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MMS 173 Assigment 5:
Not being allowed to post-process the pictures was beyond painful. I know the point of this assignment was to learn the effects of different camera settings and I know we don't have to produce perfect pictures but still! The pictures didn’t match the specific visions I had in mind, even though I understood why they turned out the way they did. It’s frustrating knowing there’s so much I could’ve done in post to achieve a certain vibe—but again, that’s not the point of the assignment (I keep having to remind myself of this).
It also didn’t help that I wasn't able to borrow my friend’s camera this time because I was caught up in personal stuff (and thus only had one day to shoot most of the pictures). I couldn't control the aperture setting and adjusting the other settings wasn't that helpful. But there’s no use sulking about it now! There's a lot more opportunities in the future to shoot photos and this assignment—despite not being as fulfilling as I wanted it to be—was a good experience that is guaranteed to guide me in upcoming photography sessions.
IT'S ALWAYS TEA-TIME
we've no time to wash the things between whiles
The pictures in this collection were shot inside Bee (the photographer)'s house on May 6, 2025 (except for Porcelain meets Porcelain, which was shot at a cafe on May 7), using Samsung A73's pro camera mode. The aperture setting can not be modified in this smartphone so every picture is set at a default of f/1.8. The object she chose for this collection is a teacup with brewing hot berry tea. Happy viewing!
Table of Contents:
(Expand each picture to view their respective EXIF data.)
Drip, Drip, Drip
Slow and Fast Shutter Speed
The picture on the left, obviously, is shot at a low shutter speed. While I like how crisp the teacup turned out, the motion blur on the teabag is not exactly pleasing in the eyes. Meanwhile, the second picture is slightly underexposed because I combined a mid-range ISO and a fast shutter speed. I didn't want to end up with a grainy picture so I sacrificed brightness instead (a lose-lose situation).
These were shot on our balcony which gave me natural light to work with. Unfortunately, it was gray and cloudy so I still had to tweak the ISO and compromise on shutter speed just to get a tolerable amount of brightness. I used a tall crop composition for these photos because I wanted to highlight the tea dripping from the teabag. Any other composition would have added unnecessary distractions.
Taking pictures at a fast shutter speed without continuous shooting felt almost pointless. I had to channel my gaming thumbs to fire off as many shots as possible in just a few seconds. Even then, my phone wasn't fast enough to process the presses anyway.
Lonely Teacup
Low and High ISO
The differences between these pictures are a bit subtle. I wanted to be practical in shooting them—I didn't want to solely adjust the ISO and look at the difference (I can do this even without taking the pictures so it seemed pointless). And so I thought: if I were shooting in a low-light room (which I always am) what would be the most ideal setting? My goal was to achieve the same level of brightness using a low and a high ISO setting: 100 and 800. Adjusting the shutter speed became necessary which was fine because nothing was in motion anyway (except for my shaky hands).
The left picture is shot at 100 ISO and 1/100 shutter speed. The teacup obviously looks more crisp and the texture on the blanket is significantly more evident. The right picture is shot at 800 ISO and 1/800 shutter speed. I lowered the shutter speed because shooting at 800 ISO was too bright and, like I said, I wanted to achieve the same level of brightness to have a more valid comparison. The resulting picture is too grainy, too muddy, and just overall dull.
While both these pictures are definitely not contenders for the best application of exposure triangle (after all, I can't even adjust aperture in Samsung's pro camera), they did help me realize the importance of lighting in taking pictures, especially when it comes to indoor lighting which is always tricky without good equipment. In these pictures, I only used a lamp and a ceiling light so I relied mostly on my camera settings.
Tea Party for One
Landscape Orientation
Shutter speed and ISO were adjusted solely to achieve the preferred brightness for the photo. I was shooting this with indoor lighting so I bumped up the two camera settings to make sure the photo reached the right amount of exposure. I also tweaked the white balance to lean towards warm because the cool tone does not serve the colors in the photo well.
