Tag: Learning

January 29th, 2011 - Lighting techniques with Frank Veronsky

I spent my morning with a number of other photographers learning lighting techniques at Frank Veronsky's carriage house studio in Belle Meade. Frank spend two hours ( maybe more ) teaching us how to make the best of available light and the proper use of reflectors. Frank has been a photographer for over 24 years and is an excellent teacher.

One of the photographers brought his daughters with him. They were gracious and patient, posing for our eager cameras. This is the one I chose as the best of the set of 100 or so. You can see some of the others in my image gallery here.

Natural lighting from the window on subjects right side with reflected light from the white wall to the subject lefts. Hot light from above with most of the leaves closed to focus light onto a narrow strip on the subjects face.

Experiment

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I've experimented with my HDR photography. I'm not a professional so I don't know what I'm supposed to do or not supposed to do. I experiment with light and angles and then see what I like and don't like. I'm always learning. Always experimenting.

The Worst Teacher I Ever Had

Yes, this was the worst teacher a 10-year-old boy could ever have.

I don't remember what grade it was, but the experience was emotionally scarring. I did very poorly in Maths during one marking period. By very poorly, I mean, I failed.

The teacher held up my test score for the entire class to see. "Mr Williams got a big duck egg on his test". In the British West Indies, students are often referred to by their last name, and a duck egg is a zero. Imagine getting a zero on a test.

The teacher then proceeded to explain to the class that I was the only one who failed so miserably. It might not have been so memorable an event in my academic life had she stopped there. No.

She dragged me out of my seat and walked me over to the next classroom and ridiculed me in front of the class. Then the next classroom over. In a short while, I was in tears, and now the entire school knew that "Mr Williams" was a useless, stupid idiot.

Yes, this was the worst teacher a 10-year-old boy could ever have. Fortunately, my parents were more understanding. They got me some after-school help. With effort, I was able to improve my Maths grade. I was the highest scoring student on the next marking period. In ALL subjects!

Sometimes life brings me the very thing I need. Perhaps if that teacher had not humiliated me that way, I might not have realised that with hard work, I could achieve. Maybe I would not have studied and received a Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering, a BA in Physics and a minor in Mathematics.

Or perhaps the teacher was an asshole.