Extra Credit

1. Ki Suk Han was killed when he was run over by a subway train in New York Subway station. Han was apparently pushed onto the tracks by some unknown person and was trying to climb out when the train came. Umar Abbasi, the man who took the photos, was trying to get the train driver's attention with the flashes of his camera. The driver couldn't stop in time, and so Han was sadly run over and died.

2. Umar Abbasi said that he took the photo so that the driver would see the flashes. Then when the driver saw the flashes, he would try to stop the train in time so that Han wasn't hurt.

3. I do not think the photographer should have taken the photos. Instead I think he should have at least tried to help the man up. Yes, there was very little time, but Han has one arm up on the side of the tracks. So it seems as if with one helping hand, Han could have been pulled out with maybe only getting hurt, not getting killed.

4. I do not think that the photographer did the best thing, taking photos. I'll give him the credit of trying, but I would think he thought the time the driver would have registered seeing the flashes, realizing something was wrong, then stopping the train, it would have been too late.

5. I disagree with the decision to run the photo in the paper, because it makes the photographer look like a bad person. At first glance, or first read, it looks as if the photographer had planned it and was responsible for Han's death. Even if that isn't true, it is what the photo portrays.

6. I think stopping bad things from happening is a lot more important than capturing the perfect photo at the perfect time. You could get other photos, but I don't think the photo is worth loosing a life. Just think how Han's family and friends are reacting to the news. More than likely, in a year nobody is going to car about the photos he took at the perfect time. His family and friends however will always wish that he was still here.

7. I think it is ethically acceptable for the photographer to involve themselves in the situation they are photographing if it is a self portrait or a picture reflecting something about themselves. If it isn't really a picture having to do with you, then why would you involve yourself in it? I think photography should be honest, and if you aren't involved in the situation involved in the photograph, don't put yourself in it.

8. I think photographers should influence what is happening if it is what they want to happen in the photo, and it doesn't arm anything or anyone. If for instance you are trying to get a picture of a dog panting or something like that, and you play fetch with it to get it a little tired, that is fine. But if you are trying to get a photo of something, and you have to hurt something or someone, that is not okay in my opinion. Even though there was little time, I think the photographer should have tried to save Han, in a way that wasn't taking pictures, using the flash to alert the driver.

9. It seems that the photographers that responded to this story are in favor depending on the photographers instincts. Many of them said that due to little time, you would have to follow your instincts and just do the first thing that came to mind. Wether or not that is take pictures, or rush and try to help the man out, depends on who was there and what their first instinct was.

Lytro Warm-up and Fashion Photography

Lytro Warm-Up...

1) When you click the photo, it focuses on that spot and the rest of the picture gets blurred out and unfocused. If you clicked on a different part of the picture, the focus would change to where you clicked it. So every time you clicked somewhere else, the focal point moved to where you had clicked it.

2) When you take a picture with this camera, it captures all of the light in the whole scene, putting everything into equal focus. This allows you to later look at the photo, and change the focal point to any where in the photo you want.

3) I think the photographer would not have to know much before using this camera, because it seems like a pretty simple tool. Since it takes the photos with all of the light, I don't think there is a need to adjust the lighting or anything like that. The photographer will have to know about shutter speed and which they like the most as well as ISO. But from reading the description it doesn't seem like they need to know much more to take photos with this camera.

4) I'm not sure that this camera is worth the money. I do think it is really cool, but with some time to learn you could use a regular DSLR or point and shoot camera and get a bunch of photos of the same thing with different focal points. So I would have to look into this more before considering buying one, but i don't think it is worth the money.


Fashion...

1) After they put makeup and false eyelashes on the model, they then edited her photo on the computer. When they did this they elongated her neck, changed her left shoulder, darkened and lengthened her eyebrows, and they made her eyes bigger

2) In my opinion, it is not okay to change somebody's appearance like that. It is okay to put makeup on them to enhance their natural beauty, but when you upload the picture onto the  internet and the change the physical features of their face and body, you are creating a whole new person. A person who doesn't really, and never will because the person in the photo is flawless. I actually find it in a way, insulting when company's change women's and men's appearances like that. It sends a message that nobody is good enough, so they just pick somebody and change what they really look like.