The colors and textures in the photo complement each other—dark and vintage (with added slightly brighter colors that are still within the same color palette to achieve a little bit of variety). The blanket, which adds depth because of its rough texture, also matched the items on top of it because they all followed a certain color scheme. It also helped that I controlled the white balance because the picture ended up looking more cohesive. Because of the color and the texture, the picture followed a design principle of harmony. Every element in the picture complemented each other well. Overall, this photo achieved a vintage, autumnal feel because of the harmonious color palette.
Lost in Wonderland
Dutch Angle
I wanted this shot to be as disorienting as possible. I chose a cool white balance (3300K) to achieve a slightly uncanny atmosphere. For the ISO and shutter speed, I compromised based on the brightness level I wanted. This was shot, again, with indoor lighting. Since I didn't want a grainy picture, I adjusted the shutter speed more than the ISO.
It truly is a shame that I couldn't adjust the aperture because this picture would have looked a LOT better with a blurrier background. The darkness of it fit the mood that I wanted to achieve so I had no issue with the exposure. I just wish the background wasn't competing as much with the focus on the teacup. The different textures and colors on the blankets also add a sense of quirkiness, which added to the vibe I wanted.
Porcelain meets Porcelain
Portrait Orientation
Not a lot can be said about this photo because it wasn't as staged as the previous ones. I only noticed the elements after critically examining it. This photo has elements of texture, line, and shape. The lines can be found in different areas of the picture (the door, the chair's armrest, the fridge, and the table). Only the teacup and the saucer has of roundish edges, which naturally achieves a design principle of emphasis, albeit subtly. The lines from the bottom of the picture leads the audience's eyes to the teacup.
I wish I could have blurred the bottom part of the picture more so that there is a more evident focus on the teacup. The teacup is not the brightest object in the picture which is unfortunate.
Both of the following pictures were taken on the balcony so I had a lot of natural lighting to work with. I set the ISO at 100 to minimize noise and keep my image sharp. Since I was on my tiptoes when I was taking the pictures, I set the shutter speed relatively fast. I needed to minimize as much motion and overexposure as I can.
Boysenberry Bloom
Warm White Balance
I wanted this picture to look like it was taken in the morning. I chose a slightly warm white balance (6500K). The reds of the tea and the reds in the blanket ended up complementing each other well. At first, I tried shooting this at a cooler white balance just to check what it would look like. It looked bad, especially in comparison to warm white balance (maybe I just like warmer tones in general). Balance was then achieved because of the cohesive color palette.
The blanket and the dried flowers seeped in tea showed texture. But if I had a choice, I would have wanted a blurrier background. I don't like that the blanket is as textured as it is, especially on the left side. If we were allowed to post-process, this is definitely something that I would fix.
Though I'm thankful that Samsung's pro camera mode allows the user to adjust the focus manually, it was very limited in range. I couldn't focus on the dried flowers without focusing on the blanket. I also must have had more motion on my right hand which is why the right side ended up being blurrier.
Twilight Traces
Cool White Balance
The shutter speed I used for this picture is slightly faster because I wanted the picture to be darker. They were taken only 30 minutes apart but I wanted a noticeable shift in time and atmosphere. Combining that with a cool white balance, the picture looked like it was taken much later than the previous one, achieving my goal. Balance and color served the picture well conceptually and technically. Still and all, I have the same concern with the previous one where I wish I had the option to adjust aperture to achieve a depth of field.
The hardest part of this assignment was choosing an object. There wasn't much I can do with just a single object, although it was exciting to challenge myself with this assignment. I originally wanted to do the self-portraiture option but life got in the way so I chose this one instead.
I am always way too ambitious for my own good. I hate the idea of not doing my best to stand out or be different. My works always have to display what little ounce of personality I may have. Overall, this was a different experience from assignment 4, where I used my friend's mirrorless camera. This assignment was limiting both in concepts and camera settings but I learned to be more resourceful with what I had—which challenged my brain a lot more than the previous assignment.
I might recreate this assignment (and do the self-portraiture one!) sometime in the future. I can't believe I'm about to say this (as someone who's severely financially conscious) but I hope I can save up enough money to buy a mirrorless camera :D
in courtesy of:
ate Drea's hand (and patience)
an old teacup
my sweet, sweet berry tea
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