The Engineering Projects

8 Photography Exercises and Ideas to Develop Your Artistic Style

Hi Friends! Hope you're well today. I welcome you on board. In this post today, I'll share 8 Photography Exercises and Ideas to Develop Your Artistic Style. Many beginner photographers face similar challenges and problems. While you can read up on the technicalities, light, and basic composition rules, it’s not so easy to take unique and interesting shots with artistic value. Lots of amateur photographers struggle with finding their visual style and being different from others, which might lead to doubts about your artistic abilities. You should, however, always remember that the ability to ‘see’ the perfect shot usually comes with practice. You have to push your boundaries and keep challenging yourself. A good solution is to pay attention to photography exercises that restrict or challenge your regular photography workflow since limitations make you find creative solutions. And if you are good at what you are doing as a photographer, consider uploading your pictures to a stock website as it will bring you a passive income.

Martynova.Katie | Depositphotos

1. Shoot one small object 10 times

Pick up a small object (a bottle of water, a cup of coffee, a fruit - it could be anything) and take at least 10 varying pictures of it. Each shot should be different from one another, get creative, and change the composition radically, look at your subject from different angles and perspectives. Many people habitually take photos from the same height, angle, and position, which, more often than not, leads to similar boring images. This exercise is a must for any beginner photographer as it helps you change the regular way you shoot and find unconventional compositions for your shots.

2. Take a lot of pictures standing at one point

Go for a walk, choose a point, stand there, and shoot several different photos. While you are shooting, you can’t move your legs and go somewhere else for a better composition. As you will have to work under certain limitations, you most likely will face some challenges to overcome. More shots, more challenging this will get. This exercise teaches you to work with restrictions.

graphicphoto | Depositphotos

3. The film photography exercise

When you shoot on film, you have a very limited number of shots you can take, usually from 24 to 36 depending on the length of the roll. You also don’t have any preview option and can only see the photos when the film is developed. You don’t necessarily have to purchase a film camera (although it can be quite an intriguing and useful photography experience), but when you shoot with your regular gear, try to imagine you can only take really few shots, just like with film photography. Don’t look at your pictures until your photoshoot is done and see if you nailed it. If you didn’t, you can always try again. This exercise will teach you how to be more precise when you frame your shots and find the right composition.

4. Diversify your subjects

If you get stuck with ideas on what to shoot each time you head out to take some pictures, you can use an alternative approach. Write 20-30 easy subjects (something like ‘a dog’, ‘flowers’, ‘shadows’, ‘a streetlamp’ etc.) on thin pieces of paper, put them in a bag or a bowl, and pick one out. This subject will be your task for a day or a week. It can also be a way to challenge yourself if you write something more difficult to shoot on the pieces of paper. You can write down moods, genres, or photography techniques.

showpx | Depositphotos

5. Shoot self-portraits (not selfies)

Everyone takes an occasional selfie from time to time. As a photographer, however, you should challenge yourself to create self-portraits instead of selfies to find interesting locations, compositions, and framing. All you need is a tripod, set the timer, and shoot yourself in a way you would with another subject. For many photographers, self-portraits are the most thoughtful, meaningful works. For most, it is a great exercise to learn how to overcome restrictions.

6. Stick to black and white for a bit

Not every image looks good in monochrome. Without any distraction of colors, other elements such as composition, light, shadows, contrast, lines, and shapes become more important with black and white photography. Set your camera in black and white mode instead of editing your photos after a photoshoot. This will let you see the picture in monochrome straight away, meaning you will have to focus on composition more and won’t get distracted by colors.

Konstanttin | Depositphotos

7. Visit the location in advance

Another photography exercise is to go to a random place without your camera and examine it very carefully. Try walking around the location and notice some interesting details, patterns, or greenery. Usually, we can’t pay attention to that many details when we are busy finding the perfect framing. That’s why studying a location where you want to shoot in advance might be very helpful to find some unconventional details.

8. Try recreating famous photographs

It’s great to learn from the best, most prominent photographers. When you take a look at the perfect works of photographers you admire, you might see some tricks and techniques the artist used, especially if you have some experience with photography. While studying the style of the photographer, feel how they communicate with their greatest works. This way you can recreate some of their pictures with your spin. This will help you understand the whole process of how the greatest artists work and find an approach that also translates your artistic style.

Don’t be afraid to break the rules

Many beginner photographers learn the same photography techniques and rules and stick with them. This can result in good pictures, but to make them great, you need to think outside the box. You need to know the rules since it will help you understand how and when to break them. Don’t be afraid to vary the rules to get unconventional shots and keep practicing with photography exercises to become a better artist.

