!? Then you have to visit the State Botanical Garden of Georgia - so many stops and the gym's not bad either. ;)

We are still working on the Team Tech Digital Photography Challenge - you can see the whole challenge here - and this week I tried to focus on two of Josh Cripp's tips, create depth and connect the dots.

I managed to get a few shots between catching Pokemon and visiting stops. Creating depth means to get something very close in the foreground while getting a distant background that makes the viewer feel like they can step into the image. This is a more advanced skill, I think, so it was pretty difficult for me.

Here are a couple of my better tries:


And my worse:



I had a hard time getting the subject properly in the foreground. I'll work on it more.

Connecting the dots for me means using the lines that occur naturally in the frame to lead the viewer's eye around the image.

As for the connecting the dots, here's what I got:
More successful

Less successful:


This is one where the contrast is nice, but the composition is lacking.

Only one more blog about digital photography before we move on to the next technology challenge - Lighting is Everythinger! We'll see what I can get.

Digital Photography Challenge: Simplify, Exaggerate & Perspective is Everything

We are continuing with our Digital Photography Challenge for Team Tech (you can look at the full challenge here), our student technology support team. Today, I'm looking at two more elements mentioned by Josh Cripps in his video 7 Powerful Photography Tips: Simplify and Exaggerate and Perspective is Everything. Since I'm asking our students to do this, I'm going to do it too.

Simplify and exaggerate means that you need to get to the thing that is most essential to your image and cut out all the "extra" stuff and exaggerate means to try to use contrast, perspective, whatever to really make your subject stand out. Warning - novice here, but this is what I got.

Don't do this:

Do this:

Looking at perspective, I think Josh is saying that we need to think about looking at the world from different angles besides just eye level.

So, don't do this: while I did get low, to take the picture, I could have gotten lower and closer.

Try this:

Working through this challenge and reflecting on the process has made me much more cognizant of what could make a great digital image. Putting the knowledge to use is much harder.

Challenge 2 - fill the frame & don't center your subject

Okay, as part of our Challenge 2 for Team Tech this year, we are taking tips from Josh Cripps and trying to become better photographers. All Team Techs need to take photos keeping Josh's tips in mind and blog about them. You can see the complete challenge on our website HERE.

Two tips that Josh Cripps gives is to fill the frame and to NOT center your subject. I've been at the beach with my family this week and they are all my unwitting subjects for this challenge. :) First, I'm trying to fill the frame with what I love. This is harder than it sounds because you have to find that shot that is interesting to you first. Josh is an expert, so please be kind to my rookie attempts. First, I thought I'd show what NOT to do.

Don't do this - what may as well be random people at the pool:

Do this - my baby :):

Filling the frame with what you love is a reminder to really focus on what's fantastic in a shot. That varies, doesn't it? Remember what drew you to the shot in the first place and fill the shot up with it.

The third tip that Josh gives is to remember the rule of thirds - otherwise known as don't center your subject. I remember this rule from my high school art classes at North Hall - thanks, Mrs. Jackson! Images are more interesting if you keep a tic-tac-toe grid in your mind as you take your photos.
Keep your subject in the left or right and try to keep your horizon in the top or bottom third.

Don't do this:

Do this:


While I'm no expert, keeping these tips in mind have definitely led to better vacation photos than the ones I usually take. :) I'll work on a couple more tips in my next post.

A Picture is Worth . . .

At Cedar, we have a cool program called Team Tech. This group of students serves the school as technology techs to help students and teachers. As part of our curriculum, our techs have to complete challenges that help them grow their skills and enter the state Technology Faire.

Last year, a number of Techs chose to do digital photography for the Technology Faire - but their projects were less than stellar since we don't have any photography classes and my knowledge of photography is about nil. We're going to change that.

What would we do without YouTube? I found a great video from photographer Josh Cripps explaining seven basic things you can do to make your photographs better:

So this year our challenges are going center around the different categories for the Technology Faire. We will get better!
Team Tech Website

Geek Squad Academy comes to Cedar,

July 29th and 30th

Next Tuesday and Wednesday, over one hundred CCSD middle and high school students who want to know more about technology and who want to help their schools are coming to Cedar Shoals High School.

As part of their community outreach program, the Best Buy Geek Squad Academy is coming to Cedar Shoals to teach sessions on:

• Programming and Robotics
• Digital Film Production
• Digital Citizenship
• Digital Music
• 3D Printing and CAD design
• Digital Photography

This camp is the kick-off event for our new district wide Student Team Tech program. Since Clarke County school district wil be 1:1 in 4th through 9th grade, these students have stepped up to help their fellow students and teachers with technology. I can't wait to see what we learn!

Summer Reading Challenge!

I hope that everyone is reading their books for the summer reading challenge! I've just started the challenge myself by starting the my first Peach Award Book, Eleanor and Park, by Rainbow Rowell. I'll keep you posted on what I think about it.

There is nothing quite like reading on the beach with your favorite beverage. Where are you all reading? Have you found a special spot this summer? If so, tweet it to #jagsread for an extra entry in our Summer Reading drawing!

Upcoming Events!