Selfies from the Brink

By Markus_Hediger

Experimental Photography (EP)

This is a rather long introductory text to the Experimental Photography Challenge (EP). If you're interested in exploring the limits of photography, if you have an artistic vein and love experimenting, please read on.

First of all, I want to thank all those who commented on yesterday's blip. Without your feedback and encouragement I'd never go ahead with this project. 
When I bought my first digital camera a few months ago and studied it's menu, I was overwhelmed by the almost endless possibilities a modern camera offers. And soon I began playing around with it, going off auto and manipulating it's settings to produce specific (or unexpected) effects.
Basically, that's what experimental photography is all about: It's the exploration of photographic possibilities. Nowadays, Photoshop and other image processing tools make it easy to manipulate your shots. And these software tools are an essential part of experimental photography. But I suggest we first explore the basic resources our camera offers. Let's play around with shutter speed, aperture, camera movements, in-camera double exposure or image overlay etc.
The first EP-challenges will not be theme-oriented but focus on specific techniques, giving you total freedom to choose your subject.  

EP-challenge number 1 will be: EXPOSURE (shutter speed and aperture). Radically over or underexpose your subject, then use an image processing software to see what you can get out of your original image. Movements of camera and/or subject are allowed.


Too complicated? Here's an example: Today's blip was taken in RAW format in full daylight around 10AM, with shutter speed at 1s, aperture at f36, and ISO100. I shot it from the passenger seat, while my wife was driving towards the parked truck. The result was a terribly overexposed image (as you can see in extra #1. Extra #2 shows more or less the same scene shot in auto mode, seconds after the original photograph). I corrected exposure and increased clarity in Photoshop's Camera Raw CC, and that's it. 
Remember: Experimental photography is all about experimenting. Go for it, go manual, go wild, go radical.

This week's challenge: EXPOSURE
Tag: EP1
Go for: Artistic impression.
Heartdonor: My wife Carla (she's a painter and much more qualified than myself to evaluate works of art).

You can publish your contribution on any day until Saturday, March 18th (as Skeena pointed out, there is no need for a specific EP-day.) Just don't forget to tag it with EP1. 
The next challenge will be published on March 18th (suggestions are always welcome). Hearts will be given out on Monday, March 21st.

If you liked the idea, please help spreading it.
 

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