Still Life: Shoes

Trying still life photography was a challenge for me. It was not easy at all, and it took me a lot of time to be contented of the pictures that I took. The process was long, tiring, and frustrating, but I didn’t give up, because without hard work, you will get nothing. So after an hour of continuous shooting and editing, I produced 5 photos that made me happy and satisfied.

My subject: A pair of shoes of my father. It was rugged, old, and dusty. I was interested in its texture and color, and also by the fact that it is still intact for so many years.

"These are my new shoes. They're good shoes. They won't make you rich like me, they won't make you rebound like me, they definitely won't make you handsome like me. They'll only make you have shoes like me. That's it." Charles Barkley  (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/charlesbar161412.html#LbHXDed8YRoqOwbu.99)

Nature in Picture

I was searching a poem about nature when I found the website called http://www.familyfriendpoems.com. There were a lot of poems in there, but what caught my attention was the introduction created by the maker of the site. It was about the beauty and complexity of nature, and how it will always amaze us.

“Whether one is watching a thrilling thunderstorm or looking up at a mighty tree, the experience of nature is one of awe. One cannot help but marvel at the intricate design of a single leaf, or the roar of a great waterfall. Time spent in nature is time spent realizing that you don't know it all and that you never will. A great place for a family to relate to each other is in the beauty of nature. Petty arguments and grudges fall to the wayside in the face of nature's majesty. The earth is meant to be enjoyed by its inhabitants. That includes keeping it in the pristine condition in which it was discovered. Everyone has a part of the earth that they relate to the most. Whether it is a majestic mountain range, a roaring waterfall, a bouquet of flowers, or the calm of the woods, these are places to get to know oneself and build bonds with family.”

Source: http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poems/nature/#ixzz31zxheX7c 
Family Friend Poems 

The pictures below were some macro shots of leaves and flowers that I took a few days ago. Words may be limited in expressing the wonders of nature, but I believe that a picture truly speaks a thousand words. 

Playing with Exposure

When I bought Canon EOS 1200D, I promised myself that I would devote my time in learning photography. I don’t  want that the promising ability of my camera to take good pictures will be put to waste. It’s summer, and I've got nothing to do, so I always watched video tutorials about the tricks in photography. It was really interesting and so much fun. The first lesson that I learned was about exposure. Based on what I learned, exposure is the combination of the aperture, ISO, and shutter speed. When you take better control of the three elements, you can have a good exposure, resulting in better pictures. 

I was just starting to learn, so the pictures aren't that great. By the way, I am using Lightroom in order to improve the quality of the pictures. I often use Presets that I downloaded freely from http://www.presetsheaven.com/. 

:)