PP02 – How tro Photograph X – Minnesota Valley Photography Club

Photographer's Playground

NOV 18, 2023 - How to photograph 'x' AND WHAT CAMERA/LENS TO USE

Don Tredinnick led a group of MVPC photographers for the second Photographer’s Playground workshop at the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis on November 18.

The objective is to learn how the choice of lenses impact your image background. Participants learned how compression, depth of field and camera steadiness are affected by lens choice.

Photographer’s Playground mini-workshops are free events. See what is coming up in the Photographer’s Playground and join us in one of these events to learn more about us, Don and our club.

A fun photowalk over the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis

Perfect fall weather – sunny and crisp – drew a group of MVPC photographers to the iconic pedestrian bridge spanning the Mississippi River on Saturday. Professional photographer and Club member Don Tredinnick led the outing, the second in a series of Photographer’s Playground mini-workshops that bring Club members together to have fun experimenting with different photographic genres and techniques. This time the goal was to shoot the historic riverfront with a variety of focal lengths – from wide angle to telephoto – to explore new perspectives and stretch our creativity. – Phil Davies

Understanding the effect of different focal lengths on photography.

After finding a parking place on the St. Anthony Main side of the Stone Arch Bridge, we all walked over to the west end of the bridge grabbing a few photos as we went. We gathered together while Don discussed some of the properties of lenses and their use in landscape photography. He explained how longer focal lengths can compress a scene, making the background and foreground seem closer together. And how shorter focal lengths will tend to emphasize the foreground and make the distance between the foreground and background seem further than it does to the eye.

After exploring the Mill City Ruins area, we walked back across the bridge grabbing a few more photos along the way. We headed along Main Street to the Lower Trail and Hennepin Island – a location this writer had previously never been but definitely plans to return.

It was a beautiful, sunny, cloudless day – a Top Ten weather day, probably the last we will have for the next few months. It was a great time to be outside! It did provide rather harsh shadows though. – Al Kiecker

PP 2
Kevin Corrigan
Nov 2023 , Photographers Playground 2