A Giftware Guide for Software Guys

The thought of special holidays coming up isn’t always what gets us scrambling to check off our gift lists. For most of us, gift-giving occasions happen all year round, with someone’s birthday or anniversary to commemorate almost every month. While gift ideas abound for teachers, doctors, or hobbyists, it is a little more challenging to find the perfect present for that loveable computer geek or software engineer in your life. Techies can be quite particular about the latest gadgets that get them excited. But it’s not always about model kits or computer hardware. To find the right gift, a little imagination and resourcefulness are all that’s required. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Coffee Break Gift Basket

Hardworking computer engineers often work round the clock, and may need some reminding to take much-needed breaks. After all, the best ideas usually come to a mind that’s refreshed and rested. To create a coffee-themed gift, simply find a decorative box or a roomy basket and fill it with coffee essentials, including your friend or loved one’s favorite blend. If your budget allows it, you can even opt to include a funny mug or a single-serve coffee press. If putting together an appealing coffee break gift basket seems daunting, there’s no need to worry. You can simply order one, ready made, from one-stop online gift shops that provide specialty gift baskets and delivery services. Gift baskets are a thoughtful and crowd-pleasing idea that won’t fail to delight its recipient, especially during those long, exhausting workdays. Our favorite source for gift baskets are here.

Circuit Board Novelties

Software engineers may have little to do with circuit boards, but the idea is quirky and fun, nevertheless! They’ll look sharp like the geek gods that they are as they sport a necktie with a circuit board print, or when they entertain guests using a set of coasters made of actual circuit board parts. A whole range of similarly themed items are available online, from jewelry and accessories, to notebooks and clocks made out of recycled and repurposed circuit boards. Not only is this idea creative, it’s eco-friendly, too!

Raspberry Pi Starter Kit

This efficient little device is perfect for student engineers and beginner enthusiasts. It enables anyone, young or old, to explore computing and learn basic programming. It’s capable of equipping users with the tools to build homemade versions of laptops or netbooks, portable gaming consoles, music systems or radios, scanners, weather detectors, and even household appliances. It’s safe to say that your engineer is sure to flip over this gift, if he doesn’t possess one already.

Geek Games and Puzzles

Software engineers live and breathe codes. Computer language is what they use to communicate their best ideas. Give them a gift that challenges their intellect and their penchant for finding solutions to every problem. Have them solve tough puzzles that require them to crack complicated codes, or brainteaser games that will provide hours of challenging amusement.

Decode the Possibilities

If someone’s special day is just around the corner, this list is your springboard to finding the perfect gift. In fact, any of the above suggestions is sure to be a hit with your computer engineer friends. They’re useful and lighthearted, and show how much you know your buddies. There are more items and possibilities to be explored out there, and matching the right gift to the right person is part of the fun. One rule of thumb in gift hunting: if you love the gift you’ve chosen yourself, chances are your recipient will love it, too. Be guided accordingly, and let the search begin!

CA3080 Operational Transconductance Amplifier Datasheet, Pinout, Features & Applications

Hi Friends! Hope you’re well today. Happy to see you around. Thank you for clicking this read. In this post today, I’ll walk you through the Introduction to CA3080.

The CA3080 is an operational transconductance amplifier mainly used to convert the input voltage signal into an output current. It is widely used in variable gain amplifiers, frequency oscillators, current-controlled filters, and comparators. It carries an amplifier bias input which is utilized for linear gain control.

I’d recommend reading this entire post all the way through as I’ll detail the complete Introduction to CA3080 covering datasheet, pinout, features, and applications. Let’s jump right in.

Introduction to CA3080

• The CA3080 is an operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) mainly employed in electrical circuits for converting the input voltage signal into an output current.

• In other words, it is an amplifier where the differential input voltage generates an output current. The reason it is termed as a voltage-controlled current source.
• This OTA amplifier is almost similar to the standard amplifier and it carries high impedance and can be employed with negative feedback. It is also applied in the sample and hold circuits.

• The output of this OTA is different from the standard operational amplifier. In OTA the output is current as opposed to the standard amplifier where the output is a voltage.
• Moreover, in linear applications, this OTA is used without negative feedback. And at higher differential input voltages OTA shows non-ideal characteristics due to the input stage non-linearity caused by the input stage transistors.
• The transconductance of this device is directly related to the amplifier bias current means by increasing the bias current its transconductance would increase.
• The CA3080 is available with a remarkable slew rate that makes it an ideal pick for the unity-gain voltage followers and multiplexer.
• When used in multiplexer applications, this device consumes power only during the ON channel state. No power is consumed when the device is present in the OFF channel state.
• This device features a total of 8 pins out of which pin# 8 is not connected while pin# 7 & 4 are voltage supply and ground respectively.

CA3080 Datasheet

Before embedding this device in your electrical project, it’s wise to go through the datasheet of the component that highlights the main characteristics of the device. You can download the datasheet of CA3080 by clicking the link below.

