Photo of the Day
Tonight I took the new lens to the Brawl House to try it out in a low lighting situation. This really is shooting in low lighting at its finest. I took my 1.4x extender just in case I could shoot fast with it, but that was out of the question. I really have been wanting to test the lens out, and this was a great opportunity. The Lafayette Brawlin’ Dolls were having a practice, and they didn’t mind that I took some shots. So in essence I was practicing while they were practicing. I really enjoy watching the bouts, so it was very interesting to see how they prepare for them. The next bout is September 29th, and that can’t come soon enough. Until then I have a few shots to edit from today’s double practice.
Technical Data
I really struggled to walk the fine line between having a sharp picture, and a bright picture. The low light really is a challenge. I tried a few things since this was practice after all. Early on I was shooting in manual mode, but the changing light was a lot to keep up with. I then tried using aperture priority mode for a while. That way I could stay at f/2.8, but the camera could decide what my shutter speed should be. That resulted in properly exposed pictures some of the time, but other times I ended up with a dark picture. I really think that full on manual mode is the way to go.
This shot was edited in Lightroom. I used the Matt Kloskowski 300 look preset to edit this shot. Actually I used the LBD preset that I created using Matt’s preset. That put the emphasis on the pinks instead of the reds. That subtle change really looks good, and makes the Brawlin’ Dolls look good. It adds something that I really like to the shot. This shot looked okay before the filter, but looks better after the filter. I have seen a lot of great black and white derby shots this week, but for some reason I can’t find the same formula that they use. I have a while though to figure that out. Black and white shots are not my thing, but it is an avenue that I would like to explore.
Kelby Worldwide Photowalk
Here is that part of the post where I talk about the photowalk that I am leading on campus after the Wisconsin game in October. The date is October 13th to be exact, and the walk will start at 4 o’clock est at the Neil Armstrong Statue in front of the Armstrong Hall of Engineering. Nearly 1,000 photowalks are planned around the world. If you are not near West Lafayette then you kind find a walk near you on the Kelby site. Sign up now to be part of this event. Nearly 15,000 walkers have already signed up so far. Activity has picked up a bit on the Purdue sites even with the short time being posted. You don’t have to be a pro (I am far from it) to attend. Any kind of camera is welcome as well. Here are a few links to the various sites which promote the event. If you want to sign up you should do so on the Kelby site in order to be eligible for the prizes though.
Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk ( Official Purdue Site)
Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk (Purdue Facebook Page)
Kelby Worldwide Photo Walk (Purdue Google+ Page)
Dave Wegiel Photography 