Smidgeshots - 2 - Further Test

This week's Smidgeshots are all a little artsy-fartsy. I've sort-of gotten the hang of most of the features and I've worked out what goes with what (ie, if you're up the shutter speed you better keep the aperture low and have good lighting, otherwise you get stupid pictures of blackness! [the reverse is also true; a slow shutter speed with a low aperture will give a big'ol picture of whiteness.]) So, here's my playing with shutters speed, lens movement and good old fashioned black and white. Enjoy!

Let's Play!

I was in a bar, watching a bit of live music and, as these things go, I needed to use the facilities. Inside, two men came out of the only available cubicle suspiciously sniffing and rubbing their faces - eep! -  Naturally, when I left and saw them and some bald-headed, giant-armed, wild-eyed friends playing a friendly game of pool, I asked if I could take a few shots!

I really like what's happening in this photo. I'm getting to grips with depth of field, and obviously the monochrome adds to the feeling of film noir style game being played. You can picture the, er, gentlemen, smoking fine Cubans and plotting takeovers in the background... or maybe that's just me. Either way, this is going in my Favourites album.

Walking... Into the Future!

Ok, I'll be straight with you, this isn't a good photo, but it is an artistic photo. Agreed? I was waiting for a bus and happened to have my camera with me (then again, I rarely go anywhere without it!) so I started to fiddle with the settings. I realised if I used a slow shutter speed (in this case a quarter of a second) and moved the lens ever so slightly as the camera took the picture that I could distort the image. Half an hour and a missed bus later, I caught this. Who the man is, I've no idea. I hope he doesn't mind being the protagonist. If he does, well, too bad; this photo is just too cool to give up.

Let's Drink!

Plain and simple, a little bit of DoF, a little bit of fun and a little bit of alcohol. I used to draw these faces on my dad's bulmers bottles and anytime a friend gets one I feel compelled to reenact a moment from my childhood. Not the best picture in the world, but it is one of the most nostalgic.