CA3080 Pinout

There are a total of eight pins incorporated into this device. The description of each pin is given below.

CA3080 Pinout
Pin No.	Description	Pin Name
1,8	Not connected	NC
2	Inverting Input	IN -
3	Non-inverting Input	IN +
4	Ground	GND
5	Amplifier bias input	Ibias
6	Output	Output
7	Voltage supply	Vcc

The following figure shows the pinout diagram of CA3080.

Pin# 4 is a ground pin while pin# 7 is a voltage supply pin.

CA3080 Features

• Slew Rate (Unity Gain, Compensated) around = 50V/µs
• Adjustable Power Consumption Range = 10µW to 30µW
• Flexible Supply Voltage Range = ±2V to ±15V
• Fully Adjustable Gain

CA3080 Applications

• Sample and Hold
• Multiplier
• Multiplexer
• Comparator
• Voltage Follower

That’s all for today. Hope you enjoyed this article. If you have any questions, you can pop your query in the comment section below, I’d love to help you the best way I can. Feel free to share your valuable suggestions about the content we share. They help us create quality content customized to your exact needs and requirements. Thank you for reading the article.

KA3525A PWM Controller Datasheet, Pinout, Features & Applications

Hi Everyone! I welcome you on board. Happy to see you around. In this post today, I’ll walk you through the Introduction to KA3525A.

The KA3525A is a monolithic IC chip that features the control circuitry mainly required for a pulse width modulating regulator. This device comes with an error amplifier, voltage reference, pulse width modulator, an under-voltage lockout, an oscillator, the output driver, and a soft start circuit, all in one package.

I suggest you buckle up as I’m going to discuss the complete introduction to KA3525A covering datasheet, pinout, features, and applications. Let’s jump right in.

Introduction to KA3525A

• The KA3525A is a monolithic IC chip that incorporates the control circuitry used for pulse width modulation.
• During the PWM process, the control circuit inside the chip generates variable-width pulses against the amplitude of the input analog signal.

• The PWM is a technique that reduces the power produced by the electrical signal by converting it into discrete several parts. Thus, controlling the value of current or voltage by the switch. This switch is located between the supply & load and controls the value of the input signal when we turn it ON and OFF at a fast rate.

• The term duty cycle is associated with this PWM which is defined as the proportion of ON time of the entire input signal. If the signal remains 10% ON and 90% OFF, then the duty cycle tends to be 10%. If the signal remains 50% OFF and 50% ON, then the duty cycle is said to be 50%.

• This is a 16-pin chip that requires a supply voltage of around 40V and features a reference output current of around 50mA.
• The operating temperature ranges from 0 to 70 C while the storage temperature ranges from -65 to 150 C.
• Power dissipation is 100mW and the output sink current is 500mA.
• This pulse-width modulation regulator IC incorporates 16 pins.
• This device generates two PWM signals that are a complement to each other.
• This component is widely used in switch-mode power supply and other electronic circuits.
• The output voltage is controlled by feedback circuitry that does it by comparing the feedback signal with a reference voltage.
• This device features a shutdown protection circuit that turns off the PWM signal if the feedback signal reaches its limit.

KA3525A Datasheet

Before you use this device in your electrical project, it’s better to go through the datasheet of the device that features the main characteristics of the component. Click the link below to download the datasheet of KA3525A.

KA3525A Pinout

The following figure shows the pinout diagram of KA3525A.

• Pin 1 represents the inverting pin and pin 2 represents a non-inverting pin.
• If the voltage on the non-inverting pin is less than the voltage on the inverting pin, then the respective duty cycle increases.
• Pin 3 is employed for the synchronization of two waves while Pin 4 is the output pin of an oscillator.
• Pins 5, 6 & 7 are incorporated to adjust the frequency of PWM.
• We can control the frequency of PWM by controlling the value of the discharge resistor, CT capacitor, and RT resistor.
• Pin 8 SS is a soft start pin that enables the output signal after some time. The value of capacitance is directly related to the soft-start time.
• Pin 9 is called a compensation pin employed to prevent rapid fluctuations in the output voltage signal.
• Pin 10 is known as a shutdown pin. It shuts down the PWM signal when the current reaches its limit.
• Pins 11 and 14 are known as the output pins used to provide input to the MOSFETs. KA3525A incorporates a built-in MOSFET driver circuit.
• Pin 13 and 15 are called the power pins. Vc should range from 5-35 volts while Vin should stand between 8-35 volts.
• Pin 16 is known as the reference pin used to adjust the reference voltage through pin 1 or 2.

KA3525A Features

The following are the main features of KA3525A.

• Carries under-voltage lockout.
• Available with Oscillator Sync Terminal.
• Comes with 5V ± 1% Reference.
• Comes with Deadtime Control.
• Features Internal Soft Start.