3) I think no matter what situation, changing somebody's body porportions and facial features is totally wrong and not okay.

4) Putting make up on the model is okay, when you still have some natural beauty shinning through. I think it is on the edge of okay and not okay when they pile a bunch of foundation and bronzer and blush onto the model's face. What isn't okay at all is when, like I said before, they literally change the shape of the model's eyes, mouth, the length of the neck, anything like that. This is just making the person in the picture not really who it originally was and it is degrading them.

5) A lot of the time, fashion photography involves lots of makeup and editing of the person like there was in the video. They edit the models so that the clothes look good on them. There is a lot of false images in fashion photography. In photojournalism however, I think that the pictures and the people and objects in the photo are more natural. They are not digitally edited from what it originally was.

6) Fashion photography has, in my opinion, a fake relationship with reality. This is because they change so much about the original picture that it just is not good and honest. This is also bad when the company claims that the photo is natural and the models have "cleaner skin" when really they just piled a bunch of foundation on to make their skin look better. Photojournalism has a closer relationship with reality, but in some ways they are "arguing" like friends do. Sometimes photographers will change little things about photos, like the lighting or the focal point, but those changed are small and don't change the physical aspects of what is actually in the photo.

Rules of Photography Part II

Balance...

Simplicity...

Lines...

Framing...

Rule of Thirds...

Cropping...

Depth...

Symmetry...

Viewpoint...

American Soldier Slide Show and Captions (review)

Part 1...

A) I think the most powerful pictures are the ones of when he is leaving home for the first time go to to training. Saying goodbye the first time, is always the hardest. These pictures show a lot of emotion with Ian's friends and family.

B) Set #1. At home in Denver - images 1-8
     Set #2. At Basic Training - images 9-30
     Set #3 In Iraq - 51-70
     Set #4 Back in Denver - 71-83

I think the second set of pictures were the most powerful, because it was during Ian's training. Ian went through second thoughts, a breakup, first time injuries, and a lot of emotions while he was in training. The photos show that emotion and doubt he feels.

C) The images are put in the order in which they happened, showing you a timeline of the events that happened along with a caption. Putting them in this order shows a story, Ian's story, of what he went through day by day and his emotions. It's a if you are looking at a picture book.


Part 2...

A) The captions are usually written in present tense. This is because pictures are freezing time, and so the captions are written as if you froze time, not as if time passed and it's in the past.

B) The captions give extra background information that tell you what Ian is thinking, or what he is going through. For example, with image 56 Ian is tearing up something. Without the caption, it looks like he is just tearing up a random piece of paper, which doesn't really seem important. The caption tells us that Ian is actually tearing up a picture of his girlfriend, Kirsten, because he had found out she had another boyfriend back home while he was in Iraq.


Part 3...

Image #27 - Ian is put to the test in a nearby forest area, to be tested on the skills he has recently learned in 3 months since arriving at training at Fort Benning. 

Image #59 -  It nears Christmas as Carlos (left) and Ian (right) put up some festive lights in their platoon's bunker, to add some spirit to their lives, creating a home away from home.  

Image #76 - Ian's father holds a sign while waiting with the rest of the family and Ian's friends, for Ian to walk in with the rest of the troops, home after being gone for almost 5 months.

Part 4...

A) The videos enhance the photos by adding comments and what Ian and his family had to say about the situation. They videos add more emotion to the photos and also give more background information that wouldn't fit into a caption. 

B) Videos are sometimes better than photographs because they can show more pictures in a slide show fashion, and they can add snip-its of what the family and Ian's friends had to say. Videos also allow music to be played in the background to set the mood of the experience better. For example, the video about Ian going through basic training gave a lot more information about what he was going through. It added parts with Ian talking about how hard and crazy it was, which helped people to connect and imagine the experience better than reading about it in a news article. 

