8Nov/06Off
Photo of the Week: Pool by Myself
Playing around with my new remote control for my camera. This trick is pretty easy to do:
- Put camera on tripod and don't touch it
- Turn off autofocus, select a smaller aperture (higher f-stop number), and manually focus on something about 1/3 of the way into the scene. This helps give you a large depth of field so more of the scene is in focus.
- Use remote or self-timer to take three different shots (try not to block light sources like windows or lamps)
- Put the three shots as three layers in one image using Photoshop
- Erase the parts of the top two layers so that the desired parts of the shots underneath show through
- Flatten and save
What I'd really like to do is get several shots of Sam playing on her swingset, preferably in different sets of clothes, so that I can put together a multi-Sam montage. That's my next project.
November 8th, 2006 - 07:56
Hey, that’s pretty cool! Inspirational even!
I think I’ll try this with my gear. If I have any success I’ll be sure to report back. I don’t have a remote though, so I’ll be going with the timer. What remote do you have? And where is it in the pictures?
November 8th, 2006 - 08:22
Thanks! Let me know how yours works out. I just did this one quick experiment and think I could be a lot more creative.
This is the remote. It’s small enough that I just palmed it or slipped it into my pocket in the pictures above.
November 8th, 2006 - 11:21
Hee hee! Very fun.
November 9th, 2006 - 10:01
Very cool, I’m going to try this over the weekend.
November 10th, 2006 - 13:38
Well … My first few attempts out of the gate aren’t even worth showing. I thought I’d be clever and catch my daughters cute little behind in the tub. Turns out that I didn’t think about the water moving and how I was ever going to blend those photos together … Doh!
Then came me and my poor old timer approach. With those new Tivo rates, I just can’t afford a remote. I can’t train my daughter to stay still for any amount of time either. I guess it’s fair given that she’s only two, but what I wouldn’t give for a “look at the camera for ten seconds” mode of operation!
The moral of my story is (a) have a remote and (b) pick your shots carefully. I was thinking of trying a set like this on the playground slide, but telling a two-year old to defy the laws of physics and freeze-frame halfway down the slide, while my timer goes off seems a bit impractical. Then there’s the whole issue of the sand at the bottom.
Turns out that this is a bit more difficult a shot than I thought it would be! I’m still keeping my hopes up though! I’ll post again if I get anything decent.
November 10th, 2006 - 14:31
Yeah, two year olds aren’t exactly cooperative when it comes to posing for the camera. Motion isn’t necessarily a bad thing, unless it’s disturbing the scene. I guess you really only want your subject to change from shot to shot.
November 13th, 2006 - 12:45
i’ve been lurking around since benmac first linked to you. although it was sam’s story that first drew me in, i’m loving all your latest photos and tips – thanks! cool effect in this week’s shot!
November 14th, 2006 - 07:43
Thanks, Kristi! Glad you’re enjoying it.