effulge creative

photography by Joseph K Cowdell

Tag: photography

  • 4K North Star Trails and Milky Way Photography in Pine Valley, Utah · Polaris Vinyl

    4K North Star Trails and Milky Way Photography in Pine Valley, Utah · Polaris Vinyl

    Long exposure night photography from Pine Valley, Utah. These two sets of photographs capture star trails and our night sky. These sets helped me determine the correct exposure and optimal time for night photography at nearly 7,000 feet (2100 meters) above sea level.
     
    The first set of photographs, Polaris Vinyl, faced the north star (Polaris) and was photographed for over one hour in Pine Valley, Utah, USA.
     
    The second set of photographs, Milky Way Rising, faced east and was photographed for over two hours in Pine Valley, Utah, USA. Next time, I will cut the exposure time in half while reducing the Milky Way’s star trails.
     
    Equipment used: Mirrorless camera, 14mm lens at f/1.8 lens, sturdy tripod, cable release
    Pine Valley Milky Way Rising 2021-05-16 Joseph Cowdell
  • Fort Pearce Milky Way with Hayden

    Fort Pearce Milky Way with Hayden

  • Composition – The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

    Composition – The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

    3. The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly Requirements

    After our composition discussion, you should be able to filter the content of your images more effectively and arrange things to be more pleasing and emphasize your choices. Further, our exposure discussion should give you the tools you’ll need to grade your images effectively to emphasize the subjects of your choosing.

    For this assignment, you’ll need to choose an interesting or unusual outdoor subject such as an old car, a barn, or anything that can stand out in its environment. It can be anything, as long as you can isolate it in a pleasing compositional manner.

    Take 5 images with poor composition and good exposure. Take 5 more images with good composition and good exposure. Be prepared to explain why the poor composition is poor and why you consider the good compositions to be good. Don’t take the easy way out. Find a subject you can frame and compose well.

    This assignment is for Digital Photography course (ART 2060) at Dixie State University in St. George, Utah taught by Alex Chamberlain in the Fall of 2015.

  • Getting to Know You – Introduction to Photography

    Getting to Know You – Introduction to Photography

    1. Getting to Know You – Introduction

    It’s time to familiarize yourself with your camera. You’re also going to get your first photo assignment! Approach a friend or family member and ask them for three random words from the top of their head. Pick the one you like best and take 5 photographs dealing with that subject. In order to get full points you will need to demonstrate the following:

    • A willingness to experiment. Shoot all 5 photos in “manual” mode and try out the camera’s controls. You’ll be hard-pressed to damage anything. Get creative and find out what things do. If you turn in photos that are too similar or are made with very similar camera settings, you’ll lose credit.
    • A willingness to work hard for your images. This doesn’t always mean walking a long way or lots of physical labor, but you need to put a lot of thought into your subject. Since this class is considered an art course, your solution must be creative and artistic. If your images look like a “snapshot,” re-shoot.

    It will be important in every assignment that your images are sharp and focused properly. If they are close, but not quite perfectly sharp, you should re-shoot. That’s a good rule of thumb: shoot and shoot again until you take a photo you are truly in love with. Turn in five Jpegs in a single .zip file as your final deliverable.

    This assignment is for Digital Photography course (ART 2060) at Dixie State University in St. George, Utah taught by Alex Chamberlain in the Fall of 2015.