Tiltshift...ing.

One of the first projects I set out to explore is TiltShift photography. In the actual definition of the technique, Tilt, and Shift are actually 2 different techniques. These are both described in detail in the linked Wikipedia article; so I wont go into too much detail on them seprately.

In a nutshell, TiltShift is used often in modern photography to create a shallow depth-of-field on either the horizontal or vertical axes. The point is to create a "Selective Focus" on a scene. This can create a really cool "toy-like" effect on subjects or draw the viewer's gaze to a specific part of the photograph.

As with many photo techniques, there is an "organic" and "real" way to do this which is also expensive. There is also a cheaper, easier, but less "organic" way to accomplish this. TiltShift lenses are available for some SLR cameras that physically tilt and shift to achieve a variety of angles. This can also be achieved by taking the right photograph (worthy of TiltShift) and using software to apply the effects. Some prefer the former because it looks more natural and one may have more control... but I chose the latter, like most amateurs.

The components I used for this project were:
-My Panasonic (See 1st post)
-Adobe Lightroom
-Tilt Shift Generator for Windows

I decided to take some shots at angles to allow some depth to play with. I tried to pick some subjects with character as well; ones that stood out in color or contrast from the rest of the objects in the frame. this way it was apparent what was being focused on. I focused on both the "miniatures"  aspect and the "Selective Focus" aspect:

The first two were pretty close to 18x optical zoom. I did some aesthetic modifications to color and lighting in lightroom and then applied the tiltshift by setting up an export preset which launches Tilt Shift Generator. Head to the link above on Tilt Shift Generator to learn about some of the fine tuning settings you have at your disposal.

The texture on the wood with the flag made me thought it would be a good candidate for Selective Focus with the tool. Some modifications were made to exposure and saturation to highlight the flag. Then the Shifting to emphasize the flag.

I really liked this technique when I was doing it. More so because I like the "Toy like" look from high up. I may incorporate this in some projects in the future. Hope this was informative!

Decisions..

It has been quite a while since this endeavor floated to the top of my head, and apologies to myself (no.. not you) for that.

However this post is not without some form of product. I don't know that I mentioned it but I work in somewhat of an international role as an engineer at a software company in Austin, TX. As many business work, when we approach the end of the quarter, especially the end of the year, things get busy... really busy. Shortly after my first post I found myself preparing for an out of the country trip to London... which by coincidence was perfect for this project!

I did take a handful of photos while I was there after perusing the aforementioned "50 Photo Projects". Since then, and thanks to the holidays, I had some time to pick just a handful of projects to post and start with.

I decided to, however, take a handful of the preliminary projects from "Photo Op" by Kevin Meredith:

1. Tilt Shift
2. Architecture
3. Macro
4. Backgrounds
5. Portraits

The first two I happen to already have some preexisting shots to use. So more emphasis will be given to the ones following.

I plan on approaching each of the projects by posting a little about the project itself as described in the book, some tips explained to me and how I think to use those in my photos. This may contain some final photos from my experiments or will be followed with some shots. I'll try to describe the technical details of the shots to share along with any concepts.