C) Photos can also sometimes be better than videos. Photos can sum up information with a short caption, so that you don't have to watch an hour worth of videos to learn about whatever it is you are learning about. For example, in the "Army Blues" set of pictures it shows many pictures with emotion and they give hints and tell you how Ian is feeling is short little parts. 

Self Portrait and Portraits Part II

Tip #1- I think one of the good tips when it comes to taking portraits, is to approach the person you want to photograph with your camera put away first, and talk to them some. It makes sense, because if you talk to them first and get to know them a little bit have have them know you it will make them more comfortable with you taking their picture. If you go right up to them, camera out and ready right then and there, it can seem a little pushy and abrasive. The last thing you want to do is make the person uncomfortable around you.

Tip #2- When taking portraits of people different from you, research their culture first. I like this tip because you don't want to not know anything about them at all, and then accidentally say something that offends them. Plus, if you know a little bit about their culture, it helps to be able to connect with them a little bit more to make the photo taking process a lot less awkward.


Environmental Portraits by Gene Smirnov...

 I really liked this picture because of the depth the lockers and the floor add. I also like how simple and relaxed the basketball player looks, and how he is in his "natural element" you could say. I also like the lighting and how he looking right at the camera, but it looks like he is thinking about something, maybe his next basketball game. 

I like this picture because it's very simple. It's just a group of guy laying down right by the water. I like how the water is above them; the ripples add to the photo and in a way, guide your attention to the bottom of the photo where the friends are just hanging out.

Self Portrait Photography by Brendon Burton... 

I like the timing of simplicity in this picture. I like how the background is blurred enough to see where he is, but also to focus on him and the letters falling. The envelopes in the photo are all turned differently, so that adds to the interest of the photo. 

Like the photo above, this picture is perfectly timed. I also like this picture because it is weird, witty, and different. Iv'e never seen a picture like this before and it makes me smile. I also like the photos that people take when they jump, so it looks like they are flying and that plays well with the balloons that are floating above his shoulders. This photo sort of seems like something from Alice In Wonderland.

Casual Portraits...

This photo is by Dean Kalyan. I like the blurry background, because it puts the focus on the man on the right. It looks as if he is thinking about something, and he looks content with his life. I like how to photographer used the rule of thirds in this, and I also think this picture is very balanced. 

This group of pictures were taken by Ursula Page. I like the color in this picture, and I love how the little girl looks like she is just having fun. These pictures are very simple, which I also like. I especially like the third picture because of the look on the little girl's face. She looks hypnotized by the balloons and it is really cute. 

My idea for the portrait assignment would involve me taking pictures at my house, or at lunch with the people I know well. I would take pictures of my parents, my brother, maybe one or two of my dogs, and then of my friends. I would try to take the pictures where there isn't a bunch of people around, so that I could focus on the picture, without having people come up to me. My idea is to have the person lay down on the ground or the floor, depending on who it is, and sort of spread their hair out crazily. I would then get objects that show one of their interests and place them around their head and have them either smile or make a funny face, maybe fidgeting with one of the objects around their head. 

Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO

Aperture...

Photo taken with f2.8 by '~ Jonathan~'. Found on Flickr.

Photo taken with f20 by unknown. 

1) We should relate the aperture of a photo to a human eye.

2) The smaller the aperture, the higher the f-stop number. The higher the Aperture, the smaller the f-stop number.

3) Aperture can effect the depth of field, or the amount of stuff in the photo that is clear/blurry. If you are using a larger aperture size, the objects closest to the camera will be clear, while the things in the background will be a bit more blurry. If you use a smaller aperture size, more of the background will be clear, and visible.

Also depending on the aperture value, you can make objects in the center of the photo clear, while objects behind it, and well as in front of it are blurry.




Shutter Speed...

Photo taken with a high shutter speed by alan_sailer. Found on Flickr.

Photo taken with a  slow shutter speed by unknown.

