Assignment That I Am The Most Proud of

Let me start this with a disclaimer; The assignment that I am the most proud of does not mean the assignment for which I received the highest grade. In fact, on paper, it was one of my weaker assignments of the semester. However, it had deeper meaning to myself and myself alone. My "Who am I" video was different. Most people in the class used many images in there's; this makes perfect sense, as this is a photography class. However, I wanted to make something that was more than a slideshow. I wanted to showcase something that has been a huge part of who I am and how I spend large parts of my life. My video was not a place I go, but rather a skill I have that I use almost everyday. It is something that I build huge sections of my life around. Pictures of drums could not capture this, and therefore my movie was mostly videos. Though it was for a photo class, this video really opened my eyes to a different artistic side of myself. At the end of this year, I've been assigned to make videos for two different classes, this being one. In both, I've had extraordinary amounts of fun, and found myself watching each one hundreds of times. Making videos gives you an incredible position. You are the director. What you see in your head is what you see on screen. Being able to go back and watch something that you've created gives me a sense of pride that I couldn't get otherwise. In the future, I can see myself making videos all the time, and this assignment was a piece of that spark.

Most Memorable Experience

My most memorable experience from this year was our trip to Bowdoin. Being the type of person that I am, I had never formally visited a photography exhibit like that. Being with this group, whom I'd come to really enjoy the company of, made it a great experience. Seeing pictures from my own and others' famous photographers gave meaning behind the projects we were working on. It was very cool to select pictures that we thought we interesting and to actually learn about the history and making of them. It taught me a lot about the history of photography and how it has evolved over time. Also, having a chance to see what images 'stuck out' to other members of the class was very interesting. Everyone had something different that they wanted to know more about and show the class.

Culture Clash

During this project, I found success in building a landscape. First, I combined a snow covered lawn with some mountains to set the scene. After I added Sugarloaf and a few different sky images, I was very happy with the backdrop for my image. I met difficulty once I began to add the other components. I felt as though I was just adding random images. Eventually, I realized that I should ignore what felt wrong and right and just go with what I wanted. The buildings on the right and left compliment each other, and the snowy landscape serves as a good clash between the two areas.

Who Am I video

https://www.flickr.com/photos/116606712@N02/14204715738/

Free Choice

When taking this picture, I was drawn in by the colors. The purple flowers were very vibrant and stood out very well against the green leaves. When I took this picture, I could smell the sweet fragrance given off by the flowers. I felt a little 'girly' taking a picture of flowers, but I really liked how it turned out. The colors were great, and the natural arrangement of the flowers made the picture almost take itself.

Culture Clash Planning

Juxtaposition/fragmentation - Two things being seen or placed close together with a contrasting effect
Point of view - The position from which the camera sees the scene
Scale Change - When the proportions of one image to another is changed
Overlapping - The action of placing one photograph over another

Famous Photographer

This is a link to my famous photographer movie, "Henri Cartier-Bresson"

Hobbies

To the typical bystander, this photo is just a bunch of sticks. However, to a drummer, this is much more. When I look at this picture, I can see and hear many things. I can hear the different tones of each stick: the soft scraping of the brushes, the sharp attack of the plastic tipped sticks, and the warm, natural tone of the wooden ones. The tape on my sticks makes my skin crawl with the thoughts of the thousands of blisters I've accumulated over the years. The red stick, which sits alone, reminds me of the long hours and hundreds of broken sticks. Each stick has its own purpose and its own history.

Food

I thought this image turned out very interesting. Because it is so zoomed in, it shows the egg in a way that we usually don't see. It depicts all the unique little textures and the different sections of the egg. All the bubbles make it so that you can almost hear the sizzling of the griddle and smell the cooking of my breakfast. It just screams morning to me. Crackling eggs and bacon, sun shining, the start to a brand new day.

Creative Portraits

I created this image during class. Thankfully, we were given an array of props to use. As we know, Bill is quite the model, and the crown just served to complete the photo. This photo also uses lighting really well. The shadows on his face help define it.

In honor of opening day for the MLB season, my mom's friend, Bob, decided to shave his beard. I thought it would be really cool to get a before and after shot. I think his faces capture the moment perfectly. In the first, he looks happy, almost like a santa type figure with his bushy beard. In the second one, though he looks much younger, he almost has an upset look on his face, like he misses the beard, or feels incomplete without it.

Portrait Techniques

Shooting Candidly

Nothing truly captures life like a candid. It depicts people acting normally, which can say a lot about them or their work. This is the most effective way to capture a moment in time- nothing freezes history like a candid.

Alter Your Perspective

This can create some very unique images. It can capture people from angles that aren't usually seen. It can also create some cool expressions- especially if the person follows the camera with their eyes.

Experiment With Lighting

A face is a very cool surface. It's covered with different textures and curves. When light is placed on them, it can create some very unique shadows. Having light approach from different angles can almost completely change the appearance of someones face.

Props

This is a great way to tell something about your subject. Whether it is a person with a skateboard or someone playing guitar, it tells you a lot about the person- their hobbies, interests, skills. Introducing another object that's not just a face adds a lot to the image and helps make a very complete photo

Selfies

It's not amazing quality, but I think we were very creative with this selfie. We used a normal object from the school (the railing) to create something completely new. While it is obviously fake, it is still executed decently. The background is lined up well, and our expressions serve well to capture the moment.