KA3525A Applications

• It is employed in consumer power electronics applications such as pure sine wave inverters.
• Used to generate a regulated voltage in a boost converter and a buck converter.

That’s all for today. I hope you enjoyed reading this post. If you have any questions, you can pop your query in the section below, I’d love to assist you the best way I can. You’re most welcome to share your valuable suggestions and feedback about the content we share so we keep sharing quality content customized to your exact needs and requirements. Thank you for reading the article.

CA3130 MOSFET Op-Amp Datasheet, Pinout, Features & Applications

Hello Friends! Hope you’re well today. I welcome you on board. Thank you for clicking this read. In this post today, I’ll detail the Introduction to CA3130.

The CA3130 is a BiMOS Operational Amplifier that comes with MOSFET. BiMOS is a term that defines the combination of both CMOS and bipolar op-amp technology into a single integrated circuit. CMOS op-amp is highly efficient and consumes less current while bipolar op-amp carries high bandwidth. Overall CA3130 is a device that combines the advantages of both bipolar and CMOS op-amp means it consumes less power and carries high bandwidth.

I suggest you buckle as I’ll discuss the complete Introduction to CA3130 covering datasheet, pinout, features, and applications. Let’s get started.

Introduction to CA3130

• The CA3130 is a BiMOS Operational Amplifier that incorporates MOSFET. It is widely used in Mobile jammers and oscillator circuits.
• Incorporated in a frequency generator, CA3130 carries an input terminal current of around 1mA and a maximum output voltage of around 13.3V.

• The common-mode rejection ratio of this device is 80 dB. This rejection ratio is the ability of the device to turn down common-mode signals. It is a ratio between differential mode gain and common-mode gain.

• The CA3130 comes with high input impedance due to the presence of built-in MOSFETs. This also projects when the output voltage of the sensor is attached to the non-inverting and inverting pin of the op-amp, the resulting output voltage of the sensor doesn’t change its value.
• If you are pondering for a device with less power consumption, fast sample rate, high input impedance, and high bandwidth, then this CA3130 op-amp might be the right fit for you.

How to Use CA3130

• CA3130 carries both inverting and non-inverting pins.
• The non-inverting pin is directly related to the inverting terminal and the output pin means when the voltage at the non-inverting pin is high then both the inverting pin and output pin will be high.
• The CA3130 operates as a single supply voltage with a range of 5V to 16V and as a dual supply mode with a range of ±2.5V to ±8V.
• Here in this example, we will take a single supply voltage with a power supply of 5V, as this is the most commonly used circuit.
• In this circuit design, the pin 8 Vcc is attached to the 5V voltage supply while pin 4 is grounded where the potential difference is zero. A sample CA3130 circuit is given below.

• The rise time of this device is 0.09uS and the CMRR is 80dB which makes it an ideal pick for voltage followers and high-frequency applications.

CA3130 Datasheet

Before you install this component in your project, it’s wise to scan through the datasheet of the component that details the main characteristics of the device. Click the link below and download the datasheet of CA3130.

CA3130 Pinout

The following table exhibits the pin description of CA3130.

Absolute Maximum Rating of TL081
Pin No.	Rating	Symbol
1	Used to set the offset voltage	Offset Null Pin
2	A fixed voltage is applied to this pin	Inverting Pin IN -
3	A variable voltage is applied to this pin	Non-inverting Pin IN +
4	Ground (zero potential difference)	Vcc -
5	Used to set the offset voltage	Offset Null Pin
6	The output pin of the op-amp	Output
7	Voltage supply pin that gets voltage range 5 to 16V	Voltage supply pin Vcc+
8	Used to turn off the output stage	Strobe

The following figure represents the pinout diagram of CA3130.

• Pin 4 is the ground pin while pin 7 is the voltage supply pin.

CA3130 Features

• Sink current Max. = 20mA
• Input Terminal current = 1mA
• Common Mode Rejection Ratio (CMRR) = 80dB
• Comes with a wide power supply range
• Singe supply – 5V to 16V
• Dual supply – ±2.5V to ±8V
• Maximum Output Voltage = 13.3V
• Op-amp incorporated with MOSFET at the output
• Source current Max. = 22mA
• Supply current = 10mA

CA3130 Applications

• Incorporated in mobile jammers
• Employed in Oscillator circuits
• Employed in DAC circuits
• Used in voltage follower circuits
• Used in Peak Signal/Noise detectors
• Used in frequency generator/distorter

That’s all for today. Hope you enjoyed reading this article. If you’re unsure or have any questions, you can approach me in the comment section below, I’d try to help you according to the best of my expertise. Feel free to leave your valuable suggestions or feedback about the content we share so we keep sharing quality content customized to your exact needs and requirements. Thank you for reading this post. Stay tuned!