At the beginning while the sun is still partially up and the courtyard has reasonable light:
 a) high shutter speed
 b) semi high hitter speed
 c) medium shutter speed
 d) medium shutter speed
 e) medium-semi high shutter speed
 f) high shutter speed

Towards the end when there is no sun and has gotten dark enough that you can't see from one end of the courtyard to the other:
a) medium shutter speed
b) medium shutter speed-semi high shutter speed
c) slow shutter speed
d) slow shutter speed
e) slow shutter speed
f) medium shutter speed

2) One of the setting on cameras for shutter speed is called Aperture Priority. This is when you manually set the aperture value you want, then the camera automatically adjusts the shutter speed to whatever you set the aperture to. A second setting is Shutter Priority. Shutter Priority is the complete opposite of Aperture Priority. You set the shutter speed that you want to use, and then the camera automatically adults the aperture value for you. The third setting on cameras is the Manual Mode. In Manual Mode, you are in complete control of both the aperture size, and the shutter speed.




ISO...

Photo taken with ISO200 by Madhan. Found on his blog through Google.

Photo taken at ISO3200 by unknown.

1) When you are at a sporting event, its best to shoot at a higher ISO because the higher the ISO, the less time it takes to capture the photo, making the picture clearer and makes it look as if you froze time.

2) The author suggests using low ISO as much as possible, because it will come out with the clearest picture the majority of the time. He especially suggested that when there is more light, you should stay to a very low ISO to capture more detail. If your camera is sitting on a flat area, like a table, or maybe even on a tripod, the author said that you might want to use lower ISO in darker areas, but be careful, because depending on how dark is it, moving objects could come out transparent, like a ghost.

3) The author states that you should increase the ISO number if the light is so dim, that you can't get get a quick picture. He also said that you should use a higher ISO when you are trying to get a picture of something moving fast, because it helps to make it clear. When he is taking pictures inside, he increases the ISO so that the pictures look frozen. He does also say that whenever you are increasing the ISO, be careful about how much you are increasing it, because the higher is ISO, the more grit and grains you can see in the photo.


Sim Cam...

F2.8 - looks best at 1/250 second shutter speed
F4 - looks best at 1/125 second shutter speed
F5.6 - looks best at 1/60 second shutter speed
F8 - looks best at 1/60 second shutter speed
F11 - looks best at 1/60 second shutter speed
F16 - looks best at 1/30 second shutter speed
F22 - I can't decide which looks better, 1/30 seconds shutter speed or 1/8 second shutter speed. 1/30 second is clearest, but pretty dark. 1/8 second had good lighting, but is very fuzzy.

F2.8 - none of the background is visible
F4 - The background is still very blurry, but you can see the darker areas a little bit more
F5.6 - still the background is blurry, but it is better than before
F8 - the background is the same as at F5.6
F11 - the background is almost fully visible
F16 - the background is getting a little bit gritty
F22 - at 1/30 the background is very clear, at 1/8 the background is gritty.

As the shutter speed slows down, the people in the pictures are getting blurry. The lowest shutter speed for this to not happen depends on the aperture size. For example, at F8 I think the slowest shutter speed he photographer can shoot without the people getting blurry is at 1/60 seconds; If the camera's shutter speed is F4, the slowest shutter speed is 1/125 seconds. One way to make this easier on the photographer, is if he used a tripod. The tripod would keep the camera steady on the ground, or the flat surface beneath it, reducing the blur.


Depth of Field Quiz - 23/25 = 93%
Motion and Shutter Speed Quiz - 25/25 = 100%

Mural Project

The photos I took...

Abandoned Theme Parks

1) I would want to go to Six Flags in New Orleans. I have read another article about it before and saw a bunch more pictures that were taken. It was actually really creepy, and I want to go and see it for myself because it looks like something from a horror movie instead of from real life. I think that it would be a good idea to try to get some pictures of the creepy aspects from the park, but with lighting and stuff that makes it show the past happiness it brought people that went to the park before hurricane Katrina.

2)

photo taken by Keo 101

photo taken by Bob McMillan/FEMA

3) I think some other unusual places for photographers to visit could be old concentration camps from the Holocaust, old war sights, places where natural things occur like geysers, the original factories of famous companies like Coca Cola and Hershey's in an interesting way, or maybe marching band rehearsals and performances.

