still lives

These are several photos of miniaturized toy animals that I have had since I was very young.

I found that using an extremely shallow depth of field was best for my photos. This was because it allowed for the quickest shutter speeds and helped to achieve correct exposure in the photos while minimizing blur. I took most of these photographs while the sun was setting and was only able to correctly expose the pictures by taking a lamp and shining it directly onto the subjects. The shallow depth of field affected the photos by bringing attention to the parts of the photo in focus. The juxtaposition of focus and blur create an interesting effect, perhaps one of antiquity and nostalgia. Maybe that is just what I feel, because these old toys of mine create a feeling of nostalgia for myself. I was able to change the depth of field in the pictures and assignment by changing the aperture, focal length, and distance from the subject. However, since I was mainly photographing very small things, I was often either quite close to my subject or extremely zoomed in.