Famous Portraits

Arnold Newman's portraits tend to depict people in front of their work. Whether it's a pilot in front of his plane or an artist in front of his work, the background serves as a description of the person. Here, we see an artist, sitting casually (with an almost smug look on his face) as the majority of the photo is consumed by his art. This photo was very eye-catching, and the smug facial expression looks as if it was done out of confidence- "check out what I did". While being confident, he is still off to the side, letting his art be the subject.

Richard Avedon's photos do something a little different. They attempt to tell a story with very little detail, and typically just a white background. The story comes from the person and the person alone- their expression, clothing, hair, etc. It leaves you with a lot of questions. This one stood out to me: Who is this man? What does he do? Where is he from? His expression here is tough to decipher. At first glance, he looks disappointed or exhausted. But the longer you look, you almost can see the hint of a smile in his lips. Maybe he is remembering something, or recovering from a long day of hard work.

Annie Leibovitz's photos are very unique. They are pure, real, and often risky. Some are nude, but with a purpose. Sometimes there is no other way to capture the mood a photo (take Lennon and Yoko Ono for instance). I really liked this photo when I saw it. It captures two separate generations, most likely a father and son, matching in their expressions and stances. It clearly shows the difference in age, while also showing it's similarities. They both stand proudly; the younger man as if it's about something he's going to do, and the older man as if it's about something he's already done.

History of Photography

From doing this poster, I learned a lot about the history of photography. Not only did we learn about the first cameras, but also the evolution of photography as a whole. Photography evolved from a simple, new art form, to a social tool that we know now as the media. Images became the new medium for sharing the world. As for the cameras, we’ve come a long way. Photography started as just positives and negatives on a piece of paper. From there, we were able to develop the first point and shoot cameras, which eventually became digital. The most amazing piece of it is how far we’ve come in recent years. In the span of about 30 years, we went from the first digital camera, a clunky machine that shot at .01 mp and took 23 seconds per photo), to having cameras in our phones that were capable of shooting much higher resolutions and taking multiple pictures per second.

Shadow Photography

Taking this photo, I first took note to the dragon's head. I tried to line it up in a way that used the butterfly behind it to my advantage, creating almost a full animal. I also really liked the shadow that was created by the handle. The shadow also gives a smaller silhouette, allowing you to see the entire shape of the vase on the wall, while only part is shown in the photo. The positioning also put the other shadowed handle right in the middle of the real one. This nicely put a lighter color in between to compliment the metal, rather than a darker shade that would have taken the pop out of the handle.

Walk, Run, Fly

1. What 3 things did you learn as a result of doing this project? Explain how these things are important to your learning.

First, we learned how to look at objects differently. By looking for letters, we approached everyday objects and structures with a different viewpoint. We looked at how normal objects can be viewed differently to create something totally differently.

Next, we looked at how we can use view points to create new images. Altering your point of view can cause certain lines to line up differently and create new images, like letters.

Lastly, we were introduced to photoshop and how to use it. We learned how to transform pictures and adjust their color and contrast to create a well balanced image.

Unusual Persepctives

In most of my pictures, I tried to get very close to objects. Getting a clear, up-close shot reveals textures and patterns that are usually ignored. Pictured here is a plate on it's wall mount. The metal mount caught my attention, not just for its spiral shape, but also its texture and color. Looking closer at the metal, I noticed it wasn't just gray, but also contained spots of yellow and orange. I thought this was very cool, especially with the black and white image on the plate. I tried to get an angle that captured both. This created a great contrast between the black and white picture, and the speckled yellow of the metal. 

Shapes, Organic and Geometric

The first thing I noticed was the drain. I saw how it was made up of a pattern of circles within a larger circle. I liked the repetition, so I decided I would try and take a different angle at it. At the time I took the photo, the camera is actually facing my body. If I hadn't done that, the background would have been all one shade of dark gray. By turning the camera and photographing towards myself, I captured a small lip in the fountain, which gave the background a few lighter shades to compliment the dark circles.

Composition

Composition is the number one thing that makes a great photograph. As the one taking the picture, you can control what is in the photo, where it's located, and how it looks. Most importantly, you decide what the focus point is. In this image, I approached a normal object (a lamp) from a different perspective. By placing the lens along the stem of the light, I created a strong curved line that flows from the right-third of the photo right into the focus point.

Motivation

    My favorite things to photograph are landscapes. Nature in general is really amazing, and nothing says art to me quite like the natural arrangements that occur in nature. The vast array of colors, lines, and textures can make some fantastic photos. Besides nature, structures (like buildings and other man-made objects) provide lots of strong lines and often include a degree of symmetry, which can be interesting.
    The number one thing that motivates me to be successful is the quality of my work. I always want to produce something that I can be proud of. I am the type of person that works slowly, and puts in a lot of thought before making a decision, like taking a photo. This leads me to work at a slower pace than most, but typically I adapt to the needs of what I'm doing, in this case taking 45 pictures in 45 minutes. As a teacher, I respond well to constructive criticism, and specific advice. I like to know what it is specifically that I can do better.