4) On a website called the Jewish Virtual Library, there are many pictures taken by Jack Hazut of concentration camps today. Here is one taken of the gate leading into on the the most famous concentration camps, Auschwitz:

5) I think this wouldn't be a fun photo shoot project, but an interesting one. Not many people realize the conditions there were at concentration camps. Taking photos of the concentration camps will help to show people what they looked like, and get a feel for what maybe it was like to wake up there. Last year in my English class, we learned a lot about the Holocaust, and we looked at a lot of pictures. These photos show a lot of emotion, without involving people, and I think that is good. Yes, I agree the Holocaust was horrible, but these photos can help us learn more about it so it doesn't happen again.

6) If I were to go to concentration camps, I would take the simplest things, so that the pictures can be as pure as possible. So I would of course take my camera, my tripod, maybe a lens with better zoom, and that is pretty much it. I would probably spend a week in a hotel and go everyday to Auschwitz and other camps in the area. I would try to take pictures of the buildings with the sun in the background, to create shadows of the victims, but also to show the hope that some people had, that things would get better and they would escape.

Another article about the Six Flags New Orleans theme park, with more pictures: (http://www.lovethesepics.com/2011/05/creepy-crusty-crumbling-illegal-tour-of-abandoned-six-flags-new-orleans-75-pics/)

Funny Captions

Five cats (top row: Jojo, Scotty, Sammy. second row: Steven, and Talia) in Austin, Texas this past Sunday, October 21, 2012, make crazy expressions when their owner, Sheila Thompson told them a chocolate lab was going to be joining their family. These cats have never lived with a dog, let alone with other animals other than felines, causing Jojo to be creeped out, Sammy to be mad, and Steven to be shocked, except for Scotty and Tallia who are "bored" and "chillin". 

This picture was taken on September 14th of Felix the cat who lives in Miami, Florida, and now looks like a giant cotton ball due to growing out his fur because he wanted a change. Felix made the decision in 2010 to grow his fur out, after he got a very bad haircut at the groomers. 

The camera clicks on October 24th in a suburban neighborhood of Houston, Texas, and Quin stuffs Newman's tail  in his mouth in shock of  a carved pumpkin (out of the frame) because it comforts him, although the cat does not like that at all. Ever since Quin was born he always sticks Willy's tail in his mouth to comfort himself when he is scared, because weirdly enough the softness on the fur in his mouth calms him down. 

Great Black and White Photographers Part 3

1) When I first saw Arnold Newman's photos, I really liked the simplicity in his photos. Pretty much all of his photos have a simple background, really focusing on the subject. In addition, all of the photos I saw were clear, and were not blurry in anyway, which made me happy.

I see a musician sitting by his piano, his head leaning on his arm, leaning onto his piano. He has a blank expression on his face, bored of being photographed, wondering how much longer he has to sit there.  

I smell the strong scent of the white paint on the walls, along with freshly printed paper with new music on it. 

I hear the light, melodic sound of the keys being pressed down to create a song inside his head as he thinks of new things to play. 

I taste the frustration of the pianist, waiting for the picture to be taken so that he can go back to playing his grand piano. 

I see an old man with a white, coarse beard. He wears big glasses and a frown. He seems as if he is thinking about somebody whom he misses, who perhaps was important to him. 

I smell the strong scent of cuban cigars, with light smoke wafting into the air. 

I hear the click of the camera as the photo is taken, his sighs as he poses and looks into the lens of the camera. 

I taste the hard memories that flash through his eyes. Perhaps ones of pain and tough times. I taste the bitter. salty tears, and the sweet laughs from his past. 

3) To show my great photographer, I would probably get a bunch of his pictures, and get a song that would match their moods and emotions. I would create a slide show of the pictures with some captions here and there at the edges. With all the technology now, I think making a slide show and posting it to youtube would probably be the best way to share Arnold Newman's photography. 

