homework assignment - the fair (b+w)

Just in case you readers think I post these lessons/assignments and forget about them, here is my take on the b+w assignment I posted a few weeks back - these are from our family trip to the Orange County Fair:









heifer with an attitude...







doesn't it look like the enormous stuffed dog is attacking that little boy?



I admit - I couldn't shoot only b+w that day - there are SO many colorful things at the fair! Nevertheless, shooting in black and white for part of the day allowed me to focus on improving my basic composition skills - what about this image makes a good photo? Note that all of these b+w images are straight out of the camera - no editing at all. (I feel so naked!) I found I like patterns and repetition, and I sought out shadows and contrast more when shooting black and white. I looked more for a story in each image, rather than just a pretty shot.

But...I can't resist posting a few of my color shots (with some pizazz added post production):









this one is my (almost) 4 year old on the carousel - I tried to intentionally blur the photo but keep her in focus by tracking her motion. Almost worked - the bear she's riding is basically in focus. Never hurts to try something new, right?

Readers let me know if you tried the assignment and if you liked having homework - I can come up with more assignments if you'd like...