I've been taking a candid photography class for the last 7 weeks. Yes it has been 7 weeks. I can't believe it. I want to take it again or want more of it. I am hooked. There has been some stuff that has taxed me. Some assignments that I'm trying to wrap my head around. I only have two more weeks before class is over. I am missing parts to all my assignments that have yet to be turned in. I've been thinking about them, studying the material and just trying different things. One part of my assignment is shutter speeds. I've done the first part of the assignment and want to redo it, but there is another part to the assignment that I haven't even tried. So I talked to John and he agreed to drive me to the nearest overpass so that I can take pictures of the overpass. I shot the whole thing in manual. I didn't put it on auto, or on any of the creative zones. I was excited. These pictures are extremely grainy but I'm OK with that this time. I see the pictures in the magazines of the blurred lights on a street and everything else is crystal clear, but this was my first time.

I'm going to post my settings for these photos. This is just for my reference later when I go back to review my blog. This might be my favorite one.

Shutter speed: 5 sec. Aperture Value: f/16 ISO: 1600

Shutter speed: 3.2 secs (how long the shutter stays open), Aperture: f/14 (that is how narrow the lens opening is), ISO: 1600 (that is how sensitive the camera is to light).

Shutter speed: 3.2 sec, Aperture: f/14, ISO 1600

Shutter speed: 5 sec. Aperture: f/22 ISO: 1600

Now I think that I like the pictures better that have the longer shutter speeds. I also think that I would like to try focusing on the other side of the road. The side that the cars are driving away from me. I like these shots due to the fact that the road kind of converges in the distance. I have no idea what the blue lights are in these pictures. John thinks that it might be lights reflecting from the airport. It might also be dirt on my lens reflecting light. That is more likely the case. I'll have to try again. I'm wondering if earlier in the evening would be better or right before sun rise. I wonder if I can decrease my ISO. I'm wondering if I should change my composition and either be more right or left of the road. Is my eye drawn into the photo by the moving lines or right through the photo. Can I pick up more details in the clouds? My teacher primarily shoots photos of moving people but she has so much insight as to what makes great composition. I'm going to ask her all of these questions.

I would have shot more but it was cold outside and a police officer stopped by the truck to see if anything was wrong. We weren't out there for more than ten minutes. What would go through your mind if you saw someone carrying a tripod with something dark attached to it, at night on an overpass? Does it seem suspicious in any way? The police officer was very nice and commented on how it was a good night for it. He wasn't outside. I'll try again later. My next thing I want to try is setting my tripod in the middle of a merry-go-round and taking a picture of one of the kids while it is spinning, so that I blur the back ground. It's just be rainy lately and the one day it was nice I had a doctor appointment. We may do this even if it is rainy so that I get a photo critique in before class is over.