Academic Shoot Reflection

1. I had a hard time getting comfortable enough in the class rooms to take a lot of pictures. I am very uncomfortable around people I don't know and so when I was in the class I had a hard time walking around and getting in their faces to take pictures. As well as me being really shy and timid, it was very hard for me to find class rooms where they were doing something, other than just sitting there taking notes or listening to their teacher talk.

2. Every time I get to go take pictures, I am always thinking of angles. I am big on taking pictures with angles, and so there is a little voice in my head that non stop saying,"What about that angle? That could be cool.." I also am always trying to not let the photos have any blurry aspects, because i have a pet peeve about photos being blurry and that is always something I am thinking about, whether or not I can make every inch of the photo clear or not. A lot of the time if I something in the photo is blurry I will not like the photo at all and it will ruin the whole picture for me.

3. I would definitely have to push myself to become uncomfortable so that I could take better pictures, and get in their faces, and not think of what people are thinking of what I am doing. I would also have to make myself go into more class rooms, because maybe when I walked by I just walked by at the wrong time, so I need to go into classes and spend more time in each one, instead of just glancing inside and then leaving immediately.

4. I would and still hold the camera, and be careful, and be polite when I go into class rooms. I also am going to stick with going to teachers I know, and teachers I have a connection too, because it is just very uncomfortable if I go to a teacher who I don't know at all.

5. I think the easiest rule for me is the rule of thirds, and simplicity, because those are already automatic for me to follow and use.

6. I think the hardest rule for me is the rule of lines, because it's hard for me to be creative with it and I will need to focus mainly on trying to get some pictures with good examples of lines. Also, I need to try to get photos with lines, but not physical lines. I need to try to get photos with imaginary lines and lines that are not as obvious, connecting objects in the photo to make shapes and making everything fit into the picture right.

7. The rules I am not still completely comfortable on are the rule of lines, and avoiding mergers/mergers. I will have to go and surf the net and look at more examples of these rules and read more about them to fully understand them.

Academic Shoot

Balance...

 I think I did an okay job with this rule. The subject would be the act of Mrs.Tennen teaching the class, and helping them to learn and speak French. I think that the subject is obvious, because you don't really see anything else that could be the subject besides a class learning.

 The darkness of the left side of the photo balanced out the side with all the students and Mrs.Tennen.   Except for that though, I think I could have done better, with maybe using a different angle and instead of using lighting to balance, perhaps using the people in the class. 

Framing...

I think I did a pretty good job at following this rule, because the  guy on the left and the girl in the red shirt on the right along with the window above her, serve as a good frame for the class rules on the wall, which is the subject. The two posters, and the list of conjugates on the wall is the subject in the photo; I could have done a better job with capturing the subject though, because some people may think that the guy on the left is the main subject, since he is the closest to the camera. 

 Simplicity...

 The photo is pretty simple, because the objects in the background are a little bit blurred out, and they are simple items. The subject would be the guy on the left, doing what everyone does at some point in their life, day dream. I think the subject is pretty obvious, since he is the clearest part of the photo and also the biggest part of the photo.

I wish there was better lighting, but I didn't want to ask to turn the rest of the lights on, because then I would be interrupting the class. 

Lines...

The subject is Aaron learning and taking in as much information as possible. I don't think anyone could mistake the subject for something else, because there isn't really anything else in the picture that would make sense to be the subject.

I could definitely do a better job with this rule, because I always look for the easy way out with this rule. I always look for physical lines that are on the walls or something else, instead of imaginary lines that connect different points on the picture, like the example on the website we looked at when learning about the six rules of photography. The person had taken the picture two where the two people on the beach, along with their reflection in the water, has made about fifteen different triangles. 

Mergers...

So, instead of finding a picture avoiding mergers, you wanted us to find a picture with a merger.  I took this one, because if you look at the girl in the stripped cardigan, it looks at if one sleeve is black and she has her head resting on her fist. But that arm is really the arm of the person sitting behind her, who you can't see because of where I took the photo. I am actually not sure myself what the subject is, so i could have done a better job at capturing a subject in the photo.

