Exploring Composition | DP Week 1

Recently I started a new course called Digital Photography, one of my first assignments was:

Take at least 30 shots of a single, non-moving object. Select and edit the best shot.

Picking one object was not an easy task for me, I kept thinking about what I should use, where I was going to place it, and how I was going to be able to take 30 different shots of just one thing. Then I thought, why don’t I use a beverage I like? I ended up choosing an Arizona Green Tea can, and not just because I like the taste of it, but I also like the design in the can itself.

As picking an object, taking different shots of it was also hard. I took at least 10 photos before I started asking myself, what can I do to make the rest of the photos different from the ones I already have... I tried shooting from different angles, I placed the can in different positions, I tried different camera settings (aperture, white balance, etc.), and I got my set of photos of a can.

The one I chose was because I liked how the composition looked, there's the can in the foreground, a tree in the middle ground, and more trees in the background. I liked the depth of field effect I achieved. I also liked the shadow of the can shown in the photo. And finally, I liked the color contrast I got.

I cropped the original photo a bit and added a vignette and a color filter to highlight my object even more. If I were to repeat the exercise, I would move the can a little bit to the left.

WHY WAS THIS PHOTO BETTER THAN THE REST?

Each of the other photos I got of the can had some significant differences. Some didn’t have a good composition, some didn’t have the right colors, or didn’t have the effect I was looking for.

WHAT I DISCOVERED AND LEARNED DOING THIS EXERCISE

I learned that planning is a big part of photography. You must know what kind of photos you want to take before a shooting, so when the time comes you don’t get out of ideas. Also, it's essential to know how to use the exposure triangle of the camera (aperture, ISO, and shutter speed), and to know about the rules of composition.

This exercise was interesting, and now that I already tried doing it, I can say it's nothing impossible.

How many shots of a single object do you think you'll be able to take? What object would you choose?

Via Google