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.