I think this picture could be better if I had gotten closer to the girl and taken the photo with a a more interesting angle. 

Rule of Thirds...

I think I followed this rule very well, because if you split the picture into a grid, Ashlee is not directly in the center of the photo. Ashlee is off to the side and so that makes the photo a little bit more interesting. The subject is Ashlee, being happy with learning and being happy with where she is, and just happy with her life. I'm pretty confident with the subject being present in this photo, mainly because the background doesn't have anything in it that could effect the subject. I wish I had taken a different angle with this photo, but that would have caused me to be in some of the other people's way and I didn't want to block them from seeing the projector.

I also like how I got a picture of her smiling, without asking her to smile. She just turned around at the right time with a smile on her face because someone had made her laugh, and I luckily got it at the right time. 

Mural Project Preview

1. A theme I think we should do is portraits of people, with one object that shows one of their interests. The background can just be a plain backdrop, like the brick walls outside of the school. I think black and white would be a good color scheme too. For example, we could have a guy who likes to play the guitar, with his guitar strung over his shoulder, in front of the brick wall outside, looking straight at the camera, then put it in black and white.

2. I think, we should let people decide whether or not to use their camera phone, or an actual camera. Mainly because I personally don't like instagram and if I had the choice I would just rather not use it at all. So I think giving people the choice as to which they want to use is a good idea, and if they use a camera they can just edit it on the computer to black and white or whatever.

3. I think putting the mural somewhere everyone could see it would be cool. Like maybe outside in the courtyard, perhaps on one of the brick walls of the building. Another idea could be to put it above the stair cases around the school, so that when you walk up the stairs it's right there on the wall, and it will be hard to miss.

Africa

I really liked that this power point was in black and white, because sometimes color can distract you from what is actually in the photo. The photos make me want to go to Africa even more than i did before, to see it with my own eyes, instead of through pictures. I loved the detail in every photo. A lot of the pictures left me speechless because they were so amazing. I really like Nick Brandt's photography from this power point. 

I really like this photo because it looks so unreal. It looks as if it was painted or drawing, instead of photographed. I love the little shine in the gorilla's eyes, the slight open mouth, the stance the gorilla takes, and you can see every detail of the gorilla's fur. This photo is just so perfect, it's hard to believe it's real.

One of the rules of photography Brandt used was framing. The surrounding leaves and bushes make for a very good, balanced frame around the gorilla. This photo is also very simple, just a gorilla standing next to some leaves, nothing more, nothing less. I like the simplicity and the framing Nick Brandt used, because it adds a good view of the gorilla, without it just being a gorilla, or being a gorilla with other animals in the background.

According to a New York Times article, Brandt used a medium-format Pentax 67II. Brandt uses his camera to take these photos and sells them to raise money for an organization called Big Life Foundation. This foundations works on saving the wildlife by hiring rangers, to stop poaching of the animals and to save their species in Kenya and Tanzania.
With his photos he hopes to get people to realize what is happening in Africa, and to donate money to save the wildlife there. He takes them in black and white or sepia, in the New York Times article, it says, "The resulting photographs feel like the artifacts from a bygone era."

With his interview with the New York Times, he says, "I'm a pessimist, but that doesn't mean I'm going to give up on trying to limit what's happening. Sometimes you have to realize that it's extraordinary that there are any elephants left at all."

Nick Brandt has released two books from photo shoots in Africa, and he is expecting to release his next book sometime in September of 2013.

Favorite Photo from Academics and Community Service

Favorite Photo: 

My favorite photo from the Academics and Community Service category was "Drop the Bass" by Maria Martinez. In this photo a girl, wearing a pair of lab glasses, drops pink paint onto a speaker, with plastic wrap over it.

1. I chose this photo because I like the detail with the paint bouncing off the spacer that was captures in the photo. I love how only a little bit of the paint is blurry, and the rest is all clear and defined. I also like how the speaker and the paint in right in the center of the photo and is the main focus, so the girl in the back is blurred out.

2. One of the rules of photography in this photo is lines. The lines made by little paint, and the plastic wrap, guide your eyes and pull your attention in towards the paint that is bouncing back off of the plastic wrap. This makes you really look at the detail in the paint, with the little glares of light off the a paint and every little shape made by the paint.




Next Shoot:

1. I could go to the gym, or tennis courts to try to find a class doing some type of sport. I could go to the theater, or theater room to maybe find some people practicing for West Side Story. I could also go to the art or dance room to see what they are up to and maybe take shots of people painting or drawing or dancing.

2. I would like to be able to go into the theater and theater room, and try to get some nice shots. I haven't really tried taking pictures of people doing things, so I think theater would be a good opportunity since they are doing something they actually like to do.

3. I will have to get out of my comfort zone. I am pretty shy when it comes to people I don't know, so I would have to get out of my comfort zone and I would have to ask some people if I could take a picture of them. Also I might have to stand on chairs or get down low to the ground, so that I can get a good, interesting angle.

Filling the Frame

Photo taken by Samantha Jung

In this photo, a group of volunteers on one side of the table are feeding and giving meals to homeless people on the other side. The shot is taken to where it is looking all the way across the whole table. This helps to fill the whole picture with the people who are either giving or receiving food. There is no empty space in this picture, making it a good example for "filling the frame".

Action and Emotion

Photo taken by Briella Bartholomew

I like the emotion this picture shows; to me it shows three teachers, or workers, just having fun in their office.  The action in that the younger guy is messing with the older man, and they are all laughing. I think this definitely shows good emotion in their eyes and their smiles. They are all having fun and they are all happy. This also could be showing two students messing with their teacher, which shows that not all teacher student relationships are bad and disagreeing. 

The Story

Photo taken by Hannah Osterheim

The two guys in the picture, repairing and or making something shows a good story, by giving you information about what is going on, but not enough to tell you the whole story. So then you can come up with your own story and let your mind wander, which i think makes a good story. They could be fixing a desk or a teacher, or fixing a table for some old lady that lives down the street. All we know is that they are fixing something with a hammer and nails. I think that great stories are ones that let you come up with the details, and that is what this picture does. 

Post Shoot Reflection

1. In the "Red, Metal, Happy" photo shoot, I had a hard time being creative. I tend to over think things, so I kept wanting to make the pictures complex and more interesting, but with not being able to change lighting or sometimes not being able to get the right angle got in my way and aggravated me. Also, the day I got to take pictures I couldn't go outside, because it was cloudy and rainy. I had a good idea for the happy part of the shoot, but since it was so cloudy and rainy outside, that ruined what I had in mind.  I wanted to get to where I could get a shoot of the sun, and involve some other things, but I couldn't see the sun anywhere.

2. I thought about angle the most. In a lot of my pictures I use a lot of angles and different perspectives, but when I was trying to take a picture of maybe a poster, it was hard to get what I wanted because sometimes there would be a fire alarm right where the camera had to be, or something along those lines. I am always constantly thinking about how I could get a better angle.

3. If I could go the assignment again, I would try to get some pictures that have more lines, because none of my pictures had that element. I also would work on framing, and balance.

4. I personally think I do a good job with the rule of thirds, and avoiding mergers. So I would keep the positioning of the subject the same, since I use those rules by habit anyway.

5. Look at "Red, Metal, Happy" assignment.

6. I would be okay with shooting these prompts again, but not very excited. I could definitely improve on the prompts, and use more the of rules of photography, but I would like something a little bit harder or different. I do though, need to get out of my comfort zone, so doing the prompt again would help with that.

Avoiding Mergers

photograph by Steffan Kaplan

This photo is a good example of avoiding mergers, because the smoke in the background doesn't look like apart of the buildings. Also, on the website where it talks about avoiding mergers, it suggests putting space around whiter the main objects in the photo is. I think this photo follows that rule very well. Avoiding mergers makes the photo better because  sometimes in photos with mergers it looks weird and out of place, so when you avoid them it makes the photo make sense.